TEXT: 1
  The Near Now …
  Later today, early tomorrow, sometime next week,
  the world began to end.
  The United Kingdom, Ireland and the Scandinavian nations have been
  invaded by raiders from another cosm — another reality. These Possibility
  Raiders have come to steal Earth’s living energy … to consume its possi-
  bilities. They have brought with them their own reality, and now portions
  of Europe have become someplace else.
  The magical reality of Aysle has come to Earth, but not in the manner
  originally planned. Now two powerful beings vie for control of this
  patchwork realm — Lady Pella Ardinay of the Light, and Lord Angar
  Uthorion of the Dark. Creatures of myth and legend roam the streets of
  London and Stockholm, and sorcery has become commonplace in Dublin
  and Oslo.
  Now the things of fantasy mix with 20th-century technology, elemental
  dragons rule the skies, and Northern Europe is locked in a struggle
  between good and evil. At stake is Earth’s reality.
  This is the realm of …
  
  2
  Roleplaying the Possibility Wars
  TM
  TM
  Aysle
  The Sourcebook of Magical Reality
  Introduction
  4
  Chapter One: The High Lords
  5
  Chapter Two: The Cosm
  8
  Chapter Three: The Realm
  29
  Chapter Four: World Laws
  43
  Chapter Five: The Theory of Magic
  50
  Chapter Six: Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  78
  Chapter Seven: Miracles of Faith
  89
  Chapter Eight: Folk
  96
  Chapter Nine: Creatures
  102
  Chapter Ten: Equipment
  114
  Chapter Eleven: Character Creation
  123
  Templates
  125
  T A B L E  O F  C O N T E N T S
  
  3
  Aysle
  Greg Farshtey, Greg Gorden, Paul Murphy, Bill Slavicsek
  Design
  Jonatha Ariadne Caspian, Michael Nystul
  Contributing Design
  Greg Farshtey, Greg Gorden, Bill Slavicsek
  Development and Editing
  Stephen Crane, Cathleen Hunter
  Graphics
  Daniel Horne
  Cover Illustration
  Valerie Valusek
  Interior Illustrations
  Dr. Michael R. Fortner, Louis J. Prosperi
  Magic Theory Assistance
  Nikola Vrtis
  PDF Creation
  Paul Balsamo, Dr. Michael R. Fortner, Louis J. Prosperi,
  Christopher Hawley, Lawrence Trainer, Mike Shannon, Mark
  Terilli, Gregory Rushton, Eric Aldrich, Jeff Brown, Brett
  Colacurcio, Gary Corbin, Mike Landsdaal, Letha Owens
  Playtesting and Advice
  Note to Our Readers
  This PDF version of the Aysle Sourcebook was created from the original electronic files. Images were left out or modified
  and the page layout was modified to reduce file size and production time (the images do not have electronic counterparts).
  Typographical errors were not fixed, nor was any attempt made to update the sourcebook to reflect current technological
  progress or any developments in the Possibility Wars since this book was first printed. This electronic document is provided
  as an relatively inexpensive means for people to get the original Aysel information from a popular book now long out of
  print.
  If you received a copy of this file from a friend and would like to support the publishing efforts of West End Games, please
  send US$9.00 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/) to d6lweg@yahoo.com.
  For more information about Torg and other West End Games products, please visit our Web site, www.westendgames.com.
  This PDF requires the Torg basic set (WEG #20501) to play. You or your favorite local or Internet retailer can order the
  Torg basic set and other printed Torg supplements through West End Games. You can find more information about ordering
  directly from West End Games in the Catalog section of our Web site.
  Angar Uthorion, Aysle, Baruk Kaah, Core Earth, Cosm, Cosmverse, Cyberpapacy, Darkness Device, Dr. Mobius, the Gaunt Man, Gospog, Heart of Coyote, High Lord,
  Infiniverse, Kanawa, the Living Land, Maelstrom, Maelstrom Bridge, Nile Empire, Orrorsh, Pella Ardinay, Possibility Raiders, Possibility Storm, Possibility Wars, Ravagon,
  Stormers, Storm Knights, Torg, the Torg logo, West End Games, and WEG are trademarks of Humanoids, Inc. ®, ™ and © 2003 Humanoids, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  Published by
  Honesdale, PA 18431
  www.westendgames.com
  First Printing: November 1990
  PDF Published: August 2003
  
  4
  Introduction
  erry still couldn’t get
  over how things had
  changed in England.
  Here he was, sitting in a
  meadow in Nottingham
  beside a dwarf named Groto, hiding
  behind the remains of a stone wall.
  He heard the twang of long bows,
  and arrows rained down around
  them, fired by skeletal knights in-
  tent on helping them join the ranks
  of the dead. He shivered.
  “You normal humans are bad
  enough,” Groto spat in his gruff man-
  ner, “but dead humans are intolerable.”
  He reached into his pack — it had a
  Nike logo emblazoned across its
  front — and pulled out a hand gre-
  nade. Of course, Groto referred to it as
  an egg. “We’re going to give them an
  egg to remember us by, boy,” Groto
  said, hefting the grenade in one of his
  powerful hands.
  The skeletal knights approached,
  dropping their bows and pulling
  swords from rotting scabbards. Groto
  examined the grenade for a moment,
  then plucked the metal ring from its
  top and tossed it into the group of
  undead warriors.
  “Groto,” Jerry said carefully, re-
  membering the dwarf’s temper.
  “You’re supposed to throw the
  grenade.”
  “Oh. Right.” Groto threw the gre-
  nade after the ring. It exploded half a
  second later, blasting the undead
  knights into oblivion. “Those eggs are
  wonderful inventions, boy,” Groto
  said, a smile almost showing beneath
  his thick beard. “Now let’s go get a
  pint of bitter.”
  The Possibility
  Wars
  Earth has been invaded. High Lords
  from different cosms — different re-
  alities — have come to our planet to
  plunder the power of the Earth itself.
  That is the situation in the Near Now
  of Torg: Roleplaying the Possibility Wars.
  Each High Lord has carved himself a
  piece of Earth and shaped the very
  fabric of reality across that area to
  match his desires.
  Great Britain and Scandinavia have
  been overlaid by the magical reality of
  Aysle. Aysle is a fantasy realm. It is a
  place of dreams and nightmares, of
  folk both magical and mundane, of
  creatures of light … and darkness. It is
  a realm thrown into confusion, a realm
  split along the lines of two powerful
  beings who can both claim to be High
  Lord — Lady Pella Ardinay of the
  Light, and Lord Angar Uthorion of the
  Dark.
  Aysle is a realm where reality works
  as it does in fantasy novels. Sorcery
  determines the standard of living, tech-
  nology is at the level of Renaissance
  Europe, and mythical beasts and mon-
  sters are commonplace. There are also
  areas where Earth’s reality exerts some
  influence or is even dominant. In these
  areas, the mundane mixes with the
  magical to produce some of the strang-
  est combinations ever seen on either
  world.
  All of this aside, Aysle is a realm at
  war. Once unified under the evil Lord
  Uthorion, the Ayslish forces now battle
  among themselves as two divergent
  powers struggle for dominance.
  Uthorion, now inhabiting the body of
  a Viking warlord, leads Vikings and
  giants from his Norway strongholds
  to recapture the realm. To the south,
  Lady Pella Ardinay and her knights
  and wizards try to establish a stable
  government from their base in En-
  gland. They seek to stop Uthorion’s
  plans of conquest and help the people
  of Earth cope with the magical reality.
  From Ireland to Denmark, the faerie
  of Earth’s past have returned with the
  rising magic axioms, once again able
  to live in the hollow hills and green
  meadows. In England, barbarian war-
  riors and chivalrous knights patrol the
  countryside, while London remains a
  place of our world’s magic — a
  hardpoint of modern technology. In
  Norway and Sweden, Viking
  longships once again ply the cold
  fjords, raiding where they will. In Fin-
  land, dragons rule the skies and half-
  folk run wild.
  Important!
  This sourcebook is a companion
  volume to Torg: Roleplaying the Possi-
  bility Wars. While you may be able to
  use this fantasy setting with any role-
  playing game, many of the concepts
  and rules presented here are explained
  in greater detail in the Torg rules set.
  Read the game books first, then come
  back to this book for details on the
  patchwork realm of Aysle.
  The Sourcebook
  This sourcebook provides all the
  information and advice needed to de-
  sign exciting campaigns and adven-
  tures set within Aysle and the Torg
  universe. It describes the cultures, re-
  ligions, and world of magical reality.
  It provides new character templates
  for players to use, new world rules, a
  spell creation system, and more.
  Discover the story of Uthorion and
  Ardinay, then explore the cosm of
  Aysle. From the dwarven account of
  creation, to the geography of the disk-
  shaped world, experience the unique
  feel of magical reality. Then move on
  to the realm, look over the new rules,
  and choose the character templates
  you like best.
  Magic fills the countryside with
  faerie light, and a quest is in the offing.
  Grab your sword, pack your spell book,
  and don your armor. The adventure is
  about to begin …
  
  5
  Chapter One
  The High Lords
  ady Pella Ardinay stood
  upon the highest rampart
  of her tower, watching as
  the streaming armies of
  undead shambled ever
  closer. The invaders came across a
  bridge of some sort, constructed from
  twisted souls. It spiraled down from
  the sky, crashing to the ground be-
  yond the Inland Sea, behind the Kelor
  Mountains. With its arrival, the land
  … changed. Where these monsters
  passed, the land became dark, poi-
  soned by their foul touch. Trees black-
  ened and withered. Water turned
  murky. The ground cracked like dried
  skin. And now the monsters were al-
  most upon the defenders of Aysle,
  bringing their decaying touch with
  them.
  This was the place they would make
  their stand, Ardinay had decided.
  Here, in the Valley of the Sword where
  Dunad had made his own stand so
  long ago. Here, in the castle where the
  speakers for each House met with the
  speaker for the people to decide laws
  and policies. This place stood for ev-
  erything Ardinay had fought for, ev-
  erything the people of Aysle believed
  in. It was the home of the Delegate
  Legacy, and she would die before she
  saw it defiled by these invaders.
  Below ranged the forces of the
  Houses, armies led by the Knight Pro-
  tectors. These generals and advisors
  to Ardinay were the sons and daugh-
  ters of the House Dukes, the best war-
  riors the continent had to offer. They
  were her friends. Much blood would
  spill this day — she hoped she would
  not have to bury too many of her
  friends.
  The column of abominations
  moved relentlessly forward, drawing
  closer as the sun began to set. They
  would attack at dusk, Ardinay sud-
  denly realized. They would attack at
  the Entity’s Hour. At the head of the
  column she could see a huge dragon,
  somehow related to those of Aysle
  but made different by its wickedness.
  Upon its back was a man in dark robes
  — a necromancer. He was the leader
  of this terrible army. He was Uthorion.
  He was death.
  The sun hit the rim of its path
  through the world, and vibrant colors
  exploded across the sky. Once the
  bright reds and oranges faded, the
  monsters would attack. Until then,
  they waited behind the dragon and its
  master, neither eager or sullen. They
  simply waited. Meanwhile, the blaz-
  ing colors went through their cooling
  process, and darkness began to spread
  across the world disk with casual
  strides. Ardinay looked down and
  caught the eye of Tolwyn of House
  Tancred, the unofficial leader of the
  Knight Protectors. She hoped the plan
  she had formulated never had to be
  implemented, but it was there just in
  case. “The land,” she had said to
  Tolwyn earlier, “remember the land.”
  Then she cast her spell. She hoped
  Tolwyn would forgive her. These were
  her thoughts as dusk took the coun-
  tryside and the dragon attacked.
  As the dragon cut through the ranks
  of the defenders and the Knight Pro-
  tectors began to pray, Ardinay pre-
  pared to face the necromancer. She
  heard Tolwyn’s strong voice call out,
  “I will see you dead, Uthorion!” There
  were more shouts, but Ardinay
  blocked it out as she gathered her
  magic about her. She would need ev-
  ery bit of strength to battle the dark
  one. And even then, she knew that
  victory was uncertain.
  “I am here,” Lord Angar Uthorion
  of the Dark announced as he entered
  the castle.
  “As am I,” Lady Pella Ardinay of
  the Light answered. Necromancer and
  mage drew their powers into defen-
  sive cloaks, and the air crackled with
  energy.
  “It is the Hour of the Entity,”
  Uthorion said. “It is the hour of my
  victory.” Then the battle was joined,
  but it was a short war. As powerful a
  mage as Ardinay was, she could not
  stand against Uthorion and the pow-
  ers he drew from his Darkness De-
  vice. Before the Hour of the Entity
  passed, he sundered Ardinay’s spirit
  and placed his own within her body.
  “Now this reality shall be mine,” he
  said in triumph through Ardinay’s
  red lips.
  For 500 years Uthorion, who was in
  the body of Ardinay, ruled Aysle. With
  his Darkness Device, the Obsidian
  Crown named Drakacanus, he cor-
  rupted the world laws to his desires
  and reveled in the higher magical axi-
  oms. This was his reality now, not
  Orrorsh. He was no longer under the
  Gaunt Man’s tutelage — no longer the
  student, but the master. Something
  haunted him, however. The promise
  that Tolwyn of House Tancred made
  before the claws of the Carredon
  brought her down. Uthorion became
  obsessed with the notion of his own
  death at the hand of the paladin who
  the legends now called Tolwyn
  Neverdeath. When the prophecy came
  to pass and she did return from the
  dead, Uthorion was actually relieved
  that the long wait was over.
  The High Lords
  Now
  It was Tolwyn and her fellow Storm
  Knights, protecting the planet called
  Earth, who achieved victory over
  Uthorion. Tolwyn separated Uthorion
  from Ardinay’s body, sundering him
  as he had sundered the Lady of Light.
  With the sundering, Ardinay was able
  to reclaim her form (see The Possibility
  Wars novel trilogy). Uthorion, how-
  ever, had to find another body to in-
  habit. It wasn’t really that much of a
  problem — he had done it countless
  times before over the centuries. This
  time he chose a strong, physically im-
  pressive Viking warlord named
  Thorfinn Bjanni. He quickly united
  the Viking tribes in Aysle realm and
  cosm under Thorfinn’s control, estab-
  lishing a force with which to continue
  his part in the Possibility Wars.
  
  6
  But Uthorion no longer has access
  to his Darkness Device and the extra
  power it grants him. Without that
  power, he cannot expand his borders.
  He cannot continue the conquest. In-
  stead, he must battle Ardinay and re-
  take her form — a form that is attuned
  to the Obsidian Crown.
  Ardinay, meanwhile, waits pa-
  tiently for all of her memories to re-
  turn. Until then, she has begun to
  reestablish the Delegate Legacy, has
  taken a hand in destroying the crea-
  tures of darkness that seem rampant,
  and is doing what she can to ease the
  Earthers’ acceptance of Aysle reality.
  After all, magic is much better than
  the fickle technology they used to de-
  pend on. Magic is more … natural.
  In the meantime, Uthorion watches
  through Thorfinn’s blue eyes and is-
  sues orders through Thorfinn’s thin
  lips. He craves to hear the Obsidian
  Crown sing its song of destruction
  and power to him again, and he has
  sworn to look into its shining black-
  ness through Ardinay’s eyes once
  more. Ardinay, who is attuned to the
  Darkness Device, fights with all her
  strength to ignore its seductive song.
  It promises her the power she needs to
  end the Possibility Wars and restore
  peace to the Earthers. But its price for
  such power is high. If only it would
  stop singing and let her think …
  Uthorion, Ardinay,
  and the Other High
  Lords
  Uthorion has little trust for any of the
  High Lords, and he is finding it increas-
  ingly difficult to deal with them as equals
  while his power is denied him. Ardinay,
  on the other hand, believes all of the
  High Lords are her enemies and wants
  nothing to do with them.
  Uthorion had provided Baruk Kaah
  help in the form of advice and the
  Wild Hunt. He was planning on split-
  ting the Living Land with the
  Antipope once Baruk Kaah had spread
  himself too thin. Now they have little
  contact.
  Uthorion wants nothing to do with
  the technological wizards of Nippon
  Tech. But Kanawa has agents in Aysle,
  and that makes both Uthorion and
  Ardinay nervous.
  Once Mobius and Uthorion had
  some minor dealings, but now the
  High Lord of the Nile sees the mixed
  realm as a blessing. Aysle keeps the
  Cyberpope occupied, and that means
  less worry for Mobius. Someday, how-
  ever, the two realms must come to
  Chapter One
  
  7
  war — especially if Ardinay emerges
  triumphant.
  Uthorion, once a vassal of Orrorsh,
  was on good terms with the Gaunt
  Man. But the Gaunt Man has disap-
  peared, and Thratchen is ruling in his
  stead. That makes Uthorion uneasy.
  Ardinay, however, is particularly op-
  posed to Orrorsh and what it repre-
  sents.
  The Cyberpope Jean Malraux was
  once Uthorion’s staunchest ally. Now
  Uthorion distrusts him because of his
  sudden gaining of high-tech axioms.
  Malraux, on the other hand, sees it as
  his duty to topple Lady Ardinay and
  place Uthorion once again in firm con-
  trol of Aysle.
  Lady Pella Ardinay
  of the Light
  DEXTERITY 10
  Beast riding 15, dodge 16, maneu-
  ver 14, melee weapons 17, missile
  weapons 15, prestidigitation 22, un-
  armed combat 14
  STRENGTH 9
  Climbing 12, lifting 11
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 14
  Alteration magic 29, divination
  magic 31, evidence analysis 24, find
  25, first aid 28, language 26, scholar
  (Aysle lore) 23, trick 23
  MIND 14
  Apportation magic 30, artist 19, con-
  juration magic 28, medicine 16, sur-
  vival 18, test of will 27, willpower 27
  CHARISMA 13
  Charm 26, persuasion 24, taunt 17
  SPIRIT 13
  Faith (Dunad) 21, honor 23, intimi-
  dation 24, reality 25
  Possibilities: 36
  Arcane Knowledges: life 2, true
  knowledge 2, light 6, living forces 2,
  inanimate forces 1, air 2, earth 2, fire 3,
  metal 2, plant 1, water 1, earthly 1,
  elemental 3, enchanted 2, folk 3
  Equipment: elfmail enchanted ar-
  mor (+8/armor value 17), Light Blade
  enchanted broadsword (+9/damage
  value 18/damage max 23), long bow
  (+6/damage value 15), quiver of en-
  chanted arrows (+3 to damage value),
  quiver of normal arrows, grimoire
  Lord Angar Uthorion
  of the Dark
  (in the body of Thorfinn Bjanni)
  DEXTERITY 14
  Acrobatics 17, beast riding 18,
  dodge 21, lock picking 21, long jump-
  ing 19, maneuver 18, melee weapons
  25, missile weapons 21, prestidigita-
  tion 21, running 18, stealth 24, swim-
  ming 19, unarmed combat 23
  STRENGTH 15
  Climbing 20, lifting 20
  TOUGHNESS 15
  PERCEPTION 14
  Alteration magic 34, divination
  magic 31, evidence analysis 21, find
  22, language 24, scholar (Aysle lore)
  18, scholar (Orrorsh lore) 21, trick 31,
  water vehicles 16
  MIND 14
  Apportation magic 30, conjuration
  magic 35, medicine 22, survival 27,
  test of will 31, willpower 32
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 21, persuasion 23, taunt 24
  SPIRIT 9
  Corruption 24, faith (Corba’al) 22,
  intimidation 30, reality 32
  Possibilities: 96
  Arcane Knowledges: death 5, time
  2, darkness 7, living forces 1, inanimate
  forces 3, air 1, earth 2, fire 2, metal 1,
  plant 2, water 2, aquatic 2, elemental 4,
  enchanted 2, folk 2, entity 4
  Equipment: chainmail (+4/armor
  value 19), Mjoni enchanted two-
  handed sword (+11/damage value
  The High Lords
  26/damage max 26), long bow (+6/
  damage value 20), quiver of enchanted
  arrows (+2 to damage value), quiver
  of normal arrows, grimoire
  Drakacanus, the
  Obsidian Crown
  While serving as a lieutenant to the
  Gaunt Man, Uthorion was sent to scout
  out a cosm for possible invasion. The
  world was extremely poor in possibil-
  ity energy, but Uthorion found some-
  thing of value on the bleak world. He
  found his own Darkness Device,
  which called itself Drakacanus, and it
  took the form of an obsidian crown.
  The Gaunt Man granted aid to
  Uthorion as he sought a reality to take
  control of, and even provided the
  troops necessary to place Uthorion in
  power. Why the Gaunt Man assisted
  him, Uthorion never understood, but
  he gladly used the help to take over
  Aysle.
  DEXTERITY 0
  STRENGTH 0
  TOUGHNESS 205
  PERCEPTION 24
  Alteration Magic 40, divination
  magic 41, find 28, language 31, trick 36
  MIND 43
  Apportation magic 42, conjuration
  magic 43, test of will 43, willpower 43
  CHARISMA 27
  Charm 31, persuasion 32, taunt 28
  SPIRIT 42
  Faith 52, focus 43, intimidation 44,
  reality 52
  Powers: All powers listed on page
  88 of the Torg Rulebook. In addition, it
  has the power to cause a patchwork
  check in any portion of the realm once
  per week (see Chapter Four, World
  Rules, page 54). Use of the Darkness
  Device results in an automatic cor-
  ruption point.
  
  8
  he disk-shaped world of
  Aysle is one at war with
  itself. With Uthorion, in
  the body of a Viking chief-
  tain,  occupied with di-
  recting the invasion of Earth, and
  Ardinay herself looking after affairs in
  the realm, a power vacuum has devel-
  oped in the cosm. Nature abhors a
  vacuum, and so do ambitious folk,
  who have turned upon each other
  throughout Upper Aysle and battle
  for the domination of their world.
  Houses battle Houses, kingdoms war
  with kingdoms, and political intrigue
  is the order of the day.
  During the time he possessed
  Ardinay, Uthorion ruled the cosm with
  fear and intimidation as his crown and
  scepter. The continent of Aysle was com-
  pletely under his control, and after five
  centuries he had managed to create a
  loose confederation of states, with the
  Vikings, the Corsairs, the Freetraders
  and, after some “persuasion,” the Bar-
  barians allying with him. He also signed
  a treaty with the giants of Lower Aysle,
  ensuring that they would support his
  troops in war. Only the elves resisted
  his entreaties, and the invasions of other
  cosms took precedence over his plans
  to discipline that race.
  One of the many changes he wrought
  in Aysle was a twisting of the Law of
  Corruption, which states that the wicked
  will reveal their evil, and makes it im-
  possible for one to hide dark intentions.
  To prevent the body of Ardinay from
  being so affected, and thus betraying
  the presence of his spirit, Uthorion used
  sorcery to alter the law and redirect the
  corruption into the land. All of Aysle
  became dark and gloomy. What few
  crops grew were stunted and poison-
  ous, gentle winds off the Trade Sea
  were replaced by violent gusts that
  seemed to howl with Nature’s rage.
  And yet, the people were beautiful, pro-
  tected from the physical and spiritual
  manifestations of their evil by
  Uthorion’s magic.
  Then came the fateful day when
  Uthorion traveled down the mael-
  strom bridge to lead his invasion forces.
  Ambushed by Storm Knights, his spirit
  was driven from Ardinay’s body, and
  hers restored. When this happened,
  Dunad gave all of Aysle a choice: re-
  turn to the old world laws, or accept
  those created by Uthorion’s dark ritu-
  als. The places where evil predomi-
  nated remained dark, those with good
  in their hearts returned their land to a
  state of beauty and abundance, and
  those lands where the people were
  divided are in a state of flux, changing
  from light to dark and back again.
  Much of this is concentrated on the
  continent of Aysle, where the Ayslish
  Houses control the land. Half of the
  ruling families have reverted to the
  old ways, and their light struggles with
  the darkness of the other three Houses.
  Of the lands under the influence of the
  Houses, the island of Vareth has re-
  mained dark and resisted the flux, and
  the island of Liandar has done the
  same for the light. The major land
  mass is constantly shifting from one
  extreme to the other, and is expected
  to do so until either Uthorion or
  Ardinay is finally destroyed.
  Of the other kingdoms in Upper
  Aysle, the Viking and Corsair  do-
  mains remain dark, while the elven
  continent, the islands of the
  Freetraders, and the lands of the Bar-
  barians and Ice Nomads are divided.
  The Land Between is leaning to-
  ward the light, while Lower Aysle is
  still under Uthorion’s sway, save only
  for the isles of Arland and Ugorland,
  where the state of the land alters every
  few weeks.
  The Creation of
  Aysle
  Excerpt from The Dwarven Book of
  Tales:
  In the beginning, there was Noth-
  ing. Timeless, unchanging, eternal,
  Nothing had always been there and, it
  seemed, would always be there.
  Then the Creators came, riding
  mighty beasts and scattering stars
  about as they traveled. Once they had
  been great builders, constructing vast
  worlds with a wave of their hands,
  and long and hard and well did they
  labor for others. But then their masters
  turned upon them, and spat at them
  and called them foul names, and so
  they fled.
  They journeyed far, enduring much
  hardship and misery and pursued by
  the creatures of their vengeful mas-
  ters. But they persevered, searching
  for a place where they could be free to
  create for themselves and not for oth-
  ers.
  Finally, they arrived at this place.
  They knew their masters would never
  think to look for them in the midst of
  so much Nothing, and here, they felt
  sure, they could build something all
  their own.
  Building Something when Nothing
  is all there is means much hard work,
  even for Creators. But were they dis-
  mayed? No, indeed, for they were the
  greatest craftsmen of all. Stopping only
  for a quick bite of lunch and a puff on
  their pipes, they rolled up their sleeves
  and began.
  Fordex the Elder looked about him.
  “This Nothingness offends me!” he
  cried. Reaching into his sack, he
  brought out a single grain of dust. He
  blew it into the Nothingness before
  him and shouted, “I banish you!”
  Now that it contained Something
  — yea, though naught but a grain of
  dust — the Nothingness was no more.
  For the Book of Laws says, “If a thing be
  one thing, it cannot also be another.”
  Since a thing cannot be both Nothing
  and Something, the Nothingness was
  banished forever.
  Exhausted by his labor, Fordex
  rested.
  Errog the Mighty spoke next. “Yes,
  this is Something, but it stretches unto
  Forever! Even we cannot work our
  will on Forever! I shall create a Limit!”
  Reaching into his sack,  he pulled out
  a handful of sand. Placing it in his
  pipe, he puffed mightily, heating the
  Chapter Two
  The Cosm
  
  9
  sand until it melted and became glass.
  He shaped the glass into a ball and
  placed it around the grain of dust,
  saying, “This shall be the Limit and
  Extent of our Creation!”
  Exhausted by his labor, Errog
  rested.
  Terrin the Bold stepped forward,
  reaching into his sack and producing a
  round, flat grindstone. Using his small-
  est finger, he carefully poked a hole in
  the center of the stone. He placed the
  stone within the glass ball, surround-
  ing the mote of dust. “Is that not fine?”
  he asked his fellow Creators.
  Exhausted by his labor, Terrin
  rested.
  Movin and Weeble, the Sculptors,
  worked next. They drew hammers and
  chisels from their sacks and carved the
  stone, sculpting deep pits, high moun-
  tains, ocean bottoms and riverbeds.
  Then they, too, rested.
  Ghanthor the Pure brought forth a
  flask of water and poured the liquid
  on to the stone. Charon the Gardener
  took a twig from his bag and planted it
  by the water. Mhyrron the Gatherer
  brought forth an egg and set it next to
  the twig. Plantir the Hunter drew his
  knife, cut off the tip of his finger and,
  after carving it into the likeness of the
  Creators, placed it next to the egg and
  the twig.
  They rested.
  Then it was the turn of Harp, the
  last Creator, the Bringer of Life. He
  looked into his sack, but it was empty!
  “Alas! I have nothing to give to our
  Creation,” he cried, sadly. Then he
  brightened. “Ah, I know! I shall give
  life!”
  Speaking thus, he breathed upon
  the twig, and lo! it grew into a mighty
  oak!
  He breathed upon the egg, and lo! it
  hatched forth a beautiful bird!
  He breathed upon the image of the
  Creators, and lo! it became a dwarf.
  Giving Life, Harp died.
  When the other Creators awoke,
  they were dismayed. “Alas! Poor Harp
  is dead! He died so our Creation could
  know life.
  “But look! The oak withers; the bird
  huddles upon its branches; the dwarf
  is sore afraid. Our Creation is flawed!”
  Fordex the Elder spoke. “Fools! Liv-
  ing creatures cannot be in the Dark!
  We need to give our Creation Light!”
  So saying, he reached out and
  picked up the single mote of dust in
  the center of the Creation. He placed it
  in his pipe, and puffed mightily. It
  began to glow in the hot embers of his
  fire.
  When it was all aflame, he placed it
  back into the Creation. He tapped it
  with his finger, causing it to move
  within the globe, giving the Creation
  Day and Night.
  The oak thrived in the Light, giving
  birth to all manner of trees, grass and
  flowers.
  The bird thrived in the Light, giv-
  ing birth to all manner of birds, beasts
  and fish.
  The dwarf thrived in the Light, giv-
  ing birth to many strong sons and
  daughters.
  Well content with their Creation,
  the Creators rested.
  Soon, however, they became dis-
  satisfied once again. “It’s fine,” said
  Errog the Mighty. “But I’m not really
  happy with the Limit. Perhaps some-
  thing could be done with infinity …”
  “You know, I don’t quite like the
  flatness,” said Terrin the Bold. “Maybe
  a round world …”
  Movin and Weeble, the Sculptors,
  began excitedly discussing the possi-
  bilities of continental drift. “Let us try
  again!” they demanded.
  The others agreed. Their Creation
  was very nice and all, but they were
  sure they could do better next time.
  Shouldering their packs, they cheer-
  fully set off to try again elsewhere.
  Aysle’s Cosm and
  Geography
  The universe that the dwarven gods
  created is a fascinating and wondrous
  place. When Mighty Errog set the Limit
  around the world, he defined the ex-
  tent of the Aysle cosm. If anything
  exists beyond the Limit, no one knows
  what it is. Ages later, when Dunad
  smashed his enchanted sword and
  released the arcane knowledges of
  magic into the world, those
  knowledges floated up into the Limit
  and settled into place as stars. The
  Essences rose to the highest portion of
  the Limit, followed by the Principles,
  the Mixed Forces, and finally the Kin-
  dred and Elements, which formed stars
  along the Limit on the same level as
  the world itself. They are sometimes
  called the rim stars. The way the ar-
  cane knowledges settled is shown by
  the seven tiers within the Limit. The
  sun bounces against the unseen bound-
  ary that separates the Kindred and
  Elements from the Mixed Forces, de-
  fining the extent of its rise and fall
  through Aysle.
  The Limit itself oscillates once per
  day, causing the stars to travel from
  the horizon to their positions in the
  sky, and back down again. This oscil-
  lation follows a pattern that sees the
  stars move up from the horizon for six
  hours, back down for six hours, and
  then repeats the process on the other
  side of the world. The Limit also has
  an axis of oscillation that rotates once
  per year. While these unseen forces
  cannot be observed, their affects on
  the Kindred and Element stars can. As
  the Limit oscillates, the Kindred and
  Element stars rise and fall in the sky.
  During Arthuk for example (the first
  month of the Ayslish year), the water
  star is the highest of the rim stars in the
  night sky. The star of ascendency at
  the time of an Ayslish folk’s birth de-
  termines the Kindred or Element ar-
  cane knowledge the folk is born with.
  The day of the month determines the
  magic skill. See “Magic in Aysle”, page
  23, for more information.
  Neither Aysle nor the Limit revolve
  in any way. The Limit does oscillate
  (the dwarves call it wobbling), caus-
  ing the stars to rise and set, but they
  remain within a fixed position relative
  to the land that allows them to be used
  for navigation and travel, and to de-
  termine other directions besides
  rimward and sunward.
  Aysle is a flat disk-shaped world
  9,000 kilometers in radius. It is thick-
  est in the center, approximately 100
  kilometers from top to bottom, but
  thins out toward the rim. The plane of
  gravity cuts through the center of the
  disk, which looks like two pie plates
  connected at the gravity plane.
  “Down” is toward the center of the
  planet, no matter which side you hap-
  pen to be standing on.
  The accompanying cut-away view
  diagram  (page 14) shows that Aysle is
  more than just a flat disk, however. It
  is composed of Upper Aysle, Lower
  The Cosm
  
  10
  Chapter Two
  Upper Aysle
  
  11
  The Cosm
  Lower Aysle
  
  12
  Aysle, and the Land Between. A bright
  yellow sun constantly rises and falls
  through an opening in the middle of
  the disk, called the Sun’s Path.
  Upper Aysle is home to the human
  and elf races, but humans are clearly the
  dominant folk. From the World’s Rim
  sunward (toward the center of the disk)
  is a variety of climates marked as circu-
  lar bands radiating out from the sun.
  The Frozen Land is a massive area of ice
  and snow that completely covers the
  rim of the disk. Temperatures here are
  constantly far below freezing due to the
  distance from the sun. Next is the Fro-
  zen Sea, which is not actually frozen but
  is extremely cold all year round. Large
  mountains of ice float in this arctic re-
  gion, and temperatures rarely climb
  much above freezing. While there are
  hardy folk living within this zone, most
  of the people of Upper Aysle find the
  region harsh and inhospitable. The tem-
  perate zone, called the Living Sea, is
  where most of the population lives. Tem-
  peratures in this area never fall below
  freezing or rise much above that of a
  warm spring day on Earth. The Trade
  Sea is that area which is tropical in
  nature. Most islands in this region are
  covered in thick jungle or rain forest.
  Finally, the Boiling Sea surrounds the
  Sun’s Path. While brief excursions into
  this extremely hot region can be toler-
  ated, no folk live here. The great falls
  that spill into the Sun’s Path are a mix-
  ture of bubbling water and hot steam
  that sends clouds of vapor into the air.
  It should be said that temperatures
  are not constant within a zone, but they
  are gradational. Basically, the closer one
  is to the sun, the warmer it gets. There
  are no seasons on Aysle — tempera-
  tures within a given circular band vary
  little throughout the year. Wind and
  water naturally move sunward. So, by
  definition, any wind or water moving
  rimward or in some other direction is
  unnatural and must be the result of
  magic or elemental forces.
  The largest land mass on Upper
  Aysle is the Aysle continent, which
  touches all of the habitable regions.
  The second largest land mass is Elveim,
  the forbidden continent. This is the
  mysterious home of the elves. Com-
  pared to these two areas, everything
  else is little more than an island. Due
  to the sun’s never-changing pattern of
  movement, areas located behind large
  hills or mountains are wrapped  in
  perpetual darkness.
  Lower Aysle is home to the giants,
  who live primarily on the four main
  continents, Chamkatt, Polja, Rakholm,
  and Arland. Another notable area is
  the Broken Land island range, which
  supposedly shattered as the result of
  some long-forgotten cataclysm. Being
  much more literal, the giants have
  named their zones the Ice Sea, the
  Warm Sea, and the Hot Sea. The Fro-
  zen Land and the Boiling Sea are
  named the same on both sides of Aysle.
  The Land Between is a reflection of
  the lands above, complete with seas,
  continents, and islands. But instead of
  looking up to see the stars spread across
  the Limit, the dwarves and lesser folk
  that live below can only see the top of
  the great cavern they live within. When
  the sun passes through the Land Be-
  tween, its light is diffused through the
  steam, waterfalls, and cavern walls
  that line the Sun’s Path.
  The History of
  Aysle
  Excerpt from The Dwarven Book of
  Truths:
  Hearken to these writings, for they
  are the Truths of Aysle:
  Many years ago, more years than
  anyone can count, the Creators left
  Aysle, seeking new Nothing in which
  to build Something. The sons and
  daughters of the first dwarf spread
  throughout the land, had many more
  sons and daughters, and soon they
  built great cities on the surface.
  All the dwarves lived in harmony
  and peace, until one day when the sun
  began to grow angry. It spat streams of
  fire in all directions, grew so bright that
  nothing but it could be seen, and then
  faded to almost nothing. The dwarves
  were much afraid at this, and they left
  their cities seeking a place they would
  be safe from the sun’s rage.
  Soon the dwarves discovered the
  Land Between, and finding the tun-
  nels and caves to be to their liking,
  they decided to live down there. Above
  them the sun grew angrier still, but
  they were protected by the stuff of
  their world.
  The dwarves lived well in the Land
  Between, but as the years passed, some
  longed to return to the Land Above.
  And so the bravest warriors were cho-
  sen to venture through the tunnels to
  see if the sun had calmed, and the
  dwarves could return to the surface in
  safety.
  When they reached the end of the
  tunnel, the warriors were shocked.
  Moving in and out of the cities were
  ugly creatures who did not know the
  right way to use their tools, and who
  babbled and chattered and made great
  noise everywhere they went. The
  dwarves thought of attacking these
  intruders, but there were too many of
  them and too few warriors, so they
  wisely decided to return to the Land
  Between.
  On the way there, they discovered
  another tunnel, and this one led to the
  Land Below, now known as Lower
  Aysle. There they found very ugly crea-
  tures who towered above the rocks
  and the trees, and carried big sticks
  with which they smacked each other.
  The dwarves were ready to attack these
  monsters, but then thought better of it,
  and once again turned for home.
  When they told their tale, some be-
  lieved, and others did not. Thus they
  offered to take the leaders of the tribe
  to the Land Above to prove the truth
  of what they said. They showed them
  the ugly, noisy creatures and also saw
  something new; rather handsome and
  industrious beings were building a
  city apart from all the others.
  Although the origins of all these
  new creatures was a mystery to the
  dwarves, they decided to attack and
  conquer them and rebuild their cities
  above. But when the dwarves attacked
  the Land Above, many were hurt and
  many killed; when they attacked the
  Land Below, many more were hurt
  and many more killed. Then the
  dwarves realized that the Land Be-
  tween was really better than the Land
  Above or the Land Below, and they
  decided to stay there.
  About that time, the powerful crea-
  tures from the Land Below (who the
  humans in the Land Above named
  “giants,” at the suggestion of the
  dwarves) discovered the tunnels.
  Eventually, they reached the Land
  Above and a great war began.
  Chapter Two
  
  13
  The Cosm
  
  14
  The War of the Giants
  The War of the Giants lasted for
  thousands of sunrises and sunsets. The
  dwarves decided they liked the hu-
  mans better than the giants, and so
  fought by their side (also, the dwarves
  felt that the war was partly their fault,
  since they did accidentally show the
  giants the way to Upper Aysle). The
  battles were long and horrible, with
  sword and ax  crashing together until
  the din threatened to drown out all
  else. The humans fought with skill
  and daring, and of course, the dwarves
  were the bravest of all, but the war did
  not go well. The dwarves asked the
  handsome creatures, who called them-
  selves “elves,” to join in the struggle,
  but they refused, preferring to just sit
  and watch.
  When all the noise was over, the
  giants had won, and the humans had
  to do what they said, while the dwarves
  went back underground. That was the
  way it stayed for 500 years, with the
  giants very happy, the humans and
  dwarves very unhappy, and the elves
  minding their own business.
  Then, when it seemed as if nothing
  would ever change, there came a very
  special human, a human even the
  dwarves felt was unique. This human
  did not talk and talk. He took action.
  His name was Dunad, and soon he
  would be hailed by human and dwarf
  alike as a great hero.
  Dunad stood apart from the other
  humans, in that he would not bow
  down to his oppressors. He went
  where he willed, and even the giants
  were loathe to oppose him, for he car-
  ried the magic sword Aurel. With this
  mysterious and powerful weapon in
  his hand, he was invincible — yet even
  his great strength and the mystic might
  of his blade were not enough to free
  his people from their chains.
  After much thought, Dunad knew
  the answer to all his questions. He
  walked alone to the place now known
  as the Valley of the Sword, and there he
  drew Aurel and shattered it across his
  knee. Instantly, the arcane knowledges
  that had been in the blade flew to the
  heavens and became one with the stars.
  Then the knowledges rained down on
  the world, and all the folk grew strong
  with it. And so, the keys to the magic
  that always existed in Aysle were made
  available. The humans learned to use
  this power, and the dwarves and elves
  too, but the giants had difficulty with
  this new thing and could not master it.
  The humans and the dwarves rose up
  and used Dunad’s gift to slay many
  giants and force the rest back to the
  Land Below.
  Dunad himself was never seen
  again, but the humans say he went to
  the stars through the magic of Aurel,
  and remains there to this day. The
  ornate hilt of his sword was found in
  the valley, and serves as the holy sym-
  bol of Dunad. Although many have
  claimed to have the blade of Aurel, as
  far as is known it vanished along with
  its owner.
  The religion of Dunad dominates
  on Upper Aysle, and many a dwarf
  has joined with the worshippers of the
  great hero. Although dwarves as a
  rule frown on such things, the miracles
  associated with Dunad are truths that
  cannot be denied.
  Freed of the oppression of the gi-
  ants, the humans set about reclaiming
  the Land Above. Instead of one vast
  kingdom, the humans divided the con-
  tinent of Aysle into a number of little
  kingdoms, each ruled by a different
  family. In one of the wisest decisions
  in their history, the humans gave a
  little kingdom on the surface to the
  dwarves, which is now ruled by the
  Vareth clan. Other families that were
  given kingdoms of their own, called
  “Houses,” included the Tancreds, the
  Ardinays, the Dalerons, the Gerriks,
  the Liandars, and the Bendes.
  But now that they had no common
  enemy to fight, the humans began to
  fight among themselves, and then the
  dwarves joined in. Each House wanted
  to rule the other Houses, and the feud
  that resulted was known as the War of
  the Crowns.
  Like many a war, there was no win-
  ner. The fighting ended when Lady
  Pella of House Ardinay called for a
  truce and met with the heads of the
  remaining six Houses. She proposed
  the creation of a system called the
  “Delegate Legacy,” wherein only
  property could be owned by the
  Houses, never people. She dissolved
  House Ardinay, gave her lands to the
  Chapter Two
  
  15
  Tancreds, and declared herself the
  Speaker of the People, who would
  now have a voice in how things were
  run. Each House would send a repre-
  sentative to Castle Ardinay on the
  banks of the Inland Sea, and there they
  would meet to discuss grievances in
  peace, rather than with swords drawn
  and bows pulled back.
  So it was, for many a year. Then the
  Dreaded One, Uthorion, arrived.
  Across a bloody bridge he came, lead-
  ing an army of horrid monsters and
  determined to conquer Aysle or re-
  duce it to ashes. All of the Houses
  united under Lady Pella, and each
  sent their bravest knight to serve un-
  der Tolwyn Tancred  as a Knight Pro-
  tector. Many of these were the chil-
  dren of the Dukes of the Houses, and
  they served as generals to the troops
  and advisors to Pella Ardinay through
  the battles to come.
  The Houses Now
  The six Houses that were in exist-
  ence when Uthorion attacked still
  maintain their holdings on the conti-
  nent of Aysle and the adjoining is-
  lands. Some have grown weaker in the
  500 years the Dark High Lord pos-
  sessed Pella Ardinay; others have
  thrived under the twisted world laws
  and iron rule of the usurper. But now
  the involvement of Uthorion in the
  invasion of Earth’s cosm and the re-
  fusal by Ardinay to return to Aysle
  until Earth is safe have combined to
  leave the seat of power empty. This
  has allowed differences between the
  Houses to erupt into full-scale con-
  flicts and leave the cosm on the brink
  of a conflagration, the like of which
  has not been seen in Aysle since the
  War of the Crowns.
  The following is a brief description
  of the Houses as they stand today, and
  their alignment in the struggle between
  Dark and Light in Aysle.
  House Tancred
  Symbol: Crossed swords
  Colors: Brown and gold
  Aysle tradition calls for the eldest
  son or daughter to inherit upon the
  death of the reigning duke in a House.
  A middle child will be given a high
  rank and the management of some of
  the family’s business affairs, while the
  youngest is commonly sent into the
  priesthood, as he has little chance of
  attaining power in the House.
  In the case of House Tancred, at the
  time of the invasion of Aysle it was
  ruled by Duke Bordal, and his eldest
  child, daughter Tolwyn, was expected
  to assume those responsibilities when
  he passed away. The second in line,
  Alistair, looked after the family’s
  gamelands, and the youngest, Gareth,
  had come of age and was about to be
  sent to a seminary to become a priest
  of Dunad.
  But Gareth’s soul was foul with
  corruption. He coveted the wealth of
  his father, and longed to lead men into
  battle in the manner of his sister,
  Tolwyn. When Uthorion attacked, he
  saw his opportunity and seized it — as
  the Knight Protectors battled the Dark
  Forces at Castle Ardinay, Gareth re-
  vealed his treacherous nature and slew
  Bordal and Alistair. If Uthorion lost,
  he planned to say the two were felled
  while fighting to protect the cosm from
  the invaders, weep some false tears,
  and then conceive a plot to dispose of
  Tolwyn as well.
  To Gareth’s delight, Tolwyn died
  in battle (or so it seemed) — but when
  the monsters retreated back across the
  maelstrom bridge, he knew he would
  have to feign mourning so Lady Pella
  would not suspect his role in his kin’s
  deaths. When Lady Ardinay granted
  him an audience, he discovered to his
  shock that not only did she know of
  his bloody deeds, she approved! She
  struck a bargain with him: he could
  have control of House Tancred, and
  virtual immortality through her sor-
  cerous might, in return for his unques-
  tioning obedience.
  Gareth never suspected that the
  Ardinay he dealt with was possessed
  by Uthorion, but did realize that there
  had to be some connection between
  the invasion and Ardinay’s radical
  change of attitude. He kept to his word
  for 500 years, crushing any sign of
  rebellion and lending troops to
  Ardinay’s invasions of other cosms.
  But he was haunted by the prophecy
  that Tolwyn would return one day,
  and since learning that she is leading
  the forces of an altered Ardinay on
  Earth, he has devoted his energies to
  planning the true and final death of
  the rightful ruler of House Tancred.
  House Tancred has grown wealthy
  and powerful under Uthorion’s rule,
  and controls much of the sunward
  portion of the continent, beneath the
  Folk and Earth stars, including the
  trade center of Leshope and the port
  cities of Orraine and Eufemiast. To
  Gareth’s anguish, the flux has caused
  his features to change without warn-
  ing from youthful and handsome to
  rotten with age and corruption. His
  sanity has been rendered fragile by
  this, and he has locked himself inside
  one of the towers of Castle Tancred,
  allowing only his most trusted ad-
  viser, Mokai, to see him. Even his most
  recent bride, Marlena of House
  Daleron, has not been allowed at his
  side since the flux began.
  House Tancred is linked with House
  Daleron through Gareth and Marlena’s
  marriage, and enjoys uneasy alliances
  with House Daleron and House
  Vareth.
  House Liandar
  Symbol: Oak tree
  Colors: Blue and green
  Prior to Uthorion’s invasion of
  Aysle, House Liandar controlled the
  rimward and sunward section of the
  continent, beneath the Plant star’s light,
  as well as the island of Liandar and the
  Naenia island chain. But after the war,
  Lady Ardinay supported efforts by
  House Daleron to steal Liandar land,
  and with the House weakened by the
  ravages of the Orrorshan monsters, it
  was unable to mount any effective
  resistance.
  Today, the House controls only the
  island of Liandar, much of which is
  located in the Frozen Sea. Only a small
  amount of the land is suitable for farm-
  ing, but Liandar’s holdings have be-
  come a stronghold of the Light, and
  thus have regained fertility since
  Uthorion’s spirit was sundered. Al-
  though the House has not attempted
  to regain its lost territories in the past,
  Liandar eyes are turning toward a
  House Daleron weakened by the ab-
  sence of many of its troops and its
  patriarch, Manfred.
  The Cosm
  
  16
  William Liandar, ruler of the House,
  inherited along with the mantle of
  power the family belief that Ardinay
  was tainted with madness centuries
  ago, and has only now recovered. Be-
  ing an extremely religious family, the
  Liandars believe too many have turned
  away from Dunad, and the Valley of
  the Sword is now cursed with evil.
  Once free of its confines, Ardinay was
  able to return to her benevolent ways
  once more.
  William has been negotiating with
  representatives of House Gerrik,
  whose lands adjoin those of the
  Dalerons, attempting to forge an alli-
  ance. Progress has been slow, for many
  supporters of the Liandars remember
  how the Gerriks did nothing to pre-
  vent their House being driven from
  the continent. There remains an un-
  dercurrent of animosity between the
  two, but William hopes it can be put
  aside for their mutual benefit.
  Liandar Island has also become
  known as a haven for the Ice Nomads
  who wander the Frozen Land. Often,
  the wounded or the sick are brought to
  Liandar, where the family shares its
  meager supplies. Should war break
  out with the Dalerons, the Liandars
  can rely on support from the Nomads.
  House Daleron
  Symbol: Swooping hawk
  Colors: Black and red
  This most martial of Houses has an
  usual and bloody history. Ardinay had
  relied heavily on their military might
  to ensure the safety of the cosm, and
  Duke Roderick Daleron did send his
  eldest son, Kwev, to join the Knight
  Protectors, along with a token force.
  But it was all a feint. Roderick had
  little regard for Kwev, whose merciful
  nature was not in keeping with the
  philosophy of conquest that had
  shaped the Dalerons. As soon as Kwev
  and his troops were on their way to the
  Valley of the Sword, Daleron ordered
  all his other troops into battle — at the
  side of Uthorion.
  The House’s troops crushed the
  flank being manned by the Liandars,
  and that was the start of their outright
  theft of territory on the continent. They
  now control the rimward and sunward
  portions of Aysle beneath the Folk star
  and the Naenia islands, and have
  served as Uthorion’s strong right arm
  against rebellious Houses. Although
  publicly submissive to House Tancred,
  the Dalerons have long coveted the
  Tancred holdings, and with Castle
  Ardinay now abandoned, they con-
  sider that land ripe for conquest. They
  are waiting for a report from their
  spies on the condition of Gareth
  Tancred before launching a strike.
   Of all the Houses, only the Dalerons
  have come close to suspecting the truth
  about Ardinay’s “change of heart” af-
  ter the war, and so they were dis-
  turbed, but not shocked, at reports of
  her altered nature once in the cosm of
  Earth. The current duke, Manfred
  Daleron, who had personally led his
  troops down the maelstrom bridge
  during the initial invasion, has chosen
  to remain on Earth to attempt an over-
  throw of Ardinay that would allow
  his House to rule in the cosm.
  Manfred’s only son, Frederick, is
  currently leading the House in the cosm.
  Its outlying lands have been hard hit by
  the changes in the Law of Corruption,
  but the cities of Harak, Creant, and
  Xandel remain largely dark.
  House Gerrik
  Symbol: Three stars
  Colors: Blue and silver
  The Gerriks are a rugged family,
  well suited to the rough terrain that
  makes up their holdings in rimward
  Aysle, under the Folk star. Included
  within their lands are the Sashni snow
  fields and the treacherous Kelor Moun-
  tains, which tower up to 280 meters
  above the Valley of Skulls.
  The Gerriks have a history of able
  seamanship and exploration. It was a
  Gerrik who first mapped much of
  Upper Aysle, and named many of the
  islands in the Trade Sea and the Living
  Sea. Their House is also the strongest
  militarily of those that are presently
  backing Ardinay on Earth.
  Uthorion’s bridge landed in an iso-
  lated portion of Gerrik lands during
  the initial invasion five centuries ago,
  and since the Dark High Lord’s plan
  did not involve a great deal of destruc-
  tion in the cosm, his forces were able to
  make it to the Valley of the Sword
  without attracting a great deal of at-
  tention. Gerrik troops made a noble
  effort to outflank them, but were butch-
  ered by ghouls and a flight of Draconis
  Teutonica who took Uthorion’s part.
  Many of Uthorion’s creatures still live
  among the Kelors, thriving in the shad-
  ows cast by the peaks.
  The Gerriks had ranked as one of
  Aysle’s most influential families, along
  with the Tancreds, until the invasion.
  After that, the possessed Ardinay raised
  the statuses of House Daleron and
  House Vareth, eclipsing the Gerriks.
  Ardinay allowed Daleron to annex a
  large portion of the Gerrik lands, all of
  which drove the noble family into a self-
  imposed isolation. Protected from at-
  tacks by other Houses by natural bound-
  aries, the Gerriks managed what was
  left of their domain and did very little
  else while Ardinay’s forces pillaged and
  sacked other cosms.
  The family was initially suspicious
  of Ardinay’s “conversion” upon reach-
  ing Earth. But the House’s leader, Duke
  Augustus Gerrik, was willing to
  gamble that the change of heart was
  genuine, and he dispatched extra
  troops under the command of son
  Duncan to aid her fight.
  In recent days, the Gerriks have
  come out of their isolation with a ven-
  geance, making guerilla-style raids
  against the Dalerons and the Tancreds.
  The Gerriks have already formed a
  firm alliance with the Bendes clan, and
  believe they can at least keep the other
  Houses off-balance and prevent them
  from sending more troops to Earth.
  Their long-range goal is to take Castle
  Ardinay and thus control the bridge
  (there are forces within House Gerrik
  who believe Aysle would be better off
  if the mercurial Ardinay were not al-
  lowed to return).
  House Bendes
  Symbol:  Lion on a field of white
  Colors: Red and white
  The last 15 generations of the Bendes
  family have played a dangerous game,
  indeed — while pledging their loyalty
  to Pella Ardinay loudly and often, they
  have subsidized rebellious forces in
  other Houses, ferried supplies to the
  Liandars, and made their lands avail-
  able as a refuge for runaway dwarves
  from the slave pens of House Vareth.
  Chapter Two
  
  17
  Through it all, their wealth has been
  their shield. Watchdogs of House
  Tancred who have come too close to
  the truth have been bought off, or
  silenced in other ways. The Bendes
  have done their best to stay on the
  good side of Ardinay, the Vareths and
  the Dalerons, while all the time work-
  ing against them in hopes of a general
  rebellion at some point in the future.
  That point seemed to arrive when
  Ardinay called for an end to the war in
  the cosm of Earth. If she was truly with-
  drawing her support from the more
  brutal Houses, this was the time to strike
  and eliminate them. The Bendes have
  been helping both the Gerriks and, to a
  lesser degree, the Liandars rebuild their
  armies. They have begun mobilizing
  themselves as well, with an army made
  up of humans, half-folk and dwarf
  mercenaries.
  All of this activity has caught the
  attention of the Tancreds, but thus far
  they have not acted, Gareth appar-
  ently being occupied with other mat-
  ters. The Bendes are trying to convince
  their allies to crush House Vareth first,
  thus opening up sunward ports under
  the Earth star for use by the Corsairs,
  who might be willing to join in the
  fight for the right amount of money.
  Duke Mordecai Bendes oversees the
  activities of the House in the cosm,
  while his son, Earl Thomas Bendes,
  leads their forces in the realm. Despite
  holding a relatively small area of land
  in the rimward section  of the conti-
  nent beneath the Earth star, the Bendes
  have some of the most fertile acreage
  and a good portion of their domain is
  in the temperate zone. Although some
  crops have suffered from the world
  flux, much had already been harvested
  and can be sold to other Houses whose
  food supplies are less certain.
  House Vareth
  Symbol:  Hatchet and spade
  Colors: Orange and gray
  The ancestors of the Vareth clan
  were good, hard-working dwarves
  who were rewarded for their services
  in the war against the giants with their
  own lands and their own House to
  rule them.
  Unfortunately, this newfound
  wealth and the resulting soft lifestyle
  has corrupted the Vareths over the
  years, until the thought of doing ac-
  tual labor is repugnant to them. In one
  of the most heinous acts in Aysle his-
  tory, the Vareths began kidnapping
  dwarves from the Land Between and
  enslaving them to work the fields.
  Other dwarves and half-folk were sold
  to other Houses, and soon the name
  Vareth was considered a curse in the
  Land Between.
  The Vareths long for wealth and
  power, it is true, but more than any-
  thing they desire to be considered the
  equals of humans, specifically the
  Tancreds and the Dalerons. Ardinay
  pledged this to them after the invasion
  of Aysle, but the other Houses still
  consider them, at best, nouveau riche,
  and at worst, deride them as “slavers.”
  Thus when the opportunity arose
  to invade a rich cosm on Ardinay’s
  behalf, Duke Dwyvan Vareth leapt at
  the chance, sending his son Taleron
  and thousands of hand-picked troops
  down the bridge to Earth. Here at last
  would be the opportunity to prove to
  Ardinay and the rest of the humans
  that the dwarves were as good, if not
  better, at the art of war than they.
  Then, to hear Dwyvan tell it, they
  were betrayed by Ardinay. As the
  Vareth troops were about to win a
  great victory, Ardinay called for the
  fighting to cease. Some dwarves laid
  down their arms, others fought on,
  and still others became extremely con-
  fused and were not sure what to do.
  This incident reinforced Dwyvan’s
  instinctive distrust of humans, and has
  made him reluctant to heed the calls of
  the Tancreds and the Dalerons for aid
  against the other Houses.
  Even if Dwyvan knew the truth
  about Uthorion and Ardinay, it would
  not matter a great deal to him. As far
  as he is concerned, one human is much
  like another, and he marks as his allies
  those who will help him turn a profit.
  The Vareths remain in the war on
  Earth simply because, since Ardinay
  now opposes slavery of any kind, it
  seems wise to fight alongside those
  who oppose her.
  Dwyvan has, of course, heard the
  rumors about a dwarven rebellion in
  the cosm of Earth, but thus far the
  effects of it have not been felt in Aysle.
  He has reason to suspect that the
  Bendes have something to do with the
  situation, but without a central au-
  thority to bring a grievance to, his only
  option is all-out war, a step he is not
  willing to take with so many of his
  troops committed to Earth.
  The Vareths currently hold the
  rimward and sunward portion of the
  continent under the Earth star, along
  with the island of Vareth in the Frozen
  Sea. The island has remained dark de-
  spite the flux, and is the site of the city of
  Tuonetar, home of the Vareth clan.
   The People’s House
  The People’s House was the name
  given by Lady Pella to House Ardinay
  after its lands were donated to the
  Tancreds. Encompassing Castle
  Ardinay, the Valley of the Sword and
  the banks of the River Thamar and the
  Inland Sea, the People’s House was
  the meeting place of  representatives
  of the other six Houses during the era
  of the “Delegate Legacy.” This small
  area in central Aysle borders the lands
  of House Gerrik, House Bendes, House
  Vareth and House Tancred.
  The People’s House, as such, no
  longer exists in the cosm of Aysle. It
  was dissolved during the period that
  Uthorion possessed the body of
  Ardinay, along with the “Delegate
  Legacy,” and the Dark High Lord used
  the area as a base of operations during
  his reign. The main maelstrom bridge
  between Aysle and Earth is located in
  the courtyard of the castle.
  The castle was
  abandoned by
  Uthorion when he traveled down the
  bridge to Earth’s cosm. It is presently
  guarded by a tribe of Vikings from the
  isle of Skani, who intend to stay at
  their post until their chieftain returns
  with the head of Ardinay. Gareth
  Tancred had originally intended to
  move into the castle during Ardinay’s
  absence, but the sudden shifts in the
  world laws (and his own appearance)
  forced him to change his plans.
  The Kingdoms of
  Aysle
  Along with the Houses, which gov-
  ern the continent of Aysle, there are a
  number of kingdoms, both large and
  The Cosm
  
  18
  small, throughout the cosm. Some of
  these formed strong alliances with
  Uthorion during his reign, others iso-
  lated themselves from the Dark High
  Lord’s doings and pursued their own
  interests.
  The following is a summary of the
  kingdoms of Aysle, the lands they con-
  trol, and their role in the increasingly
  violent power struggle in the cosm.
   The Elves
  Very little is known about the elves
  of Aysle or their domain. Ayslish his-
  tories relate that they appeared on
  Upper Aysle shortly after humans and
  giants were first seen, and they estab-
  lished themselves on the land mass
  now known as Elveim (also referred to
  as “the Forbidden Continent”) and the
  outlying islands.
  Their only contact with the rest of
  the cosm has been through dealings
  with the Freetraders, who are allowed
  to dock at the isle of Elvenport. There
  they exchange human and dwarven
  goods for the valuable elven silk used
  to fashion clothes for members of the
  great Houses, and the light but strong
  elfmail armor. But not even the
  Freetraders know very much about
  them, as the elves refuse to discuss
  their origins or history.
  All other lands besides Elvenport in
  the kingdom are forbidden to outsid-
  ers, and this restriction has generally
  been respected by the various races in
  the cosm. There are reports that a Vi-
  king longship once docked at Elveim,
  its crew planning to plunder the wealth
  of the elves. But none of the Vikings
  ever emerged, and the wreckage of the
  ship washed up on the Mage Islands.
  That account is centuries old, but the
  Vikings deny that there is any truth in it.
  The elves remained neutral during
  all the cosm’s wars, and have avoided
  any involvement in the troubles be-
  tween the Houses in recent months.
  Elves have been spotted in the realm,
  usually aiding the forces of Ardinay,
  but they will not reveal their reasons
  for doing so. Some have exhibited the
  incredible ability to ride the fierce drag-
  ons that roam throughout the cosm.
  With the current upheavals in the
  cosm drawing attention away from
  the elves, it appears their secrets will
  remain their own for the foreseeable
  future.
  The Vikings
  The fierce warrior race of Aysle oc-
  cupies a string of islands in the Trade
  Sea, the Living Sea and the Frozen Sea.
  All of the waters around the islands of
  Holm, Skani, Scania and the Nolfgar
  chain are considered the domain of the
  Vikings, and to enter them is to invite
  the pillaging and burning of one’s ves-
  sel and the slaughter of the crew.
  The Vikings first appeared as such
  in Aysle roughly 650 years ago. Specu-
  lation is that they are the descendants
  of humans who escaped the domina-
  tion of the giants and fled to inhospi-
  table Holm. The difficult living condi-
  tions on that snow-covered island
  toughened their stock through the gen-
  erations, until they were taller, more
  muscular, and better able to withstand
  extremes of temperature than the av-
  erage human.
  The Vikings’ great strength has
  made up for their relative lack of magi-
  cal knowledge. They rely often on
  great wooden oars to move their ships,
  even in the face of winds that blow
  perpetually toward the hole in the
  center of the disk.
  The Vikings made themselves
  known through raids on shipping in
  the Trade Sea. Goods were stolen,
  women were carried back to Holm as
  mates. Eventually, the Vikings ex-
  panded their empire to the other is-
  lands in the area, and the various tribes
  united under one chieftain, Grettir
  Bjanni. This brought an end to the
  civil strife among the Vikings, and
  enabled them to increase the profit-
  ability of their raids.
  The Vikings embraced the alteration
  made by Uthorion in the Law of Cor-
  ruption. Since they did not work the
  land, they did not care that it had gone
  dark, and as long as Freetraders con-
  tinued to ply the seas, they would
  have supplies. Prior to the invasion,
  Ayslish soldiers had begun to travel
  on the traders’ ships, making it more
  difficult to sack them. After the war
  with Uthorion, Ardinay proposed an
  alliance with the Vikings, a condition
  of which was that Aysle would no
  longer extend protection to shipping.
  The Vikings participated in a num-
  ber of the invasions of other cosms,
  and found great glory in it. But when
  Ardinay declared a truce in the cosm
  of Earth, the Vikings were reluctant to
  accept it. Then their chieftain, a de-
  scendant of Grettir named Thorfinn
  Bjanni, seemed to find new strength,
  and declared that Ardinay was weak
  and cowardly, and he would lead the
  Vikings to victory. Unaware that the
  spirit of Thorfinn had been driven from
  his body and replaced with that of
  Uthorion, the Vikings gladly followed
  him into battle.
  The Vikings in the cosm are led by
  Rolf Bjanni, the elderly father of
  Thorfinn and the former chieftain (that
  title is passed down from father to son
  in Viking society). They now commu-
  nicate most often with a representa-
  tive of Gareth Tancred, and have the
  singular honor of guarding Castle
  Ardinay and the bridge within.
  The Corsairs
  The rogues and scoundrels known
  collectively as the Corsairs travel un-
  der no banner in Aysle, and relish the
  freedom this brings. Their vessels sail
  the Trade Seas, plundering merchant
  ships at will before vanishing into the
  safety of Pelk Cove and the infamous
  isle of Haven.
  The Corsairs are a relatively recent
  branch of the Ayslish family, having
  come into existence after the War of the
  Crowns. Soldiers and seamen who
  found a life of peace not to their liking
  settled on three large islands between
  Aysle and Elveim, and used these as a
  base from which to raid their rich neigh-
  bors. Unlike the Vikings, it is rare for the
  Corsairs to sack an entire town, not
  having the manpower for that sort of an
  operation and unwilling to provoke a
  war with any race. The Corsairs much
  prefer plundering without violence, as
  repairing ships and replacing crew is
  highly expensive.
  The Corsairs’ usual method of at-
  tack  is to converge on a Freetrader
  ship with three vessels, in the hope
  that such steep odds will discourage
  their quarry from fighting back. The
  Corsairs’ fiercest opponents are the
  Vikings, who regard the pirates as com-
  petition and have long eyed their is-
  Chapter Two
  
  19
  lands as sites of possible expansion.
  Attempts by the Vikings to mount full-
  scale attacks on the Corsairs have been
  frustrated in the past by the superior
  speed and maneuverability of the pi-
  rate vessels and their knowledge of
  the waters.
  Along with the Freetraders, who
  also rely on the sea for their livelihood,
  the Corsairs often hire mages to sail
  with them and communicate with air
  elementals. These elementals can re-
  direct the winds away from the Boil-
  ing Sea and allow sailing ships to reach
  their destinations with ease.
  The Corsairs probably come the
  closest to a democratic form of gov-
  ernment of any of the races on Aysle.
  Captains are elected by popular vote,
  their platform usually consisting of
  how much booty they’ve accumulated.
  There are normally eight captains, with
  the best strategist among them acting
  as the overall leader (at present, that
  honor falls to Logan Portman, a former
  sergeant in the army of House Gerrik).
  On issues of great importance to all (a
  proposed plan to burn the Viking fleet
  docked at Scania, for example), every
  crew member is allowed one vote, and
  each captain has two.
  This system has worked well, in
  general, but has been no help in decid-
  ing which faction to back in the cosm.
  Some of the Corsairs enjoyed the rule
  of Ardinay/Uthorion and are willing
  to aid the Dark Forces. Others balk at
  the idea of siding with Vikings for any
  reason. One captain, Benjamin
  Westbrook, went so far as to gather his
  crew and travel down the maelstrom
  bridge to Ireland, and he was soon
  followed by others. This has left the
  Corsairs in the cosm at roughly half-
  strength, and thus they are treading
  warily whenever in Viking seas.
  The Barbarians
  The people known as “barbarians”
  in Aysle are actually members of a
  tribe called Uygdir who reside on the
  island of Bar’aan in the Living Sea.
  They have the reputation of being
  unfeeling savages, and have been
  branded as everything from giant-lov-
  ers to cannibals.
  In truth, the Uygdir are none of those
  things. They are warlike and brutal, but
  no more so than the Vikings, and they
  have been dismissed as little better than
  beasts primarily because they have no
  system of government as the term is
  understood on Aysle. Although techni-
  cally under the leadership of self-styled
  warrior king Yon Taal, the Uygdir be-
  lieve in each individual looking after
  himself and pursuing his own destiny.
  Anyone who wishes to obey Taal is free
  to do so; anyone who feels he knows
  better than the king can assemble a
  group of followers and do as he
  pleases. Taal has made a few half-
  hearted attempts to bring the various
  cliques into line, but even those he has
  successfully won over to his side do
  not remain there long.
  Under these circumstances, it is
  impossible to say if the barbarians are
  for or against Ardinay. Some are fight-
  ing furiously for the Dark Forces, oth-
  ers just as strongly for the Light.
  Bar’aan itself reflects this split, as parts
  of it are blasted with corruption, while
  other regions are green and lush.
  The barbarians were initially reluc-
  tant to invade other cosms (preferring
  to choose their own wars), but the
  Vikings destroyed several coastal vil-
  lages and Ardinay told them more
  deaths would result if they persisted
  in their cowardice. The positive aspect
  of joining in the invasions was that it
  afforded some the opportunity to get
  away from Bar’aan and see other lands,
  and there are now Uygdir on the con-
  tinent of Aysle, the islands near Elveim,
  and even a few working in Tradeport.
  The primary source of income for
  the barbarians is mining, chiefly for
  iron, which they then exchange for
  food with the Freetraders. Bar’aan is
  rich in other minerals as well, such as
  gold, but the Uygdir have no idea of
  their value, and refuse to let other
  races come in and work their mines.
  That has made them a number of en-
  emies, including the Vikings and the
  dwarves of House Vareth, all of whom
  would like to see the barbarians driven
  off Bar’aan and into the Frozen Land.
  The Freetraders
  The Freetraders are a mixture of
  Aysle folk, united by their love of com-
  merce. It was love of conjs and lemays
  (Ayslish money) that led them to cross
  the treacherous Trade Sea and dare
  the wrath of the elves by approaching
  what is now Elvenport. It is they who
  keep the various continents abreast of
  the news of the cosm, provide markets
  for goods and sell food to areas where
  none can be grown because of the
  corruption of the land.
  Unfortunately, it is also the
  Freetraders (or some of them, anyway)
  who ferry enslaved dwarves from the
  markets on Vareth to their new masters.
  These slave ships are the favorite tar-
  gets of Corsairs, who massacre the trad-
  ers, keep whatever gold they find, and
  either add the freed dwarves to their
  crews or return them to the Land Be-
  tween for a substantial reward.
  Save for the slavers, most of the
  Freetraders consider themselves to be
  on the side of Light. Being the first to
  learn anything of import in the cosm,
  they heard the whispers that perhaps
  Ardinay wasn’t really Ardinay at all.
  Then all military protection for their
  ships was withdrawn by the Aysle gov-
  ernment, leaving them perfect victims
  for the pirates and the Vikings. Thus the
  Freetraders feel they have a vested in-
  terest in the return of a benevolent Pella
  to the throne, if only to get House pro-
  tection back for their vessels and saving
  themselves the high cost of hiring mer-
  cenaries to guard their goods.
  A number of Freetraders traveled to
  Earth during the invasion, seeing the
  potential for great profit there. They
  have since discovered that ferrying refu-
  gees can be a very lucrative business
  indeed, although they avoid the Scan-
  dinavian waters, preferring to stay as
  far away from the Vikings as possible.
  The Ice Nomads
  These wanderers of the Frozen Land
  have been in Aysle for as long as any
  humans can remember. Where they
  came from — whether they were origi-
  nally cast out of Ayslish society or left
  of their own accord to seek a better
  place — no one knows. But from that
  day to this, they have trekked through
  the harshest terrain of the Land Above
  and braved biting winds and killing
  temperatures that no one else would
  dare challenge.
  Despite their lack of comforts, the
  Ice Nomads have survived. In part,
  The Cosm
  
  20
  this is because no one particularly
  wants to conquer a barren, snow-cov-
  ered wasteland, but it is also because
  the Nomads seem to have developed
  skills denied those in the more com-
  fortable areas. The barbarians speak of
  them with something akin to awe, say-
  ing that they have seen Ice Nomads
  bring down a Draconis Teutonica and
  then feast on its carcass.
  Cut off as they are from modern
  society, nothing is known about their
  social structure or their loyalties.
  Whether they are able to comprehend
  the concept of a People’s House, or the
  roots of the Ardinay-Uthorion con-
  flict, is unknown. They have, how-
  ever, evidenced a great deal of loyalty
  to the Liandar family, and they have
  spoken to William Liandar of a tradi-
  tion among their people, that of sacri-
  ficing one’s life for a friend and the
  rewards in the afterlife for such an act.
  The Half-Folk
  The bizarre creatures called half-
  folk have, in a sense, every kingdom
  and none at all to call their own. There
  are half-folk virtually everywhere in
  Aysle, save perhaps for Elveim. They
  have been found everywhere from the
  islands bordering the Boiling Sea to
  the farthest reaches of the Frozen Land,
  and nowhere are they welcomed. The
  humans consider these half human/
  half creature mixtures dangerous mon-
  strosities, the Vikings regard them as
  fit only to be beasts of burden, and the
  barbarians and Ice Nomads consider
  them befouled by dark magic and thus
  unclean.
  When Uthorion first invaded the
  Aysle cosm, the reality storms trans-
  formed the folk into beings that were
  bizarre hybrids of man and monster,
  who eventually became known as half-
  folk. First-generation half-folk are
  never possibility rated, but each suc-
  ceeding generation produces more
  possibility-rated beings.
  The overwhelming rejection they
  have experienced has had several
  negative effects on the half-folk. Some,
  particularly the minotaurs, have re-
  acted by lashing out at every other
  race, and as a result there are areas of
  Aysle where the man-bulls are killed
  on sight. The harpies tend to hide them-
  selves away from everyone, staying in
  dark caves and grottos — often the
  combination of their isolation and the
  sight of their horrid appearance in a
  pool will cause them to go insane. Of
  all the half-folk, it is the satyrs who
  seem to adjust most quickly to their
  new state — they flock to the hillsides
  of the Aysle continent, grazing on veg-
  etation and not particularly caring
  what anyone thinks of them.
  Bitter and frustrated, the half-folk
  were easily recruited by Uthorion, in
  the guise of Ardinay, for his army. At
  last, they felt as if they were accepted
  — in truth, Uthorion had need of ex-
  pendable fodder to soften up enemies
  before the Vikings went in for the kill.
  The half-folk live under the laws
  and political system of whatever king-
  dom they happen to be occupying, but
  have no legal rights under any system
  currently operating in the cosm.
  The Giants
  The giant race controls virtually all
  of Lower Aysle, occupying most of the
  major land masses there, although they
  have only a few settlements in the
  Broken Land, which is a haven for
  lesser folk, half-folk, and creatures of
  all descriptions. The giants have had
  minimal contact with Upper Aysle
  since the War of the Giants hundreds
  of years ago, except for meetings with
  Ardinay/Uthorion that resulted in
  many of them joining the Dark High
  Lord’s invasion force.
  Contrary to the belief of many in
  Upper Aysle, the giants are not one
  united bloc of oversized bullies. There
  are fierce rivalries between different
  groups, the bloodiest thus far between
  the giants of Chamkatt and those of
  Polja. The feud started 300 years ago
  over a stolen cow, and now many joke
  that it is easier to conquer an entire
  cosm than to get a Chamkatt and a
  Polja to agree on anything.
  The giant tribes, major and minor,
  live under a system in which the stron-
  gest warrior rules, and can be replaced
  at any time, providing the claimant to
  the title bests him in battle. For this
  reason, there are few elderly giant lead-
  ers, nor are there very many wise ones.
  The giants rely on brute strength to
  accomplish their ends, eschewing
  strategy and tactics and often meeting
  defeat as a result.
  The giants have a particular hatred
  for humans, especially those who wor-
  ship Dunad. Giant histories make no
  mention of Dunad or his deeds, but
  refer instead to a traitorous giant
  named Lafetor who betrayed his race
  to the humans. Those giants who have
  taken the side of the Light tend to be
  followers of Ugorl or those who have
  ventured into Upper Aysle and been
  awed by the riches and the different
  races found there. A giant in Upper
  Aysle can find work fairly easily
  (there’s always demand for someone
  who can lift boulders and considers
  two wolacs a fair day’s wage). Other
  giants who oppose the ravages of the
  Dark Forces have formed a commu-
  nity on the isle of Ugorland in Lower
  Aysle.
  The giants have varying degrees of
  dislike for all the other races in Aysle,
  but reserve a special enmity for the
  dwarves of the Land Between. No gi-
  ant has forgotten that the dwarves
  fought against them in the war for
  Upper Aysle, and the uneasiest alli-
  ance in all of Uthorion’s vast army is
  that between the giants and the
  dwarves. In fact, the giants have taken
  to blaming the dwarves for Ardinay’s
  change of heart and any setback the
  Dark Forces meet (there is an old say-
  ing among the dwarves, “In the eyes
  of a giant, the dwarves were showing
  Dunad how to take a sword apart one
  day, and things just got out of hand”).
  The Dwarves
  The dwarves actually occupy two
  distinct “kingdoms” in the cosm of
  Aysle, the Land Between and the terri-
  tories controlled by House Vareth. As
  the Vareths have been dealt with else-
  where in this chapter, we will focus
  here on the dwarves who occupy the
  “middle ground” between Upper
  Aysle and Lower Aysle.
  Along with humans and giants, the
  dwarves are one of the dominant races
  of Aysle. Although they do not have a
  reputation as great warriors, they are
  fierce and tenacious, and make up in
  cunning what they lack in brawn. The
  dwarves realized how easily their land
  could be conquered, or turned into a
  Chapter Two
  
  21
  pathway for the invasions of others,
  and took steps to prevent this from
  happening. Using their engineering
  skills, they booby-trapped many of
  the tunnels which connect Upper Aysle
  to Lower Aysle, and this has lessened
  the number of disturbances by giants
  in their kingdom in recent years.
  In fact, the greatest threat to the
  dwarves over the last five centuries
  has come not from the noisy creatures
  above or below, but from their own
  kind. Raiding parties from House
  Vareth appear once every few weeks,
  and carry off the healthiest and stron-
  gest dwarves to be sold in the slave
  markets. Attempts by the Land Be-
  tween dwarves to stop this have been
  largely unsuccessful, and every dwarf
  family has lost at least one member to
  the slavers.
  This situation has engendered a
  great deal of resentment toward
  Ardinay in some quarters, and over
  time some of these dwarves have or-
  ganized into small resistance bands.
  They have proven very effective sabo-
  teurs, and many of the groups mingled
  with the Vareth troops and traveled
  down the bridge, hoping to do their bit
  to aid the cosm under attack.
  When Ardinay announced a truce,
  the dwarves were divided. Some took
  this to mean she had not been herself
  over the last 500 years, and was not
  responsible for all that had happened
  in Aysle; others claim she simply saw
  the battle was going against her, and
  decided to try the “Did I do that? I
  can’t remember!” trick that many a
  dwarf has pulled after a long night of
  lager. Regardless of their opinion, these
  bands continue the fight against the
  Dark Forces in the realm.
  Other dwarves from the Land Be-
  tween have less noble natures. Some
  came to the conclusion that the only
  way to avoid becoming a slave was to
  become a slaver, and went to work for
  the Vareths. These dwarves dismantle
  alarm systems in the tunnels to allow
  the raiders to come down safely, and
  in return are well paid and promised
  that their families will not be harmed.
  Of course, if one of these spies dis-
  pleases the House, the Vareths will
  not hesitate to leak his name to the
  dwarf families who have been victim-
  ized, ensuring that the offender will
  be dispatched in an exceedingly pain-
  ful manner by his outraged neighbors.
  Unlike many other Ayslish races, the
  dwarves do not choose their leaders
  based on strength or material wealth.
  Although an especially militant dwarf
  can always gather a small group of
  followers, generally the eldest and the
  wisest in a community are the de facto
  leaders. The primary responsibility of
  the Council of Elders is to provide for
  the safety of the kingdom and closely
  monitor the supplies of food.
  The latter is a constant problem for
  the dwarves. Living underground,
  they have never had the most fertile
  soil to work with, their primary crops
  being mushrooms and some forms of
  moss. With the world flux, even those
  often will not grow. Thus they must
  forage or trade for what they need,
  usually in Upper Aysle. Trading with
  humans is fairly easy, as the dwarves
  have an abundant supply of gold, sil-
  ver and other precious metals and
  minerals to offer. Foraging has been
  less successful, since so many parts of
  Upper Aysle have been ravaged by
  the changes in the Law of Corruption
  and food is in short supply.
  Along with mining, the dwarves rely
  on their skills as craftsmen for their
  livelihood. Their most lucrative pursuit
  is ship repair, particularly with the
  Freetraders taking such a pounding
  from the Vikings and Corsairs. A team
  of dwarves can patch a hull in a matter
  of minutes, and a number of Freetraders
  have taken dwarves on as crew mem-
  bers to effect emergency repairs.
  Dwarf mages are also in high de-
  mand in Aysle, primarily because they
  cannot demand the same high prices a
  human sorcerer can, and Ayslish en-
  joy getting the same magical effect for
  less money. (Of course, dwarf mages
  do have a reputation for casting spells
  that don’t do quite what the customer
  expected — like the person who pur-
  chased a floater spell at a cut rate and
  then painfully discovered the dura-
  tion was not quite as long as he had
  been promised.)
  The dwarves make up the majority
  of the population in the Land Between,
  sharing that area with a number of
  half-folk and lesser folk. These groups
  are avoided by the dwarves, who fear
  the lesser folk and have no use for the
  half-folk, dwarves preferring to do
  their own manual labor.
  The dwarves have recently heard
  rumors of Gutterby’s revolt in the realm,
  and have been heartened by them. Plans
  are going forward for an insurrection
  against House Vareth, which has com-
  mitted a large number of troops to the
  battle for the cosm of Earth.
  The Lesser Folk
  The lowest class in Aysle, the lesser
  folk — the gnomes, trolls, kobolds, and
  ogres — have no true social structure
  to speak of, beyond the occasional
  loosely-knit group seen wandering
  through the mountains of Upper Aysle.
  In general, the lesser folk lead inde-
  pendent existences, taking care of
  themselves and caring little for any-
  one else. They favor caves, tunnels,
  and other dark places, particularly in
  the Land Between, and shun gather-
  ings of humans, dwarves or giants.
  A lone Ayslish is another matter
  entirely. Cosm residents roaming too
  near the homes of lesser folk have
  been killed for no more reason than
  that the resident troll was in a particu-
  larly foul mood that day.
  Lesser folk are normally of low in-
  telligence, although they can recog-
  nize a profit-making venture when
  they see one. That is why so many of
  them have gravitated to the Dark
  Forces, a troop that allows them to
  pillage and burn and pays them well
  for it. There are few lesser folk among
  the soldiers now following Ardinay,
  and since neither humans nor dwarves
  care to associate with them, that is
  probably just as well.
  The lesser folk are also the only
  group which doesn’t care that crops
  cannot be grown in huge areas of both
  Upper and Lower Aysle. This is be-
  cause lesser folk tend to be meat-eat-
  ers, and will feast on anyone or any-
  thing they can get their hands on. For
  that reason, they make for dangerous
  allies — if an ogre gets too hungry, the
  ideas of “friendship” and “coopera-
  tion” will swiftly be replaced by less
  lofty ideals, and a traveling compan-
  ion may find himself the main course
  on the dinner menu.
  Like all folk, the trolls, ogres and
  such have some magical skill and
  knowledge, depending on their
  birthdate. But fewer of their number
  The Cosm
  
  22
  have become adept at the use of the
  sorcerous arts, due to the refusal of the
  academies on the Mage Islands to ad-
  mit them and the unwillingness of the
  lesser folk to trust each other with any
  knowledge they do gain.
  Magic In Aysle
  Since Dunad broke his enchanted
  sword and released the arcane
  knowledges into the cosm of Aysle,
  magic has been a part of everyday life.
  Because of Dunad’s blessing, all folk
  are born with a magic skill and a knowl-
  edge, and simple magic is as common-
  place as electricity in Core Earth. The
  rim stars — those celestial embodi-
  ments of the Kindred and Element
  knowledges — determine which
  knowledge a person is born with. The
  skill is determined by the time of the
  month. The “Determining Magic by
  Birth” table provides an easy way to
  figure out a character’s magic skill and
  knowledge by birth. It lists the months
  of the Ayslish year, which stars
  (knowledges) are in ascendency dur-
  ing particular months, and which skill
  is associated with the date of the month
  in question.
  Example: Bord Feral is born on the
  26th day of Celay. This means he is
  born with the apportation magic skill
  and the metal arcane knowledge at one
  add each.
  The Entity
  Knowledge
  When the arcane knowledges were
  released from the blade of Dunad’s
  sword, each found a home in the Limit
  as a star. One of the knowledges did
  not take physical form, however. It
  remained incorporeal, haunting the
  very edges of reality with its presence.
  But it retained the ability to manifest
  itself twice every day, at dawn and at
  dusk. These parts of the day became
  known as the Entity Hours, the time
  when the world is closest to the places
  of spirits, demons, and other things
  not of the folk.
  A person born during the Entity
  Hour is marked as someone who com-
  munes with unclean things. For this
  reason, many midwives and mages do
  everything in their power to delay or
  rush labor as the Entity Hour ap-
  proaches. But the entities cannot al-
  ways be denied. If a person is born
  during this time, it is usually kept
  secret. A folk born at 6:21 pm on the
  first day of Arthuk receives the divina-
  tion/entity skill and knowledge, but
  publicly declares he is a divination/
  water person to avoid the negatives
  associated with entity folk.
  Born Contrary
  After you have rolled to determine
  the knowledge under which a charac-
  ter was born, you must then roll to see
  if the character was born during the
  day or night. Most midwives and court
  mages use spells to ensure an evening
  birth, under the light of the knowl-
  edge star. Those born during the day,
  however, are born contrary to the
  knowledge. These rare individuals
  must increase the backlash of any spells
  using their arcane knowledge of birth
  by +3.
  To determine contrariness, roll a
  die. On a roll of 1 to 5, the character is
  contrary. If the character is of noble
  blood and had court mages assisting
  in the birth, then contrariness is deter-
  mined only on a roll of 1.
  Example: Bord Feral is born un-
  der the water star, but is born dur-
  ing the day. Because of this, any
  spell requiring the water knowledge
  that Bord casts is subject to its nor-
  mal backlash +3.
  etermining Magic by Birth
  D
  Month             Arcane
     Divin.*     Apportat.*    Alterat.*   Conjur.*
                             Knowledge        Day             Day              Day          Day
                                             
  1-18            19-27           28-30**        30***
  Arthuk
  Water
  1
  1-2
  1-2
  1-2
  Asten
  Aquatic
  2
  3-4
  3-4
  3-4
  Harang
  Avian
  3
  5-6
  5-6
  5-6
  Darsot
  Air
  4
  7-8
  7-8
  7-8
  Shali
  Enchanted
  5
  9
  9
  9
  Celay
  Metal
  6
  10
  10
  10
  Endrak
  Fire
  7
  11
  11
  11-12
  Minthod
  Elemental
  8
  12
  12
  13-14
  Mesus
  Earthly
  9
  13
  13
  15-16
  Borl
  Earth
  10
  14
  14
  17
  Dunad
  Folk
  11
  15
  15
  18
  Rak
  Plant
  12
  16
  16
  19
  —
  Entity****
  13
  17
  17
  20
  Move to next
  column and
  14-20
  18-20
  18-20
  roll again
  * Represents abbreviations for Divination, Apportation, Alteration
  and Conjuration.
  ** Alteration skill in folk born from Day 28 to 5:59 am on Day 30.
  *** Conjuration skill in folk born on Day 30, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am,
  except for the Entity Hours.
  **** Those born under Entity are born from 6:00 am to 7:00 am or from
  6:00 pm to 7:00 pm (the Entity Hours, dawn and dusk). On an Entity roll,
  a folk is born with the skill listed and the Entity knowledge. Roll again
  on the knowlede column to determine which month and public knowl-
  edge they receive.
  Chapter Two
  
  23
  The Mage Isles and
  the Arcane Academies
  The great schools of magic can be
  found in the Trade Sea of Upper Aysle.
  Here, on the Mage Isles, apt pupils
  study the arcane knowledges to be-
  come competent spellcasters and work
  their way up to master wizards. The
  four charted islands are Being, State,
  Bridge, and Pure Isle. The rumored
  fifth isle, Pinnacle, has never appeared
  on a navigation chart. Each of the four
  charted isles has a port which is open
  to friendly vessels, and ships come
  here with passengers and to trade.
  The islands are administered by the
  archmages, the four ancient wizards
  who have each specialized in a par-
  ticular body of arcane knowledges
  and oversee the four arcane acad-
  emies. Legends speak of a fifth
  archmage who deals in the Essences,
  but neither he nor his island have ever
  been confirmed.
  The Isle of Being contains the Seven
  Towers of Kindred Knowledge, and is
  run by the archmage L’lana of the
  Seven Towers. This mage allows all
  manner of kindred to wander the
  shores of her domain, but none save
  the serious mage-born can pass the
  tests that allow them entry into the
  towers of arcane knowledge. Nor-
  mally, only six of the towers can be
  seen rising over the trees from the port
  town. But every day at dawn and dusk
  a seventh tower appears beside the
  others — the hauntingly different En-
  tity Tower. To look upon the tower is
  to invite the notice of an otherworldly
  being, or so the legend goes.
  The Isle of State is home to the Six
  Towers of Element Knowledge, and
  the arcane academy administered by
  the dwarven mage Dalen of the Six
  Towers. Each tower is set within a
  park dedicated to one particular ele-
  ment, and those visitors lucky enough
  to travel beyond the port town are
  amazed by the rivers of metal and the
  tower that floats in the air.
  The Bridge Isle, or the Island of
  Two Towers, contains the arcane acad-
  emy of Mixed Forces. The elven
  archmage Thelim of the Two Towers
  oversees the academy.
  The Pure Isle houses the Three Tow-
  ers of Principle Knowledge, and the
  arcane academy dedicated to the pure
  forces. Magellan of the Three Towers
  wears the high robes of Principle
  Knowledge and splits his time be-
  tween the towers of darkness, light,
  and magic.
  Beyond these four isles, legends
  speak of Pinnacle and the Four Tow-
  ers of Essence Knowledge. If this
  fabled isle does exist, only those of the
  highest order of magic can pass
  through its veil of secrecy. And if the
  archmage Kalilor of the Four Towers
  is a real person, then he must be truly
  powerful indeed.
  Improving Magic
  Skills and
  Knowledges
  The folk of Aysle are born with a
  magic skill and knowledge, but only a
  few go beyond the most rudimentary
  training. People tend to specialize,
  going into fields where their birth
  knowledge will give them an advan-
  tage. So, those born under the water
  star tend to become sailors, fisher-
  men, and shipwrights. Those with a
  desire to increase their station can
  teach themselves magic, but this is
  expensive. The better way is to find a
  teacher, either at the arcane academies
  or a rogue wizard, which greatly re-
  duces the time or the number of Pos-
  sibilities it costs to learn. It costs 10
  Possibilities to teach yourself a skill
  that cannot be used unskilled, or the
  value of 10 in months (100) for an Ord.
  It only costs five Possibilities, or the
  value of five in months (10) for an
  Ord, if you have a teacher. Note, this
  is true of learning all skills, not just
  magic skills.
  Those who opt to take the arcane
  academy route must make their way
  to the Mage Isles and offer themselves
  to a particular academy. While they
  can learn from the other academies
  (and are encouraged to do so) they
  must pledge themselves to one par-
  ticular body of knowledge. Then they
  undergo a test. If a would-be mage
  comes through the test whole and
  unharmed, then he or she may join the
  academy. When an apprentice joins
  an academy, he gives up his family
  name. So, Belder of House Gerrik be-
  comes simply Belder for the remain-
  der of his apprenticeship. Once he has
  achieved 12 adds in arcane knowledges
  (at least two of which must be from his
  pledged body of knowledge), then
  Belder can call himself Belder the
  Mage. Belder’s next goal is to achieve
  20 adds in magic skills, 10 adds in any
  two knowledges of his academy, and
  at least one add in every other knowl-
  edge of his academy. Once he does
  that, then Belder can claim the title of
  his pledged body of knowledge. For
  example, Belder of the Three Towers,
  which makes him a master mage spe-
  cializing in the Principles.
  Those who don’t want to go
  through these sometimes grueling and
  dangerous tests can simply buy en-
  chanted items that contain arcane
  knowledges that they must provide
  the magic skill for. Traders can pur-
  chase a water compass, for example,
  that constantly points toward the
  water star. All the trader must pro-
  vide is the divination skill — and the
  money to purchase the item. Less com-
  mon (and more expensive) are those
  items that also contain the magic skill.
  Religion in Aysle
  Religion plays an important part in
  Aysle society, and in many ways reli-
  gion is simply an extension of the natu-
  ral magic that permeates the disk world.
  But in other ways, religion is of a sepa-
  rate, more spiritual nature. Like magic,
  religion requires a leap of faith as it
  deals with matters beyond the normal
  perceptions of the populace. In a world
  where observation is everything, this is
  important to remember.
  The major faiths are built around
  strong gods and legendary heroes. In
  general, the three major faiths are those
  of Honor, Corruption, and Balance.
  But in practice, the folk follow a par-
  ticular god and his or her agents in the
  world. The followers of Honor tend to
  consider themselves good. The major
  tenets of belief center around faithful-
  ness, loyalty, respect, and being true
  to yourself. The followers of Corrup-
  tion see themselves as opposed to the
  followers of Honor. Their actions
  could be considered evil, and they
  take the form of both overt and subtle
  activities. Their tenets incorporate de-
  The Cosm
  
  24
  structive and disruptive tendencies.
  The followers of Balance try to walk
  the middle path, leaning neither to-
  ward Honor nor Corruption but in-
  corporating both into their tenets. They
  believe in balance, and strive to main-
  tain a balance in everything.
  The gods, while real entities whose
  influence in the world can be observed,
  are nevertheless apart from daily life
  in Aysle. Legends persist of actual
  appearances by the gods in physical
  form, but these occurrences are rare
  and only happen to the most holy
  members of the faith.
  The Gods of Honor
  Dunad
  Major God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: time,
  life, magic, living forces, fire, folk
  Symbol: Dunad Cross
  Dunad was a human male who re-
  leased his people from the bonds of
  giant slavery and brought the arcane
  knowledges of magic to Aysle. He trav-
  eled beyond the Limit to seek out a way
  to help his people, and returned with a
  powerful enchanted sword named
  Aurel. The sword contained all of the
  magic skills and knowledges, and made
  Dunad almost invincible. But he could
  not defeat the giants on his own. In the
  end, he traveled to the Valley of the
  Sword and shattered the blade of his
  sword, thus releasing the skills and
  knowledges into the air. While he meant
  for these skills and knowledges to be
  used only by humans, magic saw no
  difference between one type of folk and
  another. So, all folk were blessed with
  Dunad’s gift.
  Dunad’s priests get a +3 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence. Their
  weapon of choice is a sword, and they
  tend to be warriors as well as clerics.
  Shali
  Major God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: life,
  true knowledge, light, inanimate
  forces, air, enchanted
  Symbol: The Eye in the Sun
  Shali was the first true mage of
  Aysle, a female human who sought to
  learn everything she could when the
  knowledges first became available.
  She was also Dunad’s love, and though
  she remained on Aysle for many years
  after Dunad gave the gift of magic and
  disappeared, she eventually went in
  search of her lover. Together, they
  became the first true gods of Aysle
  (not counting the dwarven creators).
  Legends state that Shali created the
  arcane academies after the giants re-
  treated to Lower Aysle.
  Shali’s priests get a +3 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence. Her follow-
  ers tend to be mages, and most who
  follow her look for peaceful solutions
  instead of the ways of war.
  Argon
  Minor God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: light,
  earth, avian
  Symbol: The Hawk in the Sun
  Argon is a male human said to wan-
  der the world in the company of an
  earth elemental and a hunting hawk,
  seeking to find and destroy the hated
  Harang and her followers. This legend-
  ary battle is carried on by the followers
  of Argon, who seek to destroy the cor-
  rupted avians which have fallen out of
  the light and now reside in the darkness
  beneath Harang’s outstretched wings.
  Argon’s priests get a +2 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence. Their
  weapon of choice is the long bow.
  Mesus
  Minor God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: liv-
  ing forces, plant, earthly
  Symbol: Crys Flower
  Mesus takes the form of a female
  centaur, and she is revered by the half-
  folk of Upper Aysle. Her symbol, the
  crys flower, has only recently returned
  to the world in great number. Under
  Uthorion, the beautiful blue-red flower
  was allowed to be trampled to near
  extinction. It, like Mesus’ followers,
  remained hidden in solitary, out-of-
  the-way places. Now, with the return
  of Ardinay, the god and her followers
  are trying to regain a place in Ayslish
  society. Nature and the land are Mesus’
  chief concerns, and her followers tend
  to be rangers, woodsmen, farmers, and
  the like — all folk, although the major-
  ity are half-folk.
  Mesus’ priests get a +2 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Elmiir
  Major God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: true
  knowledge, magic, water, elemental
  Symbol: Two Stars over Water
  The most influential of the elven
  gods, the male Elmiir is an enigmatic
  and mysterious figure. His symbol
  eligions in a Game
  R
  This sourcebook describes fic-
  tional religions as they exist and
  operate in the fictional Torg set-
  ting. It is in no way intended to
  portray real religions operating
  in the real world.
  Chapter Two
  
  25
  represents the arcane stars of magic
  and elemental knowledge rising over
  a body of water, and some believe it
  actually stands for the elven home-
  land, Elveim. Legends say that Elmiir
  brought his people to Aysle from some-
  where beyond the Limit, and he took
  his place beside the other gods to make
  sure the elves would always have an
  advocate within the spheres of power.
  It is because of the tenets of Elmiir’s
  teachings that the elves remain apart
  from the other folk.
  Elmiir’s priests get a +3 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Asten
  Minor God of Honor
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: in-
  animate forces, metal, aquatic.
  Symbol: The Star Gem.
  Asten is said to be a beautiful elven
  maiden, the mate of Elmiir. Her sym-
  bol is the holy star gem, a rare gem-
  stone found only on Elveim. This ob-
  sidian stone shines with an inner light,
  as if a star was captured within the
  mineral. Unlike her mate, Asten
  teaches that the other folk are not to be
  feared or looked down upon. But her
  followers have little influence. They
  must be content with their posts on
  Elvenport as the only place of contact
  between the elves and other races. Still,
  they maintain the vow of secrecy as
  prescribed by Elmiir long ago, and
  refuse to speak of their past or the
  forbidden continent to outsiders.
  Asten’s priests get a +2 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  The Gods of
  Corruption
  Arthuk
  Major God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence:
  death, true knowledge, darkness, in-
  animate forces, water, enchanted
  Symbol: Dark Skull
  Arthuk, a male giant, was the leader
  of the giants enslaving  Upper Aysle
  during the time of Dunad. Dunad
  killed him with his enchanted sword
  after a terrible battle, but Arthuk over-
  came death and became the major force
  of corruption in the world. His sym-
  bol, the dark skull, brings fear to the
  followers of honor the world over. His
  followers still attempt to exert their
  influence on the smaller folk, and they
  revel in war and violence.
  Arthuk’s priests get a +2 bonus
  when using any of the arcane
  knowledges under the god’s influence.
  Their weapon of choice is the war club.
  Borl
  Major God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: time,
  life, magic, living forces, earth, folk
  Symbol: Gnarled Tree
  Borl, the giantess mate of Arthuk,
  has influence over life and living forces,
  and uses this influence to corrupt them.
  She is considered a fierce warrior and
  the greatest of the giant mages ever to
  walk the disk world. Like most of the
  gods of corruption, Borl is more feared
  than worshipped. Her symbol is a
  gnarled and withered tree. While Borl
  has more of an innate connection with
  all folk, she still looks upon her giants
  as the true folk — all others are lesser
  folk fit only to serve the giants.
  Borl’s priests get a +3 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Harang
  Minor God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: liv-
  ing forces, air, avian
  Symbol: Black, Poisoned Feather
  The harpy half-folk Harang is a god
  of pain and torture. Her followers claim
  that they use pain to teach others of the
  suffering of the half-folk, but their glee-
  ful inflictions go beyond mere lessons.
  They wage an unending war on the
  followers of Argon. Harang appears
  as a female harpy with black feathers
  that drip poison. Her priests carry rep-
  lica feathers as holy symbols.
  Harang’s priests get a +1 bonus
  when using any of the arcane
  knowledges under the god’s influence.
  Estar
  Minor God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence:
  magic, plant, aquatic
  Symbol: Two Stars under Water
  Estar, the corrupted son of Elmiir
  and Asten, has gained a following
  among certain elf, half-folk, and lesser
  folk communities. It is said that Estar
  helped Arthuk in his domination of
  Upper Aysle, and even taught Borl
  how to use the magic that was within
  her after Dunad gave his gift to the
  folk. She quickly became more power-
  ful than the corrupt elf, and she con-
  vinced him to betray his people and
  join the Corrupt Pantheon. Like his
  mother, Estar believes that all of the
  folk should be viewed equally — but
  to him this means they should all be
  used to further his own causes. To
  show his opposition to Elmiir, Estar’s
  symbol is the stars of magic and aquatic
  knowledges beneath water.
  Estar’s priests get a +1 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Endrak
  Minor God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: dark-
  ness, fire, elemental
  Symbol: The Dark Sun
  The Cosm
  
  26
  Endrak, the human male god of fire
  and darkness, teaches that the night fire
  shall someday claim the disk world and
  wipe it clean of honor and balance. In its
  wake it will leave only corruption, and
  that is what Endrak’s followers look
  forward to. The night fire will come
  with the darkening of the sun, just as the
  last great change on Aysle occurred
  when the sun flared brighter. Until that
  day comes, Endrak’s followers will
  wreak what corruption they can in their
  god’s name.
  Endrak’s priests get a +2 bonus
  when using any of the arcane
  knowledges under the god’s influence.
  Kalim
  Minor God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: in-
  animate forces, metal, earthly
  Symbol: The Obsidian Hammer
  Kalim, the corrupt god of the lesser
  folk, appears as a mighty troll wield-
  ing an obsidian hammer. He is a war
  god who delights in battle and chaos.
  The corruption that such activity
  propagates is just an added bonus.
  Kalim and his followers detest the
  higher folk (humans, elves, dwarves,
  and giants) and have only a passing
  tolerance for half-folk.
  Kalim’s priests get a +1 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence. Their
  weapon of choice is a war hammer.
  Corba’al
  Major God of Corruption
  Arcane Spheres of Influence:
  death, true knowledge, time, darkness,
  living forces, air, water, folk, entity
  Symbol: Crossed Bones
  Corba’al, the entity god, is a god
  apart. Even though he is part of the
  corrupt pantheon, he is also the only
  god who regularly communes with
  the things that are not of the folk. The
  dead, decay, and corruption are his
  tenets, and Corba’al’s followers are
  granted the ability to see the flow of
  time and decay in every living thing.
  Few follow the ways of the entity god,
  and those who do specialize in entity
  magic and necromancy. Uthorion is
  Corba’al’s high priest in Aysle.
  Corba’al’s priests get a +3 bonus
  when using any of the arcane
  knowledges under the god’s influence.
  The Gods Between
  Minthod
  Major God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: time,
  magic, inanimate forces, earth, elemental
  Symbol: World Disk
  Minthod takes the form of a huge
  minotaur, and is the patron deity of
  adventurous half-folk. His symbol is
  the world disk of Aysle, complete with
  a hole in its center, and shaded half
  light and half dark to represent the
  two sides. It is said that Minthod wan-
  ders the world disk, traveling across
  Upper and Lower Aysle when he is
  not at home in his hidden temple in
  the Land Between. The followers of
  Minthod believe in absolute patience,
  in magic as the factor that makes all
  folk equal, and in a true balance be-
  tween honor and corruption.
  Minthod’s followers rarely take sides
  unless it is to help restore balance. As
  corruption has gained a distinct ad-
  vantage under Uthorion’s reign,
  Minthod’s faithful have currently
  taken up the cause of honor until the
  scales are again level.
  Minthod’s priests get a +3 bonus
  when using any of the arcane
  knowledges under the god’s influence.
  Celay
  Major God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: life,
  magic, living forces, metal, folk
  Symbol: Star Mushroom
  Celay, a female gnome, is the most
  powerful of the lesser folk gods. She is
  also the least followed, as most lesser
  folk prefer Kalim’s corrupt ways.
  Nonetheless, Celay’s faithful seek to
  correct the deeds of Kalim’s followers
  and restore balance to the lesser folk.
  For this reason, Kalim’s followers kill
  Celay’s whenever they are able. This
  religious war has lasted since the gift
  of magic and the coming of the gods.
  The tenets which Celay’s faithful fol-
  low celebrate life, living forces, and
  the magic that balances the world. This
  is symbolized by the star mushroom, a
  plant that thrives even in the darkest
  regions of the Land Between. They
  love all folk and seek to bridge the gap
  that exists between the major races
  and the lesser folk.
  Celay’s priests get a +3 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Darsot
  Minor God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: light,
  air, aquatic
  Symbol: Winged Fish
  Darsot is one of two human gods in
  the Between Pantheon. He embraced
  the ways of balance and his followers
  are usually diplomats and peacemak-
  ers, striving to bring balance to the
  world. But their job is hard, all the more
  so because of their reluctance to strike
  back at their attackers. This would not
  lead to balance, they believe, but would
  instead aid either honor or corruption.
  Darsot’s priests get a +2 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Chapter Two
  
  27
  Areel
  Minor God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: dark-
  ness, water, enchanted
  Symbol: Dark World Disk
  Areel, the other human god in the
  Between Pantheon, is the god of night.
  All things of darkness are hers, for
  they balance the things of light and
  day. Unlike her mate Darsot’s follow-
  ers, the followers of Areel make war.
  They do this to balance Darsot’s influ-
  ence in the world, and they never battle
  for victory — only to maintain the
  status quo. They are fierce warriors
  nevertheless, and many losing sides
  have given hefty donations for their
  services. Once the two sides are again
  at even power, the Areels abandon the
  fight and go in search of another battle
  to balance.
  Areel’s priests get a +2 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence. Their
  weapon of choice is the mace, but they
  are usually skilled at a number of
  weapons.
  Ugorl
  Minor God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: in-
  animate forces, fire, avian
  Symbol: Fire Bird
  The giant Ugorl teaches moderation
  in all things, including the basics of
  giant life such as violence, primal urges,
  and corruption. Because of this, she is
  not a popular god in Lower Aysle. But
  to those giants who seek adventure and
  to live with the folk of Upper Aysle, she
  is an alternative to the teachings of
  Arthuk and Borl. Ugorl’s followers do
  not go against the teachings of the cor-
  rupt gods, they simply control their
  urges and direct them toward a balance
  that allows them to mingle with the folk
  of Upper Aysle.
  Ugorl’s priests get a +1 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Rak
  Minor God of Balance
  Arcane Spheres of Influence: liv-
  ing forces, plant, earthly
  Symbol: Lush Tree
  Unlike Ugorl, Rak is a popular god
  among the giants of Lower Aysle and
  the Vikings of Upper Aysle. He is the
  god of living forces, teaching that na-
  ture has its own ways of balancing
  honor and corruption. The strong sur-
  vive, the weak perish, and balance is
  maintained. That is the basic tenet
  that Rak’s followers hold to. Every-
  thing that exists in nature strives to
  maintain the world’s balance. All
  urges must be indulged, for that is
  nature’s way of showing the folk how
  to keep the balance.
  Rak’s priests get a +1 bonus when
  using any of the arcane knowledges
  under the god’s influence.
  Secular Dwarvenism
  After creating the world and giving
  the dwarves dominion, the dwarven
  gods left Aysle. Since then, due to flaws
  inherent in the world’s creation, other
  sentient races have come into being to
  contest the dwarves’ dominion. Natu-
  rally, this has given the dwarves a some-
  what jaded view of the competence of
  gods in general, and the ones who cre-
  ated them in particular.
  In short, the dwarves don’t like gods
  and want nothing to do with them.
  They hold in pitying contempt all those
  who look to higher agencies to solve
  their problems for them.
  If dwarven religion has to be classi-
  fied, it should be thought of as secular
  dwarvenism — they know there are
  supernatural agencies out there some-
  where, but they’d rather like to be left
  alone, thank you very much.
  Still, many dwarves look upon the
  gods of the other folk as either heroes or
  villains, and some have even adopted
  their religions in absence of one of their
  own. Dunad is a particular favorite, as
  is Minthod. Arthuk, Kalim, and Rak are
  seen as enemies, as their followers tend
  to delight in killing dwarves.
  Some dwarves actively seek to cur-
  tail any religion, no matter who or what
  practices it; these might more properly
  be called secret societies than sects. There
  are a few small communities which
  worship the Creators, attempting to
  bring them back to “right the wrongs of
  their creation;” however these are too
  small in number to have any real reli-
  gious or political clout.
   There is no formal religious com-
  munity in dwarven society. Many
  dwarves are taught the faith skill (in the
  “religion” of secular dwarvenism) at
  one add. There are no strictures for
  dwarven belief — if a dwarf is foolish
  enough to believe in a religion, as long
  as he does it in the privacy of his own
  home, that’s his business. There are no
  priests of secular dwarvenism. Some
  dwarves are more virulently anti-reli-
  gion than others; these might be titled
  “Philosophers,” “Pragmatists” or
  “Dwarvenists,” and have the faith skill
  at from two to four adds. Except for
  being respected in the community, these
  dwarves gain no other special benefit.
  The dwarves can use their faith to
  attempt to cause a miracle to fail (see
  “Atheism,” page 125 of the Torg  Rule-
  book).
  The Elven Path of
  True Knowledge
  The most prominent elven sect is
  the monks of true knowledge, a small
  group of followers of Elmiir who be-
  lieve that the path to true knowledge
  may be found by studying it: that is, by
  taking a look at the cosmverse and
  everything in it. There are about 50
  followers of the sect; at any given time,
  half or more are journeying across
  Aysle, attempting to gather as much
  information as possible and returning
  with it to their temple, which is ru-
  mored to have the single finest library
  on the planet — though no one outside
  the temple has ever seen it. The monks
  are fascinated by new experiences, and
  have embraced Uthorion’s methods
  The Cosm
  
  28
  only in the fact that new worlds have
  been opened to them, with plenty of
  untapped knowledge to explore.
  The monks are expected to return
  to the temple once every decade to
  report on what they have seen since
  they last left. If they learn news of
  great importance, they are expected to
  return as quickly as is possible.
  The monks are forbidden to ingest
  liquor, drugs, or any mind-altering
  substance; it is felt that such things
  damage one’s ability to see and under-
  stand the Path. The monks are forbid-
  den to reveal the temple’s location to
  anyone, unless that person evinces a
  strong desire to join the Path. Once
  someone has learned the temple’s lo-
  cation, he must join the Path or die.
  Typically, monks spend up to 30
  years at the temple before venturing
  out into the world, studying, meditat-
  ing, and learning the skills necessary to
  survive. The monks are trained to rely
  on their own abilities; they will use only
  weapons which are powered by their
  skill and strength — i.e., missile or me-
  lee weapons — they disdain weaponry
  which relies on chemical, electrical, or
  magical power of any sort — it disrupts
  their connection with the Path.
  In addition, they refuse to wear ar-
  mor which hinders movement (in game
  terms, that which gives a fatigue pen-
  alty). They feel that the added protec-
  tion is not worth the loss of mobility.
  The monks are forbidden to acquire
  wealth, except as necessary to help
  further their quest for knowledge. A
  monk rarely owns more than he can
  comfortably carry on his back. And
  monks can be either male or female.
  Elven Disciplines
  Disciplines are special abilities the
  monks who follow the Path of True
  Knowledge gain from years spent learn-
  ing to control their bodies, minds and
  souls. When generated, a monk has one
  level of mastery (one add) in a disci-
  pline per faith add; the monk gains a
  level of mastery or a new discipline for
  no additional cost every time his faith
  increases. (For example, a monk with a
  faith  add of three could have three
  levels of mastery in one discipline or
  one level of mastery in three disciplines,
  or any combination thereof.) If a monk
  ever loses his faith,  he loses his disci-
  plines until his faith  returns.
  Because the monks of Elmiir con-
  centrate on the spiritual, they cannot
  increase their magic skills or learn new
  ones other than the skill they are born
  with. As they seek true knowledge,
  however, they can improve their ar-
  cane knowledges.
  Clear Thought
  The clear thought  discipline makes a
  monk resistant to mind-disruptive in-
  fluences — mind-altering drugs, illu-
  sions, mind control devices, and so
  forth. For each level of mastery in this
  discipline, add two to the monk’s Mind
  attribute when resisting such influ-
  ences. The monk also gains this ben-
  efit when resisting the effects of charm
  and persuasion.
  Clear Senses
  Because of his knowledge of and
  connection to the Path, a monk is much
  more aware of the world around him.
  For each level of mastery, add one to
  the monk’s Perception  and Perception-
  based skills.
  Fade
  The monk learns to fade into his
  surroundings. For each level of mas-
  tery, add two to the monk’s stealth
  value.
  Focus Power
  The monk learns to focus his spiri-
  tual energy into his body. Add two to
  his damage value in unarmed  or melee
  combat for each level of mastery.
  Grant Knowledge
  Acting like an enchanted item, a
  monk with this discipline can grant his
  arcane knowledge to a person with a
  magic skill. For each add in this disci-
  pline, a monk can provide two adds of
  a particular arcane knowledge to a mage.
  The monk must be in physical contact
  with the mage, and the granting of
  knowledge only lasts during that con-
  tact. Any backlash is shared equally by
  mage and monk. A monk can only pro-
  Chapter Two
  vide knowledge that he has, and only as
  many adds as he has in it.
  Ignore Fatigue
  The monk may perform feats of
  strength and endurance without ex-
  haustion. If the monk possesses this
  discipline, he reduces the fatigue re-
  sults on the Push and Speed Tables by
  two for each add he possesses.
  Ignore Pain
  The monk may take shock damage
  in excess of his Toughness without col-
  lapsing. For each add in this discipline,
  he can withstand two additional shock
  points beyond his Toughness value.
  Reaction
  The monk can sense when an enemy
  is going to attempt to damage him. The
  monk’s dodge  increases by two for each
  add he has attained in this discipline.
  Adventuring
  in the Cosm
  Given the unique situation in the
  Aysle realm — a large number of mael-
  strom bridges, at least one of which is
  controlled by an ally of the Storm
  Knights — adventuring in the cosm
  itself is far easier here than in the Nile
  Empire. Providing Ardinay’s permis-
  sion is secured, a Knight can climb the
  Oxford maelstrom bridge and emerge
  at Castle Ardinay in the Valley of the
  Sword.
  In addition, characters from other
  fantasy roleplaying games might
  somehow find themselves on the disk-
  shaped world and have to handle the
  complex and dangerous intrigues that
  have become an integral part of life in
  Aysle. Perhaps Uthorion mounted an
  attack on that fantasy realm in an ef-
  fort to drain its possibility energy.
  The aspect of the Aysle cosm that is
  most important for Storm Knights to
  keep in mind when adventuring is that
  the situation between the Houses is a
  tense one, just waiting for a spark to set
  it off. A wrong move by a Knight could
  set off a bloody civil war and further
  destabilize the situation in the realm.
  
  29
  Chapter Three The Realm
  he forces of Aysle launched
  their attack upon Earth
  with the  dropping of seven
  maelstrom bridges in the
  United Kingdom and
  Scandinavia. Creatures, the like of which
  no Englishman had ever seen outside of
  a book of fables, poured into the streets,
  cutting a swath of destruction through
  cities that had resisted conquest since
  the days of Caesar.
  The initial battles were over within
  hours, the bizarre armies that had come
  from the sky triumphant. The defend-
  ers fought valiantly, but were ham-
  pered by sudden malfunctions of their
  weapons and the sheer numbers of the
  invading force. Soldiers used their so-
  phisticated rifles as clubs and drew
  blood with their bayonets, but in the
  end were no match for the dragons,
  giants and Vikings they faced.
  Tolwyn’s Revenge
  It seemed as if the Aysle legions
  were unstoppable, but then deliver-
  ance came from a most unexpected
  source.  High Lord Angar Uthorion,
  whose spirit possessed the body of
  Pella Ardinay, Lady of the Houses of
  Aysle, was lured down the maelstrom
  bridge into a trap. Informed that his
  nemesis, Tolwyn of House Tancred,
  was dead, Uthorion started down the
  bridge. But he found the bridge a path
  into the Dream Time, where he was
  confronted by Tolwyn and a group of
  Storm Knights.
  More than five centuries before,
  Uthorion had been responsible for the
  conquest of Aysle and the death of
  Tolwyn and her fellow Knight Protec-
  tors. But before they perished,
  Tolwyn’s comrades had sent her spirit
  to someplace else, so that it could re-
  turn one day and take revenge. When
  the invasion of Earth began, Tolwyn
  was reincarnated in the body of a
  young woman named Wendy Miller.
  When she finally faced her ancient
  enemy, she joined forces with her brave
  companions, and together, they cast
  Uthorion’s spirit out of Ardinay’s body
  and returned the soul of that noble
  woman to its rightful place.
  Tolwyn of House Tancred
  DEXTERITY 12
  Beast riding 18, dodge 18, maneu-
  ver 14, melee weapons 20, missile
  weapons 19, stealth 18, unarmed com-
  bat 18
  STRENGTH 13
  Lifting 16
  TOUGHNESS 13/20
  PERCEPTION 10
  Find 14, first aid 14, tracking 16,
  trick 17
  MIND 9
  Apportation magic 10, survival 12,
  test of will 16, willpower 17
  CHARISMA 10
  Charm 16, persuasion 16, taunt 13
  SPIRIT 11
  Honor 19, intimidation 16, reality
  18, faith (Dunad) 14
  Possibilities: 23
  Arcane Knowledges: metal 1
  Equipment: Battlestar, enchanted
  two-handed sword, damage value
  STR+9/23; dagger, damage value
  STR+3/16; long bow, damage value
  STR+6/19, 3-10/100/250; full plate
  mail, enchanted, armor value TOU+7/
  20 (add +2 when defending against
  magical attacks); enchanted helm, ar-
  mor value TOU+2/15, (add +2 when
  defending against magical attacks)
  The Return of
  Ardinay
   Ardinay crossed the bridge to Ox-
  ford and immediately ordered all fight-
  ing to cease. Those folk who had be-
  lieved they were under the rule of
  Ardinay all along obediently broke off
  the attack. But others, those who had
  known of Uthorion’s existence and
  followed him willingly, and those who
  lived for the spilling of blood and the
  taking of plunder, fought on.
  Faced with a cosm in disarray,
  Ardinay decided to remain on Earth
  and attempt to repair the damage done
  by Uthorion. She has become a valu-
  able ally of the Storm Knights.
  The greatest danger to her plans is
  Uthorion himself, whose spirit found
  refuge in the body of a Viking chief-
  tain in Norway. Cut off from the power
  of his Darkness Device, he continues
  to plot ways to retake control of  Aysle
  on Earth.
  The Patchwork
  Realm
  Uthorion’s defeat and the restora-
  tion of Ardinay’s spirit wrought many
  of the same changes in the Aysle realm
  as occurred in the cosm. Dunad of-
  fered the Ayslish on Earth the same
  choice he had given the residents of
  the cosm: live under the world laws as
  perverted by Uthorion, or return to
  the natural tenets that had existed long
  before the High Lord arrived.
  When the choices were made, reality
  twisted in the realm. Areas that had
  been  barren and blighted suddenly
  became lush and green once again, while
  in other regions, fields withered and
  crops died. Evil creatures that had ap-
  peared angelic saw their features melt
  and change, becoming hideous reflec-
  tions of the wickedness in their hearts.
  But with neither the Light nor the
  Dark being dominant in the realm, por-
  tions of the land remain bleak and fore-
  boding, yet populated by beautiful, al-
  luring creatures who hide monstrous
  corruption in their souls. Other regions
  are fruitful and teeming with life, yet
  when the sun disappears, foul things
  emerge from caves to stalk the night.
  This instability has caused severe
  problems in the realm. The struggle
  between the old laws and the residual
  power of Uthorion causes areas to
  change between Dark and Light from
  one day to the next. Farmers who look
  forward to a fine harvest awaken to
  discover their land devastated as if by
  some great natural disaster. Food
  shortages are rampant throughout the
  
  30
  realm because of this, and a number of
  riots have broken out in major cities,
  all of which is making it more difficult
  for Ardinay to maintain control. She
  has done her best to supplement food
  supplies through the use of magic,
  and Spain, Italy and southern Ireland
  have managed to send supplies to the
  beleaguered country, but only the
  southern portions of the island have
  benefitted from this.
  The sudden shifts in world laws
  from place to place have also resulted
  in some unpleasant surprises for vari-
  ous folk. A band of dwarves traveling
  through Essex with a pair of lovely
  flying creatures as guides were
  shocked to see them transform with-
  out warning into harpies and attack.
  An evil giant was using his pleasant
  appearance as a means of luring two
  Storm Knights to their dooms, but his
  intentions were betrayed by a resur-
  gence of the old laws and he was be-
  headed by the heroes.
  All of this has upset the mental
  equilibrium of some Ayslish folk. A
  few particularly weak-minded trolls
  have been virtually paralyzed by the
  constant shifts, while small bands of
  ghouls have reportedly been migrat-
  ing from dark area to dark area in a
  frantic effort to avoid an influx of light
  that would be disturbing to them.
  England
  The island nation of England suf-
  fered terribly during the initial days of
  the invasion. Ayslish warriors, giants,
  ogres, and barbarians spread rapidly
  throughout the country, sacking and
  burning villages and terrorizing the
  populace. Entire towns were trans-
  formed by the axiom wash into half-
  folk, and minotaurs, centaurs, and sa-
  tyrs became common sights, particu-
  larly on the Devonshire moors.
   The failure of technology, particu-
  larly communications networks, has
  served to reemphasize the geographic
  isolation of England. With the East
  Coast of the United States under the
  domination of Baruk Kaah, and France
  now a Cyberpapal state, those who
  attempted to flee by boat in the early
  days of the invasion could find no safe
  haven and were forced to return. Many
  power plants and most mass transit
  systems have shut down all over, and
  the owners of racing stables in places
  such as Tunbridge Wells have made a
  handsome profit selling their horses
  to travelers desperate for the means to
  reach London.
  Oxford, specifically Christ Church
  College where the bridge dropped,
  has become the headquarters of Pella
  Ardinay’s government. Many of the
  academics who were there during the
  initial invasion have remained to serve
  as advisers to the court, and refugees
  from Gloucester, Warwick and Berks
  have streamed into the city, seeking
  the relative security it affords.
  The traditional civil defense mea-
  sures have been a failure thus far. While
  in previous wars it was practical to
  send people from the cities into the
  countryside, the heaths and moors are
  often far more dangerous than the al-
  leyways of the large cities. Thus the
  roads are clogged with refugees going
  to and from the cities   — these somber
  processions have served as excellent
  hunting grounds for trolls, ghouls, and
  dragons seeking a taste of human flesh.
  The English Channel, which served
  in ancient times as a vast moat protect-
  ing the fortress that was Britain, is
  now ravaged with reality storms. Core
  Earth, Aysle, and  Cyberpapacy real-
  ity all collide at this strip of water,
  making it highly dangerous to attempt
  a crossing. The fishing and merchant
  fleets that once sailed the Channel are
  largely confined to their docks now,
  their captains too fearful to venture
  into the storms.
  Among the hardpoints identified
  in England are the cities of London
  and York, and Stonehenge on Salisbury
  Plain  in Wilts.
  A bridge dropped in New Quay,
  Wales shortly before Ardinay ap-
  peared to order an end to hostilities.
  For this reason, the Welsh did not
  experience the terror and bloodshed
  England did, and the adjustment to
  Aysle axioms has been less fraught
  with anxiety. The primary dangers in
  this region arise from Ayslish high-
  waymen who lurk throughout the
  countryside and rob travelers. There
  are many who believe, however, that
  the caves and coal seams of the Welsh
  valleys are now inhabited by fearsome
  trolls, and there have been reports that
  a nest of Draconis Terra was disturbed
  by miners, who were subsequently
  slaughtered to a man.
  Ardinay has focused much of her
  attention on the situation in England
  in Wales, largely abandoning
  Scandinavia to its fate for the present.
  She dispatches her Home Guard to
  trouble spots whenever possible, and
  has come to rely a great deal on Storm
  Knights to serve at times when her
  forces are stretched thin.
  London
  England’s capital is the country’s
  largest hardpoint, where modern tech-
  nology continues to function. Because
  of this, refugees have crowded into
  the city, more than doubling the popu-
  lation. Twenty-one million souls, over
  24,000 people per square mile, have
  created a major overcrowding prob-
  lem in the city.
  he Maelstrom
  Bridges
  T
  Unlike the other realms, the
  maelstrom bridges of Aysle ap-
  pear in a variety of forms. The
  majority are constructed of
  blocks of stone, giving them a
  medieval flavor and an impos-
  ing appearance. Bridges such as
  this fell into England, Wales,
  Scotland, Ireland and Norway.
  The primary bridge leads from
  the courtyard of Castle Ardinay
  to Oxford.
  In Sweden, Uthorion added
  an extra element of surprise to
  his assault by having the Dark-
  ness Device form the bridge out
  of water, which spouted from
  the Riddafjarden. This bridge
  emerges from the Living Sea off
  the coast of Skani.
   In Finland the bridge was
  made of ice blackened by cor-
  ruption, and this pathway leads
  to the Frozen Land near the isle
  of Vareth.
  Chapter Three
  
  31
  Power for London comes from the
  coal/oil burning W. Thurrcock and
  coal-fired Tilbury plants, located in
  the East End. Shortages of coal and oil
  have forced the English to prioritize
  the use of power, with government
  offices and the military receiving ser-
  vice and the private sector largely in
  the dark.  Small generators or batteries
  have become precious commodities,
  and a lucrative black market in these
  and other goods has sprung up. In
  fact, a number of Ayslish dwarves have
  found gainful employment in London
  repairing generators and rigging de-
  vices so they can be run from car bat-
  teries (which they call “sparkers”).
  Phone and sewer service is sporadic
  at best, with no water pressure above
  the third floor of any building. York
  Road between Westminster Bridge and
  Waterloo Bridge is completely without
  water because a band of dwarves has
  blocked off the pipes and turned them
  into living quarters for themselves.
  The traditional seats of British gov-
  ernment, Parliament and Whitehall,
  continue to function, and are in contact
  with representatives of Ardinay, at-
  tempting to coordinate efforts against
  the Dark Forces. But many members of
  Parliament have returned to their home
  districts to be with their families, and
  the Prime Minister has taken on emer-
  gency powers allowing her to enact
  legislation without the representative
  body’s approval. The municipal gov-
  ernment has begun printing ration
  books for meat, petrol, and sugar. Also
  still functioning is the London Stock
  Exchange, which has seen a number of
  dwarven merchants make fortunes re-
  cently (much to the consternation of
  proper English traders).
  he Home Guard
  and Ardinay’s Army of
  Light
  T
  Lady Ardinay first established
  the Home Guard when she ar-
  rived on Earth. These were her
  protectors and police force at
  Oxford, as well as special opera-
  tives to undertake important
  quests.
  Now that she is a little more
  established, she has begun rais-
  ing an actual militia — her self-
  styled Army of Light. While not
  yet large, the Army of Light al-
  ready boasts some of the best
  fighters in the Aysle realm.
  The Realm
  
  32
  Perhaps the most dangerous place in
  London is the Underground, which no
  longer functions due to a lack of power,
  but has provided sanctuary for trolls,
  lesser folk and the occasional dragon.
  Trolls, which tend to be nocturnal and
  have a strong dislike for bright light,
  spend the day in the tunnels and roam
  the streets at night looking for food.
  Goblins trail along behind the trolls
  eating whatever scraps the larger crea-
  tures leave behind. During the day, the
  goblins act as guards to protect for the
  trolls while they slumber. Additional
  police have been deployed in the areas
  the trolls frequent to protect grocers
  from their attacks. Several of the trolls
  have found work as “leg-breakers” for
  London mobsters, who have greatly
  stepped up their protection rackets since
  the invasion.
  Dragons favor the tunnels for a dif-
  ferent reason. They find them an ideal
  place to hide their treasure, which in-
  cludes not only gold and jewels plun-
  dered from  various parts of the realm
  but items one would not normally as-
  sociate with the giant serpents. One
  Storm Knight who went down into the
  tunnels and survived reported that he
  had spotted a dragon’s horde that in-
  cluded Bank of England savings bonds
  and a Kawasaki motorcycle.
  Ayslish waters flow through the
  Thames, but once the river reaches
  London’s environs, it picks up sedi-
  ment infused with Core Earth axioms
  from the hardpoint, London. From
  Battlesea Bridge in Chelsea to the
  mouth of the Thames, and on into the
  North Sea, the current roils and twists
  unpredictably, depositing pockets of
  Core Earth soil in the riverbed, and
  creating exceedingly small mixed
  zones in places along the waterway.
  These shifting pockets pose unique
  navigational hazards to agents of other
  cosms, and protects London from easy
  invasion by sea.
  The weather at the city’s borders is
  violent and unstable, because of the
  clash of Core Earth and Aysle realities.
  Ardinay has wizards working to sta-
  bilize a corridor through which diplo-
  matic messengers and merchants can
  travel to reach Oxford.
  By and large, the staid Londoners
  have borne up well under the harsh
  conditions imposed by the invasion.
  “Patience and fortitude” are the watch-
  words of the day, and for many, the
  presence of dwarves and trolls seems
  infinitely preferable to the German
  bombs of the last war. The most vio-
  lent reaction among the city’s citizens
  has been reserved for reports that some
  Englishmen in the countryside have
  begun referring to Ardinay as
  “Queen.” Though that is a title she
  never sought, it is the English term
  that most closely describes her posi-
  tion in Ayslish society, and one she
  has tolerated to make the transition
  easier for her new subjects. Many Lon-
  doners have blasted the “damn cheek
  of the woman” for allowing herself to
  be called that.
  The legitimate English royal family
  is currently at their Buckingham Pal-
  ace residence, being guarded by mem-
  bers of the British military. It is feared
  that agents of the invasion force may
  attempt to kidnap or kill him.
  Oxford
  The famed “City of the Dreaming
  Spires” has become the headquarters
  of Ardinay’s provisional government
  in the cosm of Earth. Here, representa-
  tives of the other lands encompassed
  by the Aysle realm meet to discuss
  possible strategies in the war against
  the Dark Forces and discuss economic
  and social problems arising out of the
  struggle.
  The maelstrom bridge landed in
  Christ Church Meadow in southern
  Oxford. Giants and trolls made up the
  main strike force, but the Oxford po-
  lice had prepared a defense against
  them. Fires were set in the meadow,
  Merton Field, the Botanic Gardens,
  and Magdalen Grove, with Magdalen
  College being regrettably sacrificed for
  the sake of the fire line. The flames,
  heat and smoke drove the majority of
  the invaders toward the River
  Cherwell and the southeastern, less
  populated section of the city. From
  there, the giants moved toward Iffey,
  Reading, Cowley, Headlington and
  London, allowing Oxford to escape
  serious damage.
  When Ardinay reached the city and
  called for a truce in the war, she took
  up residence in the towers of Christ
  Church College. Soon her court be-
  came a magnet for the powerful in
  England, Ireland and Scotland, and
  with the arrival of emissaries from
  Sweden and Denmark, Ardinay was
  able to gather accurate information on
  conditions in Scandinavia.
  With many of the colleges in the
  city of medieval origin, the buildings
  themselves have not transformed radi-
  cally under the axiom wash. Most no
  longer serve their original purpose,
  however — some are used to house
  the members of Ardinay’s Home
  Guard, others as shelters for the thou-
  sands of refugees that have poured
  into the city since the invasion. Tolwyn
  of Tancred occupies quarters in Carfax
  Tower when she is in Oxford.
  Despite the presence of so many of
  Ardinay’s supporters, the city remains
  a very tempting target for the Dark
  Forces. The Ashmolean Museum and
  the Bodleian Library contain many
  valuable artifacts, and Nippon agents
  have struck at the British Telecom
  Museum. A troop of trolls recently
  sacked St. Catherine’s College, but
  were prevented from entering the city
  by bowmen posted at the City Wall.
  oblins
  G
  The goblins currently plagu-
  ing parts of the Aysle realm are
  not natives of the cosm. When
  Aysle’s reality washed over Core
  Earth, some people transformed
  into the malevolent lesser folk.
  Goblins have large, oversized
  heads and slender, twisted bod-
  ies. They are, as a rule, malicious
  beings, and refuse to have any-
  thing to do with machinery.
  Some folk claim that goblins
  can command lower orders of
  life, like insects, but there is no
  proof of this. It is just as likely
  that bugs congregate around
  goblins because of the foul odor
  they give off.
  In an ironic twist, goblins have
  begun to emigrate to the cosm,
  and their depraved and antiso-
  cial natures are causing a variety
  of problems, particularly on the
  continent of Aysle.
  Chapter Three
  
  33
  Ireland
  The Irish enjoy the advantage of
  still having a large chunk of their coun-
  try operating under Core Earth axi-
  oms. West of the line from Knockadoon
  Head to Inishshark Island, including
  County Kerry, most of Cork, and parts
  of Limerick and Clare, is a Core Earth
  pure zone, providing refuge to those
  fleeing the monsters who came down
  the bridge into Belfast.
  Giants and dwarves made up the
  bulk of the invasion force in Ireland,
  and they promptly wrecked large por-
  tions of the country. Faced with a dev-
  astating threat from outside, the rem-
  nants of the Irish Republican Army
  were forced to work side by side with
  the Ulster Defense League and British
  troops to try to stem the tide of the
  invasion.
  Unfortunately, the axiom wash ren-
  dered the weaponry of the soldiers
  and the homemade bombs of both radi-
  cal groups useless, and they were
  forced 
  to 
  retreat 
  south 
  to
  Castelbellingham. There they re-
  grouped and  set up a nautical supply
  chain running from Dundalk Bay
  through the Irish Sea and St. George’s
  Channel to the city of Cobh in Cork
  Harbour. Now they are fighting a guer-
  rilla war against the Dark Forces, try-
  ing to cover the exodus of Irish to the
  safety of the south.
  Many of those who fear the long
  journey to Cork or are daunted by the
  prospect of crossing the line of reality
  storms that separate the Core Earth
  dominant and mixed zones, have
  settled in Dublin. The government has
  abandoned the city, settling in Tralee
  and attempting to coordinate defense
  efforts from there.
  Tent cities have sprung up through-
  out southern Ireland, and ports are
  busy providing transport for refugees
  to South America. The Irish merchant
  fleet is still operational, and has been
  instrumental in providing some sup-
  plies to the English and Welsh.
  Anyone who chooses to stay in Ire-
  land is given a small amount of mili-
  tary training and drafted into the Home
  Defense, serving as firemen, medics,
  and in other support functions so the
  army can concentrate on battling the
  enemy to the north.
  With the Irish having their own
  civil defense squadrons, Ardinay has
  been reluctant to send members of her
  Home Guard there, preferring to let
  the Storm Knights handle matters
  there.
  Hard points in Ireland include the
  Books of Kells in the Trinity College
  Library in Dublin, and St. Patrick’s
  Tomb in Downpatrick.
  Belfast
  The capital city of Northern Ireland
  has a long and bloody history of strife
  between Irishman and Englishmen,
  Protestant and Catholic. When mon-
  sters descended from the sky on a
  great stone bridge, the city’s residents
  learned of a new kind of violence.
  The segment of Uthorion’s army
  sent to take Belfast was a particularly
  brutal one, led by giants who have
  borne a hatred for all humans since
  their overthrow on Aysle centuries
  ago. The giants butchered the popu-
  lace, their bloodlust disgusting even
  the dwarves who accompanied them.
  The creatures’ rampage resulted in
  entire blocks being leveled and fires
  sweeping through much of the city.
  Worse than the wanton destruction in
  the dwarves’ eyes was the fact that
  much of the potential plunder was
  ruined, and not having any great love
  for the giants to begin with, they be-
  gan to turn on their Brobdinagian al-
  lies. When Ardinay made what seemed
  to be a miraculous change back to the
  ways of peace, the two groups real-
  ized they would have to look after
  their own interests, and skirmishes
  broke out in the city.
  Thus Belfast is once again a war
  zone, as giants and dwarves settle old
  grudges with fire and spear. In be-
  tween these pitched battles, the
  dwarves search for treasure, their most
  significant find so far the jewels car-
  ried by the Spanish Armada which
  were housed in the Ulster Museum.
  Another new denizen of Belfast is
  the Draconis Metallica, which soars
  above the city, armor-like scales gleam-
  ing in the sun. A few enterprising (or
  foolhardy) giants have tried to bring
  one down to serve as a meal, but found
  its hide too tough to be penetrated by
  their spears.
  Very few humans are left in Belfast,
  and those remaining tend to be looters
  and scavengers. A few have allied
  themselves with the warring factions,
  serving as scouts, and others keep
  watch on the general situation and
  report back to the resistance fighters
  in Castelbellingham.
  Dublin
  Refugees who have made it as far as
  Cork report that things are chaotic in
  Dublin. Homeless shelters have been
  erected on St. Stephen’s Green and in
  Phoenix and Croke Parks, but they
  have been little help for the problem of
  crowding in the city. Much of the  elec-
  tric power is down, and kerosene and
  oil are being conserved for use by the
  two major hospitals, St. Brendan’s and
  St. Lawrence, who treat the wounded
  from the war being fought to the north.
   The municipal government has
  taken up residence in Trinity College,
  and is struggling to maintain some
  semblance of order in the midst of
  food shortages, water shortages, and
  violent reality storms that sweep across
  the land. The presence of the Book of
  Kells, one of the oldest and most beau-
  tiful of illuminated manuscripts, has
  turned portions of the college into a
  hardpoint where technology still op-
  erates. Thus the college has become a
  command center for police, fire and
  medical services. With the majority of
  creatures stalking the city not possi-
  bility-rated, the college has been rela-
  tively safe from attack.
  A large section of the city, between
  Narrowbone Lane and James Street,
  has remained dark despite the return
  of Ardinay. For Dublin’s ghoul and
  goblin population, this is the “prom-
  ised land,” but attempts by the police
  to confine them to that neighborhood
  have been failures. City officials made
  overtures to some of the dwarves in
  the area in search of help, and the little
  folk readily agreed. Unfortunately,
  they discovered the abandoned
  Guinness Brewery at the same time,
  and have since been seen but rarely,
  staggering and hiccupping up and
  down Stevens Lane.
  Dubliners have had better luck deal-
  ing with the faeries that now reside all
  over the city. Irish folktales contain many
  The Realm
  
  34
  references to the faerie and how to ap-
  pease them, and this mythos has served
  the people well. Many is the household
  with a basket of clover on the doorstep
  at night, a gift to the faeries in exchange
  for their protection.
  A frequent target of the Ayslish
  creatures in the city is St. Michan’s
  Church, whose vaults contain a num-
  ber of bodies reputed to be perfectly
  preserved after hundreds of years. It is
  believed the invaders may want to try
  to use these corpses in a gospog field
  as an experiment.
  Scotland
  A large portion of Scotland is an
  Ayslish pure zone, making the effects
  of the invasion there far more devas-
  tating than in the other British Isles.
  More than 60 percent of the people in
  the zone have transformed into half-
  folk or lesser folk, all technology has
  broken down, and centralized author-
  ity no longer exists.
  The entire social structure of Scot-
  land has changed. Reverting back to
  the traditions of their past, many Scots
  have gone back to the clan system,
  with groups of families who can claim
  a common ancestor working together
  to survive. In some cases whole towns
  are now in the possession of a single
  clan, and those who live south of the
  Grampian Mountains are no longer
  welcome north of those peaks.
  Elves, dwarves, gospog and bar-
  barians made up the bulk of the battal-
  ions that surged down the maelstrom
  bridge into Glasgow. Also reaching
  Scotland in the early days of the inva-
  sion were a horde of Draconis
  Teutonica, who took up residence in
  the mountains, thriving in the pure
  zone.
  The area completely overlaid by
  Ayslish axioms has been cut off from
  the rest of the realm. Exceedingly vio-
  lent reality storms rage along the bor-
  ders, particularly just north of Aber-
  deen where the pure axioms collide
  with a mixed zone. Few outsiders
  make the attempt to cross the high-
  lands, and the amount of supplies
  received from other countries is virtu-
  ally nil.
  The Scottish have therefore been
  left to take care of themselves, a chore
  made more difficult by the constant
  shifting of the land between dark and
  light. Clans who find their land gone
  dark and unable to produce food will
  often raid neighboring light areas, and
  a number of ancient feuds have been
  reignited among the clans of late.
  One of the few positive aspects of
  the axiom wash has been that “second
  sight,” a form of divination magic pos-
  sessed by some Scots for centuries, has
  increased in power since Aysle estab-
  lished itself on Earth. One with the gift
  is highly valued in a clan, often pre-
  dicting the outcome of a battle or hunt.
  The Scottish have also had a high
  number of their people reach hero
  potential, and proportionally the coun-
  try can boast a great number of Storm
  Knights. One known meeting place
  for the Scottish Knights is Dingwall,
  just north of the pure zone, and from
  there they launch strikes against the
  animated skeletons and ogres who
  have overrun Inverness.
  A Scottish hardpoint is the country’s
  crown jewels, located in Edinburgh
  Castle in Edinburgh.
  he Return of the Faerie: Far Darria’s Tale
  T
  Listen well, little ones, for I’ll
  tell my tale but once, and the
  truth of it ye must decide. For I
  am the trickster, and I carry the
  true and the false within me
  where’er I roam.
  Long, long ago, when the
  world was very new and magic
  was in all things, there lived folk
  called faeries, or sprites, or a
  hundred other names ye could
  not speak, for they are in a tongue
  far older than your own. They
  were both fair and foul, some
  using their powers to help those
  who cried out for it, others prey-
  ing on the weak and sick and
  doing great evil. Of all the many
  lands there were, the faeries
  loved England, Ireland and Scot-
  land best, and it was there they
  settled in great kingdoms be-
  neath the earth.
  The days passed, as days are
  wont to do, and the years passed,
  as years are wont to do, and soon
  the faeries discovered that their
  powers were waning. Their
  wings would not let them soar,
  their faerie rings would flicker
  and die after only a few moments
  of life, and none knew why. The
  evil faeries blamed men for their
  plight, and called for a war
  against them, but none paid them
  any heed. In truth, men were to
  blame — they had come so far
  that they had left their belief in
  the faeries behind, and the en-
  ergy needed for faerie magic
  faded away.
  And so it came to pass that
  one day there were many
  faeries, another day a few less,
  and so on until there was nary
  a faerie remaining. The last of
  the race, one Aricia by name,
  cast an enchantment upon the
  places of the faeries, sealing
  them against trespass by any
  other folk.
  Thus it remained for a thou-
  sand summers, a thousand win-
  ters, a thousand falls, until the
  day the Great War began.
  Strange creatures dropped
  from the sky, the land changed,
  and folk much like the faeries
  flew again. Once more, magic
  was everywhere, and the faeries
  of this world appeared, as if
  they had not been gone, but
  sleeping.
  The troubles of the world
  above have grown to encom-
  pass the faeries, with the light
  folk protecting men, and the
  dark joining those who would
  bring chaos and death. All is as
  it was before, but oh, so differ-
  ent just the same.
  And that is my tale, believe
  it or no. Take it and do what ye
  will, but remember that the eyes
  of the folk are upon ye always,
  and they will think poorly of
  you if you speak ill of good Far
  Darria, the trickster.
  Chapter Three
  
  35
  Glasgow
  Glasgow, once the industrial cen-
  ter of Scotland, has undergone a star-
  tling transformation since the mael-
  strom bridge dropped. The skyline,
  which once consisted of huge office
  buildings and smoke-belching facto-
  ries, now boasts the contours of castles,
  guild halls, and barbarian’s tents. The
  factory assembly lines have gone dead,
  their power gone, and the buildings
  are now used by dwarves to craft ar-
  mor and weapons to be sold to other
  folk.
  The majority of the population has
  transformed into half-folk, and cen-
  taurs can often be seen carrying pas-
  sengers on their backs from place to
  place in return for food. Harpies will,
  if adequately recompensed, carry mes-
  sages from one end of the city to the
  other, but many have discovered that
  if the harpy spots a possible meal on
  the way, she will forget her mission.
  Journeying down the average street
  in Glasgow is now an adventure. Mod-
  ern buildings are not only transform-
  ing into Ayslish counterparts, but a
  number have collapsed before they
  could transform due to the sudden
  lowering of Tech axioms. Girders cre-
  ated of the latest alloys grow brittle
  and snap, their molecular structure
  no longer able to enjoy cohesion in the
  pure zone. Glasgow is also home to a
  number of Corsairs, who sail down
  the Clyde Estuary and out into the
  Atlantic, often raiding coastal villages
  in Northern England. The Corsairs
  then return and sell whatever goods
  they have accumulated to the
  Freetraders, who can turn a hand-
  some profit reselling them in the
  countryside.
  The Freetraders, who also sail the
  waters around Scotland, have become
  essential to its day-to-day life since
  the start of the war. Besides carrying
  trade goods and news, they will pro-
  vide passage for a hefty fee to anyone
  willing to risk the reality storms. Many
  northerners who wish to travel south,
  yet fear the dragons in the Grampians,
  will ride with the Freetraders through
  the Caledonian Canal and into the
  North Channel, bypassing the dan-
  gerous mountains.
  Norway
  The war continues unabated in
  Norway, and sadly, the Norwegians
  seem to be losing. The maelstrom
  bridge crashed into Oslo’s merchant
  marine academy, the Sjømannsskolen,
  discharging thousands of Vikings and
  trolls into the northernmost country
  of Scandinavia. As the axiom wash
  passed over the area, the Norwegians
  discovered that their navy and mer-
  chant fleet were now inoperable, the
  sophisticated navigational instru-
  ments no longer operable under the
  low Tech level of Aysle.
  The Vikings saw a region ripe for
  plunder, and set out to conquer it.
  Longboats became a familiar, if still
  fearsome, sight in the fjords as raiders
  pillaged and burned coastal villages.
  Bodø, Tromsø, Afjord and Rørvik be-
  came blackened smears under the Vi-
  king thumb, and the people were
  driven up into the mountains. At-
  tempts by Pella Ardinay to send sup-
  plies by sea to the besieged Norwe-
  gians met with failure, as the Vikings
  intercepted and sank the convoys as
  they sailed through the North Sea.
  Interestingly, reports have come out
  of the city of Stavanger of a large num-
  ber of Japanese businessmen in the
  area, apparently engaged in heated
  negotiations with the Vikings. It is
  believed they may be agents of Nippon
  Tech, attempting to secure the rights
  to make use of the abandoned oil rigs
  that dot the North Sea. The arguments
  have focused on just how much of a
  cut the Vikings will receive for not
  burning the rigs.
  To the south, where the majority of
  Norwegians live, the defenders dug in
  their heels and tried to fight off the
  Viking horde. They were aided
  immeasureably by the Swedish, who
  sent ski troopers and shipments of cross-
  bows and bolts to help the resistance.
  The resistance is currently spread thin
  along a line between Oslo and Bergen,
  hoping if nothing else to buy time for
  Norwegian non-combatants to make it
  to the relative safety of southern Den-
  mark. The Vikings, led by their warrior
  chieftain Thorfinn Bjanni (whose body,
  unknown to the Vikings, is possessed
  by the spirit of Uthorion) are deter-
  mined not to let this escape occur, and
  longboats scour the Skagerrak Channel
  searching for and sinking vessels filled
  with refugees.
  Oslo
  The Vikings struck hard and quickly
  in Oslo, sweeping through the western
  and northern sections of the city with
  the intention of driving its defenders
  into the fjords where they would drown
  or be captured and enslaved. It looked
  as if this tactic would prove a successful
  one, as the Norwegians were driven
  from the Royal Palace and forced to
  make a stand at the ancient fortress of
  Akershus. There the Swedish weapons
  came into play, and the Vikings found
  themselves unable to successfully scale
  the walls, while their longboats in
  Pipervika were the targets of shafts
  coated with pitch and set afire.
   The trolls, meanwhile, had discov-
  ered the entrance to the Underground
  on Karl Johans Gate and ventured into
  its pleasing darkness, feeling (quite
  rightly) that the Vikings would be too
  busy to worry about their where-
  abouts. Long after the Battle of
  Akershus had ended and the Vikings
  had withdrawn to the area around the
  Royal Palace, the trolls stayed in the
  tunnels examining the now powerless
  trains. After some weeks, the trolls
  discovered they could get around the
  city without going aboveground if half
  of them piled into a train, and the
  other half pulled it. The question of
  who would ride and who would pull
  on any given day has led to a number
  of bloody arguments. Norwegians
  have learned to leave an area quickly
  if they hear the rumble of subway
  train beneath their feet.
  Some of the more ambitious trolls
  gathered their goblin followers and
  went in search of plunder, only to
  discover human youth gangs with
  much the same idea. Awed by the size
  and power of the trolls, three of the
  major gangs consolidated under their
  leadership and now follow the trolls.
  This has provoked a great deal of jeal-
  ousy among the goblins, and is viewed
  by the Vikings as a waste of time, but
  the trolls feel that even if the gang
  members stop providing information
  on the best places to sack, they will at
  least make for a good meal.
  The Realm
  
  36
  Fighting in Oslo is still going on,
  block to block, house to house, with
  the Vikings holding an edge both in
  numbers and in experience. But the
  Norwegians have proven more tena-
  cious than was expected, and an in-
  creasing number of Storm Knights
  have been appearing, scoring victo-
  ries against the Viking squadrons.
  Uthorion is growing impatient with
  the prolonged war, and is throwing
  more and more warriors into the fray
  to crush the city once and for all.
  Denmark
  The situation in Denmark is essen-
  tially a stalemate. Vikings sailed from
  Norway and easily conquered the
  northern third of the country in the
  early days of the invasion. But the
  sundering of Uthorion’s spirit from
  Ardinay’s body, and the delay caused
  by his adjustment to a new body and
  his efforts to recontact the Darkness
  Device, caused the attack to stall. The
  Vikings are now encamped behind
  the storm line that stretches from
  Randers to Lemvig, waiting for or-
  ders. There is a strong possibility that
  Uthorion may pull troops out of Den-
  mark to aid in the battle for Norway.
  Central and southern Denmark still
  operate under Core Earth axioms, and
  have received vast amounts of mili-
  tary aid from Germany. Feeling that
  they are secure against any threat from
  the Vikings on their land, Denmark
  has concentrated on sending troops
  and supplies to Sweden and Finland.
  It has also become the haven for refu-
  gees from the other Scandinavian
  countries, a situation which is strain-
  ing the nation’s social services to the
  limit.
  The Danes are aware that there is a
  constant threat of espionage from the
  Dark Forces, and guards are posted at
  all hours around crucial sites. In the
  capital city of Copenhagen these  in-
  clude the Radhus (the Town Hall), the
  Rosenborg Palace (where the crown
  jewels are kept), and the Tøjhusmuseet,
  or “Arsenal Museum,” which features
  one of the world’s largest collections
  of ancient weapons, armor and uni-
  forms. A good deal of the museum’s
  artifacts have been appropriated by
  the military for forays into the Ayslish
  dominant zone, but enough still re-
  mains to make it a tempting target for
  thieves and saboteurs.
  Sweden
  The Swedes had an opportunity not
  afforded to the rest of the Scandina-
  vian lands. A slight delay in dropping
  the water bridge into Stockholm al-
  lowed Sweden the chance to prepare
  for the invaders. Seeing that their Nor-
  wegian neighbors were failing in their
  attempts to use modern technology
  against the Viking hordes, Sweden
  refitted its weapons factories so they
  could produce swords, spears, and
  axes for the armed forces.
  Vast warehouses have been emp-
  tied and converted into workshops
  for weaponsmiths, who have begun
  mass producing crossbows and bolts.
  These have proven to be a very effec-
  tive weapon against the Vikings, and
  while not able to do quite as much
  damage as a longbow, they are easier
  to master and have a longer range.
  This has allowed the Swedes to keep
  greater distance between themselves
  and their attackers, which works to
  the disadvantage of the Vikings, due
  to their reliance on short-range melee
  weapons.
   When it arrived, the Ayslish bridge
  erupted like a geyser out of the
  Riddafjarden opposite Stockholm’s
  Town Hall, the Stadhuset. Viking
  longboats rose to the surface of the
  waters and the attack on the city be-
  gan. Although the Swedes had only
  begun to produce ancient weapons,
  artifacts from the Livrustkammaren
  (the Royal Armory) and the
  Historika Museet (Museum of His-
  toric Antiquities) were used to com-
  bat the invaders.
  While one contingent of Vikings
  battled in the capital, others sailed
  north and struck at Skelleftea,
  Harnosand and Sundsvall, meeting
  only token resistance in the predomi-
  nantly rural areas. The Vikings easily
  captured the northern half of the coun-
  try, and Norwegians fleeing across
  their border ran right into the spears of
  these Norsemen.
  The majority of the population in
  northern Sweden transformed under
  the new axioms, and roughly 32,000 in
  Stockholm alone flipped over. Faced
  with a crisis, the Swedish government
  made the decision to sacrifice area
  north of the Kopparberg region, and
  the military began to drive trans-
  formed Swedes into that area. While
  many still remain in the south, there
  has been enough of a shift that
  Stockholm and much of central Swe-
  den are now mixed areas, while the
  north is Aysle-dominant, and the
  southern tip still pure Core Earth.
  The Swedish strategy is to create as
  many mixed areas as possible, giving
  them the opportunity to make use of
  their more high-tech weaponry against
  the invaders. Viking raids have been
  persistent and bloody, but have been
  concentrated mainly on coastal vil-
  lages, allowing Swedish supply de-
  pots further inland to continue to op-
  erate. Along with Denmark, Sweden
  is now one of the primary suppliers of
  weapons and goods to resistance fight-
  ers in Finland and Norway.
  Stockholm
  Viking raiders have a firm foothold
  in the Djurgarden section of the city,
  but have been unable to progress into
  the main city due to fierce resistance
  by the Swedes. A particular thorn in
  the Vikings’ side has been the
  Riddarholmen, or “Isle of Knights,”
  which has become a base for attacks
  by Storm Knights. The Swedes have
  turned the Royal Palace and Armory
  and Karkas Tower into fortresses, and
  Viking attempts to take them have
  been met with crossbow shafts and
  cauldrons filled with boiling oil.
  Perhaps the greatest difference be-
  tween Stockholm and other major cit-
  ies in Aysle is the hatred and distrust
  of the transformed. With the
  government’s policy of reclaiming
  dominant areas, the transformed, even
  those who oppose Uthorion, are seen
  as aiding and abetting the enemy. Strict
  rules are in force regarding the num-
  ber of Ayslish allowed in certain areas,
  and police have the authority to drive
  violators out of the city or, if they
  refuse to leave, execute them.
   Stockholm was one of the first capi-
  tals to send an emissary to Ardinay’s
  court at Oxford,  and the government
  has made it clear they are willing to
  cooperate while the Viking raiders
  Chapter Three
  
  37
  present a greater threat. But privately,
  the Swedes doubt Ardinay’s claims
  that she is staying on Earth solely to
  undo damage done by the initial inva-
  sion, and are making plans to invade
  England after the Vikings are defeated.
  Most Swedes now live in the rect-
  angular area formed by the Dalagatan,
  the Banergatan, the Hamngatan, and
  the Humlegarden, in the northern sec-
  tion of the city. Coastal areas of
  Stockholm are inhabited almost ex-
  clusively by the military and those
  transformed able to hide from police
  searches.
  Finland
  The Finns faced a very different
  type of invasion then did Sweden,
  Denmark and Norway. While there
  were still Vikings coming down the
  bridge into Oulu, there were many
  more trolls, giants and dwarves than
  in other areas of Scandinavia. Taken
  by surprise, the Finns were forced to
  fall back to the south, which remained
  pure Core Earth, and some Lapp forces
  have been reported in a mixed zone
  near Kelloselka.
  Once the Finns recovered from the
  initial shock of the invasion, they be-
  gan to mount a more effective resis-
  tance. With weapons supplied by Den-
  mark and Sweden, the Finns put to use
  tactics they perfected against the Sovi-
  ets in World War II. They reactivated
  their ski trooper units, crack soldiers
  who wear white uniforms and blend
  into the snow-covered mountains as
  they ski down the slopes. These units
  have been used to mount rapid as-
  saults on columns of giants and trolls,
  often decimating them and then van-
  ishing into the woods before the en-
  emy can effectively counterattack.
  The Finns have been fired by a deep
  and abiding hatred of conquerors, with
  their land having been dominated in
  the past by both the Swedes and the
  Soviets. The capital city, Helsinki,
  broadcasts constant exhortations to the
  people to take up arms and fight the
  invaders, although whether these are
  heard outside of the Core Earth zone is
  unknown. A large number of refugees
  have staggered into the southern por-
  tion of the country, but far fewer than
  would have been expected. Many
  Finns simply took to the hills, moun-
  tains and  forests and have begun gue-
  rilla-style warfare against the Dark
  Forces. Massive pits are dug, filled
  with sharp stakes, and covered over
  with snow and brush for unwary trolls,
  trees are set on fire and felled on giant
  encampments. Viking food supplies
  are stolen or contaminated, and primi-
  tive bombs made with black powder
  are lobbed out of the woods at the
  enemy.
  The Finns are optimistic that they
  may be able to extend the mixed zone
  to the north with the arrival of Soviet
  troops in that area. A solid supply line
  has been set up between Leningrad
  and Helsinki, and the Soviets, freed
  from the threat of a Tharkold inva-
  sion, have thrown their massive re-
  sources into the defense of Finland.
  Life in Aysle Realm
   The invasion of Earth and the es-
  tablishment of an Aysle realm has
  meant a vast amount of “culture shock”
  for both the conquerors and the con-
  quered. Differing economic standards,
  views on society and technology, and
  basic class structures have made ad-
  justment difficult for many, and the
  existence of mixed areas has been an
  obstacle to one social system or an-
  other becoming universally accepted.
  The greatest amount of progress has
  been made in Great Britain and Ire-
  land, where interaction and commerce
  is taking place between Ayslish folk
  and Core Earth people, as opposed to
  Scandinavia, which is primarily a scene
  of battle.
  Money and Economy
  Like many things in the Aysle cosm,
  the Ayslish economy is based on magic.
  Specifically, it is based on the conjura-
  tion magic skill and the principle knowl-
  edge of magic combined with a set
  duration. Thus, the monetary standard
  of Aysle is a conjuration/magic spell
  with a duration of one hour.
  Since all money must have some
  tangible basis for its value, Ayslish
  economists spent many months deter-
  mining just how much such a spell
  would be worth in precious metals.
  For instance, the standard conjuration/
  magic spell is worth .5 ounces of plati-
  num, one ounce of gold, and 1.85
  ounces of silver.
  A standard spell is worth, in Ayslish
  currency, 70 conjs, 300 lemays, 600
  trades, and 1200 wolacs. In U.S. cur-
  rency, it is equal in value to $300, or
  206 British pounds.
  Although the Ayslish government
  in the realm does keep a stock of pre-
  cious metals on hand, the true worth
  of the currency is determined by the
  number of sorcerers capable of per-
  forming conjuration/magic rituals. Since
  such individuals are relatively rare
  (when compared, say, to those who
  are able to do divination/water spells)
  the value of Ayslish money remains
  fairly stable. If some disaster were to
  take the lives of a group of such wiz-
  ards, the money would become vastly
  more valuable, as there would be a
  shortage of people able to use conjura-
  tion/magic. If, on the other hand, a
  large segment of people were to learn
  the necessary spells (as may happen
  within the realm at some point), the
  currency’s worth would plummet and
  inflation would result.
  The conj is the only paper currency
  in the realm, with the rest being coins.
  Most moneylenders and bankers
  within the realm are possessed of the
  divination/metal skill to enable them to
  detect forgeries. It is also possible to
  pay for goods and services with raw
  metals, something favored by the
  dwarves, who are adept at mining.
  The primary business in the Aysle
  cosm, and among many in the realm,
  is magic. A powerful sorcerer can be-
  come a wealthy man at a relatively
  young age, particularly if he has skills
  and knowledges that are uncommon.
  A magician can sell his services to a
  large market, both to people who have
  no talent for magic but who want a
  spell cast, and those with arcane abili-
  ties who wish to learn a new spell. An
  object with a focused spell within it
  sells for as much as twice what a
  grimoire spell will, since the purchaser
  of the focused spell does not actually
  have to learn and cast it.
  Naturally, this situation has
  wrought havoc with the London Stock
  Exchange. Although magic is not con-
  sidered a fitting basis for  a monetary
  system, a wizard who can cast a mage
  The Realm
  
  38
  light spell in a blacked-out area can
  still command a high fee. Since the
  metals are considered to have some
  value, the Ayslish are, reluctantly,
  willing to accept pounds for their ser-
  vices, which they then exchange for
  conjs somewhere else (in Aysle domi-
  nant zones, the pound is not accepted,
  and shoppers must either pay in
  Ayslish currency or trade goods).
  New stocks have appeared on the
  London Exchange, including dwarven
  mining and magic futures. Naturally,
  the Ayslish (particularly the dwarves)
  have opportunities to gather inside
  information on these subjects, and thus
  have done extremely well for them-
  selves. Core Earth traders have pro-
  tested that the dwarves are using un-
  fair practices, but the directors of the
  Exchange feel they have limited au-
  thority under the circumstances.
  How long the Ayslish economy will
  thrive in the realm is unclear. With the
  large number of Storm Knights seek-
  ing to learn the most powerful types of
  magic available, the value of the magic
  may take a plunge as a result. There is
  also the possibility that an ambitious
  conjurer may try to “corner the mar-
  ket” and increase the price of his ser-
  vices by murdering other practitio-
  ners of the art.
  The Sexes in Aysle
  Equality of the sexes has been a fact
  of life in the Aysle cosm for a thousand
  years, and the folk carried that con-
  cept with them to Earth. With Pella
  Ardinay as its leader, and the legends
  of Tolwyn Tancred so ingrained in the
  Ayslish consciousness, it would be
  surprising if they did not view women
  as the equal of men, and just as capable
  of being leaders.
  Although Uthorion probably does
  not share this view of women, he could
  not allow it to be undercut during his
  time in Pella’s body, lest his authority
  over the cosm be undermined. How-
  ever, during his 500-year reign, the
  Houses gradually went back to a pa-
  triarchal system, although women
  warriors are still a common sight in
  Ayslish battalions.
  How the sexes are viewed by non-
  human folk is another matter entirely.
  While dwarves regard their women as
  equals, giants do not. They gained a
  grudging respect for Ardinay during
  the time Uthorion possessed her, but
  lost it again when she called for a
  truce. Lesser folk, such as ogres, do not
  have observable sexual differences,
  and so there is little evidence of any
  discrimination on that basis. No one
  knows how elves feel on the subject,
  although many of their leaders are
  said to be women.
  The Class System
  As in many societies, there is a class
  system in place in Aysle. The founda-
  tions of this structure is the ability to
  make use of one’s sorcerous abilities
  for profit, although the species of folk
  to which one belongs is also a factor.
  At the top of the scale are human
  sorcerers. With the majority of the folk
  in Aysle being human, a human sor-
  cerer is more likely to be trusted with
  a complicated magical task, and thus
  more likely to attain great wealth.
  Much of the Ayslish nobility is made
  up of magicians, and with the excep-
  tion of great warriors (such as Tolwyn
  Tancred), the rulers of Houses are al-
  most always skilled at wizardry.
  The second rung on the class ladder
  is human priests, followed by war-
  riors. Despite their brutish behavior,
  Vikings are respected in Aysle for their
  martial skills, and save for those groups
  that practice blatant piracy, are af-
  forded the same honors given Ayslish
  warriors.
  Freetraders occupy the next level.
  Despite their importance to the soci-
  ety, merchants and moneylenders have
  traditionally been looked down upon
  as interested only in the pursuit of the
  conj. While some are disturbed by this,
  most Freetraders feel they get their
  revenge by getting the highest price
  for goods that they can.
  The lowest place on the scale is
  occupied by the ice nomads, barbar-
  ians and Corsairs. The nomads and
  barbarians are considered to be, re-
  spectively, simple peasants and sav-
  ages, with little to contribute to society
  as a whole, and little money with which
  to purchase goods and services. They
  are largely ignored by the rest of the
  human population, although Vikings
  have been known to associate with
  barbarians and hunt ice nomads for
  amusement. The Corsairs are thieves
  and outlaws, and thus are not re-
  spected.
  This basic structure holds true for
  the other races on Aysle as well, with
  mages being the dominant class and
  the poor, the brutal and the criminal
  lumped together at the bottom. In
  Aysle as a whole, the dwarves are
  considered to be the closest species to
  the human, though rarely spoken of as
  equals. The status they have achieved
  is largely because of their pacts with
  humans against the giants, but they
  have been stigmatized by their con-
  nection with the merchant class. The
  dwarves mightily resent this state of
  affairs, and consider most humans to
  be dullards who are unable to accom-
  plish anything without making a great
  fuss and bother about it.
  Elves are considered to be roughly
  the same as dwarves, although their
  place in the social hierarchy is nebu-
  lous, primarily because they have lim-
  ited contact with other races. There
  are some, both humans and dwarves,
  who believe that the elves think they
  are better than everyone else and
  criticize them as being snobs, but
  most folk don’t spend much time
  worrying about the elves. Until and
  unless they become a threat, they
  are left to themselves.
  Where the giants stand is an inter-
  esting question. By their own account,
  of course, they are the best of Aysle,
  but humans detest them and regard
  them as lower than the lesser folk.
  Taking the average of these two opin-
  ions, giants can be placed somewhere
  between elves and dwarves and half-
  folk.
  Half-folk are the slave class in Aysle.
  Humans want nothing to do with
  them, and the other folk refuse to wel-
  come them either. Many are denied
  any way to make a living, and must
  prey on others to survive. Those that
  do find work are forced to do the most
  menial of labor, and often are paid
  slave wages. In Lower Aysle, as well
  as in the realm, half-folk are enslaved
  by the giants, who despise them even
  more than normal humans.
  Finally, the lesser folk are on so low
  a level they are, for all intents and
  purposes, off the ladder. Gnomes, gob-
  lins, ogres and trolls tend to be vicious,
  Chapter Three
  
  39
  slow-witted, and violent, and are not
  welcome in Ayslish society. Even half-
  folk fear and hate them, and many
  humans will kill lesser folk on sight.
  Justice in Aysle
  In addition to the world laws, there
  are some civil statutes in effect in the
  Aysle realm. Most of these were put in
  place in the Aysle cosm by Ardinay, but
  overturned during the period Uthorion
  possessed her body. She has recodified
  them in the realm, but they are enforced
  only in those areas of the realm con-
  trolled by Houses loyal to her.
  The Aysle Book of Laws contains
  statutes condemning murder (a capi-
  tal crime), theft, and assault. There is
  no law against the bearing of arms, but
  the carrying of concealed weapons is
  strictly forbidden. This regulation
  grew out of the Law of Honor, for to
  hide a weapon is tantamount to mask-
  ing one’s true intentions, and false-
  hoods are frowned upon in Aysle. Only
  those capable of circumventing the
  Law of Corruption can hide a weapon
  on his person for any length of time.
  Among humans, Ardinay’s Home
  Guard bears the responsibility for en-
  forcing the law, although it is not un-
  usual for villages to form vigilante
  groups to hang murderers and thieves,
  or drive out half-folk. Other folk, such
  as dwarves, are expected to police
  themselves, and generally have rea-
  son to do so — a race that gains a
  reputation for lawlessness will find
  the Freetraders reluctant to do busi-
  ness with them.
  Fashion
  The Ayslish favor a style of dress that
  would be considered “medieval,” in
  Core Earth. As their tech level does not
  allow for the production of synthetic
  fabrics, natural fibers, particularly wool,
  dominate. For the upper classes, elven
  silk is very popular, both in ladies’
  gowns and men’s formal wear.
  Most humans wear layers of wool
  clothing in the colder areas of the cosm,
  which has stood them in good stead in
  the damp climate of the Aysle realm.
  Vikings, barbarians, and ice nomads
  wear the hides of animals, Corsairs
  favor breeches and bright silk shirts,
  and dwarves wear wool and/or fur
  and favor woolen caps on their heads.
  Elves wear green and brown out-
  fits, made of a material unknown in
  the rest of Aysle. Members of the Home
  Guard wear full armor with chain-
  mail underneath. Giants, ogres, trolls,
  and half-folk generally wear rags.
  The establishment of Aysle on Earth,
  however, changed this. Many mem-
  bers of the nobility have discovered
  Simpson’s in Piccadilly and began
  wearing more modern fashions, much
  to the distress of Aysle purists. Giants
  and trolls, particularly those working
  in London (usually in unsavory posi-
  tions), have begun raiding Big and
  Tall Men’s Shops for suits (few have
  mastered the art of the tie, though).
  Elves and dwarves, for the most part,
  stubbornly refuse to change their mode
  of dress in this new place.
  The Realm
  
  40
  Magic and Tech
   The Ayslish views of magic and
  technology are essentially the reverse
  of those in Core Earth. Magic among
  the folk is commonplace, with a wiz-
  ard performing a water scry spell to
  find out a comrade’s condition with
  no  more thought than a Core Earth
  person   making a telephone call to get
  the same information. Using a con-
  jured fireball to defend one’s self is
  considered no less honorable than us-
  ing a sword or spear, and such mysti-
  cal weapons are not covered by Ayslish
  statutes regarding the concealment of
  death-dealing devices.
  Sorcerers are encouraged to regis-
  ter with the government, providing
  information on their area of magical
  expertise. This is done so that an accu-
  rate count be kept of those with the
  conjuration/magic skill-knowledge
  combination, a statistic which affects
  the Ayslish economy. How many wiz-
  ards actually do this is unknown, and
  whether or not the program will be
  extended to include Core Earth na-
  tives who develop magic under the
  new axioms is unknown.
  Surprisingly, sorcerers are respected,
  but not envied by the Ayslish. Since all
  the folk have some magical skill and
  knowledge, the feeling among them is
  that anyone could be a powerful wiz-
  ard, given the right set of circumstances.
  Those who have a knowledge and skill
  that cannot be used together consider it
  an accident of birth, and some races
  (such as the Vikings) have little use for
  magic and do not make much effort to
  develop their latent talents.
  For those who do have useful skills
  and knowledges, magic academies
  exist on the Mage Islands in the cosm
  and in Cambridge in the realm. Usu-
  ally run by aged wizards, these schools
  help the student develop some control
  over her powers, and teach major and
  minor magic from the Ayslish
  grimoire. The schools are required to
  report the existence of any graduates
  with the conjuration/magic combina-
  tion, and most will refuse to admit
  anyone possessing conjuration/entity.
  Anyone getting a look at an academy
  report prior to its public release by the
  government could make a fortune in-
  vesting in magical futures on the Lon-
  don Stock Exchange.
  Technology, on the other hand, is
  regarded with great trepidation by
  many residents of the realm. The idea
  that the people of Core Earth might
  have access to sorcery beyond the un-
  derstanding of the wisest Ayslish ma-
  gicians is a frightening one, and many
  wizards are quick to point out that
  “Earth magic” doesn’t seem to work
  very well, since few of the devices are
  currently operating.
  The limited Ayslish concept of ma-
  chinery often leads to misunderstand-
  ings, occasionally fatal ones. Shortly
  after the invasion, a band of Freetraders
  encountered a Stormer serving in the
  Dark Forces. The Stormer shot one
  trader with a pistol, wounding him in
  the stomach. The merchants were fa-
  miliar with primitive firearms, but not
  having seen the Stormer go through
  the complicated process of loading the
  gun they were used to, did not make
  the connection. Thus, believing the
  gun a magical weapon and the wound
  caused by the great noise it made, they
  did not discover and remove the bul-
  let, and their companion bled to death.
  The Ayslish often describe high tech
  items using terms that they are famil-
  iar with, attempting to describe their
  apparent function. Thus, an airplane
  is an “iron bat” or “flying wagon,” a
  telephone is derided as a “Dvergamal
  box,” and a train is a “smoke dragon.”
  The folk most likely to approach
  and attempt to understand a techno-
  logical device are the dwarves, who
  have a fascination with all things me-
  chanical. Dwarven engineers pride
  themselves on their ability to take any-
  thing apart — putting it back together
  again, of course, is another matter.
  Dwarves will delve into anything, and
  a number have suffered serious injury
  while trying to solve the mystery of
  objects such as automatic rifles, gre-
  nades, and chainsaws.
  The pragmatic dwarves are the only
  race to conceive the idea that machines
  in the realm are not examples of great
  sorcery, anymore than a battle-ax or a
  knight’s armor is necessarily of magical
  origin. The dwarves collect bits and
  pieces of different devices for use in
  their own creations, and do a brisk busi-
  ness selling spare parts to Storm Knights
  trying to get machines working again.
  The dwarves have also developed an
  affinity for the digital watch, a device
  they do not entirely comprehend yet,
  but which captivates them.
  Monsters
  Many a mother, in Aysle and in
  Core Earth, has warned their children
  that they had best behave, or the “bo-
  gey man” would get them. One of the
  major changes caused by the estab-
  lishment of Aysle on Earth is that in
  the fantasy realm, the “bogey man” is
  very real, and will eat adults as well as
  children, no matter how they behave.
  Core Earth natives have learned very
  quickly that legends regarding mon-
  sters pale to nothingness next to the real
  things. The appearance of dragons,
  undead ghouls, trolls and harpies have
  caused hysteria to spread through many
  parts of the realm, and made it that
  much easier for remnants of the Dark
  Forces to overrun territory. Stories of
  Storm Knights slaying monsters have
  buoyed spirits, but there are areas to
  which such tales have not penetrated as
  yet, and there the people remain locked
  in their worst nightmares.
  For their part, the Ayslish have
  grown used to the presence of mon-
  sters, it being commonplace in the cosm
  (much as residents of jungle areas on
  Earth have grown used to lions and
  tigers, though they still fear them).
  Even the ghouls, which caused such
  terror when they crossed into Aysle
  with Uthorion 500 years ago, have
  become an accepted hazard, the feel-
  ing being if you are so foolish as to
  wander into one of the dark places,
  you deserve to get devoured.
  The creature that strikes the most
  terror into the Ayslish is the Draconis
  Teutonica, because of its size, power,
  and unrelenting evil. Many Aysle na-
  tives simply refuse to believe the tales
  that Storm Knights have slain the great
  beasts, and the whisper that a
  Teutonica might be in the area is
  enough to paralyze some with fear.
  The Houses in the
  Realm
  All of the Houses of Aysle now have
  representatives and holdings in the
  realm. In some cases, as with House
  Chapter Three
  
  41
  Tancred, their lands were granted to
  them by Ardinay, while other Houses
  claimed their territory by right of con-
  quest, and hold them in defiance of
  Ardinay. All of the Houses are estab-
  lished in England and Wales, and the
  conflicts that now divide them in the
  cosm have spilled over into the realm.
  For all intents and purposes, Aysle, cosm
  and realm, is caught up in a civil war.
  House Tancred
  With the reincarnation of Tolwyn
  Tancred, rule of the House in the realm
  passed over to her, much to the con-
  sternation of some. House Tancred on
  Earth is a mix of those fiercely loyal to
  Tolwyn, those who still owe their alle-
  giance to her traitorous brother,
  Gareth, and those torn between their
  desire to follow the path of Light and
  their doubt about whether the body of
  Wendy Miller houses the true spirit of
  the woman warrior.
  House Tancred’s lands encompass
  the southeastern section of England,
  including the counties of Hampshire,
  Wilts, Berks, Buckingham, Bedford,
  Hertford, Warwick, Northampton,
  Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, and
  Kent, and the cities of London, Read-
  ing and Portsmouth.
  Tolwyn has pledged the House to
  the service of Ardinay, but Gareth
  Tancred is determined to take control
  of the family’s territory on Earth.
  House Liandar
  The denizens of House Liandar are
  maintaining a tenuous grip on their
  land in the north, despite pressure
  from Uthorion’s forces in Scotland and
  House Vareth to the south. (The recent
  dwarven rebellion has distracted
  Vareth from pursuing its vendetta
  against Liandar, giving that House
  needed time to rearm.)
  Despite being decimated by Uthorion
  in the cosm, House Liandar was able to
  muster a large enough force to move
  down the bridge and aid Ardinay. The
  House on Earth is led by Cedric Liandar,
  brother of William, who has convinced
  his followers that Ardinay was the vic-
  tim of sorcery that brought on some
  form of madness, and now that she is
  restored to her former self, the House
  must follow her again.
  House Liandar controls the small-
  est area of any of the seven, the coun-
  ties of Northumberland, Cumberland,
  Westmorland and Durham, and the
  city of Newcastle.
  House Daleron
  The first of the great Houses to ally
  with the Dark Forces in centuries past
  is still firmly in Uthorion’s camp, and
  poses a terrible threat to Ardinay and
  House Tancred.
  The House in the realm is run by
  Manfred, the Daleron patriarch, who
  came to Earth and personally led his
  troops into battle. With swift, decisive
  strokes, Daleron conquered a large
  chunk of eastern England, and only
  the lands of Tancred stand between
  him and Oxford, site of Ardinay’s
  court.
  As in the cosm, House Daleron is
  one of the strongest of the lot militar-
  ily, and has embraced the changes in
  the world laws caused by Uthorion.
  Daleron will strike any deal with any
  House in the realm that will advance
  his own interests, and just as quickly
  betray his partner. Currently, House
  Daleron is working with Gareth
  Tancred on a plan to crush Tolwyn
  and her forces on Earth and take
  Ardinay prisoner.
  House Daleron holds the counties
  of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Lin-
  coln, Leicester, Nottingham, and
  Rutland, and the cities of Cambridge
  and Norwich.
  House Gerrik
  House Gerrik is crucial to Tolwyn’s
  plans to defend Oxford from assault.
  Besides being renowned for its able
  soldiers and seamen, this House suf-
  fered the loss of much of its land and
  power in the cosm under Uthorion,
  and longs for revenge against those
  families (like the Dalerons) that made
  it possible.
  House Gerrik received its lands in
  the realm from Ardinay who, on the
  advice of Tolwyn, granted them much
  of southwestern England. Thus, Gerrik’s
  troops can protect the western flank of
  Oxford and join with Tancred in guard-
  ing the southern coast.
  Gerrik’s territories include the coun-
  ties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset,
  Somerset, Gloucester, Monmouth, and
  Glamorgan, including the cities of
  Exeter and Plymouth.
  House Gerrik is controlled by
  Duncan Gerrik, eldest son of Duke
  Augustus Gerrik. As a youth, Duncan
  discovered in the cellars of House
  Tancred one of the few unburnt por-
  traits of Tolwyn, and promptly fell in
  love with the legendary warrior. Now
  that the legend of “Tolwyn
  Neverdeath” has apparently come
  true, Duncan dreams of marrying her
  and uniting their two Houses.
  House Bendes
  The Bendes family is one of the
  wealthiest in the Aysle cosm, with the
  talent of spotting a profitable invest-
  ment long before anyone else. Despite
  their love of the Old Ways, House
  Bendes played along with Uthorion,
  secretly providing aid to rebel forces.
  When Ardinay’s spirit was returned
  to her body, she offered House Bendes
  its choice of lands in the realm. The
  family chose a large section of Wales,
  the area least devastated by the initial
  invasion. They have taken advantage
  of the relative calm of the area to de-
  velop it economically, improving farm-
  ing methods and overseeing the con-
  struction of weapons that can be used
  against the Dark Forces.
  House Bendes is under the control
  of Earl Thomas Bendes, and he has put
  his lands and fortune at the disposal of
  Ardinay. Part of his territory is cur-
  rently serving as a base for  the
  dwarves, led by Gutterby, who are
  rebelling against House Vareth.
  House Bendes’ lands include the
  counties of Pembroke, Carmarthen,
  Cardigan, Brecknock, Hereford,
  Worcester, Shropshire, Radnor, Mont-
  gomery, Merioneth, Caernarvon,
  Denbigh, Flin and Anglesey.
  House Vareth
  The infamous House of Dwarves
  has continued its dark practices in the
  realm, supplying enslaved dwarves
  The Realm
  
  42
  to the forces of Uthorion, as well as
  any half-folk it is able to capture. Vareth
  strike-forces are feared throughout
  Aysle, for their engineering skill has
  enabled them to send minotaurs with
  machine-guns into the field. But the
  betrayal of the Land Between dwarves
  has tainted the House, and even the
  Dark Forces look down upon it.
  Taleron Vareth runs the House on
  Earth in the stead of his father,
  Dwyvan. Much like his sire, he be-
  lieves in the use of violence and tor-
  ture to achieve his ends, and has found
  a number of new technologies on Earth
  capable of inflicting pain (his engi-
  neers’ work with batteries, for instance,
  resulted in a breakthrough in the use
  of interrogation through electric shock,
  for instance).
  House Vareth’s lands include the
  counties of York, Stafford, Derby,
  Cheshire, and Lancashire.
  Unfortunately for the House, their
  brutal rule has given birth to a rebel-
  lion. Led by Gutterby, a band of
  dwarves have been striking at Vareth’s
  slave centers throughout the realm,
  the most spectacular incident being
  when three rebel dwarves crashed a
  double-decker bus through the gates
  of the Walsall prison and freed over
  300 of their fellows. The rebellion has
  the full support of Ardinay, and she
  has sent what supplies and troops she
  can spare to aid the cause. House
  Vareth is determined to crush the in-
  surrection, but thus far the rebels have
  been safe in Shropshire, since Taleron
  is reluctant to anger House Bendes by
  marching into its domain.
  Gutterby the Dwarf
  DEXTERITY 9
  Melee weapons 11, missile weap-
  ons 11, stealth 10, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 9
  Lifting 10
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 11
  Divination magic 12, find 13, lan-
  guage 12, scholar (dwarven lore) 14,
  trick 12
  MIND 10
  Artist (storyteller) 13, science (engi-
  neering) 12, test 11, willpower 11
  CHARISMA 10
  Charm 11, persuasion 12, taunt 12
  SPIRIT 8
  Faith (dwarven) 9, honor 11, intimi-
  dation 10, reality 6
  Possibilities: 16
  Arcane Knowledge: air 1
  Equipment: short sword, Tech 8,
  damage value STR+4/13; dwarven gre-
  nade (2), explosive burst radius 0-2/6/
  13, damage value 18; dwarfmail en-
  chanted armor, armor value TOU+6/
  15, +2 to relevant attribute when de-
  fending against magical attack.
  Description: Gutterby is an aged
  dwarf, roughly 600 years old, and a
  renowned storyteller. Remembering
  how things once were for the dwarves,
  he burns with the desire to set things
  right in the realm and the cosm and free
  the dwarves enslaved by House Vareth,
  and so leads an armed rebellion.
  He has a craggy face and a short
  white beard, and tends to be very curt
  with those around him.
  Quote: “Who’s tellin’ this story, you
  or me?”
  Adventuring
  in the Realm
  Adventures in the Aysle realm in-
  volve a unique mix of fantasy and
  20th-century reality. In Aysle, that tribe
  of dwarves coming your way may
  have  axes and clubs, or they may have
  M-16s and a bazooka. The dragon fly-
  ing above you is intelligent and has
  been around a great deal longer than
  you have, and eats Storm Knights for
  breakfast. The boats sailing out of the
  sunrise are full of bloodthirsty Vikings,
  and somewhere among them may be
  the Dark High Lord himself.
  Aysle is a place of magic, mystery
  and monsters, and thrills can be found
  from the snowy mountain peaks of
  Finland to the green glens of Ireland.
  This realm was the site of one of the
  Storm Knights’ first great victories,
  but could also be the scene of crushing
  defeat, if they are not watchful and
  brave.
  Darkness and light are at war here,
  as are magic and technology to a lesser
  extent. As good and evil clash, as two
  very different realities come head to
  head, the possibilities for stories are
  almost unlimited. From the big pic-
  ture of Uthorian versus Ardinay, to
  the smaller focus of a lost English boy
  trying to survive in a dark region on
  the moors, Storm Knights can find all
  sorts of adventures to keep them busy
  in Aysle realm.
  Chapter Three
  
  43
  Chapter Four
  World Laws
  ysle has a magical reality
  that makes many things
  that are impossible on
  Earth an everyday occur-
  rence on Aysle. This real-
  ity has been brought to Earth and over-
  laid across Northern Europe, allow-
  ing the Aysle realm to exist here.
  Invisible barriers separate the real-
  ity of Aysle realm from the reality of
  Earth. These barriers are formed by a
  series of artifacts known as stelae,
  placed by Uthorion’s forces under his
  strict commands. Aysle stelae are
  trades, the common coin of the realm.
  They are prepared through a complex
  ritual involving Uthorion’s Darkness
  Device that leaves the trades marked
  with the symbol of Corba’al (the
  crossed bones). However, this symbol
  can only be seen on the coins if actively
  looked for during the Entity Hours
  (either at dawn or dusk). Further, a
  simple ritual must be performed at the
  site where the stelae is to be placed,
  and the coin must be dropped to the
  ground. Then, of its own volition, the
  coin burrows into the ground and be-
  gins to work. The coin combines the
  honor of Ardinay with the corruption
  of Uthorion to contain the reality of
  Aysle. Aysle stelae have a Toughness of
  8, the same as a normal trade.
  The Four Axioms
  The basic rules that govern reality
  in each of the cosms and realms are
  called axioms. As soon as a person (or
  creature or thing) crosses the stelae
  boundary into Aysle realm, he imme-
  diately becomes subject to Aysle’s axi-
  oms, just as he becomes subject to the
  Core Earth axioms as soon as he leaves.
  The prime example of this is that ac-
  tual spellcasting is possible in Aysle,
  while the flashlight brought in from
  Core Earth may not function. The
  moment a person tried to use the flash-
  light a contradiction could occur, as
  the flashlight is now subject to Aysle’s
  technical axiom (see Torg Rulebook,
  page 99).
  Every cosm has four basic axioms
  that govern the interaction between the
  living and non-living things within the
  cosm. These axioms are Magical, Social,
  Spiritual, and Technological. In Torg,
  each of these axioms is rated on a scale
  of zero to 33 (zero representing particu-
  larly low development, 33 representing
  extremely high development). Items,
  individuals, or organizations that are
  more highly developed than Aysle in
  any of these areas will not function
  properly within the realm or cosm.
  Below, each of Aysle’s axioms is
  described in detail. In addition, see
  “Everlaws and Axioms,” Torg Rule-
  book pages 91 to 102.
  Magical Axiom: 18
  Magic defines much of what Aysle
  is. Everyone believes in it, uses it (to
  varying degrees), and understands it
  as a part of everyday life. Spells and
  spell effects handle many of the tasks
  Core Earth uses technology for. Aysle
  is a static world, and advancement
  only comes through the use of magic,
  which makes the impossible real for a
  temporary period. At this axiom level,
  even the least skilled can use magic to
  some degree, but training confers huge
  advantages to those who undergo its
  rigors. Because of this, magic even
  branches into economy as it is the stan-
  dard by which prices are set and the
  market fluctuates.
  Under the axiom, spells and
  spellcasting are possible. Enchanted
  items exist and can be created, and
  even kindred that depend on magic to
  survive thrive in the cosm and realm.
  Spells allow mages and others to take
  the unobservable force of magic and
  make it observable. The reality is en-
  chanted and full of magical power just
  waiting to be put to use. (See chapter
  five for more information.)
  Social Axiom: 18
  On a social level, Aysle resembles
  the medieval world with a few no-
  table differences. Life is not as hard or
  taxing for the Ayslish as it was for
  their feudal Core Earth counterparts.
  Magic has seen to that, providing con-
  veniences and a better standard of
  living which our world did not see
  until after the Industrial Revolution.
  Aysle is a vastly independent place,
  made up of vastly independent
  peoples. These separate groups were
  united for a time under loose treaties
  devised by Uthorion and enforced by
  his power. With Uthorion’s main
  power base out of the picture, the
  cultural, racial and geographical dif-
  ferences are again working to break
  apart the alliances. Throughout all of
  this, magic remains the equalizing
  factor that places all of the folk on the
  same level. Women, who in Earth’s
  medieval times enjoyed few freedoms,
  are seen as capable of the same jobs as
  their male counterparts.
  The Delegate Legacy remains the
  highest ideal in the land, a system of
  government where the people and the
  nobility meet to decide laws. It is only
  now coming back into fashion with
  the return of Ardinay.
  The thing to remember is that while
  Aysle has a relatively high social
  axiom, it is just coming out of a long
  period of darkness into a period of
  war. No single authority remains,
  though Uthorion and Ardinay are the
  most powerful leaders in the realm. In
  the cosm, everyone with any claim to
  power is seeking to benefit from the
  vacuum left by Ardinay’s absence (she
  refuses to leave the realm until Aysle
  on Earth is able to function without
  her and the threat of Uthorion is ended
  forever).
  Spiritual Axiom: 16
  Both the cosm and the realm of
  Aysle have a high spiritual axiom,
  granting those with the ability to tap it
  another type of power beyond magic.
  The gods of Aysle can be contacted to
  gain this spiritual energy which folk
  can convert to miracles of faith.
  
  44
  While the gods of Aysle do not regu-
  larly appear in town squares or within
  sanctified temples, their influence can
  be routinely observed. They bestow
  miracles on the faithful, they aid follow-
  ers with additional magical abilities,
  and they dictate the opinions and ac-
  tions of whole nations. Magic may domi-
  nate life in Aysle, but religion comes
  very close and is intertwined with the
  magic of the land. Of all the races of
  kindred and folk living on Aysle, only
  the dwarves (for the most part) refuse to
  utilize this avenue of power.
  Technology Axiom: 15
  Technology in Aysle resembles that
  of the late medieval to early Renais-
  sance periods of Earth’s history. Sails
  move ships across the seas, the more
  advanced dwarven culture uses steam
  power, and crude firearms (such as the
  wheel lock) are coming into more com-
  mon use. Still, melee weapons and vari-
  ous bows are more reliable. Even the
  dwarf with crossed wheel lock pistol
  holsters carries a battle-ax for when the
  guns fail or run out of ammunition.
  Magic, of course, makes up for a lot
  of what technology cannot yet do, and
  in some ways it has even hampered
  technological growth. Better sail and
  ship development has been postponed
  because water and air mages can keep
  vessels moving in even the most severe
  storm or on the calmest sea. Talk of
  improved firearms fails in the face of
  fireball and lightning bolt spellcasters.
  Currently, there is nothing that technol-
  ogy can do better, faster, or more conve-
  niently than magic can.
  The World Rules
  In addition to the four axioms, each
  realm and its associated cosm has a
  number of specialized axioms or world
  rules which further set it apart from
  other realities. The basic axioms func-
  tion as reality limits within the realm
  while the world rules define how the
  realm works within those limits. As
  with the basic axioms, anyone who
  crosses into Aysle immediately be-
  comes subject to the world rules un-
  less he is surrounded by a “reality
  bubble” (see Torg Rulebook, page 101).
  Conversely, an Ayslish character who
  goes to another reality still must abide
  by his own world rules for that is the
  reality he takes with him.
  The Law of
  Observation
  Reality is defined in Aysle by what
  one can observe through the senses.
  Everything is the result of a previous
  event (even though the event may not
  yet be reasoned out). If something can-
  not be sensed, it holds no reality. The
  exception to this law is magic, which
  has its own governing law.
  Observations give rise to theories,
  unlike in Core Earth where theories
  require testing by observation. So in
  Aysle, that which is observed is true.
  The sun rises and falls through a hole
  in the center of the world. The Ayslish
  observe this every day, and therefore
  know it to be true.
  Under Aysle’s Law of Observation,
  everything that is perceived is real,
  and everything that is real has been
  previously perceived.
  The Law of Magic
  Since they were brought to Aysle
  by Dunad, the magic skills and arcane
  knowledges have been an integral part
  of the world, unlocking the natural
  magic of Aysle reality. The Law of
  Magic states that magic is real. While it
  cannot be observed by the usual senses,
  it can be perceived by those who are
  sensitive to its power and thus made
  manifest through spells. Further,
  magic is available to all folk due to
  Dunad’s gift, though not all take full
  advantage of this. No matter, because
  through this world law all Ayslish
  folk are born with one magic skill (at
  one add) and one arcane knowledge
  (at one add). See chapters two and
  eleven for more information.
  Additionally, because of magic the
  land and its people have been imbued
  with higher attribute maximums.
  However, if an Ayslish character ever
  disconnects from his reality, he is sub-
  ject to the attribute maximums of the
  reality he finds himself in. Reduce all
  attributes to the new maximums until
  the character re-links. Certain folk can
  go beyond these maximums due to
  their inherently magical natures (see
  chapters eight and eleven). However,
  those kindred who rely on magic for
  their very existence suffer when that
  magic is not available.
  The Law of Honor
  The Law of Honor permeates the
  land, declaring that honor cannot be
  hidden — the good that folk do is
  reflected in their spirit and is discern-
  ible to those who can sense such things.
  Further, the more honorable a folk is,
  the more that honor is reflected out-
  wardly as appearance and bearing.
  Those traits (and their associated
  actions) considered honorable include
  faithfulness, loyalty, being true to
  yourself and your word, respect, and
  valor. Honor, truth and justice demand
  thorian’s Stelae
  U
  When Uthorion came to Aysle,
  he decided to embrace its reality
  and re-attune his Darkness De-
  vice to it (through Pella Ardinay’s
  body). But he also wanted to
  change the reality slightly, spe-
  cifically the world laws so that
  corruption and darkness would
  have an easier time of it. To ac-
  complish this, Uthorion made a
  pact with an Aysle god — the
  Entity God Corba’al. In exchange
  for Uthorion’s devotion, Corba’al
  agreed to help him create his
  stelae with the subtly altered re-
  ality. An added bonus was that
  because of the god’s help,
  Uthorion’s stelae could be ener-
  gized at double the rate of other
  High Lords’ stelae. So, where
  another High Lord can energize
  three ritually prepared stelae,
  Uthorion can energize six. But
  Corba’al’s aid was not without a
  price. The crossed bones symbol
  appears on each stelae (which
  normally look like coins of the
  realm) during the Entity Hours
  as tribute to the Entity God.
  Chapter Four
  
  45
  to be recognized in Aysle, and those of
  noble heart gain advantages from the
  Law of Honor. The law is primarily
  interested in defending the rights of
  the folk and maintaining the status
  quo of goodness throughout the land.
  The law states that when there is dan-
  ger or trouble, when injustice shows
  itself, then a hero of honor will appear
  to right the wrongs and save the day.
  Under Uthorion’s reign, this law was
  masked by the rise of the Law of Cor-
  ruption, and even those who heard
  the call of honor tended to ignore it in
  the face of Uthorion’s legions of evil.
  The law further states that a new
  Spirit skill exists in Aysle — the honor
  skill. Those who take this skill (or earn
  it by doing honorable deeds; see below)
  must follow a code of honor. In general,
  the code of honor must include faithful-
  ness to a god, loyalty to a country and
  ruler, respect for those less fortunate
  and in need of aid, staying true to your-
  self and your word, performing glori-
  ous deeds of valor and goodness, and
  courageousness in all things.
  Note that honor is not just a province
  of Upper Aysle. The giants of Lower
  Aysle, and even the other Upper Aysle
  races that the humans consider evil,
  operate under the strictures of the Law
  of Honor and can be honorable. They
  can be faithful to their gods, loyal to
  their rulers, friends and families, true to
  their natures, respectful of others (but
  that means different things to different
  cultures), and valiant in combat. The
  truly corrupt and evil go against even
  these basics of honor to the detriment of
  themselves and others.
  The Law of
  Corruption
  The Law of Corruption fills the land,
  declaring that corruption cannot be
  hidden — the evil that folk do is re-
  flected in their spirit and is discernible
  to those who can sense such things.
  Further, the more corrupt and evil a
  folk is, the more that corruption is
  reflected outwardly as appearance and
  bearing.
  Those acts considered corrupt in-
  clude spiritual weakness and immoral
  character, disloyalty, lying, cheating,
  stealing, deception, cowardice, pre-
  meditated crimes, and other acts of
  evil. Evil and corruption demand to be
  recognized in Aysle, and those of evil
  intent find it hard to keep their inten-
  tions secret. The law is interested in
  revealing evil in all its forms through
  the corruption of spirit, mind and body.
  The law states that when evil is done,
  it will be known by those of honor.
  Uthorion perverted this law, subtly
  changing it throughout those parts of
  Aysle under his control. By modifying
  the world law, Uthorion was able to
  defer his past evils to the land instead
  of building up the detectable corrup-
  tion within himself. In that way, no
  one was able to detect that Lady
  ysle Attribute
  Maximums
  A
  DEXTERITY 14
  STRENGTH 15
  TOUGHNESS 15
  PERCEPTION 14
  MIND 14
  CHARISMA 13
  SPIRIT 13
  World Laws
  
  46
  Ardinay had become corrupt, and
  Uthorion’s deception held. To this day,
  those portions of the land under the
  dominion of darkness still have the
  look of corruption. The soil becomes
  hard and brittle, trees and plants
  whither and gnarl, and the sky dark-
  ens, throwing the corrupt lands into
  perpetual shadow.
  The law further states that a new
  Spirit skill exists in Aysle — the corrup-
  tion skill. Those who take this skill (or
  are cursed with it by doing foul and
  evil deeds; see below) must follow a
  dark path and a god of corruption,
  becoming more and more evil as they
  grow in skill and perform foul deeds.
  While this grants terrible power, it
  also draws the attention of the Law of
  Honor and its advocates. Aysle can-
  not abide corruption, except where
  Uthorion’s will still holds sway.
  Honor and
  Corruption Skills
  Honor and corruption are two sides
  of the natural balance of the world.
  Honor seeks to build up and protect,
  corruption seeks to destroy. When an
  Aysle character is first created, you
  may choose to have the character side
  with either honor or corruption (we
  do not suggest allowing player char-
  acters to choose the corruption skill,
  however, unless a very good story
  reason can be decided upon and the
  character is working to cleanse his
  soul of the corruption). In any case, a
  character is not forced to take either
  skill.
  If the character does take either skill,
  it can only be at one add. All other
  adds must be gained as defined below
  (see “Gaining Honor and Corruption”
  below). These skills have benefits and
  disadvantages built into them that
  make them different from other skills.
  Honor and corruption cannot be used
  unskilled.
  There are four levels of honor and
  corruption, each tied to the arcane
  knowledges. The first level of each,
  either “honorable” or “corrupt,” is tied
  to the kindred and element knowledges.
  The second, “noble” or “wicked” is
  connected to living forces. The third
  level of honor and corruption, “pure”
  Honor Advantages
  Number             Effects
  of Adds
  Honorable
  1
  +1to faith value
  2
  +1 to charm value; +1 to melee weapons value; +1 to
  first aid value
  Noble
  3
  Provide Inspiration to one other character once per
  act; +2 to melee weapons value
  4
  +1 bonus to melee damage; +1 to dodge value; +1 to
  persuasion value
  5
  Gain healing miracle; +2 to faith value
  6
  +2 to dodge value; +2 to unarmed combat value; +1 to
   test of will value
  Pure
  7
  Gain ability to hit and damage non-corporeal be-
  ings; +3 to melee weapons value; +1 to willpower
  value
  8
  Gain ability to detect corruption and level of
  corruption; difficulty based on target’s level:
  corrupt 30, wicked 25, foul 20, evil 15
  9
  Provide Inspiration to all characters once per act; +3
  tododge value
  10
  +3 bonus to ward enemy miracle; +4 to melee weapons
  value
  11
  Gain the ability to perform a personal flurry once
  per scene; +3 to faith value
  Good
  12
  Gain the ability to cause opponents to break once per
  act; +5 to melee weapons value
  13
  Gain the ability to cause companions to be up once
  per act; +3 to willpower value
  14
  Gain the ability to count any one drama deck card
  as  a glory card once per adventure; success trig-
  gers a patchwork check (see “Patchwork Realm
  Rules” page 53); +3 to test of will value
  15
  Gain the ability to give life to the dead once per ad-
  venture; can only be attempted on those who
  have recently died (within an act), can only be
  attempted once in an adventure (whether suc-
  cessful or not); difficulty based on target’s level:
  good 15, pure 20, noble 25, honorable 30, corrupt
  35, wicked 40, foul  45, evil 50
  Chapter Four
  
  47
  and “foul,” is tied to the knowledges
  of light and darkness. The final level,
  “good” and “evil,” is connected to the
  knowledges of life and death.
  Honor Skill
  A character with the honor skill is
  striving to be noble and heroic, a sym-
  bol for all that is right and true in Aysle.
  As such, he has high ideals that he must
  maintain at all times. Failure to do so
  can allow corruption to stain his spirit
  and lead to his eventual doom. All honor
  advantages are cumulative, except those
  which replace a previously earned bo-
  nus. For example, at two adds a charac-
  ter receives a +1 to his melee weapons
  value. At three adds, that value is re-
  placed by a +2 melee weapons.
  If a character does not possess a
  skill he receives an advantage for, then
  he adds the advantage to his unskilled
  value. For example, if the character
  has a Mind 9 but no test skill, he adds
  the advantage to his attribute for the
  use of test only.
  Corruption Skill
  A character with the corruption skill
  is out for himself, seeking the quick
  and easy road to power no matter
  what the cost. As such, he promotes
  destruction, evil and death. Failure to
  do so can allow honor to cleanse his
  spirit and save him from eventual
  doom. All corruption advantages are
  cumulative, except those which replace
  a previously earned bonus. For ex-
  ample, at one add a character receives
  a +1 to his trick value. At three adds,
  that value is replaced by a +2 trick.
  If a character does not possess a
  skill he receives an advantage for, then
  he adds the advantage to his unskilled
  value. For example, if the character
  has a Mind 9 but no test skill, he adds
  the advantage to his attribute for the
  use of test only.
  Gaining Honor and
  Corruption
  Even if a character doesn’t have the
  honor or corruption skill, he is still af-
  fected by these universal forces. Certain
  acts are, by their very nature, either
  honorable or corrupt, and performing
  these acts can stain or cleanse the soul.
  Corruption  Advantages
  Number
  Effects
  of Adds
  Corrupt
  1
  +1 to trick value
  2
  +1 to test of will value; +1 to taunt value; +1 to intim-
  idation value
  Wicked
  3
  Cause one opponent to become fatigued (as per the
  drama deck conflict line disadvantage) once
  per  act; +2 to trick value; +1 to maneuver value
  4
  +1 to stealth value; +1 to dodge value; +1 to persuasion
  value; gain the ability to defer your own
  corruption into the land (difficulty 10 in dark por-
  tions of Aysle, 25 in the light; check must be made
  once per month; if successful, subtract the number of
  result points from your corruption adds to deter-
  mine what other characters sense you as —
  example, a four add corrupt character gets three
  result points and appears as a one corrupt add
  character throughout the month in question)
  5
  Gain harm miracle
  6
  +2 to dodge value; +2 to intimidation value; +1 to lock-
  picking value; +2 to maneuver value
  Foul
  7
  Gain ability to hit and damage non-corporeal beings; +2
  to persuasion value; +1 to willpower value;
  +2 to taunt value
  8
  Gain ability to detect honor and level of honor; diffi-
  culty based on target’s level: honorable 30,
  noble 25, pure 20, good 15
  9
  Cause all opponents to become fatigued once per act; +3
  to dodge value; +3 to maneuver value
  10
  +3 bonus to ward enemy miracle; +3 to trick value
  11
  All attacks are now made as blindside attacks; +3 to taunt
  value
  Evil
  12
  Gain the ability to cause opponents to become confused
  once per act; +3 to test of will value
  13
  Gain the ability to cause opponents to break once per act;
  +3 to intimidation value
  14
  Gain the ability to trigger a patchwork check (see
  “Patchwork Realm Rules” page 53) once per
  adventure, success gives character three Possibili-
  ties; +4 to trick value
  15
  Gain the ability to slay opponent once per adventure by
  touching him; can only be attempted once in an
  adventure (whether successful or not); success
  inflicts six wounds upon the opponent; difficulty
  based on target’s level: good 50, pure 45, noble 40,
  honorable 35, corrupt 30, wicked 25, foul 20, evil 15
  World Laws
  
  48
  The difficulty number to gain honor
  or corruption is 20, and a character
  must use Spirit or one of the two skills
  to generate a total after performing an
  honorable or corrupt act. If the gener-
  ated total is equal to or greater than the
  difficulty number, then the character
  gains one add in the appropriate skill.
  A character cannot spend Possibilities
  on these rolls. When generating this
  total, use the honor and corruption
  bonus  modifiers.
  Honor and corruption tend to cancel
  each other out, so most folk have little if
  any of either skill. But the heroes and
  villains of the land usually have some of
  the appropriate skill. A character can-
  not have both skills. If a character has
  honor adds and then gains adds in cor-
  ruption, these corruption adds are sub-
  tracted from the honor adds (thus low-
  ering his honor skill). Once all of a
  character’s honor is subtracted, then he
  can begin to gain corruption adds. If he
  later gains new adds in honor, these are
  subtracted from his corruption adds in
  the same fashion.
  Example: The paladin Corun has
  six adds in honor for a value of 16. He
  performs a corrupt act that the game-
  master assigns a +5 bonus modifier to
  for purposes of gaining corruption.
  Does the act darken Corun’s soul? He
  rolls to find out, rolling a 19, which is
  a bonus of 6. 6+5 equals a bonus of 11.
  16 (Corun’s honor value) + 11 (the bo-
  nus number) generates a total of 27,
  which is greater than the difficulty
  number (20). Corun receives one cor-
  ruption add, which is subtracted from
  his honor adds. Corun now has five
  adds in honor.
  Honor and corruption can only be
  taken as skills when you create a char-
  acter. They cannot be learned later by
  spending Possibilities. Additionally,
  the skills can only be purchased once;
  if a character loses the skill he cannot
  learn it again. He can, however, earn it
  by performing honorable or corrupt
  deeds (see above). A character can
  only increase these skills up to 11 adds
  by spending Possibilities. To reach 12
  adds and above, the character must
  successfully perform a deed or quest
  as specified by a god of the corre-
  sponding pantheon (either honor or
  corruption).
  onor Bonus Modifiers
  H
  +0
  Honorable acts that are basic to the tenets of honor and
  not beyond the bounds of normal activity: not cheat
  ing, keeping one’s word, never killingor attacking an
  uarmed foe, never harming innocents, always
  helpingothers, respecting authority, helping a
  friend, etc.  Such acts do not gain honor, so no roll
  is required.
  +1 to +5
  Honorable acts for the greater good which place a
  character at more than normal risk to life and limb.
  +6 to +10
  Honorable acts of self-sacrifice which further the cause
  of good and honor.
  +11 to +15
  Honorable acts which inspire others and result in the
  successful play of a glory card.
  +16 to +20
  Honorable acts which further the will of the gods of
  honor against ultimate evils, regardless of the danger
  to life and limb.
  orruption Bonus Modifiers
  C
  +0
  Corrupt acts which are basic to the tenets of corruption
  and not beyond the bounds of normal activity: lie and
  cheat anyone, attacking an unarmed foe, using an
  innocent,betraying friends, etc. Such acts do not gain
  corruption unless performed by a character with honor (in
  which case the modifier will be +1 to +5).
  +1 to +5
  Corrupt acts which help a character attain his goals through
  force, power and intimidation while following a twisted
  set of ethics (defining his own terms and living by them,
  whether they are honorable or corrupt).
  +6 to +10
  Corrupt acts which are self-serving and unscrupulous,
  which help a character attain power, glory, wealth and
  position regardless of who gets hurt or worse; communing
  with lesser evils in the hopes of gaining a good result.
  +11 to +15
  Corrupt acts which are violent and despicable, which are
  cruel and brutal just for the pleasure of it; communing with
  lesser evils for personal gain.
  +16 to +20
  Corrupt acts which are heinous crimes against the gods or
  the tenets of goodness itself: murder of the just, the inno-
  cent, the pious; betrayal of one’s people or family that
  leads to mass death; acts of wanton destruction for the
  sheer pleasure of it; communing with true evil for pleasure
  and personal gain.
  Chapter Four
  
  49
  World Laws
  At three adds, the gods of the oppos-
  ing pantheon will no longer answer the
  prayers of the character. So, a follower
  of a god of honor who has corruption at
  three adds is cut off from his god until
  he performs the proper penance and
  reduces his level of corruption.
  At four adds, a god from the corre-
  sponding pantheon will select the char-
  acter as a follower, if the character is
  not currently worshipping a deity. For
  example, Corun cannot choose to be
  without faith once he achieves four
  honor adds. He automatically recieves
  one faith add (if he doesn’t have any)
  from a god of honor.
  At seven adds, characters begin to
  show physical signs of honor or cor-
  ruption. By 12 adds, a character is
  recognizably good or evil (unless he
  has deferred his corruption to the land).
  Certain advantages list difficulty
  numbers based on levels of honor and
  corruption in the target character. If
  the target character has no honor or
  corruption, or is from a reality that
  does not measure such things, then
  the difficulty is based on balance and
  is 25. Target characters from the Nile
  Empire are either good or evil, as per
  their world laws.
  Patchwork Realm
  Rules
  Due to the perversion of the Law of
  Corruption by Uthorion and his god
  Corba’al, characters with a high
  enough corruption skill can deflect the
  corrupting effects away from their
  bodies and spirits and into the land
  itself. But with the return of Lady
  Ardinay of the Light, the Law of Honor
  reasserted itself. This has caused a
  checkerboard effect throughout the
  reality, creating places where the land
  is dark and twisted according to
  Uthorion’s will, and areas that are full
  of light which banishes the shadows
  where corruption normally hides.
  To reflect this in the realm, refer to
  the “Light and Darkness” map. Areas
  within a stelae triangle can be either
  light (“L”) or dark (“D”), and they
  have a difficulty number as well. When
  making a patchwork check, roll a die.
  If the final roll (rolling again on 10s
  and 20s) is equal to or greater than the
  difficulty number, then the area flips.
  Example: An area is listed as D18.
  On a roll of 18 or better, the area be-
  comes L18 and is now under the world
  laws of Ardinay.
  For simplicity, areas will always
  retain the same difficulty number, even
  though the letter designation (L or D)
  may change any number of times.
  Make a patchwork check for an
  area whenever any of these condi-
  tions are met:
  • Once every month of game time.
  • Once per week if the Darkness
  Device is used specifically to cause a
  check (but only on one area per week).
  • A glory card is successfully played
  in a dark area.
  • A character with 14 corruption adds
  specifically calls for a check (which he
  may do once per adventure).
  
  50
  Chapter Five
  The Theory of Magic
  he brass hinges on the
  door squeaked loudly,
  announcing Mathea’s en-
  trance into the classroom.
  The murmur of conversa-
  tion died the instant she crossed the
  threshold, her appearance as effective
  as any silence spell ever cast. She
  moved quietly to the podium, setting
  down her notes and her hindsight
  bowl. She unstoppered her flask, emp-
  tied water into the bowl, and uttered a
  spell. She faced the class, looked side-
  ways at the bowl, and an image of a
  whiteboard appeared behind her.
  Another spell, and a colored marker
  began to write for all to see:
  Mistress Magister Mathea of the Two
  Towers, First Arcanum, First Division.
  She turned over the first page of her
  notes as she absently pushed back
  strands of gray-streaked hair to a com-
  fortable resting place above her spec-
  tacles. The notes were familiar; the
  students before her were not.
  For one thing, they were all hu-
  man. Not a dwarf, elf or giant among
  them. For another, they were clothed
  strangely; many wore tight-fitting
  straight pants, shirts with peculiar
  angular collars, or more comfortable
  looking woolen overshirts called
  “sweaters.” The women wore similar
  outfits, or skirts which would be com-
  pletely useless in the field, having no
  pouches or pockets sewn into them.
  What was truly strange was not
  their appearance, but their attitudes,
  their patterns of knowing, their view
  of reality. These students had been
  selected by Core Earth officials and
  approved by Pella Ardinay. They had
  an aptitude for magic. But they had no
  conception of how magic worked, no
  experience with its day-to-day uses.
  One of Mathea’s favorite examples of
  theorem application and restrictions,
  the breakfast brownie, would be mean-
  ingless to these students. They had
  probably never seen a brownie — at
  breakfast or any other meal.
  Mathea cleared her throat. “Good
  evening. This is First Arcanum. I am
  Mathea, Mistress Magister from the
  Arcane Academy of the Two Towers.
  I am here through the graces of Lady
  Ardinay to further her efforts in help-
  ing the people of your land adjust to
  the reality it now holds. In Aysle, magic
  is pervasive; trying to adapt to Aysle
  without an understanding of magic is
  futile … ah, yes?” questioned Mathea,
  indicating a frantically waving youth
  garbed in black leather. His hair was
  thin, vertical and tricolored. He low-
  ered his hand when Mathea acknowl-
  edged him.
  “When I’m done with this, can I
  make the bullets in my Uzi explode on
  target?” he asked. There was a titter
  from one of the other students. The
  rest waited quietly for an answer.
  Mathea took a deep breath. “Com-
  bining magical principles from Aysle
  with the technical artifacts from your
  Britain is a subject considerably more
  advanced than what we must cover
  here. Should you fail to learn — and
  learn completely — what I have to
  teach, magic will be of little use to you.
  Once you have mastered the knowl-
  edge I present to you, then perhaps
  you can experiment with the possibil-
  ity of exploding bullets.”
  Mathea waited a heartbeat for her
  words to sink in, then plunged ahead.
  “I have a question for you. What is
  magic?”
  An uncomfortable silence was fi-
  nally broken by the vertical-haired
  youth volunteering, “Fireballs and
  lightning bolts!” Other answers in-
  cluded, “The power to mold nature”,
  “The supernatural”, “A second set of
  scientific laws which may be used in
  place of physics and chemistry”, and,
  “A way of drawing mystic power from
  the universe to cast spells.”
  At most of these Mathea nodded
  vaguely, more enthusiastically at one
  or two. When the class seemed to run
  out of ideas, Mathea made a small
  gesture. The marker wrote:
  Magic is the art of creating and casting
  spells. To create spells, a mage must per-
  ceive that which is unperceivable — the
  supernatural. To cast spells, a mage must
  manipulate a supernatural pattern to cause
  a desired effect. The spell process brings
  this pattern out of the supernatural and
  into the natural world.
  The Pattern of
  Magic
  “The Law of Observation states that
  what is perceptible is real, and that
  everything which is real is percep-
  tible,” explained Mathea. “The world
  perceived through ordinary senses is
  the natural world.   The Law of Obser-
  vation is the foundation of much of the
  science and magic in Aysle.
  “Magic is based on the act of ob-
  serving the supernatural, which by
  definition is the world beyond ordi-
  nary perception. Because of the Law
  of Magic, which states that magic is
  real, then magic must also be observ-
  able — if one knows how to look for it.
  This observation begins with the mage
  using his magic skills and arcane
  knowledges to open a window into
  the supernatural. The supernatural is
  the archives of all possible things, the
  depository for the true forms of exist-
  ence — the once were, the are, and the
  might be. By applying his magic skills
  to look through this window, the mage
  sees these forms as constantly shifting
  designs. He can now select one form
  from the infinite number passing
  through his line of sight, causing it to
  become a set pattern.”
  Mathea stopped briefly to see if the
  class had lost her. Most of the stu-
  dents at least wore a game face. Per-
  haps some actually understood. She
  continued.
   “This observation sets a supernatu-
  ral form into a pattern. By applying
  the processes and theorems of magical
  skill and knowledge to this pattern,
  the mage shapes the pattern into a
  spell, giving it a result perceptible
  through ordinary means. By going
  through the spell process, the mage
  
  51
  has taken the pattern he originally
  observed in the supernatural and
  brought it into the natural world. The
  spell process affirms and clarifies the
  observed pattern, allowing the Law of
  Observation to take effect, and thus
  the two laws work together.
  “Once shaped, the spell can be used,
  taught and, to some extent, manipu-
  lated by other mages. But the core act
  in all of magic is the perception of the
  supernatural pattern, applying the
  Law of Observation to the Law of
  Magic.
  “A spell contains the original pat-
  tern observed by the mage that cre-
  ated it. When you learn a spell, you are
  learning to see that pattern in the same
  way as that mage. This is why spells
  created by those with great skill re-
  quire great skill to learn. You must see
  as the spell’s creator saw in order to
  duplicate the pattern. The spell is then
  the delivery system for the supernatu-
  ral form, the path it follows to arrive in
  the natural world.”
  The middle-aged mage paused
  again. A cloth, seemingly moving of
  its own accord, wiped the earlier notes
  away, then the marker frantically
  scribbled:
  Magic Skills
  Conjuration
  Alteration
  Apportation
  Divination
  Arcane Knowledges
  Essences
  Death
  Life
  Time
  True Knowledge
  Principles
  Darkness
  Light
  Magic
  Mixed Forces
  Inanimate Forces
  Living Forces
  Seven Kindred
  Aquatic
  Avian
  Earthly
  Elemental
  Enchanted
  Entity
  Folk
  Elements
  Air
  Earth
  Fire
  Metal
  Plant
  Water
  “The skills are listed in order, from
  the most difficult to the simplest,”
  Mathea said as the words appeared.
  “The knowledges are listed in the same
  way, although the mixed forces do not
  quite follow the scheme.”
  “A detect magic spell is built from
  the pattern observed by the divination
  skill and the magic knowledge. An
  altered fireball is built from the pat-
  tern of alteration and fire. Strength is
  built from the pattern of alteration and
  folk, as is the common haste spell.”
  A sloppy man with an ill-kempt
  beard, perhaps 10 years older than the
  other students, raised a finger, keep-
  ing his elbow firmly planted to the
  arm of his chair. He asked, “Are the
  skills exclusive of one another? Can
  you produce two spells which have
  largely the same effect with two differ-
  ent skills?”
  Mathea nodded. “Divination is used
  to produce a knowledge pattern. Ap-
  portation is used to produce a move-
  ment pattern. Alteration produces a
  pattern of change, while conjuration
  can be used to create or destroy a
  pattern. Within these definitions, it is
  certainly possible to duplicate effects.
  One skill usually proves itself supe-
  rior for a certain effect.”
  Mathea saw that the woman with
  the close-cropped red hair had a quiz-
  zical expression, but no question as
  yet. From experience, Mathea knew it
  would come soon enough.
  “The knowledges are arranged in a
  hierarchy. Centuries of observation and
  experimentation have proven that all of
  the other knowledges flow from the
  essences, directly or indirectly.” Mathea
  uttered a curt phrase, and whirled to
  point at the whiteboard. A wavering
  wall of green flame rolled from her
  finger and crashed into it. Fire dripped
  to the bottom edge, and then subli-
  mated away with a hiss. The class
  gasped in a most satisfactory manner.
  “The names of the essences have
  remained since their properties were
  first observed millennia ago. Unfortu-
  nately, their names do not describe
  their properties fully. Death is the es-
  sence of destruction and decay, of non-
  existence as well as dying. Life is the
  creative essence, the essence of grow-
  ing as well as living. Most arcane phi-
  losophers believe moral and spiritual
  qualities derive from the essences of
  life and death,” Mathea explained.
   “True knowledge is perhaps the most
  deceptive, for it refers to the true
  knowledge of physical substances,
  their makeup and properties, as well
  as the knowledge of location, distance,
  or other properties of space. Time is
  the essence of change, as well as the
  essence of the passage of time.
  “The principles are the result of the
  interaction of the essences. Darkness is
  derived from death and true knowl-
  edge, light comes from the interplay of
  life and true knowledge, while magic
  results from a mix of life and time.
  “The mixed forces, while of a lower
  order than the principles, are no sim-
  pler. They are the result of mixture of
  the principles, which includes influence
  from the essences, and two of the es-
  sences themselves. Living forces are the
  result of death, darkness, light and life.
  Inanimate forces are the result of true
  knowledge, light, magic and time.”
  Mathea paused as several students
  scribbled furiously in their notebooks.
  Vertical hair and the red-haired
  woman were notable exceptions.
  “The seven kindred spring from liv-
  ing forces, or more accurately, they
  access all of the knowledges necessary
  for existence through the living forces.
  The elements are related to the inani-
  mate forces in the same way.
  “So, between these four skills and
  22 knowledges are the bases of every
  observation, and hence every spell, in
  magic.”
  The red-haired woman’s question
  coalesced with Mathea’s last remark.
  “Professor Mathea,” she asked, “if
  every spell begins with a pattern, and
  this pattern is created from the super-
  natural, why aren’t all spells conjura-
  tion spells? Don’t you have to conjure
  the pattern in the first place?”
  Mathea smiled. “Yes, you do have
  to conjure the pattern, as well as di-
  vine it, alter it, and apport it. So, the
  process of creating spells requires all
  four skills. But the spell that is created
  can simply be a divination spell, for
  The Theory of Magic
  
  52
  the other skills are only used to ini-
  tially open up the window and bring it
  from the supernatural into the natural
  world.”
  The Spell Process
  On the whiteboard behind Mathea,
  the marker scratched out:
  Primary Rule of Magic: A spell will
  have no positive effect without being willed
  by the caster; negative or non-effects are
  generally a result of insufficient control
  and will.
  “The Primary Rule is a reminder
  that while observing a pattern is nec-
  essary for the performance of magic,
  the pattern alone is not enough. The
  spell process shapes and refines the
  observation, making it useful to the
  mage.”
  A. Open window into supernatural
  archive using the four magic skills.
  B. Observe the forms and set a pattern
  with one skill and one knowledge.
  C. Use the spell process to move the
  pattern into the natural world in the form
  of a spell.
  “Including the observation of the
  pattern, there are six steps to the spell
  process: pattern, state, control, apport-
  ation of effect, duration, and cast time.”
  Pattern and Effect
  Mathea looked earnestly at the red-
  haired woman and said, “The pattern
  of the observation defines the basic prop-
  erties of a spell effect. The fact that a
  fireball explodes out to a fill a volume,
  that strength makes you stronger
  rather than faster, or that weakness
  does make you weaker — all of these
  are established when the pattern is
  first observed. The mage must know
  the basic effect he desires when he
  starts his observation. He uses his
  magical skills and the chosen knowl-
  edge to make the observation. How
  well he does on this initial observation
  sets a limit to how effective the spell
  can be. A mage may want to build a lot
  into a pattern, but the pattern can only
  hold so much. How much is deter-
  mined during this step in the creation
  process. The pattern is the foundation
  for the spell; overbuild on the founda-
  tion and the entire spell collapses.”
  “When you observe the pattern, you
  use one magic skill and one arcane
  knowledge,” she added.
  Conjuration and State
  “A pattern is the basis for a spell,
  and much of its effect is defined by the
  pattern,” Mathea continued. “But the
  pattern’s effect is brought into the natu-
  ral world along a certain path called
  the state path, often shortened to sim-
  ply state. The state of a spell deter-
  mines how a spell’s effect comes into
  being. As the state consists of bringing
  the pattern into being, it uses the con-
  juration skill and the knowledge used
  in observing the pattern.”
  Here the mage paused, reading her
  notes once again. The next part was
  not easy to those who were brought
  up with magic and the Ayslish way of
  thought. Core Earthers, brought up
  under a different reality, would find it
  even harder to understand. Sighing,
  Mathea plunged straight into her next
  topic. The marker leapt to the
  whiteboard, squeaking out:
  Pattern
  Mechanism
  Result
  Casting
  “A state path has four points, each
  built from an arcane knowledge. The
  first is the pattern, where all magic
  begins. The pattern is the raw material
  from which a spell is made,” Mathea
  stated.
  “The mechanism is the knowledge
  used to manipulate the pattern to ob-
  tain an effect,” she continued. “In gen-
  eral, the mechanism knowledge must
  be higher in the hierarchy than the
  pattern knowledge. The three most
  common mechanisms are living forces,
  inanimate forces, and magic.
  “Living forces affect all kindred, and
  it has been shown that they can be
  used to apport the elements as well.
  Inanimate forces affect all elements, and
  can apport kindred,” Mathea said. She
  paused until the note scratching be-
  came less frantic.
  “Magic knowledge is often the
  mechanism of a spell. Magic is the only
  knowledge which, when used as the
  mechanism, contributes its full effect
  to the spell. All other knowledges
  dampen the full effect somewhat.”
  A man with a thin tie and dark jacket
  raised his hand. Mathea pointed to him.
  “Do all spells use magic knowledge as
  their mechanism? If not, why do com-
  petent mages bother with any other
  knowledge as a mechanism?” he asked.
  Mathea smiled ruefully at the ques-
  tion. “Part of the answer is in the na-
  ture of the knowledges. Magic cannot
  create all results. For example, trans-
  mutation of one element to another,
  say lead to gold, or even fire to earth,
  requires true knowledge as the mecha-
  nism or pattern. Similarly, turning a
  frog into a man, or vice versa, requires
  life knowledge,” she said.
  “Also, it is often not cost effective to
  use magic knowledge. If a smaller ef-
  fect will do, it is often cheaper to use a
  lesser mechanism. The knowledges are
  related in the way I showed you on the
  whiteboard; the cost of using the
  knowledges is related to how far apart
  knowledges lie on the chart, and where
  they lie in the hierarchy. Magic is un-
  fortunately not close to every knowl-
  edge a mage might want to use as a
  pattern.”
  Vertical hair began waving his hand
  frantically. Mathea was about to go on
  when he shouted, “Oy! I have my hand
  up!” Mathea raised her eyebrows in
  his direction.
  “Magic is pretty close to elements,
  and right next to inanimate forces. So
  you get more flash for your cash when
  using magic as a mechanism for those
  effects. Is this why lightning bolts and
  fireballs are so good at blowing the
  snots out of everything?” he asked.
  “Yes, that is essentially correct, mis-
  ter …?”
  “Slash. Call me Slash.”
  “Yes. Of course. Slash, the proxim-
  ity of the magic knowledge to inani-
  mate forces and the elements does ex-
  plain the effectiveness of those sorts of
  spells. In those cases, the mage finds it
  worth his while to use magic as a
  mechanism,” Mathea replied. “The im-
  portant thing to remember about the
  mechanism is it is the knowledge by
  which the result is achieved.”
  Chapter Five
  
  53
  “The result knowledge is the knowl-
  edge of a spell’s final effect, which can
  be the same as the pattern” Mathea
  continued. “For instance, a fireball has a
  pattern and a result of fire knowledge.
  The bullet spell has a pattern and result
  of metal. However, a transform man to
  frog spell has a pattern of folk but a
  result of aquatic, as a frog is an aquatic
  animal. The result is the knowledge
  into which the spell effect goes.
  “For example, if you wished to com-
  pletely obliterate a target, the result
  would be death, as you are turning the
  target into nothing.”
  She paused, scanned her audience,
  then continued. “The casting reflects
  how a spell is cast; whether it is cast
  directly, focused on an object or per-
  son, impressed in a person, or put into
  a ward.
  “A spell cast directly is the easi-
  est. It is linked to the caster through
  the pattern of the spell. Should the
  caster be killed, the spell loses effect
  immediately.”
  Mathea noted with satisfaction that
  a few seemed nervous at the mention
  of killing mages. Magic was a serious
  discipline with serious consequences;
  the sooner her students learned that
  the greater the chance they had for a
  long life.
  “Focused is a bit more difficult. The
  pattern is linked to an object or an-
  other person. If the object is destroyed,
  or the person slain, the spell effect
  disappears,” she said.
  “Impressed spells are harder still.
  They hold the spell process in abey-
  ance until commanded by the caster,
  or the user of an enchanted object. If
  the object is destroyed, the enchant-
  ment is lost. The same holds for de-
  stroyed folk.
  “It is important to note that spells
  can only be impressed into beings, or
  objects which contain living forces. If
  the mage wishes to impress a spell
  into an object, he must first connect it
  to the living force within him. This can
  be quite hard, and so is usually at-
  tempted only by mages who have a
  good degree of skill.
  “Wards are spells which have been
  focused and impressed into an object,
  but which have a preset condition for
  release, based on the divination skill
  and a knowledge. This means wards
  require additional divination knowl-
  edge in the control step of the process,
  which I shall explain shortly.”
  Mathea paused to collect her
  thoughts, idly splashing three fingers
  in the hindsight bowl as she thought.
  “Many of you have seen Pixaud’s Prac-
  tical Grimoire. The following examples
  all come from that volume.
  “An altered fireball spell has fire as
  its pattern, magic as its mechanism,
  and fire as its result. Its effect, and any
  positive results of the spell, are trans-
  lated directly to fire as magic is the
  mechanism.
  “Linfir’s little frog spell has a pat-
  tern of folk, a mechanism of life, and a
  result of aquatic. For the duration of
  the spell, a folk’s life essence is re-
  shaped into that of a frog.
  “Detect magic has magic as the pat-
  tern, inanimate forces as the mecha-
  nism, and magic as the result.”
  State Path
  “The state path is the path you would
  follow on the knowledge chart, starting
  with the pattern, then going to the
  mechanism, and then to the result. The
  final step, the casting, is actually a modi-
  fier to the result; it is not necessary to
  trace the state path any further once
  reaching the result knowledge. Through
  centuries of experience, mages have
  discovered how each move increases
  the complexity of a spell. In Throrvald’s
  excellent treatise on spell design you
  will read how this is done.
  “For now I can give you qualitative
  examples. For the altered fireball, the
  pattern is fire. From there you trace a
  path through inanimate forces to
  magic for the mechanism. Finally, you
  pass back through inanimate forces
  to fire for the result,” said Mathea.
  The man with the narrow tie raised
  his hand again. “Um, I’m Garrald,
  Professor Mathea. What if the mecha-
  nism was inanimate forces rather than
  magic?”
  “The damage from the fireball
  would have been greatly reduced, by
  more than tenfold,” said the mage.
  “Good enough for me,” said Slash.
  “My exploding bullet spell is going to
  have magic as its bleeding mechanism.”
  Mathea sighed. “Back to the ex-
  amples. Linfir’s little frog spell has
  folk as it pattern, then it goes through
  living forces and light to its mecha-
  The Theory of Magic
  
  54
  nism of life. It then goes directly back
  through living forces to aquatic. The
  path through light was not necessary,
  but Linfir chose to do so for the spar-
  kling effect of the spell. Wizards often
  enjoy adding small touches to their
  spells, but such fancy effects are be-
  yond the scope of our discussion.
  “Once the state path has been cho-
  sen, the mage then sets the control of
  the spell.”
  Divination and
  Control
  “Divination magic is the magic of
  knowing. Knowing how to control the
  pattern and the mystic energies flow-
  ing along the state path is crucial for a
  successful spell, or at least one which
  has a better chance of working than
  turning your brain to paste.”
  Nervous laughter met her last com-
  ment. Perhaps a few of them had expe-
  rienced enough backlash to be uncom-
  fortable at the thought of an uncon-
  trolled spell. Good.
  “So, divination magic is the skill for
  control, while the pattern knowledge
  is the knowledge used.
  “The magical skill upon which the
  spell is based first sets the difficulty of
  controlling the spell. Divination spells
  are easiest, then apportation, then al-
  teration. Conjuration are the most dif-
  ficult,” Mathea said.
  “The control can be made more dif-
  ficult by a number of other factors.
  Illusions can be made more ‘realistic’,
  or at least harder to disbelieve, by
  increasing the control over the spell.
  “Combat spells can be made more
  accurate by increasing the control of
  the spell. Versions of the bullet spell
  have been improved in this manner.
  “Wards require additional divina-
  tion skill, plus the knowledge of what
  is to be detected. This increases the
  difficulty of controlling the spell pro-
  cess as manifested in the ward. If the
  wizard wants the ward to be activated
  by dwarves who come in contact with
  it, then the spell requires divination/
  folk. If the ward is to be used to auto-
  matically extinguish a fire, divination/
  fire is needed.”
  The marker smoothly wrote out the
  following list:
  Change Target
  Effect
  Form (elements, mixed forces,
  principles only)
  Apportation
  Duration
  “The ability to change the target of
  the spell effect requires additional con-
  trol. Simple telekinesis spells can change
  targets. Without this ability, a simple
  cleaning spell would have to be recast
  for each object the apprentice wished to
  pick up. This could be quite tiring to an
  apprentice,” said Mathea, beginning to
  pick up the pace of her lecture.
  “Effect can be lessened through con-
  trol, but not increased through con-
  trol. The main reason to control effect
  is on long term or permanent magic
  effects — the effect may be switched
  off and on at the mage’s whim.
  “The mage can choose to control
  the form of a spell patterned on the
  knowledge of elements, mixed forces,
  or the principles. The mage needs to
  control the form if the desired form is
  not natural for the knowledge in ques-
  tion. Metal or earth can be shaped into
  a wall with little problem; both ele-
  ments are by their natures stable. A
  wall of fire, light, water or darkness
  would need to have its form controlled,
  as the confining shape of a wall is not
  natural for any of these knowledges.
  “Control over the apportation al-
  lows the spell to follow any path de-
  sired by the mage, rather than a straight
  path from mage to intended person or
  object of effect. Control over apporta-
  tion also allows control of the speed of
  the spell effect, but the speed cannot
  be increased beyond the natural speed
  of the spell. Away sight makes use of
  this property; the mage can stop to
  look along the way.
  “Duration may be controlled, which
  is desirable when a caster wishes to
  cancel the spell. If duration is not con-
  trolled, the spell may not be voluntar-
  ily halted by the casting mage.
  The woman with the red hair raised
  her hand again. Mathea called on her.
  “I was wondering — by the way,
  I’m Diedre — I was wondering why
  duration needs to be controlled in a
  cast spell?” she asked. “Isn’t the magic
  linked to the will of the caster? Can’t
  the caster will the pattern out of exist-
  ence instead of controlling duration?”
  Mathea vigorously shook her head.
  “No. Once initiated, the pattern exists
  for its full duration. By controlling the
  duration, a mage may hasten the
  pattern’s return to the supernatural.”
  Mathea’s smile was broad now.
  Good questions. Perhaps Core Earth
  could produce a solid mage or two
  after all.
  Apportation, Range
  and Speed
  “The remaining points of the spell
  process are not nearly so complicated,”
  said Mathea. The class released their
  tension with an audible sigh.
  “The range of a spell’s effect is the
  greatest range at which the mage’s
  will is sufficient to maintain the pat-
  tern and its effect. Even a hair’s width
  beyond that range and the pattern will
  have no practical effect. An effect may
  be perceived by those outside the range
  of the spell, but sometimes even the
  perceptions may be muted.
  “A magical conflagration which
  burned with purely magical fire, one
  which had not set blaze to objects in
  the natural world, would be visible
  outside its range. The fire might pro-
  duce sound or an odor associated with
  burning, but centuries of practice have
  shown these effects to be less pro-
  nounced than similar effects of a natu-
  ral conflagration.  A person standing
  an eyelash away from such a magical
  fire would feel considerable warmth,
  but would never burn.
  “Therefore, any practical effect the
  mage wants must occur within the
  range of the spell,” said Mathea.
  “The speed of the spell is the how fast
  the spell effect may be moved, out to its
  maximum range. If the speed is too low,
  the spell effect may not reach its full
  range before the duration expires.”
  “You say the spell effect is moved,”
  interrupted Slash. “Which means
  range and speed come from the ap-
  portation skill, and the bleeding pat-
  tern knowledge?”
  “Yes,” said Mathea. “As I was say-
  ing, the speed may be kept low for
  spells with sufficient duration. Spells
  used in combat will tend to have speeds
  equal to or greater than the range of
  the spell to deliver the effect quickly.
  Chapter Five
  
  55
  “Speed and range together are usu-
  ally called the apportation of the spell
  effect, as they are summed into a whole
  during the design of a spell,” Mathea
  said.
  Alteration and
  Duration
  “The duration of the spell is also
  chosen by the mage. In order to com-
  pensate for a highly complex spell,
  mages often choose a duration which
  is considerably less than what their
  alteration skill and pattern knowledge
  might suggest. You will see how this is
  done in tonight’s assignment.”
  Cast Time
  “Cast time is also chosen by the
  mage. Minimum cast time for a spell is
  thought to be one heartbeat, although
  this has not been properly confirmed.
  The greater the cast time, the easier the
  spell becomes for the mage. Cast times
  over an hour are not uncommon, par-
  ticularly if the spell is to be impressed.”
  Theorems and
  Their Application
  “When a mage finishes the spell
  process, he is usually left with a spell
  which has an unacceptably high back-
  lash, difficulty, or both. In virtually all
  cases, the spell could be made easier
  though conscientious applications of
  theorems.
  “There are two basic types of theo-
  rems. Pattern theorems are observed
  magical truths which are applied to
  the basic pattern or the effect of the
  spell. Process theorems are observed
  truths which apply to the spell
  process.”
  The marker made two side-by-side
  lists:
  Pattern Theorems
  Concentration
  Contagion
  Specific Contagion
  Exclusion
  Uniqueness
  Similarity
  Touch
  Self
  Voice
  Process Theorems
  Cast Time
  Control
  Duration
  Range
  Speed
  State
  “Theorems may be applied to any
  spell a mage is designing. They fur-
  ther define a spell, lowering the com-
  plexity of the spell, but restricting it at
  the same time. Any restrictions built
  into a spell by a theorem must be
  followed in order to cast that spell.”
  Pattern Theorems
  “Pattern theorems are the heritage of
  every Ayslish mage who has learned
  the rudiments of even a single magical
  skill. They are derived from proper-
  ties of the supernatural pattern itself,
  or from properties of the observer.
  “The theorem of concentration states
  that as the spell is cast, the mind of the
  mage mirrors the pattern. If the mage
  continues to concentrate on the pat-
  tern after the spell is cast, the pattern is
  easier to maintain in the natural world.
  If the mage is concentrating on a spell,
  he may take no other action until the
  spell’s effect is over.
  “The theorem of contagion states a
  part is always linked with its whole.
  This theorem makes it easier to bring
  the pattern into the natural world by
  having a physical object which repre-
  sents either the pattern knowledge or
  the result knowledge,” said Mathea.
  “Does this mean I can use a human
  hair as contagion on a spell which I am
  currently using on a dwarf?” asked
  Garrald.
  “Yes,” said Mathea. “Such a spell
  might be slightly less effective, but
  folk are folk.”
  “Specific contagion may be applied
  when the piece of an object, or object
  itself, comes from the actual target of
  the spell. If I  apply the theorem of
  specific contagion to a spell which is
  going to effect folk, I would need some-
  thing from the individual or object
  who is the target of the spell.
  “When specific contagion is applied,
  contagion may be applied as well.
  “If either contagion theorem is ap-
  plied to a spell, that spell cannot be
  cast without the contagion,” concluded
  Mathea.
  “Hey, is this true of the other theo-
  rems as well? I mean the part about
  applying more than one of them? So if
  I am using uniqueness I can apply
  exclusion, and if I am using self I can
  also apply touch?” asked Slash.
  “Yes,” answered Mathea.
  “Brill. So what do those theorems
  do?” insisted Slash.
  “I am getting to them,” replied
  Mathea curtly.
  “The theorem of exclusion states that
  the less of a knowledge which is
  neccessary for the pattern or result,
  the easier the spell. A folk spell which
  only affects dwarves would be easier
  to cast once the theorem of exclusion
  were applied, as dwarf is less than the
  whole that folk encompasses.”
  The ill-kempt man raised his finger,
  asking, “Can the theorem of exclusion
  be applied only once? What if I want to
  design a spell which only affects left-
  handed, overweight dwarves with bad
  breath? Or more likely a spell which
  only affects knife blades, a subset of
  blades, which is a subset of metal?”
  “No,” answered Mathea. “The theo-
  rem of exclusion may only be applied
  once to the pattern. However, it may
  be applied to limit the pattern or result
  in any way the mage desires. But once
  applied, the exclusion on the spell can-
  not be changed. Another spell would
  have to be designed in order to get a
  different exclusion.
  “You may also apply the theorem
  of exclusion to the result knowledge,
  but again you may only apply it to the
  result knowledge once.”
  “So I could build a fireball which
  only burned dwarves using the law of
  exclusion?” asked Slash.
  “No, Slash, you cannot. A fireball
  has the pattern and result of fire, of
  which mages over the millennia have
  only observed one kind, the kind which
  attempts to burn everything.”
  “Can I design a spell which only
  increases the strength of my friends?”
  asked Garrald.
  “No. The emotional state of folk
  seems to be beyond the bounds of the
  theorem of exclusion,” Mathea said.
  The Theory of Magic
  
  56
  “The theorem of uniqueness is the
  most effective form of exclusion,” she
  continued when the questions died
  down. “It may be applied when the
  spell affects only one specific indi-
  vidual, or one particular object. When
  uniqueness is applied, exclusion may
  also be applied.
  “The theorem of similarity states that
  cause resembles effect. Whenever the
  mage mimics the process or result
  while casting the spell, this theorem
  may be applied. For example, in the
  altered fireball the mage mimics the
  flight and impact of the fireball with
  the piece of pitch which he holds. By
  putting this action into the spell pro-
  cess, the mage who designed the spell
  can apply the theorem of similarity,”
  said Mathea.
  “The theorem of touch states that di-
  rect contact between the caster of a
  spell and the target of a spell makes
  the transfer of the result easier. The
  theorem may be applied whenever
  the spell requires the caster to touch
  the recipient of the spell.
  “The theorem of self states that as the
  observer of the pattern, the mage is
  closest to, and most susceptible to, the
  pattern of the spell. If a spell only affects
  the caster, then the theorem of self may
  be applied. As a mage whose spirit still
  inhabits his body is always in contact
  with his physical self, he may apply the
  theorem of touch as well.
  “The theorem of voice states that the
  path of thought to voice is akin to the
  path of pattern to natural world. Speak-
  ing the spell process aloud for the
  entire time the spell is cast allows the
  theorem of voice to be applied,”
  Mathea said.
  Process Theorems
  “Process theorems affect the process of
  the spell, rather than the pattern di-
  rectly. Each theorem must be learned, a
  skill similar to the other magic skills.
  They only have application in spell de-
  sign, and placing restrictions upon spell
  manipulation. For all of their theoreti-
  cal nature, any mage intent on design-
  ing spells will eventually learn at least
  one or two of these theorems. Their
  benefit is often essential.
  “The only restriction to applying
  process theorems is that these same
  theorems are required to  manipulate
  the spell, as manipulation is tampering
  with the spell process. If a mage has a
  process theorem, he will apply it to any
  spell he designs unless there is a com-
  pelling reason not to do so,” said Mathea.
  “What might be a compelling rea-
  son?” asked the ill-kempt man.
  Mathea found herself annoyed that
  he had not yet introduced himself, but
  answered, “Some spells are designed
  with manipulation in mind. If a spell is
  intended for use by a beginning mage,
  the fewer theorems necessary to effec-
  tively manipulate the spell, the better.”
  Mathea looked around for other
  questions. There were none, probably
  due to mental exhaustion.  She straight-
  ened herself and clapped her hands
  loudly.
  “That’s it for today then. Read the
  section on spell design in the book I
  am giving you before next class. Then
  we will start having you work minor
  magics in laboratory sessions, as well
  as attending these theory lectures.
  Enjoy the assignment.”
  Spell Design
  The following is condensed from
  Magister Throrvald’s Foundations of
  Effective Magic, but they are presented
  in a manner which is directly appli-
  cable to the Torg game, leaving out
  many of the metaphysical asides which
  have confused students in the past.
  Here is an overview of spell design:
  1. The mage decides the effect she
  wants the spell to have, and then
  chooses the knowledges for the pat-
  tern, mechanism and result. The mage
  needs all four magic skills to design
  a spell, but the pattern skill is the
  only skill  necessary to cast the spell.
  Next the mage chooses whether the
  spell should be cast directly, focused,
  impressed or placed in a ward. It is at
  this stage that the axiom level of the
  spell is decided upon, and the bonus
  number of the spell is assigned to in-
  crease one of its attributes.
  2. The mage assigns values to the
  pattern, state, control, apportation, and
  duration portions of the spell process.
  3. The mage uses her magic skill
  and the pattern knowledge to gener-
  ate totals. The pattern total is gener-
  ated from the magic skill used to ob-
  serve the pattern, with the mage’s adds
  in pattern knowledge added to the
  skill value. The conjuration, divina-
  tion, apportation and alteration totals
  are generated using the respective
  skills, which have each been increased
  by the adds of the pattern knowledge.
  The pattern knowledge adds are added
  to the magical skills only for spell
  design, never for casting the spell.
  4. The skill totals are subtracted
  from the pattern and process values.
  If a skill total exceeds the pattern or
  process value by more than five, a -5 is
  recorded. The only exception is when
  the alteration total exceeds the dura-
  tion by more than five; the full differ-
  ence is recorded. This is the reason
  many spells have a short duration.
  These are then added together into the
  spell sum. If the spell sum is less than
  zero, it is raised to zero.
  5. The basic complexity is calcu-
  lated. The basic complexity is in-
  creased by the type of magic skill  used
  in the pattern, the maximum value of
  the pattern or spell process, the spell
  sum, and reduced by the cast time of
  the spell.
  6. Theorems are applied, restricting
  the effects of the spell, or requiring
  additional steps in the casting process.
  Each theorem takes at least a week to
  apply; taking additional weeks tends
  to increase the effectiveness of the theo-
  rem. The totals of all applied theorems
  are added to form the theorem sum.
  7. The final complexity of the spell
  is equal to the basic complexity minus
  the theorem sum. There are minimum
  complexities depending on the type of
  magic used to cast the spell.
  8. The spell is recorded. It is given a
  name. The final complexity is split
  into backlash and difficulty at the dis-
  cretion of the mage. The other values
  of the spell are recorded.
  Choosing
  Knowledges
  for a Spell
  Many spell effects are only possible
  with one combination of knowledges
  for the pattern, mechanism and result
  of the spell. It is essential for a mage to
  Chapter Five
  
  57
  understand how the knowledges work
  within the pattern and process of a spell.
  Essences
  The essences are the hardest
  knowledges to use for the pattern of a
  spell. They often accompany the most
  spectacular effects possible in magic.
  True transformation, turning one thing
  or being into another, requires essences
  as either the result or the mechanism.
  Conjuring something which is not
  illusory requires an essence as the pat-
  tern or as its mechanism, or both. A
  transformation or conjuration will still
  fade at the end of the duration of the
  spell, but it cannot be broken by disbe-
  lief (as mentioned on page 114 of the
  Torg Rulebook).  A transformation us-
  ing an essence as its mechanism or
  pattern is real for its duration.
  Essences are immutable. They may
  not be changed to another essence, nor
  to any other knowledge. If an essence
  is used as a pattern, the essence is
  drawn from within other knowledges
  of the spell, and perhaps manipulated.
  If used as a result, that essence within
  the pattern knowledge is enhanced.
  Essences may be used as mechanisms
  for patterns of an essence, as long as
  the result knowledge is not an essence;
  essences may be combined to produce
  lower-order knowledges, but not an
  essence.
  Mages have yet to find a pattern
  which uses an essence and apporta-
  tion magic. Such a gap in their theory
  puzzles them.
  Death
  Death is the essence of corruption,
  non-existence, the consuming hunger
  of the Void, as well as death. Death is
  a powerful essence because of Linfir’s
  Maxim, “Nature concedes the destruc-
  tion of anything, the construction of
  nothing.”
  Pattern
  As a pattern, death is used to ma-
  nipulate the death knowledge within
  a being or object (through divination
  or alteration), or to bring a pattern of
  destruction into existence (through
  conjuration).
  Examples: Death may be used with
  divination to search for corruption, or
  a source of destruction.
  Alteration/death is the pattern for
  reanimating the dead, allowing
  thought as well as simple movement.
  Conjuration/death may be a pattern
  which creates death to be inflicted
  upon another knowledge.
  Mechanism
  As a mechanism, death allows a
  pattern to be altered or divined
  through death. As a mechanism, death
  can corrupt, diminish, or kill its target.
  Death used a mechanism for conju-
  ration/darkness or living forces can
  make the spell results real for the du-
  ration of the spell. However, death can
  eality: What a Concept!
  R
  The class had broken up for
  the day, and several students and
  Mathea were in the cafeteria,
  drinking coffee. Mathea hadn’t
  liked the stuff at first, but she
  found herself rapidly becoming
  addicted.
  The unkempt man stared hard
  at Mathea. “Okay. Let’s see if
  I’ve got this straight. The super-
  natural is the archive of all pos-
  sible things, right?”
  Mathea pushed her spectacles
  back on her nose and took a sip
  of her coffee. “Simplistically put,
  but an adequate description for
  this stage of your training, yes.”
  “Fine. It’s a really big room
  filled with lots of file cabinets.
  So, famous mage that I am, I
  amble into the file room, use my
  skill and knowledge to find the
  file that contains the pattern I’m
  looking for. And the greater my
  skill and knowledge, the better I
  can sort through the files.”
  Mathea didn’t know exactly
  what a file cabinet was, but she
  could see that the man had the
  right idea, sort of. She nodded.
  “So after I’ve got this file, I can
  cause whatever it contains to
  become real in this universe?”
  “More or less,” Mathea re-
  plied. “The universe tends to re-
  sist change. The more improb-
  able the effect you are attempt-
  ing to cause, the harder the spell.
  You not only use your skills and
  knowledges to find the proper
  pattern, you also pit them against
  the natural tendencies of the uni-
  verse to cause them to become
  reality. That’s why most spells
  have limited durations — after a
  while, the universe overcomes
  your imposed reality and returns
  things to the way they used to
  be.”
  The student looked  uncon-
  vinced. “But where does the en-
  ergy come from? I mean, you say,
  ‘abracadabra,’ and I fly back-
  wards into the wall at 50 miles
  per hour?” The student patted
  his fair-sized paunch. “That’s a
  fair amount of kinetic energy.
  Do you supply it? Does it come
  from your mind, somehow?”
  “Only tangentally. To get you
  to fly back into the wall at 50
  miles per hour, I have to have the
  pattern for movement. The su-
  pernatural, the ‘file room’ as you
  call it, contains the patterns for
  everything — thought, commu-
  nication, emotion, matter, and
  movement.
  “The only energy I supply is
  that involved in imposing the
  pattern I have chosen on the uni-
  verse. That’s where spell back-
  lash comes from — my mind
  versus the inertia of reality.”
  Mathea stood up.
  “That’s enough theorizing for
  today,” she announced firmly.
  “Right now, the only reality I’m
  interested in is that my coffee
  cup is empty.”
  She headed up to the urn, then
  paused and turned around. “By
  the way, I’ve never heard the
  expression ‘abracadabra’ before.
  Is that a word of power in your
  language?”
  The Theory of Magic
  
  58
  only be used as a mechanism for re-
  sults which are consistent with it. Death
  cannot be used as the mechanism for a
  healing spell.
  Examples: As a divination mecha-
  nism, death may be used for a speak
  with dead spell.
  As an alteration mechanism, it can
  bring out the corruption in a being.
  Result
   A death result allows the complete
  destruction of the pattern knowledge.
  It can also be used when the mage
  wants the target to die. As a result,
  death makes corruption or destruc-
  tion continual, beyond the capacity of
  natural healing or natural processes of
  repair for the duration of the spell.
  Magical processes are needed to undo
  the effects of the spell.
  Examples: A spell which consigns
  an object to non-existence needs death
  as the result.
  An alteration/earth spell which shat-
  tered stone could be used to destroy a
  wall; if death were the result, the wall
  would resist repair, continuing to
  crumble for the duration of the spell.
  Life
  Life is the essence of creation, re-
  newal, life, and honor. Life is the es-
  sence of change, the change of growth,
  the change of spirit, and the change of
  new ideas.
  Pattern
  As a pattern, life may be used to
  find life or the honorable (through
  divination), or enhance life, honor or
  the creative aspect of a being (through
  alteration). Conjuration/life allows the
  mage to create truly living beings from
  the raw supernatural pattern.
  Examples: A divination/life spell
  could be used to detect life or honor
  within a being. It could also be used to
  detect a particular one of the seven
  kindred.
  Alteration/life could be used to ac-
  celerate healing, growth, or other life
  process.
  Note: Theoretical mages have cor-
  related the gestation period of a kin-
  dred with the duration necessary to
  make a conjured lifeform viable. Until
  this time has passed, the lifeform needs
  the pattern provided by the spell.
  Example: A conjuration/folk which
  yielded a human would need a dura-
  tion of nine months before the con-
  jured person could live without the
  support of the conjured/folk spell.
  Mechanism
  As a mechanism, life imbues the
  result knowledge with life, honor, or
  other life aspect. As a mechanism, life
  can be used to transform one kindred
  to another, through their common
  nature as living beings.
  Life may also be used as a mecha-
  nism for magic and light, and living
  forces, making conjurations involving
  those knowledges real for the dura-
  tion of the spell. Such use must be
  consistent with the essence of life. A
  conjure corrupt being spell could not
  have life as its mechanism.
  Examples: Bringing someone back
  to life requires life as the mechanism,
  but a mage must be careful. In accor-
  dance with Linfir’s Maxim, should the
  spell wear off before the body has had
  a chance to heal itself, rid itself of
  poison, disease, or negate whatever
  killed it, the unfortunate victim will
  drop over dead again.
  Linfir’s little frog spell would have
  life as the mechanism, folk as the pat-
  tern and aquatic creatures as the result
  knowledge.
  Result
  As a result, life makes any renewal,
  creation or other life attribute con-
  tinual for the duration of the spell.
  Magical processes are needed to undo
  the effects of the spell.
  Life can be used to tell the nature of
  a kindred, penetrating any disguise,
  also analyzing his health or other life
  factors. Life can also be used to tell the
  nature of any enchantments on a kin-
  dred. The limiting factor is the infor-
  mation may be gained about one other
  knowledge: kindred, living forces,
  light, or magic.
  Examples: A healing spell which
  had life as the result would continu-
  ally heal the kindred for the duration
  of the spell, healing any additional
  damage taken.
  aveat Magii
  C
  Any spell design system is
  going to have to be overseen by
  the gamemaster. This one is no
  exception. We have put a num-
  ber of “spell brakes” into the sys-
  tem. This prevents spells from
  being too easy, while still being
  versatile and quite powerful in
  the hands of skilled magicians.
  However, any time you get cun-
  ning players and dice together,
  amazing things can happen. You
  can always disallow the spell,
  frankly telling the player that
  such a spell could unravel your
  campaign. However, you might
  be able to handle powerful spells
  designed by Storm Knights
  within the game. If the spell is
  one-in-a-thousand, another
  mage might be interested. If the
  spell is one-in-a-billion, you can
  bet that a good number of wiz-
  ards are going to be interested in
  the spell.
  Also remember that counter
  spells are possible. A flame spell
  could be developed by a mage
  with its only visible effect being
  a pinprick of flame on the casters
  hand. Since a character can only
  be affected by one spell of one
  knowledge at a time, the flame
  hand spell could be proof against
  the most vicious fireball imagin-
  able if cast by a wizard more
  skilled than the caster of the fire-
  ball.
  Chapter Five
  
  59
  A detect folk enchantment could
  have folk as the pattern, living forces
  as the mechanism, and life as the re-
  sult. If successful the spell would give
  the caster knowledge on the type and
  extent of any magics which are fo-
  cused on the target folk.
  Time
  Time is the essence of soulless
  change, as well as the knowledge of
  time. Change caused by time is a
  change in being, in the nature of an
  object, not simple changes such as a
  change in location. Unlike life, the
  change of time does not require a
  steady progression; radical changes,
  even random changes, are possible
  with time.
  Time can change the very nature of
  a being or object, and so is seen to be
  opposed to true knowledge, which
  seeks to define what is invariable in a
  being or thing.
  Pattern
  If time is the pattern, the nature of
  change and time itself may be manipu-
  lated, although such manipulations are
  limited to the duration of the spell.
  Examples: Divination/time may be
  the pattern to determine when an event
  occurred.
  Alteration/time may be the pattern
  to accelerate or decelerate time.
  Conjuration/time would bring an el-
  ement of time or change where there
  had been none before.
  Mechanism
  Time as a mechanism may be used
  to transform an inanimate force into
  any other inanimate force. Such a trans-
  formation is real for the duration of
  the spell.
  Time may also be used as a mecha-
  nism for magic and inanimate forces,
  making conjurations involving those
  knowledges real for the duration of the
  spell. Such use must be consistent with
  the essence of time. A conjure magic
  missile spell is highly accurate, which
  involves its location in space, not time.
  Example: Time could be used as the
  mechanism which transformed the
  inanimate force of gravity to the inani-
  mate force of heat.
  Result
  A result of time can be used to “fix”
  a process in time, to halt time for the
  duration of the spell.
  Also, a result of time may be used to
  gain information about the nature of
  inanimate forces or magic on an ele-
  ment. A spell can only be designed to
  gain information on one knowledge.
  Example: A fireball could have al-
  teration/fire as the pattern, magic as the
  mechanism, and time as the result.
  The fireball would travel as normal
  until the mage triggered it. It would
  stay suspended in time for the dura-
  tion the spell.
  A mage could build the detect en-
  chanted weapon spell with divination/
  metal as the pattern, magic as the
  mechanism and time as the result.
  True Knowledge
  True Knowledge is the true knowl-
  edge of physical substances and their
  properties. True knowledge is consid-
  ered to be the “pure form” of a being or
  object, the pattern to which the matter
  of the object conforms. If one had true
  knowledge of a dwarf, everything es-
  sential to the physical being of a dwarf
  is contained in that true knowledge.
  The spiritual dwarf is still the prov-
  ince of life and death.
  As a consequence, true knowledge
  is also the knowledge of location, dis-
  tance, or other properties of space as
  well as weight and mass; any of the
  usual ways in which you measure a
  physical object. To conjure any of the
  elements requires true knowledge.
  True knowledge deals with the true
  form of a being, one which resists the
  many changes of the day-to-day world.
  In this way, true knowledge is at odds
  with time, which is often associated
  with change for change’s sake.
  Pattern
  Conjuration of a real element re-
  quires true knowledge as the pattern.
  Creating an opening to another di-
  mension requires conjuration/true
  knowledge.
  Alteration true knowledge is used
  to change the physical makeup of an
  element, giving it physical properties
  it usually would not have. It can also
  be used to open a gate between two
  points in the same dimension.
  Examples: Extradimensional gate
  has conjuration/true knowledge as its
  pattern. Conjuration is necessary be-
  cause a dimension is a place which is
  part of a cosm, yet physically discon-
  nected from at least one other region
  of the cosm. There is no physical path
  between two dimensions, so conjura-
  tion magic is necessary to create one.
  Alteration/true knowledge is the pat-
  tern for a teleport or gate spell within
  a cosm.
  Mechanism
  True knowledge as a mechanism
  allows one element to be transformed
  into another.
  True knowledge may also be used
  as a mechanism for light, darkness,
  and inanimate forces, making conju-
  rations involving those knowledges
  real for the duration of the spell. Such
  use must be consistent with the es-
  sence of true knowledge. A loathing
  spell involves spiritual darkness, and
  could not have true knowledge as its
  mechanism.
  Example: A turn lead into gold spell
  would require true knowledge as the
  mechanism to produce true gold. Illu-
  sory gold would be easier to produce.
  Result
  True knowledge as a result allows
  the spell to give information about the
  true nature of an element (or object
  made from an element). The limiting
  factor is information may be gained
  about one other knowledge: element,
  light, darkness, or inanimate forces.
  Examples: A know metal spell has
  divination/metal as its pattern, inani-
  mate forces as its mechanism, and true
  knowledge as its result. If successful,
  the caster knows the true nature of the
  target metal, its type, whether or not
  the object is made of more than one
  metal, or is not metal at all.
  Alternately, a mage may choose to
  create a detect enchanted weapon spell
  which has a pattern of metal, a mecha-
  nism of magic, and a result of true
  knowledge.
  The Theory of Magic
  
  60
  Principles
  The principles are pure forces of a
  high order. Magic is the most critical
  of the principles, because of its effec-
  tiveness when used as a mechanism.
  Light and darkness each have their
  uses in the hands of skilled mages, as
  they represent moral and intellectual
  light and darkness, being more than
  the physical presence or absence of
  light.
   Darkness, light and magic may
  each be used as a mechanism unless
  the above section states an essence
  must be used.
  As with all knowledges lower in
  the hierarchy than the essences, any
  conjuration from the principles is illu-
  sory, unless an essence is used as the
  mechanism.
  The principles are susceptible to
  apportation, which distinguishes
  them from the essences. Ayslish mages
  have shown that darkness, light and
  magic may be moved, although there
  are restrictions.
  Principles are the most effective
  knowledges on which to build illu-
  sions, as they are the knowledges clos-
  est to the essences. An illusion with
  darkness, light or magic as its pattern
  requires a Mind total of at least 15 to
  disbelieve.
  Darkness
  Darkness is the knowledge encom-
  passing physical darkness, the prop-
  erty it derives from true knowledge.
  In Aysle even physical darkness is
  more than the absence of light. Dark-
  ness is a quality in its own right, one
  which competes with light in the cosm
  of Aysle. You cannot have light and
  darkness together; darkness consumes
  light, and light banishes darkness.
  Darkness also refers to spiritual
  darkness, corruption and evil. It en-
  compasses intellectual darkness, such
  as confusion and doubt. Negative
  emotions, like fear, greed and hatred,
  are part of darkness.  These are the
  properties infused by death.
  Pattern
  Conjuration/darkness is the pattern
  for creating darkness — physical,
  spiritual, or emotional. Conjuration/
  darkness may be the pattern for illu-
  sions of kindred or living forces, but
  they must all contain an element of
  corruption or evil.
  Alteration/darkness is the pattern for
  increasing or decreasing any present
  darkness, as well as converting dark-
  ness to another knowledge entirely.
  Divination/darkness is the pattern
  for spells of detection, or fathoming
  negative moods, or sensing hostile
  intentions.
  Apportation/darkness is the mecha-
  nism for moving darkness. A dark
  mood may be moved from one being
  to another. In Aysle, the emotions (or
  humors) are attributes which may be
  separated from a being.
  Examples: Create anger has the
  pattern of conjuration/darkness.
  Drive away darkness would have
  apportation/darkness as its pattern. Such
  a spell would not illuminate its sur-
  roundings, but would allow any avail-
  able light, even a match, to light the
  entire region from which darkness
  had been removed.
  Mechanism
  Darkness can be the mechanism for
  detecting darkness in living beings.
  Darkness can cause negative emo-
  tions, or manipulate living energies to
  have a negative outcome for the tar-
  get. Not as destructive or absolute as
  death, darkness can produce subtler
  effects.
  Example: An spell which brought
  on bad luck could have alteration/folk
  as the pattern, darkness as the mecha-
  nism, and living forces as the result.
  For the duration of the spell, things
  would just tend to go wrong for the
  target folk.
  Result
  Darkness as a result can create
  physical darkness, emotional turmoil,
  or confusion.
  Example: A confusion spell which
  befuddled an opponent could have a
  pattern of folk, a living forces mecha-
  nism, and a result of darkness.
  Light
  In Aysle, light is derived from life
  and true knowledge. From true knowl-
  edge it gains its properties as physical
  light. From life it gains its spiritual
  and intellectual properties. Positive
  emotions such as love, loyalty and
  bravery are derived from the spiritual
  properties of light. Insight into a prob-
  lem is an intellectual aspect of light.
  Pattern
  Conjuration/light is the pattern for
  creating light — physical, spiritual, or
  emotional. Conjuration/light can be
  the pattern for illusions of kindred or
  living forces, but they must also con-
  tain an element of good or honor.
  Conjuration/light can also be the pat-
  tern for illusions of elements or inani-
  mate forces; as these are derived
  mostly from the true knowledge com-
  ponent of light, these illusion have no
  moral content.
  Alteration/light is the pattern for in-
  creasing, or decreasing any present
  light, as well as converting light to
  another knowledge entirely.
  Divination/light is the pattern for
  spells of detection, or fathoming posi-
  tive moods, or sensing genuine good
  will.
  Apportation/light is the mechanism
  for moving light. In addition to physi-
  cal light, a mood may be moved from
  one being to another. In Aysle, the
  emotions (or humors) are attributes
  which may be separated from a being.
  Light may also be apported out of an
  area all together.
  Examples: A create joy spell has
  the pattern of conjuration/light.
  Drive away light would have ap-
  portation/light as its pattern. Such a
  spell would not automatically darken
  its surroundings, but would allow any
  available darkness, such as a shadow,
  to spread and fill an entire region
  from which light had been removed.
  Mechanism
  As a mechanism, light causes posi-
  tive emotions or manipulates living
  energies to have a beneficial outcome
  for the target.
  Light can be the mechanism for
  detecting the qualities associated with
  light, honor and loyalty, or a general
  aura of good about the person.
  Example: A spell which brought
  on good luck could have alteration/folk
  as the pattern, light as the mechanism,
  Chapter Five
  
  61
  and living forces as the result. For the
  duration of the spell, the target folk
  would receive more breaks than usual.
  Result
  Light as a result can create physical
  light or emotional harmony.
  Examples: A peace spell which al-
  lowed the user to project an aura of
  peace and calm onto a target could have
  a pattern of alteration/folk, a living forces
  mechanism, and a result of light.
  A protective shield of light could
  have a pattern of alteration/living forces,
  a mechanism of light, and a result of
  light.
  Magic
  As befits a mixture of the life es-
  sence and the essence of time, magic is
  the knowledge of change, both living
  and unliving. Magic is the energy and
  mutability which pervades the super-
  natural. While all patterns are derived
  from the supernatural, only some keep
  the full efficacy of the supernatural
  when they are observed by a mage
  and placed in the real world. When a
  mage uses the knowledge of the su-
  pernatural to its full effect in a pattern,
  mechanism or result, then she is using
  the magic knowledge.
  Pattern
  A conjuration/magic pattern can be
  used to create illusions of inanimate
  forces or elements.
  Divination/magic is the pattern for
  detecting magic in an element, kin-
  dred, living or inanimate force.
  Apportation/magic can be used to
  drive magic away from an area.
  Examples: Detect magic has the
  pattern of divination/magic, the mecha-
  nism of inanimate force, and a result
  of plant (assuming the pages of the
  grimoire are made of plant material).
  An anti-magic bubble has the pat-
  tern of apportation/magic, the mecha-
  nism of magic, and the result of magic.
  Mechanism
  Magic is the most effective mecha-
  nism for any spell. It is the only knowl-
  edge where the result points of a spell
  are translated directly into game ef-
  fects. All other mechanisms have their
  result points read through the Power
  Push Table to find their effect. See
  the Extended Power Push Table at the
  end of this section.
  Magic can be used for the mecha-
  nism of any spell. The only problem is
  the cost of magic in the state path of
  many spells (see below). When based
  upon a pattern of elements or inani-
  mate forces, magic is almost always
  the best mechanism.
  Examples: The strength spell has a
  mechanism of living forces, and so
  uses a power push to increase the
  strength of its target. If the mechanism
  was magic, the result points would be
  directly added to the targets strength.
  The altered fireball has magic as its
  mechanism, so result points of dam-
  age are read directly on the combat
  chart, i.e. nine result points of damage
  gives an Ord a “Wound K/O 9”. If the
  mechanism were inanimate forces, the
  nine result points would have to be
  put through the Power Push Table to
  yield a +4; the Ord would take four
  result points in wounds, an “O 3” from
  that fireball. Magic is clearly the supe-
  rior mechanism.
  Result
  Magic as a result is used when a
  mage wishes to control magic in a
  being, object or area.
  Examples: The anti-magic bubble
  given above.
  Also, a hide enchanted weapon spell
  could have a pattern of metal, and a
  mechanism and result of magic. When
  scanned with a detect magic, the spell
  would give a false reading.
  Mixed Forces
  Each mixed force is a combination,
  directly or indirectly, of all four es-
  sences. While less effective than the
  principles, they are as difficult to con-
  trol. Most theoretical magicians be-
  lieve this is because the mixed forces
  contain opposed essences within them;
  living forces are under the direct influ-
  ences of life and death, while inani-
  mate forces are under the direct influ-
  ences of time and true knowledge.
  Mixed forces form a vital link be-
  tween the essences and principles above,
  and the kindred and elements below.
  Illusions formed from a pattern of
  mixed forces require a Mind total of at
  least 12 to disbelieve.
  Inanimate Forces
  Inanimate forces are the link to the
  elements. Inanimate forces can affect
  kindred. Inanimate forces cannot be
  used to transform or change kindred,
  even if the changes are illusory.
  Inanimate forces are the forces
  which affect elements, and are associ-
  ated with elements: heat, electricity,
  magnetism, forces which bind ele-
  ments together, forces which make
  them appear as they do. Only those
  forces which are specifically covered
  by another knowledge, such as light
  or living forces, are excluded from the
  range of inanimate forces.
  Pattern
  Inanimate forces are used in a pat-
  tern when a mage wants to convert
  one inanimate force to another.
  Example: Alteration/inanimate forces
  is the pattern of a “convert gravity to
  heat” spell, magic is the mechanism,
  and inanimate forces are the result.
  Mechanism
  Inanimate forces are used as the
  mechanism for a variety of less costly
  spells using the elements. Inanimate
  forces can apport any physical object,
  including kindred.
  Inanimate forces can be used as the
  mechanism for results of light or magic,
  mixed forces, or elements.
   For elements, they may be used as
  the mechanism for divination, alter-
  ation, or illusory conjuration.
  Example: The fool’s gold spell has a
  pattern of alteration/metal, a mecha-
  nism of inanimate forces, and a result
  of metal. The resulting metal may look
  and feel enough like gold to fool the
  magically unprepared, but Ayslish
  merchants have long since bought
  enchanted coin scales from the mage
  guild to remedy this problem.
  Result
  If you want a lightning bolt, you
  need inanimate forces as the result of
  your spell; same with magnetism,
  gravity, or other force which is not an
  embodiment of an element, living
  forces or  light.
  The Theory of Magic
  
  62
  Examples: The lightning bolt spell
  has a pattern of alteration/inanimate
  forces, a mechanism of magic, and a
  result of inanimate forces.
  The general purpose telekinesis
  spell has a pattern of apportation/air, a
  mechanism of magic, and a result of
  inanimate forces.
  Living Forces
  Living forces are the link between
  the kindred knowledges and the prin-
  ciples and essences. Living forces en-
  ergize the attributes of living things,
  Dexterity, Strength, Perception, and the
  rest of the attributes are powered by
  living forces. Living forces are respon-
  sible for the health and vitality of a
  kindred.
  The only affect living forces may
  have on elements is apportation.
  Pattern
  Living forces are used in a pattern
  when a mage wants a generalized spell
  which will work equally well on any
  kindred.
  Example: A haste spell which was
  built with a pattern of alteration/living
  forces, a mechanism of living forces,
  and a result of living forces would, in
  addition to being very difficult, be able
  to affect all kindred.
  Mechanism
  Living forces are used as the mecha-
  nism for a host of basic spells, including
  strength, haste and increase charisma.
  Living forces can be used as the
  mechanisms for results of mixed forces,
  kindred and elements, as well as re-
  sults of light or darkness.
  Result
  A result of living forces is needed
  when the result is to apply equally to
  all kindred.
  cope of the Knowledges
  S
  earthly. Folk are not considered
  to be earthly creatures because
  their natures have transcended
  the elemental urges of the earthly
  creatures. After bitter debate,
  chimpanzees and gorillas have
  been included in the earthly cat-
  egory, and since their inclusion
  that is the knowledge which has
  worked upon them.
  Elemental. These are beings
  constituted directly of elements.
  Earthly, avian and aquatic exist
  in the elements, but elementals
  are living elements. Each of the
  elements — air, earth, fire, metal,
  plant and water — have
  elementals. Normal trees and
  shrubs are not plant elementals,
  for elementals have an intelli-
  gence and spirit (perhaps small)
  which normal plants seem to lack
  entirely.
  Enchanted. All creatures who
  subsist on or weave magic into
  the core of their being; they can-
  not exist long without magic to
  sustain them. Part of their being
  is a pattern which is constantly
  drawing power from the super-
  natural. Dragons, manticores,
  unicorns, and faeries are all ex-
  amples of enchanted creatures.
  Many enchanted creatures have
  an affinity for one of the ele-
  The Seven Kindred
  The Ayslish have classified all
  living beings as belonging to one
  of the seven kindred. As Core
  Earth classification systems dif-
  fer, we thought a little clarifica-
  tion might be helpful.
  Aquatic. Includes all marine
  life, fish, dolphins, whales, sea
  snakes, crabs, lobsters, octopi —
  everything which lives in the
  ocean. It also includes frogs and
  other amphibians. Aquatics also
  covers bacteria, but as of yet bac-
  teria have not been observed in
  Aysle.
   Avian. Includes all flying
  creatures, including insects.
  Birds, flying reptiles (but not fly-
  ing fish, which are more aligned
  with water, and hence aquatic),
  and bats are all avians. Dragons
  are the most notable exceptions;
  they have been identified with
  the elements, but are enchanted
  creatures. Ayslish natural phi-
  losophers are annoyed that drag-
  ons overlap classifications in
  their clean scheme, but pragmatic
  ones are perfectly willing to leave
  dragons and their peculiarities
  alone.
  Earthly. All creatures which
  live on, or in, the ground are
  ments, perhaps because the ele-
  ments are so easily manipulated
  by magic.
  Some scholars argue that gi-
  ants and elves should be classi-
  fied as enchanted creatures
  rather than as folk. The argu-
  ment has more basis in prejudice
  than fact. The fact is elves and
  giants do rely heavily on magic.
  They get the wasting disease
  when disconnected from magic,
  but there is still a core of elf or
  giant underneath. And folk
  knowledge works just fine on
  elves and giants, a fact which
  annoys some of the snobbier
  elves.
  Entity. The world of folk is
  the natural world, a world into
  which the supernatural regularly
  intervenes. Enchanted beings
  even have magic at the very cen-
  ter of their being. But they do not
  violate the natural world. Enti-
  ties do. Demons, ghosts, undead,
  golems, all have been observed
  to have one thing in common;
  their existence is somehow at
  odds with nature. Entities are
  not meant to exist in the natural
  world. They may be meant to
  exist elsewhere … but not here.
  Folk. Folk are intelligent be-
  ings whose defining relationship
  Chapter Five
  
  63
  Example: A detect good spell might
  have a pattern of divination/light, a
  mechanism of light, and a result of
  living forces. Such a spell could detect
  the good in any kindred.
  Seven Kindred
  The seven kindred knowledges
  cover all living things. Easy to config-
  ure into a spell, they are important
  knowledges for any earnest mage.
  Pattern
  Kindred knowledges can be used
  in any spell in which the result knowl-
  edge is a kindred knowledge, living
  forces, darkness or light.
  Example: A create light spell could
  have a pattern of conjuration/folk, a
  mechanism of living forces, and a re-
  sult of light. However, such light
  would be illusory, and would be more
  easily dispelled than the same spell
  with conjuration/light as its pattern.
  Mechanism
  Kindred knowledges cannot be
  used as mechanisms.
  Result
  Other result knowledges can affect
  kindred, but if to alter or transform a
  kindred, use kindred as the result
  knowledge.
  Examples: The increase charisma
  spell has a pattern of alteration/folk,
  living forces as the mechanism, and
  folk as the result.
  Linfir’s little frog spell has alter-
  ation/folk as the pattern, life as the
  mechanism, and aquatic as the result
  knowledge.
  Elements
  The element knowledges cover all
  unliving things, and a few of the sim-
  primarily from earthen compo-
  nents. Earth is considered to be
  temperature neutral, absorbing
  the temperature quality of the
  element with which it comes in
  contact, cooling in contact with
  air or water, warming in fire.
  When earth has aspects of in-
  telligence it is considered to be
  slow, patient, and considerably
  thick headed.
  Fire. Fire includes any form of
  combustion. A nuclear reaction
  would not be considered a fire
  element, but an example of in-
  animate forces unleashed.
  When fire has aspects of intel-
  ligence it is considered to be de-
  structive, hungry, with a willful
  desire to consume everything it
  possibly can. Fire resents being
  contained in any shape for long,
  and will always try to free itself.
  Metal. Metals are substances
  found in the earth which, unlike
  earth, are pliable when flame is
  applied. Some substances which
  Core Earh science considers met-
  als (such as arsenic) are consid-
  ered earths by Ayslish science.
  Mercury is considered to be a
  metal, albeit a peculiar one with
  a strong proclivity toward water
  (i.e., a low melting point).
  When metal has aspects of
  The Elements
  The Ayslish have classified
  everything which they consider
  unliving or spiritless as belong-
  ing to one of the six elements.
  Not all of their classifications are
  obvious to Core Earth observers.
  Air. Includes all substances
  which are gases at room tem-
  perature (except water vapor,
  which is still considered to be
  “water influenced into air”). Air
  may be liquefied or turned solid
  with the right sort of spell. Air is
  considered a cold element, and
  is often used for cooling or in
  cold spells.
  When air has aspects of intel-
  ligence it is considered to be quick
  tempered, fickle, with little pa-
  tience.
  Earth. Includes glass, ceram-
  ics, and other materials made
  intelligence it is considered
  to be strong willed, loyal if
  treated well, treacherous if
  treated poorly.
  Plant. Aysle defines the
  plant element to be “that
  which grows on earth, sun
  and water alone, or which is
  derived from such elements.”
  This means plant covers veg-
  etable oil as well as oak trees.
  Ayslish mages have recently
  finished classifying petro-
  leum and its products (such
  as plastic) as being plant ele-
  ments with a strong procliv-
  ity toward earth.
  When plant has aspects of
  intelligence it is considered
  to be patient, often pleasure
  seeking, sometimes wise.
  Water. The water element
  is water. All other liquids are
  considered to be mixtures or
  other elements with water,
  or else elements with a strong
  proclivity toward water.
  When water has aspects of
  intelligence it is considered
  to be playful and gentle un-
  less enraged, in which case
  its vindictive destructiveness
  is unmatched by any other
  element.
  is with others of their kind, rather
  than with any of the elements or
  the supernatural. They are an
  integral part of the natural world.
  Dwarves, elves, giants and hu-
  mans are all folk. Prejudice may
  still refer to harpies, minotaurs
  and others as “half-folk”, or to
  trolls and goblins as “lesser folk”,
  but magically they are all folk.
  The Theory of Magic
  
  64
  pler living ones, such as ordinary
  plants. The Ayslish consider the spiri-
  tual to be an important defining as-
  pect of a living being, and so things
  which are living according to the stan-
  dards of Core Earth science do not
  count as living beings in the Ayslish
  accounting of the natural world. Plants
  and viruses (should viruses ever be
  observed in Aysle) are two examples.
  Elements are the easiest knowledges
  to configure into a spell.
  Pattern
  Element knowledges can be used in
  any spell in which the result knowl-
  edge is an element knowledge, inani-
  mate forces, magic or light.
  Example: A create light spell could
  have a pattern of conjuration/metal, a
  mechanism of inanimate forces, and a
  result of light. However, such light
  would be illusory, and would be more
  easily dispelled than the same spell
  with conjuration/inanimate forces or
  conjuration/light as its pattern.
  Mechanism
  Element knowledges may not be
  used as mechanisms.
  Result
  Other result knowledges can affect
  elements, but transforming or altering
  an element requires an element as the
  result knowledge.
  Examples: The fool’s gold spell has a
  pattern of alteration/metal, inanimate
  forces as the mechanism, and metal as
  the result. This spell is used to appar-
  ently transform a common metal to gold.
  Earth shield has apportation/earth as
  its pattern, magic as its mechanism,
  and earth as its result.
  Defining the Pattern
  and the Process
  The mage selects a pattern by choos-
  ing the appropriate magical skill and
  pattern knowledge.The knowledges
  are discussed above; below is a brief
  description of the four magical skills.
  Divination is the easiest of the magi-
  cal skills to use and learn. Divination is
  used to produce a pattern of knowledge
  which, when brought into the natural
  world, gives the mage information. Divi-
  nation is used for spells of detection,
  clairvoyance, telepathy; many spells
  which sense or communicate have divi-
  nation magic as part of their pattern.
  Apportation is used to produce a
  movement pattern which, when
  brought into the natural world, allows
  the mage to move something. Spells
  involving the attraction or repulsion
  of the target are also apportation spells.
  This includes the obvious uses, such
  as lifting, moving or hurling objects.
  There are less obvious uses such as
  attracting light or darkness to an area,
  or apportation as a form of banish-
  ment spell to prevent the affected
  knowledge from entering an area.
  Alteration produces a pattern of
  change which, when brought into the
  natural world, allows the mage to in-
  crease, decrease, or even change the
  nature of something. Alteration has
  been described as “the mage’s ham-
  mer; extremely useful but occasion-
  ally misused to pound a spell into
  shape.” Alteration is used to increase a
  creatures charisma, shrink a chair, con-
  vert lead into gold, or increase a tiny
  flame to a raging conflagration. The
  limitation on alteration is the pattern
  must begin its work on something real,
  something which already exists in the
  natural world. An alteration water
  spell needs water to alter; it will not
  work without it.
  Conjuration can be used to create
  or destroy a pattern. Using nothing
  more than the supernatural pattern, a
  mage can bring an object, being, or
  condition into the world. She can also
  reduce a part of the natural world to its
  supernatural pattern, then undo the
  pattern, utterly destroying it. Conju-
  ration is part of the pattern of illusions,
  conjuring objects, beings or conditions
  which are “semi-real.”
  Casting
  Once the pattern knowledge and skill
  have been chosen, the mage decides
  how he wants the spell to be cast. As
  mentioned in Mathea’s lecture, the mage
  has four choices: the spell may be cast
  directly, focused on another being or
  object, impressed, or put into a ward.
  Assigning the Bonus Number
  The bonus number must be as-
  signed to one of the following por-
  tions of the spell process: effect, range
  or duration. The mage is free to assign
  the bonus number to whichever he
  chooses.
  Axiom Level
  Using existing spells and the axiom
  benchmarks on page 93 of the Torg
  Rulebook, the player and gamemaster
  should decide on the axiom level of
  the spell. The gamemaster has the fi-
  nal decision.
  Pattern
  Designing the pattern of the spell
  requires the mage to decide on the
  effect and the area or volume of effect.
  Effect
  In Torg terms, the effect of the spell
  is the value which is used to determine
  any game effects other than the spell’s
  range or duration.
  Example: The conjured fireball has
  an effect value of 18, which is the
  amount of damage it does.
  A spell’s effect value may have more
  than one game effect. These values
  summed together are the spell’s effect
  value.
  Example: Floater can lift a mass of
  100 kilos (value 10) at a speed value of
  three. The effect value is 13.
  If a spell is transforming one object
  or being into another, the result points
  he Spell Laboratory
  Sheet
  T
  The spell lab sheet is used to
  record the steps in designing a
  spell. Being able to look at the
  spell lab sheet while reading the
  following sections would be
  helpful. So go photocopy the
  spell lab sheet on page 75, or
  make a copy by hand so you
  don’t have to flip back and forth.
  Chapter Five
  
  65
  of the spell must be enough to account
  for the greatest attribute difference
  between the original and the trans-
  form. The effect value of the spell is
  compared with the the original’s at-
  tribute which created the difference.
  Example: A giant with a Dexterity 8,
  Strength 17 and Toughness  19 is being
  turned into a frog with DEX 4, STR 0
  and TOU 1. The greatest attribute dif-
  ference is between the giant’s TOU
  and the frog’s TOU, a difference of 18.
  A spell which would turn the giant
  into a frog would require 18 result
  points, against the giant’s TOU of 19,
  which would require an effect total of
  37 if magic is the mechanism (making
  the effect illusory), 69 if any other
  knowledge is the mechanism, as it
  would have to be filtered through the
  Power Push Table.
  Result Point Modifiers
  As the above example shows, build-
  ing transformation spells which can
  produce great changes can be ex-
  tremely difficult if magic is not the
  mechanism. Fortunately, a mage
  named Colvinax discovered an im-
  portant principle. Spells which have
  a mechanism other than magic may
  buy a Power Push result for the spell,
  and put this result point modifier
  into the spell. This result point bonus
  is added to any earned  through the
  casting of the spell, although the spell
  must earn at least one result point
  before the modifier is added.
  Example: A strength spell has an
  effect value of 14. A mage could build
  an enhanced strength spell with an ef-
  fect value of 14, but with a result point
  modifier of +5. When using the spell, a
  mage rolls 15 for a bonus of +2, for an
  effect total of 16. Against a person with
  Strength nine, the result points are eight
  (three from the Power Push, and five
  from the result point modifier). The
  target’s Strength is increased to 17.
  However, note that if the target had
  already had a Strength of 17, the effect
  total 16 would have generated no re-
  sult points, so the modifier would not
  be applied.
  The maximum number of result
  modifiers which may be put into a spell
  is equal to the effect value of the spell
  factored through the Power Push Table.
  Example: A spell with an effect
  value of 30 could have at most 11 as a
  result modifier. The mage could choose
  any result modifier she wished, from
  one to 11.
  Area and Volume
  A spell effect usually only effects
  one target. A spell may affect an area
  or a volume, in which case it affects
  every eligible target as it comes in
  contact with that area or volume.
  Ayslish geometers long ago noted
  that space has three dimensions. The
  range of a spell is one dimension of
  space (the length) over which the spell
  can take effect. An area affect spell has
  two dimensions over which the spell
  may take effect, affecting everything
  within a radius of effect; the result is a
  circle of effect. A spell with volume
  takes effect within a sphere. If the spell
  has a range, then the spell effect al-
  ready has one dimension. All the mage
  must do is build the second dimension
  of effect into his spell. The smaller of
  the two dimensions determines the
  area of effect.
  Example: A spell has a range value
  of eight. If the mage builds in a second
  dimension of value five, the spell will
  have an area of effect which has a
  radius value of five. The circle would
  have a radius of 10 meters, a diameter
  of 20 meters. This circle of effect could
  be placed anywhere within the spell’s
  40 meter range.
  Example: A spell with a range value
  of eight has a second dimension of
  nine added to it. The circle of effect is
  the full range of eight. The extra point
  would be lost, as it lies beyond the
  range of the spell.
  Volume adds a third dimension.
  Now the spell effect is a sphere with
  radius or volume equal to the smallest
  dimension of effect.
  Example: An altered fireball has a
  range of eight, an area dimension of
  three, and a volume dimension of
  three. The fireball fills a sphere with a
  radius value of three (four meters). If
  the volume dimension had been two,
  the sphere would only have a radius
  value of two (2.5 meters).
  The only time a spell can have an
  area or volume of effect greater than
  its range is when the range is “touch.”
  In this case the mage has purchased
  the range and recorded it on the spell
  laboratory sheet, but it only provides
  the necessary dimension for the area
  or volume of effect.
  Example: Weather control has a
  range of “touch”, but on the apporta-
  tion line of its spell laboratory sheet
  has the range value 19. It also has the
  area dimension value of 19, and a vol-
  ume dimension value of 19, in order to
  control the weather within a six kilo-
  meter radius.
  On the pattern line of the spell labo-
  ratory sheet record the following: the
  result modifier in the “Rmod” space,
  the volume dimension value in the
  “Vol” space, the area dimension value
  in the “Area” space, and the effect
  value of the spell in the “Eff” space.
  The sum of these four values is the
  pattern value of the spell, and is re-
  corded in the pattern space.
  State
  The pattern, mechanism and result
  knowledges have already been cho-
  sen for the spell. All that remains is to
  choose the state path. Write the pat-
  tern, 
  mechanism 
  and 
  result
  knowledges on the spell laboratory
  sheet. Then start with the pattern
  knowledge on the diagram. The num-
  ber printed next to the knowledge
  name is the cost for using that knowl-
  edge as a pattern knowledge; write it
  down on the spell lab sheet.
  Move from the pattern knowledge
  to the mechanism knowledge along
  the state path diagram. There are two
  rules for figuring the cost of each step
  along the way.
  1. If moving along the path in the
  direction of the arrow (moving up the
  connection), the cost of the move is
  written in the circle near the arrow.
  Moving from a knowledge to itself
  always costs the amount listed in the
  circle, on the self-connecting path.
  Going from a pattern of inanimate
  forces to a mechanism of inanimate
  forces has a cost of five; you cannot
  avoid the cost by claiming to be going
  in the direction opposite the arrow.
  The Theory of Magic
  
  66
  LIGHT
  15
  3
  INANIMATE FORCES
  15
  5
  5
  LIVING FORCES
  15
  TRUE
  KNOWLEDGE
  25
  10
  LIFE
  25
  10
  DEATH
  25
  10
  10
  TIME
  25
  MAGIC
  15
  DARKNESS
  15
  7
  7
  7
  7
  7
  7
  FOLK
  ENTITY
  ENCHANTED
  7
  AQUATIC
  AVIAN
  EARTHLY
  ELEMENTAL
  2
  7
  7
  7
  7
  7
  7
  AIR
  EARTH
  2
  FIRE
  WATER
  PLANT
  METAL
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  7
  7
  8
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  KINDRED
  ELEMENTS
  Aysle Diagram
  Magic State Paths
  7
  7
  Chapter Five
  
  67
  wooden wand requires that the state
  path go from fire to living forces (a
  path cost of seven), then from living
  forces to folk (a path cost of two), then
  back to plant (another nine) for an
  additional 18 added on to the casting
  cost of impression (three), for a total
  casting cost of 21.
  Objects may be prepared in advance
  to hold spells of a certain result knowl-
  edge, which can be more cost efficient
  then designing a spell which can be
  cast into an object, particularly if more
  than one type of spell is to be cast. See
  “Permanent Magic” below.
  Once impressed into an object, the
  spell remains in an object until cast.
  Control
  Control is based primarily on the
  difficulty controlling the magic skill
  used in the pattern: divination eight,
  apportation 10, alteration 13, conjura-
  tion 16. This is the skill control cost,
  and is recorded in the space labelled
  “Skl” on the control line.
  If the spell is an illusion, the mage
  may make it more difficult to disbe-
  lieve the illusions. For each point the
  disbelief difficulty is increased, the con-
  trol value for the spell is increased.
  Example: An illusion with a pat-
  tern of conjuration/folk is disbelieved
  on a Mind total of eight. A mage wants
  to increase the disbelief difficulty to
  15, an increase of seven. These seven
  points are the disbelief modifier. The
  seven is recorded in the space next to
  “Disb” on the control line.
  Controlling Aspects
  A mage can control aspects of the
  spell. For some spells, control of as-
  pects is vital. In others it is just a
  convenience.
  The cost of controlling aspects is the
  One-on-Many difficulty modifier for
  the number of aspects controlled.
  Change Target
  Unless the mage controls this as-
  pect, the first target of the spell is the
  only target of the spell. This may be
  fine for a fireball or a heal spell, but
  could be annoying for a telekinesis
  spell, which without this aspect could
  only latch onto one target.
  Effect
  If a magic is made permanent (see
  “Permanent Magic” below), then the
  effect can be turned on and off by
  controlling the effect aspect of the spell.
  The effect may also be lessened by
  controlling the effect aspect, but it can-
  not be made greater through control.
  Form
  (elements, mixed forces,
  principles only)
  Sometimes a mage might want to
  control the form of a spell, the actual
  shape of the effect. If the form is not
  controlled, the spell effect takes its
  When a ward is set to detect a
  condition, the difficulty number
  for detecting that condition is
  eight. A character may try to
  avoid detection by generating a
  divination magic total. This is akin
  to an active dodge, and so the
  minimum bonus is always +1.
  This total becomes the difficulty
  for detecting the character or con-
  dition. If the character is trying
  to disguise more than one object
  or person, the ward gets the ap-
  propriate Many-on-One bonus
  for the number of characters or
  objects disguised.
  Example: A ward is set to de-
  tect metal weapons. A wizard
  tries to cover for his whole group.
  They are carrying 15 metal weap-
  ons. The ward gets a +6 bonus
  modifier to detect at least one
  weapon.
  A character may generate a
  total against a ward even if he
  does not know what the ward is
  set to discover, although in this
  case the ward gets an additional
  +3 bonus modifier to detect the
  condition.
  riggering Wards
  T
  2. If moving down a connection the
  cost is two.
  Example: A spell has a pattern of
  alteration/folk, and a mechanism of
  magic. Going from folk to living forces
  is a cost of two, from living forces to
  light is three, from light to inanimate
  forces is two, then from light to magic
  is three. The total cost of the state path
  to the mechanism of magic is 10. This
  number is recorded on the spell labo-
  ratory sheet.
  The same rules are followed to go
  from the mechanism knowledge to
  the result knowledge.
  Example: For the spell in the above
  example, going from a mechanism of
  magic to a result of folk has a path cost
  of nine: two from magic to inanimate
  forces, three to light, two to living
  forces, and two to folk. The path cost
  is written on the spell laboratory sheet
  next to the result knowledge.
  Casting
  A spell can be cast in one of four
  ways. Casting directly has a path cost
  of zero. A focused spell has a path cost
  of two.
  An impressed spell has a path cost
  of three if impressed into the caster. If
  the mage wishes to create a version of
  the spell which could be impressed
  into another living being (who does
  not have the necessary magic skill to
  cast the spell, as it is already “pre-
  cast”), he must allow the state path to
  include another being. This is done by
  extending the state path from the pat-
  tern knowledge back down to folk. If
  the pattern knowledge is folk, then the
  state path goes up to living forces and
  back down to folk, a path cost of four.
  To build a spell which can be placed
  in an object is even more difficult. The
  state path must be extended from the
  pattern knowledge to living forces (to
  be impressed), then to folk (to connect
  the state path to the character casting
  the spell), then to the element knowl-
  edge which best describes the mate-
  rial of the object (to be stored in the
  object.)
  Example: To build a fireball spell
  which could be impressed into a
  The Theory of Magic
  
  68
  most natural shape. Light, darkness,
  magic, living forces, inanimate forces,
  air and fire will all try to expand to fill
  the available space. Metal, plant and
  earth all retain whatever shape they
  first appear in. Water tends to seek its
  own level. To create a rolling ball of
  water, or to be able to alter the form of
  a metal wall after the mage has con-
  jured it, requires the form of the spell
  to be controlled.
  Apportation
  If the mage does not control the
  apportation of the spell, it travels in a
  straight line from the mage to the tar-
  get. If apportation is controlled, the
  mage can have the spell travel any
  path he wishes (up to the range of the
  spell); this is often crucial for wizard’s
  eye type spells.
  Duration
  If the duration of a spell is not con-
  trolled, the mage cannot turn it off.
  Accuracy
  If the mage wishes a ranged spell to
  have extra accuracy when finding its
  target, extra accuracy may be pur-
  chased through control. A bullet spell
  which has a +5 bonus to hit requires
  five extra points of control.
  Wards
  Wards require another divination
  component, which increases the con-
  trol cost by eight. Also, the adds of the
  knowledge which is to be detected
  through the divination are added to
  the control cost.
  Example: A ward is supposed to be
  triggered by humans. The mage has
  divination magic at 15 and folk at +5.
  For the divination component she pays
  eight; for her five adds she pays an-
  other five. This gives her a total con-
  trol increase of 13. As a result, the
  ward has divination/folk 20, which is
  used to detect humans who come
  within range of the ward.
  Multi-Attribute Effect
  If a spell is going to affect more than
  on attribute of a target, such as a spell
  which transforms a man into a frog,
  then the control must be increased.
  The cost of affecting attributes is the
  One-on-Many difficulty modifier for
  the number of attributes controlled.
  Example: A mage wishes to create a
  prowess spell which increases Dexter-
  ity and Strength. For affecting two at-
  tributes, the multi-attribute modifier
  is four; if the mage had also wanted to
  affect Toughness, the multi-attribute
  modifier would be six.
  The control value of the spell is the
  sum of the multi-attribute modifier,
  aspects value, the disbelief modifier,
  and the skill control cost.
  Apportation
  The range of a spell is the maximum
  distance over which the spell can have
  an effect. The speed of a spell is the
  speed with which the effect travels to
  its target, given in meters per round.
  In most spells the mage finds it advan-
  tageous to have the speed equal to the
  range; when they are equal, the spell
  effect arrives in one round. If the speed
  is too low, the effect will not travel out
  to the maximum range of the spell.
  The minimum speed to reach maxi-
  mum range is given by the formula:
  Range - Duration +5 = Speed
  Example: Tracker has a range of 13
  and a duration of 20. The minimum
  speed is 13-20+5=-2. The actual speed is
  5 (10 meters a round), plenty fast. But
  the bonus is added to range, and at a
  range of 21, the spell would end before
  the tracker reached maximum range.
  The apportation value of a spell is
  the sum of the range and speed values
  of the spell, and is recorded in the
  apportation space on the spell labora-
  tory sheet.
  Duration
  The duration value of a spell is cho-
  sen by the mage, and recorded in the
  duration space of the spell laboratory
  sheet.
  Mages are usually careful to choose
  the minimum duration they consider
  necessary for the job. There are two
  reasons for this:
  1. The principle of definition states
  that a character or object cannot be sub-
  ject to two active spells at the same time
  if both spells have the same pattern
  knowledge. This can be bothersome if a
  mage has a selection of beneficial or
  defensive spells. The mage must either
  be very precise with his duration, or
  else control this aspect of the spell.
  2. To build effective spells, some-
  thing has to give, and mages tend to
  keep durations low to help offset high
  state path costs and high effect values.
  Generating
  Knowledge Totals
  The mage must generate five totals:
  the pattern skill total, the conjuration
  total, the divination total, the apporta-
  tion total and the alteration total. Each
  total is generated using the appropri-
  ate skill value plus the adds in the
  pattern knowledge.
  Example: Krugar the Melancholy is
  designing a healing light spell. The
  pattern is alteration/light. Krugar has
  four adds in light, alteration magic 15,
  conjuration magic 16, apportation
  magic 12, and divination magic 12.
  His pattern skill and alteration value
  are 19, conjuration value 20, apporta-
  tion and divination value 16.
  The totals are generated and re-
  corded in the appropriate spaces on
  the spell laboratory sheet. When gen-
  erating the totals a character may spend
  possibilities on the rolls, but no cards
  may be played.
  The Spell Sum
  A spell is derived from the observa-
  tion of a pattern, which is modified by
  the state path, aspects controlled by
  the mage, and finally the apportation
  and duration of the effect. But the en-
  tire process is woven into the pattern
  which it modifies, and each part of the
  process has an affect on the other. If a
  portion of the pattern or the process is
  beyond the capabilities of the mage (as
  represented by the total she gener-
  ated), that portion can be offset by
  Chapter Five
  
  69
  other parts of the spell. If a mage can-
  not muster enough control for the spell,
  excess ability in the apportation and
  duration aspects can make up for the
  lack of control. This balance is repre-
  sented by the spell sum.
  As indicated by the spell laboratory
  sheet, the skill/knowledge totals are sub-
  tracted from the pattern and process
  values, and recorded in the column to
  the right of the skill/knowledge totals.
  These are then added together to be-
  come the spell sum. If the sum is posi-
  tive, the mage cannot quite balance all
  portions of the pattern and the pro-
  cess. Write the sum in the appropriate
  space. If the sum is zero or negative,
  write zero as the spell sum. A mage
  can never do better than having all
  parts of a spell balance, which is indi-
  cated by a spell sum of zero.
  Basic Complexity
  A spell’s complexity is a measure of
  how difficult it is to bring the spell into
  the natural world. Complexity is in-
  creased by three variables: the type of
  magic skill used, the maximum pat-
  tern or process value of the spell, and
  the amount by which the spell is out of
  balance, represented by the spell sum.
  The complexity of a spell contributes
  directly to the backlash and difficulty
  of a spell.
  The magic skill used adds to the
  complexity. The easiest is divination,
  which adds 17; apportation 19, alter-
  ation 22, and conjuration increases the
  complexity by 25.
  The greatest process or pattern
  value increases the complexity of the
  spell. The effect upon the complexity
  of process or pattern values other than
  the maximum value is negligible, and
  can be ignored.
  If the spell sum is positive, the
  lack of balance increases the spell’s
  complexity.
  The more time a mage spends cast-
  ing the spell, the more careful she can
  be. This care reduces the effects of the
  complexity upon the caster, which is
  reflected in the game by reducing the
  basic complexity of the spell.
  The magic type, process or pattern
  maximum, spell sum, and cast time are
  all recorded in the appropriate spaces
  of the spell lab sheet, then the basic
  complexity is calculated and recorded.
  Applying Theorems
  Theorems are applied to a spell to
  make the spell easier to cast. Observ-
  ing the pattern of a spell is relatively
  easy, the art of applying one’s own
  vision and will to the supernatural.
  Theorems are the observations of hun-
  dreds and thousands of magicians,
  codified so they be applied to spells.
  But this application requires a mage to
  figure out how to best apply the obser-
  vations of all those magicians to his
  spell. Applying theorems is the most
  time consuming part of spell design,
  requiring at least one game week to
  apply a theorem. The mage is assumed
  to be working eight hours a day, seven
  days a week during this time. During
  this time, he is applying the theorem
  to parts of the pattern or process and
  judging the results, finally deciding
  upon one way to apply the theorem to
  the whole spell. A mage may apply as
  many or as few theorems as he wishes.
  The mage applies the theorems one at
  a time, and may decide not to apply
  any further theorems, completing the
  spell at that point.
  The value for applying a theorem is
  the value of the number of weeks spent
  applying the theorem. Process theo-
  rems each have a theory knowledge
  which grants the mage a bonus when
  generating the theorem total; the cast
  time theory knowledge gives a bonus
  to the theorem of cast time total. The
  bonus is equal to the adds of the theory
  knowledge.
  Example: Krugar the Melancholy
  spends seven weeks (value five) ap-
  plying the theorem of duration. He
  has three adds in the duration theory
  knowledge. He rolls a 14; the bonus of
  one is increased to four. The theorem
  total is nine.
  When rolling the theorem total, all
  characters roll again on a 10 or 20.
  However, no Possibilities or cards
  may be spent on the roll.
  While the mage contributes his ef-
  fort (reflected in the value of the weeks
  spent) and his theory knowledge, the
  interaction of theorem and supernatu-
  ral pattern is beyond the control of the
  magician. What happens happens, and
  the observed result is then a real part
  of the spell.
  Theorems build upon one another.
  Once observed, the theorem results
  are part of the spell, and all theorems
  applied are linked to any theorems
  applied previously.
  If a mage dislikes the result of a
  theorem, he must throw out all ap-
  plied theorems in order to reapply the
  one theorem, starting again with the
  raw process and pattern.
  Once all the theorem totals have
  been generated and recorded on the
  spell laboratory sheet, they are added
  together to form the theorem sum, and
  recorded in the proper space.
  If a mage does not wish to apply
  any theorems, it still takes a week to
  “polish the pattern”, to settle it down
  to the point where it becomes a
  grimoire spell.
   Final Complexity
  The final complexity of the spell is
  equal to the basic complexity minus
  the theorem sum. Through the years,
  Ayslish magicians found that there is
  minimum final complexity possible
  which is based on the magic skill used
  in the pattern.
  Of course, most magicians load their
  spells up with enough range, effect
  and other useful tidbits that the mini-
  mums rarely come into play. A mage
  who bumps up against the minimums
  is usually a very lucky mage.
  Recording the Spell
  The backlash and difficulty of a
  spell, when added together, equal a
  inal Complexity
  Minimums
  F
  Divination
  14
  Apportation
  16
  Alteration
  19
  Conjuration
  22
  The Theory of Magic
  
  70
  spell’s final complexity. The player
  divides the final complexity into back-
  lash and difficulty in any way he sees
  fit. The player also records the effect
  value, the bonus number to, range,
  duration, and cast time on the spell
  laboratory sheet.
  Under “Manipulation” the player
  lists any process theorems applied to
  the spell. The player must also pro-
  vide a written description of the spell,
  its effects, and how any applied pat-
  tern theorems are used.
  Recording the spell on the spell labo-
  ratory sheet symbolizes placing the
  spell in a grimoire. Any magician who
  has designed a spell, having applied
  any theorems he will ever apply to the
  spell, is considered to have designed a
  grimoire spell.
  Example of Spell
  Design
  Note: When going through this ex-
  ample, have a copy of the spell labora-
  tory sheet handy. Fill it out as you
  follow the example.
  Linfir is an accomplished mage,
  played by Dave. Linfir has alteration
  magic 17, divination magic 17, apporta-
  tion magic 16, and conjuration magic 17.
  He has folk +5, cast time +5, state +4,
  range +4, all of which may be appli-
  cable to the spell. Adding in his folk
  knowledge to each of the skills, he has
  the following values for spell design:
  pattern skill 22
  conjuration
  22
  divination
  22
  apportation 21
  alteration
  22
  With these in mind, he sets out to
  design his spell. The spell will have a
  pattern of folk. Dave wants the trans-
  formation to be real, so it has a mecha-
  nism of life. The result knowledge for
  frogs is aquatic. After looking at some
  of the values involved, Dave decides
  to have the spell be an impressed spell,
  so he can have a decent cast time to
  make the spell easier and still use the
  spell in combat. He decides to add the
  bonus to duration. The magic axiom
  level of turning living things into dif-
  ferent living things is 11; but this spell
  is going to be impressed, so a 17 is put
  in brackets by the spell.
  Pattern Value: he wants to turn
  large men (DEX, STR or TOU 14) into
  frogs. He decides the frog will have a
  DEX 1, STR 1, and a TOU 1. He will let
  the victim keep his own mental and
  spiritual stats. He chooses an effect
  value of 24, and then buys a result
  point modifier of 9. Comparing 24
  against 14, he gets 10 points on the
  Power Push Table (yields +4). Adding
  his result point modifier to the +4 gives
  13 result points; just enough to con-
  vert a man with an attribute of 14. It
  will work on most people. The pattern
  value is 33.
  State Value: Starting with folk is
  worth seven. Dave decides to take the
  state path through light in order to
  create a nice sparkling effect, the bet-
  ter to impress the natives; the mecha-
  nism path costs 12. Then it’s back down
  to aquatic, a cost of four. Impressing a
  spell costs three. The state value is 26.
  Control: the spell is affecting three
  attributes, a cost of six. Dave wants
  Linfir to be able to control the dura-
  tion; controlling one aspect costs two.
  The alteration skill costs 13; the con-
  trol value is 21.
  Apportation: Dave chooses a range
  of 8 and a speed of 8. He figures he
  needs to help his spell sum a little. The
  apportation value is 16.
  Duration: Dave wants the spell to
  last a long time; he can always turn it
  off as long as the frog is in range. He
  chooses a duration of one week (value
  29). The duration value is 29.
  Next he generates his knowledge
  totals: pattern skill 22, conjuration 20,
  divination 25 and alteration 26, spend-
  ing a Possibility on the alteration total.
  Dave decided to spend the Possibility
  rather than wait a week and try the
  observation again.
  Dave calculates the differences be-
  tween the spell values and the knowl-
  edge totals, arriving at a spell sum of 11.
  The basic complexity is 22 for alter-
  ation, plus 33 for the maximum pro-
  cess or pattern value, plus the spell
  sum of nine, minus the cast time. Dave
  decides on a cast time of 18. The basic
  complexity is 48.
  Dave decides he could apply four
  pattern theorems: contagion, similar-
  ity, exclusion, and voice; see the spell
  description below to see how these theo-
  rems affected the casting of the spell.
  He first spends one week applying
  contagion, rolling an 18 for a total of
  five. Good start! But the next week he
  rolls a two when applying similarity,
  which is a total of -10. So Dave scraps
  all the applied theorems, and the two
  weeks work, and begins again. It takes
  12 weeks to arrive at the following
  pattern totals: contagion three, simi-
  larity five, exclusion two, and voice
  one. He decides to push his luck by
  applying the cast time process theory;
  the base value is five (his cast time
  theory adds plus zero for one week
  spent), his roll is 15 for a total of seven.
  Dave decides not to push any further.
  If he got a negative total for another
  theorem, he would either have to scrap
  all the theorems and try again, or else
  have a less effective spell. The theo-
  rem sum is 18.
  The final complexity is the basic
  complexity minus the theorem sum:
  48 - 18 = 30. Dave decides on a back-
  lash of 21 and a difficulty of 9. He
  writes up the following spell.
  esigning Simple
  Spells
  D
  A mage may wish to design a
  spell which does not use his full
  skill, in order to design a spell
  which can be learned by mages
  of lesser skill. The following re-
  strictions apply:
  1. He may reduce the number
  of knowledge adds used to gen-
  erate the pattern skill value. If he
  does so, he must also use this
  reduced number for the conjura-
  tion, divination, apportation and
  alteration values.
  2. He may reduce the number
  of skill adds used to generate the
  pattern skill value. All other skills
  used must be reduced by the
  same amount.
  The one advantage to design-
  ing simple spells is that the theory
  knowledges are applied at full.
  This allows highly skilled mages
  to design better simple spells than
  their lower leveled compatriots.
  Chapter Five
  
  71
  Linfir’s Little Frog Spell
  Axiom Level: 13 (17)
  Skill: Alteration/folk 22
  Backlash: 21
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 24
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 8
  Duration: 29 (one week)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: cast time
  This is an impressed spell. The magi-
  cian is required to make a frog doll and
  cover it with patches of folk skin (his
  own will do). While impressing this
  spell, the mage begins by talking about
  anything he wishes, but as the spell
  continues his posture slumps and his
  voice becomes hoarse, until he is on all
  fours, mimicking a croaking frog.
  To release the spell, the magician
  points the frog at the target, who is
  bathed in shimmering green sparks as
  the spell takes effect. If the target’s
  largest physical attribute is 14 or less,
  then he is turned into a frog.
  The frog has the mental and spiri-
  tual attributes of the original charac-
  ter. The frog has DEX 1, STR 1, and
  TOU 1.
  Time Required for
  Spell Design
  The initial observation of a spell
  usually takes an hour. However, if the
  mage dislikes the results of his first
  observation, he must wait at least a
  week before trying again to allow the
  pattern to thoroughly fade from his
  mind.
  The observation may be reduced to
  below an hour, but the pattern value is
  increased by one for every point less of
  observation time.
  Example: A mage attempts to ob-
  serve a pattern in one minute (time
  value nine). An hour has a time value
  of 18. The pattern value of the spell is
  increased by nine (18 - 9 = 9).
  When designing a spell there is
  rarely a time constraint. Reducing the
  time is a factor when casting a spell on
  the fly.
  Casting on the Fly
  “The War of Crowns was an example of
  senseless slaughter of wizards inflicted by
  the nobility. Casting spells on the fly is an
  example of senseless slaughter of wizards
  upon themselves.”
  —Krugar the Melancholy after los-
  ing his ninth apprentice
  Casting on the fly is a term which
  covers the casting of spells which the
  mage has not learned for himself.
  The greatest drawback to casting
  on the fly is that the spell skill total is
  always used to determine backlash.
  This distinguishes it from a grimoire
  spell, where the Mind of the caster is
  used to resist backlash if the spell total
  is less than the Mind (Torg Rulebook
  page 113). A low roll can prove devas-
  tating when casting a spell on the fly.
  The simpler case is where the spell
  is a grimoire spell, but the mage has
  not yet learned the spell. When a
  learned grimoire spell is cast, the three
  magic skills other than the pattern skill
  are already woven into the pattern.
  When an unlearned grimoire spell is
  cast, the mage must provide all four
  The Theory of Magic
  
  72
  skills to fill out the pattern, as the spell
  does not do it for him.
   The mage has to quickly replicate
  the pattern and the process, meaning
  he must generate a pattern, plus the
  state, control, apportation and dura-
  tion of the process. Fortunately for the
  magician, a grimoire spell has all of
  the process linked to the pattern, so
  the necessary skills are used subcon-
  sciously. The mage casts the spell as a
  normal grimoire spell, except the back-
  lash and difficulty of the spell are
  each increased by four. The increase is
  derived from the One-on-Many diffi-
  culty modifier for five, for the five
  parts of the spell (pattern, state, con-
  trol, apportation, duration) replicated
  by the mage. This increase is eight,
  and it is split evenly between diffi-
  culty and backlash, despite what the
  mage may wish.
  If the mage wishes to cast a spell
  from a pattern he has just observed,
  the situation is worse. Now the skills
  can no longer be used subconsciously,
  and each value (pattern, state, control,
  apportation and duration) must be
  generated by the magician. Also, the
  pattern must be observed. If the mage
  needs to cast the spell on the fly, this
  usually means he cannot spend the
  full hour observing the pattern, and so
  the pattern value will be increased.
  Observing the pattern and then cast-
  ing the spell is essentially rapid-fire
  spell design. The mage must assign the
  pattern and process values, then gener-
  ate each of the five skill totals, arrive at
  the spell sum, and calculate the basic
  complexity. As no theorem may be ap-
  plied in less then a week, the basic
  complexity is the final complexity. The
  mage divides the complexity into the
  difficulty and backlash of the spell. He
  must then either cast the spell the next
  round, or lose the pattern.
  Casting a spell on the fly may not be
  interrupted for any other action, in-
  cluding simple actions, or the pattern
  is lost.
  Invitation to Madness
  So named by Muadabi, a mage who
  chronicled its extensive use in the
  Green Island Cult, the invitation to
  madness is actually a dangerous use
  has a speed component, and so each
  point of range gained or lost is a trans-
  fer of two points. If range is decreased,
  speed is automatically decreased the
  same amount; if range is increased, so
  is speed. Note that this is not true for
  when the bonus number is added to
  range, which does not increase the
  speed. Theoretical mages hypothesize
  that their common link to apportation
  magic is the cause, but no proof has yet
  been given.
  Example: A mage wishes to give
  his fireball more bang. He shortens the
  range to 15 meters (from a value of
  eight to six), increasing the effect by
  four points. If he wanted to increase
  the range to a value of nine, he would
  have to decrease the effect by two.
  3. A mage may increase the cast
  time, adding these points one-for-one
  to duration or effect, or two points of
  cast time to buy one point of range.
  He may decrease the cast time, de-
  creasing either the effect or duration
  one-for-one, or else decreasing the
  range one point for each two points
  the cast time is decreased. Each such
  manipulation takes one round.
  Example: A mage needs to cast a
  slow spell upon a guard who is 40
  meters away.  The first round he in-
  creases the cast time from three to five,
  increasing the range to eight (40
  meters); the next round he spends cast-
  ing the spell.
  4. A mage may increase the back-
  lash of a spell to increase its effect,
  range or duration. The mage may also
  increase backlash to decrease the cast
  time. The backlash increase is read on
  the power-push table, to find out what
  the value is increased by. This increase
  may be done as the spell is being cast,
  but before the die is rolled.
  Example: A skilled mage needs to
  cast a tracker spell quickly, to track a
  being before they are out of range. The
  first round he decreases the cast time
  from 18 to five, decreasing the duration
  to seven (25 seconds). The second round
  he re-allocates the final complexity,
  making the backlash 10 and the diffi-
  culty 18. Third round, during the cast-
  ing of the spell, he increases the back-
  lash by 12 to 22, adding +5 to the dura-
  tion, raising it to 12 (4 minutes).
  of the Law of Observation, merging
  the observed pattern with the mage.
  As the mage is obviously part of the
  real world, so should the supernatural
  pattern. The only problem is that un-
  der extreme conditions the opposite is
  equally true; as the supernatural pat-
  tern is not part of the natural world,
  perhaps the mage is not either.
  When using the invitation to mad-
  ness, the observing mage gets a +3
  bonus to all totals generated when he
  casts a spell on the fly by creating a
  pattern, rather than by casting an un-
  learned grimoire spell. This bonus
  applies to all six totals generated; pat-
  tern, state, control, apportation, dura-
  tion, and the spell skill total. The draw-
  back is that the spell must be cast,
  regardless of the basic complexity,
  and the backlash must be greater than
  or equal to the difficulty of the spell.
  It is a relatively easy matter for magi-
  cian using the invitation to madness to
  injure himself, drive himself crazy, kill
  himself, or according to Muadabi, sim-
  ply cease to exist.
  Manipulating
  Spells
  A mage must know all the theory
  knowledges listed on the manipula-
  tion line in order to manipulate a spell.
  A mage may do one of four things
  when manipulating a spell.
  1. He may re-allocate the final com-
  plexity, shifting it between backlash
  and difficulty, as long as the total stays
  the same. It takes one round to ma-
  nipulate the final complexity.
  Example: A mage has been hurt, but
  needs to attempt a fly spell (backlash 19,
  difficulty 12). He would rather risk spell
  failure than take more damage. He
  spends a round to manipulate the diffi-
  culty to 18 and the backlash to 13.
  2. The mage may re-allocate points
  from effect to either range or duration,
  points from range to either effect or
  duration, or points from duration to
  either effect or range. Each such ma-
  nipulation takes a round.
  Effect and duration points are trans-
  ferred on a one-for-one basis. Range
  Chapter Five
  
  73
  Permanent Magic
  Creating a permanent conjuration
  is first possible at magic axiom level
  13. At axiom level 33 all conjurations
  are permanent, as the act of conjura-
  tion is enough to forge a lasting link
  between the natural world and the
  supernatural pattern. The energy of
  the supernatural sustains the spell ef-
  fect in the natural world. Below 33,
  there is a negative bonus modifier to
  the conjuration spell equal to 33 minus
  the magic axiom level of the cosm. In
  Aysle’s case, the modifier is -15.
  When creating permanent magic
  all backlash is compared to the spell
  skill total, never the Mind of the caster.
  Each creation of permanent magic is
  in some way unique, enough so that it
  is not possible to refine the process as
  one can a grimoire spell.
  A magician must state that he is
  attempting a permanent conjuration,
  and then the spell is cast with a -15
  bonus modifier. If successful, the spell
  is real when conjured and will not fade
  after the duration expires. A lasting
  link has been created.
  Types of magic other than conjura-
  tion may be also made permanent;
  they to have a -15 bonus modifier.
  Regardless of the type of magic em-
  ployed, the link between the natural
  world and the pattern must be cre-
  ated, i.e. conjured, for the effect to be
  permanent. As with conjuration, the
  mage must state he is making the spell
  permanent before he casts the spell.
  When making permanent magic, a
  mage has a basic choice. He can either
  make the pattern or the process perma-
  nent. If he makes the process perma-
  nent, the spell effect is permanent, at
  least until dispelled by a stronger magic.
  A fireball would burn forever, a man
  would stay a frog, a disguise self would
  last until dispelled (see page 112 of the
  Torg Rulebook). The casting mage has
  whatever control over the spell is built
  into the spell, and no more.
  Example: A permanent altered fire-
  ball may only be controlled by the
  casting magician while he is in range
  of the spell. An altered fireball made
  permanent could not be turned off, as
  control over the effect is not part of the
  altered fireball spell.
  If the pattern is made permanent, the
  potential to cast the spell permanently
  exists. The caster must still provide the
  appropriate magic skill to cast the spell.
  The primary advantage of making a
  pattern permanent is that the pattern
  need not be observed by the caster, as it
  is already there. The second advantage
  is that as permanent pattern is not yet
  part of the natural world, is cannot be
  dispelled by a spell effect of the same
  knowledge. Any effects of the spell may
  be dispelled, but the pattern itself could
  not be dispelled. Any theorem restric-
  tions still apply to the spell; an altered
  fireball wand with a permanent pattern
  still requires the component of pitch
  and coal.
  An impressed spell is a partially
  cast spell, one which is suspended in
  the process. An impressed spell does
  not require a magic skill to cast once
  impressed (but see “Casting” above).
  An impressed spell which could be
  cast over and over again requires per-
  manent pattern and process, making
  the process part of the pattern. The
  spell must be cast twice, making it
  permanent each time. If either casting
  amemaster Note
  G
  First, let your players know
  that this casting on the fly stuff is
  dangerous, meant for highly
  skilled or desperate magicians,
  or times when spells of limited
  effect are useful. If your mage
  characters try to cast the same
  sort of spells they are used to
  casting from their grimoires, you
  will have crispy casters on your
  hands in no time.
  Casting a spell on the fly di-
  rectly from a pattern is rapid-fire
  spell design. The problem is spell
  design is a process during which
  a mage is apt to be careful, mak-
  ing sure that he is not designing
  a spell which is uncastable. A
  magician who is casting a spell
  on the fly is likely to want to take
  excessive amounts of time at the
  table, while other players wait
  for their turn. What do you do?
  You let the magician take all
  the time he wants. You just skip
  over him until he is ready to cast
  the spell. Don’t answer any ques-
  tions, don’t spend any time on
  him until he is ready to generate
  the spell. A magician who is cast-
  ing on the fly had best know the
  spell design system backward
  and forward before trying to cast
  a spell from scratch.
  Each round when he gener-
  ates one of his totals, check the
  player’s spell lab sheet to make
  sure he has calculated that por-
  tion correctly. If he has, great. If
  not, correct it and slap on a +3
  penalty to the complexity when
  it is all over, to represent his
  marred perception of the pattern
  or the process.
  fails, then the spell is not permanently
  impressed; there is no effect.
  If successful, the spell recasts itself
  over the cast time of the spell, then sits
  suspended until triggered by the user
  of the item. As process is built into the
  pattern, a permanently impressed
  spell is not destroyed if dispelled, al-
  though the effect of that casting of the
  spell is gone.
  As wards are impressed spells, it is
  possible to make permanent wards
  which periodically recharge.
  Enchanting Items
  Enchanting an item generally in-
  volves the use of permanent magic.
  The easiest sort of magic item is a spell
  with a permanent effect which is fo-
  cused upon an item.
  Example: A flame sword could be
  constructed with permanent effect of
  a burning blade, in which the effect
  were controlled by a word, such as the
  sword’s name. The user could turn the
  effect on and off by speaking the name
  of the sword. Manipulating the effect
  The Theory of Magic
  
  74
  would require the user to have the
  magic skill used to cast the spell.
  Wands, amulets, or whatever may
  be constructed which have a perma-
  hrorvald’s
  Observation
  T
  An odd effect of enchanting
  items was first observed by the
  famous 
  theoretical 
  mage
  Throrvald. The act of making a
  pattern permanent, somehow
  making the pattern “real”, low-
  ered the natural world’s resis-
  tance to the pattern. Enchanting
  items is therefore possible at a
  magic axiom of 13, which is not
  coincidentally the lowest level at
  which permanent conjuration is
  possible. This is despite the fact
  that impressing spells into a ma-
  gician requires an axiom level of
  17. Throrvald theorized that
  higher magic level is neccessary
  because the observer becomes
  part of the pattern when impress-
  ing a spell in himself, and re-
  mains outside it when placing it
  into an object.
  nent pattern within them. These re-
  quire the user to provide the magic
  skill. The spell may be cast by anyone
  with that skill, regardless of skill value.
  Example: A light wand could be
  constructed which had a permanent
  pattern of mage light. Any character
  with alteration magic could cast the
  spell, although they would still need a
  mirror.
  Constructing items which require
  no skill to use are difficult, as the spells
  must be impressed. The first step to
  building such an item is creating a
  permanent effect that allows spells
  with the result knowledge of fire to be
  impressed into an object. Assume we
  are building a staff of fire magic. The
  pattern is plant, the material of the
  staff. The mechanism is life, to imbue
  the staff with real living forces, allow-
  ing spells to be impressed. The result
  knowledge is fire, the pattern knowl-
  edge of any fire spell stored in the
  object. However, as discussed above
  (see “Casting” ), the state path is pretty
  convoluted: plant to inanimate forces
  to magic to life to living forces to folk
  (to allow folk to cast the spell) to living
  forces to light to inanimate forces to
  fire. The spell is cast directly. One
  possible spell looks like this:
  Enchant Fire Staff
  Axiom Level: 13
  Skill: Conjuration/plant 23
  Backlash: 10
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 18
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: Touch
  Duration: 29 (one week)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: state, control
  This spell works only on staves.
  The magician must hold the staff while
  casting the spell, blackening the staff
  in the smoke from a fire which is burn-
  ing the same sort of wood as of which
  the staff is made. The mage concen-
  trates on images of the staff absorbing
  the flames, not being burned by them.
  This spell allows up to 14 spells to
  be impressed into one object at one
  time. This number is derived from
  result points of the effect value against
  the value of the living forces already in
  the staff (usually 0) read on the power
  push table, plus a result point modi-
  fier of seven purchased for the spell.
  If this spell is cast to make a perma-
  nent enchanted item, there is a -15
  bonus modifier to the cast.
  Chapter Five
  
  Pattern
  Mechanism
  Result
  Casting
  Spell Laboratory Sheet
  Skill and
  pattern total
  Rmod
  Vol
  Area
  Eff
  +
  +
  +
  =
  -
  =
  (Pattern)
  (Pattern Skill)
  Magic Type
  Process Max
  Spell Sum
  Cast Time
  +
  +
  –
  =
  Basic Complexity
  –
  Total
  =
  -
  =
  (State)
  (Conjuration)
  Attr
  Aspc
  Disb
  Skl
  +
  +
  +
  =
  -
  =
  (Control)
  (Divination)
  Spd
  Rng
  +
  =
  -
  =
  (Apportation)
  (Apportation)
  -
  =
  (Duration)
  (Alteration)
  Final
  Complexity
  Theorem Sum
  Spell:
  Axiom level:
  Skill:
  Backlash:
  Difficulty:
  Effect Value:
  Bonus Num. to:
  Range:
  Duration:
  Cast Time:
  Manipulation:
  Weeks
  Theorem
  (value)
  Theorem Sum
  (>=0)
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  76
  S pell Design Tables
  Control
  Divination
  8
  Apportation
  10
  Alteration
  13
  Conjuration         16
  + Illusion  disbelief modifier
  + One-on-Many DN modifier for each factor
  controlled
  Change Target
  Effect
  Form
  Apportation
  Duration
  + Accuracy modifier
  + One-on-Many DN modifier (distinct from
  above)
   For each attribute of result (if more than one)
  Wards
  + Divination (8)
  + Adds for knowledge used in ward divination
  Final Complexity
  Minimums
  Divination
  14
  Apportation
  16
  Alteration
  19
  Conjuration
  22
  As Pattern for
  As a Mechanism for
  a Result of...
  a Result of...
  Knowledge
  Essence
  any knowledge except an essence
  any knowledge except an essence
  Darkness
  living forces, kindred, death, darkness
  living forces, kindred, darkness
  Light
  living forces, inanimate forces,
  living forces, kindred, elements,
  kindred, elements, life, light,
  inanimate forces, light
  Magic
  time, life, inanimate forces, elements,
  any knowledge
   magic
  Inanimate Forces
  inanimate forces, light, magic, elements
  inanimate forces, light, magic,
  elements
  Living Forces
  living forces, light, darkness, kindred
  living forces, light, darkness, kindred
  Kindred
  kindred, living forces, darkness, light
  not usable as mechanism
  Elements
  elements, inanimate forces, magic, light
  not usable as mechanism
  Knowledge Interaction Chart
  Chapter Five
  
  77
  Extended Power Push Table
  Result
  Result
  Result
  Points
  Power
  Points
  Power
  Points
  Power
  S(0)
  +1
  18
  +7
  36
  +13
  1
  +1
  19
  +7
  37
  +13
  2
  +1
  20
  +7
  38
  +13
  3
  +2
  21
  +8
  39
  +14
  4
  +2
  22
  +8
  40
  +14
  5
  +2
  23
  +8
  41
  +14
  6
  +3
  24
  +9
  42
  +15
  7
  +3
  25
  +9
  43
  +15
  8
  +3
  26
  +9
  44
  +15
  9
  +4
  27
  +10
  45
  +16
  10
  +4
  28
  +10
  46
  +16
  11
  +4
  29
  +10
  47
  +16
  12
  +5
  30
  +11
  48
  +17
  13
  +5
  31
  +11
  49
  +17
  14
  +5
  32
  +11
  50
  +17
  15
  +6
  33
  +12
  Every three points
  16
  +6
  34
  +12
  above 48 yields
  17
  +6
  35
  +12
  an additional +1
  State
  Casting is...
             Cost
  Cast direct
  0
  Focused
  2
  Impressed
  3
  Ward
  5
  If Spell is to be Impressed into Another Folk...
  + path cost to folk knowledge from pattern knowledge
  If Spell is to be Impressed into an Object...
  + path cost to folk knowledge from pattern knowledge
  + path cost from folk knowledge to element knowledge which
  best describes the material of the object
  Spell Complexity
  Magic Type
  Divination
  17
  Apportation
  19
  Alteration
  22
  Conjuration
  25
  Theorems
  PROCESS THEOREMS
  Cast Time
  Control
  Duration
  Range
  Speed
  State
  PATTERN THEOREMS
  Concentration
  Contagion
  Specific Contagion
  Exclusion
  Uniqueness
  Similarity
  Touch
  Self
  Voice
  The Theory of Magic
  
  78
  Chapter Six
  Pixaud’s Practical
  Grimoire
  It is with tremendous pleasure that we
  of the Academy  of Four Towers present
  the following excerpts of Pixaud’s Practi-
  cal Grimoire, perhaps the finest grimoire
  known to the kindred. While legends of
  Pixaud vary considerably with the house
  and class of the teller, most versions agree
  that Pixaud was the second dean of the
  Academy of the Four Towers, and a con-
  temporary of Throrvald. He began the
  grimoire while an adjunct conjuror with
  the academy. After his disappearance, such
  illustrious names as Throrvald, Voiny,
  Westermass, Eloini’nar and Coltershiv
  watched over subsequent editions of the
  grimoire. My compatriot Kenipat and I
  are honored to have been chosen to compile
  and annotate the current edition of the
  Grimoire, and it is our fervent hope that
  this edition shall not tarnish the deserv-
  edly sterling reputation of these volumes.
  —Zelephest of the Four Towers
  he mages of the  Arcane
  Academy of the Four
  Towers have long had an
  interest in the theory of
  magic, and the construc-
  tion of spells. They keep what are prob-
  ably the finest grimoires in Aysle, con-
  taining meticulously designed spells.
   Altered Fireball
  Axiom Level: 10
  Skill: alteration/ fire 14
  Backlash: 18
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 14
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 8 (40 meters)
  Duration: 5 (10 seconds)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: speed, control
  Altered fireball requires a large
  flammable ball as a contagion. The
  traditional ball is pitch and coal, weigh-
  ing a third of a pound. The magician
  lights the ball from a source of flame,
  grabbing a piece before the sphere is
  completely engulfed. As the spell is
  cast the rest of the ball leaps toward its
  target. The magician controls its move-
  ment by mimicking its flight with the
  piece he retained. He controls the ef-
  fect, triggering the full effect by slam-
  ming the piece into his hand when the
  ball arrives at its target, exploding the
  ball to its full volume, a sphere with a
  radius of four meters.
   Altered Fireball (improved)
  Axiom Level: 10
  Skill: alteration/ fire 18
  Backlash: 17
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 18
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 13
  Duration: 9
  Cast Time: 3
  Manipulation: speed, control
  Cast as the altered fireball above,
  with enhancements.  The burning
  sphere has a radius of ten meters. The
  magician controls the movement and
  the duration of the spell.  For the dura-
  tion, he may move the ball, either be-
  fore or after it explodes to its full vol-
  ume.  The sphere travels at 400 meters
  per round (100 miles per hour).  Once
  exploded, the fireball does damage
  each round.
  Fireballs were the obsessive specialty of
  Vascher Flametongue. He developed the
  two above, as well as his infamous
  Vascher’s Colossal Fireball. It took weeks
  to cast, and he launched it in the  Gorunden
  Hills, where it impacted at what is now
  called the Black Glass Crater, a hole better
  than 8,000 meters across.
  —Zelephest
   Arm of Air
  Axiom Level: 5
  Skill: apportation/ air 10
  Backlash: 10
  Difficulty: 6
  Effect Value: 5
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 6 (15 meters)
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Cast Time: 5 ( 10 seconds)
  Manipulation: duration, range
  The caster blows air underneath his
  hand, moving each finger as he blows
  air upon it. Out loud he then com-
  mands arm of air to perform a task.
  The arm has a Strength equal to the
  effect value of the spell. Only simple
  physical tasks may be performed by
  the arm; if the task would normally
  require a character to generate a Dex-
  terity total to perform the action, it is
  beyond the capacity of the arm of air.
   The mage must concentrate upon
  this spell for the full duration of the
  spell; the spell effect ends as soon as
  the mage performs an action other
  than directing the spell.
  This spell is a common spell among
  apprentices. It has been designed to have
  the minimum complexity for an apporta-
  tion spell, giving the magisters a perfectly
  good excuse to have the apprentices do all
  the housework.
  —Zelephest
  Brittle Walls
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/earth 18
  Backlash: 19
  Difficulty: 13
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 4 (five meters)
  Duration: 14 (10 minutes)
  Cast Time: 4 (five minutes)
  Manipulation: control, state
   To cast this spell, the sorcerer places
  a piece of stone on the ground and
  smashes a piece of glass upon it. He
  then lifts the rock and crushes any
  remaining glass fragments with it.
  After reciting the appropriate in-
  cantation, the caster touches the stone
  
  79
  he wishes to transmute. All of the stone
  of that type within a four  meter radius
  of the point of contact becomes ex-
  tremely brittle, its Toughness reduced
  to by the result points of the spell.
  The spell has a divination compo-
  nent which allows it to separate each
  component piece of rock in the wall, so
  the effect is applied to each piece of the
  wall rather than the wall as a whole. A
  brick has a Toughness of 4, a brick sized
  piece of granite has a Toughness of 9,
  while  a one meter by one meter by half
  a meter granite slab would have a
  Toughness of 24.
  Kenipat — This spell was perfected
  some years ago by a group of dwarves
  being held in a House Vareth slave pen —
  needless to say, they were not prisoners for
  long after mastering this bit of arcana.
   Bullet
  Axiom Level: 7
  Skill: apportation/ metal 13
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 17
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 8 (40 meters)
  Duration: 5 (10 seconds)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: control
  The bullet spell can sling a metal
  mass about the size of a small sling
  bullet, or a quarter. The magician pan-
  tomimes the whirling of a sling with
  the hand holding the metal, then re-
  leases it toward his opponent. The
  apportation magic total of the cast must
  equal or exceed the Dexterity or dodge
  of the target character in order to hit
  him.
  Cast Lasher
  Axiom Level: 12(17)
  Skill: alteration/ magic 20
  Backlash: 22
  Difficulty: 8
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 9 (60 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: range
  This spell increases the backlash of
  an opponent’s spell castings. To cast the
  spell the mage mimics the casting of
  another spell, one from which he usu-
  ally takes backlash. As he pantomimes
  the effect of the backlash, the magician
  casts the spell.  To be effective the magi-
  cian must take some backlash when
  actually casting the spell, as this is the
  spell’s contagion. The caster controls
  the effect of the spell; if the casting total
  is high enough that he would take no
  backlash, the mage may reduce the cast-
  ing total, and the effect, to a level where
  he takes backlash. The spell is impressed
  until released by the caster.
  When released the caster generates
  an   alteration magic total which must
  exceed the target character’s  Dexterity
  or dodge to hit him. As the effect value
  has already been set, any bonus num-
  ber from the targeting roll is not added
  to the effect value. The effect value is
  compared to the target’s highest magic
  skill value. The result points are fac-
  tored through the Power Push table;
  any spell cast by the target character
  has its backlash increased by this
  amount. If the target does not have a
  magic skill, then the target’s Perception
  is used (although the spell’s effect is
  probably a moot point).
  The magician controls the duration
  of cast lasher.
  Change to Falcon
  Axiom Level: 13
  Skill: alteration/folk 22
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 5
  Effect Value: 24
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, state, cast
  time
  A relatively simple spell, and one of
  great help when hopelessly lost in the
  forests of Aysle. The caster takes a lock
  of human hair (it does not need to be
  that of the target) and mixes it with
  falcon feathers. He then touches the
  target, who will physically transform
  he Grimoire and the Game
  T
  Pixaud’s practical grimoire is
  a compilation of spells currently
  in the custody of the Arcane
  Academy of the Four Towers.
  Only students of the academy,
  or other accredited magicians,
  are allowed to learn spells from
  the grimoire. In game terms, to
  be accredited a character must
  have learned  14  or more arcane
  knowledges, at least two of which
  must be essence knowledges.
  While acquiring the knowledges
  is difficult, perhaps the trickier
  part is actually finding the Ar-
  cane Academy of the Four Tow-
  ers. If anyone knows where the
  academy is, they are not telling.
  This does not mean that the
  knowledge in the grimoire is
  completely off limits to your
  players. The grimoire has been
  around for centuries, and many
  of the spells inscribed therein are
  now in circulation in other pri-
  vate grimoires. A mage might be
  willing let another character
  study from the grimoire in ex-
  change for similar knowledge,  a
  trade in service, or a valuable
  item otherwise unobtainable to
  the mage.
  No starting mage would know
  the spells in this grimoire, other
  than those meant to be taught to
  an apprentice, such as Arm of Air
  — although he might know a
  mage or two  who have  access to
  a few of the spells.
  If a magician character wants
  a spell in this grimoire, he is go-
  ing to have to obtain it through
  adventure or interaction with
  gamemaster characters,  rather
  than through simple expenditure
  of Possibilities.
  Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  
  80
  into a falcon, but retain his Perception,
  Mind, Charisma and Spirit attributes.
  Falcon
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 11, flight 13, maneuver 11,
  stealth 11, unarmed combat 12
  STRENGTH 5
  TOUGHNESS 6
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value
  10; beak, damage value STR+2/7;
  claws, damage value STR+3/8
  Kenipat — Beware of imitations of this
  spell, published in cheap commercial
  grimoires. I have seen Ayslish humans
  sporting feathers, I have seen two-meter
  tall falcons standing on cliffs frantically
  flapping their arms before falling to their
  deaths. Are such horrible results really
  worth the few trades you save with such
  volumes?
  Communicate with Animals
  Axiom Level: 7
  Skill: divination/earthly 16
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 26
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 13 (five minutes)
  Cast Time: 4 (five seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  To successfully complete this spell,
  the caster must have something from
  the specific species of animal with which
  he wants to communicate (a lock from
  the mane of a horse, the claw of a
  manticore). He places this on the ground
  before him, and draws a line in the
  ground leading from the object to him-
  self, and then a second line in the oppo-
  site direction. When he touches the ani-
  mal, it will become capable of speaking
  and understanding the caster’s language
  for a brief period.
  Kenipat — Whether or not the animal
  will wish to answer the caster’s questions,
  and its honesty if it does so, depends en-
  tirely on its temperament. In addition, a
  completely mindless animal probably will
  not have very much to say.
  Corgain’s Gill Spell
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/ water 15
  Backlash: 15
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 5
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 5 (10 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds)
  Manipulation: duration
  This spell requires the gills from a
  fish. The mage splashes water onto the
  gills and then breathes through them,
  casting the spell on his third breath by
  pointing at the target character.
  The effect value is the maximum
  number of liters of water (10 kilos)
  which are converted to air when the
  recipient of the spell breathes under-
  water. This represents about eight full
  breaths, more than enough for a nor-
  mal round.  A panicked or strenu-
  ously active character may  breathe
  more often than this, and water will
  bubble through to be inhaled,  causing
  damage. The gamemaster rolls a bo-
  nus number, interpreting the bonus as
  result points of damage.
  A character on land suffers no ill
  effect from this spell; water is not re-
  quired to breathe, but a character may
  breathe water. The spell is focused
  upon the recipient, who then controls
  the duration and effect of the spell.
  Create Fear
  Axiom Level: 11
  Skill: conjuration/darkness 16
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 15
  Effect Value: 20
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 8 (40 meters)
  Duration: 15 (15 minutes)
  Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  state
  Create fear is a powerful spell that
  cannot be cast indiscriminately. It in-
  volves specific contagion, meaning you
  must have an item belonging to your
  target for the spell to be effective. Then
  it’s simply a question of muttering
  words of power and pointing at your
  foe — his mind will be filled with in-
  tense fear, an emotion which can virtu-
  ally paralyze him if he allows it to.
  Create fear is, of course, an illusory
  spell. Once the duration of the spell
  expires, the effect will wear off swiftly,
  and the target is apt to be extremely
  angry. But the memory of the soul-
  numbing fear he felt may make him
  hesitant about attacking you. To dis-
  believe the spell, the target must gen-
  erate a successful Mind or willpower
  total of 19.  Even if the target frees
  himself from the illusion , he will still
  have a lingering memory of the fear it
  produced.
  Kenipat — I have found that this is a
  very good spell with which to introduce
  students to the power of magic. Although
  the effect only lasts five minutes, the
  memory of it can last years, and its use
  helps prevent excessive talking in class as
  well as doodling in the grimoires.
  Detect Folk Evil
  Axiom Level: 8
  Skill: divination/ darkness
  Backlash: 13
  Difficulty: 7
  Effect Value: 19
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 8
  Duration: 14
  Cast Time: 6
  Manipulation: control
  The magician thinks dark thoughts
  about himself or others about whom
  he cares, and then casts the spell with
  a quick scowl in the direction of the
  target character. The mage must con-
  centrate for the duration of the spell;
  the spell effect ends as soon as the
  mage performs an action other than
  directing the spell. He may change the
  target of the spell.
  The effect value of the spell is com-
  pared to the target’s Spirit or faith value.
  Minimal or average success lets the
  caster know if the target character har-
  bors evil intentions which he plans to
  put into effect immediately (within
  the duration of the spell). Good success
  allows the caster to know if the target
  harbors any evil intentions toward the
  caster (or the character about whom
  the magician thought dark thoughts
  when casting the spell). Superior suc-
  cess lets the caster know if the target
  character harbors evil intentions to-
  ward anyone and the degree of harm
  Chapter Six
  
  81
  planned; spectacular success lets the
  caster know who the target is plan-
  ning to get, if not the caster or the
  character about whom the magician
  thought dark thoughts.
   Dispel Magic
  Axiom Level: 13
  Skill: alteration/ magic 20
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 8
  Effect Value: 29
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 9 (60 meters)
  Duration: 5 (10 seconds)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: state, duration
  The magician must concentrate
  when casting this spell, envisioning
  the pattern which he plans to disrupt
  with this spell.  If he does not know the
  pattern skill and knowledge of the
  target spell effect, the caster suffers a -
  10 bonus modifier when casting this
  spell. He must gesture to draw the
  pattern he envisions, and then out loud
  he commands the pattern to break.
  Dispel magic works through the prin-
  ciple of definition. The casting mage is
  copying the pattern of the spell effect
  closely enough so that the principle of
  definition is invoked, allowing only one
  pattern to exist. The gamemaster gener-
  ates a magic skill total, using the skill
  value of the magician whose spell is
  being dispelled.  If the effect value of
  dispel magic is greater than the defensive
  total, then the spell is dispelled. If not,
  the spell remains in effect.
  Dust to Water
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/earth 18
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 13
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 29 (one week)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  state
  To cast this spell, the sorcerer needs
  two one-liter jugs, one empty and one
  filled with earth. While repeating the
  incantation, he pours the earth into the
  empty jug, allowing it to run through
  his fingers as he does so. When it
  emerges from his hand, it will have
  transformed to water.
  On a minimal or average success, the
  water will be dirty; on a good success or
  above, it will look and taste clean.
  Enchant Armor
  Axiom Level: 10
  Skill: alteration/inanimate forces 17
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 32 (one month)
  Cast Time: 25 (one day)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  cast time
  The caster takes each piece of armor
  to be enchanted and holds it before
  him. With his other hand he takes
  arrows, daggers and other weapons
  and touches them to the metal, then
  shatters them, to simulate the effect
  the magically toughened armor will
  have for the duration of the spell.
  The result points of the spell are
  added to the maximum value of the
  targeted armor. The result points are
  then checked against the Power Push
  Table to determine the increase to the
  armor’s adds  prompted by the spell.
  Kenipat — A poor sorcerer using a
  cheap version of this rite can find himself
  with a suit of armor that cannot stand up
  to a stiff breeze off the Trade Sea. I once
  heard a Draconis Teutonica laugh heartily
  when faced with a paladin wearing armor
  with a flawed enchanted armor spell fo-
  cused into it. That is a sound I do not wish
  to hear again, and the best reason I can
  produce for why I am teaching and writ-
  ing texts rather than on the continent of
  Aysle, making twice the trades I do here.
  Enchant Bow
  Axiom Level: 10
  Skill: alteration/inanimate forces 17
  Backlash: 19
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 22
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 32 (one month)
  Cast Time: 25 (one day)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  cast time
  The enchant bow spell is based on
  the same pattern of magic as enchant
  armor, and the effectiveness of the spell
  is determined in the same manner,
  increasing the maximum damage
  value and the damage adds of the
  weapon.
  To cast this spell, the mage should
  take a piece of armor and heat it until
  it begins to grow soft. He then puts an
  arrow into the bow and fires it at the
  armor, which it will easily pierce. He
  must repeat this action several times,
  while reciting the proper incantation.
  When he is done, the bow will fire
  straight and true and cause great dam-
  age to the enemy.
  Kenipat — Again, wizards should be-
  ware of copies of this spell. If the stave of
  the bow absorbs the enchantment, but the
  string does not, it may snap at a crucial
  moment. In addition, some versions of this
  spell increase the strength wonderfully
  well, but destroy the weapon’s accuracy to
  the point where even the best archer can-
  not hit the broad side of a Fomorian.
   Fighting Whirlwind
  Axiom Level: 8
  Skill: apportation/ air 16
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 21
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 9 (60 meters)
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: speed, range, con-
  trol
  The magician spins himself around
  once while exhaling to make an ever
  louder whooshing noise. The spell
  causes a whirlwind to form, 2.5 meters
  tall and 2.5 meters wide at the top. The
  magician controls the movement of
  the whirlwind, which travels up to 60
  meters each round. The magician also
  controls the duration and the form of
  the spell. To target a character the
  magician generates an apportation
  magic total; if the total equals or ex-
  Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  
  82
  ceeds the target character’s Dexterity
  or dodge, the whirlwind hits. Anyone
  caught within 2.5 meters of the target
  character is also hit by the full force of
  the whirlwind.
   Flickering Fire Shield
  Axiom Level: 11
  Skill:alteration/ fire 18
  Backlash: 12
  Difficulty: 15
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: state, control
  The caster passes his hand through
  a flame while casting the spell, touch-
  ing the hand of the recipient  to focus
  the spell into that character. That hand
  now  has a barely visible flicker of
  flame which outlines the shape of a
  shield. The spell resists the effects of
  all fire spells with a casting total less
  than the effect value of the flickering
  shield. The spell’s duration is con-
  trolled by the recipient.
   Flowers of Frustration
  Axiom Level: 13(17)
  Skill: conjuration/ time 28
  Backlash: 21
  Difficulty: 17
  Effect Value: 27
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 9 (60 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: state, range, speed
  To cast the spell the magician re-
  quires at least a dozen flowers.  Dried
  flowers will do, but live flowers give a
  +3 bonus modifier. The mage sits with
  the flowers in his lap, envisioning the
  pattern of the spell, then imagining
  the pattern into a shape similar to the
  flowers in his lap. Out loud, he quietly
  and firmly describes the pattern of
  flowers, finishing the casting as he
  finishes the description.  Once cast,
  the spell is impressed.
  To release the spell, the caster must
  generate a conjuration magic total
  greater than or equal the defender’s
  Dexterity or dodge. The spell is focused
  on the target, but its duration and
  effect continue to be controlled by the
  caster. Whenever the target casts a
  spell, the effect value of flowers of frus-
  tration is compared to the casting total
  of the target spell.  If the effect value is
  greater, the effect value of is compared
  to the casting value on the Power Push
  table. To this result, 10 is added. The
  final number is the amount by which
  the effect value of the target spell is
  reduced. The energy which has been
  drawn off from the target spell is con-
  verted into flowers which shower
  down from the spell.
  Example: Flowers of frustration is  cast
  with an effect value of 31. Subse-
  quently, the caster successfully tar-
  gets a mage. The target character then
  attempts to cast an altered fireball spell,
  generating an alteration magic total of
  19. 31-19 = 12. 12 on the Power Push
  table is +5. The result modifier of 10
  brings to total to 15. The fireball’s ef-
  fect value is reduced by 15. The caster
  would cast the fireball, and watch it
  approach its target streaming flowers,
  to “pfft” ineffectually upon impact.
  If a spell does not have an effect
  value, the reduction affects the volume
  and area of the spell. Each two full
  points of reduction equals one point of
  reduced volume. If the spell only has
  area, each point reduces the area by one
  point. If the above spell had been a mage
  light spell, which has a volume of 10
  meters (value five), the volume would
  have been reduced by  seven.
  Folk Repelspell
  Axiom Level: 25
  Skill: alteration/ folk 18
  Backlash: 18
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: state, duration
  The caster mimics the casting of
  another folk spell (which he must
  know) over and over again while cast-
  ing the spell. At the end of the hour he
  touches the head of the recipient  to
  focus the spell into that character. The
  character’s eyes look a little dull, flat-
  ter, while protected by this spell. The
  spell resists the effects of all folk spells
  with a casting total less than the effect
  value of the folk repelspell. The spell’s
  duration is controlled by the recipient.
  Fool’s Gold
  Axiom Level: 10 (17)
  Skill: alteration/ metal 13
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 12
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 23 (10 hours)
  Cast Time: 17 (40 minutes)
  Manipulation: duration
  The caster must have a sample of
  the precious metal he wishes to fake.
  He rubs a little of the metal onto the
  metal he intends to “transform”, then
  performs the spell. The spell is im-
  pressed.  The spell converts one kilo-
  gram of metal or coins into an illusion
  of the precious metal used during the
  spell casting. The effect value, includ-
  ing the bonus number, must be at least
  five to convert the metal.  The spell is
  released by tapping the metal with the
  sample, and generating an alteration
  magic total of zero or greater. The
  “gold” may be disbelieved on Mind
  total of 13 or better.
  It is interesting to note that this spell is
  an impressive effort by a young student,
  Jovalio Consen, who was studying under
  Magister Ulgul of the Six Towers. His
  choice of effect was inspired, optimizing
  his chances of successfully overcoming the
  toughness of gold, it greatest attribute, for
  the illusory tranformation. His use of the
  theorem of exclusion to have the effect
  work solely on a kilogram of the target
  metal was equally perceptive; not only did
  it increase the likelihood that the spell
  could be cast, but it limited the amount of
  illusory metal which could flood the mar-
  ket at any one time, reducing the probabil-
  ity of discovery.  And all this in nine short
  weeks.  Quite impressive. As we shall see,
  most authorities consider the work to be
  too impressive.
  —Zelephest
  Chapter Six
  
  83
  Freeze Time
  Axiom Level: 17
  Skill: alteration/time 22
  Backlash: 17
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 9
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 8 (40 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  state
  Freeze time is an impressed spell.
  To cast it, the mage must spend an
  hour sitting perfectly still — any vol-
  untary movement will shatter the spell,
  and the caster must begin again.
  Once it is impressed, it can be put to
  use in countless situations. When cast,
  it forms a sphere within which time is
  frozen. All of those inside of it, save
  the caster, will be trapped in between
  moments, and the caster can take ad-
  vantage of their paralysis to escape
  from a situation, or search the victims
  for trades or information.
  Anyone entering the sphere may
  also fall victim to the time-lock, but no
  more than 10 people can be affected by
  the spell at once. If more than 10 people
  are within range when the spell is cast,
  or an 11th person should enter the
  sphere, the spell will collapse and time
  will return to its normal flow.
  Kenipat — A rite that tampers with the
  flow of time itself, freeze time is not to be
  used lightly. Although nothing has ever
  been proven, there have always been mem-
  bers of the sorcerous community who op-
  pose all essence spells, and particularly
  this one, claiming that damage may be
  done to one of the prime forces of the cosm
  by repeated use.
  Hide from Magic
  Axiom Level: 12
  Skill: conjuration/magic 19
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 20
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  Most mages, even minor ones, have
  access to a tracker or pathfinder spell,
  which they will use to hunt down and
  finish off a foe. Hide from magic allows
  the caster to create a bubble of mystic
  energy around himself which will con-
  ceal his presence from divination
  spells. An important point to remem-
  ber, however, is that the caster will
  still be visible to the naked eye, and
  will still be vulnerable to  conjuration,
  alteration, and apportation-based
  spells.
  To bring the sphere into being, the
  mage must close his eyes and mimic
  the sculpting of the field around him,
  as if it were being made from clay.
  When he is finished, divination spells
  will have been rendered blind to his
  existence.
  The effect value is the ability of the
  sphere to counteract divination spells
  which have casting totals that are less
  than the effect value of hide from magic.
  Houndscent
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/ folk 15
  Backlash: 15
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 15
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 21 (four hours)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: state
  The mage must sniff the ground in
  an imitation of a hound, ending the
  spell by touching the recipients nose
  with his own. The spell effect is fo-
  cused into the recipient, who then has
  control of the duration and effect of
  the spell.  The effect value of the spell
  is compared to the recipient’s Percep-
  tion on the Power Push table. To this
  result, six is added. The total is the
  increase in the recipient’s  Perception
  when using his sense of smell.
  Imprisonment
  Axiom Level: 12
  Skill: conjuration/magic 19
  Backlash: 20
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 20
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 7 (25 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  The rite of imprisonment traps a foe
  within bars made of mystic energy. To
  cast this, a mage must beckon with his
  hands as if exhorting something to rise
  from the ground, and then mimic the
  struggle to escape from a narrow cell.
  He then points at his target, and if the
  casting total of the spell is greater than
  the target’s Dexterity or dodge, it effec-
  tively traps its quarry.
  The effect value of the spell is the
  Strength of the bars, which can be shat-
  tered by a spell or enchanted weapons
  capable of inflicting damage greater
  than that value (physical strength will
  avail you naught against these magi-
  cal constructs). In addition, the target
  can free himself by generating a suc-
  cessful Mind or willpower total against
  a difficulty number of the spell’s effect
  value.
  The rite confines the target to a 2.5
  meter area, and cannot be used on
  creatures larger than that figure.
   Increase Weight
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/inanimate forces 19
  Backlash: 13
  Difficulty: 6
  Effect Value: 24
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 10 (100 meters)
  Duration: 14 (10 minutes)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  state, cast time
  By manipulating  the inanimate
  forces knowledge, this spell makes it
  possible for a sorcerer to apparently
  increase the weight of an opponent,
  sending him crashing to the ground.
  The effect value of this spell is equal
  to the force which is pulling the target
  to the ground. To move, a creature
  must generate a Strength total greater
  than the effect value of the spell. A
  flying creature which fails its Strength
  action will plummet to the ground,
  Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  
  84
  taking a damage value equal to the
  effect value plus the value of the dis-
  tance fallen.
  It is an impressed spell, and is cast
  by holding a pebble in the palm of
  your hand and then letting it drop to
  the ground, as if it had grown too
  heavy to support. In battle, the spell
  requires only a gesture in the direction
  of the target to be released. If the cast-
  ing total is greater than the Dexterity or
  dodge value of the target, the spell will
  be effective.
  Note that this spell is of limited use
  against dragons, whose great Strength
  and high Toughness render the spell a
  nuisance. In addition, their connec-
  tions with elemental magic may have
  unforeseen effects upon the spell.
  Kenipat — Flying creatures have long
  been a problem for travelers in Aysle.
  Dragons, griffins, harpies and various
  other beasts have an annoying habit of
  swooping down, wounding, and then soar-
  ing out of reach of a melee weapons, and
  doing so too quickly to accurately aim a
  missile weapon. (Naturally, this rite can
  be used against non-flying foes with equal
  effect, but doubling the weight of a griffin
  and then admiring the crater it makes
  leaves one with a true sense of accomplish-
  ment.)
  This spell suffers from an undeservedly
  poor reputation, owing to the appearance
  of a flawed version in the popular
  “Rothenlynn’s Grimoire for Beginners.”
  That increase weight spell had a tendency
  to backfire, causing the caster’s arm to
  grow heavier while the rest of his body
  remained the same, usually with unpleas-
  ant consequences for the limb in question.
  Invisibility
  Axiom Level: 12 (17)
  Skill: alteration/ true knowledge 23
  Backlash: 17
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 24
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (ten hours)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  state
  The mage must have a small figu-
  rine of glass to perform this spell. He
  begins with the figurine dirty. He
  cleans the figurine throughout the cast-
  ing of the spell, checking its transpar-
  ency several times during the casting.
  The spell is impressed upon casting.
  The spell is released by touching the
  recipient or object with the figurine.
  The effect value is compared to the
  recipient’s Toughness on the Power
  Push table. To this result nine is added.
  If the final result equals or exceeds the
  target’s Toughness, then he is ren-
  dered completely transparent to light.
  An character trying to spot an invis-
  ible character must generate a Percep-
  tion total equal to the effect value of
  the spell in order to see him. Note that
  hearing, or otherwise sensing the char-
  acter, might be easier than seeing him.
  Even after he is perceived, an invis-
  ible character still has his defense in-
  creased by +5 against all visually tar-
  geted attacks.
  Keen Blade
  Axiom Level: 10
  Skill: alteration/ metal 15
  Backlash: 15
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: duration, state
  The magician must have a bladed
  weapon which he keeps extremely
  sharp. He quickly hones this blade
  with a whetstone while casting the
  spell, and the touches the ritual blade
  to the blade which receives the spell.
  The effect value of the spell is com-
  pared to the maximum damage value
  on the Power Push table, and the maxi-
  mum damage value and the damage
  bonus are each increased by the result.
  Light Writing
  Axiom Level: 12
  Skill: apportation/ light 15
  Backlash: 10
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 0
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 5 (10 meters)
  Duration: 20 (2.5 hours)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: control, range
  The magician casts the spell by
  quickly reciting the first  word she
  intends to write while spelling it out
  with movements of her hand. The spell
  effects a 2.5 meter circle within the
  range of the spell.  The caster controls
  the target aspect, effect, duration and
  form of the spell.
  As the mage thinks the words in her
  mind, the light within the area of effect
  gathers to form the letters. The rest of
  the area darkens as the light leaves it,
  making the letters more legible.
  Multiple Images
  Axiom Level:  12 (17)
  Skill: conjuration/light 19
  Backlash: 15
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 0
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 12 (250 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  cast time
  This is a useful spell, particularly if
  all the rest of your impressed magic
  has failed you and you need time to
  cast something directly. Multiple im-
  ages allows you to create unliving
  simulacrums of yourself within a ra-
  dius of 250 meters of the spot in which
  you are standing when you cast the
  spell. These can confuse and distract
  your foe while you have time to plan.
   The first part of the casting of this
  spell involves reciting the incantation
  in a room filled with mirrors. Once the
  spell is impressed, it can be used in
  battle by the caster standing in each
  spot he wishes a double to appear in
  while mentally repeating the incanta-
  tion. No elaborate hand gestures are
  needed that might warn an opponent
  of your plan.
  Kenipat — Keep in mind that your
  doubles will have no physical mass, and be
  prepared to cast your next spell in a hurry.
  Most mages, when faced with a score of
  identical foes, will blast all of them in an
  exceedingly nasty manner, feeling that is
  the surest way to slay the true sorcerer. If
  you are enough of a fool to let that happen,
  Chapter Six
  
  85
  you have wasted the time I spent writing
  this volume and the trades you spent pur-
  chasing it.
  Mystic Shield
  Axiom Level: 12
  Skill: conjuration/magic 19
  Backlash: 19
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 25
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  To cast this spell, the mage stands
  with his hands held out before him,
  and acts as if an invisible barrier stands
  before him. He pushes against the bar-
  rier with his hands, discovering as he
  does so that the barrier completely
  surrounds him. As he finishes this ac-
  tion, he mouths the words of the rite,
  and a cone of magical force forms
  around him.
  The effect value of the spell is the
  strength of the shield, and for as long
  as it is in place, it will absorb the en-
  ergy of spells directed against the
  caster, providing their effect values
  are less than or equal to that of the
  shield. A spell which is stronger than
  the shield will cause it to shatter, and
  the now vulnerable mage will take the
  full damage of the spell. The shield
  spell will then have to be recast the
  next round.
  Kenipat — This rite is the original and
  one of the most effective means of magical
  defense, and has been copied (poorly) by
  hundreds of Ayslish magicians and sold
  under such names as “Colnar’s Cone” and
  “Daleron’s Defense.”
  Like any powerful spell, the mystic
  shield has its drawbacks. For example,
  when encased in the magic-absorbing bar-
  rier, a mage cannot cast a spell against an
  enemy. Going on the attack means drop-
  ping the shield, and a wise wizard will
  watch carefully to see when his opponent
  drops his guard, and will usually lash out
  with an impressed spell or two. In addi-
  tion, the shield cannot be used to protect
  an entire group of folk, but a sorcerer can
  cast it around other individuals. This can
  cause the backlash to increase at a fright-
  ening rate, as protecting, say, two others
  as well as one’s self necessitates casting
  the spell three times.
  As I said above, there are cheap and
  sloppy versions of this incantation avail-
  able, but they are not to be relied upon.
  During my youth in the Land Between, I
  once saw a mage toss up a hasty shield in
  battle, only to see it collapse when his
  opponent cast a detect magic spell against
  him.
  Open Lock
  Axiom Level: 6
  Skill: apportation/metal 14
  Backlash: 11
  Difficulty: 5
  Effect Value: 16
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 15 (15 minutes)
  Cast Time: 6 (15 seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  To cast this simple spell, the mage
  touches the lock with one hand and
  takes a key in the other, miming the
  opening of the lock. After reciting the
  incantation, he takes the key, places it
  as near to the lock as possible, and
  turns it. If the effect value of the spell
  exceeds the difficulty of the lock, it
  will open.
  Pathfinder
  Axiom Level: 7
  Skill: divination/earth 14
  Backlash: 12
  Difficulty: 5
  Effect Value: 16
  Bonus Number to: range
  Range: 13 (400 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one meter)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  speed
   To cast this spell the sorcerer draws
  a simple design in the earth over and
  over again, making it deeper each time.
  At the same time, he pictures the place
  or object he seeks in his mind.
  When the spell is completed, the
  design will move through the earth
  toward the place or object specified in
  as direct a manner as possible, at a
  speed of 10 meters per round. If the
  object being sought is within range
  and connected to earth or stone, the
  spell will find it. However, if the range
  of the spell is greater than 18, its dura-
  tion will expire before it arrives at its
  destination.
  Persuasion
  Axiom Level: 11
  Skill: conjuration/ living forces 16
  Backlash: 19
  Difficulty: 12
  Effect Value: 20
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 7 (25 meters)
  Duration: 14 (one minute)
  Cast Time: 5 (ten seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration,
  state
  The mage casts the spell by nod-
  ding in agreement with the proposi-
  tion he intends to offer, and then he
  speaks the proposition to finish the
  spell. It is necessary to speak the entire
  proposition out loud within the cast
  time of the spell, so complicated sug-
  gestions are usually out of the ques-
  tion.
  The effect value of the spell is sub-
  stituted for the caster’s persuasion skill.
  Persuasion only works on beings who
  can understand the proposition being
  offered. The spell is illusory, and even
  after the proposition is accepted, a
  Mind total of 12 or more negates the
  effect of the spell. After the duration
  expires the character is no longer per-
  suaded, although unless the character
  has a pressing reason to re-examine
  the his acceptance of the offer, or has
  an attitude of hostile or enemy toward
  the caster, he will continue with the
  terms of the agreement.
  Plant Shackles
  Axiom Level: 8
  Skill: alteration/plant 15
  Backlash: 15
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 18
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 8 (40 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 9 (one minute)
  Manipulation: control
  Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  
  86
  To put this incantation to use, the
  caster takes five blades of grass (or
  whatever plants are nearby) and
  drapes one across both wrists, both
  ankles, and his neck. When he mutters
  the correct words and specifies the
  target with a hand gesture, the plants
  within range will begin to writhe and
  wrap themselves about the opponent.
  They will hold the target in their leafy
  embrace for up to one hour, with a
  strength equal to the effect value of the
  spell.
   Kenipat — This spell was discovered
  by dwarf magicians in Upper Aysle, shortly
  after the establishment of House Vareth. It
  has proved to be of limited use to Land
  Between dwarves, as the plant life in that
  area consists largely of mushrooms and
  mosses, which are not effective in the con-
  text of this spell.
  Possession
  Axiom Level: 17
  Skill: alteration/folk 21
  Backlash: 12
  Difficulty: 8
  Effect Value: 21
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: touch
  Duration: 38 (one year)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control
  A companion spell to sunder spirit,
  the latter must be used before posses-
  sion can be effective. An object belong-
  ing to the target form is required, over
  which the incantation is recited. When
  the target is touched, the caster’s spirit
  will move to occupy that body.
  This spell is relatively simple, prima-
  rily because a body to be possessed will
  already be empty of spirit. If occupying
  a form other than his own, the mage
  must recast the rite every year. If this
  spell is used by a disembodied spirit to
  enter a form, it will need a corporeal ally
  to obtain the item needed as part of the
  specific contagion theorem.
  Precious Metal Plate
  Axiom Level: 6
  Skill: divination/ metal 18
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 32
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 32 (one month)
  Cast Time: 14 (ten minutes)
  Manipulation: duration, range,
  speed
  The mage enchants a plate by plac-
  ing dozens of pieces of iron pyrite or
  illusory gold (or other illusory pre-
  cious metal) onto a plate along with
  one small real piece of each precious
  metal the plate is to detect. He re-
  moves the false metals one at a time,
  until only the true precious metals are
  left. He then casts the spell. To test the
  plate, he drops the pieces of metal,
  one at a time onto the plate.  If the spell
  was successful, each produces a dis-
  tinct pitch when the metal touches the
  plate.
  The user activates the plate by plac-
  ing the metal onto it. The effect value,
  of the plate, plus a bonus,  is compared
  to the disbelief value  of the metal
  sampled ( if the metal is illusory), or
  the casting total used to create any
  truly transformed metal. Precious
  metals to which the plate has not been
  attuned will still sometimes register
  with a funny, hollow sound.
  As mentioned earlier, it seemed odd
  that a young student, Jovalio Consen,
  would develop a spell as effective as fool’s
  gold. Things become clearer, or  at least
  more plausible, once it is known the Mag-
  ister Ulgul, Jovalio’s instructor, devel-
  oped  the precious metal plate spell —
  before Jovalio’s version of fool’s gold ap-
  peared.  Now, what demand is there for a
  remedy where there is no malady? Voila!
  Less than three months after Ulgul fin-
  ished his spell, false gold first hit Aysle in
  significant quantities.
  —Zelephest
  Ritual of Perception
  Preparation
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/folk 15
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 7
  Effect Value: 18
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: self
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 18 (one hour)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  The method of casting is simple.
  The sorcerer draws three concentric
  circles, the smallest large enough for
  him to sit in, the others about a hand
  span farther out. He then seats himself
  and examines each circle in turn, seek-
  ing imperfections. He touches each
  circle in the spot where it is furthest
  from a true circle.
  The effect value of the spell is com-
  pared to the target’s Perception on the
  Power Push Table. The resulting value
  modifier is added to the target’s Percep-
  tion for the duration of the spell. The
  shock effects of the push are ignored.
  Kenipat — As I grow older — although
  make no mistake, I am not old, simply very
  wise — I find that I grow forgetful. It
  becomes more difficult to find things I am
  seeking, carry out my studies, or perform
  some simple magics. The ritual of percep-
  tion preparation has helped me solve this
  problem, as well as giving me something
  to cast during Mage Island faculty teas.
  Sense Undead
  Axiom Level: 6
  Skill: divination/ entity 16
  Backlash: 13
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 24
  Bonus Number to: range
  Range: 10 (100 meters)
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Cast Time: 5 (ten seconds)
  Manipulation: range, speed
  To cast this spell requires an item
  worn, used or part of an undead en-
  tity. The item is kept wrapped in a
  dark cloth. As the spell is cast, the
  magician stares intently at the cloth,
  unwrapping the item and revealing it
  to his sight.  The magician must con-
  centrate on the spell to keep it active.
  The effect value of the spell is com-
  pared to the lowest Spirit of any entity
  in range (using the one-on-many table
  if there is more than one undead in
  range) on the Power Push table. These
  points are then read on the General
  Results table. On a minimal or average
  success, the caster knows there are
  indeed undead in the area. On a good
  success the caster knows how far away
  Chapter Six
  
  87
  and in what direction(s) the undead is
  (are). On a superior success the caster
  can know how active the undead is —
  whether is is moving, at rest, “asleep”.
  On a spectacular success the caster gets
  a gauge of the creatures spiritual
  strength; its Spirit value becomes
  known to the caster.
  Silence
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/folk 15
  Backlash: 13
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 20
  Bonus Number to: duration
  Range: 7 (25 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  To cast silence, the mage speaks the
  first half of the incantation aloud, then
  passes a hand over his mouth. At that
  point, he stops speaking and finishes
  the incantation in his mind.
  If successful, the target of the spell
  will be unable to utter a sound for an
  hour. Since this spell does not restruc-
  ture the target physically, but rather
  affects the ability of his mind to com-
  mand his voice, it can be resisted with
  a successful Mind or willpower total
  against a difficulty number of the
  spell’s effect value.
  Kenipat — A spell I have been known to
  use on classes of unruly students, which not
  only allows me to proceed with my lectures
  uninterrupted, but leaves them with a won-
  derful look of panic in their eyes.
  Skeletal Shield
  Axiom Level: 12 (17)
  Skill: alteration/death 23
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 11
  Effect Value: 26
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 2 (2.5 meters)
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Cast Time: 13 (five minutes)
  Manipulation: control
  To cast this spell you must have a
  bone, preferably a human bone. You
  hold the bone out in front of you, to the
  right side, to the left side, and then
  behind you. You then cast the bone
  upon the ground before you, repeat-
  ing the words of the incantation. If you
  have done it correctly, the bone will
  multiply into many, and they will rise
  up and begin to whirl about you at
  dizzying speed. The effect value of the
  spell is the strength of this shield, and
  the damage an attacker will take if he
  unsuccessfully attempts to penetrate
  it. The shield will move as the caster
  moves, allowing him to leave the scene
  of battle if he so chooses.
  Kenipat —  If I leave you with nothing
  else at the end of this text, let me give you
  Kenipat’s Three Laws of Aysle Survival:
  1) never surrender the freedom magical
  skill affords you to sit on a dreary island
  and edit musty textbooks; 2) beware of
  giants bearing gifts; 3) if you are truly
  interested in learning the skeletal shield
  spell, give some thought to the fine line
  between honor and corruption.
  This rite, you see, is one favored by
  necromancers (generally unpleasant folk,
  in my experience), and requires a fair
  amount of death knowledge. It is certainly
  effective, but can be the first step on a long
  road that ends in utter darkness.
  Snail Wit
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/folk 16
  Backlash: 14
  Difficulty: 10
  Effect Value: 15
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 7 (25 meters)
  Duration: 15 (15 minutes)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: duration
  The mage casts the spell by saying
  “two plus two is, um, uhhh...”, or its
  equivalent, while pointing towards the
  target. The effect value is compared
  against the Perception of the target on
  the Power Push table. To this result,
  three is added. The total is the de-
  crease in the recipient’s  Perception for
  the duration of the spell.
  Spell Snatcher
  Axiom Level: 13
  Skill: apportation/ magic 19
  Backlash: 19
  Difficulty: 14
  Effect Value: 30
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: 10 (100 meters)
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Cast Time: 3 (four seconds)
  Manipulation: control, range,
  speed
  The magician makes a sweeping
  gesture from the target character to his
  head, while encanting the opening
  words to the theory of state. This spell
  targets the mind of the victim in order
  to steal an impressed spell away from
  him.  The spell is immediately
  reimpressed in the mind of the caster,
  but must be cast before  the end of the
  duration of  spell snatcher or the im-
  pressed spell fades away.
  The effect value is compared with
  the target’s conjuration magic value (his
  Mind if he does not have conjuration
  magic). The result points are read on
  the General Results table. On a mini-
  mal, average, or good success the victim
  chooses which impressed spell he loses
  (assuming he has more than one im-
  pressed). On a superior success the
  gamemaster randomly determines
  which spell is to be gained, and a
  spectacular success allows the caster to
  choose the spell he gains.
  Stealth Walk
  Axiom Level: 9
  Skill: alteration/folk 17
  Backlash: 16
  Difficulty: 9
  Effect Value: 21
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 20 (2.5 hours)
  Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds)
  Manipulation: control, duration
  To successfully bring this pattern
  into being, the mage must stand three
  paces from his target and hold his
  hand out, palm up. As he chants the
  spell, the target takes three steps to-
  ward the mage and places a personal
  possession in the upturned hand. The
  mage must hold the item for the dura-
  tion of the spell, or its effects will van-
  ish. Note that this spell cannot be used
  on beings larger than man-sized (a
  safeguard introduced to prevent the
  creation of stealthy werin).
  Pixaud’s Practical Grimoire
  
  88
  Stealth walk increase the target’s
  stealth value. The effect value of the
  spell is compared to the target’s Dex-
  terity on the Power Push Table. The
  resulting modifier is added to the
  target’s stealth (giving him the skill if
  he does not have it) for the duration of
  the spell. The shock effects of the push
  are ignored.
  Kenipat — A vastly easier version of
  the spell first published in “Spell-Casting
  Made Simple,” which was written in a
  month by two drunken wizards employed
  by House Daleron. Granted, this cast will
  require a bit more skill, but it leaves you
  with stealth much like that of an elf, whereas
  the original version made one sound like a
  giant shod in very large boots.
  Sunder Spirit
  Axiom Level: 12 (17)
  Skill: alteration/folk 29
  Backlash: 22
  Difficulty: 24
  Effect Value: 50
  Bonus Number to: effect
  Range: touch
  Duration: 52 (500 years)
  Cast Time: 29 (five days)
  Manipulation: control
  The casting itself does not require
  the sort of complicated actions some
  spells do. It is imperative, however,
  that the mage have an object belong-
  ing to the target — this was built into
  the spell to prevent the indiscriminate
  sundering of spirits. The sorcerer
  speaks words of power over that ob-
  ject for five days, remaining in seclu-
  sion and fasting all that time.
  With the spell thus impressed, the
  sorcerer need only touch his target
  while carrying the possession on his
  person. The effect value of the spell is
  then compared to the target’s Spirit on
  the Power Push Table, and the result
  points then read on the Combat table.
  If the spirit is “killed” or “mortally
  wounded,” the spell has torn it free
  from its body,  leaving an empty shell
  behind. Some sorcerers will then pos-
  sess that form, and destroy their own,
  others will simply slay the body of
  their foe.
  The spirit will be barred from its
  own body for the duration of the spell,
  and though still possessed of magic,
  will be unable to cast those spells that
  require complex physical rituals. Its
  only hope of returning to a physical
  shell will be to sunder another’s spirit
  and take their body, something abhor-
  rent to most followers of the Light.
  Telepathy
  Axiom Level: 5
  Skill: divination/ folk 17
  Backlash: 13
  Difficulty: 6
  Effect Value: 0
  Bonus Number to: range
  Range: 15 (one kilometer)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Cast Time: 5 (10 seconds)
  Manipulation: range, speed
  The magician must have  a lock of
  hair, or an item used for at least a year,
  given to him by the character with
  whom he wishes to send thoughts. For
  the character to send thoughts to the
  mage he must have a lock of hair or
  item which has been used by the caster
  for a year. The mage must concentrate
  while the spell is in effect, and per-
  forming any other actions breaks the
  concentration and ends the spell.  The
  mage starts the spell by imagining he
  is speaking to the target while holding
  the target’s item.
  At ranges of less than 60 meters
  telepathy is almost like talking to the
  target character ( the message trans-
  mits at a speed of 1,000 meters a round,
  a value of 15).  Beyond that range the
  lag time begins to be noticeable. At a
  kilometer it takes a full round (10 sec-
  onds) for the message to be received,
  and at a range of six kilometers it takes
  a full minute to receive a message.
  The mage controls the duration and
  effect of the spell.
  Accomplished divination mages have
  adjusted to the lag time, and have devel-
  oped a private code to make the sending of
  messages more convenient and efficient.  I
  am afraid I cannot count myself among
  their ranks, and the last time I used this
  spell over a significant distance, I man-
  aged to “overthink” portions of the mes-
  sage, to the point where I became confused
  as to which thoughts originated with me,
  and which I had received. My confusion, of
  course was reflected in my thoughts, which
  were sent to my comrade. This self-rein-
  forcing loop of confusion forced us to aban-
  don the spell not long after we had gotten
  past the mandatory pleasantries.
  —Zelephest
  Chapter Six
  
  89
  Chapter Seven Miracles of Faith
  long with magic, religion
  plays an extremely impor-
  tant part in the day-to-day
  affairs of Aysle. With three
  distinct pantheons of gods
  being worshipped by the various folk
  of the cosm, a vast number of miracles
  can be invoked by clerics. Some of
  these can be used by the priests and
  priestesses of any Aysle religion, oth-
  ers are restricted to the followers of a
  particular pantheon (honor, corrup-
  tion, or balance).
  Animal Speech
  Spiritual Rating: 14
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 12
  Range: voice
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: allows cleric to speak and
  understand the language of animals
  With this miracle in effect, the cleric
  can understand the language of all
  animals within range, and speak to
  them if he chooses to do so. There is,
  however, no guarantee that the ani-
  mals will wish to speak with him, and
  efforts at persuasion may be necessary
  to get a conversation started.
  Mindless animals are not affected
  by this miracle.
  Armor of Dunad
  Spiritual Rating: 16
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: self
  Duration: 24 (12 hours)
  Effect: increases Toughness of
  cleric’s garments
  Calling upon Dunad, the priest
  touches his vestments. If the miracle is
  successful, the garments provide
  TOU+4 protection for the duration of
  the miracle. The cleric suffers no fa-
  tigue penalty as a result, nor is his
  Dexterity affected.
  This ritual can be used only by those
  who worship the gods of honor.
  Banish
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: faith value of enemy
  Range: 7 (20 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: forces enemy to flee
  This miracle can only be used
  against opponents of a different reli-
  gion. If successfully cast, compare
  cleric’s faith value to target’s faith value.
  Being with the lower faith feels com-
  pelled to flee.
  Beauty
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 8
  Difficulty: 11
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: increase target’s Charisma
  This miracle temporarily provides
  a +3 increase to the target’s Charisma
  when interacting with members of the
  opposite sex of his race. At the same
  time, the base attitudes of members of
  the same sex of his race is automati-
  cally lowered by one level for the du-
  ration of the miracle — i.e., from friendly
  to neutral, from neutral to hostile, etc.
  Bless Weapon
  Spiritual Rating: 9
  Community Rating: 8
  Difficulty: 9
  Range: touch
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Effect: strengthens any weapon
  The bless weapon miracle can be used
  on any weapon to increase its damage
  value. The cleric must lay his hands
  upon the weapon and call upon either
  Asten, Kalim or Minthod (depending
  on his belief system) and pray that the
  armament will be as strong as the
  warrior’s heart is brave. Success will
  result in a +1 to the weapon’s damage
  value.
  Cloud Minds
  Spiritual Rating: 14
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: target’s willpower or
  Mind
  Range: sight
  Duration: 15 (15 minutes)
  Effect: causes target character to
  believe that caster has turned invis-
  ible
  Invoking this miracle, the cleric is
  able to make an enemy believe he has
  vanished. On a minimal or average suc-
  cess, the cleric will appear unsolid, but
  will still be largely visible. On a good
  success, the cleric will be invisible, but
  if he moves, the target will be able to
  detect a rippling effect. On a superior
  or spectacular success, the cleric will be
  completely invisible.
  Curse of Arthuk
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 15
  Range: sight
  Duration: 39 (year and a day) or
  until dispelled
  Effect: brings ill luck
  The target of a successful curse of
  Arthuk suffers tremendous ill fortune in
  all things. The curse imposes a -2 pen-
  alty on all Dexterity and Strength-based
  skills, and -1 on all Perception, Mind,
  Charisma and Spirit-based skills. The
  attributes themselves are not affected.
  The curse lasts a year and a day,
  unless the cleric who cast it is killed or
  the target can find a priest to dispel it.
  For purposes of dispelling, a cleric must
  beat the faith total generated by the
  cleric when casting the curse. Only cler-
  ics of corruption can invoke this miracle.
  Death-Sleep
  Spiritual Rating: 14
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 15
  Range: Touch
  
  90
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: allows target character to
  simulate death
  The beneficiary of this miracle must
  be a willing target. If successfully cast,
  he will fall into a death-like sleep in
  which all metabolic processes will slow
  to the point where they are virtually
  undetectable, save by wizards who
  have undergone the ritual of perception
  preparation and priests with the detect
  miracle rite. The target will be able to
  see and hear, but will be unable to
  move, as well as being insensitive to
  pain. This can be an extremely danger-
  ous miracle — more than one cleric
  has awakened after an hour to find
  himself in a box deep underground.
  Detect Miracle
  Spiritual Rating: 14
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 9
  Range: 10 (100 meters)
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Effect: allows cleric to determine if
  a miracle has been invoked within
  the radius of effect in the past day
  The cleric recites a prayer, and then
  turns to face the north, south, east and
  west (in the realm), or their rimward
  and sunward equivalents in the cosm.
  If a miracle has been called down
  within the last 24 hours anywhere in a
  100 meter radius of the spot upon
  which the cleric is standing, the site of
  the invocation will begin to glow
  brightly.
  Dispel Curse
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: if cleric is of same faith
  as afflicted, 12; if not, faith total used
  to cast curse (see below)
  Range: touch
  Duration: permanent
  Effect: removes curse
  When a curse is cast, the faith total
  of the cleric should be noted. If this has
  not been done, assume the cleric had
  faith of 12 and generate a bonus num-
  ber — any bonus less than zero is
  considered to be zero.
  Elmiir’s Ring
  Spiritual Rating: 12
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 11
  Range: 5 (10 meter radius)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: creates wall of mystic ice
  around cleric, protecting him from
  supernatural entities
  When this miracle is cast, the cleric
  calls upon Elmiir to protect him from
  the ravages of demons, undead, and
  supernatural entities. A ring of ice,
  visible only to those with supernatu-
  ral abilities, with a Strength equal to
  the priest’s faith total, is created. When-
  ever a supernatural entity crosses the
  ring or at the beginning of any round
  in which it is within the ring, it suffers
  an automatic intimidation attack at the
  ring’s potency.
  The ring has no affect on non-su-
  pernatural beings. This miracle can be
  invoked only by clerics of honor.
  Endurance
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: increases target’s resistance
  to heat and cold
  By the laying on of hands and the
  recitation of prayer, the cleric can in-
  crease the ability of the target character
  to endure extremes of heat and cold. A
  minimal or average success boosts the
  target’s Toughness by +1, good or superior
  by +2, and spectacular by +3.
  Fertility
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 11
  Range: 15 (one kilometer)
  Duration: permanent
  Effect: to make the soil grow rich,
  allowing plants to grow
  To perform this miracle, the cleric
  picks up a handful of soil and allows it
  to run through his hands while recit-
  ing a prayer to the gods of earth and
  living forces. When the miracle takes
  effect, all soil within a kilometer ra-
  dius becomes fertile and crops are able
  to grow. On a superior or spectacular
  success, this miracle can enable the
  soil to resist the damaging effects of
  the world flux. On a good result or
  below, the land will turn dark and
  barren along with the flux.
  Harm
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 15
  Range: touch
  Duration: na
  Effect: inflicts damage and wounds
  by number of success levels
  Essentially the opposite of the heal-
  ing miracle, a cleric casts this by touch-
  ing his target and, if successful, inflicts
  damage upon him. On a minimal suc-
  cess, the target takes one shock point;
  on an average success, the target takes
  three shock points; on a good result, the
  target takes five shock points; on a
  superior result, the target is wounded,
  and on a spectacular result, the target is
  heavily wounded.
  Healing
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 15
  Range: touch
  Duration: na
  Effect: reduces damage and wounds
  by number of success levels
  Much like the Core Earth miracle, a
  minimal success will remove all KO-
  conditions and shock. Each success
  level thereafter reduces the target’s
  wound level by one.
  Hearth Blessing
  Spiritual Rating: 14
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: 9 (50 meters)
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Effect: enhances ability of charac-
  ters to defend a particular dwelling
  place
  When invoked successfully, a home
  comes under the protection of the gods
  Chapter Seven
  
  91
  of the cleric’s faith. The “home” can be
  a cave, rude shelter, or building — any
  dwelling with dimensions smaller than
  50 meters in any direction.
  All of those defending the building
  against assault gain the favor of the
  gods, manifested as a +1 to their Tough-
  ness for the duration of the miracle.
  The invocation will have no effect on a
  character who leaves the building, but
  he can regain its benefits if he goes
  within once more.
  Heroes’ Feast
  Spiritual Rating: 9
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: 5 (10 meters)
  Duration: permanent
  Effect: creates food
  Using this miracle, the cleric can
  transform any inanimate object into
  food. The faithful stack the goods to be
  transformed in front of the priest, who
  recites a prayer and turns it all into
  food. The amount of food created is
  equal to the measure of the value of
  the difference between the faith total
  used to generate the miracle and the
  difficulty number. For example, a to-
  tal of 15 would result in a difference of
  two. The value of two on the Torg
  Value Table is 2.5, so the miracle would
  have resulted in the creation of food
  sufficient for 2.5 meals.
   Illusory Dragon
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 11
  Range: self
  Duration: performance
  Effect: creates illusion of dragon
  around cleric
  To cast this miracle, the priest must
  have the image of a dragon in his mind.
  By concentrating upon it, he can create
  the illusion that he is a fierce dragon. To
  anyone without the divination magic skill
  or knowledge of the detect miracle rite, it
  will appear that the dragon is real and
  substantial, and the cleric will be un-
  seen. The “dragon” will mirror the
  cleric’s actions: when he moves, the
  dragon will move; when he lashes out,
  the dragon lashes out, etc. Being only an
  illusion, the dragon will be unable to
  inflict damage, but the illusion has an
  intimidation value equal to that of the
  cleric plus the result points generated
  by a successful invocation.
  Inferno
  Spiritual Rating: 13
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 12
  Range: sight
  Duration: 9 (one minute)
  Effect: causes elemental flame to
  consume enemy
  With inferno, the cleric calls upon
  elemental fire to erupt from the ground
  and incinerate an enemy. This miracle
  can only be used upon a single oppo-
  nent at a time, upon whom it acts with
  a damage value of 23.
  Although this miracle can be used
  by those of any faith in Aysle, priests
  of the gods of corruption subtract one
  from the difficulty number when per-
  forming it.
  Language
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 8
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: self
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: grants the cleric knowledge
  of a foreign language
  While this miracle is in effect, the
  cleric can understand and speak any
  one language he is physically capable
  of hearing and speaking. When invok-
  ing the miracle, the cleric does not
  have to know the proper name of the
  language he wishes to understand.
  Compare the cleric’s faith total
  against a difficulty number of 10. Mini-
  mal success means only a pidgin ver-
  sion of the language is understood
  and spoken; average success gives a
  rudimentary grasp of the language;
  good or superior success gives complete
  understanding, and spectacular success
  allows fluency — the cleric speaks the
  tongue like a native,
  Miracles of Faith
  
  92
  Mental Link
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 12
  Range: 25 (100 kilometers)
  Duration:  performance
  Effect: enables cleric to make men-
  tal contact with another being
  To cast this miracle, the cleric must
  have a specific target in mind, though
  he does not need to know that being’s
  location. In addition, the target must
  be able to understand and speak the
  language of the cleric, or the miracle
  will not achieve the desired results.
  When mentally linked, the cleric
  and target can communicate telepathi-
  cally, and both will be able to see
  through the other’s eyes. However,
  they cannot achieve control of each
  other’s mind or body through the use
  of this miracle.
  Mists of Areel
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 11
  Range: sight
  Duration: 14 (10 minutes)
  Effect: causes a black fog to rise
  around target character
  Used exclusively by followers of
  Areel to outmaneuver their opponents,
  this miracle results in an inky black
  fog which surrounds the target char-
  acter, cutting off his vision and often
  causing disorientation. This fog can-
  not be dissipated by rain or wind for
  the duration of the miracle. It extends
  for five meters in every direction from
  the target character, and will move
  with him as he moves.
  Passing Shadows
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 9
  Range: 5 (10 meters)
  Duration: 13 (five minutes)
  Effect: shows the cleric images of
  the past
  Successfully casting this miracle
  enables the cleric to see phantom im-
  ages that reveal the past history of a
  particular site. The priest will be un-
  able to communicate with the figures,
  nor will they take notice of him.
  For example, a cleric wants to deter-
  mine if a murder took place on Water-
  loo Bridge in London. By invoking the
  passing shadows miracle, with the spe-
  cific event in mind, he will see ghostly
  figures of the murderer and the victim,
  as the former goes about his gruesome
  business. As these images are but im-
  pressions on the aura of the place, the
  actual people involved in the incident
  do not need to be nearby for the miracle
  to work. The figures the cleric sees are
  reflections of the past, not the ghosts of
  the people involved.
  On a minimal or average result, the
  cleric can see one day into the past; on
  a good result, three days; on a superior
  result, five days; and on a spectacular
  result, a full week.
  Penance
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: na
  Duration: instantaneous
  Effect: allows cleric to speak with
  his gods and learn how he must
  atone for actions
   This miracle allows the cleric to
  communicate with the gods of his faith,
  and is commonly invoked when the
  priest has taken an action his deities
  disapprove of and gained either an
  honor or corruption point. The cleric
  must ask how he can redeem himself,
  and the gods will assign a task he must
  do to achieve this. If he fails at the task,
  he gains another negative point. This
  will continue until he is able to rees-
  tablish contact with them and success-
  fully complete a task of atonement.
  Petrify
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty:  target’s willpower or
  Mind
  Range: sight
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: paralyzes enemy
  When the cleric invokes this miracle,
  compare his faith to the Mind or will-
  power of the target. On a minimal, aver-
  age or good result, the target suffers a -
  2 to all Dexterity-based skills; on a
  superior success, -4; on a spectacular
  success, target is paralyzed for the
  duration of the miracle.
  Plague
  Spiritual Rating: 9
  Community Rating: 15
  Difficulty: 14
  Range: touch
  Duration: permanent (unless dis-
  pelled)
  Effect: causes target character to be
  afflicted with deadly disease
  This miracle causes the target char-
  acter to suffer from a severe case of
  bubonic plague. This illness will do
  damage value 12 each round until the
  character dies or the miracle is dis-
  pelled. The caster of the miracle will
  be immune to the contagion, but other
  characters who are in close proximity
  to the target must generate Toughness
  totals every two rounds against a dif-
  ficulty number of 8 or come down
  with the disease.
  This curse can be counteracted in
  one of three ways: the use of a dispel
  curse miracle; the use of the cure disease
  miracle, with a difficulty number of
  12; or the generation of a faith total on
  the part of the target which is higher
  than that used to cast the miracle. In
  addition, the healing miracle can be
  used, but only to delay death, not to
  dispel the effects of the plague.
  This miracle can be invoked only
  by followers of the gods of corruption.
  Plant Protection
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 9
  Range: voice
  Duration: 16 (30 minutes)
  Effect: animates plant life to pro-
  tect target character
  When this miracle is in effect, all
  plant life within range will act to pro-
  tect the target character specified in
  the ritual. Roots will erupt from the
  ground and wrap themselves about
  the legs of enemies (Strength of 11),
  tree branches will strike out at them
  Chapter Seven
  
  93
  (damage value 12), flowers and grasses
  will act as shackles for their feet
  (Strength of 8).
  Read Aura
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 8
  Difficulty: 8
  Range: 7 (25 meters)
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: cleric is able to determine
  the attitude of those he meets
  While a read aura is in effect, a cleric
  can see a visible glow about the head
  and shoulders of those he meets. The
  illumination can be black, gray, blue,
  yellow or white in color, representing
  the attitudes of enemy, hostile, neutral,
  friendly and loyal, respectively.
  Reanimate Dead
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: touch
  Duration: permanent
  Effect: restores a semblance of life
  to a corpse
  To work this miracle, the cleric must
  lay his hands upon the forehead of a
  corpse, dead for no longer than one
  week. After reciting the proper prayer,
  the corpse will return to something
  akin to life. Its Strength will increase by
  +1, it will be incapable of feeling pain,
  and only by destroying it (inflicting
  seven wounds) can it be stopped.
  However, unlike the Orroshan
  zuvembie, the Perception and Mind lev-
  els remain the same as they were in
  life. The undead will, however, hold a
  loyal attitude toward the necroman-
  cer, and will react to his attempts at
  persuasion accordingly.
  This miracle can be performed  by
  worshippers of Corba’al, the entity
  god, or by other corrupt priests (at   +3
  difficulty).
  Sanctum
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: 7 (20 meters)
  Duration: 25 (one day)
  Effect: sanctifies ground around
  target character, providing protec-
  tion against attack
  When this miracle is invoked, all
  the terrain for 20 meters around the
  target becomes ground sacred to the
  cleric’s religion. Anyone of the same
  faith who attempts to attack the target
  character within that area will find all
  difficulty numbers increased by their
  faith adds. If the target character leaves
  the sanctified area, he is no longer
  protected by the miracle, but can re-
  gain its beneficial effects by stepping
  back into the radius of effect.
  Storm
  Spiritual Rating: 13
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: 9
  Range: 15 (one kilometer)
  Duration: performance
  Effect: cleric can call down a storm
  on an enemy
  earning Miracles from Other Cosms
  L
  It is possible for  characters
  with the focus skill to acquire
  miracles from other cosms. Three
  conditions must be met before it
  is even possible to acquire a
  miracle.
  1. The religious beliefs of the
  faith from which the miracle
  originates must be compatible
  with the beliefs of the religion of
  the character acquiring the
  miracle.
  Example: The faith of the Cy-
  berpope explicitly denies the va-
  lidity of other religions. A char-
  acter with Cyberpapist faith and
  focus could not learn the miracles
  from any other cosm.
  2. The character acquiring the
  miracle must be able to explain
  the miracle as a function of his
  own religion. If the player can-
  not explain to the gamemaster
  how the miracle could be a mani-
  festation of his character’s faith,
  the character cannot acquire the
  miracle.
  3. The character must have
  witnessed the miracle.
  To acquire the miracle, the
  character must invoke his deity
  (page 127 of the Torg Rulebook)
  using the spiritual axiom of the
  cosm to which the miracle be-
  longs.  Gaining Living Land
  miracles is done using the spiri-
  tual axiom of the Living Land.
  When making the invocation the
  Condition Modifier chart on page
  127 of the Torg Rulebook is in ef-
  fect.
  If this invocation is success-
  ful, the miracle is granted. The
  character may now pray for this
  miracle as he would any other
  miracle with which he is famil-
  iar. If the invocation is unsuc-
  cessful, the character is denied
  that miracle, now and forever.
  When attempting to acquire a
  miracle, a player may play cards
  for his character, but may not
  trade or receive cards from any
  other player. Acquiring a miracle
  is a private affair between a char-
  acter of faith and his deity.
  The particulars of the miracle
  remain the same, except for its
  spiritual rating, which is raised
  to the spiritual axiom level of its
  cosm if it is lower than the level
  of the cosm. The axiom level of
  the cosm was integral in acquir-
  ing the miracle, and the invoca-
  tion makes that axiom level the
  minimum for the miracle. If the
  spiritual rating is already higher
  than the cosm level, it remains
  unchanged.
  Miracles from the Living Land
  are easier to acquire than those
  from Core Earth, but are likely to
  cause four-case contradictions
  anywhere but the Living Land.
  Core Earth miracles are more
  difficult to obtain, but cause
  fewer contradictions.
  Miracles of Faith
  
  94
  The cleric raises his hands into the air
  and implores the god or goddess of his
  pantheon with control of inanimate forces
  to hurl the fury of the storm down upon
  his enemy. This miracle is commonly
  invoked during battles at sea.
  On a minimal success, the wind grows
  more gusty, possibly blowing the en-
  emy vessel off course; on an average or
  good success, it begins to rain heavily,
  reducing the target vessel’s speed value
  by -2; on a superior success, the rain
  becomes a raging thunderstorm, with
  jagged bolts of lightning, doing dam-
  age of 15 to the target vessel; on a spec-
  tacular success, it begins to sleet, doing
  damage of 20 to the target vessel.
  Sword of Dunad
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 10
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: increases strength of sword
  Sword of Dunad is a form of blessing
  that is effective only on swords. The
  bearer of the sword must cut his left
  hand with it and allow the blood to
  drip on to the blade, thus representing
  the blood the sword will draw from
  his enemies. The cleric then lays a
  hand upon the blade and beseeches
  Dunad to make the sword strong and
  proof against all opponents.
  A minimal or average success in-
  creases the damage value of the sword
  by one; a good or superior result by two;
  and a spectacular result by three.
  This miracle can be invoked only
  by priests of Dunad.
  Transmute Staff
  Spiritual Rating: 10
  Community Rating: 11
  Difficulty: 10
  Range: touch
  Duration: performance
  Effect: transforms staff into serpent
  The cleric places a hand upon his
  staff and calls for it to become as the
  serpent in the dust. If successfully cast,
  the wooden stick will transform into a
  cobra. When the cleric ceases to con-
  centrate on the miracle, the snake will
  become a staff again.
  Cobra (from staff)
  DEXTERITY 11
  Maneuver 12, stealth 13, unarmed
  combat 13
  STRENGTH 3
  TOUGHNESS 2
  PERCEPTION 1
  Trick (10)
  MIND 1
  Test (10)
  CHARISMA 1
  Taunt (8)
  SPIRIT 3
  Intimidation 12
  Possibilities: 3
  Natural Tools: fangs, damage value
  STR+8; venom, damage value 11
  Once introduced into the blood-
  stream, the venom will do damage
  each round unless it is neutralized. To
  counteract the venom, the target must
  generate a faith total higher than that
  used to invoke the miracle.
  Trap
  Spiritual Rating: 12
  Community Rating: 13
  Difficulty: 12
  Range: touch
  Duration: permanent until trig-
  gered
  Effect: forms an undetectable trap
  To use this miracle, the cleric must
  first prepare some kind of concealed
  snare (a covered pit, a looped rope
  attached to a tree, etc). After he has
  completed the construction of the trap,
  he invokes the miracle, making the
  trap completely undetectable to any-
  one without magical ability or knowl-
  edge of the detect miracle rite.
  Walk on Air
  Spiritual Rating: 13
  Community Rating: 12
  Difficulty: 14
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: target can walk on air as if it
  were dry land
  The beneficiary of this miracle will
  be able to walk on a cushion of air.
  However, he will still suffer from oxy-
  gen deprivation at high altitudes, and
  thus there are limits to how far he can
  ascend. The air will normally seem
  like a level plane under his feet, but
  wind currents can make it possible for
  the target to ascend or descend, as if he
  were on a staircase.
  Ward Arcana
  Spiritual Rating: 12
  Community Rating: 7
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: voice
  Duration: performance
  Effect: increases difficulty of using
  magic to harm target character
  Ward arcana allows the cleric to draw
  on the spiritual energy of the faithful
  and use it to form a mystic barrier
  through which magic cannot pass. As
  long as the ward is in place, spells from
  outside the barrier cannot penetrate to
  those under its protection, nor can spells
  leave the barrier from within.
  The ward has no effect on physical
  attacks. The difficulty number of us-
  ing magic to harm a character pro-
  tected by this rite is increased by +4 for
  each success level of the miracle.
  Ward Being
  Spiritual Rating: 12
  Community Rating: 13
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: 5 (10 meters)
  Duration: performance
  Effect: prevents specific being from
  approaching target character
  To enact this miracle, the cleric must
  have a specific being or creature in
  mind. If he successfully casts the ward,
  that particular  being will be unable to
  mount any sort of attack on the target
  character for the duration of the spell.
  For instance, a priest could set up a
  ward against the dreaded ogre, Olant,
  and it would prevent him from caus-
  ing damage. It would not, however,
  prevent his brother or any other ogre
  from attacking.
  Warrior Madness
  Spiritual Rating: 11
  Community Rating: 9
  Difficulty: target’s willpower or
  Mind
  Chapter Seven
  
  95
  Range: touch
  Duration: variable; see below
  Effect: turns warriors into frenzied
  killers
  The cleric may cast this miracle upon
  a willing or unwilling subject. If the
  priest’s faith total is greater than the
  target’s willpower or Mind, the target is
  overwhelmed by warrior madness —
  his Strength and Toughness attributes
  receive a +3 boost, as do his melee and
  unarmed skills. This miracle does not
  actually cause muscles to grow larger,
  but simply allows the target character
  to operate at peak ability. It is possible
  for a character’s attributes to exceed
  the cosm limit while under the influ-
  ence of this miracle. The target charac-
  ter  will keep fighting until he is un-
  conscious, dead, or runs out of oppo-
  nents. A being afflicted with warrior
  madness cannot maneuver, trick, taunt,
  intimidate, or test — his actions are lim-
  ited to melee and unarmed attacks. To
  snap out of his madness, the target
  character must generate a successful
  willpower or Mind total against a diffi-
  culty number of 12.
  Once someone has been so
  “blessed,” there is a risk of him suc-
  cumbing to the madness any time he
  goes into battle. In combat, he must
  generate a successful willpower or Mind
  total against a difficulty number of 8 to
  avoid going mad (+1 modifier for each
  previous incident of warrior madness
  experienced by the target). The target
  character can, if he wishes, voluntarily
  call upon the miracle in battle.
  Although Vikings have been known
  to make use of this miracle, it is not the
  same as the “berserker fury” outlined
  in Chapter Eight.
  Wisdom
  Spiritual Rating: 12
  Community Rating: 7
  Difficulty: 13
  Range: touch
  Duration: 18 (one hour)
  Effect: increases subject’s wisdom
  When successfully cast, the target’s
  Mind value and related skills are in-
  creased by +3. This miracle does allow
  a character to exceed cosm limits.
  Wrath of the Gods
  Spiritual Rating: 15
  Community Rating: 13
  Difficulty: 12
  Range: sight
  Duration: 8 (10 seconds)
  Effect: calls down the fury of the
  cleric’s pantheon upon the target
  To invoke this miracle, the cleric point
  his finger at the target and calls for the
  gods to smite him. If the cleric’s faith
  total fails to beat the difficulty number,
  the gods have deemed him unworthy
  and will vent their anger on him, in-
  stead — cleric should roll for damage.
  But if he is successful, his opponent is
  struck by a bolt of lightning, taking
  damage equal to the cleric’s faith value
  (not total) plus the roll of a die, rolling
  again on 10s and 20s.
  Miracles of Faith
  
  96
  Chapter Eight
  The Folk
  he folk of Aysle are a mix-
  ture of the familiar and the
  fantastic: humans who
  seem very much like the
  people of Core Earth, mon-
  strous giants, clever and industrious
  dwarves, 
  mysterious elves, and the
  frightening, often tragic figures of the
  half-folk and the lesser folk. All of these
  have migrated from the cosm to the
  realm, and taken their place with the
  forces of Light or those of Darkness.
  The following are descriptions and
  standard statistics for the Aysle folk.
  Ayslish
  The largest group to travel down
  the maelstrom bridges, Ayslish hu-
  mans  make up the troops for five of
  the six Houses. Having the greatest
  population of any of the races in the
  cosm, they naturally comprise the
  majority of the wizards, warriors,
  priests and thieves currently operat-
  ing in the Aysle realm.
  Humanity evolved in much the
  same way in Aysle as it did in our
  cosm, and so Ayslish physically re-
  semble their Core Earth counterparts.
  They average roughly one and a half
  to two meters in height, and speak a
  language with slight similarities to
  Celtic, also called “Ayslish.” Those
  who have learned the languages of the
  realm tend to speak them in a stilted
  manner, and will converse among
  themselves in Ayslish (but it is consid-
  ered impolite to do so when Core
  Earthers are present).
  The average Ayslish  will  tend to be
  slightly stronger than a resident of
  Earth’s cosm of similar age, primarily
  due to the magical nature of the cosm,
  which allows humans to attain greater
  physical abilities.  Thus, where a Core
  Earth human can attain a maximum
  attribute value of 13 in Dexterity and
  Strength, an Ayslish in peak condition
  can post a 14 and 15, respectively.
  Ayslish society resembles that of feu-
  dal Europe in Core Earth’s past, but
  their economy and class structure is
  based largely on magic. It is difficult for
  the Ayslish to understand how humans
  in the realm have managed to survive
  so long without any sorcerous skills,
  and many of them have expressed pity
  or scorn for the non-magical masses.
  Some agree with Ardinay’s unspoken
  opinion that the Ayslish are doing Core
  Earth a favor by imposing their reality
  upon the chaotic mess that existed be-
  fore the bridges dropped.
  Like virtually any race, there are
  good and bad among the Ayslish.
  There are some who continue to em-
  brace the ways of Uthorion, and oth-
  ers who have welcomed Ardinay’s
  conversion and the ways of Light.
  Standard Ayslish Warrior
  DEXTERITY 9
  Beast riding 10, maneuver 10, me-
  lee weapons 11, missile weapons
  12, unarmed combat 10
  STRENGTH 9
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 7
  Find 8, tracking 8, trick 8
  MIND 7
  Survival 8, test 8
  CHARISMA 7
  SPIRIT 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill (see
  Chapter 10, Character Creation )
  Possibility Potential: some (55)
  Corsairs
  The piratical brotherhood of Aysle
  consists of Ayslish men and women
  happily pursuing profit on the high
  seas. Active Corsairs tend to be fairly
  young, and favor bright, distinctive
  clothing to set them apart from the
  more staid Freetraders. There are Cor-
  sairs serving Uthorion and Ardinay,
  but first and foremost, they serve them-
  selves. Corsairs are willing to provide
  aid or passage, for a price, but beware:
  if you make your sympathies in the
  civil war known, and they do not coin-
  cide with the pirate crew you are
  among, you may find yourself swim-
  ming among the Draconis Aquatica.
  Standard Corsair
  DEXTERITY 9
  Melee weapons 12, unarmed com-
  bat 10
  STRENGTH 8
  TOUGHNESS 8
  PERCEPTION 9
  Find 10, scholar (navigation) 10,
  trick 10, water vehicles 11
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 7
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 9
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (55)
  Freetraders
  The group known as “Freetraders”
  runs the gamut from salty ex-Corsairs
  looking to make an honest living to
  businessmen hoping to turn a profit
  without having to turn a percentage of
  it over to a House. They are always
  looking for a deal, but tend to be sus-
  picious of outsiders, since both the
  Vikings and the Corsairs threaten their
  operations. The Freetraders have re-
  fused to take sides in the conflict be-
  tween Uthorion and Ardinay, but have
  thus far found aiding the forces of
  Light to be more profitable.
  Standard Freetrader
  DEXTERITY 8
  Melee weapons 9, unarmed combat
  9
  STRENGTH 8
  TOUGHNESS 7
  PERCEPTION 9
  Evidence analysis 10, scholar (navi-
  gation) 11, water vehicles 11
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 9
  Charm 11, persuasion 12
  SPIRIT 7
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (55)
  
  97
  Barbarians
  The barbarians of Aysle, much like
  the Vikings, have been toughened by
  the harsh conditions in which they
  live. For them, the realm seems almost
  like paradise — abundant food (if only
  by cosm standards), relatively gentle
  weather, and the opportunity to ex-
  plore a new land. Barbarians tend to
  be larger and stronger than standard
  Ayslish, with greater endurance and
  resistance to extreme climates. They
  clothe themselves in animal hides,
  preferring the fur of the griffin or the
  manticore. Many of those who serve
  Uthorion have done so because of Vi-
  king threats to their homeland, and
  more are defecting to Ardinay now
  that she has returned to the path of
  honor.
  Standard Barbarian
  DEXTERITY 10
  Maneuver 11, melee weapons 13
  stealth 11 unarmed combat 12
  STRENGTH 9
  Climbing 10
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 7
  Tracking 9
  MIND 7
  Survival 8, test 8
  CHARISMA 7
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Ice Nomads
  The Ice Nomads of Aysle are known
  for their ability to survive the brutal
  weather of the Frozen Land, and they
  are rumored to be tenacious fighters.
  Having been dismissed as economi-
  cally powerless by most other races,
  however, few have bothered trying to
  gauge the capabilities of the tribes.
  Great feats have been ascribed to them,
  but how much of this is wild specula-
  tion and how much truth is unknown.
  The Ice Nomads are, physically,
  very similar to the barbarians, and
  they tend to dress in layers of fur. They
  are the most primitive of any of the
  Aysle races, relying on simple tools
  and weapons to accomplish their ends.
  Standard Ice Nomad
  DEXTERITY 8
  Maneuver 9, missile weapons 10,
  unarmed combat 10
  STRENGTH 9
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 8
  Tracking 10, trick 9
  MIND 9
  Survival 12, test 10
  CHARISMA 6
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (55)
  Vikings
  Though technically a branch of the
  Ayslish human family, the Vikings
  have lived apart for so long that they
  are, for all practical purposes, consid-
  ered a separate race. Next to the gi-
  ants, the Vikings are the most militant
  of all the cosm residents, taking plea-
  sure violence and brutality. They are
  the group that has evinced the most
  loyalty to Uthorion, now in the guise
  of a Viking chieftain, and that have
  become his elite fighting force.
  Vikings tend to be tall, burly men,
  with long beards and clothing made
  from hides. They usually wear iron
  helmets, occasionally with minotaur
  horns affixed to the sides. They are
  expert seamen and well-versed in the
  use of melee weapons, but have only a
  rudimentary knowledge of strategy
  and tactics.
  Vikings have been known to lapse
  into “berserker furies” during battle.
  In this state, they will continue to fight
  until unconscious or dead, and though
  they suffer shock damage, do not feel
  pain. Once they receive shock dam-
  age equal to their Toughness or take
  four wounds, they collapse.  They can-
  not be affected by “fatigue“ results on
  the drama cards.  A berserker fury has
  a duration of 12 rounds, at which point
  the Viking automatically becomes
  fatigued.
  Standard Viking Warrior
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 11, maneuver 11, melee
  weapons 13, missile weapons 11,
  swimming 12, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 10
  TOUGHNESS 10
  PERCEPTION 6
  Scholar (navigation) 7, trick 7, wa-
  ter vehicles 7
  MIND 6
  CHARISMA 7
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (65)
  Elves
  The most mysterious race in Aysle,
  the elves keep their silence about their
  origins at all times, and if pressed on
  the subject, will abruptly depart with-
  out providing any information. They
  are known in Aysle for the fine mail
  they forge and the elven silk they spin,
  the likes of which cannot be found
  anywhere else in the cosm.
  The elves are the only race to have
  successfully resisted Uthorion’s offers
  of alliance, and his subsequent threats.
  For unknown reasons, they have cho-
  sen to become involved in the battle
  for the cosm of Earth, some on the side
  of Ardinay, others on the side of the
  Dark High Lord. Their skills in com-
  bat, both physical and magical, have
  made a vast difference in the outcome
  of certain early battles.
  The elves average two meters in
  height, with pointed ears and skin of a
  dark hue. They move with catlike grace
  and almost complete silence, even
  when in full elfmail. Most are skilled
  at the use of both melee and missile
  weapons, as well as being adept at
  unarmed combat. When not in battle,
  they wear clothing made of a durable
  material, a fabric they refuse to sell to
  traders. Their native tongue, Elverise,
  bears no relationship linguistically to
  any spoken in the cosm, leading to
  speculation among some that they are
  not natives of Aysle.
  The elves are also renowned for
  their astounding ability to ride drag-
  ons, and most begin adventuring at
  the age of 100. They can live to be as
  old as 600.
  Of the Ayslish, only the Freetraders
  have had any contact with the elves,
  and most other groups regard the
  strange beings as cold and unfriendly.
  The Folk
  
  98
  Dwarves, in particular, have shown a
  reluctance to work with the elves, al-
  though that may be the result of re-
  sentment of a race whose talents in
  engineering and magic rival their own.
  One thing that is known about the
  elves is that, along with the giants,
  they suffer from a wasting disease
  known as “the silent death.” It strikes
  suddenly and without warning, and it
  is believed to be connected to the magic
  axiom. In realms with little magic, dis-
  connecting causes the illness to take
  hold, and it slowly weakens the af-
  flicted. Giants have long been known
  to carry this ailment, but it has only
  recently been discovered that elves
  share the problem. Whether this means
  there is some other connection between
  the elves and the giants is not known.
  Diplomatic efforts are underway
  between Ardinay’s court at Oxford
  and the apparent leaders of the elves
  to ensure their future cooperation.
  Ardinay feels that the elves’ aid is
  crucial to the outcome of the war, and
  if they will not be allies, they must be
  convinced to remain neutral. A mass
  elven shift to the side of Uthorion could
  mean disaster.
  Standard Elf Dragon Rider
  DEXTERITY 12 (9)
  Beast riding 15, maneuver 13, me-
  lee weapons 13 missile weapons 13,
  stealth 13
  STRENGTH 8
  TOUGHNESS 8
  PERCEPTION 9
  Find 10, tracking 10, trick 10
  MIND 11 (8)
  Test 12
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt 9
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  including one magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (45)
  Dwarves
  A race rich in history and tradition,
  the dwarves of Aysle are in the midst
  of a tremendous upheaval. With the
  House Vareth dwarves enslaving their
  brothers in the cosm and the realm,
  and Gutterby leading a desperate re-
  bellion against this brutal oppression,
  it is a difficult time to be a dwarf, and
  virtually impossible to remain neutral
  in the Uthorion/Ardinay war.
  The dwarves tend to be extremely
  cynical about both government and
  religion. While they were pleased
  when Ardinay first became Speaker of
  the People, they remember all too well
  the changes she instituted following
  Uthorion’s invasion, and her assent to
  House Vareth’s plan to turn the Land
  Between dwarves into a slave labor
  force. Many Land Between dwarves
  have taken on the dangerous occupa-
  tion of “tunnel fighter” to resist these
  incursions into their home. Unaware
  of Uthorion’s usurpation of her body,
  some dwarves are resolved never to
  forgive Ardinay for the changes in the
  cosm over the last 500 years.
  The dwarven attitude toward reli-
  gion is nothing new, however, since
  their theology claims that the Creators
  of Aysle abandoned the world to seek
  other places to build. The dwarves pride
  themselves on their self-sufficiency and
  their history of getting along without
  any help, mortal or divine. Over the
  centuries, some have turned to the wor-
  ship of Dunad, particularly among the
  slaves, but that is not yet widespread.
  Dwarves are skilled metallurgists,
  engineers, and miners, and since the
  coming of Dunad, have enjoyed great
  magical gifts as well. They have found
  relatively easy acceptance in the realm,
  many taking up their former occupa-
  tions in this new land. Dwarven engi-
  neers and mechanics are particularly in
  demand to work on the various gadgets
  currently malfunctioning in the realm.
  Dwarven merchants have gone into the
  business of buying and selling magical
  items and other things of use to Core
  Earth natives under the Aysle axioms.
  Dwarven wizards are making a good
  living performing their standard magi-
  cal services, and are petitioning
  Ardinay’s court to elevate them to equal
  status with human mages.
  Chapter Eight
  
  99
  The dwarven troops of House
  Vareth are still nominally under the
  rule of Uthorion, now in the guise of
  Thorfinn Bjanni. But some units have
  split off and begun to plunder on their
  own, usually sending captured
  dwarves and half-folk back up the
  bridges to the slave camps on Vareth.
  Gutterby’s raiders spend much of their
  time harassing the guards supervis-
  ing these forced marches.
  Dwarves are generally about 1.5
  meters high, stockily built, with pow-
  erful upper bodies from years of work-
  ing in the earth. They favor long beards
  and dark, coarse clothing, and gener-
  ally travel in small groups for added
  protection against their enemies.
  Dwarves start adventuring at the age
  of 75, and can live well past 500.
  Standard Dwarf Tunnel Fighter
  DEXTERITY 8
  Maneuver 9, melee weapons 9, mis-
  sile weapons 10, stealth 9, unarmed
  combat 11
  STRENGTH 9
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 9, trick 9
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt 8
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds,
  one a magical skill
  Possibility Potential: some (45)
  Giants
  Aysle’s giant population is renowned
  for one thing and one thing only: the
  ability to begin fighting over virtually
  any subject, eventually forgetting the
  reason for the battle but continuing the
  carnage just the same. They are prob-
  ably the most widely disliked race in
  the cosm, detested by the dwarves and
  the humans, and dismissed as “stupid
  brawlers” by the Vikings. They, in turn,
  have little regard for anyone else, in-
  cluding each other.
  Giants live throughout Lower
  Aysle, usually in caves or on bleak
  mountaintops, since they do not re-
  quire shelter against the elements.
  Their social structure revolves around
  loosely-knit tribes, separated by natu-
  ral boundaries (mountain ranges and
  the like). There is no single governing
  body in giant society — each tribe takes
  care of itself, and wars between or
  within groups are not uncommon.
  Their credo is a simple one, stating
  that anyone who wants to tell a giant
  what to do had best be prepared to
  knock him down first.
  The vast majority of the giants joined
  with Uthorion’s forces in the invasion
  of Earth’s cosm. Those few tribes that
  wished to remain at home were
  branded cowards and threatened with
  extermination at the hands of their
  neighbors if they continued to abstain.
  There are some giants who are work-
  ing with Ardinay’s troops, or simply
  looking after their own interests in the
  realm, but most see a greater chance
  for bloodshed and plunder in the ranks
  of the Dark Forces.
  Those giants who are operating in-
  dependently have drifted into violent
  pursuits. Many have become enforc-
  ers for local mobs, bodyguards for
  controversial figures, and a few have
  even taken on jobs as goalkeepers in
  English football matches. Without ex-
  ception, they grumble that this new
  world is too small for them, since they
  are unable to fit their bulk comfort-
  ably through most doorways.
  Giants, depending on the innate
  magic of Aysle to maintain their exist-
  ence, are subject to the wasting disease
  called the silent death if they ever be-
  come disconnected. See the entry on
  elves and chapter eleven for more in-
  formation.
  Few giants can claim to be geniuses,
  but those who have attained at least an
  average human’s level of intelligence
  put it to good use. Though the stron-
  gest rule in giant society,  the more
  intelligent often manipulate those in
  power. Lately, the giant “intellectu-
  als” have been coming more to the
  forefront as their tribes struggle to
  adjust to this strange new cosm.
  Giants reach a maximum height of
  slightly over three meters, although
  Fomorians have been known to grow
  The Folk
  
  100
  larger. Their appearances range from
  fairly handsome to freakish, and their
  clothing is usually made from animal
  hides. Those giants who have had par-
  ticularly good fortune in finding work
  in the realm have taken to hiring tai-
  lors to design suits for them.
  Giants can be expected to be a fixture
  in the realm for the duration of the
  Possibility Wars, and the ability of
  Ardinay’s forces to recruit them or de-
  vise effective countermeasures will have
  an impact on the conflict’s outcome.
  Standard Giant
  DEXTERITY 8
  Melee weapons 9, unarmed combat
  10
  STRENGTH 14 (10)
  Lifting 16
  TOUGHNESS 15 (10)
  PERCEPTION 7
  Find 8, language 8, trick 8
  MIND 7
  Test 8, willpower 8
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 8, persuasion 8, taunt 8
  SPIRIT 7
  Faith 8, intimidation 12
  Additional Skills: two at +1 adds,
  one a magic skill
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Half-Folk
  Half-folk are hybrids of human and
  creature created as a result of an axiom
  wash. When Uthorion led his troops
  from Orrorsh to Aysle centuries ago,
  that wash created the first half-folk.
  When Aysle attacked Earth’s cosm,
  half-folk were again created, and they
  mingled with those who came down
  the maelstrom bridge. First genera-
  tion half-folk cannot be possibility
  rated, so those created when the axiom
  wash covered Earth do not have pos-
  sibilities, but those who came from the
  Aysle cosm do.
  The term “half-folk” encompasses a
  great many creatures, including
  minotaurs, centaurs, satyrs, and har-
  pies. The half-folk are the second-class
  citizens of Aysle society, denied any
  rights and treated as slave labor and
  worse. Some, like the centaurs and sa-
  tyrs, have learned to adapt; others, like
  the minotaurs, have responded to this
  treatment with unreasoning savagery.
  There are half-folk on both sides of
  the Ardinay-Uthorion war, but nei-
  ther side is actively recruiting them at
  the moment (they are considered to be
  untrustworthy). In general, most half-
  folk try to avoid conflicts with other
  races, while striving for acceptance
  despite their condition.
  Standard Minotaur
  DEXTERITY 8
  Melee weapons 10, unarmed com-
  bat 11
  STRENGTH 12
  TOUGHNESS 7
  PERCEPTION 7
  Find 8, tracking 9, trick 8
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt 8
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 9
  Natural Tools: teeth, damage value
  STR+3/15; horns, damage value
  STR+4/16; hide, armor value
  TOU+7/14
  Standard Harpy
  DEXTERITY 10
  Flight 13, melee weapons 12, stealth
  11, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 8
  TOUGHNESS 9
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 9, tracking 9, trick 10
  MIND 7
  Test 8
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt 9
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Natural Tools: hide, TOU+2/11;
  wings, speed value 16; claws, dam-
  age value STR+3/11; fangs, dam-
  age value STR+3/11
  Standard Centaur
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 11, long jumping 11 maneu-
  ver 11,  missile weapons 11, run-
  ning 13
  STRENGTH 8
  Climbing 9
  TOUGHNESS 8
  Chapter Eight
  
  101
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 9, language 9, tracking 9, trick
  9
  MIND 7
  Test 8
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 10, persuasion 9, taunt 9
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 8
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Natural Tools: hooves, damage
  value STR+2/10
  Equipment: short bow, damage
  value STR+5/13, range 3-10/40/
  100
  Lesser Folk
  The lesser folk fall somewhere be-
  tween the half-folk and the creatures
  of Aysle. These are the most mon-
  strous of the cosm’s races, the trolls,
  gnomes, ogres, and kobolds. The in-
  vasion of Earth’s cosm resulted in the
  creation of another species of lesser
  folk, the goblin, transformed humans
  with oversized heads, slender bodies,
  and a penchant for evil.
  Lesser folk are, without exception,
  dangerous to the unarmed and unpro-
  tected, as they consider the weak to be
  nothing more than victims. Some lesser
  folk, like the goblins, will be content to
  rob an unwary traveler, while ogres
  and trolls will take his gold and then
  devour him.
  Trolls make up the majority of the
  lesser folk, and along with goblins,
  are the most likely to band together of
  any of the various monsters. Ogres,
  orcs, and kobolds tend to be solitary
  beings, carving out their own little
  territories in the hills of the realm —
  and woe be unto anyone who ven-
  tures into the area.
   Trolls are large creatures, roughly
  2.5 meters high, covered with a coarse
  orange fur. They prefer caves, and
  their unpleasant smell and brutal na-
  tures make them difficult companions.
  Ogres are a bit smaller, at two
  meters, with red eyes, sharp teeth and
  claws. Avowed man-eaters, they have
  been known to consume whole fami-
  lies of Ayslish at one sitting.
  Kobolds, roughly half a meter in
  height, look as if they should be be-
  nevolent folk, with cherubic faces and
  bright red hair and beards. In truth,
  they are malicious, hiding under the
  floorboards and in the walls of houses
  and coming out only to demand food.
  If they are refused, they will set the
  house ablaze.
  Gnomes exhibit similar behavior,
  often breaking pottery or stealing ob-
  jects from houses. Although only about
  one meter tall, they can be fierce fight-
  ers when pressed.
  Virtually all of the lesser folk are
  represented to some extent in the Dark
  Forces, and as yet none have appeared
  in any number among Ardinay’s
  troops.
  Standard Troll
  DEXTERITY 8
  Dodge 10, melee weapons 11,  un-
  armed combat 10
  STRENGTH 11
  TOUGHNESS 11
  PERCEPTION 7
  Trick 8
  MIND 7
  Test 8, willpower 8
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt 8
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation 7
  Possibility Potential: some (85)
  Natural Tools: claws, damage value
  STR+3/14
  Additional Skills: two at +1
  adds, including one magical skill
  Standard Goblin
  DEXTERITY 11
  Dodge 12, lockpicking 12, ma-
  neuver 12, melee weapons 14,
  stealth 12
  STRENGTH 6
  TOUGHNESS 7
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 9, trick 9
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 8
  Taunt 9
  SPIRIT 8
  Intimidation 9
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds
  Possibility Potential: none
  Standard Gnome
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 11, melee weapons 11, pres-
  tidigitation 12, stealth 13
  STRENGTH 7
  TOUGHNESS 8
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 9, trick 9
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 8
  Taunt 9
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidate 9
  Additional Skills: three at +1 adds
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  The Folk
  
  102
  Chapter Nine
  Creatures
  he creatures of Aysle
  range from mighty drag-
  ons to fearsome ghosts,
  from benevolent faeries to
  corrupt and evil giants.
  Many of these have crossed the bridge
  from cosm to realm and now stalk the
  lands of Great Britain and Scandinavia.
   Draconis Teutonica
  The evil ”air”dragons from the fro-
  zen seas of Aysle are vicious and
  deadly beasts, their name synonymous
  with terror. Many of these participated
  in Uthorion’s initial conquest of Aysle,
  and they have wrought terrible devas-
  tation during the invasion of Earth as
  well. In the realm, they seem to prefer
  to nest on mountain peaks.
  The Draconis Teutonica are long,
  serpentlike monsters with two power-
  ful clawed appendages and two great
  wings. Armor covers their coils, and
  they are among the largest of the Aysle
  dragons at roughly 40 meters in length.
  A teutonic dragon continues to grow
  until it dies, and ancient specimens
  have been known to reach a length of
  55 meters.
   The Draconis Teutonica has an af-
  finity with elemental air, using an arc-
  tic blast as a breath weapon capable of
  freezing an enemy in his tracks. The
  dragon stores arctic air within three
  internal sacs, and thus can fire three
  blasts in quick succession (one per
  round of combat). The sacs refill at a
  rate of one every three rounds. The
  breath weapon is magical in nature,
  and can be defended against using
  elemental air magic.
  The teutonic dragons are intelligent,
  egotistical, and possessed of impres-
  sive magical skills. They have been
  known to battle beside Vikings, and
  there are rumors that elves have been
  seen using them as mounts, but these
  have not been confirmed.
  Draconis Teutonica
  DEXTERITY 9
  Flight 12, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 27
  TOUGHNESS 23/35
  PERCEPTION 19
  Alteration magic 22, divination
  magic 22, evidence analysis 21, find
  23, trick 22
  MIND 15
  Test 21, willpower 18
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 9, persuasion 11, taunt 11
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation (15), reality 9
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: air 6, dark-
  ness 4
  Natural Tools: armor TOU+12/35;
  wings, speed value 11; claws, dam-
  age value STR+3/30; arctic air
  breath, damage value 36, range 3-
  50/51-250/251-600
  Draconis Aysle
  These benevolent dragons of Aysle
  are lizardlike, with four clawed ap-
  pendages and large wings. They thrive
  in the tropical zone of the cosm and are
  most often found in the Trade Sea.
  The Draconis Aysle have an affin-
  ity for elemental fire, known for using
  their fiery breath weapon to reduce
  opponents to ash. They can store fire
  in three internal sacs, and can expend
  three blasts in quick succession (one
  per combat round). The sacs refill at
  the rate of one every three rounds. The
  breath weapon is magical in nature,
  and can be defended against using
  elemental fire magic.
  The Aysle dragon grows to an aver-
  age length of 15 meters. Although not
  as huge or strong as their teutonic
  cousins, they are faster and better able
  to maneuver in battle, traits which
  have often provided a life-saving edge.
  They hated wearing the yoke of
  Ardinay during the time Uthorion
  possessed her, and are pleased that
  Ardinay’s “change of heart” is allow-
  ing them to do good and honorable
  deeds again.
  Draconis Aysle
  DEXTERITY 14
  Flight 15, unarmed combat 17
  STRENGTH 21
  TOUGHNESS 19/27
  PERCEPTION 15
  Evidence analysis 19, find 19, trick
  24
  MIND 19
  Apportation magic 22, conjuration
  magic 22, test 21, willpower 21
  CHARISMA 9
  Charm 12, persuasion 10, taunt (12)
  SPIRIT 8
  Intimidation (12), reality 10,
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: light 3, fire 5
  Natural Tools: armor TOU+8/27;
  wings, speed 15; claws, damage
  value STR+3/24; fire breath, dam-
  age value 28, range 3-30/31-100/
  101-250
  Draconis Aquatica
  The water dragon is one of the few
  beasts capable of surviving in the Boil-
  ing Sea of the Aysle cosm. Like the
  Draconis Teutonica, the Aquatica is
  evil in nature, and relishes the de-
  struction it has been allowed to cause
  under Uthorion’s rule. In the realm,
  the Aquatica have taken to the lochs,
  rivers and channels and pose a con-
  stant threat to mariners.
  The Draconis Aquatica resembles a
  long snake with a massive tail that it
  uses as a natural rudder when swim-
  ming and as a weapon in battle. A
  water dragon can grow to a maximum
  of 25 meters in length.
  The Aquatica has an affinity for
  elemental water. It uses steam as a
  breath weapon, and stores it in a single
  internal sac. After it fires a blast, it
  takes two combat rounds for the sac to
  refill. Being magical in nature, it is
  possible to defend against the steam
  attack using elemental water magic.
  
  103
  Draconis Aquatica
  DEXTERITY 12
  Swimming 14, unarmed combat 14
  STRENGTH 24
  TOUGHNESS 21
  PERCEPTION 14
  Find 15, trick 16
  MIND 19
  Conjuration magic 22, test 20, will-
  power 21
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 9, persuasion 11, taunt (10)
  SPIRIT 8
  Intimidation (13), reality 9
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: water 5, liv-
  ing forces 2
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+10/31;
  tail, swimming speed value 11, dam-
  age value STR+3/27; steam breath,
  damage value 26, range 50/100/
  250
  Draconis Metallica
  The “metallic dragon” is so called
  because of its grayish scales, which
  resemble armor and are extremely
  tough. They live underground, pre-
  ferring tunnels and mineshafts, and
  share the Land Between with the
  dwarves. Their nests are often close to
  gold and silver deposits. Every
  dwarven mining crew has a member
  charged with luring the dragon away
  long enough for the others to gather
  some of the valuable ore.
  The size of the Draconis Metallica
  varies, with the largest recorded at 20
  meters in length, and the smallest at
  eight meters. They have four clawed
  appendages, walking on their power-
  ful rear legs and using their weaker
  forelegs to dig in the earth for the metals
  they feed upon. They are born with
  vestigial wings, but these wither and
  fall off by the time they reach maturity.
  Either by nature or choice, the Metallica
  are land-bound dragons.
  The Metallica are creatures with an
  affinity for elemental metal, and they
  use apportation/magic to gather metal
  to them. When facing an armored foe,
  they will often use their magic to draw
  their opponent close enough to be
  devoured.
  The Metallica are neither good nor
  evil in nature, but are quick to attack if
  their nests are disturbed. They do not
  feed on humans per se, but will treat
  anyone clad in armor as a potential
  meal.
  Creatures
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  Dragon Key
  1. Draconis Aysle (fire) 2. Draconis
  Teutonica (air) 3. Draconis
  Metallica (metal) 4. Draconis
  Terra (earth)  5. Draconis
  Crotalaria (plant) 6. Draconis
  Aquatica (water)
  Draconis Metallica
  DEXTERITY 9
  Flight 10, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 25
  TOUGHNESS 25/40
  PERCEPTION 14
  Divination magic 16, find 15, track-
  ing 15, trick 16
  MIND 13
  Apportation magic 16, test 14, will-
  power 15
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 11, persuasion 9, taunt (12)
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation (12), reality 9,
  
  104
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: metal 6
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+15/40;
  wings, speed value 10; claws, dam-
  age value 18
  Draconis Terra
  Dubbed the “earth dragon,” the
  Draconis Terra make up the majority
  of the great serpent population in the
  cosm. They can be found all over Up-
  per Aysle, and in slightly smaller num-
  bers on Lower Aysle. They have also
  prospered in the realm, as they are
  essentially peaceful in nature, but more
  than capable of defending themselves
  against attack.
  The Draconis Terra are bound to
  their namesake, being unable to fly or
  swim. They grow to an average of 15
  meters in length, and walk on four
  clawed appendages.
  Due to their unique abilities, the
  Draconis Terra are also known as the
  “Uiulisa Siutlk,” or “Unapproachable
  Ones,” by the Ayslish. When threat-
  ened, the dragon can cause the earth
  around it to shake violently, often trig-
  gering avalanches or causing crevices
  to appear. How well developed this
  power is depends on the age of the
  dragon: a young beast can cause only
  minor tremors, while an ancient Terra
  can create an earthquake strong enough
  to flatten a small city. Its claws are used
  less as offensive weapons than as a
  means to anchor the dragon to the
  ground during shocks and aftershocks.
  The Draconis Terra constitute the
  closest thing to a natural enemy pos-
  sessed by the Draconis Teutonica. The
  teutonic dragon’s love for rocky peaks
  makes it vulnerable to the attack of the
  Terra, which has been known to bring
  half a mountainside down on a
  Teutonica that waited too long to take
  to the air. Once in the sky, however,
  the Teutonica can attack with impu-
  nity, unable to be harmed by the earth
  dragon’s power.
  The following stats are those of a
  mature Draconis Terra.
  Draconis Terra
  DEXTERITY 10
  Maneuver 11, running 13, unarmed
  combat 11
  STRENGTH 22
  Climbing 23
  TOUGHNESS 18/23
  PERCEPTION 17
  Find 18, tracking 19, trick 19
  MIND 20
  Apportation magic 23, survival 21,
  test 21
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 10, persuasion 12, taunt (13)
  SPIRIT 8
  Intimidation (15), reality 9
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: earth 5, in-
  animate forces 2
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+5/23;
  claws, damage value STR+2/24;
  earth control, damage value 28,
  range 75/150/300
  Draconis Crotalaria
   In a cosm and realm where food is
  scarce, the Draconis Crotalaria are trea-
  sures beyond price. Their affinity with
  elemental plant life allows them to
  spur vegetation to growth, and they
  commonly live surrounded by lush
  grasses and trees. Even in the darkest
  areas of Aysle there are patches of
  verdant greenery, and they invariably
  signal the presence of a Crotalaria.
  The Crotalaria is the smallest of the
  six Aysle dragons, averaging between
  10 and 15 meters in length. But do not
  be fooled by his size —many a hungry
  Ayslish has found himself in dire dan-
  ger when caught foraging through the
  Crotalaria’s dragonhaunt without per-
  mission. While the dragon will occa-
  sionally give food away, more often
  he will demand a boon in return for his
  bounty.
  Plant dragons have no fierce breath
  weapon, but their ability to influence
  all growing things has proven an ef-
  fective defense against attack. Hunt-
  ing parties seeking the dragon must
  hack their way through vines and
  creepers that attempt to entangle them,
  avoid slashing thorns and the on-
  slaughts of tree limbs. By the time they
  reach the nest, the Crotalaria has van-
  ished in favor of another, more secure
  haven.
  The Crotalaria has four clawed ap-
  pendages, a snake-like tail and feath-
  ered, rather than membraneous, wings.
  Its scales are a deep jade in color.
  Draconis Crotalaria
  DEXTERITY 13
  Flight 14, unarmed combat 14
  STRENGTH 20
  TOUGHNESS 20/26
  PERCEPTION 15
  Alteration magic 16, divination
  magic 16, find 16, scholar (plant
  lore) 17, trick 17
  MIND 20
  Apportation magic 21, conjuration
  magic 21, test 22, willpower 21
  CHARISMA 9
  Charm 11, persuasion 11, taunt (14)
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation (12), reality 9
  Additional Skills: three at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Arcane Knowledges: plant 6, liv-
  ing forces 4
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+6/26;
  wings, speed value 13; claws, dam-
  age value STR+3/23
  Faeries
  The faeries of Aysle realm existed
  on Earth centuries ago, but gradually
  disappeared as the Tech axiom grew
  and the Magic axiom declined. When
  the bridge dropped from the Aysle
  cosm and hordes of magical beings
  poured into this world, the accompa-
  nying axiom wash brought the faeries
  back to life.
  Six different types of faerie currently
  exist in the realm, each one affiliated
  with a different element (fire, air, earth,
  water, metal, and plant). All look basi-
  cally the same: small humanoid crea-
  tures, roughly 30 centimeters in height,
  with membraneous wings on their
  backs. They are far more luminous,
  and have less physical mass, than their
  Aysle cosm counterparts, the fey. Each
  faerie possesses the power to perform
  certain spells connected to his or her
  particular element, although it is pos-
  sible for particularly long-lived faerie
  to learn others. These powers can make
  them dangerous to others, but also
  extremely useful: cypriums are often
  asked to provide the power to start
  machinery, and cinlums can be found
  on sailing ships helping to fill the can-
  Chapter Nine
  
  105
  vas with wind. Very few faeries are
  capable of casting a spell of any great
  strength on their own, but their power
  increases exponentially when joined
  with their fellows. For example, if 10
  faeries cooperate on a spell, +10 can be
  added to the bonus number.
  Faeries of different elements often
  do not get along, and wars have been
  known to start between two or more
  troops. Despite their small size, faerie
  wars can cause tremendous damage: a
  battle between air faeries and fire faeries
  in 1666 resulted in a huge firestorm that
  incinerated the city of London.
  The following are brief descriptions
  of the faeries of the realm
  Cinlums
    Faeries with an affinity for elemen-
  tal air, the cinlums live in trees where
  they can hear the wind blow. Mali-
  cious in nature, they have been known
  to use their magic to blast crops, cause
  droughts and floods, and create vio-
  lent windstorms. The friendship of the
  cinlums is cultivated by sailors, who
  ask their help in stormy weather. The
  cinlums detest faeries of fire and earth,
  and will attack either instantly.
  Cinlum
  DEXTERITY 13
  Dodge 16, flight 15, maneuver 15,
  melee weapons 14, missile weap-
  ons 15, stealth 15
  STRENGTH 4
  TOUGHNESS 5
  PERCEPTION 12
  Alteration magic 15, find 13, trick
  13,  scholar (sailing) 14
  MIND 11
  Test 13, willpower 12
  CHARISMA 9
  Charm 10, persuasion 10, taunt 12
  SPIRIT 7
  Faith 9, intimidation 9, reality 8
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: weather control, floater
  Arcane Knowledges: air 9
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value 12
  Equipment: cloud armor, TOU+2/
  7; cinlum sword, enchanted, dam-
  age value STR+6/10; cinlum bow,
  enchanted, damage value STR+8/
  12, range 3-10/40/100
  Infernas
  The infernas are the fire faeries, who
  are responsible for providing light and
  heat to travelers when  night falls.
  Infernas are invaluable to have nearby
  when on an expedition, for they will
  keep torches lit in dark places and
  their fireballs will keep most enemies
  at bay. They prefer to live under-
  ground, far away from the wind and
  the water. Entrances to their tunnels
  can usually be found hidden under
  the ashes of a cook fire or behind the
  bricks of a fireplace. Although they
  dislike the cinlum, their worst enemies
  are the aqueates, the water faeries —
  due to the nature of their respective
  powers, a decisive battle between the
  two has never been fought.
  Infernas
  DEXTERITY 12
  Dodge 15, flight 13, maneuver 14,
  melee weapons 13, missile weap-
  ons 13, prestidigitation 13, stealth
  14
  STRENGTH 4
  TOUGHNESS 6
  PERCEPTION 10
  Language 11, trick 11
  MIND 12
  Conjuration magic 15, test 14, will-
  power 13
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 8, persuasion 8, taunt 8
  SPIRIT 6
  Faith 8, intimidation 7, reality 7
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: conjured fireball
  Arcane Knowledges: fire 9
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value 10
  Equipment: fire armor, TOU+2/8;
  infernas sword, enchanted, dam-
  age value STR+6/10; infernas bow,
  enchanted, damage value STR+8/
  12, range 3-10/40/100
  Aqueates
  Along with the cinlums, the
  aqueates are the faeries most feared by
  mariners, for it is they who call up
  blankets of fog or cause great waves to
  crash against the bows. Sailors who do
  not show these sprites the proper re-
  spect often find themselves lost in the
  fog on storm-tossed seas. Aqueates do
  have their positive uses, though —
  they can easily be persuaded to put
  out a fire, since they will do this purely
  for the pleasure of angering the
  infernas. Aqueates live at the bottom
  of ponds and lakes, and can be sum-
  moned by dropping pebbles into the
  water (they will eventually come to
  the surface to investigate the distur-
  bance). If the request made of them is
  not politely phrased, or simply does
  not interest them, their visitor will
  leave drenched.
  Sailors who wish a swift trip can
  ask the help of both the aqueates and
  the cinlums, who do not mind work-
  ing together, but the price for their
  cooperation will be high.
  Aqueates
  DEXTERITY 13
  Dodge 16, fish riding 14, flight 14,
  melee weapons 14, missile weap-
  ons 14, swimming 15
  STRENGTH 4
  TOUGHNESS 4
  PERCEPTION 11
  Alteration magic 14, first aid 12,
  trick 12,  scholar (sailing) 12
  MIND 11
  Apportation magic 13, test 12, will-
  power 12
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm 9, persuasion 9, taunt 9
  SPIRIT 8
  Faith 9, intimidation 9, reality 9
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: fog, water spray
  Arcane Knowledges: water 9
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value 10
  Equipment: water armor, TOU+2/
  6; aqueate sword, enchanted, dam-
  age value STR+6/10; aqueate spear,
  enchanted, damage value STR+5/
  10, range 3-5/25/40
  Soliums
  The soliums are the most common
  faeries, both in the realm and in Earth
  legend. The last to disappear when the
  axioms shifted centuries ago, their
  barrows still exist throughout Great
  Britain and Scandinavia, and they re-
  claimed them upon their return.
  Soliums are benevolent faeries, al-
  Creatures
  
  106
  though they are not above a prank or
  two (occasionally, one will throw a
  small earth shield up in the path of a
  wanderer and laugh heartily when he
  trips over it). At one time, soliums and
  aqueates were allies, with the infernas
  the common enemy. This lasted until
  the soliums realized that the aqueates
  were washing their domain away, little
  by little, and a great war ensued. Now
  the soliums consider only the plant
  faeries their friends, although they will
  cooperate with humans if asked nicely.
  With their vast network of tunnels,
  they are able to carry messages rap-
  idly from one place to another, as well
  as report on the conversations and
  movements of enemies. With their
  magic to aid them, they are highly
  efficient trackers. When attacked, they
  will form earthen forts and hurl stones
  at their opponents.
  Soliums
  DEXTERITY 11
  Beast riding 12, dodge 14, flight 12,
  maneuver 12, melee weapons 12,
  missile weapons 13, stealth 12
  STRENGTH 6
  TOUGHNESS 6
  PERCEPTION 11
  Divination magic 12, find 12, track-
  ing 12, trick 12
  MIND 11
  Apportation magic 14, survival 12,
  test 12
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 8, persuasion 8, taunt 8
  SPIRIT 7
  Faith 8, intimidation 8, reality 8
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: earth shield, tracker
  Arcane Knowledges: earth 9
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value
  10
  Equipment: earth armor, TOU+2/
  8; solium sword, enchanted, dam-
  age value STR+6/12; solium sling,
  enchanted, damage value STR+7/
  13, range 3-10/40/100
  Cypriums
  The metal faeries are considered
  pests by many households, because
  no lock can keep them out and they
  will steal metal objects, especially those
  they feel are neglected by their own-
  ers. Often they will take up residence
  in teapots or jewelry boxes, and ven-
  ture out at night to polish the silver-
  ware. The boldest cypriums will make
  homes in the treasure troves of
  Draconis Metallica, but they are in
  dire peril if the dragon catches them.
  Attempting to steal from a cyprium is
  unwise, as their magic allows them to
  electrify their horde. Cypriums have
  found a niche in the realm, often being
  asked to send a jolt of energy into a
  battery or engine to get it started.
  Cypriums and aqueates do not get
  along, as water rusts metal and elec-
  tricity is easily carried through water.
  Cyprium
  DEXTERITY 11
  Dodge 14, flight 12, lock-picking
  12, maneuver 12, melee weapons
  12, missile weapons 12, stealth 12
  STRENGTH 6
  TOUGHNESS 6
  PERCEPTION 11
  Alteration magic 13, find 12, trick
  12
  MIND 11
  Apportation magic 14, artist (met-
  alwork) 12, test 12, willpower 12
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 8, persuasion 8, taunt 9
  SPIRIT 7
  Faith 8, intimidation 8, reality 8
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: bullet, lightning, open lock
  Arcane Knowledges: inanimate
  forces 5, metal 4
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value
  10
  Equipment: metal armor, TOU+2/
  8, cyprium sword, enchanted, dam-
  age value STR+6/12; cyprium bow,
  enchanted, damage value STR+8/
  14, range 3-10/40/100
   Celosia
  The celosia, or plant faeries, are the
  gentlest and most peaceful of all the
  realm sprites. They live within flower
  blossoms, and their primary role is to
  charm the soliums into letting all the
  growing things emerge from the soil
  and into the sunlight. The celosia have
  been very frustrated since their return
  by the number of dark places in the
  realm where nothing will bloom, and
  for that reason, they have shown some
  willingness to forego their traditional
  neutrality and aid the Storm Knights.
  The celosia are beautiful creatures, and
  can enchant others into revealing use-
  ful information or providing aid. They
  are, however, relatively fragile beings,
  and must be protected in combat.
  Celosia
  DEXTERITY 11
  Dodge 12, flight 13, stealth 12
  STRENGTH 3
  TOUGHNESS 4
  PERCEPTION 10
  Find 11, first aid 11, trick 11
  MIND 11
  Artist (flower arrangement) 12, con-
  juration magic 13, test 12, willpower
  12
  CHARISMA 11
  Charm 14, persuasion 13, taunt 12
  SPIRIT 9
  Faith 10, reality 10
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: charm person
  Arcane Knowledges: living forces 9
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value 13
  Equipment: plant armor, TOU+2/
  6; celosia sling, enchanted, damage
  value STR+4/7, range 3-10/40/100
  Fey
  The fey are the Aysle cosm counter-
  parts of the Earth faeries. Unlike the
  sprites who have only recently re-
  turned to the realm, the fey have
  thrived in the cosm for hundreds of
  years without interruption. The strong
  Magic axiom in the cosm has allowed
  them to attain greater physical mass
  than the faeries, although evolution
  has deprived them of their wings, nor
  do they have the luminosity of their
  Earth cousins.
  Like the faeries, the fey are tied to
  the elements. The brownies are affili-
  ated with elemental fire, the boggarts
  with earth, the boggles with metal, the
  pixies with air, the pookas with plants
  and the nixies with water. They, too,
  rely heavily on magic, although they
  are slightly more adept at the use of
  weapons than are the faerie.
  Only a small number of fey have
  migrated down the bridges to Earth,
  primarily because they favor the same
  Chapter Nine
  
  107
  habitats as do the faerie, and fierce
  battles have erupted between the two
  groups. Whether the fey cross the
  bridges in force in the future remains
  to be seen.
  Brownie
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 11, maneuver 11, melee
  weapons 11, missile weapons 14
  STRENGTH 8
  Climbing 9
  TOUGHNESS 8
  PERCEPTION 10
  Language 11, trick 11
  MIND 12
  Conjuration magic 15, test 14, will-
  power 13
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 8, persuasion 9, taunt 8
  SPIRIT 6
  Faith 7, intimidation 9, reality 7
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: conjured fireball
  Arcane Knowledges: fire 10
  Equipment: brownie armor, en-
  chanted, TOU+2/10; brownie
  sword, damage value STR+6/14;
  brownie bow, damage value
  STR+8/16, range 3-10/40/100
  Fomorians
  The Fomorians are a race of giants
  who live on an island near Ugorland
  in Lower Aysle. Shunned by even the
  other giants, the Fomorians have been
  corrupted by centuries of Arthuk-wor-
  ship and interbreeding. The giants of
  Rakholm claim that the Fomorians
  practice cannibalism and other dark
  rites, and refuse to have any dealings
  with them. So hated are they that the
  consensus of opinion in Lower Aysle
  is that the giant who betrayed his race
  to the humans so long ago must have
  been a Fomorian.
  The Fomorians are slightly larger,
  at about five meters, and less intelli-
  gent, than the average giant. Due to
  their inability to follow orders and
  work with other races, they were
  judged by Uthorion to be unfit for
  participation in the invasion force. The
  Fomorians came anyway, and were
  one of the instigators of the brawl be-
  tween dwarves and giants now taking
  place in Belfast. Unlike some other
  giants, the Fomorians have made no
  effort to adapt to this new realm, rely-
  ing on their old ways — brutality and
  bloodshed — to carry them through.
  Fomorian
  DEXTERITY 16
  Melee weapons 19, unarmed com-
  bat 18
  STRENGTH 18
  Lifting 20
  TOUGHNESS 18
  PERCEPTION 6
  Trick 7
  MIND 6
  Survival 7, test 8, willpower (7)
  CHARISMA 5
  Charm (7), persuasion (9), taunt 7
  SPIRIT 7
  Faith (Arthuk) 9, intimidation 13
  Additional Skills: one at +2 adds
  Possibility Potential: some (65)
  Equipment: spiked club, damage
  value STR+4/22
  Ghouls
  Horrid creatures of the night, ghouls
  traveled across the maelstrom bridge
  from Orrorsh during Uthorion’s inva-
  sion of Aysle. Ghouls feed on corpses,
  and have no compunctions about cre-
  ating a few to make a meal.
  Ghouls have gray, jelly-like flesh
  and fangs with which to rend their
  prey. They are strong enough to tear
  apart a tomb in search of food, and are
  noted for the complete silence in which
  they move. Ghouls normally attack in
  a group, and will then fight among
  themselves over the kill.
  Ghoul
  DEXTERITY 7
  Dodge 9, lock-picking 8, stealth 9,
  unarmed combat 10
  STRENGTH 12
  Lifting 14
  TOUGHNESS 12
  PERCEPTION 7
  Find 9, tracking 8, trick (9)
  MIND 6
  Test 9, willpower 20
  CHARISMA 6
  Charm (8) persuasion (11), taunt (9)
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 9, reality 8
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Natural Tools: fangs, damage value
  STR+2/14
  Note: Immune to KO conditions. If
  Hero Setback card comes up, charac-
  ters flee in fear if intimidated
  Gorgon
  The gorgons are creatures with the
  ability to turn their victims to stone
  merely by looking into their eyes. The
  gorgons commonly travel in threes,
  and much of the statuary that adorns
  portions of Lower Aysle are actually
  dwarves and humans who fell victim
  to these foul beings.
  The telltale characteristics of a
  gorgon are red eyes, a greenish tinge
  to the skin, and a nest of writhing
  snakes in place of hair. Though they
  are physically powerful, they are not
  adept at physical combat, relying on
  their gaze  to destroy their enemies.
  Gorgons congregate in dark places,
  and prefer to stay away from bodies of
  water (should they see their own re-
  flection, they suffer the same fate as
  their victims). Some have found work
  of a sort since crossing over into the
  realm — a Scottish “sculptor” was
  recently exposed as a fiend who hired
  gorgons to stare at his enemies and
  turn them into stone, which he then
  sold as works of art.
  Gorgon
  DEXTERITY 8
  Dodge 9, stealth 9, unarmed com-
  bat 9
  STRENGTH 12
  TOUGHNESS 11
  PERCEPTION 12
  Languages 13, trick 15
  MIND 11
  Test 14, willpower 13
  CHARISMA 7
  Charm 11, persuasion (12), taunt
  (9)
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation 12
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: the gorgon’s attack
  uses his or her willpower as the effect
  value, with a difficulty number of the
  target character’s Perception. If the tar-
  get is actively avoiding the gorgon’s
  gaze, he or she must get a “setback” or
  a “player’s call” result on a trick to make
  the attack. The attack is consider a “one-
  Creatures
  
  108
  on-many,” adding +2 to the difficulty
  of the trick attempt and +4 to the diffi-
  culty of the actual attack. (See the Multi-
  Action Chart on page 45 of the Torg
  Rulebook.) Each wound level causes the
  victim’s body to solidify further, and
  reduces all Dexterity-related skills by
  two. After three wounds have been
  taken, the victim is completely turned
  to stone, and can be returned to flesh
  only if the gorgon is slain. This can be
  done by severing the head of the crea-
  ture, or reflecting their gaze back at
  them. If less than three wounds, the
  victim’s DEX returns in 24 hours
  Gospog
  Uthorion has gotten tremendous
  use out of his gospog, using them to
  track down pockets of resistance
  throughout Norway and Finland, and
  as an instrument of pure terror in the
  other countries that make up the realm
  of Aysle. The sight of these nightmar-
  ish creatures often breaks the spirits of
  opponents long before a drop of blood
  has been spilled.
  Second, third and fourth planting
  gospog are plentiful, but there are very
  few fifth plantings, Uthorion having
  lost a number of the precious seeds
  when Ardinay’s forces took control of
  much of southern England.
  Gospog of the first planting are
  identical in every realm, and their sta-
  tistics can be found in the Torg Rule-
  book, page 90.
  Gospog of the
  Second Planting
  Aysle gospog of the second planting
  resemble huge wolves, with vicious
  fangs and heavy fur which enables them
  to function in the cold northern reaches
  of the realm without difficulty. Parts of
  their hide are composed of plant mat-
  ter, and as a result, sharp thorns line
  their fur. They are gifted with an un-
  canny ability to track, and have been
  known to accurately trace fleeing vil-
  lagers across snowfields and through
  icy rivers. When they find their quarry,
  the gospog waste no time in tearing it
  apart. They generally operate in a pack,
  much like genuine wolves.
  Second planting gospog are par-
  ticularly fond of half-folk meat, and so
  a team of Vikings or humans are com-
  monly sent to keep the pack moving
  toward its goal. The average gospog is
  four meters in length.
  Many of the moors England and
  Scotland have been used as gospog
  fields, and the baying of the
  “wolves” upon them these days is a
  sinister sound, indeed.
  Gospog of the Second Planting
  DEXTERITY  13
  Dodge 14, maneuver 15, running
  15, stealth 14, unarmed combat 15
  STRENGTH 11
  TOUGHNESS 11
  PERCEPTION 9
  Find 12, tracking 12, trick (11)
  MIND 7
  Test (11), willpower 9
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (8)
  SPIRIT 4
  Intimidation (9)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: claws, damage value
  STR+2/13; teeth, damage value
  STR+3/14; thorns, damage value
  STR+3/14
  Gospog of the
  Third Planting
  Third planting gospogs are slightly
  larger versions of their predecessors,
  with an average length of six meters.
  In addition to the skills of the second
  planting gospogs, this version has
  more pronounced claws, larger and
  sharper teeth, and its hide is a mixture
  of fur and scales. Less plantlike, its
  thorns are gone, replaced by two ten-
  tacles emerging from its backs. While
  their tracking abilities remain un-
  changed between generations, these
  gospog are far tougher and able to do
  more damage in battle.
  Gospog of the Third Planting
  DEXTERITY 14
  Dodge 15, maneuver 16, running
  16, stealth 15, unarmed combat 16
  STRENGTH 13
  Climbing 15
  TOUGHNESS 12/17
  Chapter Nine
  
  109
  PERCEPTION 9
  Find 12, tracking 12, trick (11)
  MIND 7
  Test (11), willpower 9
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (10)
  SPIRIT 4
  Intimidation (10)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+5/17;
  claws, damage value STR+3/16;
  teeth, damage value STR+4, 17; ten-
  tacles, damage value STR+2/15
  Note: When using tentacles, gospog
  can make two attacks per round
  Gospog of the
  Fourth Planting
  In the fourth planting, the gospog
  begin to take on more dragon-like char-
  acteristics, the most obvious being the
  transformation of their tentacles into
  membraneous wings. Their size and
  strength also increase, although they
  make less use of their tracking abili-
  ties, since they are now able to spot
  their quarry from the air. Fourth plant-
  ing gospog average eight meters in
  length.
  From the fourth generation on, the
  gospog tend to spend less time in a
  pack, often hunting independently.
  There is also no longer a need for
  Viking herders, as their intelligence
  has increased to the point that they are
  not easily distracted from their goal.
  Gospog of the Fourth Planting
  DEXTERITY 10
  Dodge 14, maneuver 13, flight 12,
  unarmed combat 16
  STRENGTH 20
  TOUGHNESS 14/19
  PERCEPTION 10
  Find 12, tracking 12, trick 11
  MIND 9
  Test 11, willpower 11
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (12)
  SPIRIT 4
  Intimidation 15
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+5/19;
  wings, speed value 12; claws, dam-
  age value STR+3/19; teeth, dam-
  age value STR+4, 20
  Gospog of the
  Fifth Planting
  With the final planting, the trans-
  formation into a hybrid wolf-dragon
  is complete with the addition of a
  breath weapon capable of causing
  metallic objects to crumble. The acidic
  elements which make this possible are
  stored in two internal sacs, and the
  gospog can fire two blasts in succes-
  sion (one per round), but each sac
  takes two rounds to refill.
  The breath weapon will not affect
  any element other than metal, but it
  eats away at this with astonishing ra-
  pidity. Armor and metallic weapons
  quickly become useless when em-
  ployed against a fifth planting gospog.
  In its fifth incarnation, the gospog
  reaches its maximum size of 10 meters.
  Gospog of the Fifth Planting
  DEXTERITY 12
  Dodge 15, maneuver 14, light 14,
  unarmed combat 17
  STRENGTH 22
  TOUGHNESS 20/25
  PERCEPTION 11
  Find 14, tracking 14, trick 13
  MIND 9
  Test 12, willpower 13
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (14)
  SPIRIT 4
  Intimidation 17
  Possibility Potential: None
  Natural Tools: armor, TOU+5/25;
  claws, damage value STR+3/25;
  teeth, damage value STR+4/26;
  wings, speed value 12; acidic breath,
  damage value 25 (applied against
  Toughness of object)
  The Green Men
  The Green Men are malign creatures
  who live in the forests of England, hav-
  ing migrated across the bridge from
  Aysle. Not strictly  “men” at all, they are
  a hybrid of human being and tree,
  their bodies made of wood with bark
  for skin and thorny branches for fin-
  gers. Their features resemble that of a
  man’s carved into a tree trunk, and
  they have leaves for hair.
  A Green Man will stay hidden in a
  forest glade until it spots a lone trav-
  eler. It will then slash at the victim
  with its fingers and then crush him to
  death in its arms. It is believed the
  Green Man feeds on the blood of his
  victims, and it is this which keeps him
  animated.
  Green Man
  DEXTERITY 9
  Stealth 20, unarmed combat 12
  STRENGTH 15
  Lifting 16
  TOUGHNESS 12
  PERCEPTION 10
  Find 11, tracking 12
  MIND 8
  Test (9)
  CHARISMA 5
  Taunt (10)
  SPIRIT 6
  Reality 7
  Additional Skills: one at +1 add
  Possibility Potential: some (50)
  Natural Tools: thorny branches,
  damage value STR+2/17
  Griffin
  A bizarre hybrid of the eagle and
  the lion, the griffin has the body of the
  great cat and the head, wings and
  claws of the airborne hunter. Griffins
  grow to an average length of eight
  meters, with wing spans of nine meters.
  Griffins prefer to live on high moun-
  tain peaks, but will gravitate to any
  lofty spot, church spires and castle
  towers being particular favorites.
  In the cosm, griffins commonly fed
  on other animals, with unicorn meat
  and the entrails of small dragons con-
  sidered delicacies. On Earth, the grif-
  fin has developed a taste for human
  flesh, a great roar and the beating of
  wings being the last sounds heard by
  a number of unwary travelers.
  The griffin’s preferred method of
  hunting is to swoop down and rake its
  prey with its claws, then use its bulk to
  force the victim to the ground. Once it
  has its target pinned, the griffin will
  use its powerful beak to tear off pieces
  and fly with them back to its nest.
  Although griffins rarely associate
  with other species, the strangeness of
  the realm has led many to team with
  sorcerers for mutual benefit. The grif-
  fin is capable of understanding simple
  commands, but cannot converse.
  Creatures
  
  110
  Griffin
  DEXTERITY 14
  Dodge 15, flight 16, stealth 15, un-
  armed combat 17
  STRENGTH 18
  TOUGHNESS 16
  PERCEPTION 9
  Tracking 11, trick 10
  MIND 8
  Test 10
  CHARISMA 5
  Taunt (8)
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation 10
  Additional Skills: two at +1 adds
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Natural Tools: wings, speed value
  12; claws, damage value STR+2/
  20; beak, damage value STR+3/21
  Kraken
  The monstrous giant octopus known
  as the kraken haunts northern waters,
  particularly the shipping lanes around
  Norway, feeding off unfortunate sail-
  ors it plucks from vessels with its mighty
  tentacles. Lately, with Viking longships
  sailing about the area, the kraken have
  been eating well, and the warriors of
  Aysle have learned to watch for the
  frothing waters that signal the approach
  of one of the great beasts.
  Kraken do not exist in Aysle cosm,
  but are native to Earth. The advent of
  motorized ships with greater speed
  had forced the kraken to find prey
  among the fish on the sea bottom, but
  the dropping of Tech axioms with the
  Aysle invasion has brought slow sail-
  ing ships back into vogue, and the
  kraken has responded.
  A kraken has a large head with two
  eyes and a beak-like mouth. It has a
  dozen tentacles, each about 70 meters
  long, and its total length is roughly 100
  meters. It has been known to snatch a
  sailor out of the crow’s nest of a ship
  and gulp it down, then squeeze a ship
  in its tentacles until it splinters, at
  which point it feeds on any crewmen
  who were belowdecks.
  The most vulnerable point on a
  kraken is its eyes. If blinded, it will
  break off an attack and submerge, and
  eventually be slain by one of its own
  kind.
  Kraken
  DEXTERITY 12
  Swimming 13, unarmed combat 15
  STRENGTH 21
  Lifting 23
  TOUGHNESS 20
  PERCEPTION 9
  Tracking 10
  MIND 5
  Test (10)
  CHARISMA 3
  Taunt (25)
  SPIRIT 3
  Intimidation (15)
  Possibility Potential: some (60)
  Natural Tools: tentacles, damage
  value STR+1/22
  Note: The kraken can make three
  attacks per combat round
  Legend Apparition
  A legend apparition closely re-
  sembles a ghost, both in appearance
  and behavior. But unlike the classic
  restless spirit, the legend apparition is
  not an independent entity, but rather
  an illusion formed from the energy of
  the beliefs and superstitions and oth-
  ers.
  An apparition will usually form in
  an area where a particularly hated and
  malevolent individual has recently
  died. The fears of local residents that
  the deceased will return as a ghost
  cause a legend apparition to take shape.
  It will possess the memories and char-
  acteristics of the person it resembles,
  which are impressed upon it by the
  minds of the people who caused it to
  appear, and will genuinely believe it is
  the ghost of a dead individual. Unable
  to attack physically, the legend appa-
  rition operates by frightening those
  around it using its intimidation as the
  effect value against a difficulty num-
  ber of the target’s Mind.
  Since it is not, destroying the body
  or the building it is haunting will prove
  ineffective in dispelling it. However, if
  proof of such an action can be shown
  to the apparition and the people it is
  tormenting, their belief that the “ghost”
  has been destroyed will cause the ap-
  parition to vanish.
  Legend Apparition
  DEXTERITY 3
  Stealth 22
  STRENGTH 1
  TOUGHNESS 11
  PERCEPTION 11
  Find 19, tracking 14, trick 12
  MIND 11
  CHARISMA 15
  Persuasion 17, taunt 15
  SPIRIT 15
  Intimidation 24
  Manes
  Subterranean tunnel-dwellers who
  share the Land Between with the
  dwarves, no one is quite sure if the
  manes are merely creatures, or might
  qualify as lesser folk. Certainly they
  seem to have some rudimentary intel-
  ligence, and are capable of working
  with simple tools. But they are seem-
  ingly incapable of communication with
  other species, or even each other, and
  how they manage to coordinate their
  efforts toward a common goal remains
  a mystery.
  Manes are small, humanoid crea-
  tures, usually about one meter in
  height, with pale reddish skin and no
  hair on their bodies. They are adept at
  working with their hands, and show
  remarkable balance when climbing
  through the tunnels. Their eyesight is
  extremely limited because of the low
  light levels in their domain, but their
  hearing is very acute. They prefer to
  leave other species alone, but will at-
  tack in a mob if someone encroaches
  on areas they claim as their own.
  Manes
  DEXTERITY 11
  Dodge 13, melee weapons 12, stealth
  14, unarmed combat 12
  STRENGTH 6
  Climbing 13
  TOUGHNESS 7
  PERCEPTION 8
  Trick (9)
  MIND 7
  Survival 10, test (9)
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm (11), persuasion (11), taunt
  (11)
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation (7)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Equipment: club, damage value
  STR+3/9
  Chapter Nine
  
  111
  Manticore
  The manticore is a strange creature
  that stalks the mountains of Bar’ann
  and the ice fields of Holm and Skani in
  the cosm, exciting dread in the hearts
  of even the bravest of barbarians and
  Vikings. The manticore has the body
  of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and
  features identical to a man’s, save for
  the rows of razor-sharp teeth in its
  mouth.
  According to legend, the manticore
  was originally a plant-eater, subsisting
  on the leafy vegetation that grew along
  the mountainsides. Then a Viking hunt-
  ing party took to the hills, slaughtering
  many manticore and forcing others to
  flee. Cornered, one of the creatures
  lashed out at its pursuers, and so tasted
  flesh for the first time. Since that day,
  manticore have been man-killers, pre-
  ferring to stalk at night and resisting all
  efforts to exterminate them.
  Manticore have traveled to every
  cosm Aysle has invaded, and a great
  number of them came down the
  bridges into Oulu and Oslo. Unlike
  many of the creatures in the realm, the
  manticore are not affiliated with the
  Dark or the Light. With their fierce
  nature and voracious appetites, the
  manticore pose as great a threat to
  Uthorion’s forces as they do to Storm
  Knights.
  Manticore prefer to hunt alone
  rather than in packs. Their usual
  method of attack is to fire a poisoned
  stinger from its tail into its victim, and
  then feast on the corpse. The
  manticore’s teeth and claws do, how-
  ever, make it a formidable foe in close-
  range combat.
  Manticore
  DEXTERITY 10
  Maneuver 12, missile weapons (tail
  stingers) 14, running 11, unarmed
  combat 13
  STRENGTH 15
  Climbing 16
  TOUGHNESS 14
  PERCEPTION 9
  Tracking 11, trick 10
  MIND 7
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (9)
  SPIRIT 6
  Intimidation 10
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: stingers, damage
  value 23, range 3-10/100/300;
  claws, damage value STR+2/17;
  teeth, damage value STR+3/18
  Mimis
  The mimis are small creatures who
  live in the cracks between rocks, emerg-
  ing only to hunt for food. Mimis are
  humanoid in appearance, but their skin
  is translucent, light blue in color, and
  horribly shrivelled. These beings are
  allies by necessity with the cinlums,
  since in bad weather an entire tribe of
  mimis could be blown away or
  drowned.
  Mimis have claws and teeth, but
  generally they are content to subsist
  on plants. If a human ventures too
  close to their lair, they will attack and
  attempt to devour him. Singly, mimis
  are no match for a large creature, but
  they attack in packs of up to 100,
  swarming over their prey before he
  has time to react.
  Mimis have settled in the Slieve
  Bloom Mountains in Ireland and other
  rocky areas throughout the realm.
  Mimis
  DEXTERITY 12
  Dodge 13, stealth 15, unarmed com-
  bat 13
  STRENGTH 4
  Climbing 8
  TOUGHNESS 4
  PERCEPTION 8
  Find 10, trick 9
  MIND 8
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 7
  Taunt (9)
  SPIRIT 6
  Intimidation (9)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: claws, damage value
  STR+2/6; teeth, damage value
  STR+3/7
  Revenants
  Restless spirits of the dead,
  revenants have come back in force
  since the Aysle axioms washed over
  the realm. Revenants tend to be the
  ghosts of murderers who haunt the
  scenes of their crimes, unable to find
  final peace. Many of these creatures
  hate the living, and so can be very
  dangerous even in their ghostly form.
  Revenants have been known to ap-
  pear in the middle of a roadway, fright-
  ening a driver into thinking he is about
  to hit someone. The driver will try to
  avoid the obstacle and often crash as a
  result, at which point the revenant
  will disappear.
  hostly Combat
  G
  Battling non-corporeal entities
  is one of the hazards of operat-
  ing in Aysle. Revenants, ghosts
  and other “beings of the
  spirit” have no physical mass to
  speak of, and thus cannot be
  harmed by melee, missile or un-
  armed attacks. They cannot ini-
  tiate any such attacks, either, but
  can harass and terrify, and often
  those activities are the raison d’etre
  of their existence.
  However, like any other crea-
  ture, these beings have their vul-
  nerabilities. In magical terms,
  ghosts are considered to be en-
  tities. Thus magic which arises
  from the knowledges of light,
  darkness, life, death, or entity can
  do damage to them. In addi-
  tion, enchanted weapons which
  have been imbued with those
  knowledges are also effective.
  Finally, those Ayslish who
  have attained the third level un-
  der the Laws of Honor and Cor-
  ruption are capable of making
  standard melee, missile and
  unarmed attacks again non-cor-
  poreal foes.
  Creatures
  
  112
  Revenants commonly appear in a
  glowing form that resembles their
  physical incarnation. Often, they will
  carry a ghostly version of the weapon
  with which they killed in life.
  Revenants can pass through solid ob-
  jects, and cannot initiate or suffer from
  a physical attack — they are, however,
  vulnerable to magic and enchanted
  weapons which are connected to the
  arcane knowledges of light, darkness,
  death and life (see sidebar). Their sud-
  den appearances and disappearances
  can be very unnerving, and they exist
  to strike terror into others as revenge
  for their suffering after death.
  Revenants
  DEXTERITY 3
  Stealth 18
  STRENGTH 1
  TOUGHNESS 12
  PERCEPTION 10
  Tracking 12, trick 12
  MIND 9
  CHARISMA 16
  Persuasion 17, taunt 18
  SPIRIT 16
  Intimidation 24
  Possibility Potential: none
  Skeletons
  Among the most common creatures
  of Aysle, animated skeletons have
  been used by Uthorion as shock troops
  in a number of places in the realm.
  Their inability to feel pain and their
  mindless obedience of orders makes
  them ideal for frontal assaults, while
  more intelligent soldiers take advan-
  tage the diversion to pursue their own
  objectives.
  Skeletons can be raised by sorcer-
  ers, through a ritual that involves slic-
  ing open the chest of a corpse and
  pulling the bones free of the body.
  Once animated, the skeleton retains
  no memory of its former identity,
  and Uthorion has often used the
  bones of fallen enemies for his dark
  purposes.
  Skeletons are normally armored,
  and can use a variety of weapons.
  Skeleton
  DEXTERITY 8
  Dodge 9, melee weapons 11, un-
  armed combat 10
  STRENGTH 10
  TOUGHNESS 10
  PERCEPTION 6
  MIND 4
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (8)
  SPIRIT 3
  Intimidation (7)
  Possibility Potential: None
  Equipment: armor, TOU+2/12;
  sword, damage value STR+4/14
  Note: Immune to shock and KO
  conditions
  The Spectral
  Knights
  The Spectral Knights are the  corpses
  of Ardinay’s Knight Protectors, their
  bodies possessed by demons under
  Uthorion’s control. There are five of
  these dreadful creatures, their origi-
  nal spirits trapped within their shells
  and forced to watch the evil their bod-
  ies commit. Often in such cases, the
  spirit itself becomes corrupted by the
  proximity of the dark being that has
  reanimated the body.
  Originally, the form of Tolwyn of
  House Tancred led the Spectral
  Knights, although the spirit of Tolwyn
  was in another body. The living
  Tolwyn slew the walking corpse and
  reclaimed her armor and sword.
  The five remaining Spectral Knights
  were, in life, the bravest warriors of
  Houses Gerrik, Liandar, Daleron,
  Vareth, and Bendes. Having all been
  brought back in the same manner, they
  all have basically the same attributes
  and skills. The Spectral Knights are par-
  ticularly adept users of magic, and their
  armor has been transformed so as to be
  greater proof against magical attack.
  Spectral Knight
  DEXTERITY 13
  Maneuver 14, melee weapons 15,
  unarmed combat 15
  STRENGTH 14
  TOUGHNESS 12
  PERCEPTION 15
  Divination magic 17, find 16, trick
  16
  MIND 14
  Conjuration magic 17, test 15
  CHARISMA 10
  Persuasion 13, taunt 12
  SPIRIT 7
  Corruption 8, intimidation 11, real-
  ity 9
  Possibilities: 5
  Spells: conjured fireball, detect magic,
  mage dark
  Arcane Knowledges: fire 4, magic 4,
  dark 4
  Equipment: plate-mail, TOU+5, an
  additional +2 when defending
  against magical attacks; two-
  handed sword (enchanted), dam-
  age value STR+9/23
  Wendigo
  The beasts known as wendigos live
  in caverns throughout Lower Aysle.
  They range from three to four meters
  high, and are covered in white fur,
  with sharp teeth and claws. Giant leg-
  end says that they are Ayslish who
  angered the gods by feasting on the
  flesh of their comrades, and were pun-
  ished by being transformed into mon-
  sters. Whether there is any truth to the
  tale is unknown, but wendigos are
  highly dangerous, and confirmed
  meat-eaters. They seem to have no
  preference when it comes to prey, eat-
  ing humans and dwarves from the
  Lands Above and Between, and the
  occasional giant. Numerous attempts
  have been made to exterminate the
  beasts, but they know the land too
  well and go into hiding while hunting
  parties are searching for them.
  Something resembling a wendigo
  was recently sighted in Norway, but
  the accounts have been dismissed by
  the Vikings as the ravings of a mad-
  man. If wendigos has come down the
  maelstrom bridge, it means additional
  problems for both sides of the war.
  Wendigo
  DEXTERITY 14
  Dodge 15, long jumping 15, stealth
  15, unarmed combat 17
  STRENGTH 17
  Climbing 18
  TOUGHNESS 15/16
  PERCEPTION 9
  Find 10, tracking 10, trick 11
  MIND 7
  Test 9
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm (10), taunt (11)
  Chapter Nine
  
  113
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation 10
  Possibility Potential: some (65)
  Natural Tools: claws, damage value
  STR+2/19; teeth, damage value STR
  +3/20; hide, armor value TOU+1/
  16
  Wyvern
  Wyvern are huge, segmented
  worm-like creatures, said to reach
  lengths of up to 10 meters. Their skin is
  tranlucent, and their meat is consid-
  ered a delicacy by the dwarves of the
  Land Between. Wyvern reside in the
  tunnels of the cosm, sleeping for much
  of the time and only rousing to feed
  once every two months. They are meat
  eaters, and will roll over and crush
  prey before swallowing it whole. This
  is infinitely preferable to being eaten
  alive by the wyvern, since it is said it
  takes years to be fully digested.
  Wyvern
  DEXTERITY 8
  Unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 20
  TOUGHNESS 14
  PERCEPTION 8
  Tracking 10, trick (13)
  MIND 4
  Test (13)
  CHARISMA 4
  Taunt (14)
  SPIRIT 4
  Intimidation (25)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Wotan and
  the Wild Hunt
  The dreaded Horn Master and his
  Wild Hunt has been one of Uthorion’s
  most potent weapons, even being
  loaned to Living Land High Lord
  Baruk Kaah at one point. The Hunt is
  first seen as a huge storm on the hori-
  zon, and then a blast of Wotan’s horn
  causes the black clouds to split apart
  and change to the shapes of ravens,
  hounds, horses, stags, hunters and
  squires. These demonic creatures then
  swoop down from out of the sky, lay-
  ing waste to towns and villages, the
  squires collecting the souls of slain
  mortals for later incorporation into
  the Hunt.
  Wotan himself is a massive crea-
  ture that wears the shape of a man,
  with an antlered helmet and a naked,
  muscular chest. The lightning of the
  storm forms a mantle about his shoul-
  ders, but the bolts reveal his true form:
  a rotting skeleton, riding atop a black
  and misshapen demon. He carries an
  enchanted horn and sword, and main-
  tains absolute control of the creatures
  that make up the Hunt.
  Wotan lives for blood and death,
  and gladly served Uthorion for as long
  as the Dark High Lord provided him
  with barbaric tasks to perform.
  Uthorion’s defeat at the hands of the
  Storm Knights and subsequent pos-
  session of a Viking chieftain has forced
  him to lose touch with Wotan, and the
  Horn Master is now operating inde-
  pendently, attacking those areas con-
  trolled by Ardinay’s forces when not
  residing in Ardinay Castle.
  Despite the variety of appearances
  they assume, the members of the Hunt
  are all the same type of demon. They
  exist by binding their essence to that of
  a disembodied soul, and using  the
  polymorphism spell to assume the shape
  of raven, hound, etc. Wotan strictly
  monitors what forms they take, new
  members of the Hunt confined to the
  shape of a raven, until they prove them-
  selves in battle and can ascend through
  the ranks to hunter.
  Wotan the Horn Master
  DEXTERITY 18
  Beast riding 19, dodge 20, flight 19
  (speed value 18), melee weapons
  20, unarmed combat 20
  STRENGTH 21
  TOUGHNESS 25
  PERCEPTION 16
  Alteration magic 19, divination
  magic 17, find 17, language 17, track-
  ing 18, trick 18
  MIND 12
  Survival 14, test 14, willpower 14
  CHARISMA 9
  Charm 10, persuasion 12, taunt 11
  SPIRIT 9
  Intimidation 15, reality 12
  Possibilities: 20
  Spells: lightning, polymorphism (see
  The Forever City).
  Arcane Knowledges: folk 8, inani-
  mate forces 5
  Equipment: horn, Toughness 35,
  range 3-100/400/1k; two-handed
  sword (enchanted), damage value
  STR+10/31; helmet (enchanted)
  TOU+3/28, with an additional +2
  against magical attacks; armor value
  TOU+6/31, with an additional +2
  when defending against magical at-
  tacks
  The Wild Hunt
  DEXTERITY 15
  Beast riding 16, dodge 16, flight 16
  (speed value 18), maneuver 16,
  melee weapons 17, unarmed com-
  bat 18
  STRENGTH  13
  TOUGHNESS 16
  PERCEPTION 12
  Alteration magic 14, find 14, track-
  ing 13, trick 13
  MIND 8
  Test 10, willpower 11
  CHARISMA 8
  Charm (10), persuasion (11), Taunt
  14
  SPIRIT 7
  Intimidation 11, reality 8
  Note: When in the form of horses,
  ravens, hounds, or stags add +2 to
  maneuver skill
  Possibility Potential: all
  Spells: polymorphism
  Arcane Knowledges: folk 6
  Natural Tools: as raven, beak, dam-
  age value STR+2/15; as hound,
  teeth, STR+3/16; as horse, hooves,
  STR+2/15; as stag, antlers, STR+3/
  16
  Equipment: as squire, short sword
  (enchanted), damage value STR+6/
  19; as hunter, broadsword (en-
  chanted), damage value STR+8/21;
  chain-mail (enchanted), armor
  value TOU+5/21, an additional  +2
  when defending against magical
  attacks
  Creatures
  
  114
  Chapter Ten
  Equipment
  esidents of both the Aysle
  cosm and realm are
  equipped with a variety
  of melee and missile
  weapons, along with very
  primitive firearms. In general, the
  melee arms — swords, maces, axes,
  and the like — are the most common
  and least expensive of the weapons
  available. Missile weapons often re-
  quire more practice before they can be
  used effectively. The Wheel lock Dag
  pistol has slowly come into favor, par-
  ticularly among the Corsairs, but is
  not yet in widespread use.
  The other two major types of Aysle
  equipment are armor, which enjoys
  great popularity, and enchanted items,
  which are often quite expensive but
  can be extremely useful in battle as
  well as daily life.
  Due to the fact that they were con-
  structed under Aysle axioms, many of
  the weapons brought from the cosm
  or now being produced in the realm
  are slightly stronger than their Core
  Earth counterparts. This allows them
  to be used by the Ayslish, who are
  often more powerful than Earth hu-
  mans, and inflict more damage upon
  opponents.
  Melee Weapons
  The hand-held weapon has a long
  history in both the Aysle and Core
  Earth cosms. From the primitive stone
  club to the morning star and pole-arm,
  from the hiss of a rapier to the sicken-
  ing sound of a broadsword striking
  home, there are few combatants in
  Aysle willing to go without one. Even
  those who favor missile weapons will
  keep a dagger or sword handy in the
  event it is needed.
  Here are some of the more popular
  melee weapons.
  Dagger: A small knife, no more than
  a third of a meter in length, which can
  be easily concealed on the person and
  drawn no matter how close of a
  struggle one is engaged in. Daggers
  are also widely used as eating utensils
  throughout Aysle, and virtually ev-
  eryone carries one.
  Short Sword: The weapon most
  favored by shield-bearing Ayslish is
  the short or one-handed sword. Used
  by most knights and some Vikings,
  the most effective is the double-blade
  sword with a small hand-grip. The
  short sword can be more difficult to
  handle than the rapier, and will not
  cause as much damage per attack as
  that weapon, but is more durable.
  Rapier: A one-handed sword with
  a long, thin blade, the rapier is light
  and allows for faster maneuvers. While
  it cannot cause as much damage as a
  broadsword or two-handed sword, it
  is easier to penetrate an opponent’s
  defenses with the quick stroke of the
  rapier. Favored by Corsairs and
  Freetraders, the major drawback of
  the rapier is that it is fragile, and will
  tend to break in battle, especially if
  matched against a heavier blade.
  Broadsword: The ancestor of the
  two-handed sword, the broadsword
  features a wide, heavy blade. It is com-
  monly used by those who wish to
  forego the use of a shield, and can do
  great damage, although its weight less-
  ens maneuverability. Broadswords are
  used by Ayslish paladins and some
  Vikings.
  Two-handed Sword: The preferred
  weapons of the Vikings, two-handed
  swords are essentially broadswords
  with greater heft. They are capable of
  the most damage (a maximum value
  of 22) of any unenchanted melee
  weapon in the realm, but their suc-
  cessful use requires that the attack be
  an intense and ferocious one. It is dif-
  ficult to parry strokes with the weighty
  sword, and a shield cannot be used
  along with it.
  Dwarf Spike: A small, pointed piece
  of metal bearing some resemblance to
  a chisel, the dwarf spike can be used as
  a weapon or as a tool for digging in the
  mines. It is used almost exclusively by
  dwarves.
  Sword-breaker: A dagger designed
  for parrying and shattering an
  opponent’s sword, the sword-breaker
  is commonly held in the left hand. Its
  blade has a heavily serrated edge, al-
  lowing it to catch an attacker’s weapon.
  The defender can then twist the
  weapon and snap the opposing blade
  free from its hilt.
  Club: The first and simplest
  weapon, the club is nothing more than
  a weighted stick, which increases the
  momentum and thus the force of a
  blow. Clubs are commonly made of
  wood, although Ice Nomads have been
  known to use dragon bones for the
  same purpose. Clubs are also seen in
  the hands of barbarians.
  Staff: A wooden stick, thinner than
  the average club, a staff is usually
  about two meters in length. Extremely
  inexpensive, staffs are carried by peas-
  ant farmers throughout the cosm as
  well as some Dunadian priests. In the
  hands of a trained user, the staff can be
  a very effective weapon, both on of-
  fense and defense.
  Giant War-Club: A huge wooden
  club with iron spikes driven through it
  and a band of metal wrapped around
  the head to give it added weight. This
  is the favored weapon of the priests of
  Arthuk, and requires a minimun of
  STR 14 to use.
  Battle-Ax: Another implement of
  destruction that can be either melee or
  missile weapon, the battle-ax has been
  made famous by the dwarves, barbar-
  ians, Vikings and trolls. A sharp metal
  head attached to a wooden shaft, the
  battle-ax can be either single-edged or
  double-edged. Currently, the latter is
  more popular.
  War-Hammer:  A wooden  handle
  with a metal hammerhead attached,
  with a dagger emerging from the head,
  the war-hammer was invented by the
  dwarves during the War of the
  Crowns, and remains in use today.
  The hammerhead is used to stun an
  opponent, and the dagger used to
  pierce his armor.
  Mace: The mace is a club made of
  metal, with spikes or sharp ridges on
  the head. Maces range in length from
  a third of a meter to a meter, and are
  
  115
  intended as one-handed weapons, al-
  though they can be swung with both
  hands. Maces are extremely effective
  at unseating mounted attackers.
  Morning Star: A variation of the
  mace, the handle and head of a morn-
  ing star are connected by joints or
  chains which increase the force of the
  blow. Morning stars are favored by
  the dwarves, who have discovered that
  just spinning one is often enough to
  keep a larger opponent at bay.
  Ball and Chain: A more powerful
  version of the morning star, the ball
  and chain is precisely that: a length of
  chain with a round iron ball at the end.
  It usually functions as a melee weapon,
  but can also be thrown at an approach-
  ing opponent. The ball and chain is a
  favorite of the giants.
  Pole-Arms: Long wooden shafts,
  often in excess of three meters, topped
  with sharp points, ax-heads, claws,
  and so on. Pole-arms are most fre-
  quently used by foot soldiers to unseat
  cavalry, or for grappling between
  ships. These have been used by the
  Vikings as a means of pulling elves off
  of their dragon steeds.
  Missile Weapons
  Missile weapons have had a great
  deal to do with the survival of the
  Ayslish humans and the dwarves
  against such threats as the giants, the
  trolls and the Vikings. Usually over-
  powered and outnumbered, the
  Ayslish learned quickly to take ad-
  vantage of their edge in physical coor-
  dination and fight with missile weap-
  ons from long range. Although such
  weapons as the crossbow cannot do
  the damage that a melee weapon can,
  they do not require that an attacker
  close with an opponent who may have
  height, reach and strength advantage.
  In addition, coating arrows with pitch
  and setting them ablaze has proven a
  very effective method of taking forts
  or driving off naval attacks.
  The following are the most fre-
  quently-used missile weapons.
  Throwing Dagger: A specialized
  knife balanced so it can be thrown
  with accuracy at a target (a standard
  dagger cannot be relied upon to bury
  its blade in an opponent when tossed).
  Easy to conceal, the throwing dagger
  has become synonymous with treach-
  ery, as they are usually found emerg-
  ing from someone’s back.
  Sling: A piece of rope with a pouch
  in the middle. A stone or lead pellet is
  placed in the pouch; both ends of the
  rope are grasped in one hand. The
  rope is twirled rapidly around the
  head, and then, at the proper moment,
  one end of the rope is released, send-
  ing the stone flying rapidly toward its
  target. A very inexpensive weapon,
  slings can be disguised as belts or neck-
  laces. Their accuracy and silence make
  them the weapon of choice for thieves
  and assassins, and they are often used
  by House Vareth dwarves on their
  forays into the Land Between.
  Spear: A long wooden stick with a
  pointed metal head on the end, the
  spear can be used as a missile weapon
  or a melee weapon. It is at its most
  effective during sieges, when it can be
  thrown from the walls at attackers
  surrounding a city or fortress. Spears
  thrown en masse are extremely diffi-
  cult to evade. Spears are most fre-
  quently used by barbarians, although
  Ayslish troops, Vikings and dwarves
  have also been known to put them to
  use.
  Dwarven Bomb: Designed for use
  in dwarven tunnel fighting, these
  bombs consist of an iron ball filled
  with black powder. A fuse protrudes
  from the ball, and when it is lit, the ball
  explodes, usually bringing down a
  large section of the tunnel on one’s
  attackers. These explosives barely
  qualify as a missile weapon — being
  too heavy to lift, they must be rolled
  into the midst of the enemy, hopefully
  without extinguishing the fuse in the
  process.
  Short Bow: A simple wooden bow,
  less than 1.5 meters in length. It fires
  wooden shafts with metallic heads,
  and requires the least amount of skill
  to use of any bow-and-arrow incarna-
  tion. The string of the short bow is
  drawn back to the breast, and thus
  does not require the strength of its
  descendant, the long bow. The short
  bow is used by dwarves, centaurs, and
  elves.
  Long Bow: A wooden bow, greater
  than 1.5 meters in length, which de-
  mands both strength and skill to be
  used. The string of the long bow is
  drawn back as far as the ear, and has a
  greater range and can shoot arrows at
  a greater velocity than the short bow.
  Since it requires a certain amount of
  training to become proficient at the
  use of the longbow, it is most often
  found in the hands of Ayslish troops
  representing one of the Houses.
  Composite Bow: A more powerful
  version of the long bow, the stave of
  the composite bow is made up of three
  different materials, combined so as to
  enhance the elastic properties of each.
  Thus the composite bow, while closer
  to the size of the short bow, can fire
  arrows at greater velocity and do
  greater damage than a long bow. Com-
  posite bows are the most expensive
  available, and only expert archers will
  spend the money to purchase one.
  Light Crossbow: A crossbow con-
  sists of a bow attached to a wooden
  stock, which allows the weapon to be
  kept cocked without effort by the firer.
  Many crossbows are mechanically bent
  (or “spanned”), allowing for much
  stronger pulls and thus much greater
  power. The main advantage of a cross-
  bow over a long bow is that they can be
  used effectively by less powerful ar-
  chers. However, they lack the range
  and ability to inflict damage that the
  long bow possesses. The light cross-
  bow must be braced against some-
  thing for the archer to successfully
  cock it.   Crossbows are carried by
  Ayslish troops and some elves, and
  are available from Freetraders at rea-
  sonable rates.
  Heavy Crossbow:  The heavy cross-
  bow is able to inflict more damage at a
  greater range than the light crossbow,
  and is also considerably more durable.
  To cock it, the archer must place a foot
  in the stirrup at the end of the bow and
  use a small winch on the stock.
  Shields and Armor
  In a place full of monsters, warring
  Houses, and various and sundry other
  threats to life and limb, the difference
  between living another day and fall-
  ing before an enemy is often no more
  than the strength of one’s shield and
  armor.
  For that reason, such things are
  among a warriors most prized posses-
  sions, for the purchase of which no
  Equipment
  
  116
  expense is spared. A talented armorer
  can command a high fee in Aysle, and
  even a mediocre one can be assured of
  eating regularly.
  Use of a shield increases the diffi-
  culty number to hit, providing the
  shielded character is actively defend-
  ing and his opponent is making a fron-
  tal attack. The difficulty modifier for
  each type of shield is noted in the
  individual entries below.
  Optional Rule: The sum of the
  shield’s difficulty modifier and the
  value of the skill used to defend (most
  likely melee weapons) is the shield value.
  If the result of an opponent’s attack
  falls between the defensive skill value
  and the shield value, the blow is consid-
  ered to have hit the shield. Use the
  shield’s Toughness to determine the
  effect of the strike — when the shield
  takes four wounds, it has shattered.
  Here are the shields and armor most
  commonly found in cosm and realm.
  Buckler: A small round shield,
  roughly the size of a dinner plate, that
  can be worn on the left wrist. The
  advantage of a buckler is that it allows
  the left hand to be used without the
  shield having to be dropped. The dis-
  advantage is that, being so small in
  size, it does not provide a great deal of
  protection. Use of a buckler adds +2 to
  the defensive skill value.
  Shield: The standard shield is a
  disc of metal held in one hand or
  strapped on to an arm. There are three
  common sizes:
  The small shield is no more than one
  meter in length, easy to carry, and
  preferred by dwarves, Corsairs, and
  others who prefer to travel light. The
  small shield adds +4 to the defensive
  skill value.
  The medium shield is about 1.5 meters
  in length, and is the kind most often
  used by Ayslish knights. It adds +5 to
  the defensive skill value, and is not so
  heavy it cannot be handled with rela-
  tive ease.
  The large shield is two meters in
  length and adds +6 to the defensive skill
  value, but it is awkward and difficult
  to carry and results in one additional
  shock point when taking a fatigue pen-
  alty. It tends to be used more in cer-
  emonial jousts than actual battles.
  Hides and Furs: The oldest form of
  armor, hides and furs are used by the
  Ice Nomads and some giants in Aysle.
  The hides are cured, but not tanned,
  and overall, provide very little pro-
  tection to the wearer. They can, how-
  ever, provide warmth in cold cli-
  mates, which makes them ideal for
  the nomads.
  Bone and Hide: A great deal more
  sophisticated than simple hides and
  furs, bone and hide armor is used by
  barbarians and the best Ice Nomad
  warriors. Pieces of bone (from a
  dragon, if available) are sewn into the
  hide. This type of armor must be cus-
  tom-made, for if the bone layer does
  not conform to the shape of the user, it
  will break easily in combat. If used by
  anyone other than the person it was
  created for, it breaks on a wound result,
  reducing its add to +1.
  Leather: Cured and tanned hides,
  leather armor is relatively light, and
  slightly stronger than hides and furs.
  The primary appeal of leather armor is
  its flexibility, which allows a fighter
  with a melee weapon to maneuver
  with ease.
  Bronze: For the protection it gives,
  bronze mail is not worth the weight
  the warrior must carry when wearing
  it. A relatively soft alloy, bronze will
  not deflect the attacks that steel armor
  will. When wearing bronze armor, a
  character takes four shock points from
  fatigue rather than three. His dodge skill
  is also reduced by one.
  Cuir Bouilli: Boiled, treated leather
  which is stronger, but less flexible,
  than standard leather armor. Anyone
  wearing cuir bouilli has their Dexter-
  ity-based skills reduced by one.
  Chain Mail: Made of linked chains
  of worked metal, chain mail is usually
  worn under some other form of pad-
  ding. It is moderately heavy, reducing
  the dodge skill by one and increasing
  shock points from fatigue to three.
  Ring Mail: Metal rings are sewn on
  to leather backing to form this armor,
  but which is lighter than chain mail,
  but also less effective.
  Silk Lining: One of the first ex-
  amples of composite armor, silk lining
  increases any other armor’s effective-
  ness by giving with blows, but not
  tearing. It is proof against all missile
  and melee weapons, but of no use
  against firearms at Tech 19 or better.
  Plate Mail: This is the best, and
  most expensive, non-enchanted armor
  available in Aysle, but it is heavy and
  hot. It reduces the dodge skill by one,
  and unless worked by a top armorer,
  will result in four shock points from
  fatigue for a character wearing it on
  torso, head and limbs, and three for
  anyone wearing any plate at all. A
  master armorer can work out these
  defects, meaning the fatigue penalty
  can be treated normally (three shock
  points for an armored character).
  Giant Armor: Special protective
  gear used exclusively by giant war-
  riors, giant armor is fashioned by black-
  smiths on Rakholm. Supporting its
  weight requires a Strength of at least
  12, which makes it dangerous to the
  wearer when in another realm. Giants
  have been known to disconnect and
  been unable to rise due to the heavi-
  ness of the armor.
  Firearms
  Aysle firearm technology has not
  progressed very far, with only one
  personal weapon currently available.
  The Ayslish have steered away from
  the musket, which is too cumbersome
  for the sort of close-in fighting com-
  mon in the cosm, preferring to focus
  on pistols. There are some artillery
  pieces available for use in the cosm,
  but owing to the rough terrain on the
  continent of Aysle, they are used
  mainly for defensive purposes.
  Wheel Lock Pistol: The only fire-
  arm in use in Aysle, the wheel lock
  involves iron pyrites scraping against
  a wheel which turns when the trigger
  is pulled, igniting a spark which sets
  off the primer. Wheel lock pistols are
  commonly carried in a brace of two,
  alongside the sword, and are of great
  use against armored foes. Pistols are
  carried primarily by dwarves, al-
  though they are favored by Ayslish
  Freetraders and Corsairs as well.
  Enchanted Items
  With magic so much a part of daily
  life in both the Aysle cosm and realm,
  it stands to reason that enchanted items
  would be a fixture as well. This desig-
  nation encompasses both arms and
  armor, including that of the faeries
  Chapter Ten
  
  117
  and fey, as well as more commonplace
  items.
  Here is a sample of the magical
  articles available in Aysle.
  Enchanted Armor and Shields:
  Virtually any kind of armor, from hides
  and furs to plate mail, and any size
  shield can receive the benefits of magic.
  A spell can increase the Toughness of
  armor against physical attacks (add
  +1 to standard armor value), as well as
  provide protection against magical
  attacks. There are a few armorers ca-
  pable of focusing spells into armor
  after it is forged, but it is more com-
  mon for a suit of armor to be taken to
  a mage after the smith is finished with
  it. For enchanted armor, add +2 to the
  armor value when defending against
  magical attacks. Normal fatigue penal-
  ties associated with that armor will
  stay in effect.
  The cost of getting magic added
  to one’s armor varies, depending on
  the skill level of the wizard and the
  duration of the spell. Higher levels
  of protection are possible, but wiz-
  ards with the talent to provide them
  are relatively rare, and the service is
  expensive.
  Enchanted Weapons: The spells
  used to enhance the power of weap-
  ons are very close to those used on
  shields and armor. A magical weapon
  will be able to strike with more force in
  a melee or missile attack against a non-
  magical opponent (add +1 to the stan-
  dard damage value of the weapon). In
  addition, the weapon will be able to
  damage magical creatures, and affect
  enchanted shields and armor. The
  damage value remains the same
  whether attacking a magical or non-
  magical opponent. It is possible to
  strengthen weapons beyond the +1
  add, but as with armor, it is difficult to
  find someone to do it and expensive
  when it is done.
  Faerie  Weapons and Armor: When
  considering the properties of faerie
  objects, it must be remembered that it
  is very rarely anyone other than the
  faeries is allowed to possess such an
  item. A hefty amount of persuasion,
  and some bribery, is usually required
  to convince the elemental beings to
  forge a weapon, shield, or breastplate
  large enough to be of any use. They are
  usually reluctant to do so, and to pos-
  sess a faerie sword is a mark of great
  prestige in Aysle.
  Another important thing to keep in
  mind when purchasing faerie armor is
  that when the enchantment used to
  create it wears off, the armor will van-
  ish. If this happens in the middle of a
  battle, it can easily prove fatal.
  Cinlum Sword: The blade of the
  elemental air faeries, the cinlum sword
  is noted for being lightweight yet du-
  rable, and capable of extremely quick
  strokes. The cinlum sword makes the
  rapier look cumbersome and bulky,
  and often it has a weather control spell
  focused into it, allowing the bearer to
  call up a windstorm to buffet his op-
  ponent during the fray.
  Infernas Sword: Wreathed in fire,
  the infernas sword makes for a fright-
  ening sight. Striking an object with
  sufficient force can cause it to burst
  into flame, and conjured fireballs can
  be shot from the tip of the blade. The
  major disadvantage to the infernas is
  that its enchanted flames reveal one’s
  position during night battles.
  Aqueate Sword: Aqueate faeries
  bearing their blades and marching
  to war are very difficult to spot, for
  their swords can be used to create a
  blanket of fog around them. Aqueate
  swords tend to be very light and the
  blades quite thin, to lessen the natu-
  ral resistance when swinging them
  underwater.
  Solium Sword: A wide, heavy blade,
  almost the equivalent of a faerie broad-
  sword, the weapon of the earth faeries
  can not only slay opponents, but lead
  one to them as well. With the tracker
  spell focused into it, the sword can lead
  its bearer to the hiding place of an en-
  emy (providing the conditions of the
  spell, which include possession of an
  object used by the quarry, are met).
  Cyprium Sword: The metal faeries’
  sword is the most durable of all, as
  they are extremely proficient at metal-
  work. It is also among the most valu-
  able, because it can be used to fire
  lightning bolts into stubborn machines
  to get them started.
  Cinlum Bow: Resembling a cross-
  bow, the cinlum bow can fire tiny shafts
  at great velocity. These arrows can
  ride the air currents, hover, swoop
  down and turn around in mid-flight,
  thanks to the floater spell focused into
  them. The speed of the arrows is de-
  pendent upon the effect value of the
  spell cast into them (if the cinlums do
  the rite, the speed value is commonly
  13; it can vary with other wizards).
  Infernas Bow: On the order of a
  short bow, the infernas bow fires burn-
  ing shafts. Much like the infernas
  sword, the arrows can damage en-
  chanted armor and creatures.
  Aqueate Spears: These are rarely
  used as weapons of war. Constructed
  of reeds known only to the faerie, the
  aqueates use them to pierce fish and
  other small creatures that might
  threaten their domain. In battle, the
  aqueates prefer to use their swords.
  Solium Sling: This is the earth
  faeries’ siege weapon. Made from roots
  that are tied together, the soliums hurl
  stones from behind their earth shield
  walls at intruders. While it would be
  possible to enchant such a weapon to
  allow it to hurl the rocks at greater
  velocity and cause greater damage,
  the faeries have been content up to
  now to use it without benefit of magi-
  cal enhancement.
  Cyprium Bow: A metallic long bow,
  the cypriums use this to fire electri-
  cally-charged iron arrows. This was
  the main weapon in their war with the
  aqueates, and resulted in a resound-
  ing victory for the metal faeries, as the
  water sprites’ weapons conducted the
  electricity and the faeries absorbed a
  powerful jolt.
  Celosia Sling: Being essentially
  peaceful creatures, the celosia have
  never put a great deal of energy into
  the design of weapons. Their major
  concession to the threat of faerie war
  has been the celosia sling, Made from
  plant stems with their buds hollowed
  out, the celosia use the slings to hurl
  small pebbles, rose thorns, and burrs.
  While they are effective weapons up
  to a point, they are relatively fragile
  and break after only a few uses.
  Cinlum Cloud Armor: This protec-
  tive covering resembles a dense white
  cloud wrapped around the faeries’
  bodies. While at first glance it seems to
  have no real substance, in fact it is as
  strong as any faerie armor. Enchanted,
  it is proof against physical and magi-
  cal attacks, weakest against the shafts
  and swords of the infernas.
  Infernas Fire Armor: The armor of
  the fire faeries looks like metal that is
  glowing red hot, and tongues of flame
  Equipment
  
  118
  emerge from the shoulders and other
  joints. The oldest known protective
  gear in the faerie world, fire armor
  resists attacks by all but the aqueates.
  If converted into a suit for a non-
  infernas, the wearer absorbs five shock
  points for fatigue due to the extreme
  heat generated by the armor.
  Aqueate Water Armor: Literally a
  battle-suit made of solidified water,
  aqueate armor is constructed using
  both the water faeries’ water spray spell
  and the cinlum weather control spell.
  The aqueates provide the liquid, and
  the cinlum’s manipulate the air pres-
  sure and temperature so as to contain
  it around the wearer’s body. Each suit
  must be built around a specific
  warrior’s body, and can only be used
  once, falling back to the ground as
  water once it is removed. While worn,
  the water circulates, actively deflect-
  ing any melee or missile weapon it is
  attacked with. It is, however, vulner-
  able to attack by cyprium weapons,
  which contain electric charges. The
  other drawback is that the suit is heavy
  and causes the wearer to move more
  slowly, so reduce all Dexterity-related
  skills by one when wearing it. There
  has also been one recorded incident of
  a Draconis Teutonica using its arctic
  air weapon to freeze the armor solid.
  It is extremely expensive to pur-
  chase a suit of aqueate armor, because
  it is difficult to get the two races to
  cooperate on its construction.
  Solium Earth Armor: The earth
  faeries rely on layers of dirt and rock
  to serve as their armor, with mixed
  success. While it works well against
  many conventional and enchanted
  weapons, it has proven less than per-
  fect against the powers of the aqueate
  and cinlum faeries, whose control of
  water can cause the armor to wash
  away.
  Cyprium Metal Armor: A suit that
  closely resembles the armor of human
  knights, the metal gear of the cypriums
  is extremely effective at repelling mis-
  sile and melee weapons. It is least
  effective infernas and aqueate weap-
  ons, which can melt and rust it, respec-
  tively. Cyprium armor is, however,
  lightweight, surprisingly so consider-
  ing its strength.
  Celosia Plant Armor: Despite their
  disdain for martial pursuits, the celosia
  have taken a unique and effective ap-
  proach to the armorer’s art. Celosia
  armor is made up of plants, grasses,
  roots, and vines, entangled together
  so as to form an almost impenetrable
  garment. Not only it is difficult to
  pierce, but melee weapons have been
  known to become trapped in the web
  of plant life, while their wielders try
  desperately to free them.
  Like most faerie armor, this suit has
  a weakness, namely its extreme vul-
  nerability to infernas fire shafts, which
  have been known to roast celosia alive,
  and explains in part why the plant
  faeries try so hard to stay on the good
  side of the fire faeries.
  Fey Weapons and Armor: The en-
  chanted objects of war used by the fey
  of Aysle are virtually identical to those
  used by the faeries. However, due to
  their long experience with humans,
  and well aware of the bellicose na-
  tures of most other races, the fey often
  keep their caches of weapons and ar-
  mor  hidden. They are notoriously
  reluctant to part with anything they
  have made, and it takes far longer to
  cultivate a relationship of trust with
  the fey than it does with the faerie.
  Elfmail: A thin yet sturdy variety
  of plate mail developed by the elves of
  Aysle, elfmail imparts TOU+6 protec-
  tion, with an additional +2 when de-
  fending against magic attacks. It re-
  ceived an endorsement of sorts when
  Ardinay, while still possessed by
  Uthorion, began to wear it regularly.
  Light enough that it does not result in
  a fatigue penalty, elfmail is available
  only from the smiths of Elveim, who
  occasionally sell a suit to the
  Freetraders. They are often prohibi-
  tively expensive, however.
  Dwarfmail: More bulky than
  elfmail, dwarfmail is used by tunnel
  fighters in the cosm and by dwarves
  and Ayslish in the realm. It provides a
  TOU+4 protection against physical
  attack, and an additional +2 against
  magical attack. It does cause a fatigue
  penalty, but is also cheaper and more
  readily available than elfmail. It must
  be bought directly from the dwarves,
  though, preferably residents of the
  Land Between, as the workmanship of
  House Vareth mail is often sloppy.
   Water Compass: The water com-
  pass is an item originally created on
  the Mage Isles using a divination/water
  spell, and now in general use by ex-
  plorers, trackers and trading parties.
  The needle of the enchanted object
  points in the direction of the water
  star, which helps travelers avoid be-
  coming lost. Although the water star
  will always exert the more powerful
  pull, if used on or near a large body of
  water, the compass’ readings may not
  be accurate.
  Earth Compass: A variation of the
  water compass, this device uses a divi-
  nation/earth spell and points toward
  the earth star. It is often used by
  Freetraders, Corsairs, and others who
  work the seas to find not only the star,
  but the direction of the nearest land
  mass. Again, if used on a large body of
  land, the compass will be of less use.
  Strength Potion: The strength po-
  tion is essentially a chemical version
  of the strength spell. Favored particu-
  larly by giants, successful use of the
  potion will result in at least a +1 bonus
  to Strength. The effect value of the
  potion is 18, and this should be com-
  pared to the character’s Strength on
  the Power Push Table. The resulting
  value modifier is added to the
  character’s Strength for the duration of
  the potion’s effects, which is 24 hours.
  Strength potions are usually sold by
  wizards, but the price for them is high.
  Climate Cloak: For Ayslish vaga-
  bonds who must wander from the icy
  reaches of the Frozen Land to the tropi-
  cal temperatures of the Living Sea, the
  climate cloak is an essential garment.
  Imbued with an alteration/folk spell,
  the black cloak can provide TOU+6
  protection from extremes of heat and
  cold to the wearer. It is the only known
  way to safely penetrate the waters of
  the Boiling Sea. A standard cloak can
  be used for up to two months, at which
  point the spell will fade. For trips that
  will last longer than the spell’s dura-
  tion, it is wise to have a mage on hand
  to recast the spell.
  Tancred Torch: Created by wiz-
  ards in the service of Gareth Tancred,
  the Tancred Torch is made using
  brownie fire and bottled boggles light-
  ning. Its flame is capable of dispelling
  the blackness brought on by a mage
  dark spell. It has been used as a weapon
  against creatures and lesser folk who
  thrive on the darkness.
  Eye of Shali: An extremely valu-
  able artifact, this amulet has both the
  detect magic and the possibility shadows
  Chapter Ten
  
  119
  spells focused into it. It was brought
  across the maelstrom bridge into
  Glasgow, but was reportedly lost
  sometime after that, and is presumed
  to be somewhere in Scotland.
  Scathala Scroll: Penned by an
  Orrorshan demon shortly after
  Uthorion’s invasion of Aysle, the
  Scathala Scroll contains the text of a
  powerful extradimensional gate spell
  that opens the way to the demon realm.
  The spell is activated by being read,
  and once the portal is opened, the
  demons draw the caster within. He
  will then have to persuade or bribe the
  demons to give him the spell that will
  allow him to leave, or be trapped there
  forever.
   Enchanted Knowledge Objects:
  There are many Ayslish folk who are
  born with a magic skill and knowl-
  edge which do not work well together.
  Enchanted knowledge objects come
  with the arcane knowledge focused
  into them, and act as storage batteries
  of a sort. For example, a person with
  the alteration magic skill can use the
  knowledge contained within a fire-
  stone to cast an altered fireball spell.
  Each enchanted knowledge object is
  able to be used a limited number of
  times, and then the knowledge must
  be refocused into the object. Their
  prices vary from the cheapest (the water
  knowledge) to the most expensive (the
  essence, death).
  Transportation
  The primary mode of transporta-
  tion in the cosm of Aysle is beast-
  drawn wagon or carriage. With so
  much modern technology inoperative
  in the realm, this means of getting
  around has taken hold there as well,
  although with considerably more dif-
  ficulty. Many areas simply do not have
  the support services for that industry,
  and although wheelwrights, cart-
  wrights and blacksmith shops have
  sprung up, they are few and far be-
  tween on the less traveled roads.
  Most beast-riding in the cosm and
  realm involves horses, although elves
  have shown the ability to ride the great
  dragons, but how they do this is not
  known.
  Here are some of the most common
  forms of transportation in Aysle.
  Horse: Before the advent of steam
  power, and in some cases even well
  beyond, horses were the predominant
  form of land transportation in Core
  Earth. With the lower tech axioms
  imposed by Aysle, this is once more
  the case.
  DEXTERITY 10
  Long jumping 11, maneuver 11,
  running 13, unarmed combat 11
  STRENGTH 12
  Climbing 13
  TOUGHNESS 10
  PERCEPTION 4
  MIND 4
  Test (8), willpower (8)
  CHARISMA 5
  Charm (8), persuasion (9), taunt (10)
  SPIRIT 5
  Intimidation (7)
  Possibility Potential: none
  Natural Tools: hooves, damage
  value STR+2/14; speed value 12
  Carriages and Wagons: Carriages
  and wagons serve much the same func-
  tion — transporting people and goods
  — but with some differences. Car-
  riages are designed for use on fairly
  good roads, and are virtually useless
  on long, cross-country trips. Carriages
  range in size from the one-person sulky
  to the six- or eight- person coach. Car-
  riages larger than this are rarely made,
  because they require too many horses
  to pull, making them slow, difficult to
  control and not cost-effective.
  Wagons are essentially boxes with
  wheels, most often used to carry goods,
  although passengers can ride in them
  (though not very comfortably).
  When pulling a wagon or carriage,
  subtract one from the horse’s speed
  value to determine the speed of horse
  and vehicle combined.
  Dwarf Mine Cart: This was an in-
  vention of the Land Between dwarves
  who make their living in the mines.
  The cart, essentially a small metal box,
  is attached by chains to an infant
  Draconis Metallica. The Metallica’s
  instinctive knowledge of where valu-
  able ores are buried allows it to guide
  the miners to potentially profitable
  areas. A mature Metallica will refuse
  to do this, so the dwarves must cap-
  ture and domesticate  newborns, a
  risky business at best. Eventually, even
  the small dragons will begin to covet
  the ores for themselves, and the
  dwarves will have to abandon crea-
  ture and cart.
  Due to the cramped conditions in
  the tunnels, the average speed value of
  a mine cart is 7.
  Viking Longships: Virtual dupli-
  cates of ships which dominated the
  northern and eastern coastlines of
  Europe for centuries, longships are
  not particularly well-suited to deep-
  sea travel. They average 30 meters in
  length, and are driven by a combina-
  tion of human and wind power.
  Crewed by 30 men, longships have a
  maximum speed value of 7. They are
  often equipped with a ram, with a
  damage value of 24.
  Merchant Ships: These vessels tend
  to be of the galleon class. Big, bulky,
  and not very maneuverable, galleons
  are noted for their ability to take a
  great deal of damage (Toughness of 25)
  before sinking.
  Equipment
  
  120
  quipment
  E
  All prices are in Ayslish trades.
  NORMAL MELEE WEAPONS
                                   Plus to
  Maximum
           Tech                 Damage Value
  Damage
     Price
  Value
   (Value)
  Dagger
  7
  +3
  18
  100 (9)
  Short Sword
  8
  +4
  19
  300 (11)
  Rapier
  15
  +5
  20
  600 (13)
  Dwarf Spike
  8
  +4
  19
  700 (13)
  Broadsword
  9
  +6
  21
  800 (13)
  Two-Handed Sword
  10
  +7
  22
  1500 (15)
  Sword-breaker
  14
  +6
  21
  1800 (15)
  Baseball Bat/Club
  6
  +3
  18
  40 (7)
  Staff
  7
  +2
  17
  50 (7)
  Giant War-Club
  8
  +4
  28
  60 (8)
  Battle-Ax
  8
  +5
  20
  150 (10)
  Mace
  8
  +4
  19
  200 (10)
  War-Hammer
  8
  +5
  20
  250 (11)
  Morning Star
  11
  +6
  21
  400 (12)
  Ball and Chain
  10
  +6
  30
  800 (13)
  Pole-Arms
  8
  +4
  19
  120 (9)
  ENCHANTED MELEE WEAPONS
  Plus to
  Maximum
     Price
  Tech
  Damage Value
  Damage Value
   (Value)
  Elf Longsword
  11
  +8
  23
  5000 (17)
  Infernas Sword
  10
  +6
  21
  6000 (18)
  Solium Sword
  10
  +6
  21
  7000 (18)
  Cyprium Sword
  10
  +6
  21
  7750 (18)
  Aqueate Sword
  10
  +6
  21
  8500 (19)
  Cinlum Sword
  10
  +6
  21
                        10,000 (19)
  Brownie Sword
  10
  +6
  21
                        15,000 (20)
  NORMAL MISSILE WEAPONS
  Damage/
  Range (meters)
  Tech
  Max.Value
  Short
  Medium
  Long
    Price
  (Value)
  Throwing Dagger
  7
  +3/18
  3-5
  10
  15
  200 (10)
  Spear
  5
  +4/19
  3-5
  25
  40
  50 (7)
  Sling
  7
  +4/19
  3-10
  40
  100
  60 (8)
  Short Bow
  8
  +5/20
  3-10
  40
  100
  140 (10)
  Long Bow
  12
  +6/21
  3-10
  100
  250
  600 (13)
  Composite Bow
  13
  +7/22
  3-10
  60
  250
  800 (13)
  Lt. Crossbow
  10
  21
  3-10
  100
  200
  300 (11)
  Hvy. Crossbow
  11
  22
  3-10
  100
  300
  500 (12)
  Dwarven Bomb
  14
  19
  0-3
  8
  15
  200 (10)
  Wheel Lock Dag
  15
  13
  3-5
  10
  25
  3000 (16)
  Chapter Ten
  
  121
  ENCHANTED MISSILE WEAPONS
  Damage/
  Range (meters)
     Price
  Tech
  Max. Value
  Short
  Medium
  Long
   (Value)
  Aqueate Spears
  8
  +5/20
  3-5
  25
  40
  500 (12)
  Celosia Sling
  8
  +4/19
  3-10
  40
  100
  750 (13)
  Solium Sling
  8
  +7/22
  3-10
  40
  100
  1000 (14)
  Infernas Bow
  10
  +8/23
  3-10
  40
  100
  1500 (15)
  Cyprium Bow
  10
  +8/23
  3-10
  40
  100
  2000 (15)
  Cinlum Bow
  10
  +8/23
  3-10
  40
  100
  3000 (16)
  Brownie Bow
  10
  +8/23
  3-10
  40
  100
  5500 (18)
  NORMAL SHIELDS
  Tech
  Value/Tough.*
  Fatigue?
  Price (Value)
  Buckler
  8
  +2/16
  no
  900 (14)
  Small Shield
  12
  +4/18
  no
  1000 (14)
  Medium Shield
  12
  +5/19
  no
  1500 (15)
  Large Shield
  12
  +6/20
  yes*
  2000 (15)
  NORMAL ARMOR
  Tech
  Value/Max.
  Fatigue?
  Price (Value)
  Hides and Furs
  3
  +1/20
  no
  400 (12)
  Bone and Hide
  3
  +3*/20
  no
  6000 (18)
  Leather
  5
  +2/20
  no
  800 (13)
  Bronze
  8
  +4/25
  yes*
  7000 (18)
  Cuir Bouilli
  8
  +3/20
  no*
  900 (14)
  Chain Mail
  12
  +4/25
  yes
  15,000 (20)
  Ring Mail
  12
  +3/20
  no
  12,000 (19)
  Silk Lining
  12
  +2*/21
  no
  1000 (14)
  Plate Mail
  13
  +5/25
  yes*
  16,000 (20)
  Giant Armor
  12
  +4/28
  yes*
  10,000 (19)
  ENCHANTED ARMOR
  Tech
  Value/Max.
  Fatigue?
  Price (Value)
  Dwarfmail
  12
  +4/19
  yes
  18,000 (20)
  Elfmail
  13
  +6/21
  no
  20,000 (20)
  Celosia Armor
  12
  +2/17
  no
  15,000 (20)
  Cyprium Armor
  12
  +2/17
  no
  18,000 (20)
  Solium Armor
  12
  +2/17
  no
  20,000 (20)
  Cinlum Armor
  12
  +2/17
  no
  20,000 (20)
  Infernas Armor
  12
  +2/17
  yes*
  23,000 (21)
  Aqueate Armor
  12
  +2/17
  yes*
  30,000 (21)
  *See special note in text
  Equipment
  
  122
  quipment (continued)
  E
  GENERAL GEAR CHART
          Tech
  Price (Value)
  Hemp Rope (100’)
  8
  30 (6)
  Silken Cord (100’)
  12
  300 (13)
  Torch
  5
  10 (4)
  Oil Lamp
  7
  50 (7)
  Candles
  10
  10 (4)
  Sundial
  9
  10 (4)
  Glass mirror
  10
  20 (5)
  Canoe
  3
  1200 (14)
  Coach
  12
  20,000 (20)
  Wagon
  8
  10,000 (19)
  Dwarf Mine Cart
  8
  5000* (17)
  Longship
  9
  40,000 (22)
  Galleon
  10
  100,000 (24)
  Iron Spikes
  10
  10 (4)
  Belt Pouch
  12
  20 (5)
  Sleeping Mat
  9
  50 (7)
  Map Case
  12
  60 (8)
  Water Compass
  12
  400 (12)
  Earth Compass
  12
  400 (12)
  Climate Cloak
  10
  600 (13)
  Tancred Torch
           7
               900 (14)
  Strength Potion
  8
  6000 (18)
  Cloak, cloth
  7
  100 (9)
  Cloak, fur
  7
  500 (12)
  Sword scabbard
  8
  1000 (14)
  Knowledge Stones
  Kindred
  5
  1000 (14)
  Elements
  5
  1500 (15)
  Mixed Forces
  5
  2000 (15)
  Principles
  5
  3000 (16)
  Essences
  5
  10,000 (19)
  *Dragon not included
  Chapter Ten
  
  123
  Chapter Eleven Character Creation
  ust as the Aysle realm is
  quite different from the
  others currently overlay-
  ing Earth, so designing an
  Ayslish character is a
  unique experience. In the back of this
  book you will find a number of tem-
  plates you can use, but with the rules
  that follow, you can try your hand at
  building your own.
  Some templates list the character’s
  home cosm as “Aysle,” others as
  “Aysle transformed.”
  A character
  whose home cosm is Aysle is from the
  disk-world, and crossed to Earth’s
  cosm over the maelstrom bridges. A
  character listed as ”Aysle  trans-
  formed” is someone with high hero
  potential who was present when the
  Aysle axiom wash occurred. The wash
  realized the character’s potential, and
  then transformed him, which caused
  him to become a hero. Unlike ords,
  transformed Storm Knights can regain
  possibility energy, and retain skills
  and memories from their time as Core
  Earth citizens. Their reality is that of
  the Aysle realm.
  Attributes and
  Skills
  • A character has 66 attribute points
  to assign, and the total of a character’s
  attributes cannot exceed 66. In addi-
  tion no attribute can exceed the
  character’s home cosm limits.
  Aysle Cosm Limits
  DEXTERITY 14
  STRENGTH 15
  TOUGHNESS 15
  PERCEPTION 14
  MIND 14
  CHARISMA 13
  SPIRIT 13
  The only exceptions to the above
  rules are elf and giant characters, and
  these will be explained in detail below.
  • You begin with 16 skill points to
  add to the template. These should be
  assigned to those skills on the tem-
  plate which you deem appropriate for
  your character or which you believe
  your character might have had access
  to. At least one skill must be assigned
  three points (the tag skill), and no skill
  may receive more than three. Every
  character must have at least one add in
  the reality skill, and some characters
  (such as the Human Knight and Giant
  Bruiser in the predesigned templates)
  are required to assign one point to the
  honor or corruption skills. (See “World
  Laws,” Chapter Four.)
  • If your character is a native of the
  Aysle cosm, not a Core Earther trans-
  formed by the Aysle axioms, roll on
  the “Determining Magic by Birth“
  chart in Chapter Two to learn your
  character’s innate magic skill and ar-
  cane knowledge. The character re-
  ceives one skill point in each, which
  are not deducted from his starting pool
  of 16, as possessing some form of magic
  is a natural part of life in Aysle. These
  points can be added to those already
  assigned on the template.
  Example: Your character has three
  points assigned to apportation magic
  for a total skill value of 13. Rolling on
  the “Determining Magic by Birth“
  chart results in the character receiving
  an additional point in apportation magic,
  which must be used to raise the total
  value to 14.
  • Each character starts with 10 Pos-
  sibilities.
  • Running, swimming and other
  limit values are listed in Gamemaster
  Chapter Two of the Torg Rulebook. To
  determine the character’s movement
  rates, compare his Dexterity and
  Strength as modified by the Character
  Limit Chart to the Torg Value Chart
  (Rulebook, pages 42-43). If the Dexterity
  or Strength attribute exceeds the limit,
  use the limit value instead.
  Magicians
  In addition to the skill points listed
  above, those characters which take a
  magic tag skill receive 12 additional
  points with which to buy spells and
  arcane knowledges. Each spell costs
  one of these points, and arcane
  knowledges are purchased in the
  same manner as are skill adds. The
  character may also spend any or all
  of his starting Possibilities in order
  to purchase spells (each spell costs
  one Possibility).
  Giants and Elves
  Giants and elves are, by nature,
  more magical than other creatures, and
  thus are capable of attaining higher
  attribute levels. Giant and elf charac-
  ters must purchase additional attribute
  points, called enhancement points at the
  start, but must pay an adventure  cost
  for this ability.
  Enchancement points are available
  in packages of three. Both giant and elf
  characters must purchase at least one
  package, with elves allowed a maxi-
  mum of two packages (for six addi-
  tional points) and giants three (for nine
  additional points). Giants may add
  these points to their Strength and/or
  Toughness attributes only, while elves
  can add them to any attribute except
  Toughness.
  Purchasing Enhancements
  There are two ways to purchase
  these enhancement points. One
  method is to pay an adventure cost of
  one Possibility per package at the end
  of each adventure, an action which
  can obviously be taken only by Possi-
  bility-rated characters. The second
  method is to place a limit on one of the
  character’s attributes per package
  bought, and this can be done by both
  Possibility-rated characters and ords.
  Example: An elven character pur-
  chases two packages and adds the six
  additional points to his Dexterity and
  Mind attributes. Reluctant to part with
  two Possibilities at the end of each
  adventure, the character instead ac-
  cepts limitations on his Toughness and
  Spirit attributes.
  
  124
  Elves who choose to limit attributes
  must accept values of seven. Giants
  who use this option will have a value
  of seven for the first attribute limited,
  and sixes for any others after that.
  Limited attributes cannot be increased.
  Possibility-rated characters can
  choose to “mix-and-match,” purchas-
  ing one package with a Possibility and
  accepting an attribute limitation to
  obtain the second package.
  Losing Enhancements
  There are two ways to lose the ben-
  efits provided by these enhancement
  points, disconnecting or failing to pay
  the adventure cost at the end of the
  adventure. In both cases, the
  character’s attributes will immediately
  drop to what they were prior to the
  addition of the extra points (these are
  the numbers in parentheses on the
  templates).
  To reconnect, giants and elves must
  make separate rolls for each package
  as well as themselves. Thus, a giant
  with three packages must successfully
  reconnect all three and himself before
  his attribute levels can be again en-
  hanced. A character who fails to re-
  connect all his packages is still consid-
  ered disconnected, and his attributes
  will remain at their original levels.
  A character who is disconnected
  for more than a day, or who fails to pay
  the adventure cost, will fall prey to the
  dreaded wasting disease, called the
  silent death. The character will imme-
  diately take one shock point which
  cannot be eliminated by the expendi-
  ture of a Possibility. The character takes
  an additional such shock point each
  week until his Toughness is exceeded
  and he becomes comatose, or he re-
  gains his packages and is healed of the
  disease. If he takes shock damage equal
  to twice his Toughness, he dies.
  To be healed, an ord must return to
  Elveim or Lower Aysle (depending
  on his race) and find a cleric to cure
  him. A Possibility-rated character can
  do the same, or can attempt to earn
  enough Possibilities over the course
  of the next adventure to pay the ad-
  venture cost and thus dispel the dis-
  ease and the shock damage and re-
  gain his enhancements.
  Payment must be of the cumulative
  adventure cost. In other words, if an
  elven character with two packages has
  been without their benefits for two
  adventures, he must pay four Possi-
  bilities to regain them rather than sim-
  ply two.
  Losing enhancement points is par-
  ticularly devastating for giant charac-
  ters. Due to their size and weight, gi-
  ants require a certain level of Strength
  to move. If a giant’s Strength should
  fall below 10, he will need to roll suc-
  cessfully against the Power Push Table
  simply to walk. It is for this reason that
  giants journeying to other realms of-
  ten carry “strength potions” (see Chap-
  ter Ten, Equipment).
  Background
  Once you have determined your
  character’s attribute and skill levels, it
  is time to create a background for her.
  The first question to be answered is, is
  the character native to Aysle, or is she
  a transformed Core Earther? If the lat-
  ter, she did not receive any magical
  knowledge at birth — how does that
  affect her perceptions of the strange
  new world around her?
  If the character is an Ayslish hu-
  man, what is her profession? Is she a
  Freetrader or Corsair, a barbarian or
  Viking? If she is from the continent of
  Aysle, which House is she a part of, if
  any? How does she feel about the other
  Houses and other races of Aysle?
  Another important aspect of de-
  signing an Ayslish character is an-
  swering the question, why did she
  come down the maelstrom bridge?
  Was she part of the invading army, or
  did she have another reason, a goal
  she wanted to pursue on Earth or a
  personal stake in the defeat of the Dark
  Forces?
  Another point to be considered is
  whether your character is a worshiper
  of an Ayslish god. Does she follow the
  teachings of the gods of order, corrup-
  tion, or balance? An Aysle transformed
  character would be less likely to be-
  long to an Ayslish sect, but it is still
  possible.
  Next, consider possible connections
  your character could have with the
  other characters. Perhaps they crossed
  paths in Aysle, or both are acquainted
  with someone in need of rescue in the
  realm.
  Turn to Chapter Ten and begin to
  equip your character. Assume she has
  enough equipment to have survived
  this long, which means weapons and
  possibly armor, either normal or en-
  chanted. In general, equipment which
  cannot be easily carried is impractical
  for a character, and there are some
  areas of the Aysle realm where little
  modern technology is available.
  If the player wishes to give the char-
  acter equipment not listed on the
  equipment chart, he must provide the
  gamemaster with information about
  the item. This allows the gamemaster
  to make up his mind about whether
  the piece of equipment in question
  will upset the balance of the adven-
  ture or simply be unlikely for that
  character to have.
  Chapter Eleven
  
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You were but a lad
  when the slavers from House Vareth
  came and took you from your home in
  the Land Between. You were judged to
  have an aptitude for engineering, and
  were put to work repairing the simple
  farm machinery used on the continent
  of Aysle.
  Your life was a hard one, for the
  Vareth dwarves were harsh masters.
  But soon after the invasion of Earth,
  you began to hear rumors of a rebel-
  lion against the slavers, led by
  Gutterby, an elder of your clan. You
  longed to join in this noble fight, but
  could think of no way. Then one day
  you saw a wagon filled with supplies
  starting its journey to the Valley of the
  Sword, and you knew what you had to
  do. You stowed away upon it and made
  it to the maelstrom bridge at Castle
  Ardinay, mingling with the Vareth
  troops as they went downbridge.
  This new cosm has brought many
  surprises. You are not sure whether to
  believe in Ardinay’s miraculous
  change of heart, but are willing to ac-
  cept the situation for now. You are
  determined to contact Gutterby and
  do whatever you can to aid your
  dwarven brothers in the cosm, but
  meanwhile you are making a few extra
  trades taking apart and putting to-
  gether all this fascinating machinery.
  Personality: Your captivity has
  made you a bit cynical, and you trust
  machines far more than you do other
  folk as a result. But the dwarf rebellion
  has given you a purpose in life, and
  you will fight Vareth’s troops, and
  anyone who aids them, to free the
  dwarves of Aysle.
  Equipment: overalls, hard hat,
  safety goggles, tool box with tools,
  digital watch, .44 S&W Magnum
  (damage value 17).
  Quote: “Won’t explode? Probably
  just needs a bit of adjustment …
  there!”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is sci-
  ence.
   Dwarf
   Engineer
  Player Name:
  TM
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  9
  Maneuver
  Strength
  8
  Toughness
  9
  Perception
  11
  Trick
  Mind
  12
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  8
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Fire Combat
  DEX
  Lockpicking
  DEX
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Prestidigitation
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Climbing
  STR
  Evidence Analysis
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Science
  3
  MIN
  15
  Test
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Taunt
  CHA
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Dwarf
  Engineer
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Weapons
  .44 S & W Magnum
  17
  22
  3-10
  15
  40
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  10
  Maneuver
  Strength
  10
  Toughness
  10
  Perception
  10
  Trick
  Mind
  9
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  8
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Dodge
  DEX
  Fire Combat
  3
  DEX
  13
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Stealth
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Find
  PER
  First Aid
  PER
  Tracking
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Survival
  MIN
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Dwarf
  Tunnel Fighter
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Kevlar Vest+5
  15
  22
  Helmet +3
  13
  20
  Weapons
  Uzi
  17
  22
  3-15
  40
  100
  Battle-ax +5
  15
  8
  Brass Knuckles +2
  12
  8
  Can of Mace
  11
  21
  0-1
  2
  3
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: Your clan has a long
  and proud martial history. Your an-
  cestors fought in the War of the Giants
  and the War of the Crowns, and took
  the lead in devising defensive mea-
  sures to protect the Land Between from
  invasion. Unfortunately, they did not
  think to guard against betrayal from
  within, and thus House Vareth troops
  were able to carry off the strongest and
  healthiest of the young dwarves for
  their slave pens.
  You managed to stay out of their
  clutches through cunning, skill, and
  knowledge of the tunnels. You then
  organized a group of tunnel fighters,
  warriors who would fight to defend
  their homes and families from those
  who would harm them. You won some
  small victories and suffered your share
  of defeats, and then you began to hear
  stories of a rebellion brewing against
  the Vareths in the realm on Earth. You
  decided to join in this fight, and  led a
  raid on the maelstrom bridge. You
  alone, of all your comrades, survived
  the battle and made it safely to Oxford.
  Now, with the new allies and weap-
  ons you have gathered in the realm,
  you continue the struggle against the
  black-hearted dwarves who have en-
  slaved their own people. You do not
  thoroughly believe that Ardinay has
  gone back to the Old Ways, but you see
  that the Vareths oppose her, and so
  you are willing to fight on her side.
  Personality: You are an expert at
  guerrilla warfare, and do not believe
  in showing mercy to your enemies.
  Equipment: leather jacket, hob-
  nailed boots, kevlar vest (armor value
  TOU+5/15), helmet (armor value
  TOU+3/13), battle-ax (damage value
  STR+5/15), brass knuckles (damage
  value STR+2/12), Uzi (damage value
  17), can of mace (damage value 11),
  digital watch, binoculars.
  Quote: “House Vareth has put a
  price on my head, but the cost shall
  be paid by those who try to collect it.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is fire
  combat.
   Dwarf Tunnel
   Fighter
  Player Name:
  TM
  
  Elf
  Mage
  plosion looks much better using my
  method.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is con-
  juration magic. You have six enhance-
  ment points which have been added
  to your Dexterity and Mind, with an
  adventure cost of two.
  Arcane Knowledges:
  Spells:
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You spent the last few
  decades in your tower on Elveim,
  studying elven occult lore and becom-
  ing acquainted with the arcane beliefs
  of other folk, as well. It is your belief
  that one cannot be a complete sorcerer
  without first learning all there is to
  know about the mystic arts, and shortly
  before Aysle invaded Earth, you had
  decided that the disk-world had noth-
  ing more to teach you.
  Thus you slipped away from the
  “Forbidden Continent” and traveled
  to the Valley of the Sword, making use
  of the maelstrom bridge and finding a
  realm rich in superstition and only
  now rediscovering magic under Aysle
  axioms. It seemed as if this cosm would
  be an endless fount of information for
  you, if only your fellow Ayslish would
  stop killing the natives before you had
  a chance to talk to them.
  Naturally, you would not be much
  a mage if you could not keep secrets,
  and the one you guard most jealously
  is where and how the elves existed
  Personality: You are highly inquisi-
  tive, and always willing to enter into a
  conversation with another practicioner
  of magic. However, you try to avoid
  divulging any secrets yourself, so the
  discussions tend to be a bit one-sided.
   Equipment: elven mage robe, staff
  (damage value STR+2/11), elven
  longsword, enchanted, (damage value
  STR+8/17), grimoire.
  Quote: “No, no! You point your
  fingers this way and … yes, I know it’s
  basically the same result, but the ex-
  Player Name:
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  12 (9)
  Maneuver
  Strength
  9
  Toughness
  9
  Perception
  11
  Trick
  Mind
  12 (9)
  Test
  Charisma
  10
  Taunt
  Spirit
  9
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Prestidigitation
  DEX
  Stealth
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Divination Magic
  PER
  Find
  PER
  Language
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Conjuration Magic
  3
  MIN
  15 (12)
  Willpower
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Elf
  Mage
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Weapons
  Staff +2
  11
  6
  Long Sword +8
  17
  11
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  14 (11)
  Maneuver
  Strength
  8
  Toughness
  8
  Perception
  11
  Trick
  Mind
  9
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  13 (10)
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Dodge
  DEX
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Stealth
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Find
  PER
  Language
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Medicine
  MIN
  Test
  MIN
  Willpower
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Faith
  3
  SPI
  17 (14)
  Focus
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Elf
  Monk
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Weapons
  Staff +2
  12
  5
  Sling +4
  14
  7
  3-10
  40
  100
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You hold the distinc-
  tion of being one of the first monks of
  Elmiir to propose traveling to the realm
  to take part in the battle between Light
  and Dark. In truth, you were reluctant,
  for elves have always prized their neu-
  tral status in the cosm. But when the
  priests of Estar began to migrate down
  the bridge to use their powers on be-
  half of the invaders of Earth, the aco-
  lytes of Elmiir realized they had a re-
  sponsibility to stop their brothers be-
  fore they did great harm.
  You and a party of Elmiirians trav-
  eled to the realm and scattered upon
  arriving there, to seek out Estarians
  and stop their rampages, by force if
  necessary, and above, all to reveal noth-
  ing of your origins. That is a stricture
  you still adhere to, but during your
  time on Earth, you have seen great
  nobility of spirit in this cosm’s defend-
  ers. You finally came to the conclusion
  that the elves committed a grievous
  error by doing nothing all these centu-
  ries while evil took hold in Aysle, and
  you are determined to seize this op-
  portunity to right that wrong.
  Personality: You are tall, and more
  athletic than one would think. You
  learned long ago that many a religious
  argument can be settled with a well-
  placed blow from a staff.
  Equipment: Elmiirian stars, monk’s
  robes, staff (damage value STR+2/12),
  sling (damage value STR+4/14), belt
  pouch with focus stone.
  Quote: “There can be no peace with
  Estarians. They have blackened their
  names with vile deeds beyond your
  comprehension.”
  Skill Notes:: See the “Determin-
  ing Magic by Birth” chart on page 23
  for recording your innate magical
  skill and knowledge. Your tag skill is
  faith. You receive a +3 bonus when
  using arcane knowledges influenced
  by Elmiir. You have six enhancement
  points, which have been added to
  your Dexterity and Spirit, with an ad-
  venture cost of two.
  Disciplines:
  Elf
  Monk
  Player Name:
  TM
  
   Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You were among a
  tribe of Chamkatt giants contacted by
  Lady Ardinay just prior to the inva-
  sion of Earth. The thought of a new
  cosm ripe for conquest appealed to all,
  and shortly after that meeting, you
  and your comrades traveled down the
  maelstrom bridge to Glasgow.
  During the initial battle you got
  separated from the rest of the giants,
  and were befriended by a Core Earth
  human named McDermott. He offered
  you food and a place to sleep in return
  for your beating up various people he
  pointed out. You spent many happy
  days with him, breaking arms, and
  feasting on valuable food (it was en-
  cased in little suits of armor).
  Then one day a group of giants
  (you’re convinced they were from
  Polja) broke in, beat you severely, and
  killed McDermott. When they left, you
  followed, and discovered they were a
  part of the invasion force from Aysle.
  Right then, you decided you didn’t
  like the idea of attacking other cosms,
  and you especially didn’t like those
  giants and anyone who took their side.
  You took the club you had made and
  the special gun McDermott had given
  you as a present and set out to teach
  the Dark Forces the meaning of pain.
  Personality: You are ill-tempered
  and violent, but fiercely loyal to those
  who befriend you. You have great con-
  fidence in your ability to best anyone
  or anything in combat.
  Equipment: M-16 auto (damage
  value 20), bat (damage value STR+3/
  21), racing form, double-breasted suit.
  Giant
  Bruiser
  Quote: “You’re going to tell me
  what I want to know, or I’m going to
  break you into little pieces, and even
  a dwarf won’t be able to fix you.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determing
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is un-
  armed combat. You have nine enhance-
  ment points which have been added
  to your Strength and Toughness, with
  an adventure cost of three.You must
  take one add in corruption.
  Player Name:
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  9
  Maneuver
  Strength
  18 (13)
  Toughness
  15 (11)
  Perception
  9
  Trick
  Mind
  8
  Test
  Charisma
  8
  Taunt
  Spirit
  8
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Fire Combat
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  3
  DEX
  12
  Lifting
  STR
  Find
  PER
  Tracking
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Test
  MIN
  Willpower
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Taunt
  CHA
  Corruption
  1
  SPI
  9
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Giant
  Bruiser
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Weapons
  M-16 (auto.)
  20
  22
  3-40
  250
  400
  Bat +3
  21
  6
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  7
  Maneuver
  Strength
  15 (10)
  Toughness
  15 (11)
  Perception
  9
  Trick
  Mind
  9
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  11
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Find
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Test
  MIN
  Willpower
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Faith
  SPI
  Focus
  3
  SPI
  14
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Giant
  Priestess
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Chainmail +4
  19
  12
  Weapons
  Mace +4
  19
  8
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: All your life, you
  heard stories about Upper Aysle and
  the strange creatures who lived there.
  But when you tried to visit the other
  side of the disk, you were attacked and
  driven off. You soon learned that the
  violent natures of giants frightened
  others, and your only hope of meeting
  and talking with folk smaller than you
  was to learn to control your destruc-
  tive urges. Thus you embraced the
  ways of Ugorl, one of the gods of bal-
  ance, and eventually became a cleric.
  Though there were now places in
  Lower Aysle where you were not wel-
  come, you found many interesting
  places up above. When the invasion of
  Earth’s cosm began, you saw it as an
  opportunity to meet new folk and
  spread the word of blessed balance.
  But when you reached the end of the
  maelstrom bridge, you found to your
  disgust that the armies of Aysle were
  surrendering completely to their
  darker natures, burning and killing.
  You considered returning to the cosm,
  but realized that letting such uncon-
  trolled violence go on would be a be-
  trayal of Ugorl and her teachings. You
  armed yourself, and are determined to
  teach the soldiers of the Dark the value
  of moderation if you have to crack all
  their skulls open and personally put
  the knowledge into their brains.
  Personality: You are fascinated by
  the new and the unusual, and cannot
  abide the wanton destruction of po-
  tential sources of knowledge.
  Equipment: Ugorlian fire-bird,
  chainmail (armor value TOU+4/19),
  Giant
  Priestess
  mace (damage value STR+4/19).
  Quote: “When you wake up
  maybe you’ll remember to keep your
  sword sheathed in the presence of a
  priestess of Ugorl.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is fo-
  cus. You receive a +1 bonus when
  using arcane knowledges influenced
  by Ugorl. You receive nine enhance-
  ment points which have been added
  to your Strength and Toughness, with
  an adventure cost of three.
  Player Name:
  TM
  
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You are a knight of
  House Tancred, like six generations of
  your family before you. One of your
  ancestors was slain battling the invad-
  ers who attacked Aysle 500 years ago,
  and your name has always been one
  looked upon with respect by your fel-
  low knights. Alas, the House has
  changed much over the years, and it
  often difficult to adhere to the ways of
  honor and still sustain one’s loyalty to
  Gareth Tancred. You have done your
  best to walk that line, doing your duty
  and no more and watching with dis-
  taste as other knights embraced with
  relish the ways of corruption.
  You joined in the invasion of Earth
  because you were ordered to do so, but
  when you reached the realm, you dis-
  covered to your delight that the proph-
  ecy of Tolwyn Neverdeath had come
  true. It was to her that you owed your
  loyalty, and you pledged your life and
  fortune to her. Privately, you vowed to
  cut the throat of the usurper Gareth
  with your own blade.
  Personality: Honor is not merely an
  ideal for you, but a way of life. You
  believe the potential for nobility lives
  in every human breast, and have no
  hesitation in visiting just vengeance
  upon those who have turned away
  from the Light and would harm inno-
  cents.
  Equipment: plate mail (armor value
  TOU+5/14), broadsword (damage
  value +6/15), longbow (damage value
  STR+6/15), wheel lock pistols (dam-
  age value 13).
  Quote: “Truly, that is a monster
  worth killing! Let us see if it enjoys
  the bitter taste of my steel.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is me-
  lee weapons. You must take one add in
  honor.
  Knight
  Player Name:
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  9
  Maneuver
  Strength
  9
  Toughness
  9
  Perception
  10
  Trick
  Mind
  10
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  10
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Dodge
  DEX
  Fire Combat
  DEX
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  3
  DEX
  12
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Evidence Analysis
  PER
  First aid
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Survival
  MIN
  Test
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Taunt
  CHA
  Faith
  SPI
  Honor
  1
  SPI
  11
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Human
  Knight
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Plate Mail +5
  14
  13
  Weapons
  Broadsword +6
  15
  9
  Wheel Lock Pistols
  13
  15
  3-5
  10
  25
  Longbow +6
  15
  12
  3-10
  100
  250
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  9
  Maneuver
  Strength
  9
  Toughness
  9
  Perception
  10
  Trick
  Mind
  9
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  11
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Dodge
  DEX
  Fire Combat
  DEX
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Evidence Analysis
  PER
  Find
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Test
  MIN
  Willpower
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Faith
  SPI
  Focus
  3
  SPI
  14
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Priest
  of Dunad
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Chainmail +4
  13
  12
  Weapons
  Wheel Lock Pistol
  13
  15
  3-5
  10
  25
  Broadsword +6
  15
  9
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: As a devotee of
  Dunad, you have watched with great
  sorrow as the laws of the Ayslish sav-
  ior have been twisted, perverted, or
  simply discarded by Lady Ardinay.
  You have seen evil overtake the land
  and the people, and more and more
  have turned from the path of honor to
  follow that of corruption. Up to now,
  there has been little you or your fellow
  clerics could do save stay in hiding
  and pray for deliverance, as the pow-
  erful houses in the cosm have little use
  for Dunad or his teachings.
  Through it all, you retained your
  belief that the hero of Aysle would
  send a sign to the faithful to signify
  that the dark days were over. That sign
  came, you feel, when Ardinay set foot
  in the realm and announced that all
  fighting must cease, and the evil that
  has ruled Aysle for so long would be
  undone. Overjoyed, the priests of
  Dunad emerged to usher in this new
  order, only to find that the Houses in
  the cosm were locked in their own
  private struggles and did not realize
  the full ramifications of recent events.
  The true battle for Aysle, you realized,
  was in the realm, and prayer would
  not be enough to win it — it would
  take the strength of your body as well
  as your soul, and you knew that Dunad
  would guide your weapons in his holy
  cause.
  Personality: You tend to be quiet
  and contemplative, and believe in us-
  ing violence only when necessary.
  Equipment: 
  Dunad 
  cross,
  chainmail (armor value TOU+4/13),
  broadsword (damage value STR+6/
  15), wheel lock pistol (damage value
  13).
  Quote: “In Aysle’s name, I strike.
  In Dunad’s name, I will prevail.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determing
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is fo-
  cus. You receive a +3 bonus when
  using arcane knowledges influenced
  by Dunad.
  Priest
  of Dunad
  Player Name:
  TM
  
  Street
  Thief
  Cosm: Aysle (transformed)
  Background: Prior to the invasion
  of Earth, you led a very profitable life
  as a thief in various English cities,
  moving from one to the other when
  things got hot. Suddenly, things turned
  upside down — strange little crea-
  tures picked locks by waving their fin-
  gers and chanting, others showed no
  finesse and just smashed doors in, and
  money was based on magic, of all
  things. It was a whole new world, with
  a great deal more competition and
  vastly different goods to be stolen.
  You stayed as an independent for a
  while, learning to use a sword to pro-
  tect yourself. Then you heard about
  Pella Ardinay, and how she wanted to
  drive all these weird creatures out and
  get things back to normal. You’re all
  for that, and skills like yours are in
  demand these days. You may not be
  living as high as you once did, but
  you’re certain that when all this is
  over, you’ll be back on top. And if
  Ardinay drags her feet about leaving
  when the war is over, well … you can
  handle her.
  Personality:  You spent a good part
  of your early life on the streets of Lon-
  don, and you’ll do anything to avoid
  being poor again. Burglary is an excit-
  ing challenge to you, a game between
  you, the locksmith, and the police. The
  sooner the war is over and you can get
  back to your profession without wor-
  rying about blokes pinching things
  with magic, the happier you’ll be.
  Equipment: black turtleneck, dark
  jeans, leather jacket, flashlight, shoul-
  der bag full of thieves’ tools, short
  sword (damage value STR+4/14).
  Quote:  “Cor! It’s a Lockrite! Didn’t
  think no one used those anymore.
  Give me room, I’ll have it open in a
  tick.”
  Skill Notes:  A native of Core
  Earth, you do not have any inherent
  magical ability, but living under
  Aysle axioms, you are able to learn
  magic if you choose. Your tag skill is
  stealth. You must take one add in
  corruption.
  Player Name:
  TM
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  10
  Maneuver
  Strength
  9
  Toughness
  9
  Perception
  11
  Trick
  Mind
  10
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  8
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Acrobatics
  DEX
  Dodge
  DEX
  Fire Combat
  DEX
  Lockpicking
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  DEX
  Stealth
  3
  DEX
  13
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Find
  PER
  Land Vehicles
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Test
  MIN
  Charm
  CHA
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Taunt
  CHA
  Corruption
  1
  SPI
  9
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Street
  Thief
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  Armor
  Weapons
  Short Sword +4
  14
  8
  10
  Aysle (transformed)
  TM
  
  Shock Damage
  Home
  Cosm
   Magic
  Social
   Spiritual
   Tech
  Possibilities
  Age
  Height
   Weight
  Character
  Name
  Wound Level
  Wound
  Hvy Wound
  Mortal
  Dead
  K
  O
  Die
  3
  5
  7
  9
  11
  13
  Roll
  1
  2
  4
  6
  8
  10
  12
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  Bonus #
  -12 -10 -8
  -5
  -2
  -1
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Bonus Chart
  Skill
  Add
  Attribute
  Value
  Movement Rates
  Limit Values
  Approved
  Actions
  Attributes
  Dexterity
  10
  Maneuver
  Strength
  10
  Toughness
  10
  Perception
  9
  Trick
  Mind
  9
  Test
  Charisma
  9
  Taunt
  Spirit
  9
  Intimidate
  Running
  Swimming
  Jumping
  Climbing
  Lifting
  Reality
  SPI
  Dodge
  DEX
  Maneuver
  DEX
  Melee Weapons
  3
  DEX
  13
  Missile Weapons
  DEX
  Swimming
  DEX
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX
  Climbing
  STR
  Lifting
  STR
  Find
  PER
  Scholar
  PER
  Trick
  PER
  Water Vehicles
  PER
  Survival
  MIN
  Test
  MIN
  Willpower
  MIN
  Persuasion
  CHA
  Taunt
  CHA
  Intimidation
  SPI
  18
  18
  16
  15
  Player Name:
  Viking
  Axiom
  Range
  Equipment
  Value Level
  S
  M
  L
  10
  Aysle
  TM
  Armor
  Hides & Furs +1
  11
  3
  Helmet +2
  12
  8
  Weapons
  Battle-ax +5
  15
  8
  21
  26
  31
  36
  41
  46
  25
  30
  35
  40
  45
  50
  +5
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  +1
  Cosm: Aysle
  Background: You had no hesitation
  about joining in the invasion of Earth’s
  cosm, especially as you would be serv-
  ing as lieutenant to your close com-
  rade, Thorfinn Bjanni. He promised
  plunder for all, and you had never
  known him to mislead the Viking na-
  tion on so important a matter.
  But when you reached Norway,
  things began to change. First came the
  report that Pella Ardinay had called
  off the war, which left many Vikings
  torn, reluctant to give up on what
  looked to be an easy conquest and yet
  loyal to Ardinay. Suddenly, Thorfinn
  had stood and branded Ardinay a trai-
  tor and coward, and called on the Vi-
  kings and all other Aysle folk to unite
  under his banner to take this cosm.
  Most of the Vikings greeted this
  with great cheering, but you were dis-
  turbed. This was not the Thorfinn you
  had known — you had heard enough
  tales of sorcery to wonder if, some-
  how, your friend had been the victim
  of a dark enchantment, and if perhaps
  this had some connection to the change
  in Ardinay’s attitudes. You knew you
  could not approach Thorfinn directly,
  there were too many who stood with
  him, so that night you stole away from
  camp and set out to find allies who
  could help you get your old friend
  back.
  Personality: You are a true Viking,
  seeing a grand battle as the solution to
  most problems. But the fate of your
  friend preys upon your mind always,
  and makes you more willing to go
  along with others’ plans if it will lead
  to the return of the real Thorfinn.
  Equipment: Hides and furs (ar-
  mor value TOU+1/11), helmet (ar-
  mor value TOU+2/12), battle-ax
  (damage value STR+5/15).
  Quote: “Our foes flee before us …
  or mayhap they wish us to follow, for
  some dark purpose.”
  Skill Notes: See the “Determining
  Magic by Birth” chart on page 23 for
  recording your innate magical skill
  and knowledge. Your tag skill is me-
  lee weapons.
  Viking
  Player Name:
  TM
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Torg/Torg Aysle Sourcebook.pdf