TEXT:  
  Engines & Empires 
  World of Gaia 
  CAMPAIGN SETTING 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  By JOHN D. HIGGINS 
  ───── 
  Relative Entropy Games 
  
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Engines & Empires 
  World of Gaia 
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  OTHER WORKS FROM RELATIVE ENTROPY GAMES 
  Engines & Empires Core Rules 
   
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  Engines & Empires: Lands of Älyewinn 
  Shining Armour Tabletop Skirmish Game 
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
  Engines & Empires 
  World of 
  Gaia 
  Campaign Setting 
   
  John D. Higgins 
   
  REG 
  © 2020 Relative Entropy Games 
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Copyright © 2020 by John D. Higgins 
   
  Engines & Empires: World of Gaia is copyright © 2020, 2017, 2009 by John D. Higgins and Relative Entropy 
  Games. 
   
  This product is released under the terms of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, copyright 2000, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc. 
   
  Second Edition: 2020 
  First Edition: 2017 
   
  All artwork in this book is in the public domain and may be reproduced without license or permission.  
  Illustrations obtained from: 
  « http://commons.wikimedia.org » 
  « http://www.artrenewal.org » 
  « http://www.fromoldbooks.org » 
  « http://www.oldbookillustrations.com » 
   
  Relative Entropy Games 
   “Playing Dice with the Universe since 2001.” 
  « http://dice-universe.blogspot.com » 
  
  iii 
  CONTENTS 
   
  Table of Contents ................................................... iii 
  Preface ..................................................................... iv 
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES ...................1 
  The Rules of the Game ........................................1 
  The Fair Folk ........................................................1 
  The Kindreds of Gaia ..........................................2 
  Fays ........................................................................3 
  Elves ......................................................................4 
  Goblins ..................................................................5 
  Ogres .....................................................................5 
  Gnomes .................................................................6 
  Háin (Leprechauns) .............................................6 
  Fauns .....................................................................7 
  Centaurs ................................................................7 
  Merrows ................................................................8 
  Harpies ..................................................................9 
  Scyllas .................................................................. 10 
  Arachnes ............................................................. 11 
  Lamias ................................................................. 12 
  Drachen ............................................................... 12 
  Leshonkies .......................................................... 13 
  Wilder ................................................................. 13 
  Awakened Automata ........................................ 14 
  Auto-Mechs ........................................................ 14 
  Clockwork Men ................................................. 15 
  Robot Replicants ............................................... 15 
  Made Men .......................................................... 16 
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA ............................. 19 
  The Elder Days .................................................. 19 
  The First Age ..................................................... 20 
  The Second Age ................................................ 23 
  The Third Age ................................................... 23 
  The Fourth Age ................................................. 25 
  The Geography of Gaia .................................... 25 
  Arcadia in the Fourth Age ............................... 28 
  Religions of Arcadia ......................................... 30 
  The Arcadian Calendar .................................... 35 
  Arcadian Currency ........................................... 35 
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA ..................... 37 
  Asgard ................................................................ 37 
  Avalon ................................................................ 43 
  Elysia .................................................................. 49 
  Hesperia ............................................................. 53 
  Illyria .................................................................. 57 
  Midjard ............................................................... 60 
  Pohjola ................................................................ 65 
  Sylvania .............................................................. 69 
  Tirnanog ............................................................. 73 
  Utopia ................................................................. 77 
  Further Adventures .......................................... 82
   
  Index of Maps 
   
  Gaia (World Map) ...................................................................................................................................................... 26 
  Arcadia ........................................................................................................................................................................ 29 
  Asgard ......................................................................................................................................................................... 39 
  Avalon ......................................................................................................................................................................... 46 
  Elysia ........................................................................................................................................................................... 51 
  Hesperia ...................................................................................................................................................................... 55 
  Illyria ........................................................................................................................................................................... 58 
  Midjard .................................................................................................................................................................. 62–63 
  Pohjola ......................................................................................................................................................................... 66 
  Sylvania ....................................................................................................................................................................... 71 
  Tirnanog ...................................................................................................................................................................... 74 
  Utopia .................................................................................................................................................................... 78–79 
  Eastern Lemuria ......................................................................................................................................................... 83 
   
  
   
  iv 
  PREFACE 
   
  I came up with the idea for Gaia while I was sitting in a criminalistics class, with a forensics professor at 
  the head of the room lecturing about the physics of blood-splatters and broken glass. You must under-
  stand, it wasn’t that I had my head in the clouds because the class was boring (as my undergraduate ca-
  reer meandered from major to major, I eventually passed on forensics, but I still wound up a plain old 
  physics major in the end); it’s just that I was then and still remain an inveterate, obsessive world-builder. 
  On this particular occasion, I was trying to come up with a suitably Narnia-like setting, a world entirely 
  populated by demihumans—elves and dwarves, centaurs and fauns—ideal for dropping a human hero 
  from modern-day Earth into. The idea was to write a fantasy novel in the “stranger in a strange land” or 
  “portal fantasy” genre, starring a main character who followed in the grand tradition of Alice, Dorothy 
  Gale, John Carter, Flash Gordon, the Pevensie siblings, Buck Rogers, and John Crichton—a character 
  trapped in a fantastical world whose chief goal was to leave it behind and get back home to friends and 
  loved ones as quickly as possible. (That novel never did get finished, although a year or so later I turned it 
  into a screenplay for a screenwriting class wherein I happened to meet the love of my life, and now my 
  wife, Sarah. The point is, as frivolous as fantasy and world-building can be at times, in my case these 
  things are also deeply intertwined with the best of times and memories.) 
   
  This was back in the fall of 2006; anyone who knows anything about the Old-School Renaissance 
  should be well aware that it was just starting to take off around then. Castles & Crusades was two years old 
  at that point, OSRIC and Basic Fantasy RPG came out that year, and Labyrinth Lord was yet a year off. For 
  my part, I was just rediscovering old-school gaming myself, and the nascent idea of a steampunk old-
  school game—Engines & Empires got its title long before anything else about it took shape—was too excit-
  ing to ignore. But if I wanted the rules to be legitimately old-school, a published book would have to be a 
  setting for others’ rules more than a rulebook of its own, and the fantasy setting on the forefront of my 
  mind at the time was Gaia; and so I coopted it from myself, altered it considerably, and thus did a fantasy-
  novel “magical land” with no humans and no technology have its timeline advanced a couple thousand 
  years into the future—into a “Fourth Age of Gaia,” when humans and science were becoming ascendant 
  over the old Fair Folk and their magic. The original setting of that fantasy novel became a figment of 
  Gaia’s ancient past, the Second Age, when an empire of evil elves ruled the world, and a single, now-for-
  gotten, nameless human hero appeared and helped to topple it all to the ground. 
   
  Engines & Empires (with Gaia as its “baked-in” setting) went through several iterations—a simpli-
  fied d20-based game that got lost in a hard-drive crash before it could ever near completion; a short and 
  generic “module” format that went up on Dragonsfoot.org in 2007; a five-level “basic set” for Labyrinth Lord 
  in 2008; and finally the full Campaign Compendium in 2009. Since then, quite a bit has changed with respect 
  to my opinions on what makes a good game and a good fantasy setting. I now have very different views 
  on “gamist” vs. “narrativist” rules; on imitation of the good Professor Tolkien and other sources of fantasy 
  in popular culture; and on the value of old-school gameplay as the OSR has attempted to reconstruct it. 
  That said, the vast majority of this book’s text has been little changed from the latter half of the Campaign 
  Compendium; I’ve only tweaked things where strictly necessary to bring everything into line with the new 
  edition of the E&E™ Core Rules and with my present-day sensibilities. The World of Gaia setting has been 
  decoupled from the core rules as a matter of simple convenience: over the years, I’ve found myself run-
  ning a great many Engines & Empires games, but not always in the same setting; and whenever I didn’t run 
  a game set in Gaia, I found myself lamenting the fact that fully half the rulebook was useless deadweight.  
  By giving Gaia its own book, I can “take or leave it” at need, and so can anyone else who finds this setting 
  and its ideas intriguing enough to run with.   
   
  —John D. Higgins 
  July 8th, 2016 
      
   
  
   
   
  1 
   
   
   
  PART ONE: 
  INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
  HE WORLD OF GAIA is the original and 
  presumably the default campaign setting 
  for the Engines & Empires™ gaslamp fantasy 
  tabletop adventure game. This first section serves 
  as an introduction to the setting and an overview 
  of the book, which is admittedly limited in scope 
  —like so many game supplements that purport to 
  describe a campaign “world,” this one really only 
  details a single sub-continent, called Arcadia, 
  which is in many ways a perfectly typical “fantasy 
  Europe analogue”—but with one major exception. 
  Instead of the standard medieval fantasy milieu, 
  Arcadia is well into its Age of Steam (with the 
  overall esthetic being somewhere between the Na-
  poleonic and the Victorian).  
   
  The Rules of the Game 
  Gaia is a campaign setting intended for use with 
  the Engines & Empires TTAG, but it need not be so 
  exclusively. Only this first chapter details any 
  game rule information; the rest of the book is pure 
  setting detail and devoid of any specific game me-
  chanics. The first part of the book describes the 
  rules needed to play E&E games in Gaia, which 
  really just amounts to a description of the Fair 
  Folk—all the sundry demihuman kindreds (and 
  other, more unusual nonhumans) that inhabit this 
  strange-but-familiar world. Theoretically, any ad-
  venture game or role-playing game with rules that 
  support a 19th century level of technology and a 
  good mix of magic and fantastical nonhumans 
  should be able to handle this setting with perfect 
  adequacy. 
   
  Incidentally (if there should happen to be any 
  OGL enthusiasts reading this), since only Part One 
  of this book has any rules, that’s the only part of 
  the book that contains any Open Game Content 
  (and all game rules and mechanics are hereby des-
  ignated as such); the rest of the book has only 
  Product Identity.  
   
  At any rate, with this book and the E&E Core 
  Rules, referees should have all they might need to 
  run dungeon and wilderness adventures set any-
  where in Arcadia. Part Two of the book includes 
  an overview of the world of Gaia as a whole, a his-
  tory of the setting in broad strokes, and some 
  notes on Arcadian religion and culture. Part 
  Three, by far the largest of the book’s sections, de-
  tails the nations of Arcadia.  
   
  The Fair Folk 
  Playing an E&E campaign set in Gaia requires no 
  alteration to the core rules beyond the addition of 
  several nonhuman kindreds and species which are 
  already all present in E&E’s own monster section. 
  Another detail that makes Gaia at least a little bit 
  unique when compared to most fantasy settings is 
  this: the humans don’t rule the world. 
   
  Most settings take a page from Tolkien and 
  his many, many imitators and describe humans as 
  ascendant, soon to replace an old order of fading 
  and diminishing fairykind. Or they go all-in on 
  human-centric swords & sorcery worlds were 
  nonhuman races are barely a consideration. Gaia 
  leans closer to the former style, as there are elves 
  and dwarfs and goblins aplenty—but they are not 
  T 
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  2 
  dying out to make way for some foreordained 
  Age of Man. In fact, in a great many places 
  throughout Arcadia, it is the fairy-folk who “rule 
  the roost,” so to speak, with humans as second-
  class citizens. This is mostly the case in Arcadia’s 
  northern nations: the kingdoms of Asgard and 
  Pohjola, which are ruled by the goblins and elves 
  respectively; the fay-dominated Avalonian Em-
  pire; the republic of Utopia, mostly controlled by 
  gnomes; and the island of Tirnanog, the homeland 
  of a little people called the hánfolk. It is chiefly in 
  the south, where the vestigial remains of great 
  fallen empires of antiquity yet struggle to form 
  strong and independent nations in the modern 
  age, that the human race has managed to carve 
  out a niche for itself—in the lands of Hesperia, Il-
  lyria, and Elysia. And in between, throughout the 
  central regions of Arcadia, one can find innumera-
  ble smaller kingdoms, duchies, and principalities 
  populated by a bewildering mixture of humans 
  and demihumans. Some of these demihuman peo-
  ples might be rarer than others, but none are truly 
  in decline. 
   
  The Kindreds of Gaia 
  In the core E&E game, only human characters are 
  playable by default. Nonhuman characters are op-
  tional. But in Gaia, a great many nonhuman spe-
  cies (known generally as “the kindreds”) are as-
  sumed to be playable. Human characters may be-
  long to any one of E&E’s five standard character 
  classes—fighter, rogue, scholar, mage, or tech—
  and they may rise as high as the 10th experience 
  level in that class. All of the other kindreds belong 
  to special character classes of their own, and most 
  are limited to a lower maximum experience level 
  —6th, 7th, or 8th level at the highest. 
   
   
   
  The vast majority of playable humanoids in 
  the world of Gaia are demihumans, which is to say, 
  they are similar to (and likely related to) humans. 
  Most demihumans—elves, fays, goblins, ogres, 
  gnomes, háin, centaurs, fauns, arachnes, harpies, 
  lamias, merrows, and scyllas—are also related to 
  the Fae, spirits that come from the ethereal Realm 
  of Faerie. For this reason, all of these kindreds are  
  known variously as Fair Folk, fairy-folk, or fairies. 
  Three other kindreds—the drachen, the wilder, 
  and the leshonky—are demihumans, but they are 
  not fairies; they have no Fae blood and no connec-
  tion to Faerie. Finally, there are six varieties of 
  sentient constructs and automata—three types of 
  mechanical robots (auto-mechs, clockwork men, 
  and replicants) and three kinds of the magically-
  animated effigies known as “made men” (straw 
  men, tin men, and wicker men). 
   
  Prime Requisites: Most nonhuman characters 
  have at least two prime requisite attribute scores. 
  All prime requisites must be at least 11 or greater 
  for a character to qualify for a nonhuman class. If 
  all prime requisites are 16 or greater, the character 
  receives a +10% bonus on all XP earned. 
   
   
  Fairy Demihuman 
  Prime Requisites 
   
  Max Level 
  Arachne 
   
  Fortune, Wits 
   
  8th  
  Centaur 
   
  Valor, Wits  
   
  8th  
  Elf 
   
  Valor, Presence 
   
  7th  
  Faun 
   
  Valor, Fortune 
   
  8th  
  Fay 
   
  Fortune, Presence 
   
  7th  
  Gnome 
   
  Fortune, Wits 
   
  7th  
  Goblin 
   
  Valor, Wits  
   
  7th  
  Hán 
   
  Valor, Fortune, Wits 
   
  6th  
  Harpy 
   
  Valor, Fortune 
   
  8th  
  Lamia 
   
  Valor, Wits  
   
  8th 
  Merrow 
   
  Presence and any one other 
  8th  
  Ogre 
   
  Valor 
   
   
  8th  
  Scylla 
   
  Wits, Presence 
   
  8th  
   
  Other Demihuman 
  Prime Requisites 
   
  Max Level 
  Drachen 
   
  Valor, Wits  
   
  8th  
  Leshonky  
  Valor, Presence 
   
  8th  
  Wilder 
   
  Valor, Fortune 
   
  8th  
   
  Automaton  
  Prime Requisites 
   
  Max Level 
  Auto-Mech  
  Valor, Wits  
   
  7th  
  Clockwork Man 
  Valor or Fortune, Wits  
  7th  
  Replicant  
  Valor, Fortune, and Wits 
  6th  
   
   
  Magical Construct 
  Prime Requisites 
   
  Max Level 
  Straw Man  
  Wits, Presence 
   
  7th  
  Tin Man 
   
  Valor, Wits  
   
  7th  
  Wicker Man 
  Fortune, Presence 
   
  7th  
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—FAYS 
   
   
  3 
   
  Level Limits: Nonhuman characters can only 
  reach the 6th, 7th, or 8th level in their class. 
   
  Fays  
  The world of Gaia exists in a Physical Universe 
  very much like our own—but the walls of Gaia’s 
  Universe are weaker than ours. From time to time, 
  perhaps no more than once in a World-Age, it so 
  happens that the boundaries between realms may 
  be ruptured. Not just pierced, as when a mage 
  opens a gateway or a portal, but torn wide-open 
  so that a tide of matter from another reality may 
  wash onto the “shore” of Gaia. And just like any 
  other Physical Universe, the nearest plane of exist-
  ence whence this otherworldly “stuff” may come 
  is the Etheric Plane—or, more specifically, the 
  sub-plane of the Inner Ether known as Faerie. 
   
  Long ago (or so the legends say), Gaia’s first 
  inhabitants came from Faerie. These were the 
  Sidhe, the Lords of the Fae, immortal and magical. 
  None know how the Sidhe came to be on Gaia, 
  whether it was intentional or accidental, or even 
  what magic made this come to pass. But arrive 
  they did, in great numbers, in a land far to the 
  west—the continent of Lemuria. There, the Sidhe 
  found themselves the possessors of a new and un-
  touched world, lush with plant and animal life, 
  but empty of people. Moreover, unlike the realm 
  they had just left, Faerie, a realm of perfect youth 
  and eternal stasis, this new world was mortal—
  dynamic and changeable. 
   
  The Sidhe built a great civilization and ruled 
  Gaia for ten-thousand years. But decadence, cor-
  ruption, and a love of sorcery eventually wiped 
  them out. The fall of the old Sidhe civilization left 
  the world changed. A mighty magic had been 
  wrought, and a vast tide that touched the edges of 
  many worlds brought all of the other kindreds 
  into Gaia—the elves, the goblins, the centaurs, and 
  all the rest. And as for the Sidhe, the descendants 
  they left behind after the disaster that ended their 
  rule were greatly diminished: like them in form 
  but weakened in power, they were now a mortal 
  fairy-kindred which are today called “the fay.” 
   
  Fays are humanoid in appearance, tall and 
  slender, with pale skin (almost grayish in tint). 
  Their ears sweep back to long, sharp points. Their 
  eyes are solid black, with no sign of an iris or a 
  pupil unless one looks very closely (in which case 
  a hint of violet or rose may be seen). Fays have a 
  great love of magic, especially the art of sorcery 
  (i.e. spirit-channeling), almost as if they enjoy the 
  dangerous game of gambling with one’s very soul 
  or bargaining with otherworldly powers. The 
  magic burns in their blood, a siren-call that no fay 
  can resist. Further, they are arrogant and aloof, 
  with manners that humans find distant and dis-
  turbing, practically alien. 
   
  As a rule, fays are hedonistic in the extreme, 
  seeking at all times to live lives of base pleasure: 
  leisure, song and dance (preferably of the high-so-
  ciety ballroom variety), masquerades, operas, 
  courtly intrigues, and so forth. Especially within 
  the borders of the Avalonian Empire, where the 
  fay kindred very nearly constitutes the entire no-
  ble class, they have been able to keep this fanciful 
  dream-life going for many centuries. But the times 
  do change, and every day more power falls into 
  the hands of modern industrialists, financiers, and 
  business tycoons—until even the “old money” of 
  Avalon’s fayish aristocracy may begin to run low. 
  Thus has it come to pass in this day and age that 
  the younger sons and daughters of storied fay 
  families are apt to find themselves “down on the 
  ancient luck” and more willing than ever before to  
   
   
    
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  4 
  live lives of high adventure. Those who are brave 
  or desperate will take up rapier and grimoire and 
  seek out their own fortunes. 
   
  FAY EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Apprentice–Medium 
  6 
  2nd  
  3,500 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Journeyman–Seer  
  7 
  3rd  
  7,000 
  12  +1 
  7 
  Tradesman–Conjurer 
  8 
  4th  
  14,000 
  15 
  +1 
  7 
  Expert–Wizard 
  9 
  5th  
  28,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Specialist–Enchanter 
  10 
  6th  
  56,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Agent–Warlock 
  11 
  7th  
  112,000 
  24  +3 
  9 
  Fay Lord 
  12 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Fay characters can advance as high as 7th level in 
  the fay class, which combines the features of the 
  rogue and mage classes and has two prime requi-
  sites, Fortune and Presence. Fay characters have 
  the following special abilities: 
   
  Jack of All Trades: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Ace in the Hole: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Deuce’s Own Luck: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Intuitive Magic-User: As the mage ability. 
   
  Deep Magic: As the mage ability. 
   
  Illusionist: All fays automatically know the 
  Glamour cantrip and the Masked Image spell in 
  addition to their usual starting cantrips, spells, 
  and ritual. Moreover, a fay is able to cast Masked 
  Image as if it were a 1st level ritual, without ex-
  pending mana. By performing the hour-long ritual 
  (for which the only required material component 
  is a reflective surface, e.g. a mirror or still water, 
  which is never destroyed by the ritual), the fay 
  can appear to be someone else (though they can-
  not mimic another specific person), and the dura-
  tion persists until the next sunrise or until the fay 
  chooses to dismiss the effect. 
   
  Elves 
  In the wake of the Great Tide that brought all of 
  the other demihumans into Gaia, one kindred 
  stood head and shoulders above the rest: the 
  elves. The High Elves who lived in those days 
  were also Faerie Lords, the equals of the Sidhe in 
  their magecraft and their immortality—but far 
  surpassing them in both their wisdom and their 
  ruthlessness. The High Elves very quickly rose to 
  dominance and built an empire of their own that 
  would endure for nearly five-thousand years, in a 
  time now called “the Second Age of Gaia” (the 
   
   
   
  First Age having been the rule of the Sidhe). And 
  though the Elfin Empire is also gone now, its fall 
  was no world-shattering catastrophe. There are 
  yet some High Elves in the world. They prefer to 
  hide themselves away in remote places, however, 
  and to let their children—the Sylvan Elves—work 
  their will for them out in the wider world. The 
  Sylvan Elves, or älfar, are the mortal descendants 
  of the High Elves (or eldar). It is the Sylvan Elves 
  which are a playable kindred. Älfar and fays can 
  both live for upwards of 300 years. 
   
  The älfar are more humanlike in appearance 
  than fays are, showing more range and variation 
  in skin tone, hair and eye color, and so forth. Syl-
  van Elves tend to be a bit shorter than humans on 
  average, but also slender, graceful, and beautiful. 
  Their ears are delicate, leaf-shaped, only slightly 
  pointed (rather than the exaggerated sweep of the 
  fays’ ears). And, whereas the fays all seem to be 
  pleasure-seeking hedonists, the elves are perhaps 
  best described as thrill-seeking adventure-addicts. 
  They live to explore, to experience—anything that 
  they can. Danger and excitement, to be sure, but 
  also carousing, swashbuckling, tramping over that 
  next hilltop, sailing over that next billowing wave, 
  stealing that next kiss from a smitten human para-
  mour. In short, the stereotypical elf wants to be a 
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—ELVES, GOBLINS, OGRES 
   
   
  5 
  hero—and not the kind that stays in one place for 
  very long. This does, of course, saddle elves with a 
  bit of a dodgy reputation: in the communities of 
  humans and other shorter-lived peoples, an elf is a 
  welcome sight when trouble is afoot; but other-
  wise, these wandering rakehells are going to be 
  viewed with caution and suspicion. 
   
  In the lands of Arcadia, the elves have several 
  noteworthy homelands. The High Elves—who are 
  both royalty and progenitors to the whole elvish 
  kindred—still live in the land of Pohjola. Many 
  Sylvan Elves also dwell in the land of Midjard, in 
  several of its small kingdoms and principalities; 
  and, to a lesser extent, this same lineage (i.e. älfar 
  of Midjardisch extraction) makes up a sizeable fac-
  tion of the population of the Republic of Utopia, 
  especially in the region of Lutinny. 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  The elf character class is described on page 96 of 
  the E&E Core Rules. 
   
  Goblins 
  The goblins of Gaia are of a somewhat different 
  character to the goblins described in the E&E Core 
  Rules. They are more honorable, more bellicose, 
  less conniving, and less avaricious. Oh, to be sure, 
  they still lust for gold and silver and precious 
  gems; but they primarily desire the fruits of their 
  deep mines and tunnels in order to keep their 
  forges lit and their smiths turning out the world’s 
  finest arms and armors. Since the olden days, be-
  neath the mountains and snow-swept plains of 
  Asgard, the goblins have stood a long and vigilant 
  watch, keeping the forces of Chaos that dwell in 
  the Deep-Under—shadowspawn, hobgoblins, and 
  things more nightmarish by far—from swelling 
  up onto the surface-world and overrunning all 
  that there is. They are a beleaguered and set-upon 
  people, eternally fighting a war of defense—and 
  suffering tremendous attrition down through the 
  centuries for their trouble. 
   
  Goblins stand about four feet tall, with broad, 
  powerful frames and spindly arms and legs that 
  belie strength at least equal to that of a man. They 
  have ruddy, earth-toned skin (sometimes with a 
  bit of a greenish tint), comically large noises, and 
  pointed ears. Older male goblins are very often 
  completely bald on the tops of their heads, but 
  they keep full beards in elaborate braids which 
  they are very proud of. They are skilled miners, 
  engineers, and smiths, with a deep and abiding 
  love for elaborate machines and advanced tech-
  nologies. They are perhaps not as interested in 
  pure science as the gnomes are; but when it comes 
  to creating weapons of all sorts—from swords and 
  axes to guns and bombs—goblins are unmatched. 
   
  GOBLIN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Veteran–Tinker 
  4+1 
  2nd  
  3,500 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Swordsman–Wright 
  5+1 
  3rd  
  7,000 
  12  +1 
  7 
  Duelist–Crafter 
  5+2 
  4th  
  14,000 
  15 
  +3 
  7 
  Hero–Machinist 
  6+2 
  5th  
  28,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Swshbklr.–Mechanic 6+2 
  6th  
  56,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Knight–Technologist 7+2 
  7th  
  112,000 
  24  +6 
  9 
  Goblin Lord 
  7+3 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Unlike the goblin class described in the E&E Core 
  Rules, Gaia’s goblins are a combination of fighter 
  and tech. Goblins may advance as high as 7th level 
  in the Gaian goblin class, and their two prime req-
  uisites are Valor and Wits. Gaian goblins have the 
  following special abilities:  
   
  Stone Sense: As the goblin ability described on 
  pg. 97 of the E&E Core Rules. 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Research & Development: As the tech ability. 
   
  Skilled Craftsman: As the tech ability. 
   
  Ogres 
  Ogres hold a less prominent place in Gaia than do 
  the goblins. They too have long warred with the 
  ’spawn, but mostly on the surface-world, in the 
  Chernobog Mountains which sit along the edge of 
  the blighted land of Tuonela. The ogres have been 
  a nomadic people for time immemorial, roaming 
  the eastern steppes that serve as the hunting 
  grounds for the clans. On occasion, when truly 
  desperate, these clans have come together to form 
  a horde that rides against civilization, raiding and 
  pillaging; but it is far more common to see the 
  shadowspawn of Tuonela form such a horde, and 
  for the ogres to be the first line of defenders stand-
  ing against them. 
   
  Ogres are taller and stronger than humans. 
  They have prominent tusks, green skin, and up-
  turned noses. An ogre is said to be the best 
  brother-in-arms a warrior could hope for: they are 
  unfailingly steadfast and loyal to their allies. But 
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  6 
  they are also a temperamental and hot-headed 
  people, prone to outbursts of sudden, uncontrolla-
  ble rage and even violence. 
   
  In some of the more industrialized parts of 
  Arcadia—the smoggy streets of factory-cities in 
  Avalon and Utopia, for example—ogres are for 
  the most part stuck on the bottom rungs of urban 
  society. They scrape by as factory-workers, dock 
  hands, or hired muscle, exploited by the tycoons 
  and other members of the moneyed classes. It’s no 
  coincidence that socialism and even anarchism are 
  becoming commonplace among the “city-ogres.” 
   
  Ogre adventurers are drawn from the ranks of 
  a tribe’s barbarian warriors, or from those city-
  ogres who still keep their cultural traditions alive: 
  hunting, fighting, and honoring the old, shamanic 
  ways of their revered ancestors.  
   
  Game Rule Information 
  The ogre character class is described on page 97 of 
  the E&E Core Rules. 
   
  Gnomes 
  Gnomes are sometimes known as the “Hidden 
  People,” so named because of the means they 
  used to survive the great wars of the Second Age. 
  When the Elfin Empire spread across all the lands, 
  the gnomes retreated to tunnels and underground 
  halls and hid from the world. And when they 
  emerged from hiding in a later Age of the World, 
  they found that they had become by far the most 
  scientifically and technologically advanced of all 
  Gaia’s people. The gnomes are a small people, es-
  sentially dwarfkind; but there is also something 
  more than a little goblinlike about them. They are 
  not the peace-loving, pastoralist dwarfs described 
  in the Engines & Empires Core Rules; rather, they 
  are Gaia’s most gifted inventors, an entire kindred 
  of short-statured technophiles. 
   
  In game terms, gnomes essentially function as 
  a combination of rogue and tech. Physically, they 
  are dwarfs—demi-humans who stand about three 
  feet tall—with some goblinesque features, notably 
  the same large noses and sharply-pointed ears. 
  Gnomes can sometimes be difficult for humans to 
  interact with, if only because their keen minds 
  move so quickly, and their mile-a-minute speech 
  more or less keeps pace. A gnome is the cleverest 
  and most inventive soul one is ever likely to meet, 
  but the only ones who can appreciate it are those 
  who can follow their harebrained twists of logic 
  and understand their oftentimes obsessive person-
  alities. 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Gaian gnomes actually use the goblin character 
  class described on page 97 of the E&E Core Rules, 
  with the following changes:  
   
  Level Title: A 7th level gnome is a gnome lord. 
   
  Special Abilities: Gnomes do not possess the 
  goblin’s Stone Sense ability. In its place, they have 
  the dwarf’s Small Size and Unseen by Big Folk 
  traits, as well as a +1 bonus on saving throws. 
   
  Háin (Leprechauns) 
  Gaia’s other dwarfish kindred, the leprechauns—
  or, as they call themselves, the háin—are closely 
  related to the gnomes. In the speech of Tirnanog, 
  the hánnish homeland, the word “háin” means 
  simply “the folk” or “the people.” The singular 
  form, “a person,” is hán, hence the other common 
  name for this kindred out in the larger world, the 
  hánfolk. Note that referring to the hánfolk in their 
  own tongue as leipreacháin (“the little people”) is 
  regarded as a mild insult. From their own per-
  spective, the háin aren’t little at all—it’s every-
  body else who’s too big! 
   
   
   
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—GNOMES, LEPRECHAUNS, FAUNS 
   
   
  7 
   
  Háin are more or less identical to dwarfs as 
  described in the E&E Core Rules: they stand be-
  tween three and four feet tall but otherwise look 
  very much like humans. They are not terribly 
  magical (although they can be adept occultists), 
  and they would much prefer to lead quiet lives of 
  peace, farming and shepherding on the emerald 
  plains of Tirnanog. But the history of Gaia has not 
  been kind to the hánfolk. Oppressed and degrad-
  ed by the inhabitants of the neighboring island of 
  Avalon since the days of the Elfin Empire, hard 
  necessity has forced them to become warriors: si-
  lent, stealthy, using the land to their advantage. In 
  short (and certainly with no pun intended), the 
  háin are the world’s greatest snipers and guerillas.  
   
  Hánfolk are known to be sensible and plain-
  spoken, a simple and earthy folk who place great 
  value in honesty and hard work. But they can also 
  be somewhat rustic and naïve compared to the 
  more cosmopolitan peoples of the world. A hán 
  adventurer is likely to be a youth straight off the 
  farm, chasing tales of dragon-gold and elf-magic. 
  That said, the háin of Tirnanog specifically also 
  have a certain reputation for silver-tongued poli-
  tesse which might manifest itself as either the hon-
  est gallantry of a hánnish soldier-scholar, or as the 
  fast-tongued blarney of a rover with his eye on 
  your coin-purse. 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Háin use the dwarf character class described on 
  page 98 of the E&E Core Rules—they can only rise 
  to the 6th experience level, but they act as a triple-
  classed combination of fighter, rogue, and scholar. 
   
  Fauns 
  Strictly speaking, Gaia’s fauns don’t have any one 
  homeland, although they’re most likely to be met 
  within the borders of Elysia, Illyria, and Sylvania. 
  Faun society is both nomadic and clannish, with 
  groups of faun families wandering from place to 
  place and only ever settling down temporarily. 
  More sedentary communities, as one might guess, 
  have tended to regard fauns with suspicion be-
  cause of this, sometimes slandering them as little 
  more than roving bands of brigands or thieves; 
  but this is, of course, base prejudice.  
   
  Physically, fauns resemble Wood Elves, to the 
  extent that they stand about a head shorter than 
  the average human and have pointed ears and 
  youthful, fae-like facial-features. Of course, they 
  are also covered in fur from the waist down, with 
  the legs and hooves of goats; and small horns 
  grow on the tops of their heads. Fauns are superb-
  ly agile, with a great gift for leaping and climbing. 
  They are friendly enough when they don’t feel 
  threatened, but trouble makes fauns skittish. 
   
  FAUN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP 
  THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Faun Runner 
  6 
  2nd  
  2,000 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Faun Strider 
  7 
  3rd  
  4,000 
  12  
  +1 
  7 
  Faun Scout 
  8 
  4th  
  8,000 
  15 
  +1 
  7 
  Faun Courser 
  9 
  5th  
  16,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Faun Tracker 
  10 
  6th  
  32,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Faun Pathfinder 11 
  7th  
  64,000 
  24  
  +3 
  9 
  Faun Ranger 
  12 
  8th  
  125,000 
  27 
  +3 
  9 
  Faun Warden 
  13 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Faun characters can advance as high as 8th level in 
  the faun character class, which has two prime req-
  uisites, Valor and Fortune. Fauns have the follow-
  ing special abilities: 
   
  Jack of All Trades: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Ace in the Hole: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Deuce’s Own Luck: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Goat Hooves:  Thanks to their hooves (and 
  horns), fauns inflict 1d3 damage on a hit when 
  fighting unarmed. When outdoors, fauns are able 
  to scale near-vertical rock walls without needing 
  climbing gear or having to make Athletics rolls. A 
  faun cannot benefit from magical boots or shoes. 
   
  Centaurs 
  The centaurs’ story is one of oppression and rebel-
  lion. During the Second Age, the centaurs were 
  conquered and subjugated by the Elfin Empire. It 
  would not be accurate to say that they were en-
  slaved; but they were forbidden by Elfin law to 
  practice any professions aside from farm-labor 
  and service in the Empire’s cavalry. The elves, of 
  course, maintained that they were doing the cen-
  taurs a great favor by “civilizing” them; but the 
  centaurs’ resentment over their treatment at the 
  hands of the elves hasn’t waned much in all these 
  many centuries. After the Elfin Empire fell at the 
  very end of the Second Age, the centaurs largely 
  remained subjugated until humans from the south 
  (new arrivals on Gaia, thanks to another of the 
  mysterious interplanar “Tides”)—namely, men 
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  8 
   
   
  from the Empire of Elysium—became their allies 
  and fought for the centaurs’ freedom. From then 
  on, the neighboring land of Illyria became the cen-
  taurs’ home country, and the centaurs living there 
  now still consider humans to be their blood-broth-
  ers. In the present day, centaur knights fight  
  tirelessly to defend the country of Illyria from the 
  invading forces of the Sultanate of Amarna. 
   
  Centaurs look pretty much like you’d expect, 
  being approximately human-shaped from the 
  waist up and having the four-legged body of a 
  horse below. E&E’s centaurs are a fairy breed, of 
  course, and so it’s worth pointing out that their 
  “human” upper halves actually look more like 
  those of elves, with pointed ears and sharp fea-
  tures. Their equine halves are smaller too, being 
  pony-sized (such that a centaur could perhaps 
  carry a hán or a gnome on his or her back, but a 
  human-sized rider would be awkward and overly 
  cumbersome). Centuries of serving as knights and 
  cavaliers have ingrained the tenets of chivalry into 
  centaur culture: they tend to dwell in the largest of 
  Arcadia’s cities, preferring the company of all who 
  fought against the elves in the Second Age, viz. 
  the háin, the goblins, and especially the southern 
  humans whom they now call neighbors and allies. 
   
  CENTAUR EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Centaur Gallant 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Centaur Keeper 
  5 
  3rd  
  4,000 
  16 
  +1 
  7 
  Centaur Protector 
  5 
  4th  
  8,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Centaur Defender 
  6 
  5th  
  16,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Centaur Guardian 
  6 
  6th  
  32,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Centaur Chevalier 
  7 
  7th  
  64,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Centaur Justiciar 
  7 
  8th  
  125,000 
  36 
  +6 
  9 
  Centaur Paladin 
  8 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Centaur characters can advance as high as 8th level 
  in the centaur class, which has two prime requi-
  sites, Valor and Wits. Centaurs have the following 
  special abilities: 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Horse Hooves: Instead of attacking with a 
  weapon, a centaur can kick with his rear hooves 
  for 1d4 points of damage. Centaurs cannot benefit 
  from magical boots or shoes (other than horse-
  shoes). Because they are quadrupeds, centaurs 
  move at a base Speed of 50’ (150’), and they can 
  carry an extra 12 kg of gear before their speed is 
  reduced to 40’ (120’) by encumbrance. (A centaur 
  carrying 12 kg or less is considered Unencumbered. 
  A centaur carrying 13 to 24 kg is treated as Lightly 
  Encumbered, just like any other character carrying 
  0 to 12 kg.) Depending on the situation, a centaur 
  may have difficulty negotiating narrow spans, 
  steep stairs, or other situations involving balance 
  or climbing. 
   
  Lance Charge: A centaur wielding a lance who 
  moves at least 20’ straight at an opponent before 
  attacking gets an extra +2 bonus on the to-hit roll. 
   
  Stargazing: A centaur of 4th level or greater can 
  Augury (as the 4th level ritual) once per week by 
  reading the stars. 
   
  Merrows 
  Merrows are merpeople, and they’re actually one 
  of the more widespread demihuman kindreds on 
  Gaia. Just about any shoreline is apt to have a 
  merrow community somewhere in the shallows, 
  herding fish and farming the seabed. The mer-
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—CENTAURS, MERROWS 
   
   
  9 
  rows of different seas tend to adopt the languages 
  and cultures of nearby lands, e.g. merrows of the 
  Illic Sea will speak either Elysian or Illyrian, mer-
  rows living in the Boreic ocean will speak either 
  Avalonian or Asgardish, etc. Merrows are known 
  to be extremely outgoing and friendly, but also 
  vain and flighty, to the point of self-absorption. 
  From the waist up, they resemble humans or elves 
  (like most Fair Folk, they have the usual pointed 
  ears and elfin features), but with green hair and  
  visible gill-slits in their necks. From the waist 
  down, merrows have long, scaly tails like those of 
  sea-serpents, finned for swimming but also strong 
  enough to support their weight if they should 
  slither up onto dry land. 
   
  Despite being fairies, merrows have a strong 
  spark of humanity about them, perhaps because 
  they are for all intents and purposes the humans 
  of the sea. Unlike most demihumans, merrows 
  may select a character class and advance in that 
  class much as a human does, albeit with an extra 
  prime requisite and a level limit. Many merrow 
  adventurers are roguish sorts—buccaneers and pi-
  rates, wandering bards—while others are schol-
  arly or even scientifically-minded treasure-seekers 
  who focus on salvaging sunken valuables from 
  the sea-floor (be they sunken chests of pirate-gold 
  or Ancient, antediluvian technologies left behind 
  by lost civilizations of the distant past). 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Unlike other demihumans, merrows may select a 
  character class. They may be fighters, rogues, 
  scholars, or techs. They cannot ever be mages. 
  Whichever class they pick, merrows always have 
  two prime requisites: the usual one for their class, 
  and Presence as well. A merrow may advance up 
  to the 8th experience level in their class. Merrows  
  have the following special abilities in addition to 
  those they receive from their character class: 
   
  Aquatic: Merrows are able to breathe water 
  and air with equal ease and swim at a Speed of 60’ 
  (180’). Merrows can live on dry land indefinitely 
  but need to drink twice as much water as a human 
  when doing so. 
   
  Tail-Walking: Merrows have the tails of finned 
  sea-serpents in place of legs, so they can never 
  wear magical boots or shoes. On land, merrows 
  move about by balancing and slithering on their 
  tails, but this is slow and awkward—Move Speed 
  20’ (60’)—and it can damage their scales. To get 
  around this, all adventuring merrows know a 
  simple 1st level White Magic ritual for creating a 
  minor enchanted item called a cohuleen druith. This 
  is a piece of clothing or jewelry which, when so 
  charmed, protects the merrow’s fish-scales from 
  scrapes and minor hurts and enhances the mer-
  row’s balance and coordination so that they can 
  slither at a Speed of 40’ (120’). Without a working 
  cohuleen druith, a merrow is treated as Moderately 
  Encumbered while carrying 0–12 kg of gear and 
  Severely Encumbered when carrying 13–24 kg. 
   
  Harpies 
  Harpies are a half-avian fairy-kindred. They are 
  human-shaped above the waist, except for a pair 
  of great osprey- or eagle-wings that grow out of 
  their backs. (Harpies’ wings are in addition to 
  their arms, not in place of them!) Harpies are 
  feathered from the waist down, with birds’ legs 
  ending in sharp talons. They mostly dwell high up 
  in the mountains, where they can fly freely in the 
  open air. Their eyries are cut into the stone faces 
  of cliffs, or up on high mountainsides which are 
  normally unreachable by those without wings.  
   
   
   
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  10 
   
  In Arcadia, significant populations of harpies 
  can be found in both the mountains of Asgard and 
  in the Valk Mountains. Both harpy-tribes are war-
  like: fierce defenders of their mountain homes. But 
  the harpies are also insular, cautious and thought-
  ful, always reluctant to get involved in affairs 
  “down below.” Never hasty, but always armed 
  (just in case), the harpies have a long view of his-
  tory and an even longer memory. They hold fast 
  to old friendships and alliances (particularly with 
  the gnomes and ogres of Utopia, who once both 
  marched to the defense of the harpies of the Valks 
  in a great war long ago); and they hold grudges 
  against any who have wronged them in the past 
  (notably the humans of Sylvania, who drove the 
  harpies into the mountains in the first place; and 
  the goblins of Asgard, always relentlessly tunnel-
  ing and prospecting under the roots of the world’s 
  greatest mountains in an endless search for metals 
  to feed their forges). Gaia’s harpies are slow to for-
  get slights, slow to forgive, slow to trust or make 
  new friends, and slow to make decisions. They al-
  ways carefully weigh every option and try to fore-
  see each outcome before taking any action. 
   
  HARPY EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP 
  THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Harpy Airman 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,500 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Harpy Armiger 
  5 
  3rd  
  5,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Harpy Scutifer 
  5 
  4th  
  10,000 
  15 
  +3 
  7 
  Harpy Esquire 
  6 
  5th  
  20,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Harpy Lancer 
  6 
  6th  
  40,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Harpy Hussar 
  7 
  7th  
  80,000 
  24 
  +6 
  9 
  Harpy Banneret 
  7 
  8th  
  150,000 
  27 
  +6 
  9 
  Harpy Dragoon 
  8 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Harpies are able to advance as high as 8th level in 
  the harpy class, which has two prime requisites, 
  Valor and Fortune. Harpies have the following 
  special abilities: 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Deuce’s Own Luck: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Flying: Harpies have wings and can fly at a 
  Speed of 50’ (150’) when Lightly Encumbered. 
  Every 12 kg of gear carried reduces a harpy’s 
  Flight Speed by 20’, so a Moderately Encumbered 
  harpy flies at 30’ (90’), a Heavily Encumbered 
  harpy flies at 10’ (30’), and a Severely Encumbered 
  harpy cannot fly at all. A harpy’s base walking 
  Speed on the ground is 40’ (120’), like a human. 
   
   
   
   
  Hollow Bones: Harpies have fewer hit points 
  than other fighter-types. 
   
  Talons: Harpies have talons, so they cannot 
  benefit from wearing magical boots or shoes. A 
  harpy can scratch for 1d3 damage when fighting 
  unarmed. 
   
  Dive Bomb: If a harpy wielding a lance, pike, 
  or spear attacks from the air and can dive down at 
  least 20’ before attacking an opponent, the to-hit  
  roll gets an extra +4 bonus to hit (but the harpy 
  must end that round engaged in mêlée with the 
  target, even if using a reach weapon). 
   
  Scyllas 
  Scyllas are the deep merfolk, pale and black-eyed 
  (like the fays), with the bodies of octopuses below 
  the waist. They are a reclusive kindred that rarely 
  comes to the surface. Those that do are very simi-
  lar to the merrows to whom they are related, ex-
  cept that they are less friendly and more apt to be 
  either shy and introverted or hot-headed and con-
  frontational. 
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—HARPIES, SCYLLAS, ARACHNES 
   
   
  11 
   
  Whereas merrows cannot be mages (because 
  they have no Black Magic-using tradition to speak 
  of in their culture), scyllas are always witches. 
   
  SCYLLA EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP 
  THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  4 
  +1 
  7 
  Scylla Medium 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,500 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Scylla Seer 
  5 
  3rd  
  5,000 
  8  
  +1 
  7 
  Scylla Conjurer 
  5 
  4th  
  10,000 
  10 
  +1 
  7 
  Scylla Wizard 
  6 
  5th  
  20,000 
  12 
  +1 
  9 
  Scylla Enchanter 6 
  6th  
  40,000 
  14 
  +3 
  9 
  Scylla Warlock 
  7 
  7th  
  80,000 
  16  
  +3 
  9 
  Scylla Sorcerer 
  7 
  8th  
  150,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Scylla Archmage 8 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Scyllas are able to rise as high as 8th level in the 
  scylla class, which has two prime requisites, Wits 
  and Presence. Scylla characters have the following 
  special abilities: 
   
  Intuitive Magic-User: As the mage ability. 
   
  Deep Magic: As the mage ability. 
   
  Aquatic: Scyllas can breathe water and air with 
  equal ease and swim at a Speed of 50’ (150’). A 
  scylla can live on dry land indefinitely but then 
  needs to drink twice as much water as a human. 
   
  Tentacles: Scyllas have eight tentacles in place 
  of human legs. Scyllas can grasp and handle sev-
  eral objects at once with their tentacles, although 
  they cannot use them to carry extra weapons or to 
  make extra attacks while fighting. While grap-
  pling or wrestling, scyllas roll eight-sided dice 
  (like fighters) rather than four-sided dice (like 
  mages). Scyllas can never wear magical boots or 
  shoes. Like merrows, scyllas move at a Speed of 
  only 20’ (60’) on land, unless they enchant for 
  themselves a cohuleen druith (something all scyllas 
  know how to do) or otherwise procure such an 
  item, in which case the scylla can move at a Speed 
  of 40’ (120’) on land.  
   
  Ink: A scylla can produce ink, exactly like an 
  octopus, although this is generally only useful un-
  derwater where the ink can become an opaque, 
  obscuring, 20’ wide cloud. Unless, that is, the 
  scylla is a writer (or a frequent scriber of magic 
  scrolls). 
   
  Deep-Dweller: Scyllas can see in absolute dark-
  ness with perfect ease out to 30’ and can perceive  
  objects dimly out to 60’. They are sensitive to 
  bright light, including sunlight, which can easily 
  dazzle a scylla. In brightly-lit conditions, scyllas 
  are −1 on all to-hit rolls. 
  Arachnes 
  Relatively rare in most parts of the Arcadian conti-
  nent, arachnes are a kindred that remind one of 
  centaurs, except that their upper bodies are like 
  those of fays (pale and with very long, pointed 
  ears), while their lower bodies are those of huge 
  spiders, typically black widows or tarantulas. In 
  most parts of Arcadia, the arachnes keep to them-
  selves, living in the deepest and darkest parts of 
  forests like the Great Sylvan Woods of Sylvania, 
  the Bilderwald in Midjard’s Dämmerung King-
  dom, the Agrios Forest in Elysia, and parts of the 
  western forests of Pohjola. Arachnes tend to be a 
  shy and reclusive people for the most part, prefer-
  ring to hunt in peace and solitude.  
   
  The Kingdom of Avalon is the exception to 
  the rule: in the capital, Annwn, the arachnes are 
  held in high esteem by the tailor’s guild, where 
  their silk (to say nothing of their skill at weaving 
  it) produces the world’s finest gowns, much to the 
  endless delight of the fay nobility. Adventuring 
  arachnes, however, are no mere artisans. They put 
  their natural aptitude for hunting and their ability 
  to scale walls and ceilings effortlessly to good use 
  as burglars (or, when the situation calls for the ju-
  dicious application of a bit of venom, assassins). 
   
  ARACHNE EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Arachne Apprentice 
  6 
  2nd  
  1,500 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Arachne Footpad 
  7 
  3rd  
  3,000 
  12  +1 
  7 
  Arachne Robber 
  8 
  4th  
  6,000 
  15 
  +1 
  7 
  Arachne Burglar 
  9 
  5th  
  12,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Arachne Cutpurse 
  10 
  6th  
  25,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Arachne Sharper 
  11 
  7th  
  50,000 
  24  +3 
  9 
  Arachne Pilferer 
  12 
  8th  
  100,000 
  27 
  +3 
  9 
  Arachne Master Thief 
  13 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Arachnes can rise as high as the 8th experience 
  level in the arachne class, which has two prime 
  requisites, Fortune and Wits. Arachnes have the 
  following special abilities: 
   
  Jack of All Trades: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Ace in the Hole: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Deuce’s Own Luck: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Wall-Crawler: Arachnes have the lower bodies 
  of spiders. They can climb sheer walls and even 
  move across ceilings at the same Speed with 
  which they walk on the ground normally, i.e. 40’ 
  (120’) when Lightly Encumbered. Arachnes can-
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  12 
  not ever wear magical boots or shoes. 
   
  Web-Shooter: An arachne has abdominal spin-
  nerets which can produce webs. This mimics the 
  effects of the Web of the Spider spell and can be 
  done once per day by a 1st level arachne, twice per 
  day at 3rd level, and thrice per day at 7th level. 
   
  Spider-Bite: Arachne have claws and fangs, 
  with which they can inflict 1d3 damage when 
  fighting unarmed. An arachne’s bite is venomous: 
  anyone bitten must save or become sluggish and 
  mildly nauseous from the poison, −1 on attack 
  rolls for 1 turn or until the poison is cured. 
   
  Lamias 
  The lamias are even rarer than the arachnes, at 
  least in the West. They are superficially similar to 
  merrows in appearance, elflike above the waist, 
  but with the tails of great constrictor-snakes in 
  place of legs. They are quite common in the lands 
  of Amarna, Shambala, and far-off Jianghu; but in 
  Arcadia, they are only commonly encountered in 
  the Kingdom of Lu Sing, in central Midgard—a 
  country inhabited by immigrants and refugees 
  from Jianghu. The lamias living there are likewise 
  of Jiangese ancestry, having accompanied their 
  human countrymen from the Far East. There are 
  also some lamias of Amarnan extraction dwelling 
  in the nation of Illyria. 
   
  Wherever they go, the lamias carry with them 
  their fighting traditions. They are practitioners of 
  the martial arts, in particular a kung-fu discipline 
  known as she quan, a boxing-style that focuses on 
  snapping hand-attacks that mimic the movements 
  of a striking cobra. 
   
  LAMIA EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Lamia Novice 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,500 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Lamia Initiate 
  5 
  3rd  
  5,000 
  16  +1 
  7 
  Lamia Acolyte 
  5 
  4th  
  10,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Lamia Adept 
  6 
  5th  
  20,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Lamia Disciple 
  6 
  6th  
  40,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Lamia Immaculate 
  7 
  7th  
  80,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Lamia Master 
  7 
  8th  
  150,000 
  36 
  +6 
  9 
  Lamia Grand Master 8 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Lamias can rise as high as the 8th level in the lamia 
  class, which has two prime requisites, Valor and 
  Wits. Lamias have the following special abilities: 
   
  Cobra Strike: As the fighter’s “Quick March.” 
   
  Breath of Qi: As the fighter’s “Soldier On.” 
   
  Flow Like Water: As the rogue’s “Deuce’s Own 
  Luck.” 
   
  Martial Artist: Fantasy Martial Arts (E&E Core 
  Rules, page 37) exist in Gaia. Lamias automatically 
  begin the game having mastered one secret style, 
  she quan, and so they inflict 1d4 points of damage 
  when fighting unarmed.    
   
  Serpentine: Lamias have the lower bodies of 
  huge snakes. They can climb trees and most other 
  rough surfaces with ease at the same Speed with 
  which they move on the ground normally, i.e. 40’ 
  (120’) when Lightly Encumbered. Lamias quite 
  naturally make excellent grapplers: they roll 
  twelve-sided dice instead of eight-sided dice 
  when attempting to grapple, wrestle, or pin. A la-
  mia cannot ever wear magical boots or shoes. 
   
  Snakebite: Lamias have fangs. A lamia’s bite is 
  venomous: anyone bitten by a lamia must save or 
  else become sickened for 1 turn, −1 on attack rolls 
  from the distracting pain and nausea that results. 
   
  Drachen 
  Gaia’s other reptilian kindred, the drachen, are 
  demihumans; but they are not fairies as the lamias 
  are. They have no Fae ancestry, and so they can-
  not be classified as Fair Folk. The drachen (pro-
  nounced DRAHK-en) are dragonmen, though it is 
  not known whether they are some ancient mage’s 
  magical creations or the literal descendants of 
  dragons. They are warriors who dwell chiefly in 
  the Drachendorn Mountains between Midjard and 
  Pohjola. Their culture is highly regimented and 
  militaristic; as a people, the drachen keep to them-
  selves and are said to be stoic and taciturn. The 
  typical drachen is covered head to toe in red 
  scales, like those of a firedrake, with a reptilian 
  face and eyes, clawed hands and feet, and vestig-
  ial wings which are basically useless. They do, 
  however, have the ability to breathe fire! 
   
  DRACHEN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  10 
  +1 
  7 
  Drachen Veteran 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,200 
  14 
  +1 
  7 
  Drachen Ensign 
  5 
  3rd  
  4,400 
  18  +1 
  7 
  Drachen Lieutenant 
  5 
  4th  
  8,800 
  22 
  +3 
  7 
  Drachen Commander 6 
  5th  
  17,000 
  26 
  +3 
  9 
  Drachen Captain 
  6 
  6th  
  35,000 
  30 
  +3 
  9 
  Drachen Major 
  7 
  7th  
  70,000 
  34  +6 
  9 
  Drachen Colonel 
  7 
  8th  
  140,000 
  38 
  +6 
  9 
  Drachen General 
  8 
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—LAMIAS, DRACHEN, LESHONKIES 
   
   
  13 
  Game Rule Information 
  Drachen characters are able to reach 8th level in 
  the drachen class, which has two prime requisites, 
  Valor and Wits. Drachen characters have the fol-
  lowing special abilities: 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Dragon Toughness: Drachen get +2 extra hp. 
   
  Fire-Breathing: A drachen is able to breathe 
  fire, once per day at 1st level, twice per day at 3rd 
  level, and thrice per day at 7th level. Fire-breath 
  mimics the effects of a Burning Hands spell. 
   
  Leshonkies 
  The leshonkies are the children of the leshies, 
  those great and treelike forest-dwelling spirits that 
  shepherd the very woods themselves; if a fully-
  grown leshy can reach up to the treetops, a young 
  leshonky is a mere sapling only and rather better-
  suited to interacting with creatures of human size. 
  As they age, the leshonkies slowly grow to ever-
  taller heights and become more and more treeish 
  with each passing decade. Their skin becomes 
  more like bark; their hair increasingly resembles 
  leaves and moss; and the leshonkies themselves 
  become slower, more deliberative, and less hasty. 
   
  LESHONKY EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Leshonky Sapling 
  4+1 
  2nd  
  3,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Leshonky Grower 
  5+1 
  3rd  
  6,000 
  16  +1 
  7 
  Leshonky Gardener 
  5+2 
  4th  
  12,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Leshonky Cultivator 
  6+2 
  5th  
  25,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Leshonky Forester 
  6+2 
  6th  
  50,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Leshonky Watcher 
  7+2 
  7th  
  100,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Leshonky Observer 
  7+3 
  8th  
  200,000 
  36 
  +6 
  9 
  Leshy Tree-Herder 
  8+3 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Leshonkies are able to reach the 8th level in the 
  leshonky class, which has two prime requisites, 
  Valor and Presence. Leshonkies have the follow-
  ing special abilities: 
   
  Young and Hasty: As the fighter’s “Quick 
  March.” 
   
  Woodland Vigor: As the fighter’s “Soldier On.” 
   
  Forester: A leshonky receives a bonus skill pip 
  in Outdoors at each of the 1st, 3rd, and 7th levels. 
   
  Botanical Biology: A leshonky can draw nour-
  ishment from sunlight, soil, and mineral-rich wa-
  ter and does not otherwise need to eat. 
   
   
   
   
  Animate Plants: A leshonky has the remarkable 
  ability to bring plants to life and command them 
  to fight for him. At any given time, a leshonky can 
  have a number of 1 HD bush-blights or 2 HD 
  spite-saplings (see the E&E Core Rules, pg. 165) an-
  imated whose total number of hit dice do not ex-
  ceed twice the leshonky’s level. The leshonky 
  must be in a forest to use this ability. The bush-
  blights or spite-saplings are unfailingly loyal to 
  the leshonky and will even fight to the death for 
  him, but they will not ordinarily leave a forest or 
  go down into a dungeon except at times of terribly 
  great need (meaning, specifically, to contend with 
  something that directly threatens the forest). A full 
  leshy who has reached the 8th experience level can 
  animate up to two 8 HD wroth-trees (E&E Core 
  Rules, pg. 167). 
   
  Wilder 
  The wilder (pronounced VILL-der) are anthropo-
  morphic wolfmen. They are not werewolves or 
  skin-changers, but they are often mistaken for 
  them. The wilder have a tribal society based on 
  pack-hunting. A few wilder packs can be found in 
  out-of-the-way corners of Midjard, Sylvania, and 
  Pohjola, but they are also known to brave the 
  Tuonelan Steppes where otherwise only shadow-
  spawn can dwell. The wilder are known to be 
  downright gregarious when encountered, but they 
  can also be dangerously wild and unpredictable. 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Wilder are able to reach the 8th experience level in 
  the wilder class, which has two prime requisites, 
  Valor and Fortune. 
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  14 
  WILDER EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Wilder Howler 
  4+1 
  2nd  
  2,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Wilder Chaser 
  5+1 
  3rd  
  4,000 
  16  +1 
  7 
  Wilder Pursuer 
  5+2 
  4th  
  8,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Wilder Prowler 
  6+2 
  5th  
  16,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Wilder Stalker 
  6+2 
  6th  
  32,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Wilder Hunter 
  7+2 
  7th  
  64,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Wilder Ravager 
  7+3 
  8th  
  125,000 
  36 
  +6 
  9 
  Wilder Baron 
  8+3 
   
  Wilder have the following special abilities: 
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Wild Hunter: Wilder have teeth and claws, so 
  they can inflict 1d4 points of damage when they 
  fight unarmed. A wilder can scent prey just like a 
  bloodhound. At each of the 1st, 3rd, and 7th levels, a 
  wilder receives a bonus Outdoors skill pip. 
   
  Berserker Blitz: An 8th level wilder, known as a 
  wilder baron, is uncannily fast. When a wilder 
  baron uses his Quick March ability, he receives 5 
  Moves that round instead of 3 or 4. 
    
  Awakened Automata 
  When techs build automata and outfit them with 
  clockwork brains, each automaton is usually given 
  just enough autonomy to perform its programmed 
  functions. Rarely does an inventor ever set out to 
  create a sapient robot intentionally. After all, a 
  free-willed automaton would somewhat defeat 
  the purpose of owning a mechanical servant that 
  never questions orders! But it can happen on rare 
  occasions that a freak turn of the gears and cogs 
  within an automaton’s head will cause a clock-
  work creation’s machine thinking to change. The 
  robot will look up one day and start asking itself 
  questions about the nature of its own existence and 
  whether or not it is alive. At that point, the curious 
  automaton is said to have become “awakened”—it 
  has spontaneously achieved sentience.  
   
  The sentient automaton is a venerable fantasy 
  trope, and it belongs nowhere better than in the 
  genre of gaslamp fantasy. There are four playable 
  types of awakened automaton: auto-mechs, clock-
  work soldiers and servants, and robot replicants.  
   
  Auto-Mechs 
  Auto-mechs are short (3’ tall), barrel-shaped au-
  tomatons that move about on three treaded legs. 
  They have no arms other than a few simple ma-
  nipulators and no visible face apart from a set of 
  optical sensors on one side of their (typically 
  dome-shaped) head. Auto-mechs are created to 
  service and maintain other, larger machines, most 
  especially locomotives, steamships, and airships. 
  They do not speak and are only capable of com-
  municating with mechanical whirrs, clanks, and 
  clicks that other automata can understand. Thanks 
  to their many limitations, auto-mechs can be a real 
  challenge to play; but these little robots are widely 
  beloved for their courageous and “spunky” per-
  sonalities. 
   
  AUTO-MECH EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  4 
  +1 
  7 
  Mech Tinker 
  4+1 
  2nd  
  2,200 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Mech Wright 
  5+1 
  3rd  
  4,400 
  8  
  +1 
  7 
  Mech Crafter 
  5+2 
  4th  
  8,800 
  10 
  +1 
  7 
  Mech Machinist 
  6+2 
  5th  
  17,000 
  12 
  +1 
  9 
  Mech Mechanic 
  6+2 
  6th  
  35,000 
  14 
  +3 
  9 
  Mech Technologist 
  7+2 
  7th  
  70,000 
  16  +3 
  9 
  Mech Engineer 
  7+3 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Auto-mechs are able to achieve the 7th experience 
  level in the auto-mech class, which has two prime 
  requisites, Valor and Wits. Auto-mechs have the 
  following qualities: 
   
  Automaton: An auto-mech is not a living thing 
  and does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. 
  Instead, an auto-mech burns 1 lb. of coal each day 
  that it functions. Auto-mechs are immune to gas-
  based attacks, poison and disease, and any kind of 
  sleep, charm, mind-affecting magic, life-draining 
  magic, or instant-death magic. An auto-mech can-
  not drink potions and cannot be affected by any 
  kind of healing magic, nor can it heal through rest; 
  if damaged, it must be repaired. 
   
  Because of its shape, an auto-mech cannot use 
  armor or any kind of wearable magical item. Be-
  cause of their small size and tiny manipulators, 
  auto-mechs face the same weapon restrictions as 
  dwarfs. Auto mechs move at a base Speed of 40’ 
  (120’) and always have an Armor Class of 5 thanks 
  to their metallic outer plating. 
   
  Research & Development: As the tech ability. 
   
  Repair Drone: As the tech’s “Master Crafts-
  man” ability. 
   
  Integrated Inventions: An auto-mech can build 
  up to 8 kg worth of gadgets, inventions, weapons, 
  or tools into its own body.  
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—WILDER, AWAKENED AUTOMATA 
   
   
  15 
   
   
  Clockwork Men 
  Clockwork men (which can be constructed as ei-
  ther soldiers or servants) are exactly what they 
  sound like—automatons made in the general 
  shape of a human being. Their personalities can be 
  as varied as their programming, but clockwork 
  soldiers tend to be both practical and brave, while 
  clockwork servants are apt to come off as fussy 
  and overly prim. Most clockwork servants are 
  originally created to serve as valets, butlers, cooks, 
  chambermaids, and the like; but an awakened 
  clockwork servant may become an expert in some 
  field or craft, perhaps even an artist or a diplomat. 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Clockwork men can advance as high as the 7th ex-
  perience level in either the clockwork soldier or 
  the clockwork servant class, depending on how 
  they have been built and programmed. A clock-
  work soldier has Valor and Wits for its prime req-
  uisites; a clockwork servant has Fortune and Wits. 
  All clockwork men have the following special 
  qualities: 
  CLOCKWORK SOLDIER EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Veteran 
  4 
  2nd  
  2,500 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Swordsman 5 
  3rd  
  5,000 
  16 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Duelist 
  5 
  4th  
  10,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Clockwork Hero 
  6 
  5th  
  20,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Clockwork Swshbcklr. 
  6 
  6th  
  40,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Clockwork Knight 
  7 
  7th  
  80,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Clockwork Champion 
  7 
   
  CLOCKWORK SERVANT EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Apprentice 6 
  2nd  
  2,000 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Journeyman 7 
  3rd  
  4,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Tradesman 8 
  4th  
  8,000 
  15 
  +1 
  7 
  Clockwork Expert 
  9 
  5th  
  16,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Clockwork Specialist 
  10 
  6th  
  32,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Clockwork Agent 
  11 
  7th  
  64,000 
  24  +3 
  9 
  Clockwork Operative 
  12 
   
   
   
  Automaton: A clockwork man is not a living 
  thing and does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or 
  sleep. Instead, a clockwork man must be wound 
  up at the start of each day by someone else, which 
  takes about half an hour (1 turn each to wind up 
  the clockwork man’s three basic internal systems: 
  motion, thought, and speech.) Clockwork men are 
  immune to gas-based attacks, poison and disease, 
  and any kind of sleep, charm, mind-affecting 
  magic, life-draining magic, or instant-death magic. 
  A clockwork man cannot drink potions and can-
  not be affected by healing magic, nor can it heal 
  with rest; if damaged, a clockwork man needs to 
  be repaired by an auto-mech or a mechanic. 
   
  Clockwork men cannot wear armor sized to fit 
  a human—their bodies are too bulky. A player 
  character clockwork man moves at a base Speed of 
  40’ (120’) and has an unarmored AC of either 6 
  (clockwork servant) or 4 (clockwork soldier) 
  thanks to its metallic exterior. 
   
  Clockwork Soldier: A clockwork soldier has the 
  “Quick March” and “Soldier On” fighter abilities. 
   
  Clockwork Servant: A clockwork servant has 
  the “Jack of All Trades,” “Ace in the Hole,” and 
  “Deuce’s Own Luck” rogue abilities. 
   
  Robot Replicants 
  Robot replicants are unusual for automata, in that 
  they are not entirely mechanical. Like a clockwork 
  man, a replicant is a machine that is intended to 
  look human, but a clockwork man only resembles 
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  16 
  a living thing superficially while still being very 
  obviously a machine. A replicant, though, has an 
  exterior that perfectly mimics the human form—
  because its exterior really is living flesh, with 
  blood and skin and hair overlaid on its metallic 
  endoskeleton. Replicants are created to act as 
  spies, infiltrators, or assassins, but they can also 
  serve as protectors and bodyguards. Unlike other 
  automata, replicants have the full range of organic 
  sensation—they can feel. In the strictest sense, a 
  replicant is actually a cyborg and not a mere au-
  tomaton, robot, or android. 
   
  ROBOT REPLICANT EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP 
  THB ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8+2 
  +1 
  7 
  Replicant Plant 
  6 
  2nd  
  3,000 
  11+3 
  +1 
  7 
  Replicant Mole 
  7 
  3rd  
  6,000 
  14+4 
  +1 
  7 
  Replicant Spy 
  8 
  4th  
  12,000 
  18+4 
  +3 
  7 
  Replicant Sleeper 
  9 
  5th  
  25,000 
  21+5 
  +3 
  9 
  Replicant Infiltrator 
  10 
  6th  
  50,000 
  24+6 
  +3 
  9 
  Replicant Terminator 11 
   
  Game Rule Information 
  Replicants can advance as high as 6th level in the 
  replicant class, which has three prime requisites: 
  Valor, Fortune, and Wits. Replicants have the fol-
  lowing special qualities: 
   
  Organic Exterior: A replicant is made with a 
  layer of living flesh concealing a metallic endo-
  skeleton. They are automata, but they are also 
  partly alive. Replicants need to eat, drink, and 
  breathe just like humans, but they do not sleep. 
  Replicants have two separate hit point pools: one 
  for their mechanical parts (80% of their hp total) 
  and one for their organic components (the remain-
  ing 20%). Damage to a replicant is always de-
  ducted from a replicant’s organic hit points first, 
  as flesh tears away and the metal skeleton beneath 
  is revealed. A replicant’s mechanical hit points 
  cannot be damaged by poison, gas-attacks, or life-
  draining magic. Replicants are immune to sleep, 
  charm, mind-affecting, and instant death magic. 
  Only a replicant’s organic hit points can be replen-
  ished by any sort of healing magic, including po-
  tions. A replicant’s mechanical hit points, if lost to 
  damage, cannot be healed with magic or rest and 
  must be restored by a mechanic making repairs.  
   
  Quick March: As the fighter ability. 
   
  Soldier On: As the fighter ability. Replicants 
  can use this ability to heal both their mechanical 
  hit points (jury-rigged self-repairs) and their or-
  ganic hit points (normal first aid). 
   
  Jack of All Trades: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Ace in the Hole: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Deuce’s Own Luck: As the rogue ability. 
   
  Made Men 
  The final category of playable characters in the 
  Gaia setting is also by far the rarest. Made men are 
  magical constructs, brought to life—true life, in 
  that they have souls and free will, despite their 
  lacking any internal biology—either intentionally 
  by the work of a wizard or spontaneously through 
  some freak magical accident. There are three types 
  of made man: straw men, which are soft-bodied 
  constructs like scarecrows or cotton-stuffed patch-
  work dolls; tin men, made from metal; and wicker 
  men, whose frames are constructed from wood 
  and bark. 
   
  STRAW MAN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
   
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Straw Collegiate 
  4+1 
  2nd  
  2,750 
  9 
  +1 
  7 
  Straw Baccalaureate 5+1 
  3rd  
  5,500 
  12  +1 
  7 
  Straw Master 
  5+2 
  4th  
  11,000 
  15 
  +1 
  7 
  Straw Doctor 
  6+2 
  5th  
  23,000 
  18 
  +3 
  9 
  Straw Fellow 
  6+2 
  6th  
  45,000 
  21 
  +3 
  9 
  Straw Professor 
  7+2 
  7th  
  90,000 
  24  +3 
  9 
  Straw Emeritus 
  7+3 
   
  TIN MAN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  8 
  +1 
  7 
  Tin Veteran 
  4 
  2nd  
  3,000 
  12 
  +1 
  7 
  Tin Swordsman 
  5 
  3rd  
  6,000 
  16 
  +1 
  7 
  Tin Duelist 
  5 
  4th  
  12,000 
  20 
  +3 
  7 
  Tin Hero 
  6 
  5th  
  25,000 
  24 
  +3 
  9 
  Tin Swashbuckler. 
  6 
  6th  
  50,000 
  28 
  +3 
  9 
  Tin Knight 
  7 
  7th  
  100,000 
  32  +6 
  9 
  Tin Champion 
  7 
   
  WICKER MAN EXPERIENCE LEVELS 
  LV 
  XP 
  HP THB 
  ST 
  Level Title 
  Skill Pips 
  1st  
  0 
  4 
  +1 
  7 
  Wicker Medium 
  4 
  2nd  
  3,000 
  6 
  +1 
  7 
  Wicker Seer 
  5 
  3rd  
  6,000 
  8  
  +1 
  7 
  Wicker Conjurer 
  5 
  4th  
  12,000 
  10 
  +1 
  7 
  Wicker Wizard 
  6 
  5th  
  25,000 
  12 
  +1 
  9 
  Wicker Enchanter 
  6 
  6th  
  50,000 
  14 
  +3 
  9 
  Wicker Warlock 
  7 
  7th  
  100,000 
  16  +3 
  9 
  Wicker Sorcerer 
  7 
   
   
  Game Rule Information 
  All made men are living magical constructs. They 
  do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, and 
  they cannot drink potions, nor can they heal hp 
  
  THE KINDREDS OF GAIA—MADE MEN 
   
   
  17 
  damage with rest or be healed by magic. If dam-
  aged, a made man must be physically repaired, 
  which will require fresh stuffing for a straw man, 
  the work of a tinsmith for a tin man, or some new 
  wooden limbs to be whittled and fresh bark to be 
  woven for a wicker man. Dispel Magic will not 
  destroy a made man, but Break Enchantment cer-
  tainly can. Made men are immune to poison, dis-
  ease, gas-based attacks, and sleep, charm, mind-
  affecting, life-draining, and instant-death magic. 
   
  Straw Men: Straw men can advance as high as 
  7th level in the straw man class, which has two 
  prime requisites, Wits and Presence. Straw men 
  advance as scholars: they have the scholar’s “Her-
  metic Magic-User,” “Linguist,” and “Learned in 
  Lore” class abilities. Straw men are thinkers, not 
  fighters: because they’re stuffed, they’re too weak 
  and clumsy to wear most kinds of armor (a straw 
  man is AC 10 naturally), and they inflict only half 
  damage with any weapons that they themselves 
  wield. On the other hand, straw men also take only 
  half damage from non-magical weapons. Unfortu-
  nately, straw men are highly flammable, suffering 
  a −4 penalty on all saves vs. 
  fire and taking double damage from flame. 
   
  Tin Men: Tin men can advance as high as 7th 
  level in the tin man class, which has two prime 
  requisites, Valor and Wits. Tin men advance as 
  fighters: they have the fighter’s “Quick March” 
  and “Soldier On” abilities. Tin men cannot wear 
  armor, but they have AC 4 naturally. Tin men are 
  extremely durable, taking only half damage from 
  fire and non-magical weapon attacks; but they 
  have a weakness. If a tin man is exposed to mois-
  ture for a turn or more, even in the form of mist or 
  snow, he may rust and become paralyzed until 
  someone oils his joints! 
   
  Wicker Men: Wicker men can advance as high 
  as 7th level in the wicker man class, which has two 
  prime requisites, Fortune and Presence. A wicker 
  man advances as a mage: wicker men have the 
  mage’s “Intuitive Magic-User” and “Deep Magic” 
  class abilities. Because they are made from wood, 
  wicker men take 1 fewer point of damage per die 
  from cold and from hits with non-magical weap-
  ons. However, they are −2 to save against fire and 
  increase the amount of damage they take from 
  flame by 1 point per die. 
    
   
  
  PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RULES 
   
   
  18 
  
   
   
  19 
   
   
   
  PART TWO: 
  OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
  TO DESCRIBE an entire world, consideration 
  must be given to such diverse topics as history, 
  geography, astronomy, and culture. In the limited 
  space available here, only the barest outline of the 
  world called Gaia can be presented. It will be up 
  to referees to make this world their own and to 
  breathe some life into it!  
   
  This chapter provides a framework on which 
  to base a campaign set in Gaia, but the gaps which 
  need filling in are many and vast—hopefully, they 
  leave plenty of room for your own creativity. And, 
  of course, the material found here can always be 
  used as nothing more than inspiration for your 
  own, entirely different gaslamp fantasy settings. 
   
  We shall begin, then, by treating the most vital 
  subject first: the lengthy and oft-hidden ancient 
  history of the world called Gaia. 
   
  The Elder Days  
  (before 25,000 years ago) 
  Although scientists prefer to use a word like “pre-
  history” to describe these distant times, the elves 
  and the fays still speak of them as the “Elder 
  Days,” or as the “Time Before the Counting of the 
  Ages.” Yet, the fact remains: none who now live 
  on Gaia were alive to witness this era. Even the 
  fays, who call themselves Gaia’s first children, 
  cannot reach so far back into their kindred’s an-
  cient memory. 
   
  Archæologists have only been able to piece to-
  gether a bare skeleton of the story. They have ac-
  complished this much by translating stone 
  inscriptions, hieroglyphs, and ancient Sidhe texts 
  of unspeakable antiquity. The best estimates of 
  sages and scientists have placed the earliest sur-
  viving inscriptions at thirty thousand years of age, 
  but they may very well be twice that old or more.  
   
  Pictographs and hieroglyphs depict a race of 
  people, very similar in form to men, elves, and 
  fays; but even the best-preserved pictograms are 
  never detailed enough to discern much more than 
  that. Nobody knows just what these people might 
  have properly called themselves, but for the sake 
  of simple convenience, scientists label them “the 
  Ancients.” Nobody knows where the Ancients 
  came from or for how long their civilization per-
  sisted, but it seems likely to have spanned all of 
  Gaia at its peak.  
   
  The very earliest glyphs, those which might 
  be as old as fifty to sixty thousand years, depict a 
  sort of sundering or division of the Ancients into 
  two tribes: those who remained on Gaia and those 
  who left Gaia. The pictograms seem to show the 
  departing Ancients traveling away in a saucer-
  shaped vessel, heading towards a distant sun or 
  star. Whether this is myth or fact, none can tell. 
   
   
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  20 
  But after this time, the Ancients who did remain 
  to dwell on Gaia blossomed into a widespread 
  and very advanced civilization. 
   
  The Ancients built what we might call an en-
  lightened civilization. Magic and science were as 
  one to them. Over thousands of years, they came 
  to control matter and energy, time and space, and 
  even life and death. But then something terrible 
  happened. At a date which we can estimate to be 
  perhaps twenty-five thousand years ago, one of 
  the Ancients took it upon himself to create the 
  mightiest life-forms imaginable, and he went too 
  far. The Ancient texts only refer to this scientist by 
  the name of “Zudos.” 
   
  Zudos, it seemed, was a maker of weapons. At 
  first, he built automata which were entirely me-
  chanical. Then he engineered mutated monsters 
  which were entirely biological (including one re-
  portedly horrid species which the Ancient texts do 
  not describe in any sort of detail, but which they 
  name “Trrskw”). This Zudos may very well be re-
  sponsible for the existence of most creatures 
  which are nowadays called “monsters.” But his 
  most unforgivable crime was to create something  
  unstoppable, something which was neither ma-
  chine nor beast, but partially both. This cybernetic 
  horror was called the Weapon of Zudos, though 
  some surviving Ancient writings also call it the 
  Weapon of Mu. The Weapon rampaged uncon-
  trollably across the face of Gaia and caused untold 
  destruction. 
    
  The other Ancients banded together to fight 
  against the Weapon. Eventually they did succeed, 
  but the Weapon of Zudos had been created from 
  indestructible stuff. All that the Ancients could 
  hope to do was seal the Weapon away for all time, 
  and this they did amidst the devastated ruins of 
  the great center of their civilization. The Weapon 
  was banished beneath the land of Mu (hence the 
  Weapon’s other name, and hence the fact that Mu 
  remains, to this day, an uninhabitable wasteland 
  populated only by diseased and mutated mon-
  sters). The whole face of Gaia had been burned 
  and blasted by this war, but the Ancients’ favored 
  land of Mu had fared the worst. Its loss marked 
  the fall of their once-mighty civilization.  
   
  To pay for his vile crimes, Zudos had to be 
  imprisoned. (Perhaps the Ancients were a people  
  
  HISTORY OF GAIA—THE ELDER DAYS AND THE FIRST AGE 
   
   
  21 
  too enlightened to execute one of their own; but 
  then again, perhaps it simply wasn’t possible for 
  them to end Zudos’s life.) To accomplish this feat, 
  a sealing of far greater difficulty and magnitude, 
  the Ancients created a second moon in orbit 
  around Gaia. Gaia already had one natural satel-
  lite: a lifeless rock called Phoebe. The Ancients 
  created the moon Selene, which to this day circles 
  the planet in a wider orbit than Phoebe’s, and 
  which looks like a smooth and featureless orb of 
  blue when seen through a telescope from the sur-
  face of Gaia. The Ancients did this for the sole 
  purpose of imprisoning Zudos, who now lan-
  guishes within the lunar core. Then, to guard the 
  prison, the Ancients created a life-form called the 
  “Behemoth”: an immense and platinum-scaled 
  dragon that lives upon Selene and is said to guard 
  the seal of Zudos to this very day.  
   
  After that, the Ancients left Gaia. They broke 
  free of the bonds of the terrestrial world and 
  went… elsewhere. Nobody knows if they joined 
  their brethren who had left Gaia at the dawn of 
  the Ancients’ civilization. But the fact remains that 
  they disappeared entirely, leaving few marks of 
  their civilization behind except for a scant few in-
  scriptions and artifacts; and the moon Selene, 
  along with its guardian, the lunar Behemoth. 
   
  The First Age  
  (24,000–13,000 years ago) 
  On Gaia, life slowly recovered. The green, grow-
  ing things spread back across the land. Every-
  where except the blasted and irradiated land of 
  Mu, things returned to normal. And then, about 
  twenty-four thousand years ago, a new people 
  arose—living first on the continent of Lemuria, 
  and then spreading everywhere else. These folk 
  were the Sidhe. They had come into Gaia by acci-
  dent from another dimension on the Etheric Plane, 
  the realm of Faerie; but after they settled Lemuria, 
  they quickly came to forget their true origins and 
  now believed themselves to be the heirs (either the 
  direct descendants or the special creations) of the 
  Ancients. The transplanted Sidhe led a primitive 
  existence at first: simple lives in harmony with na-
  ture, lacking any sort of advanced technology. As 
  millennia passed, the Sidhe made many discover-
  ies, and chief among these was the magical art of 
  sorcery. This practice catapulted the Sidhe from 
  barbarism back into a state of civilization, but it 
  would prove their undoing.  
   
  For ten thousand years, the immortal Sidhe 
  ruled Gaia alone. But Zudos still watched his old 
  world from within the depths of the blue moon 
  Selene. His body was bound within the lunar core, 
  but his mind could still reach out to the people on 
  the planet below. As the Sidhe grew in power and 
  sought more and more Ancient knowledge, Zudos 
  sensed that his time would soon be at hand. 
   
  There arose among the Sidhe two great wiz-
  ards. One, Myrddin, was a good sorcerer who 
  sought the knowledge of the Ancients to keep his 
  own people from repeating the Ancients’ mis-
  takes. The other, Namtar, was weak-willed and 
  power-hungry. He was the ideal pawn for Zudos, 
  and so the mind of Zudos took him, possessed 
  him, corrupted him, and bent him utterly to his 
  will. Namtar listened as the very knowledge of 
  Zudos was whispered directly into his mind, and 
  he began to experiment.  
   
   
  First, he played with life and death. He cre-
  ated many foul monsters, both living and dead. 
  Namtar came to hold a particular fascination with 
  death and disease. He created the first undead 
  monsters—all kinds, from ghouls to vampires—
  and he invented new and cursed diseases, like 
  mummy rot. As his knowledge grew, he sought to 
  create greater beasts, and this led him to even 
  deeper depravity. His own wife, a Sidhe witch 
  named Lilitu, he took and transformed into a six-
  armed, serpent-tailed devil-beast—the Marilith. 
  Another Sidhe, a follower of his by the name of 
  Dagon, he changed into a gigantic sea-monster 
  with the form of a great squid—the Kraken. At 
  last, when Namtar felt that his knowledge was 
  complete, he sought to create a life-form that 
  could even rival the Behemoth or the Weapon in 
  power—and he created the seven-headed dragon-
  fiend called Tiamat. But this undertaking, this feat 
  of evil, was so draining that even the immortal life 
  of a Sidhe was consumed by it. And so, in order to 
  preserve his existence, Namtar had to give himself 
  over into his most beloved invention—undeath—
  and he became the first Lich Lord.  
   
  The Four Fiends—Namtar, the Lich-King; 
  Lilitu, the Marilith; Dagon, the Kraken; and 
  Tiamat, the Dragon with Seven Heads—rose up 
  and led Namtar’s monstrous and undead leg-ons 
  on a rampage across the face of Gaia. The other 
  Sidhe, led by Myrddin, fought back. But it soon  
   
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  22 
  became apparent that they could not defeat the 
  Four Fiends on their own. So they turned to their 
  sorcery for help. First, the Sidhe tried to create 
  their own allies. They awakened the trees to create 
  the spirit-beings known as leshies, and these were 
  mighty allies indeed, but still they were no match 
  for the Four Fiends. So Myrddin enacted a great 
  spell which was meant to call for help—to call out 
  beyond the bounds of the world. It was Myrddin’s 
  great hope that his spell would reach the ears of 
  gods themselves, the lost Ancients, wherever they 
  were, and bring them back to Gaia to save its peo-
  ple in their hour of direst need. But this did not 
  happen.  
   
  Instead, other folk began appearing on Gaia, 
  transported through mysterious Gates that the 
  Ancients had left behind, Gates unwittingly awak-
  ened by the magic of Myrddin. The High Elves 
  came first, and then the goblins and the ogres, the 
  gnomes and the háin, and also the fauns and cen-
  taurs and harpies and merrows. The Fair Folk ap-
  peared, angry and confused at first; but soon 
  enough, they witnessed the plight of the sorely-
  pressed Sidhe and their leshy allies, and they 
  agreed to join the fight. With all of this combined 
  might, now the Allies at last posted a real threat to 
  Lich-King and his Fiends. The elves, in particular, 
  were something new and special. They possessed 
  a kind of magic which was not sorcery. Indeed, 
  they were able weave the ether directly, and this 
  white wizardry was like a bane to all of Namtar’s 
  unnatural monsters.  
   
  Namtar grew fascinated with the elves; he 
  captured a great many of them. He worked his 
  evil experiments upon them, and thus from the 
  elves came the draugish species and the Dark Fae 
  called the “Sluagh.” Leshies, too, he captured and 
  combined with living stone, creating the first 
  trolls. Then, by breeding all of these new species 
  together in his horrid genetic experiments, from 
  trolls and draugs and common beasts he created 
  the many breeds of shadowspawn. 
   
  The Great Alliance now fought back against 
  Namtar’s hordes on an almost even footing, and 
  the monsters were pushed eastward, altogether 
  out of Arcadia, all the way to Tuonela in the east. 
  It was around this time that Myrddin discovered a 
  new kind of artifact left behind by the Ancients, 
  something called “Fingers of Light.” Myrddin 
  joined forces with the leader of the High Elves, a 
  warrior-queen called Nimuël, along with her  
  twelve bravest knights; and he led them on a long 
  and arduous quest to recover the Fingers of Light. 
  Nobody alive today knows precisely what the Fin-
  gers of Light were, let alone how they worked. But 
  once they were assembled, the Fingers summoned 
  forth something holy and mighty, and Namtar 
  and all his ilk were finished. They were banished 
  from the face of Gaia and cast deep into the 
  planet’s core, sealed within the deepest place of 
  the world, just as Zudos had been banished to the 
  core of the far moon.  
   
  The war left Gaia broken once again, and the 
  time of the Sidhe was truly over. Now the world 
  was irrevocably changed. The Sidhe had to share 
  their planet with leshies, elves, goblins, gnomes, 
  ogres, hánfolk, centaurs, merrows, shadowspawn, 
  trolls, draugs, and others. Each kindred wanted its 
  own piece of the world to live in, and they all vied 
  for dominion. More war was inevitable. 
   
  But Myrddin had more pressing concerns. He 
  worried that Namtar and his three fiendish co-
  horts might one day break the bonds of their 
  prison and escape. Therefore, to prevent this, he 
  used all of his great knowledge of the Ancients 
  and their works to create life. He engineered a be-
  ing which would rival the Behemoth in power and 
  goodness. This was the Leviathan, which Myrddin 
  placed in the ocean’s deepest trench as an eternal 
  guardian over the tomb of the Four Fiends. But as 
  with Namtar’s creation of Tiamat, this was a feat 
  beyond the ken of any one Sidhe, and it drained 
  Myrddin’s immortal life away completely. Moreo-
  ver, Myrddin was no Ancient, whose power was 
  like unto the gods; he was a mere Fae, a spirit 
  from Faerie. Lacking the wisdom of the Ancients, 
  he knew not what fate his spells and rituals would 
  bring about—and he never would. The very act of 
  creating the Leviathan caused Myrddin to fall into 
  a deep and unbreakable slumber (within a Crystal 
  Cave in the Uttermost West, according to legend), 
  where he would be compelled to sleep outside of 
  time itself for the rest of eternity. But as for the 
  rest of his people—the whole of his kind, every 
  last Sidhe on the face of Gaia—they were affected 
  too. Their immortality was drained away, thereby 
  reducing them to their present state of mortality. 
  Their lifespans still numbered in the centuries, but 
  they were no longer truly Sidhe. Now they had 
  become something else: the kindred which today 
  calls itself “the children of the Sidhe.” They had 
  become the fays. 
   
  
  HISTORY OF GAIA—THE SECOND AND THIRD AGES 
   
   
  23 
   
   
  The Second Age  
  (24,000–13,000 years ago) 
  The eldar—the High Elves—believed themselves 
  to be the wisest and fairest of all the beings now 
  living on Gaia, and they very quickly rose to dom-
  inance. They made fast friends of the goblins, but 
  the other kindreds did not fare so well under elfin 
  dominion. The centaurs and the hánfolk were 
  practically enslaved, and the fays were especially 
  blamed for all the evils of the past Age. As the 
  elves swept across Arcadia, the fays were forced 
  to flee into the Uttermost West, to the remote 
  lands of Lemuria and Tollan. In Arcadia, the elves 
  built a mighty empire, and all the other peoples of 
  Gaia were beholden unto them.  
   
  The Second Age, the Age of Elvendom, was 
  relatively peaceful. But for the odd rebellion or 
  uprising, nothing could have challenged the 
  power of the elves. For a full five thousand years, 
  the elves and goblins and other kindreds remade 
  the world in their image. (The elves, the goblins, 
  and all the other kindreds were named “fairies” 
  by the fays—because they are “fay-like” but for-
  eign. In Arcadia, this word carries with it roughly 
  the same sense that “humanoid” holds for us.)  
   
  But then, about eight thousand years ago, 
  something strange happened. In the year 4,327 of 
  the Second Age, one of the Gates of the Ancients 
  opened at random, and a new being came 
  through, one unlike all of the others.  
   
  The Old Elfish texts are difficult to read on 
  this subject, because they are many and conflict-
  ing. According to some accounts, the man who ap-
  peared was called “The Urther,” while others say 
  he was called “the Terran.” At least one text (be-
  lieved to be of gnomish origin) names him “Bill,” 
  although this text is probably apocryphal. But all 
  the writings are clear on one point: the newcomer 
  belonged to a new kindred called “human,” and 
  he claimed to have come to Gaia from another 
  world called “Urth.” (The famously suspect Old 
  Gnomish text says that the human came from 
  strange and mysterious universe called “Shika-
  gau.”)  
   
  The mysterious Urther first appeared in Ava-
  lon, and he became a great hero there. He led the 
  uprising against Meliora, the Empress of the 
  Elves, and he helped to topple her tyrannical reign 
  over Arcadia. What was more, he traveled into the 
  Uttermost West and brought back the fays, includ-
  ing their chieftain of old, Myrddin—whom he 
  somehow managed to awaken from a slumber 
  that should have been eternal. Eventually, the he-
  roic Urther of Shikagau disappeared, but in his 
  wake he left behind a changed Arcadia. The Elfin 
  Empire was broken; and a fay woman, Morrigan 
  by name, became queen in Avalon. Within an-
  other scant couple of centuries, the Age of Elven-
  dom would come to an end for good.  
   
  The Third Age  
  (6,000–1,900 years ago) 
  Several centuries after the disappearance of the 
  human hero called the Urther, many more of his 
  species appeared on the continent called Atlantis. 
  These humans seemed to be a different breed. 
  Whereas the Urther had been a noble hero of un-
  fathomable strength, a wise scholar, and a mighty 
  magician, these new humans were naught but bar-
  barians. They sailed forth into many realms and 
  conquered all that they could with primitive 
  weapons of bronze and iron. They became strong-
  est in the lands south and east of Arcadia, where 
  they built many vast but short-lived empires that 
  seemed to rise and fall as quickly as these short-
  lived humans could be born and die.  
   
  It was in this era that Zudos once again sensed 
  an opportunity, for the humans practiced sorcery, 
  and they were easily corrupted. From their own 
  realm, wherever that had been, the humans had 
  brought a new kind of magic—“faith”—which 
  seemed to flow from their belief in distant, invisi-
  ble gods. But the humans could also learn wiz-
  ardry and sorcery, and they sought power above 
  all else. This stroke of unlikely good fortune 
  pleased Zudos greatly.  
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  24 
   
  In the country of Mephret, now a part of the 
  land of Amarna, there arose a great magician 
  called Apep, or Apophis. He became so powerful 
  that he deposed the Pharaoh and took command 
  of all the armies in the land. The shadowspawn 
  and the trolls once again multiplied in Tuonela, 
  and they came south to answer the summons of 
  Apophis, who was indeed possessed by Zudos. 
  Apophis sent emissaries into the north, into the 
  kingdoms of Arcadia, to try and sway fairy rulers 
  to join his side. Some accepted; others refused. 
  The great fay wizard Myrddin (for indeed, though 
  restored to life, he was now a mere mortal) wan-
  dered everywhere in those days to try and work 
  against Apophis—sometimes in fairy lands, and at 
  other times in human lands, where he would often 
  disguise himself as an old human by the name of 
  Ambrose. Myrddin tried to prevent the lords of 
  the fairies and the humans from accepting the 
  cursed gifts of Apophis’s evil emissaries, warning 
  that they would bring only misfortune and evil.  
   
  Then Apophis sought to do the unthinkable: 
  he tried to rouse the Four Fiends from their prison 
  within Gaia. Fortunately, the Leviathan proved 
  too great an obstacle for even Apophis overcome; 
  but still he was not to be dissuaded. Though the 
  Fiends’ bodies were trapped deep within the 
  world, the spirit of Namtar was only bound to its 
  physical form by black magic, for he was a lich. 
  Apophis used dark spells, whispered from the far 
  moon by Zudos, to transfer the consciousness of 
  Namtar into a mummified human corpse, thereby 
  freeing the Lich-King from his prison. For his due 
  reward, Apophis was promptly slain and made 
  into a lich himself, a mere puppet in Namtar’s 
  thrall. So too were all of Apophis’s lesser acolytes 
  then murdered and made into mummies and sah-
  hotep mummy-priests. And as for all those lords 
  and warriors who had accepted gifts from the foul 
  sorcerer, they were suddenly transformed into 
  spectres and revenants.  
   
  The armies of the Lich-King marched against 
  Arcadia, and all seemed lost. But Myrddin gath-
  ered friends together and forged a great alliance 
  between elves, goblins, ogres, centaurs, and men. 
  The Second Great Alliance beat back Namtar once 
  again. Apophis’s magic had required a phylactery 
  to keep Namtar's spirit alive in his new body, and 
  when this item was destroyed, the Fiend was cast 
  back into the depths, never again to rise in living 
  
  HISTORY OF GAIA—THE THIRD AND FOURTH AGES 
   
   
  25 
  memory. But he left behind a foul legacy: Namtar 
  had created the more advanced species of ’spawn, 
  like the durlocks and bugganes, some of which 
  could be made not to fear the sunlight as trolls 
  and lesser shdaowspawn do. 
   
  Peace returned to the world once more, for an-
  other five thousand years. In the millennia that 
  followed the Second Great War, a new empire 
  rose to ascendency: a human empire, ruled over 
  by a conqueror named Alexander. The lands of Il-
  lyria, Amarna, and Eden were united under his 
  mighty banner and administrated from his capital 
  at Olympia. It was an empire the likes of which 
  Gaia had not seen since Elvendom in Avalon. But 
  the Alexandrine Empire was not to last forever—
  nothing ever does—and its fall marked the end of 
  the Age. 
   
  The Fourth Age  
  (1,835 years ago to present) 
  Approximately 1,850 years ago, on the peninsula 
  of Elysium, a general who went by the name of 
  Julius Dracus—history says that he claimed to be 
  the son of a firedrake—united his homeland into 
  single state, and then he spread outward from 
  there and steadily began conquering neighboring 
  lands. One by one, surrounding countries fell to 
  the march of Dracus, who then declared himself 
  Emperor of Elysium. Eventually, even the great 
  city of Olympia fell, and the Alexandrine Empire 
  was thereby absorbed into the new and growing 
  Elysian Empire. This new empire was to last for 
  five centuries, although it did eventually collapse 
  under its own weight. This collapse left most of 
  Arcadia reeling in darkness and ignorance.  
   
  But during the Ninth Century of the Fourth 
  Age, a minor renaissance of a sort took place in 
  the gnomish country of Utopia. A feudal lord of 
  gnomes called Carolus Minor (that is, “Charles the 
  Small”) began uniting various duchies and princi-
  palities into a single kingdom. This would one 
  day become the nation-state of Utopia, and it 
  would set the standard for other lands throughout 
  the medieval period of the Fourth Age. In the 
  Twelfth Century, Avalon united under the crown 
  of the fay King Tristram, whose daughter Maeve 
  (who would herself ascend to the throne in the 
  Sixteenth Century) was to become the greatest 
  monarch in all of Arcadian history. Other lands 
  followed suit, and by the time the Nineteenth 
  Century arrives, even the fragmented countries 
  Midjard and Elysia now seem ready to unite into 
  modern, centralized nation-states… 
   
  The Geography of Gaia 
  Gaia is the third planet out from a star called He-
  lios. The Helion System is structured similarly to 
  our own: there are four rocky inner planets and 
  four gaseous outer planets. The inner planets, 
  moving outward from the sun, are called Hermes, 
  Aphrodite, Gaia, and Ares. The outer planets are 
  Zeus, Chronos, Uranos, and Poseidon. Until very 
  recently, Chronos was the most distant planet 
  known to Gaians, since that is the farthest planet 
  which can be seen with the naked eye. Uranos and 
  Poseidon were both discovered and named by 
  modern astronomers just within the last century, 
  due to the invention of the telescope during the 
  Elysian Renaissance of the Fifteenth Century.  
   
  All of the planets from Gaia outward have sat-
  ellite bodies of their own—moons. Gaia herself 
  has two moons, which are called Phoebe and Se-
  lene. Phoebe, the nearer moon, is all but identical 
  to Earth’s moon in the real world: clearly lifeless, 
  it shines silvery-yellow in the night sky but dis-
  plays lowlands, mountains, and craters when ob-
  served through a telescope. Selene, the farther 
  moon, resembles a tiny version of Uranos, blue in 
  color, but perfectly smooth and featureless. 
  Whereas Phoebe both rotates and revolves at the 
  same speed, and therefore always presents only 
  one face to Gaia at all times, Selene’s period of ro-
  tation cannot be determined from observing its 
  unmarked surface. Selene’s revolutionary period 
  is also significantly longer than Phoebe’s: Selene 
  completes a full orbit about Gaia precisely once 
  every 91 days, while Phoebe will go through all of 
  its phases every 28 days (which is of course the 
  basis of the Gaian month). A year on Gaia is ex-
  actly 364 days (and there are no leap years). Thus, 
  in the span of one year, Phoebe orbits Gaia pre-
  cisely thirteen times and Selene completes four or-
  bits in perfect sync with both Gaia and Phoebe. 
   
  The planet Ares is only known to have one 
  moon, which is called Thanatos. Thanatos is likely 
  to be nothing but a small and lifeless rock, but sci-
  entists are not so sure about Ares itself. When ob-
  served through a telescope, Ares appears to be 
  blue and green and swirled with white cloud-
  cover. The possibility is quite strong that life 
  thrives there! 
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  26 
   
  In between the orbits of Ares and Zeus, there 
  are a small number of “minor planets,” all of 
  which share approximately the same orbit and re-
  volve about the sun at about the same speed. 
  There is no diffuse belt of asteroids beyond the or-
  bit of Ares: just three or four known minor plan-
  ets. “Three or four” is the number most often 
  cited, because the fourth such body discovered by 
  modern astronomers may or may not be counted 
  as a planet at all. The first three objects, known as 
  Hera, Demeter, and Hestia, are all clearly small 
  planets of solid, rocky constitution and spherical 
  shape. But the fourth object, which is called the 
  Athena Cloud, is a cluster of rocks and debris 
  which are all gravitationally bound together, and 
  which therefore orbit the sun as a single body—a 
  mass of incoherent planetary matter spanning 
  some twenty-thousand miles in diameter. It is 
  probable that the Athena Cloud was once a solid 
  minor planet which was then obliterated by a col-
  lision with a comet or some other body. 
   
  The four “gas giant” outer planets all have 
  some dozens of moons, and ring systems of ice 
  and dust as well. The natures and characteristics 
  of these outer bodies are largely a mystery to 
  Gaian folk. Speculation is also rampant about 
  what might exist beyond the orbit of Poseidon: is 
  there a mysterious ninth planet which remains to 
  be discovered? Nobody knows. But astronomers 
  have been able to determine, at least, that the 
  strange, elliptical orbits of comets do take them far 
  out beyond Poseidon’s orbit. Comets, therefore, 
  are the most distant objects in the Helion System 
  known to Gaian astronomers.  
   
  Beyond the Helion System, the people of Gaia 
  are now for the most part aware that the other 
  stars which are visible in the night sky are distant 
  suns which might have planets of their own orbit-
  ing them. However, the state of astronomy on 
  Gaia is not yet sufficiently advanced that they 
  have deduced the shape or character of the galaxy 
  to which Helios belongs, let alone the notion that 
  other galaxies exist in the universe. These discov-
  eries are, however, likely to be less than a century 
  away. 
   
  Returning, then, to Gaia herself, she is what 
  one might call an utterly typical “M-Class” planet: 
  nitrogen–oxygen atmosphere, three-quarters sur-
  face water, and overall ideally suited for carbon-
  based life as we know it. The surface of Gaia is 
  dominated by four oceans (the Dysic, the Notonic, 
  the Anatolic, and the Boreic) and by five major 
  landmasses: the continents of Mu, Atlantis, Tollan, 
  Lemuria, and Edenia. 
   
  Mu covers much of Gaia’s southern hemi-
  sphere. This barren, irradiated wasteland might be 
  considered uninhabitable, but for the mutated 
  monsters that dwell there. Adventurers who make 
  the attempt to explore this continent only seldom 
  return to tell about it. 
  
  GEOGRAPHY OF GAIA 
   
   
  27 
   
  Atlantis is a peculiar continent, shaped like a 
  swirl or a spiral, set almost precisely on the equa-
  tor in the middle of the Dysic Ocean. Legends still 
  persist that Atlantis is composed of three concen-
  tric rings of land, but these legends are false: it is a 
  single landmass which happens to have a shallow, 
  spiral-shaped channel of seawater cutting into the 
  center of it. The inhabitants of Atlantis are human, 
  highly advanced, and extremely isolationistic. 
  They tolerate no visitors; brook no contact with 
  the outside world; shoot before asking questions; 
  take no prisoners; and give no quarter. Therefore, 
  Atlantis is an unknown quantity to outsiders. Air-
  ships from Arcadia do not survive flying near its 
  well-defended coastlines. 
   
  Tollan might be considered a jungle continent: 
  it is almost completely covered by rain forest, 
  though grassy plains are present on its southern 
  edge, and high, rocky mountains run along its 
  northern shore. For nearly four centuries now, the 
  whole continent of Tollan has been under the con-
  trol of the Hesperian Empire, and the native peo-
  ples—which are mainly fays and humans—have 
  been subjected to the rule of Hesperian humans.  
   
  Lemuira is a continent which was once almost 
  entirely peopled by fays—at least, prior to the in-
  cursions of the elves during the Second Age. Dur-
  ing that time, the Elfin Empire established several 
  colonies on the eastern coast of Lemuria, but these 
  were all destroyed in the wars that brought about 
  the end of the Second Age. After that, in the Third 
  Age, when humans came to power in Arcadia, 
  Lemuria was mostly forgotten. Late in the Fourth 
  Age, though, a great movement for exploration 
  swept through the Arcadian peoples, and Lemuria 
  was rediscovered. What they found was a lush, 
  verdant continent of forests and plains and majes-
  tic mountains, inhabited by various tribes of all 
  kindreds, including humans, though all of them 
  subsisted at an approximately Stone-Age level of 
  technology. Avalon and Utopia were quick to 
  plant new colonies here, and Avalon once again 
  came to control the eastern coast of the continent, 
  just as it had done two Ages ago. Utopia, mean-
  while, managed to secure much of the continental 
  interior, especially in the north. But during the 
  Eighteenth Century of the Fourth Age, Avalon’s 
  Colonies determined that they wanted independ-
  ence and self-rule. They petitioned the Parliament 
  in Annwn, and to avoid a war, Queen Maeve of 
  Avalon granted the colonies formal independence 
  —although they do remain a Dominion under the 
  protection of the Avalonian crown. This region is 
  known today as the Lemurian Federation, and it is 
  made of up several small political entities which 
  are nominally republics. As for the Utopian terri-
  tories, which have been named “Arborea,” they 
  remain firmly under the control of Utopia’s dicta-
  torial Emperor, François Biendit. 
   
  Edenia, the largest single landmass on Gaia, is 
  divided into several smaller subcontinents. Arca-
  dia is the focus of this text; it is generally said to 
  include the attendant islands of Hesperia, Avalon, 
  and Tirnanog. The other regions include Tuonela 
  (a wilderness controlled by the ’spawn); Amarna 
  (a desert region which has characteristics of our 
  Egypt and Arabia); Eden (a crossroads of a land 
  which resembles Turkey and Persia, and which in 
  ancient times was called “Edenia Minor”—it has 
  lent its name to the larger continent of Edenia); 
  Shambala (which culturally resembles our India 
  and Tibet); Jianghu (which means “the land of riv-
  ers and lakes,” and which resembles Imperial 
  China); and last but certainly not least, the myste-
  rious region called Draconia. “Draconia” is merely 
  a shorthand for this country’s proper name, which 
  is “Draconia Gæa Vomica,” or the “Cursed Land 
  Draconia.” Draconia is surrounded on all sides by 
  mountains so high that no airship can fly over 
  them. These mountains are said to be inhabited by 
  the fiercest dragons imaginable: the black-scaled, 
  acid-spiting murkwyrms. What lies beyond, none 
  can say, though most people imagine that it must 
  be a terrible, blighted country if it is indeed ruled 
  by these evil dragons.  
   
  Apart from the continents, there are also sev-
  eral large islands of note. On the southern shore of 
  Lemuria, an archipelago of islands sweeps out 
  around the Caliban Sea. The Caliban Islands have 
  long been a prime haunt for pirates, buccaneers, 
  swashbucklers, and other salty sea-dog types. On 
  the other side of the world, between the Anatolic 
  and Dysic Oceans, there sit two large islands, one 
  just about on the equator and the other south of it. 
  The southerly island is called Mana Island; its 
  people are said to be among the happiest and 
  friendliest in the world, and their home is beauti-
  ful and bountiful. The northerly island is called 
  Tabu Island; it is rumored to be a truly terrible 
  place, haunted by some of the strongest monsters 
  in all the world, and it is believed to hide some 
  horrible secret. Lastly, there are three large islands 
  in the north Dysic Ocean, set between Lemuira 
  and Arcadia. The largest of these is Jøtunheim, the 
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  28 
  home of the stone giants. The centermost island is 
  Muspellheim, the home of fire, a land of cinders 
  and volcanic ash. And shaped like a five-pointed 
  star is Neifelheim, the home of frost, a strange and 
  frigid island where the cold wells up from the 
  very ground beneath. 
   
  Arcadia in the Fourth Age 
  The history of Arcadia since the start of the Fourth 
  Age has been strangely parallel to that of Europe. 
  The first Emperor of Elysium, Julius Dracus, was a 
  great conqueror: he not only subdued the entire 
  Elysian peninsula, he also brought most of Utopia 
  and Illyria under the thumb of his empire. But his 
  son and successor, Octavius Dracus, was the 
  greatest of the Elysian emperors, and the start of 
  his reign marks the year 1 of the Fourth Age. Un-
  der Octavius, the Empire expanded to include the 
  rest of Utopia, much of Amarna and Edenia Mi-
  nor, and Hesperia as well. The third and fourth 
  emperors, Tertian and Thadrian, were also per-
  fectly respectable expansionists: Tertian subdued 
  Sylvania and tried to do the same in Midjard (but 
  never succeeded), while Thadrian made inroads 
  into Avalon but never managed the foothold on 
  Tirnanog that he’d wished for. 
   
  During the reign of the First Four Emperors, 
  the power of Elysium was unchallenged, and 
  these imperial monarchs ruled from their capital 
  city, Cælestium (which is today called Celesce in 
  the modern parlance of Elysia). But after the reign 
  of Thadrian, the empire began to decline. There 
  were good emperors and bad emperors; but for 
  the most part, the empire was simply too big to 
  maintain, either militarily or financially. And 
  then, during the Fifth Century, the whole thing 
  collapsed altogether. 
   
  In the era that followed—now commonly 
  known as the Dark Ages—fairy folk from the 
  northern kingdoms swept south and conquered 
  most of the former Elysian provinces; but in doing 
  so, they also came to lord over vast numbers of 
  human subjects, and the fairy peoples began to ab-
  sorb and imitate human models of culture, law, 
  and government. There was also rather a lot of in-
  termarriage between humans and fairies during 
  this time, and in most of the southern kingdoms, it 
  wasn’t very long at all before some human son or 
  grandson of an elfin or goblin king would inherit 
  the throne. Humans inevitably returned to power 
  in the south again, simply because there were so 
  many more of them. Nevertheless, to this day, 
  royal families in Hesperia and the Elysian princi-
  palities still proudly point to elves or fays or gob-
  lins in their ancestral genealogies. 
   
  During the Dark Ages, Arcadia was divided 
  up into innumerable small kingdoms, but a move-
  ment occurred in the Ninth Century under the 
  auspices of the gnomish king of Rolandeaux, a re-
  gion in northern Utopia. This king, by the name of 
  Carolus Minor (or, as the modern Utopians nowa-
  days remember him, Charlemin), managed to 
  unite many small Utopian duchies and kingdoms 
  into a single feudal entity—the very first inkling 
  of a modern nation-state. In the Twelfth Century, 
  a fay king by the name of Tristram managed to do 
  much the same thing on the Island of Avalon. This 
  period—the height of the Middle Ages—was 
  marked by the tumultuous practice of state-build-
  ing, as the most powerful monarchs in each land 
  scrambled to conquer or win the fealty of their 
  neighbors. Some kings and queens were very suc-
  cessful; others, in places like Elysium and 
  Midjard, weren’t so much. 
   
  The Fifteenth Century could be said to mark 
  the end of the Middle Ages, since this is when the 
  many and sundry little duchies and republics of 
  Elysium began to show signs of a second great re-
  birth of culture, a Renaissance. Art, philosophy, 
  magic, and scholarship all saw a great resurgence 
  in this time. Over the next few centuries, authors 
  and artists created the greatest works in history; 
  natural philosophers observed nature and laid the 
  groundwork for modern science; and wizards and 
  sages rediscovered many powerful magical rituals 
  which had been lost since the Third Age. During 
  this time, Arcadians also began to explore the 
  world with sailing ships, laying the foundations 
  for future empires. 
   
  In the Eighteenth Century, an Age of Enlight-
  enment took hold and brought true science at last 
  to Arcadia. In this era, humans, gnomes, and gob-
  lins finally rediscovered the scientific method, and 
  their ideas gave rise to modern chemistry, physics, 
  biology, and all the other sciences. An inkling of 
  democracy was also born in this era, when the 
  Lemurian Federation sued for independence from 
  Avalon and had their petition (for the most part) 
  granted. The Lemurians came to govern them-
  selves by a set of high ideals: liberty, self-rule, and 
  the equality of all men and fairies. The Lemurian 
  nation came to be greatly admired by many in Ar-
  cadia, but it was also a source of worry and
  
  RELIGIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  29 
    
   
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  30 
  paranoia, since many monarchs feared that it 
  might inspire revolution in their own lands. 
   
  This proved all too true in Utopia. In the Thir-
  teenth Century, a dynasty of älfar (i.e. Sylvan Elf) 
  kings had succeeded that of Charlemin, and they 
  reigned until the end of the Eighteenth Century, 
  when gnomes, ogres, and humans all rose up to 
  rebel against the elfin King Lénou II. Following a 
  series of bloody civil wars and bureaucratically in-
  effectual interim governments, power came to rest 
  in the hands of a single gnome by the name of 
  François Biendit—a brilliant general who rose to 
  distinction while fighting for the revolutionaries 
  during the civil war. François still rules Utopia. 
   
  Now, in the early decades of the Nineteenth 
  Century, Arcadia is undergoing an Industrial Rev-
  olution. Technology is changing life for every-
  body. The world has become more comfortable 
  and convenient, but also quicker of pace and more 
  impersonal. Many old ways and customs might 
  have even been lost for good, were it not for the 
  exceedingly long memories of the elves, fays, and 
  goblins. The governments of the most powerful 
  states—Avalon, Utopia, and Hesperia—have pro-
  jected their power around the world and created 
  vast colonial empires on foreign shores. Midjard 
  and Elysium, meanwhile, are still struggling to-
  ward statehood, threatened as they are by the 
  power of Utopia on one side and Sylvania (the 
  seat of a vast, budding land-empire) on the other. 
  As for Illyria, that country has its own entirely dif-
  ferent set of problems: more than four centuries 
  ago, it was conquered by Amarna, and it has only 
  lately won its independence from the sultan of 
  that land. 
   
  Religions of Arcadia 
  One important topic yet to be covered is religion: 
  what are the faiths of Arcadia like? What of its 
  churches and priesthoods and holidays? One fact 
  which must be stressed before anything else is 
  that religion in modern Arcadia is by and large a 
  local affair. There is no single continent-spanning, 
  capital-C “Church” with a pope or a patriarch 
  whose authority extends across national borders. 
  Rather, each individual faith community is only as 
  politically influential as the state or region that 
  backs it. This influence can be considerable in a 
  fully-developed nation-state like Avalon or Hes-
  peria, but it is far less so in (for example) one of 
  the minor principalities of Midjard or Elysia.
  
  RELIGIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  31 
  The Old Faith 
  Long before any humans came to Gaia, the fairy 
  folk practiced their own religion, now known as 
  the “Old Faith” or “Old Ways.” It is a combination 
  of Druidry and Spiritism, particularly veneration 
  of local nature-spirits and the ancestors of one’s 
  own family. It is quite common to hear a demihu-
  man of any kindred, when confronted by great 
  surprise or joy or distress, to swear “by the Spir-
  its” or “by the Ancestors.” (Both phrases mean 
  roughly the same thing to most fairy-folk these 
  days. But it was the case in earlier Ages that the 
  longer-lived fairies, like elves and goblins, put 
  more emphasis on spirit-worship, while shorter-
  lived fairies, like centaurs and funs, tended to pre-
  fer ancestor-veneration.) 
   
  The more intellectual practitioners of the Old 
  Faith may very well acknowledge that there could 
  be a Great Spirit or a single cosmic intelligence at 
  the heart of everything. But followers of the Old 
  Ways have little interest in such a being. Anything 
  so vast and distant is unlikely to take notice of 
  mortal goings-on. It is far more practical to make 
  sure that you placate the spirits who are actually 
  watching you. Your ancestors care what you’re 
  doing, and so do the spirits living in the well you 
  draw water from every day, the forest on the edge 
  of your land, and the mountain that looks down 
  over your home. 
   
  The priests of the Old Faith are called druids, 
  marked for all by the robes of plain white that 
  they wear. A druid does not necessarily need to be 
  a mage or to have any fair-folk blood, but it is cer-
  tainly more common to meet a fairy druid than a 
  human one, if only because the Old Faith is more 
  commonly practiced in the north, where there are 
  more fairies than humans. And it is also the case 
  that druids with magic are ranked above members 
  of the order who don’t have it. Properly speaking, 
  a mage is a full druid, while a non-mage is ac-
  corded the lesser title of “ovate.” 
   
  The druid order as it now exists is believed to 
  have been founded early in the Third Age, by a 
  fay known as Midir of Áilleacht, who wanted to 
  counter the proselytizing of the humans from the 
  south. Midir is something of a mysterious figure 
  to modern fairy folk: history records little about 
  him. Fairies do not regard him as a prophet or any 
  great religious leader, but they respect him simply 
  as a priest who founded a priesthood (the way a 
  real-world Catholic might think of St. Francis or 
  St. Augustine). Some have speculated (though 
  without evidence—it is a fringe theory only) that 
  Midir may in fact have been another of the many 
  disguises of that famed wandering wizard, none 
  other than Myrddin Ambrosius himself. 
   
  Followers of the Old Ways do not build for 
  themselves churches or temples of stone: rather, 
  they gather to worship in natural places—groves, 
  grottos, valleys, caverns. The druids will conduct 
  rites in such places on holy days both to gratify 
  the genii locorum and to honor the ancestors. The 
  holiest times of the year to the druids are the equi-
  noxes and the solstices—most especially the sol-
  stices—and the Arcadian calendar reflects this, 
  with two weeks set apart from the ordinary pro-
  gression of the lunar months to mark the summer 
  solstice (Sol), and two more to mark the winter 
  solstice (Yule). Among the fair folk, Sol is a time of 
  somber reflection, penitence, and reverence for the 
  ancestors; while Yule is more of a wild celebration 
  of the natural world and continued life. 
   
  Reverence for life is perhaps the central tenet 
  of the Old Faith. Followers are bidden to respect 
  nature, do no harm to others or to the world, and 
  to honor those who have come before. The after-
  life is referred to simply as the “Spirit World,” and 
  it is believed to be a vaguely ethereal realm from 
  which both the ancestors and the spirits of natural 
  places can watch the physical world of the living. 
  Ancestors must wait in the Spirit World for some 
  indeterminate length of time—maybe hundreds of 
  years—for the opportunity to be reincarnated and 
  live new lives. (True Fae like the Sidhe and the 
  High Elves are immortals and factually known to 
  reincarnate after they die. They even retain the 
  memories of their past lives. So it is little wonder 
  that the lesser fairy-folk have also come to believe 
  in reincarnation. But fairies, like humans, are not 
  born into the world with memories of having 
  lived any previous lives. So there is no way to 
  demonstrate the truth of this belief empirically—
  or at least, not to the satisfaction of any skeptics.) 
   
  The Old Faith was on Gaia for thousands of 
  years before any humans ever showed up. It is to-
  tally ingrained in fairy society and holds a central 
  place in all the cultures of Arcadia. It has had a 
  strong influence on human religions, which have 
  adopted certain fairy practices (the holidays in 
  particular) and outward trappings. In the north 
  countries especially, humans who wish to get 
  ahead in society have oftentimes been compelled 
  to abandon human religions altogether and follow 
  only the Old Ways. 
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  32 
  Ashavism: The Way of Law 
  The humans now living on Gaia are descended 
  from those humans who first arrived in Atlantis at 
  the dawn of the Third Age. They built their own 
  civilizations and founded their own religions 
  there, even as they spread out to Amarna and to 
  the Tollan continent, and thence throughout the 
  world. At first, the early human city-states and 
  empires worshipped pantheons of local gods, with 
  each tribe or nation having its own patron deities; 
  but late in the Third Age (although still many cen-
  turies before the rise of the Alexandrine Empire), 
  there arose in the land of Edenia Minor (the coun-
  try between Amarna and Shambala) a new reli-
  gion, led by a teacher or prophet now only known 
  as “Ashavan,” which means roughly “law-giver” 
  or “truth-bringer.” 
   
  Ashavan taught that the universe is a battle-
  ground in an eternal war between two cosmic 
  forces, Oromazeus—the supreme God of creation, 
  goodness, light, and Order—and Arimanius—the 
  opposing principle of evil, darkness, destruction, 
  and Chaos. The universe was born from the will of 
  Oromazeus and shall continue for as long as He 
  and His followers can stave off the end times and 
  prevent the final victory of Chaos. According to 
  the Lawgiver’s teachings, mortals can assist in this 
  holy work by adhering to the Law outlined in the 
  sacred text of the religion, the Asha (the Book of 
  the Law) and by doing good deeds and avoiding 
  evil deeds throughout one’s life. After death, souls 
  are judged according to how they lived, with the 
  good sent to reside with Oromazeus in Paradise 
  and the wicked sent to torment in the Inferno with 
  Arimanius. Both the good and the wicked souls 
  are destined to fight for the fate of the universe 
  when the end of days arrives, and the eschatology 
  of Ashavism teaches that the side with the larger 
  army when that day comes will win—but the out-
  come is uncertain, and neither Oromazeus nor 
  Arimanius is guaranteed to triumph in the end. 
   
  Some four centuries after the time of Ashavan, 
  the Illyrians under Alexander conquered the lands 
  of Edenia and Amarna. They imposed the Illyrian 
  pantheon on the people of those lands in the usual 
  manner expected of a conquering empire; but in a 
  twist of historic proportions, Alexander, who held 
  himself up as a philosopher-king, took a personal 
  liking to the teachings of the Ashavist faith and in-
  corporated its beliefs into his own. A generation 
  later, one of Alexander’s own younger sons—a 
  prince named Evander, whose mother had been a 
  princess of Edenia Minor—took up the mantle of a 
  prophet and carried the Asha and the Law back to 
  Illyria. 
   
  The Ashavist faith spread slowly across the 
  Alexandrine Empire throughout the rest of the 
  Third Age, but it would only really take off in the 
  early part of the Fourth Age, after Dracus and the 
  Elysian Empire took it over. In the First Century 
  of the Fourth Age, another prophet by the name of 
  Mehrus rose to prominence in the eastern part of 
  Edenia. Mehrus was an apocalyptic preacher who 
  warned that the end times were near and encour-
  aged resistance against the Elysians. Mehrus was 
  quickly caught and executed for the crime of incit-
  ing unrest, but his followers dispersed into small 
  cults that traveled throughout the Empire, preach-
  ing and converting. They taught that Mehrus had 
  become enlightened upon the instant of his death 
  and carried up to Paradise by the right hand of 
  Oromazeus Himself. They carried as their holy 
  symbol the image of Mehrus’ face, youthful and 
  curly-haired, surrounded by radiant sunbeams—
  the sign of the Unconquered Sun. 
   
   
   
   
  Julius Dracus found it politically convenient 
  to proclaim the orthodox form of the Ashavist reli-
  gion to be the official religion throughout the east-
  ern half of his vast new empire—i.e., the part of it 
  that had once been the Alexandrine Empire, 
  where Ashavism was already widespread. But 
  “the Dragon of Elysium” had no tolerance for the 
  “Mehrusian” cult that might subvert his rule. He 
  
  RELIGIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  33 
  persecuted the Mehrusians relentlessly, as did the 
  second emperor, his son, Octavius Dracus. Even 
  still, the religion continued to spread into the 
  western empire, and there was nothing that the 
  third emperor, Tertian, could do about it. Finally, 
  the fourth of Elysium’s early “Good Emperors,” 
  Thadrian, became a convert himself and was 
  thereafter known to the Mehrusians as Thadrian 
  the Great. From that point forward, Ashavism—
  and the Mehrusian sect in particular—became the 
  de facto official religion of the all the human lands 
  in the southwest of Arcadia: Hesperia, the south 
  of Utopia, Elysia, and what is now Sylvania. In the 
  east, in Illyria, orthodox Ashavism remains the 
  dominant religion. 
   
  This might also have been true of Amarna and 
  Edenia, except that in the Seventh Century of the 
  Fourth Age, yet another religious leader appeared 
  and rose to prominence. A prophetess—Manaat 
  was her name—came to power as a preacher and 
  war-leader among the nomad tribes of Amarna’s 
  deserts. Her followers formed a new sect of the 
  Ashavist religion, now called Manaatism, which 
  taught a stricter form of adherence to the Law of 
  Asha. This movement very quickly spread across 
  Amarna and Edenia, though it never penetrated 
  into Shambala or Illyria very far. And while there 
  never were, for example, any crusades or wide 
  wars fought between the Mehrusians and the Ma-
  naatists on a large scale—certainly nothing that 
  would cause any truly dire ill will between the 
  two sects—the Manaatists did make a rather bold 
  statement to differentiate themselves from the 
  Mehrusians. In opposition to the sign of the Un-
  conquered Sun, they adopted for their own holy 
  symbol a waning crescent moon. 
   
  Irrespective of the specific sect—orthodox 
  Ashavist, Mehrusian, or Manaatist—all of these 
  religions have certain things in common. Their fol-
  lowers believe in the cosmology described above, 
  and they worship Oromazeus as the one true God 
  of the Universe. (It is more common for layper-
  sons to refer this deity as God, the Lord, the Crea-
  tor, or the Lawgiver than to blaspheme by pro-
  nouncing the holiest of names aloud.) Likewise, 
  they believe that Arimanius is the proper name of 
  the Archdevil himself, the ultimate source of all 
  Chaos and evil, whose works and minions are to 
  be opposed at any cost. 
   
  Priests of all three religions are commonly 
  known as clerics, and they are very often scholars  
   
   
   
  by training. The highest ranks of archclerics will  
  have a variety of different titles, depending on the 
  local culture. In the nations of Arcadia, priests of 
  such eminence are usually known as canons, bish-
  ops, prelates, or vicars. It is worth repeating here 
  that each major nation practically always has its 
  own independent hierarchy, usually only be-
  holden to the ruler(s) of that state and not to some 
  higher religious authority. 
   
  Ashavism is thoroughly dualistic, teaching 
  that the Lawgiver and the Archfiend are locked 
  for all time in a war waged via intermediaries: an-
  gels that serve Oromazeus, devils that serve Ari-
  manius, and mortals who choose to do good or 
  evil. There is no widespread belief in any form of 
  predestination or foreordination: the outcome of 
  the end-times battle is always uncertain and must 
  at always be fought for. Also, despite all three of 
  these religions’ heavy emphasis on the idea of 
  Law and Order being equated with justice, truth, 
  and goodness, there is actually very little in the 
  way of moral philosophizing. Following the Law 
  for a follower of Ashavism means adhering to the 
  ritualistic and religious tenets described in the sa-
  cred text, the Asha; but doing good works in the 
  world is the province of the private individual, the 
  conscience, and free will. 
   
  
  PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF GAIA 
   
   
  34 
  The Gnostic Reformation 
  There is a long tradition of philosophy among the 
  humans of Gaia. In the lands of Arcadia, much of 
  it begins with the philosopher-king, Alexander, 
  who believed in a school of “Formal Idealism,” 
  which holds that the physical world is a flawed il-
  lusion, a reflection of higher Mind or Form, and 
  that the true reality must be those perfect abso-
  lutes which can only ever exist as pure thought. In 
  a later Age, a philosopher by the name of Cenico, 
  who served Julius Dracus and tutored the young 
  Octavius, promoted Rational Empiricism, which 
  argues that truth is best discovered by using rea-
  son and the senses. Cenico’s philosophy, derived 
  from the idea that the truth can be known from 
  observation and experience, wasn’t terribly popu-
  lar in its day and was all but lost after the fall of 
  the Elysian Empire. 
   
  The next major development that rocked phi-
  losophy and religion in Arcadia took place in the 
  15th century, in the city of Friedvoll, in the king-
  dom of Dreiseen in central Midjard. There, a 
  group of scholars came together to form a “Society 
  of Freethinkers,” which aimed to rethink both 
  modern religion and classical philosophy (and 
  perhaps to merge the twain). The leader of the So-
  ciety, a laconic and acerbic old scholar named 
  Erasmus Kirke, began to teach a new philosophy 
  which has come to be known (depending on who 
  you ask) as either the Gnostic Reformation or the 
  Gnostic Heresy.  
   
  Kirke believed that the Ashavists had gotten 
  everything all mixed up—that the early followers 
  of the Lawgiver had been blinded by their faith 
  and unable to see what seemed painfully obvious 
  to him. The world is full of evil, he taught; it is 
  fallen and imperfect. Therefore, it cannot be the 
  creation of a perfectly good God. Rather, the phys-
  ical universe must be the work of a Demiurge who 
  is himself imperfect or ignorant or possibly even 
  malevolent; and the true, benevolent God must be 
  distant or inaccessible. The only way to find out, 
  Kirke surmised, was to study everything: study 
  the world, magic, angels, demons, anything and 
  everything that might help answer his questions 
  about the true nature of the divine. A full century 
  before the Scientific Revolution, Kirke and the 
  Freethought Society brought about a Reformation: 
  they embarked upon the world’s first project to 
  study magic and divinity empirically. 
   
  Their studies led them into all manner of eso-
  tericism: hermetic magic, numerology, searching 
  for secret knowledge within the very text of the 
  Asha, golem-crafting, and alchemy. Traditional 
  Ashavists and Mehrusians sneered derisively at 
  these “Kirkean” knowledge-seekers, but the Free-
  thinkers preferred to call themselves “Gnostics” 
  after the very knowledge that they sought. 
   
  There are two major differences between the 
  Gnostic and the earlier forms of the Ashavist faith, 
  one theological and the other something of an ac-
  cident of geography and politics. First, because the 
  characteristics (or even the very existence) of God 
  cannot be demonstrated empirically, the Gnostics 
  tend to place a greater focus on lesser spirits, the 
  angels and the demons and even the nature spirits 
  and ancestors revered by the Old Faith. Gnostics 
  collectively refer to all of these different spirits as 
  “Æons.” They have invented more than a few 
  elaborate systems for counting, ranking, and clas-
  sifying Æeons; but they mostly all agree on the 
  notion that the top-ranked Æeons (what an Asha-
  vist would call archangels) number seven and 
  oversee different aspects of reality: mind, truth, 
  justice, matter, magic, and so forth. Secondly, the 
  Gnostics took the opportunity in founding a new 
  human religion to incorporate several widespread 
  fairy customs, including an emphasis on ancestral 
  and nature spirits and many of the druidical trap-
  pings of Old Ways. This turned out to be quite the 
  political expedient, both for the sake of winning 
  fairy converts and for making their practices more 
  socially acceptable in those northern countries 
  where the Reformation first took place (namely, 
  Midjard and Asgard). It is almost needless to say 
  at this point that the Gnostic faith is not terribly 
  popular in southern Arcadia; but it has found 
  great favor in the Republics of Lemuria.  
   
  Gnostics generally eschew the elaborate trap-
  pings of priests and fancifully decorated temples, 
  favoring instead simple stone meeting-houses or 
  lodges and a slightly more egalitarian atmosphere. 
  Gnostic priests are called “masons” and they use 
  as their holy symbol a draftsman’s compass, to 
  symbolize the intellectual work that must go into 
  acquiring true knowledge. Their teachings empha-
  size two main behaviors: the search for true 
  knowledge, both practical and spiritual, through 
  study and introspection; and avoiding the sins 
  and evils of the world through self-restraint and 
  self-discipline. These two tenets have conspired to 
  lend to the Gnostics a reputation for strictness and 
  asceticism that may not be wholly deserved, but 
  which is widespread nonetheless. 
  
  THE ARCADIAN CALENDAR AND CURRENCY 
   
   
  35 
  Minor Cults 
  In case it has not yet been made clear, religion in 
  Arcadia is anything but monolithic. The major re-
  ligions described above are widespread and 
  backed by the secular governments in nations 
  where they are entrenched. But there also exist in-
  numerable minor cults throughout the whole of 
  the continent. Religious practice in Arcadia is 
  highly varied and idiosyncratic, and the average 
  Arcadian probably doesn’t think it very strange if 
  the neighbors down the street start worshipping 
  some new god that nobody they know has ever 
  heard of before. 
   
  The Arcadian Calendar 
  Gaia may be a different world from ours, but its 
  cultures and its history are coincidentally similar. 
  On that account, there is little reason to deal in fic-
  tional names for the months of the year and the 
  days of the week. Instead, presume that the so-
  called “translation convention” is active and in 
  full force. Just as the players gathered around the 
  table will speak in English and not Avalonian, the  
   
   
   
  ordinary words for days and dates can be used 
  throughout the progression of a campaign.  
   
  Thus, even though a week in the real world 
  has seven days because the ancients were able to 
  see seven visible celestial bodies in the night sky 
  (five planets, the sun, and the moon), and Gaia’s 
  sky has eight such bodies on account of its second 
  moon, a week on Gaia is still only seven days 
  long. There is no day of in a Gaian week to repre-
  sent the moon Selene (but if it really bugs you, 
  you can imagine that Monday on Gaia was once 
  originally called Moons’ Day). Likewise, even 
  though there was never an Emperor Augustus in 
  Elysium, the eighth month of the year might as 
  well be called August. It’s merely an expedient 
  simplification, meant to make playing in the set-
  ting easier to deal with.   
   
  The Gaia setting does make use of the lunar 
  calendar found in the back of the E&E Core Rules. 
  In keeping with fairy custom, there are two inter-
  calary or “half-month” periods, each lasting for 
  the two weeks leading up to the solstices: Sol in 
  the summer and Yule in the winter. Even the hu-
  mans in the south follow this custom, though they 
  term the winter festival “Noël” and dedicate the 
  time to celebrating the birth of Mehrus. A copy 
  this calendar has been placed on the following 
  page; it has been revised so that it gives the lunar 
  phases of both Phoebe and Selene. 
   
  Arcadian Currency 
  One final note of interest: the currencies of Arca-
  dia go by many names—crowns, marks, florins, 
  shields, pounds, and too many others to even 
  begin to count—but with most of the trade and fi-
  nance having long been the particular specialty of 
  the Guildermen of southern Asgard, their own 
  currency has become the international standard. 
  They use the iron bit (i.B.) the copper guilder 
  (c.G.), the silver thaler (s.Th.), and the gold ducat 
  (g.D.) for their accounts. Of course, in the cities 
  and towns of Arcadia, paper currency for the 
  larger denominations is just as common as metal-
  lic coinage, if not more so.
  
   
   
  REFEREE’S LUNAR CALENDAR 
   
  In each column, the lunar phases for Phoebe (Gaia’s near moon) are given to the right of the days with no extra markings, while the 
  phases for Selene (Gaia’s far moon) are on the left of each column and are underlined. 
   
  JAN 
  1  
  Sun 
  🌑 ♑ 
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 🌕 Sun 
  🌗 
  23  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  JUL 
  1  
  Sun 
  🌕 ♋ 
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 🌕 Sun 
  🌓 
  23  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
  FEB 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌑  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 🌗 Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌗 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  AUG 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌕  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 🌗 Tue 
  18  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
  MAR 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌑  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 🌑 Wed 
  12  Thu 
  13  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌗 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  SEP 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌕  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 🌑 Wed 
  12   Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
  APR 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌑  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 🌓 Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8  
  Sun 
  🌓 ♈ 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌗 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  OCT 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌕  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 🌓 Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8   
  Sun 
  🌗 ♎ 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
  MAY 
  1 🌕 Sun 
  🌑  
  2  
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌗 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 🌗 Tue 
  25  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  NOV 
  1 🌕 Sun 
  🌕  
  2  
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 
  Wed 
  19 
  Thu 
  20 
  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 🌗 Tue 
  25  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
  JUN 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌑  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌕 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 🌑 Wed 
  19  Thu 
  20  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌗 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat 
   
  DEC 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌕  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 
  Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
  15 
  Sun 
  🌑 
  16 
  Mon 
  17 
  Tue 
  18 🌑 Wed 
  19  Thu 
  20  Fri 
  21 
  Sat 
   
  22 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  23 
  Mon 
  24 
  Tue 
  25 
  Wed 
  26 
  Thu 
  27 
  Fri 
  28 
  Sat
  SOL 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌑  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌓 
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 🌓 Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
   
   
   Sol is an inter- 
   calary month 
   leading up to 
   the Summer 
   Solstice (♋), set 
   between June 
   and July. 
   
   “♈” marks the 
   Spring Equinox. 
   
   
   
  YUL 
  1 
  Sun 
  🌕  
  2 
  Mon 
  3 
  Tue 
  4 
  Wed 
  5 
  Thu 
  6 
  Fri 
  7 
  Sat 
  8 
  Sun 
  🌗  
  9 
  Mon 
  10 
  Tue 
  11 
  Wed 
  12 
  Thu 
  13 🌓 Fri 
  14 
  Sat 
   
   
   Yule is an inter- 
   calary month 
   leading up to 
   the Winter 
   Solstice (♑), set 
   between June 
   and July. 
   
   “♎” marks the 
   Fall Equinox. 
   
  
   
  37 
   
   
   
  PART THREE: 
  NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
  OW OUR ATTENTION must turn to the 
  lands of Arcadia and to all the nations 
  that make up this remarkable subconti-
  nent. There are ten countries to be found in Arca-
  dia: Asgard, Avalon, Elysia, Hesperia, Illyria, 
  Midjard, Pohjola, Sylvania, Tirnanog, and Utopia. 
   
  ASGARD 
   
  Asgard is Arcadia’s largest country but also its 
  sparsest in population. Much of Asgard is still 
  wilderness, chiefly forest and tundra. The north-
  ernmost reaches of Asgard are sometimes called 
  the “Frozen North”: these latitudes never thaw. 
  That region sees midnight suns in the summers 
  and noontime darkness in the winters. Elsewhere, 
  great mountain ranges stretch across the rough 
  and wild country: the Jærnbekkes divide those 
  northerly tundra regions from the forests that 
  cover the rest of the land; and the Englenfjærs run 
  from the southwest to the northeast, bisecting the 
  central regions with a high and jagged range of 
  mineral-rich peaks. The Chernobogs bound the 
  country on the east, separating Asgard from the 
  ’spawn-occupied territories of Tuonela. 
   
  The dominant kindreds in much of Asgard are 
  the gruvrår (goblins) and the ûrkō (ogres). Only 
  these folk have been hardy enough to withstand 
  her rough terrains and climes, and they have done 
  so since their arrival on Gaia at the dawn of the 
  First Age of the world. Asgard is held to be the 
  ancestral homeland of all Gaia’s goblins (whereas 
  the nomadic ogres have wandered further afield 
  down through the millennia, into Pohjola and 
  Tuonela and even Utopia). But other kindreds 
  dwell in Asgard too, and humans are particularly 
  well-represented in the southwest of the country, 
  along the Guilden Coast. Gnomes and elves live 
  among the goblin-folk, in the mountains and the 
  forests; and merrow-folk dwell in great numbers 
  in the shallows along all of the coastlines, most 
  especially in the waters of the great Fenrir Bay. 
  But regardless of kindred, all the people of Asgard 
  are ruled by the King-Under-the-Mountain, the 
  lord of the goblins who dwells in the ancient and 
  storied city of Nidhavellir (or “Niðavellir,” as it is 
  usually spelled locally). This also includes the 
  lesser goblin-kings, each of whom rules their own 
  separate mountain-holts; and the human burgo-
  masters of the Guilden cities. 
   
  The language of Asgard is called Asgartsk, also 
  commonly rendered as “Asgardish.” It is de-
  scended directly from the Old Goblish tongue, 
  which was spoken by the goblins in past Ages of 
  the world. Other folk living in Asgard, including 
  the Guildermen and the merrows of Fenrir Bay, 
  speak in their own dialects of Asgardish. Linguis-
  N 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  38 
  tically, the goblins’ tongue was closely related to 
  that of the Wood Elves, and so modern Asgardish 
  is very similar to its close relative, Midjardisch. 
   
  Asgard’s goblins are first of all miners and 
  soldiers, of course, but every other pursuit—
  notably hunting, trapping, fishing, and logging—
  is vital to their economy. The gnomes, elves, and 
  merrows dwell among the goblins in significant 
  numbers, with the gnomes and goblins being 
  nearly equal in terms of engineering knowledge. 
  Asgard’s elves are expert at forestry, and the mer-
  rows at seacraft. A sort of centuries-old symbiosis 
  has grown between these fairy-folk, traditions that 
  the goblins consider sacrosanct. The humans, 
  meanwhile, are primarily traders, sailors, or (in 
  partnership with the goblins) financiers. The hu-
  mans’ homes along the Guilden Coast grant them 
  easy access to some of the best shipping lanes in 
  the region, with their most conspicuous contribu-
  tion to Arcadia at large having been their stable 
  currency, the guilder. In fact, guilders are even 
  more widely-circulated in Asgard than the gob-
  lins’ own native currency, the krøne (crown). 
   
  The Kingdom of Asgard first began with the 
  coming of the goblins into Gaia, at the twilight of 
  the First Age. During the war between the Great 
  Alliance and the Four Fiends, the Lich-King Nam-
  tar had given his northernmost stronghold over to 
  one of his underlings, some Infernal creature 
  whose name has been forgotten by history. This 
  diabolical entity filled the mountains of the north-
  lands with all manner of shadowkind, undead, 
  and devilry, and this army of evil terrorized eve-
  rything within reach. But the goblins, led by the 
  great Goblin Lord Dvalinn Járnhamarr the First, 
  swept into the land of Asgard and drove out all 
  the ’spawn. With help from the Alliance—from 
  the elves and the storied Sidhe wizard Myrddin—
  the mysterious fiendish Power that drove the 
  shadowspawn forth was cast back into the depths 
  and sealed away. The goblins went deep into the 
  mountains and blocked off the passages that led to 
  the Deep-Under, whence the skavers and gruuchs 
  and trolls and such had welled up from. Then 
  they expanded the upper tunnels, and they 
  strengthened and beautified them (for, as Chaos 
  rots the earth from within, so does the great skill 
  of the goblins heal and improve it). Dvalinn Járn-
  hamarr took for himself the former Fiend fortress, 
  and he remade it into a goblin-holt. This place 
  came to be called Niðavellir, and Lord Dvalinn 
  ruled there as King-Under-the-Mountain. Thus 
  was born the Kingdom of Asgard. 
   
  All throughout the Second Age, the goblins 
  kept up their ceaseless war with the Chaos-spawn. 
  Though the power of the Four Fiends had been 
  broken, the ’spawn themselves remained a formi-
  dable force in their own right—especially in the 
  Deep-Under beneath the surface of Asgard, and 
  also in the Chernobogs and in that cursed land 
  called Tuonela. Old King Dvalinn was slain in the 
  early ’Spawn Wars of the Second Age, but one of 
  his descendants always lived to take up the 
  crown. In those days, while the Járnhamarr kings 
  still ruled, the elves who dwelt in neighboring 
  lands were close allies to the goblins and always 
  ready foes of the shadowspawn.  
   
  But the Second Age was also the Age of El-
  vendom, when a mighty Elfin Empire arose in 
  Avalon. The goblins were always sorely pressed 
  by monsters from below; and eventually, it came 
  to pass that Asgard relied on Avalon more and 
  more for aid and defense. In time, the goblin-
  kingdom owed a debt so heavy that it became a 
  province in all but name, and the power of Old 
  Dvalinn’s crown became dependent on Avalon’s 
  imperial authority. Over the centuries, the goblins 
  came to chafe and grumble at having to pay trib-
  ute to their elfin neighbors over old wars long 
  since fought and old alliances long since honored. 
  In those days, near the end of the Second Age, the 
  king was called Andvari Járnhamarr, and he was 
  but a pale shadow of his ancestor, First Dvalinn. It 
  was Andvari who allowed Asgard’s weakness to 
  fester, simply because it was easy to rely on the 
  elves. All the while, the might of Avalon kept him 
  in power over his fellow goblins. 
   
  Then came the Time of the Hero, when the 
  one called the Urther, the first human, appeared 
  on Gaia. The Urther made a dire enemy of Ava-
  lon, and so he also became an enemy of King 
  Andvari. When the Hero’s travels brought him 
  through Asgard, the shrewd but cowardly king of 
  the goblins pretended friendship, all the while 
  plotting murder. But the poisoning plots and as-
  sassination attempts all failed, and the Urther 
  eventually brought about Avalon’s fall. When this 
  happened, Andvari also lost power in Asgard, 
  and the throne of the goblin-kingdom came to rest 
  upon the head of none other than a traveling 
  companion of the Urther’s, a wise warrior-goblin 
  named Ørjan Thrymjabrandr. King Ørjan ruled 
  well, and he brought his people into the Third 
  Age with renewed strength and courage. 
  
  ASGARD 
   
   
  39 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  40 
   
  After the fall of Meliora (the elfin empress of 
  Avalon), the fays returned to that land; and one of 
  their number, Morrigan, became the new queen 
  there. Morrigan shared a cordial friendship with 
  King Ørjan of Asgard, but as the Third Age wore 
  on, Ørjan’s descendants became wary of repeating 
  past mistakes. Later kings in the Thrymjabrandr 
  line, acceding to the will of their goblin subjects, 
  withdrew from the world and guarded the shore-
  lines and borders of Asgard jealously. They allied 
  with nobody, not even with the elves of Midjard 
  and Pohjola, who had never mistreated them. 
  They refused to trade with the human civilizations 
  that arose in the far south, ever keeping their fine-
  ly wrought arms and armors to themselves. (Even 
  in those days, when men first came into the world, 
  the secrets of goblin smithcraft were much prized 
  and sought-after.) It was only near the end of that 
  Age, when High Priest Apophis of Mephret joined 
  with the shadowspawn of Tuonela and sum-
  moned vile Namtar back into the world, that the 
  goblins of Asgard were finally so threatened that 
  they once again opened up to the world. Spurred 
  by the reappearance of Myrddin of old, they 
  joined the Second Great Alliance, although they 
  were the last to do so—and they fought most 
  bravely in the war that ended that Age. But when 
  it was over, Asgard, like much of Arcadia, was 
  ruined. The kingdom was plunged into an age of 
  want and ignorance. 
   
  The rise of Elysium in the south marked the 
  dawn of the Fourth Age. During this time, hu-
  mans arrived in Asgard and settled along the 
  Guilden Coast. These people practiced the way of 
  “viking,” i.e. seasonal sea-voyages to trade and 
  raid and pillage other coasts. Although they were 
  wary of each other at first, the goblins and hu-
  mans soon came to understand each other, and 
  their cultures became strongly integrated. Nowa-
  days, the idea of an Asgard without the Guilder-
  men is all but inconceivable. 
   
  The Thrymjabrandr kings died out during the 
  Second Great War at the end of the Third Age; so 
  at the beginning of the Fourth, Asgard was divid-
  ed and leaderless. The goblin clans warred with 
  each other, they warred with the newly arrived 
  humans, and they warred with neighboring elves 
  and gnomes. Indeed, it seems that the only people 
  the goblins didn’t fight with in those days were 
  the ’spawn, and that was because those had all but 
  disappeared after the end of the Second Great 
  War. Mogrels and gruuchs and such became the 
  stuff of old legends, and so did the notion of a uni-
  fied Kingdom of Asgard that paid homage as one 
  to the King-Under-the-Mountain. It was a long, 
  slow road to travel to restore Asgard back to civi-
  lization and the glory of old—but at last it did 
  happen, around the year 1520 of the Fourth Age. 
  All throughout the medieval period of the Fourth 
  Age, numerous lords, chieftains, and petty kings 
  vied for supreme power. But in the 1520s, a gob-
  lin-lord named Olaf Hreimdar was crowned mon-
  arch over all of Asgard and came to rule at Nidha-
  vellir. For the first time in sixteen centuries, As-
  gard was once again united under a single mon-
  arch. The 16th Century saw the beginning the 
  modern-day Kingdom of Asgard. Olaf’s descend-
  ant, King Gustav Hreimdar, rules Asgard now. 
   
  Modern Asgard faces many hurdles. Asgard’s 
  people are generally technophilic and quickly 
  adapt to the newest inventions. The goblins are 
  quite keen on railroads and telegraph wires, and 
  only the northernmost reaches of the country 
  (mostly ogre territory) still lack both. Domestical-
  ly, Asgard is firmly a monarchy, but its people 
  tend to be forward-thinking and open to new ide-
  as. A more democratic form of constitutional 
  monarchy might very well sit on the immediate 
  horizon. Internationally, Asgard’s closest allies 
  remain Midjard, Phojola, and Avalon. However, 
  just as it was in ancient times, Avalon is now a 
  powerful empire, and that alliance tends to be 
  somewhat one-sided. (Queen Maeve has ruled 
  Avalon for as long as the whole line of Hreimdar 
  kings has ruled Asgard, after all.) The country of 
  Utopia has a somewhat brazenly antagonistic rela-
  tionship with Asgard: indeed, if Emperor François 
  ever thought that he could conquer the goblins 
  without incurring Avalon’s swift wrath, he would 
  probably try to do so at once. Worst of all, though, 
  is Tuonela. The shadowspawn and trolls and foul-
  er things mostly vanished from the world follow-
  ing the end of the Third Age. But late in the 
  Fourth Age—in the 1500s to be precise, just as the 
  Renaissance was taking hold in Arcadia—dark, 
  Chaotic things began creeping back into the 
  world. It started small, with isolated pockets of 
  skavers or mogrels hiding away in holes and 
  caves; but the rumblings in the East have grown 
  stronger in recent centuries, and now it seems as if 
  the Deep-Under is ready to burst open once again. 
  The Hordes of Chaos have spewed forth form 
  their holes and reappeared in Tuonela, and they 
  are multiplying. Nothing concerns the people of 
  
  ASGARD 
   
   
  41 
  Asgard more than this fact, for they know all too 
  well that their own land is connected to the Deep-
  Under by tunnels and passages too numerous to 
  count. If some dark Power unites the shadow-
  spawn and sends them forth to do battle, Asgard 
  will be the first front in a Third Great War. 
   
  Dalen Forest: This vast tract of woodland is 
  wild, but it is not especially monster-infested. At-
  tercops and giant wood spiders dwell in some of 
  the darker0020parts of it, but for the most part 
  Sylvan Elves and arachnes live in these woods. 
  The humans of Henlegge freely harvest timber for 
  sale to the goblins. Legends persist of a huge 
  monster of some kind, perhaps a giant or a drag-
  on, that sleeps in perpetuity beneath Dalen Forest. 
   
  Englenfjær Mountains: Not as blessed with 
  mineral wealth as the Jærnbekkes, the goblins 
  abandoned most of the Englenfjær mines many 
  centuries ago. The cities that remain here have 
  been overtaken by humans, with the exception of 
  Krøneby, which is an important fortress (and a 
  second palace) for Goblin King Gustav. The Bif-
  røst Pass, which is the quickest way between 
  Niðavellir and Krøneby, is frequently snowed in 
  and must be cleared out in the wintertime; it is the 
  storied site of many ancient battles. The cities of 
  Tyven and Dumsinn are some of the roughest in 
  all of Asgard, populated mainly by humans and 
  all but run by their respective thieves’ guilds. 
   
  Ettaløye Mountain: There are no goblins liv-
  ing in the stronghold of Ettaløye. This is the home 
  of the Valkyr, a warlike tribe of harpies who long 
  ago delved their city—Valhalla—deep into this 
  lonely mountain. The Valkyr are said to call their 
  home the Holy City Valhalla; goblins name it the 
  Hidden City, and few indeed are the outsiders 
  who have ever set eyes upon it. The Valkyr keep 
  to themselves, allying with no one and paying no 
  heed to events that transpire in the outside world.  
   
  Fenrir Bay: Friendly merrows live in the shal-
  lows of the Fenrir, and those that make their 
  homes off the coast of Asgard consider themselves 
  to be Asgardish. The cities of Plyndring and 
  Kjeltring also have large numbers of merrows 
  who live on dry land. Plyndring is an old human 
  city, once home to fierce pillagers and pirates, but 
  now a quiet fishing port. Kjeltring, meanwhile, 
  still houses the Order of the Bågskyttar, an ancient 
  fraternity of warrior elves and merfolk who make 
  it their purpose to guard the coast from ill-
  intentioned interlopers. 
   
  Guilden Coast: The Guilderlands include 
  everything south of the Spyd River and west of 
  the Dalen Forest and the Englenfjærs. The city of 
  Bondeby is a central market-city, surrounded by 
  pleasant farmlands and numberless sleepy villag-
  es. Høyhavn, Smykke, and Demningen are all bus-
  tling ports. Demningen, on the mouth of the Stål 
  River, is famous for trading the diamonds that 
  come all the way south from the Jærnbekkes. 
  Skipplass is where the Guildermen’s primary 
  shipyards can be found, and Utsiktstårn is a city 
  where humans and goblins have joint control over 
  shipping and trading rights. 
   
  Hjemskøt Hall: This lonesome city has been 
  the site of generations of tragedy. In times past, 
  attacks from monsters—the great rock-trolls of the 
  Øttin Marshes, the ghouls of the Mørk Woods, 
  and scheming draugr and risr warlocks—have 
  nearly destroyed Hjemskøt. Rumors persist to this 
  day that the place is cursed. An old and very aris-
  tocratic family of goblins, the Hjemskøtr, still 
  dwell in their ancestral hall there. 
   
  Jærnbekke Mountains: This range is said to 
  be the great jewel on the crown of Asgard. The 
  mineral wealth to be found here—in gems, iron, 
  gold, silversteel, and orichalc—is unfathomable. 
  Unfortunately, the deeper that anyone digs, the 
  greater they run the risk of breaching the Deep-
  Under and unleashing a tide of shadowspawn and 
  demons. Fintgruve, Hakken, and Askel are pri-
  marily known for their metal mines (mostly iron, 
  tin, and copper; some silver, gold, and rarer met-
  als); and Dypned, Gravearbeid, and Farvidere for 
  gemstones. 
   
  Lake Nækken: This lake is perhaps one of the 
  most dangerous places in all of Asgard. Nobody 
  really knows exactly what dwells beneath its plac-
  id surface. But people who come here have a ten-
  dency to disappear mysteriously, a fact which has 
  defied explanation for millennia. 
   
  Lake Ran: The Fisk River, which flows down 
  out of the Jærnbekkes, empties into Lake Ran via 
  its mightily roaring waterfalls. Merrows dwell 
  within the lake, and goblins inhabit the lakeshore 
  towns of Innsjø and Skrentvegg. Of these two 
  towns, Skrentvegg has always been the more 
  prosperous, if only because of Innsjø’s violent his-
  tory. Multiple times in the past, Innsjø has been 
  destroyed utterly by dragon-fire—whenever it has 
  come to pass that some raging red-scaled drake or 
  another has come sweeping down out of the 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  42 
  Hardt Barrens—only to be rebuilt over the ashes 
  of the old town. Since this hasn’t happened in 
  nearly four-hundred years, though, the folk of 
  Innsjø have grown lax in their vigilance, and most 
  would be skeptical that any danger still exists.  
   
  Nidhavellir: Though it began as a ’spawn-
  fortress and a base for the Fiends’ attacks on the 
  Sidhe late in the First Age, the goblins quickly 
  took this stronghold for themselves and remade it 
  into a glorious hall-under-the-mountain. For close 
  to twelve millennia, Niðavellir has been the center 
  of goblindom on Gaia. To this day, the city be-
  neath is said to be the most beautiful goblin-
  palace in the world, a glorious fortress of spar-
  kling jewels and rainbow-polished stones. It 
  makes a fitting home for the reigning monarch of 
  Asgard, King Gustav Hreimdar. 
   
  Misteltein Hills: These hills are said to be 
  haunted by shadowspawn which have broken 
  through to the surface-world through the Skitt 
  Caves (a network of natural caverns and long-
  abandoned mineshafts which are little more than 
  gravel pits now). The ’spawn are a constant threat 
  to the city of Farlig, and by extension, to trade in 
  Utsiktstårn and Kortstrand. 
   
  Rekke Islands: These far northerly islands are 
  sometimes connected to the mainland by ice 
  shelves. They are barren and inhospitable, because 
  the Firetann Peaks are actively volcanic. Only an 
  especially barbaric and warlike breed of hill gigas 
  is known to dwell here year-round; though it is 
  the case that ogres from Torden will sail this way 
  in the summertime on whaling expeditions. 
   
  Snøtopp Forest: These coniferous woods 
  thrive in the coldest reaches of Asgard’s north-
  lands. They are believed to be protected by snow 
  sprites and ice nymphs. 
   
  Skummelt Heights: This is an elevated, bar-
  ren wasteland with no known inhabitants. The 
  Heights overlook the marshy Barsk River valley, 
  which flows through the Øttin Marshes and emp-
  ties into the mighty Avara. 
   
  Torden Plains: In the summertime, this tun-
  dra teems with wildlife and blooms with wild-
  flowers. In the winter, the marshy and muddy 
  ground becomes permafrost, and cold, dry winds 
  bring harsh lightning storms to the plains. 
  Ogres of five tribes—Bear, Wolf, Eagle, Cat, and 
  Serpent—have lived and hunted on these plains 
  since the end of the First Age. There are only two 
  permanent settlements here: Frosset, a village of 
  men and goblins eking out a perilous and meager 
  existence based mostly on fishing and walrus-
  hunting; and Slette, an ancient stone forest where 
  the ogre clans’ chieftains gather to hold moot and 
  to teach the children of chiefs and shamans how 
  best to follow the old ways. 
   
  Ulvpust Canyon: Perhaps the oddest natural 
  feature in all of Asgard, the Ulvpust (i.e. “Wolfs-
  breath”) Canyon is constantly blowing with chilly, 
  violent, howling winds—well in excess of hurri-
  cane force—which appear to come from deep be-
  neath the very earth. The inner walls of the can-
  yon are lined with myriad caves, but none have 
  ever explored them and lived to tell about it, first 
  and foremost because nobody has ever successful-
  ly managed to conquer the strange, supernatural 
  winds and descend into the canyon. (A local leg-
  end dating back to the 17th century does, however, 
  speak of a strange, purple-skinned man who was 
  found unconscious near the canyon one day; this 
  man claimed to have come from the planet Ares 
  and had somehow traveled between the two 
  worlds via the canyon.) 
   
   
  
  AVALON 
   
   
  43 
  AVALON 
   
  Avalon is a large island positioned less than two-
  hundred miles off the northwestern coast of Arca-
  dia. Surrounded by tall cliffs and covered by for-
  ests, fens, and highlands, Avalon is a rugged 
  country but by no means an inhospitable one. The 
  south is home to gentle meadows and still, glassy 
  lakes. The north half of the island, by contrast, is 
  dominated by mountains, misty bogs, and rocky 
  wilderness. Three mountain ranges—the Tynged, 
  the Ffawd and the Cysgod—stretch across the 
  landscape of Avalon and divide the pleasanter 
  south from the rougher north. 
   
  Avalon’s people are many and varied, but the 
  history of the island has chiefly been determined 
  by fays, elves, and men. The Sidhe were the first 
  inhabitants of Avalon, and it was here that they 
  built the first great civilization seen on Gaia since 
  the departure of the Ancients. But the Sidhe king-
  dom was built with sorcery, and by sorcery it fell 
  —at the hands of villainous wizard Namtar and 
  the ravages of his Fiends. Then the elves came out 
  of the east, from the mainland, and they overtook 
  the island. More warlike than the Sidhe that pre-
  ceded them, the elves built a vast empire from 
  their capital at Annwn (called Annüven by the 
  elves of old). But the elves ruled that empire with 
  a heavy hand, and then the Hero—the legendary 
  Urther—came into the world, and it was he who 
  led the rebellion that broke the power of the elves. 
  In the wake of the Elfin Empire’s defeat, the fays 
  —the last descendants of the fallen Sidhe—at last 
  returned to rule their homeland of old. But the 
  past glory of Annwn waned to nothing, and the 
  island kingdom fell into darkness and ruin. Not 
  long thereafter, humans from Elysium arrived. 
  The coming of humans changed Avalon forever, 
  spurring both its imperial ambitions and its tech-
  nological advancement into the modern age.   
   
  The Avalonian language, as befits the history 
  of the island, is something of a hodgepodge—a 
  pidgin of the tongues spoken by Avalon’s chief 
  inhabitants. Most of the places in Avalon still bear 
  their ancient names, which are given in the Old 
  Sidhe speech. But the present-day Avalonian lan-
  guage is actually descended from a dialect of 
  Midjardisch, since it is from Midjard that the 
  Wood Elves came when they first conquered and 
  deposed the fays. Finally, the humans, who came 
  from southern Arcadia, brought with them a cer- 
      
  tain dialect of Cælestine (that was the old Com-
  mon Tongue of the men of the south) which has 
  had a profound and transforming influence on the 
  tongue of Avalon. In short, Avalonian has come 
  from a melding of the Midjardisch and Cælestine 
  languages, with the major place-names and a few 
  common words kept from the Old Sidhe. 
   
  By now, it should be readily apparent to the 
  gentle Player that the history of Avalon is linked 
  closely with the counting of Gaia’s Ages. Many of 
  the events which have marked the twilight of one 
  Age and the dawn of the next have transpired on 
  this most celebrated of all islands. The First Great 
  War with Namtar’s Fiends, a tale already recount-
  ed in the previous chapter, began in Avalon. In 
  the aftermath of that war, when the elves came 
  here from the mainland and drove the Sidhe into 
  the Uttermost West, they took Avalon for their 
  own and made it the seat of their new kingdom. 
  So began the Second Age and the ascendency of 
  Elvendom, when a dynasty of High Elf kings—
  descendants of Nimuël, the warrior-queen who 
  helped Myrddin seal away the Four Fiends—then 
  began to project their military power back onto 
  the Arcadian mainland. The Second Age saw the 
  whole north of Arcadia—Asgard, Midjard, Tir-
  nanog, and Utopia—come under the sway of Ava-
  lon, whether directly by force or indirectly via its 
  political machinations. By the end of the Age, 
  when Elf-Queen Meliora came to power, the old 
  Avalon was at the peak of its imperial might. 
   
  The Urther, it is said, first appeared in Gaia 
  when he mysteriously and inexplicably walked 
  out of the mists of the Cynoeswr Coedwig, the 
  Great Forest of the Ancients. Legends say that the 
  Urther came upon a battle between knights in the 
  service of Meliora and a ragtag group of rebels 
  gathered from throughout the empire. For reasons 
  now forgotten by history, the Urther sided with 
  the rebels and accompanied them to their hideout 
  in the Caves of Diasbad. After that, fleeing from 
  the pursuit of Meliora’s knights, they escaped by 
  flying over the Dysic Ocean in an airship and vis-
  ited Lemuria and Tollan—where they met the ex-
  iled fays, whom they then brought back to Arca-
  dia. After several years’ travel on the Arcadian 
  mainland, the Urther finally brought an allied 
  force to Avalon that dethroned cruel Meliora and 
  ended the Elfin Empire. Then… the Urther simply 
  disappeared; and a wise fay-woman by the name 
  of Morrigan became Queen in Avalon. 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  44 
   
  Following those events, Avalon was a shadow 
  of its past self. Broken by war, the kingdom was 
  weak, and the Lady Morrigan was a soft-hearted 
  queen. Perhaps she was too soft-hearted to rule a 
  kingdom which had just lost its empire and which 
  still incurred the resentment of all Arcadia. But to 
  her credit, Morrigan did manage to hold the king-
  dom together, and her descendants ruled Avalon 
  as it was slowly rebuilt over the course of the 
  Third Age—the Age when men came into the 
  world in great numbers and rose to power in the 
  far south.  
   
  Avalon, during this time, had much healing to 
  do. For as long as the Elvish Empire had lasted, 
  there had been three classes of citizens in Avalon: 
  eldar (High Elves) on top, älfar (Sylvan Elves) in 
  the middle, and everybody else very much on the 
  bottom. Goblins still bore some nominal respect in 
  that era, if only because Asgard was technically an 
  ally and not a province; but háin (leprechauns) 
  and centaurs were little better than bonded serfs, 
  and fays—still blamed for the First Great War—
  were actually murdered on sight. The Third Age, 
  then, brought a radical change, since the fays re-
  turned to Avalon and lived openly there, and one 
  of them even sat upon in the throne. The háin re-
  gained independence for their beloved Tirnanog 
  and severed ties with Avalon, hoping to rule 
  themselves again at last, as they had done before 
  the days of the Empire. And as for the centaurs, 
  they too were declared free of all obligations to 
  the crown. But they remained on the bottom rungs 
  of Avalonian society; and history has a tendency 
  to repeat itself. For the rest of Arcadia, the Third 
  Age was tumultuous, especially with the Second 
  Great War raging on the mainland. Avalon was 
  little touched by this war, except for the fact that 
  large numbers of human refugees were driven to 
  her shores to escape the onslaught of Apophis and 
  the reborn Namtar. By the time they arrived, Ava-
  lon had developed a rigid social hierarchy based 
  on kindred, with fays the ruling class (royals and 
  nobles), älfar the middle class (the landed gentry), 
  and everybody else in servitude. The human im-
  migrants fell into this last category. 
   
  So the Third Age came and went, human em-
  pires rising and falling in the south, little affecting 
  Avalon. But then Elysium came to power, and the 
  
  AVALON 
   
   
  45 
  Fourth Age began. The armies of Julius Dracus 
  spread over the land, unstoppable. Northward 
  they marched, taking Utopia, and then fighting on 
  the borders of Midjard. Eventually, they came to 
  the shores of Avalon. Over the course of decades, 
  the Elysians took much of the island, though they 
  never managed to win any territory north of the 
  Ffawd Mountains. Many humans and centaurs 
  living in Avalon welcomed the Elysians as libera-
  tors, and they fought for Dracus’s side as merce-
  naries against the old order of elves and fays. 
   
  The kingdom of Avalon and the rule of the 
  fays had to retreat north of the mountains, where 
  it existed in a diminished state for as long as the 
  human foreigners remained. But the lives and 
  memories of the fays are long, and when the Ely-
  sian Empire eventually pulled out of Avalon 
  (which it had to do, to consolidate its defenses on 
  the mainland), the fay rulers, exiled from Annwn 
  for upwards of four centuries, returned and re-
  sumed their rule as if nothing had happened. In 
  those days, there came to be a new king in Ava-
  lon, a fay descended from Morrigan, whose name 
  was King Agravain. When he returned to Annwn, 
  he had the personal ambition to unmake all the 
  changes wrought upon the land by the Elysian 
  invaders and even to restore Avalon to the heights 
  of power that it had enjoyed under High Elvish 
  rule. King Agravain is still remembered fondly in 
  modern Avalon as the founder of the nation, since 
  he began the process of uniting the sundered 
  kingdom into a single state. Nevertheless, this 
  king reinstituted many of the policies which had 
  made the Elfin Empire hated: he reconquered 
  Tirnanog and brought the háin under the authori-
  ty of the Avalonian crown. He treated humans 
  and centaurs as peasants, allowing only elves and 
  fays to own land. 
   
  It was Agravain’s grandson, the fabled King 
  Tristram (a fay whose mother had been human) 
  who finally united all of Avalon, around the year 
  1230 of the Fourth Age. Tristram ruled until the 
  early 1500s, when the aged king was unexpectedly 
  assassinated by a spy from Hesperia. Tristram’s 
  daughter, Maeve, came to the throne in the mid-
  dle of a crisis. The kingdom of Hesperia, glutted 
  with gold from its recent conquest of Tollan, had 
  decided to try its hand at empire-building, and 
  Avalon appeared to be a prime target. So, an ar-
  mada of conquest was sent—but the Hesperians 
  never suspected the power of Avalon’s young sor-
  ceress-queen. Maeve single-handedly conjured up 
  a windstorm that destroyed the invading fleet ut-
  terly, and the Hesperians accomplished nothing 
  more than to arouse the ire and the ambitions of 
  Maeve. Indeed, it is said that because of this inci-
  dent, Maeve made it her purpose to build Avalon 
  into the greatest empire the world had ever seen—
  one that spanned the globe. 
   
  Under the auspices of Queen Maeve, the peo-
  ple of Avalon became great shipbuilders: they 
  built sailing ships for the sea and magical airships 
  to fly the skies, and they explored—traveling to 
  Lemuria, Shambala, Jianghu, and other distant 
  lands. Avalon was a prime mover in the Age of 
  Exploration. Avalon also advanced socially in this 
  era: after centuries of having lived under a feudal 
  and then an autocratic government, the humans 
  and hánfolk and centaurs were as restless as ever, 
  and it looked as if the elves might even wish to 
  join them in opposing the fays. But shrewd Maeve 
  instituted a policy of common law and liberties for 
  all citizens, and this diffused much of the ill will 
  that the lower classes might have otherwise held 
  for her. 
   
  Today, Avalon is a very different country than 
  its turbulent history might suggest. The mark of a 
  social class based on kindred is still very strong, 
  since the fays tend to be wealthiest, the elves 
  somewhat less so, and the other kindreds least of 
  all. Hánfolk tend to be the most belligerent popu-
  lation, since Tirnanog still chafes under Maeve’s 
  rule. But the elves, humans, and centaurs living in 
  Avalon are for the most part happy with the rights 
  they have —namely, all the citizens, regardless of 
  their kindred, are allowed to own land in Avalon 
  (which they could not the olden days) and to re-
  dress any grievances with the Queen by sending 
  representatives to the Parliament, a legislative 
  body that now has considerable say in how the 
  country (and the empire) is governed.  
   
  Avalon has an overseas empire, which con-
  sists of a great many dominions and protectorates 
  scattered around the world. Tirnanog, the island 
  immediately to the west of Avalon, has been its 
  province for centuries. The eastern shore of Lemu-
  ria, across the Dysic Ocean, also remains a domin-
  ion of the crown, even though the Lemurians are 
  mostly left to govern themselves democratically. 
  In two short but bloody wars, all of Shambala and 
  Mephret (a desert territory in the land of Amarna) 
  came to be under Maeve’s direct rule. Many large  
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  46 
   
   
  
  AVALON 
   
   
  47 
  port cities on the coast of Jianghu are effectively 
  controlled by Avalonian trading companies. In 
  summary, Avalon today rules more of the world 
  than any other nation in history.  
   
  Annwn: A city built upon an island in the 
  middle of Cleddyf Lake, Annwn has been the cap-
  ital of Avalon since the early days of the Elfin 
  Empire. Today, it is a city of cobblestones and 
  smokestacks, dedicated to trade and industry. It is 
  one of the financial capitals of the world and the 
  seat of imperial power for Queen Maeve (whose 
  complete and formal title is “Queen of Avalon and 
  Tirnanog, Empress of Shambala and Mephret, 
  Protector of Lemuria, and Defender of the 
  Realm.”) Maeve’s home, the Iron Palace, is con-
  sidered one of the most splendid in the world. 
   
  Cannaid Wood: This mysterious place is a 
  true “fae forest,” a place haunted by sprites, 
  nymphs, leshies, and other nature spirits. The 
  Cannaid Wood is only dangerous to people who 
  venture into it. 
   
  Cleddyf Lake and Nimuël Lake: These two 
  majestic lakes sit in the center of Avalon’s gently 
  rolling lowlands. Both are populated by merrows. 
  The lakes are encircled on all sides by the cities, 
  villages, farms, and railways of the Avalonians. 
  Annwn itself is situated on an island in Cleddyf, 
  while the town of Carwr (a popular retreat for 
  citizens of Annwn looking for some peace and 
  quiet) sits on the shores of the Nimuël. The River 
  Onnen runs from Cleddyf Lake down to the sea, 
  where the city of Llongau-am-Tywyn is the busi-
  est port in the whole of the Avalonian Empire. 
   
  All of the cities in this region are connected by 
  a relatively new but very well-managed system of 
  railways. In a matter of mere hours, one can travel 
  from the University at Cadarnle to the factories in 
  the city of Diwydiant, or to the naval harbor at 
  Arwr-o-Daear. One could just as easily take a train 
  up the coast from the shipyards at Disgwylva, to 
  the city of Brenhines (famous for several nearby 
  ruins of old Elfin castles and Elysian fortresses), 
  all the way to Penrhyn (where the local plains and 
  coves are known to hide many Ancient and Old 
  Sidhe artifacts). 
   
  Coblyn Hills: Near the very center of the is-
  land, the Coblyn Hills are a wild place. Goblins 
  once lived and mined here, but now the shadow-
  spawn are known to haunt the long-abandoned 
  caves and tunnels beneath the hills. It is believed 
  that the ’spawn have dwelt here quietly since the 
  past Age, only recently becoming more active and 
  bold enough to attack nearby villages. The towns 
  of Marchog and Glwys, otherwise peaceful cities 
  resting on the banks of the Llwyfen, are troubled 
  by the evil inhabitants of the Coblyns. 
   
  Cras Barrens: A particularly dry and rocky 
  stretch of highlands, the Cras Barrens were shad-
  owspawn territory in olden times, but nowadays 
  it is just a sparsely inhabited wilderness. Glew-
  ym-Gogledd is a mining town, still somewhat 
  successful; but Enbydrwydd is almost entirely 
  given over to a handful of struggling mills and 
  manufacturing plants. Further up into the moun-
  tains, the city of Dyffryn is home to a fraternal 
  order that styles itself the Knights of Justice. These 
  knights (mainly centaurs, humans, and a few gob-
  lins and háin) hold no allegiance to the crown of 
  Avalon. Indeed, they publicly support the contin-
  ued rebellion of Tirnanog and are themselves just 
  a hair shy of open sedition (or as some might call 
  it, treason).  
   
  On the eastern edge of the barrens sit the Ery-
  od Cliffs and the Marw Heights. The Cliffs look 
  out over one of the most dangerous sailing lanes 
  on the Boreic Ocean: caves here hide uncounted 
  numbers of sirens, who will readily use their 
  songs to draw unwary ships onto the rocks. The 
  Marw Heights, meanwhile, are little more than a 
  giant barrow-mound. Delved into the cliffs and 
  crags is an impossible network of crypts and 
  tombs dating back to the Sidhe of the First Age.  
   
  Cynoeswr Coedwig: The so-called “Great 
  Forest of the Ancients” is believed to hold many 
  secrets from the Elder Days before the counting of 
  the Ages. Many parts of this forest are haunted by 
  giant spiders, ghouls, and even fouler things. The 
  Diasbad Caverns are almost certainly held by the 
  shadowspawn even now. The city of Callineb, 
  protected from sea-attack by its natural and ex-
  tremely defensible harbor, is nonetheless endan-
  gered by its proximity to the Cynoeswr Coedwig. 
  Callineb remains an important port, however, be-
  cause trains can go no further north and west than 
  this: any travel or cargo heading for Periglor must 
  either be borne by airship, or it must come from 
  Callineb by watercraft. 
   
  Cysgod Mountains: These mountains are rich 
  with coal, much to the benefit of the mining city of 
  Paith. In other parts of the mountains, most of the 
  ore gets shipped down the River Dalen, to Uni-
  awn. Lladrad, meanwhile, is a younger city that 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  48 
  grew up around a gold strike that was made there 
  some four-hundred years ago; but the gold is long 
  since dried up, and now the local thieves’ guild is 
  the most prominent business there. 
   
  Drwgweithedwr Swamp and Gwyrdd Forest: 
  These two regions are tightly linked by the fact 
  that neither has ever come under the direct control 
  of Avalon’s crown. They have always been dark 
  places, controlled by dark Powers. Nobody really 
  knows precisely what lurks in Gwyrdd Forest, 
  though stories and rumors abound. And as for the 
  Drwgweithedwr Swamp, it is at least certain that 
  trolls and undead dwell here, and that the dead 
  city of Direidyn (once a stronghold of Fiendish 
  evil and Chaos, now an abandoned necropolis) 
  hides somewhere within its borders.  
   
  Ffawd Mountains: This range runs right 
  through the center of Avalon. The cities of Cyfrin-
  iaeth and Dyffryn are both central to mining and 
  manufacturing operations in the Ffawd Moun-
  tains region. 
   
  Grisial Loch: Those who live in the town of 
  Puredd believe that the loch is an evil place. A 
  dragon or monster of some kind is said to dwell 
  beneath its surface.  
   
  Prydydd Hills: These green, rolling hills are 
  home to many shepherds and farmers. Of the two 
  major cities in the region, Periglor and Dirgelwch, 
  Periglor is relatively large (perhaps even the larg-
  est city north of the Ffawds) and busy, while 
  Dirgelwch is little more than a local trading hub. 
   
  Tynged Mountains: These tall and rocky 
  mountains cut off the rest of Avalon from its 
  northernmost highlands. The towns of Ymffrost, 
  Glöyn, and Cylch-o-Cewri all enjoy relatively 
  pleasant (if frequently gloomy and rather soggy) 
  weather. The people in this region much prefer to 
  be left out of any world-shaking politics. Their 
  main concern is that monsters might come down 
  out of the Tyngeds and attack them (and although 
  this hasn’t actually happened in a few centuries, 
  the people do remember old stories well). It is 
  mostly elves, fays, and goblins who make up the 
  bulk of this region’s population.
  
  ELYSIA 
   
   
  49 
  ELYSIA 
   
  Elysia was once the center of the greatest human 
  empire in the known world. Today, it is a frag-
  mented patchwork of independent duchies, prin-
  cipalities, and city-states. This nation covers the 
  large peninsula that juts out from the south of Ar-
  cadia, between the Hipponic and Illic Seas. The 
  north of the country is bounded by the lofty Valk 
  Mountains, which gird the whole of the Arcadian 
  subcontinent through the middle. To the east, the 
  Strega Mountains run along the coast of the Illic 
  Sea. The gap between the Valks and the Stregas 
  leaves open the way between Elysia and Sylvania, 
  but to travel elsewhere by land—into Utopia or 
  Midjard—high and dangerous mountain passes 
  are the only option; and no railway has yet con-
  quered those white-capped Valkine peaks. Three 
  great rivers run through Elysia’s lowlands: the 
  Alta, the Flo, and the Quirino. The former two of 
  these begin in the high country and then gently 
  run their course down onto the peninsula; but the 
  Quirino comes off lo Schermo, the raised tableland 
  in the center of the country. 
   
  Although folk of nearly any kindred can be 
  found in Elysia, humans rule this land. (There is 
  no single monarch to be found here; rather, each 
  city-state has its own duke, prince, or ruling sen-
  ate.) More harpies live in the Elysian Valks than 
  goblins, and more fauns rove its forests than elves. 
  In fact, fauns were Elysia’s original inhabitants. 
   
  It seems that when humans first came to this 
  land, they took upon themselves much of the 
  fauns’ culture—and in those ancient days, the 
  fauns who lived in Elysia dwelt in cities and had 
  kings, quite unlike the roving bands of today. The 
  Faunish language, too, was passed onto the hu-
  mans, and it eventually became Cælestine, the 
  Common Tongue of the South. Cælestine is the 
  direct ancestor of many modern languages—
  Sylvanian, Hesperian, Utopian, and of course 
  modern Elysian.  
   
  The fauns probably arrived in Elysia some-
  time during the Second Age, but no written rec-
  ords are left of their history. Legends place the 
  arrival of humankind more definitively, around 
  the year 750 of the Third Age. Stories say that the 
  humans—whether they came via Hesperia or di-
  rectly from Atlantis, none can guess—had among 
  them a great chieftain called Æolus. When the 
  humans first appeared and settled along the banks 
  of the Quirino, so the legend goes,  
   
  Æolus demonstrated such bravery and prowess in battle that two 
  princesses of the fauns, each from rival kingdoms, fell in love with 
  him. One, Didania by name, was the daughter of a king who 
  ruled lands along the Flo; the other, called Lavinia, was the 
  daughter of a king whose people lived by the Alta. The two kings 
  even went to war over the right to claim the foreign prince for 
  one of their daughters, but the fighting ended in a stalemate. At 
  last, Didania could stand no more waiting, and so she arranged to 
  have Æolus kidnapped. Lavinia would not tolerate this, however, 
  and so she went into the city of her enemy, but not as herself—
  she went disguised as a simple shepherdess. Princess Lavinia 
  came to Æolus and visited him in secret, and in so doing she won 
  the human’s love. Then, escaping together, they fled back to the 
  country around the Alta, and there the two were wed. This forged 
  a firm alliance between the newly arrived humans and the fauns 
  of the Alta country, who now went to war with those in the Flo 
  country and defeated them soundly. Thereafter, Didania’s people 
  were forced to pay a stiff tribute to King Æolus and Queen Lavin-
  ia, who built their own kingdom where the humans had settled, 
  along the Quirino River. Many generations later, descendants of 
  Æolus and Lavinia would found a city at the mouth of the Flo: 
  none other than the great city of Cælestium. 
   
  Whether or not this myth has any basis fact, it 
  culminates in the founding of Cælestium (the 
  modern city of Celesce) for good reason. Cælesti-
  um, in its heyday, was the capital of the Elysian 
  Empire, the greatest human empire that that the 
  world has ever known. Though ruled by kings at 
  first, the royal line was broken during the strife of 
  the Second Great War, and the city had become a 
  republic by the end of the Third Age. Then there 
  came to power a great general, Julius Dracus, per-
  haps the most famous (or infamous) military lead-
  er of all time. Dracus claimed to be the offspring 
  of a human woman and a firedrake. He was also 
  exceedingly ambitious: he saw the glory of the 
  neighboring Alexandrine Empire, and he hoped to 
  recreate it in his homeland of Elysium. In his 
  campaigns of conquest, Dracus subdued all the 
  rest of Elysium and much of Utopia, but his chief 
  concern was to do the impossible: he wished to 
  conquer Illyria and thereby take control over the 
  whole of the Alexandrine Empire. Dracus actually 
  succeeded in this endeavor and then declared 
  himself Emperor in Cælestium. History says that 
  he lived long and ruled well, and on his deathbed, 
  he passed his title down to his only son, Octavius 
  Dracus—and so began the Fourth Age. 
   
  Emperor Octavius was even more expansion-
  istic than Julius had been. He conquered the rest 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  50 
  of Utopia, and also all of Hesperia, Amarna, and 
  Edenia Minor. The reign of Octavius wasn’t peace-
  ful, but it was very long and very stable for the 
  empire. His own son and successor, Emperor Ter-
  tian, conquered Sylvania but was never successful 
  at making any inroads further north: Midjard and 
  Pohjola remained untouched by the military 
  might of Elysium. The last of the First Four Em-
  perors, Thadrian, sent ships to Avalon and man-
  aged to displace the fay-kingdom they found 
  there. At its peak, the Elysian Empire stretched as 
  far east as Edenia Minor and as far into the north 
  as Sylvania, Utopia, and Avalon.  
   
  After the First Four Emperors, there came to 
  power a number of lesser rulers. Some were good 
  and just, some were wicked and dangerously in-
  competent, and a few of them were downright 
  insane. But in any case, the empire had grown too 
  big to be governed effectively, and it strained un-
  der its own weight. Eventually, even mighty 
  Cælestium was easy pickings for tribes of fairy-
  folk from the north. It was sacked repeatedly in a 
  series of raids and eventually destroyed, and 
  northerners—elves and goblins and gnomes and 
  harpies—took over the Elysian peninsula and di-
  vided it amongst themselves. Thus, Elysia was 
  fragmented into a country of independently ruled 
  cities, and it has remained so ever since. The rest 
  of the empire, meanwhile, plunged into a Dark 
  Age for nearly five centuries. 
   
  Fairies did not rule Elysia for too very long, of 
  course. Many of the elves, goblins, and such who 
  came south took human wives and therefore had 
  numerous human children as well as offspring 
  belonging to their own kindreds. Inevitably, one 
  by one, the various city-states fell back into the 
  hands of human rulers, albeit very aristocratic hu-
  mans who remained quite proud of their fairy 
  lineages. All throughout the middle of the Fourth 
  Age, and even to this very day, most of the princ-
  es and senators that rule Elysia consider elfin or 
  goblin ancestry to be a strong mark of nobility. 
   
  Ever since the Elysian Renaissance, when 
  many of these princes and nobles became patrons 
  of art and learning, they also looked jealously to 
  the north and the west, where the kingdoms of 
  Hesperia, Utopia, and Avalon had grown united 
  and strong. Thus began a period of sporadic wars 
  for dominance among the various city-states and 
  merchant-princes, all vying for the right to be-
  come the center of a new and unified Elysian 
  state. But this has not yet happened, even now. 
  Elysia is peaceful at the moment, if only because 
  Emperor François of Utopia poses far too great a 
  threat for Elysia to bother with infighting right 
  now. But any one of the city-sates may soon be 
  powerful enough to subdue its neighbors. Right 
  now, the strongest of the Elysian dukes is Dante di 
  Ghibellini of Orsini-Saleria, a very wealthy mer-
  chant-prince who would like nothing more than to 
  see his duchy become a proper kingdom. 
   
  Alta River: This river flows out of Sylvania 
  and the Valks before passing into the Satyrline 
  Forest. The cities of Lucci and Benvolia are uneasy 
  allies against the power of Malvolia, a particularly 
  militaristic city-state governed by a wizard-prince, 
  the Duke di Malini. 
   
  Celesce: The fabled “Heavenly City” of old is 
  now a port city of only secondary importance. Its 
  chief boon is the fact that much trade must still 
  pass down the Flo River, which enables Celesce 
  (Che-LAY-shay) to benefit from tolls and tariffs. 
  Many ancient ruins remain here, some on high 
  cliffs overlooking the modern city, and many in 
  layered tunnels beneath it. Celesce is a republic, 
  ruled by a senate of hereditary oligarchs. 
   
  Flo River and Grigio Fields: This region con-
  tains a number of small and not especially 
  wealthy principalities. Most of them fall under the 
  influence of the Duchy of Amlesce, ruled by a 
  ruthless but ultimately well-intentioned duchess 
  named Claudia d’Amlesci. 
   
  Lo Schermo (“The Shield”): The high country 
  in the center of the Elysian peninsula is famous for 
  its mild, sunny climate and its fruitful vineyards. 
  The city of Mercutia is world-famous for its wine.  
   
  Lupine Forest: In ancient times, the city of 
  Bianca was beautiful and prosperous, but this is 
  no longer true. The Lupine Forest, a dark place if 
  ever there was one, has cast a pall upon the White 
  City. Hexbeasts, werewolves, and dire wolves 
  haunt the woods, and they behave as if some evil 
  will were exerting its influence over their actions. 
  In recent decades, Bianca has become depopulated 
  and dilapidated. Misery and violence are destined 
  rule here, unless some group of heroes can solve 
  the mystery of Lupine. 
   
  Mount Mulciber: An active volcano that 
  stands taller than its sibling peaks, Mount Mulci-
  ber overlooks the cities of Ceneri (famous for its 
  ancient crypts and catacombs) and Orologia 
  (which is famous for its finely crafted clocks, 
  watches, and other clever mechanical imple-
  ments). 
  
  ELYSIA 
   
   
  51 
   
   
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  52 
   
   
   
   
  Quirino River: The country around the Qui-
  rino River is now known as the Duchy of Orsini-
  Saleria, and it is ruled from Orsini by the infa-
  mous and ambitious Duke di Ghibellini. The city 
  of Orsini was built on a lake that connects to the 
  river, and in many places it has canals instead of 
  streets.  
   
  Satyrline Forest and Strega Mountains: For 
  the most part, the forest is faun territory. The 
  fauns of the Satyrline are happy to entertain visi-
  tors who come in peace and goodwill, but they 
  want nothing to do with the politics of the human 
  cities. The fauns are reluctant to approach the 
  mountains, though, because a race of fay-folk 
  dwell there, who are known as the Witches of the 
  Stregas. The Witches’ motives are mysterious and 
  almost certainly malign. The city of Sycoraccia is 
  ruled by the Lady di Parca, who claims to be noth-
  ing more than a very successful merchant; but 
  rumors persist that she is one of the Witches, and 
  stories circulate that good-looking young men 
  who come near her city tend to disappear. 
   
  Valk Mountains: These mountains are named 
  for an Old Elfin word meaning “white,” and white 
  they certainly are throughout the year. The Valks 
  pose the most challenging barrier to any conquest 
  of Elysia from the north. (That doesn’t mean that 
  the Emperor of Utopia won’t at some point make 
  the attempt, though.) The city of Polonia guards 
  the pass between Elysia and Utopia. An order of 
  harpy dragoons, known as the Valkine Knights, is 
  based here. 
   
  Zandretti Island: This island is known to 
  house many old ruins of mysterious origins. Some 
  might even date all the way back to the First Age 
  or earlier. Rumors persist of a fountain of immor-
  tality to be found here (although the locals laugh 
  that off as a myth for the foolish). An order of 
  human, merrow, and scylla warriors, the Knights 
  of Zandretti, is dedicated to the protection of cer-
  tain ruins (although nobody outside of the order 
  can say why) and to the total eradication of piracy 
  in the region. 
   
   
   
  
  HESPERIA 
   
   
  53 
  HESPERIA 
   
  Hesperia is one of Arcadia’s three island nations. 
  Some three-hundred miles south and west of the 
  mainland, Hesperia is a very large island (perhaps 
  twice the size of Avalon), with a tall mountain 
  range—the Atlean Mountains—covering much of 
  its northern half. The south of the island is mainly 
  dominated by plains country, with a few pockets 
  of dense woodlands to be found spread here and 
  there throughout the island.  
   
  Like Elysia, Hesperia is a human nation of 
  great antiquity. Given the fact that Hesperia is the 
  closest of all the Arcadian countries to the conti-
  nent of Atlantis, it is highly probable that this is 
  where humans (discounting the famous Hero of 
  the Second Age, the Urther) first set foot on Arca-
  dian soil. From Hesperia, then, these earliest tribes 
  of mankind would have spread eastward—to Ely-
  sia, Illyria, Amarna, and then onto Edenia, Sham-
  bala, and eventually Jianghu. Even to this day, 
  Hesperia is primarily populated by humans, and 
  the men who live in Hesperia today tend to be 
  particularly distrustful (if not outright supersti-
  tious and afraid) of Fair Folk. Despite this, fairies 
  do live here, though they tend to live in small and 
  out-of-the-way communities, primarily north of 
  the Atlean Mountains. Here, small villages of gob-
  lins, elves, gnomes, and fays can be found. Typi-
  cally, fairies in Hesperia go to great lengths to say 
  out of the way of humans. 
   
   Whatever tongue was first spoken by Hesper-
  ia’s aboriginal settlers has been lost to history. It is 
  a fact, however, that when the Elysian Empire 
  overran this island at the start of the Fourth Age, 
  the Elysians brought their language (Cælestine) 
  with them, and this is the tongue that displaced 
  the old one to become the direct ancestor of mod-
  ern Hesperian. Curiously enough, the older hu-
  man tongue which has been otherwise lost and 
  forgotten did leave behind some inscriptions. Here 
  and there, especially along the coasts of the island, 
  there are ancient ruins bearing hieroglyphs: pic-
  ture-writings that tentatively connect the ancient 
  Hesperians to the people of Mephret, in Amarna 
  (and, by logical extension, to their ancient ances-
  tors from Atlantis as well). 
   
  Until the ancient glyphs are deciphered, then, 
  the history of Hesperia must begin with the early 
  human myths and legends that describe the set-
  tlement of the island. There is a popular folktale 
  still recounted in some Hesperian villages that 
  goes like this: 
   
  A great fleet of men came sailing out of the west. Fierce warriors 
  they were, looking for a land to pillage before returning to their 
  homes. What they found instead was a great island, green and 
  wild, completely untouched by the hands of man or fairy. All 
  thoughts of war and treasure left them, so enchanted were they 
  by the beauty of this pristine land. They decided to stay here for 
  all of their days, even though they were adventurers and had but 
  few women among them. These warriors were led by three cap-
  tains, brothers by blood as well as by deed in battle. Their names 
  were Caspar, Salazar, and Yasser. They decided that the island 
  would be divided among the three of them by drawing lots. Cas-
  par drew best and took the plains in the west. Salazar drew sec-
  ond and won the woodlands in the east. Yasser, who was the 
  youngest brother, drew shortest and was given the mountains in 
  the north. Not to be dissuaded, and wary that his envy might spur 
  him to rash action against his brothers, Yasser calmly gathered his 
  men and marched them boldly north, into the high and hilly 
  country.  
   
  Crossing the mountains, these Men from the Uttermost 
  West came at last to a pleasant and cool country with fields, for-
  ests, and villages. The villages were inhabited by a beautiful race 
  that the men had never seen before: elves, colonists from the far 
  northern island called Avalon. The elves were troubled because a 
  great giant, a ferocious one-eyed cyclops, terrorized them with 
  impunity. He ate their sheep and cattle, enslaved their children, 
  and killed any warrior that stood up to him. Yasser boasted before 
  his men and before the frightened elves that he would slay the 
  cyclops. And so he led his men back into the mountains, and he 
  tracked down the monster. Thinking to lay an ambush, he hid is 
  men above a ravine and then went to meet the cyclops in person. 
  He struck up a conversation with the creature and distracted it 
  with puzzling riddles. Then, when the cyclops became angry and 
  looked as if it were about to attack Yasser, that young captain 
  gave the order—and his men revealed themselves and shot flam-
  ing arrows into its eye. Blinded, the cyclops raged and roared, but 
  it could not see the humans, and so it could do them no harm. 
  Then Yasser took javelins and he hurled them at the cyclops, one 
  by one, until one of his darts pierced its heart. The battle won, 
  Yasser returned to the pleasant north-country and claimed king-
  ship over his third of the island. He took an elf-maid for his 
  queen, and they built their home amidst a field of golden apple-
  orchards, where now stands the city called Manzanas de Oro. 
  Meanwhile, the spot where the giant was slain became the site of 
  another city, Hombros del Títan. 
   
  The story goes on to tell how the other two broth-
  ers each founded their own kingdoms on the is-
  land—kingdoms which stood independent of each 
  other all throughout the Third Age of the world. 
  (Like Avalon, Hesperia was too remote to have 
  been affected much by the wide war that came to 
  Arcadia during that time.) Indeed, these king-
  doms of Old Hesperia lasted until the Elysians 
  came and overran the island, adding it to their 
  Empire. 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  54 
   
  While the Elysian Empire lasted, Hesperia 
  was part of the center of human civilization on 
  Gaia. Governorship over the island was a highly 
  coveted position, second in wealth and power on-
  ly to the Elysian Emperor himself. But when the 
  Empire collapsed and the Dark Ages began, all of 
  Hesperia was once again broken up into tiny, in-
  consequential kingdoms. Slowly but surely, while 
  the Middle Ages wore on, these kingdoms joined 
  together and grew. Then, late in the Fifteenth Cen-
  tury, a fortuitous marriage of state joined together 
  King Roderigo (who ruled all the land north of the 
  Atlean Mountains) and Doña Arabella (who stood 
  to inherit the lands surrounding the Lluvioso 
  Plains). This created the Kingdom of Hesperia, 
  one of Arcadia’s first true nation-states. 
   
  Roderigo and Arabella were ambitious in 
  more respects than just state-building. Exploration 
  and colonization were also great concerns of 
  theirs. They sent some of the first explorers back 
  over the Dysic Ocean, to chart the continents of 
  Atlantis, Tollan, and Lemuria. The Hesperian ex-
  plorers were never permitted to visit Atlantis, and 
  they never managed to gain much of a foothold on 
  the Lemurian continent, but Tollan was a different 
  story. Here, the Hesperians were all too successful 
  in their bid to conquer a land populated by fays 
  and humans that they considered magically and 
  technologically primitive. In a short time, much of 
  Tollan fell under Hesperian rule, and silver and 
  gold began to flow across the ocean and into the 
  coffers of the royal treasury at Manzanas de Oro. 
  This caused all kinds of problems, especially ram-
  pant piracy in the Caliban Islands, but it also 
  formed the foundation of the modern Hesperian 
  Empire. 
   
  Today, the new Empire is ruled by King Ro-
  derigo VII, who, much like his forbearers, has 
  ruled prudently enough to keep Tollan firmly 
  pinned to the Hesperian crown. Since the days of 
  the early explorers, Hesperia’s holdings in the Far 
  West have expanded to include all of Tollan and 
  some of the southwestern Lemurian continent. 
  These imperial possessions are not the great 
  source of wealth that they once were, but they still 
  do much for the prestige of the Hesperian crown. 
  Hesperia is not as strong as it once was, however, 
  and it faces a grave threat from the military pos-
  turing of Utopia. King Roderigo is quite con-
  vinced that Emperor François is plotting to make 
  Hesperia the site of his first major conquest in Ar-
  cadia. Considering the cold and ruthless ambition 
  of the gnomish emperor, the Hesperian king may 
  just be right. 
   
  Atlean Mountains: The landscape of Hesper-
  ia’s rugged north country is dominated by the 
  Atlean Mountains, which still contain considera-
  ble mineral wealth. Elves, goblins, and men all 
  dwell in these mountains in mining villages. The 
  most successful of these is Los Enanos, a goblin 
  community in the far northwest of the country. 
  Unfortunately for the goblins, that city has recent-
  ly come under the control of a cold-hearted royal 
  official, the Don Juarez de Miraz, who seems to be 
  intent on taxing the local miners into poverty. No-
  tably, only the goblins seem to be bearing the 
  brunt of this burden. It’s just the sort of circum-
  stance that could use some discreet investigation 
  by a clever group of adventuring heroes. 
   
  Esclavizado Barrens: This rough country is 
  known to be a home of trolls, minotaurs, and hill 
  giants. If it weren’t for the massive iron strike 
  found in the Atlean Mountains a few decades ago, 
  few people would risk traveling through here, and 
  the city of Piedras probably wouldn’t exist. 
   
  Estigio Swamp: This place is rightly consid-
  ered evil and haunted. Phantoms, specters, and 
  fouler things are rumored to exist here. 
   
  Esquelito and Torbellino Islands: These is-
  lands are known hideouts for pirates who strike 
  out at the Hesperian and Elysian coasts. 
   
  Fata Forest: Fays have always lived here, but 
  humans are reluctant to enter the place. They con-
  sider it evil, unlucky, and enchanted. Only explor-
  ing the forest firsthand can reveal the truth.  
   
  Lluvioso Plains: This broad, green flatland is 
  heavily populated, mainly by humans. Most of the 
  cities in the region are quite prosperous, but Santo 
  Encantado still suffers from an ill reputation. This 
  place is home to a large, abandoned monastery 
  and cathedral which were the site of several grisly 
  murders many centuries ago, and which have 
  now cast a pall upon the whole city. At sundown, 
  apparitions can be seen emerging from the city’s 
  old clocktower; then they wander freely through 
  Santo Encantado’s empty streets. The images do 
  not seem to be capable of harming anyone, and 
  they do not respond to exorcism by clerics or Ban-
  ishment by spellcasters; but nonetheless, the city is 
  widely avoided and practically abandoned. 
   
   
  
  HESPERIA 
   
   
  55 
   
   
   
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  56 
   
   
  Manzanas de Oro: The capital of Hesperia, an 
  enormous palace stands here which dates all the 
  way back to the Third Age and the first arrival of 
  humans in Arcadia. The catacombs beneath the 
  palace run very deep and have never been fully 
  explored. The palace is also famous for its gar-
  dens, tended all these centuries by a small and 
  secretive lineage of elves who claim descent from 
  King Yasser of old. The Hesperian Gardens are 
  said to be the most enchantingly lovely in all the 
  world. 
   
  Pozo Invicto: This city, which stands at the 
  mouth of the Río Perezoso and is protected by the 
  tall cliffs of Pared Island, is the home of Hesperia’s 
  major naval base and shipyards. The Hesperian 
  Navy has the same respect in this country that 
  many knighthood orders command in other lands. 
   
  Rechazado Hills: These hills are somewhat 
  wild, populated by beasts and animals of all sorts, 
  but nothing especially evil or supernatural is 
  known to live here. Hunters and trappers often 
  strike out into the hills from the town of Agricola.  
   
  Salvaje Woods: Fauns are 
  known to skirt the edges of 
  these woods, but they never 
  venture very deep into them. 
  Whatever dwells in the center 
  of this forest is very magical 
  and very frightening, though 
  whether it be undead, fae, or 
  something else entirely, no-
  body can say. Locals speak of 
  strange and unearthly howls 
  that can sometimes be heard 
  from the forest’s borders. 
   
  Tabla Roja: A red and 
  rusty shelf-country that ex-
  tends south and east of the 
  Atleans, this highland over-
  looks the old fortress located 
  at Castillo Acero, a place 
  known for ruins that date back 
  to the Elysian conquest. 
   
  Terra Island: This island 
  has an odd story connected 
  with it. It is said that in the 
  Second Age, after the Urther 
  escaped from Avalon with a 
  group of rebels, he flew over 
  the Dysic Ocean and met with fay-folk in Lemuria 
  and Tollan. Then, somehow, he found the place 
  where the one and only wizard Myrddin was 
  supposed to be sleeping forever—and he did the 
  impossible by waking him up. Myrddin and the 
  Hero then joined forces and brought many fays 
  back across the ocean, hoping to depose Queen 
  Meliora and end the Elfin Empire—but they 
  didn’t sail straight for Avalon. Instead, they 
  crossed the ocean from Tollan to Hesperia, and it 
  was here that they first put ashore. Some years 
  later, after the fays again came to rule Avalon, a 
  group of elves sailed south and founded a city 
  where Pilares Gemelos now stands. 
    
  Vagando Woods: This forest is known to hide 
  a gang of thieves who make it their business to 
  rob all that they can from the royal coffers of the 
  governor of Bosques Lejanos. If the rumors are 
  true, and the thieves are actually “Robin Hood” 
  types who give all of their profits to the poor, the 
  royal authorities here have done a fine job of sup-
  pressing this information. 
   
   
    
   
  
  ILLYRIA 
   
   
  57 
  ILLYRIA 
   
  The land of Illyria is a cultural crossroads, the spot 
  where Arcadia comes into contact with the rest of 
  the continent of Greater Edenia. The country itself 
  is nestled between three seas: the Illic, the Phœnic, 
  and the Vodyan. A mountain range, the Barikôn, 
  cuts north-to-south through the middle of the 
  country, but the rest of the land is still rough and 
  rugged, all the way down to its seaside cliffs. 
  Dozens of rocky islands sit just off the southwest-
  ern coast. To the east, the vast Alati Desert sepa-
  rates Illyria from Amarna. 
   
  Illyria is a kingdom peopled by roughly equal 
  numbers of humans and centaurs. The centaurs 
  came to settle this place early in the Second Age. 
  The civilization that they built here was simple 
  and pastoral, a few villages scattered throughout 
  the land, unified only by a common culture and 
  language. Over time, the centaurs’ civilization be-
  came increasingly complex, until a number of in-
  dependent city-states covered the Illyrian penin-
  sula and islands. Governments included democra-
  cy, oligarchy, and monarchy; but all of the city-
  states were relatively militaristic, and wars be-
  tween them were not uncommon. Except for these 
  occasional conflicts, the Second Age was a rela-
  tively peaceful and stable time for Illyria. 
   
  Things changed when the Third Age dawned 
  and the humans arrived. Like all of the humans 
  that settled in the south of Arcadia, these people 
  came out of the west, ultimately from Atlantis. 
  The humans who settled in Illyria, though, were 
  quick to adapt to the centaurs’ language and cus-
  toms. (Modern Illyrian comes directly from the 
  ancient Illyrian spoken by the centaurs in antiqui-
  ty.) The king of one of the ancient Illyrian cities, a 
  centaur named Chiron, became particularly fast 
  friends with a human chieftain named Cheops. 
  Myths handed down from the Third Age, still re-
  counted in Illyria, relate many heroic deeds and 
  adventures attributed to Chiron and Cheops, who 
  slew monsters and claimed treasures and fought 
  together in war. 
   
  Famous heroes arose in later generations, too, 
  when Apophis of Mephret resurrected Namtar the 
  Lich-King and brought about the Second Great 
  War. Illyria was the first country attacked by the 
  armies of Apophis, and it was almost destroyed. 
  The shadowspawn captured the northern half of 
  the country and used it as a corridor into Arcadia;  
   
  but Illyrian warriors, who had been pushed west 
  of the Barikôns, held firm there and were never 
  defeated. A battle at Naos Lofos, near the end of 
  the war, was a great turning point for the forces of 
  good and Order. 
   
  In the era that followed, humans consolidated 
  their foothold across the south of the continent, 
  and they built new empires upon the ashes of 
  those kingdoms which had been destroyed by the 
  forces of Zudos. The greatest of these began in 
  Illyria, under the rule of the philosopher-king, 
  Alexander of Olympia. Driven by a desire to make 
  sure that nothing like the Second Great War could 
  ever happen again, Alexander united all of the 
  Illyrian rulers behind a common cause: conquer-
  ing the land of Amarna, where Apophis had aris-
  en and caused the war. It was only after this con-
  quest had been completed that Alexander was 
  made king over all of Illyria and emperor of Am-
  arna as well. But his success spurred his ambition: 
  sweeping eastward, Alexander went on to add 
  Edenia Minor to his empire. But when he reached 
  the borders of Shambala, he realized that his cam-
  paign could proceed no further. He only stayed in 
  the region long enough to make firm his hold on 
  the eastern border of his empire; then he returned 
  home to Illyria, where he ruled until the end of his 
  days. The Alexandrine Empire lasted until the 
  very end of the Third Age, when conquest by Ely-
  sium ushered in the beginning of the Fourth. 
   
  After Elysium fell, Illyria—unlike much of the 
  rest of Arcadia—avoided a Dark Age. The institu-
  tions of civilization remained intact here, and 
  kings in the city of Alexandria (which had been 
  built in the days of Alexander’s empire, to honor 
  that great conqueror) assumed all the authority 
  once held by the Elysian imperial governor. In 
  effect, it was as if the Empire never fell for Illyria. 
  Instead, it persisted, albeit in a diminished form, 
  all the way up through the end of Medieval Peri-
  od, during which time Illyria developed a reputa-
  tion for brutal and backstabbing internal politics. 
  Then, in the Fifteenth Century, a sultan of Amarna 
  named Akbar V marched westward over the Alati 
  Desert and captured Alexandria. Illyria thus be-
  came a province under the subjugation of the new 
  Amarnan Empire—and so it remained, nearly up 
  into the present day. But during the early 1800s, 
  an unlikely alliance between Avalon, Elysium, 
  and Illyria came together to fight for Illyrian inde-
  pendence from Amarna. The bitter campaign was  
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  58 
   
   
  
  ILLYRIA 
   
   
  59 
   
   
  ultimately successful, largely thanks to Avalon, 
  which also took the land of Mephret away from 
  Amarna and made it a colony. Illyria has become 
  free, but that freedom is tenuous; very little stands 
  between Illyria and a campaign of reconquest and 
  revenge by Amarna. For that matter, Amarna 
  would have an easy time taking Sylviana, too. 
   
  Agrios Forest: This forest is heavily populated 
  by leshies and elves. Dwarfs, distant kin to the 
  hánfolk, live in the nearby city of Dentra. Aëtoi is 
  another city, built high upon a hill, inhabited by 
  harpies. 
   
  Alexandria: Once the capital of Illyria, this 
  city is now mostly famous for its temples, librar-
  ies, and universities. Also found here is a technical 
  academy called the Archimedeon, dedicated to 
  modern science and technology. 
   
  Barikôn Mountains: This dangerous range is 
  inhabited by chimeras, manticores, griffons, hip-
  pogriffs, nekrozons, and all manner of dangerous 
  hybrids. Friendly creatures (like pegasi) can also 
  be found here occasionally. A few sphinxes and 
  gorgons are even said to dwell here. 
   
  Dolos Cliffs: These high cliffs overlook the 
  Vodyan Sea. Caves in the cliffs (not to mention the 
  sea itself) are known to hide all kinds of hideous 
  sea-serpents and other aquatic monsters. The hu-
  mans of Gkremos make their living off of this sea, 
  despite the pervasive danger. 
   
  Kentauropolis: The center of centaur civiliza-
  tion in olden days, this city is still important to 
  centaur (and Illyrian) culture. Centaur philoso-
  phers and astronomers still congregate here. Also 
  based in this place is an order of centaur warriors 
  known as the Knights of Ixion, who have made it 
  their duty since the early days of the Fourth Age 
  to protect Illyria from outside conquest. These 
  knights played a key role in Illyria’s battle for in-
  dependence from Amarna, and now they will stop 
  at nothing to preserve that hard-won freedom. 
   
  Lake Iremos: Old legends say that this lake 
  has no bottom, and that it in fact leads all the way 
  to the underworld. These are only stories, of 
  course; a lake without a lakebed would be quite 
  impossible. Still, there are many deep caves and 
  tunnels in this region, so there might be a grain of 
  truth to the myth. Nobody knows what might be 
  found at the bottom of Iremos. 
   
  Lapithai Hills: In ancient days, human bar-
  barians lived in these hills. The hills were aban-
  doned during the Second Great War, when they 
  were overrun by the shadowspawn. Ever since 
  then, the hills have been considered cursed. Now 
  they are thought to be haunted by geists that 
  dwell in ancient barrows beneath the hills. 
   
  Olympia: Made the formal capital of the new-
  ly independent Illyria just a couple of decades 
  ago, Olympia is still better known for its ancient 
  ruins than anything else. The country is presently 
  run by a provisional government, headed by a 
  regent named Jolanda Sophia. Until either a prop-
  er monarch is elected or the Regent Jolanda is her-
  self crowned queen, Illyria’s government will re-
  main in a state of only tenuous stability. 
   
  Pepromeno Coast: A region of high cliffs, 
  crags, and sea-caves, this coastline overlooks the 
  many islands south of the Illyrian mainland. The 
  most interesting city in the region is Amphitria, 
  because it is a merrow city and completely un-
  derwater. 
   
  Silenoi Forest: Fauns inhabit the Silenoi For-
  est in large numbers. There are also nymphs and 
  satyrs to be found here, ruling over the fauns. The 
  nearby city of Chalasmata is famous for its great 
  library, which has unique historical records dating 
  back to the Second Age. 
   
   
   
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  60 
  MIDJARD 
   
  The land of Midjard, as its name implies, covers a 
  vast area in the very center of the Arcadian sub-
  continent. All of the lands east of the Gylden River 
  and west of the Drachendorn Mountains, south of 
  the Fenrir Bay and north of the Valk Mountains, 
  are part of Midjard. The east of Midjard is rough 
  and hilly. A mountain range called the Schwärtz-
  esten dominates the landscape there. To the south, 
  Midjard seems almost entirely woodlands, and so 
  it is fitting that the people who have dwelt here 
  for three Ages of the world are the Wood Elves. 
  Further north and west, Midjard is a country of 
  varied terrain: plains and hills, forests and bogs, 
  lakes and rivers. Indeed, because Midjard is so 
  large and so varied, and because it is home to 
  nearly every kindred known on Gaia, it makes an 
  ideal location for nearly any sort of campaign 
  game that the referee might wish to begin—
  especially for players new to Gaia and to gaslamp 
  fantasy. 
   
  Though mostly united by a single culture and 
  language, Midjard is divided into a number of 
  independent kingdoms: eight of them, to be pre-
  cise. These are called Gyldmark, Handelstad, 
  Spielberg, Afblände, Dämmerung, Dreiseen, Älf-
  heim, and Lu Sing. With the notable exception of 
  the Kingdom of Lu Sing, the language spoken 
  everywhere throughout this country is Midjard-
  isch, a tongue descended from the old speech of 
  the älfar who dwell primarily in the Kingdom of 
  Älfheim. Strangely, the Wood Elves’ language 
  bears a much closer resemblance to the Old Gob-
  lish speech (the tongue of Asgard) than it does to 
  the Old High Elvish (spoken in Pohjola). Histori-
  ans and linguists have not yet been able to discern 
  why this is so. 
   
  While Sylvan Elves rule the kingdom of Älf-
  heim, their neighbors to the north in the Kingdom 
  of Dämmerung are fays. Goblins live in Afblände 
  and the lands between the Schwärtzesten and 
  Drachendorn ranges. The rest of the kingdoms are 
  populated by a bewildering mix of humans and 
  demihumans. 
   
  Lu Sing is without doubt the most peculiar of 
  all the Midjardisch kingdoms, because it does not 
  resemble any other land in Arcadia. Culturally, 
  the people of Lu Sing are related to the distant 
  Empire of Jiganhu: they speak a similar language 
  and share many of its customs. It seems that at 
  some time very early in the Fourth Age of the 
  world, Lu Sing was founded by refugees fleeing 
  some terrible misfortune taking place in their orig-
  inal homeland in the Far East. 
   
  It is possible that Dämmerung is the oldest 
  kingdom in Midjard, but no records survive from 
  the First Age to corroborate such a theory. The 
  Great War which ended the First Age so ravaged 
  Midjard that the shape of the land was altered 
  considerably, destroying much of what came be-
  fore. If the gentle Player desires surer history than 
  mere speculation can provide, that certainty can 
  only be found in books and scrolls left behind 
  since the start of the Second Age, shortly after the 
  elves came into Midjard (very likely from Pohjola) 
  and founded the Kingdom of Älfheim.  
   
  Old books left behind by these early king-
  doms indicate a great rivalry between the elves of 
  Älfheim and the fays of Dämmerung. As it was in 
  Avalon during the Second Age, ill will toward the 
  fays was pervasive, as their kind was blamed for 
  the Great War. But the fays never fled from their 
  kingdom here; instead, they ensconced themselves 
  deeper, hid themselves away with charms and 
  enchantments, and allowed the elves to rule the 
  land. When soldiers of Avalon came to declare 
  their rule over all of Midjard, the elves of Älfheim 
  met them as friends and honored the emissaries of 
  the faraway monarch by presenting them with a 
  most kingly gift: a sword wrought from purest 
  mythril, called the Strahlendklinge. But on the very 
  day that the two tribes of elves were to meet, the 
  silversteel blade disappeared mysteriously—it is 
  likely that magic was involved—and so, naturally 
  enough, the elves suspected the fays. War broke 
  out between Älfheim and Dämmerung, with Ava-
  lon remaining strictly neutral, and neither king-
  dom won. In the end, all that came out of the inci-
  dent was a lasting bitterness built on old grudges 
  between the two countries. Meanwhile, other folk 
  came to settle in the north and west of Midjard: 
  centaurs, goblins, gnomes, and ogres. Near the 
  end of the Second Age, when Avalon fell, many 
  hánfolk also had come to dwell in Midjard, mostly 
  in the region of the Betrug Forest. 
   
  The Third Age, then, brought the rise of early 
  human empires in the far south—and also the 
  Second Great War, fought between the Free Folk 
  of Arcadia and the great Enemy in the East. The 
  shadowspawn in those days overran Sylvania and 
  established a fell stronghold at Dol Drachenham, a 
  beachhead whence they struck out at Midjard. 
  
  MIDJARD 
   
   
  61 
  Fleeing before the ’spawn came human refugees 
  who would eventually settle in Midjard to create 
  barbarian kingdoms. Meanwhile, Midjard’s fairy-
  folk fought back against the armies of evil and 
  drove them back into Sylvania, where the tide 
  turned, and the Enemy was at last driven back 
  into the East once again. The very end of the Third 
  Age in Midjard saw frequent but minor border-
  skirmishes between the Midjarders and the armies 
  of Julius Dracus from Imperial Elysium. 
   
  In the early centuries of the Fourth Age, 
  Midjard was constantly harassed by the Elysian 
  Empire. By the Fifth Century, though, Elysium 
  had become so weak that the Midjardisch tribes 
  and kingdoms were able to come together and 
  launch a series of counter-attacks that ultimately 
  destroyed Cælestium and brought down its whole 
  empire. Midjardisch kings then came to rule over 
  the shattered pieces of the Elysian Empire, and 
  their shared culture came to influence much of 
  mainland Arcadia. Meanwhile, the eight king-
  doms known in modern Midjard began to take 
  shape. Elves still lived in Älfheim and fays still 
  dwelt in Dämmerung; but now goblins came to-
  gether to form the kingdom of Afblände; men cre-
  ated the kingdoms of Dreiseen and Spielberg (and 
  also Lu Sing, although these were humans from 
  much farther away); men, ogres, and háin came 
  together and founded Handelstad; and men and 
  centaurs settled the Gyldmark. (Incidentally, the 
  men of the Mark are very close kin to the Guil-
  dermen of Asgard—they are of the same lineage, 
  but by historic accident they settled on opposite 
  shores of the Fenrir Bay.) 
   
  At present, Midjard is strong but still divided. 
  The Midjardisch people are very keen on science 
  and more than adept with modern technology. 
  Industry, travel, and communication are as ad-
  vanced here as they are in Utopia and in the south 
  of Avalon. But the Midjardisch kingdoms are by 
  no means equal in the distribution of power and 
  wealth. Handelstad and Afblände are among the 
  richest and best industrialized of the kingdoms. 
  Spielberg and Gyldmark each enjoy strong mili-
  tary superiority. Älfheim and Dämmerung remain 
  magical forces not lightly dismissed. Several char-
  ismatic kings also make Midjardisch politics inter-
  esting. For centuries, Älfheim has been ruled by 
  Elf-King Alberich, while Dämmerung has been 
  ruled by Fay-King Sternlicht. The Kingdom of 
  Spielberg, ruled by an ambitious human named
   
   
   
  Johannes von Spielberg, is in the best position of 
  all the kingdoms to eventually dominate all of 
  Midjard (not unlike Prussia in real-world Ger-
  many) and build a nation-state worthy of compet-
  ing with the likes of Utopia and Avalon.  
   
  Dol Drachenham: This dark tower, built deep 
  in the mountains where the Valks meet the 
  Drachendorns, was once a stronghold of evil and 
  Chaos, the northern outpost of the risen Lich-King 
  during the Second Great War. Although the shad-
  owspawn were driven out of these lands long ago, 
  Dol Drachenham itself was never assaulted or de-
  stroyed. Presumably, it still stands today. 
   
  Kingdom of Afblände: All of the country in 
  between the Schwärtzesten Mountains (which are 
  exceedingly rich in iron, tin, copper, and coal) and 
  the Nisse River belong to a race known as the 
  Black Goblins. These goblins are more insular 
  than those that live in Asgard, but they neverthe-
  less conduct a great deal of trade with the other 
  Midjardisch kingdoms, especially Spielberg. The 
  Drages Desolation, a blighted land that runs from 
  the river to the foothills of the Drachendorn, is by  
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  62 
   
  
  MIDJARD 
   
   
  63 
  no means under the goblins’ control. This country 
  is ruled by dragons and shadowspawn that dwell 
  in the mountains. The far-off stronghold of For-
  samlinghalle, once a great goblin-built fortress in  
    
    
  the Drachendorn, was destroyed many centuries 
  ago. Now Forsamlinghalle is held by the ’spawn, 
  and Orkberg (on the northern coast) is in the pos-
  session of draugs—making these places two of the 
  strongest outposts of Chaos on the continent. 
   
  Kingdom of Älfheim: The mighty kingdom 
  of the Sylvan Elves, Älfheim covers all the lands 
  around the Great Eingehüllt Forest. Leshies dwell 
  east of the Gylden River, and humans live in the 
  communities of Männerberg and Durchgang. The 
  city of Wärterpfosten is home to the Eingehüllt 
  Rangers, a band of älfar warriors and foresters 
  who defend the elf-kingdom from monsters. 
   
  Kingdom of Dämmerung: 
  The kingdom of the fays sur-
  rounds a forest called the Bild-
  erwald, place of strange illu-
  sions and colorful tricks of the 
  light. The fays employ the magi-
  cal properties of the Bilderwald 
  to keep their business hidden 
  from the world; but they avoid 
  the Falsch Fens, which are 
  haunted by the undead. 
   
  Kingdom of Dreiseen: This 
  country is home to humans and 
  some gnomes, and also to mer-
  rows living in the three large 
  lakes that give the kingdom its 
  name. The monarchy of Drei-
  seen is old but not particularly 
  autocratic. Rather, the authority 
  of the king here (the ruler of 
  Dreiseen is named Gunter IX) is 
  limited by a constitution, a doc-
  ument called the Compact of 
  Friedvoll, which establishes a 
  council of barons who hold the 
  power to overrule certain of the 
  king’s decisions. The Vorsteinert 
  Valley in the far west of the 
  kingdom is a famous archæo-
  logical dig-site, well-known for 
  the discovery of artifacts that 
  predate the First Age. Dreiseen 
  is perhaps best known as the 
  home of the Society of Free-
  thinkers, who were the founders 
  (some would say perpetrators) 
  of the Gnostic Reformation. 
   
  Kingdom of Gyldmark: 
  This flat country is dominated 
  by wide expanses of plains, broken up by occa-
  sional hills or bluffs covered in heather and scrub. 
  A well-traveled railway line begins in Kruispunt 
  and passes all the way through the north of Mid-
  jard, into the Kingdom of Afblände. Gyldmark 
  itself is a busy hub of local trade and the home of 
  a group called the Ritters of the Gyldmark, human 
  and centaur knights dedicated to defending all of 
  Midjard. (Most of the time, though, the Ritters 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  64 
  have their hands full just keeping the trolls and 
  ettins confined to the Verloren Hills.) The people 
  of Gyldmark are close allies of the Guildermen of 
  Asgard, who are their kin. 
   
  Kingdom of Handelstad: This kingdom 
  stretches from the mouth of the Älver River to the 
  lone peak called Mount Liebenichts. Both humans 
  and ogres alike live in the coastal lowlands 
  around the city of Handelstad proper, while the 
  Betrug Forest houses countless many hánfolk. The 
  háin of Betrug are always war-ready, given that 
  their homeland is flanked by the dangerous Ver-
  loren Hills on the one side and the cursed Merk-
  würdig Moors on the other.  
   
  Kingdom of Lu Sing: At some point very ear-
  ly in the Fourth Age, a large band of humans from 
  faraway Jianghu traveled west to escape some 
  widespread misfortune that befell that land. 
  Whether it was a plague, a conquest, or something 
  worse, only the sages and historians in Lu Sing 
  know for sure. The people of Lu Sing are not as 
  Isolationist as their Jiangese counterparts in the 
  Far East; indeed, they are more than happy to 
  trade and mingle with their Midjardisch neigh-
  bors. The language and customs of Lu Sing are 
  different enough that this kingdom has remained 
  culturally distinct from the rest of Midjard. At the 
  celebration of each new year, a great fighting 
  tournament is held in Lu Sing, which includes 
  both armed and unarmed competitions. But only 
  the best warriors in Arcadia are invited to com-
  pete with local gongfu masters, who nearly always 
  win the tournament. 
   
  Kingdom of Spielberg: The northernmost 
  kingdom in Midjard, Spielberg is closely allied 
  with Afblände and Gyldmark. A mix of low foot-
  hills, rolling plains, and open woodlands, this is 
  one of the more peaceful kingdoms in all of Arca-
  dia—and yet, its people are very militaristic and 
  aggressive in their political posturing. It is no se-
  cret that King Johannes von Spielberg wants to 
  make his kingdom the center of a united Midjard-
  isch Empire. The Spielbergers might just get more 
  than they ever thought they could bargain for, 
  though, because the shadowspawn and the black 
  dragons are multiplying in the Drachendorn. A 
  unified Midjard could be their only hope to with-
  stand the inevitable onslaught. 
   
   
   
   
  
  POHJOLA 
   
   
  65 
  POHJOLA 
   
  The Kingdom of Pohjola stretches all the way 
  from the Drachendorn Mountains in the west to 
  the Chernobog Mountains in the east. The Avara 
  River, white and rapid, separates Pohjola from 
  Asgard in the north. To the south lie the black and 
  foreboding waters of the Vodyan Sea. Pohjola is a 
  land of enormous, dense forests, thick with an-
  cient growth and mystery. Despite the country’s 
  temperate latitude, it is cold here for much of the 
  year, because a chill wind always blows off of the 
  Jäätynyt Plains, only broken when it reaches the 
  high treetops of the great Vanhin Forest where the 
  last of the High Elves have made their kingdom. 
  Within the forests, the climate is always warm and 
  pleasant, thanks to some little-understood elfin 
  magic. Elsewhere, the country is at the mercy of 
  the elements and that ill wind that blows down 
  from the north. 
   
  The High Elves built their kingdom in Pohjola 
  at the beginning of the Second Age, and then they 
  did everything in their power to cut themselves 
  off from the rest of the world and its problems. 
  They wanted no part in the affairs of Gaia after the 
  First Great War was over: it was enough that such 
  a disastrous incident had brought them unwilling-
  ly into Gaia in the first place. Their kin, the älfar 
  (i.e. Wood Elves or Sylvan Elves) who settled in 
  Midjard and eventually moved onto Avalon, were 
  considered a lesser breed: barbaric and warlike, fit 
  only to serve the aims of the High kingdom. The 
  Wood Elves even spoke in the tongues of the gob-
  lins and sought to conquer, to dominate, and to 
  win retribution from the fays. The High Elves of 
  Pohjola took the noble road of peace: they only 
  wished to left to their own devices. 
   
  But ever has Pohjola lived beneath a shadow, 
  stuck as it is between the Drachendorns and the 
  Chernobogs. The Drachendorns weren’t always 
  such an accursed place: in ancient times, goblins 
  and elves mined tunnels into those mountains in 
  search of orichalc and other riches. But then dark-
  ness came to that land, and the vile stronghold at 
  Dol Drachenham was built, and it became a home 
  of dragons and shadowspawn. After the Second 
  Great War, the darkness in the Drachendorns 
  waned, but over the centuries this darkness has 
  slowly and quietly returned. The Chernobog 
  Mountains, meanwhile, have never known peace. 
  Ever have those fell and dire peaks cast an evil  
   
  shadow upon the land of the High Elves, for they 
  separate Pohjola from Tuonela, the country of the 
  ’spawn. The very name of Tuonela is taken from 
  the Old High Elfish (it means “Land of Death”), 
  that place in the east which has always been the 
  possession of the Great Enemy. 
   
  The modern Pohjolan language is descended 
  directly from the Old High Elfish. It bears no dis-
  cernible relationship to the Wood Elves’ language 
  (Midjardisch), but it does share some features and 
  vocabulary with the Sylphic language still spoken 
  by harpies in northern Sylvania. 
   
  Once the Second Age had begun, and the 
  High Elves had decided that they would settle in 
  this country betwixt the mountain ranges, they 
  cultivated the forests (many of which also became 
  home to leshies) and wove their elf-spells around 
  them, filling these woods with light and life. A 
  Tree of Life was planted in the center of the forest 
  called Vanhin, and this became the site of the city 
  of Sampo, the true capital of Elvendom on Gaia. 
  All who dwelt within the light of this tree were 
  said to be blessed with wisdom and skill, and so it 
  has remained for an Age. 
   
  When the Third Age came along and humans 
  enabled the start of the Second Great War, the 
  elves of Pohjola did not rush out to meet the evil 
  headlong as the folk of Midjard did. They honored 
  their old alliance with the goblins of Asgard and 
  fought against the enemy along the Chernobogs, 
  but otherwise they merely defended their borders 
  and made sure that nothing could enter Pohjola 
  from over the Drachendorns or from across the 
  Vodyan Sea. This has been the way of the High 
  Elves ever since: aloof, apart from the world, and 
  concerned only for the good of their own. 
   
  The story of Pohjola in the Fourth Age, then, 
  is one of a kingdom teetering on the brink. Evil 
  closes in around them from all sides. A dark pow-
  er grows in the East, and from afar it strengthens 
  whatever foulness still lurks under the Drachen-
  dorns. Even if this new darkness is defeated, how-
  ever, Pohjola will have to face something even 
  more insidious: change. The rest of the world is 
  learning, growing, progressing, and advancing. 
  The High Elves would like nothing more than to 
  see everything stay exactly the way it is, and yet 
  they know this to be impossible. Science is forever 
  altering the world, and the true challenge for Poh-
  jola will be to adapt to this change—which it must 
  do if it is to survive. 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  66 
   
   
   
   
  
  POHJOLA 
   
   
  67 
   
   
   
  Avara River: This mighty flow comes down 
  out of the Drachendorns, winds its way across 
  most of Pohjola, and finally empties into the Fen-
  rir Bay. The city of Sampo was built on the banks 
  of the Avara, as was the city of Kelkka, famed for 
  its master shipwrights. 
   
  Drachendorn Mountains: North of the Avara 
  River, the Drachendorns form the border between 
  Pohjola and Midjard. Here, the mountains are evil 
  and utterly infested with dragons and shadow-
  spawn. South of the river, though, the mountains 
  are less foreboding. The branch of the Drachen-
  dorns between Pohjola and Sylvania is mainly 
  inhabited by harpies, who fight constantly to keep 
  their beloved peaks and heights free from incur-
  sions by the ’spawn. 
   
  Jäätynyt Plains: These lands are always fro-
  zen. The elves believe that some evil spell was cast 
  upon them long ago. Fearsome snow-monsters 
  (yetis) are said to the stalk the far northern reaches 
  of the region. In the city of Noita, the elves raise 
  hardy sled-dogs for transportation. 
   
  Jyrista Hills: The foothills leading up to the 
  Drachendorns, these were filled with goblins in 
  the days when Forsamlinghalle was alive and glo-
  rious. Now the dreary hills are abandoned by all 
  but shadowspawn and the occasional dragon that 
  wanders out of the mountains. 
   
  Karhu Cliffs: These high bluffs make it im-
  possible to reach Pohjola from the Fenrir Bay, or 
  vice versa, without traversing either the Vaalea 
  Forest or the Avara River—both of which are 
  well-guarded by elfin marchwardens. 
   
  Kuollut Forest: The elves and leshies who 
  dwell within this wood are friends and close allies 
  to the harpies that live immediately south of them, 
  in the more benign southern branch of the Drach-
  endorn Mountains. Often must these three folk 
  come together to fight the monsters of the north 
  Drachendorns. 
   
  Lohikäärme Badlands: This place was the site 
  of a great battle at the end of the First Age, when 
  many elves were slain while contending with 
  Fiendish forces. Since that day, the land has been 
  blighted, and nothing grows here. The greater un-
  dead (revenants and animi) haunt this place. Even 
  the elves are reluctant to disturb its restless evil. 
   
  Peikko Fells: Something truly evil lives and 
  hunts in these moors. Whatever it is (and nobody 
  knows, because none who risk to enter the Fells 
  ever return), it is probably allied with the evil in 
  the Chernobog Mountains. 
   
  Salama Fields: These plains are the breadbas-
  ket of Pohjola. Those elves who choose to pass 
  their centuries as farmers live in this region. It is a 
  pastoral, even idyllic existence—so long as noth-
  ing foul comes storming out of the Jyrista Hills. 
   
  Sampo: Capital city of Pohjola, the elves that 
  live here are primarily concerned with guarding 
  the great Tree of Life. This tree is believed to be 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  68 
  the source of immortality for all of the High Elves 
  who live on Gaia. Should something ever happen 
  to the Tree, all High Elves everywhere would be-
  come mere mortals, just as the Sylvan Elves al-
  ready are. The Tree-Keepers, then, are Pohjola’s 
  most elite warriors and magicians, for their duty is 
  the most solemn. Sampo is also home to the King 
  of the High Elves, Ukko Ilúvatar, who has ruled 
  this country for quite literally thousands of years. 
   
  Sieni Hills: The city of Lääke was built up 
  around a fortified watchtower, set here long ago 
  to ward the hill-country, which is now inhabited 
  by ogre tribes and packs of dire wolves. The ogres 
  are on friendly terms with the elves of Lääke—
  they help them to patrol the region and hunt the  
  wolves. There are also wilder living here, but the 
  wilder keep to themselves (and they also leave the 
  dire wolves alone). 
   
  Tumma Forest: The only forest in the country 
  that the elves do not inhabit, nothing seems to live 
  here except for the trees themselves. Not birds, not 
  beasts, not monsters, not insects. It shouldn’t be 
  possible, but it is so. Nobody knows why. North 
  of the forest, Mount Tulittaa once contained a 
  shadowspawn stronghold, but it has been aban-
  doned for centuries. From time to time, a patrol of 
  elfin Bow-Knights explores this place to make cer-
  tain that nothing foul has taken up residence here. 
   
  Vaalea Forest: The city of Hurja, nestled high 
  up in the treetops in the deepest part of the wood, 
  is home to the Order of Bow-Knights, elfin archers 
  of peerless reputation. They ward the north of the 
  country from all excursions, suspicious of every-
  one (even their nominal allies, like the Asgardish 
  goblins). 
   
  Vanhin Forest: This whole wood seems to be 
  enchanted, a far-reaching effect of the Tree of Life 
  that grows in Sampo. Those who enter Vanhin 
  find that weariness and despair quickly fly from 
  them. It never seems to be night or day here, nor 
  does this place know winter from summer—it is 
  ever a cool twilight in Vanhin. The passage of time 
  itself seems slower, and yet the days are happier, 
  howsoever many may pass. Those that dwell all 
  their lives in Vanhin can be considered blessed, if 
  it is peace and not excitement that they seek. 
   
   
  
  SYLVANIA 
   
   
  69 
  SYLVANIA 
   
  Sylvania is the country which sits east of the Valks 
  and south of the Drachendorns. A very ancient 
  kingdom, it was founded long ago by the Sylphs, 
  an ethnic group of harpies. Today, Sylvania is a 
  kingdom of two cultures, that of the Sylphs (who 
  reside mainly in the north) and that of humans 
  descended from commingled Elysian and Illyrian 
  stock (who dominate the south). The eastern shore 
  of Sylvania is formed by the Vodyan Sea, although 
  the only easy access to this shore can be found at 
  the mouth of the Veloc River. That river is the 
  primary waterway throughout Sylvania: it flows 
  out of the Valks; and the Varcolac, Gyors, Bûbáj, 
  and Orpheon Rivers all empty into it. To the 
  south, Sylvania touches Elysia (which begins 
  where the Desfǎta Hills end), the Illic Sea (though 
  the Strega Mountains all but cut it off from the rest 
  of the country), and the land of Illyria (which is 
  separated from Sylvania by the Orpheon and the 
  Veloc rivers). Much of eastern Sylvania is waste-
  land, poorly cultivated but populated nonetheless. 
  In the center of the country, conditions are far bet-
  ter: around the Principality of Fredonia, the peo-
  ple are prosperous and the land is productive. The 
  Sylvanian monarchy has managed to amass great 
  wealth in recent decades, and the country’s stand-
  ing army is well-trained and now of a considera-
  ble size (mostly as a reaction to the posturing of 
  the Utopian Empire). 
   
  The closer one comes to the mountains in the 
  north of Sylvania, the more one is apt to encounter 
  the Sylphs. In the mountains proper, these harpies 
  have many strongholds carved into the sides of 
  the highest peaks. In these places, the primary 
  tongue spoken is Sylphic, a language related to 
  the Old High Elvish (and modern Pohjolan). Eve-
  rywhere south of the Great Sylvan Woods and the 
  Agyar Wastes, though, is primarily human coun-
  try, and the tongue spoken here is Sylvanian, a 
  modern dialect of the old Cælestine common 
  tongue. Humans rule all of the lands south the 
  Veloc and Varcolac Rivers, including the central 
  Principality of Fredonia. The queen who rules 
  from Fredonia, Katrina I, is also the monarch of all 
  Sylvania. 
   
  After the wars of the First Age, when harpies 
  and all the other fair folk were summoned into the 
  world, the Sylph tribe chose to settle in the Valks 
  and the Drachendorns. Eventually, they also  
   
  passed south of the mountains and settled the 
  rough country that they found beyond the foot-
  hills there. During the Second Age, the Sylphs 
  were warlike and independent. There were many 
  small Sylph kingdoms, and these warred amongst 
  themselves and against all of their neighbors—
  except the High Elves of Pohjola, who always had 
  the utmost respect and friendship of the birdfolk. 
  Stories handed down from the late Second Age 
  tell of a great hero, a Sylph named Mikhail the 
  Bold, who united the warring tribes into a single 
  kingdom that came to be called “Sylphania.” The 
  stories that speak of Mikhail’s deeds are many and 
  conflicting, clearly having been embellished in the 
  intervening millennia. Old tales also mention that 
  at the end of the Second Age, Sylphs joined the 
  Urther’s rebellion against Avalon. 
   
  At the beginning of the Third Age, the united 
  Sylph kingdom was strong, but geography was 
  against it. While humans came into Elysia and 
  Illyria and slowly began to settle those lands, the 
  power of the shadowspawn grew in the east, in 
  Tuonela and on the waters of the Vodyan. Then 
  came the rise of Mephret and the Second Great 
  War, and the onslaught of Apophis and the risen  
   
   
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  70 
  Lich-King. While the armies of Illyria were 
  pushed aside by the forces of Apophis, shadow-
  spawn sailed over the Vodyan and won the east-
  ern shore of Sylvania. Then the men from Mephret 
  linked up with the ’spawn, and this combined 
  force swept westward across the country and 
  razed it practically to the ground. A great alliance 
  came down out of Midjard and halted the march 
  of Chaos, turning it aside as a stone breaks a 
  wave; but Sylvania became the site of the heaviest 
  fighting in that war, and it ultimately broke the 
  Sylphic kingdom utterly. When the war was over 
  and the armies of Apophis were defeated, Sylva-
  nia was in ruins. 
   
  Then, late in the Third Age, humans quickly 
  moved up from the south and settled in the de-
  populated lands. Alexander’s empire took parts of 
  Sylvania under its control; and later, when the 
  Elysian Empire came to power, it conquered the 
  rest of the country. Early on during the Fourth 
  Age, Sylvania was an important province in the 
  Elysian Empire and close to the heart of human 
  civilization, much like Hesperia. After the fall of 
  Elysium, the country came back under the control 
  of Illyria, until Illyria fell to Akbar of Amarna in 
  the Fifteenth Century. Sylvania might have fallen 
  as well, if not for another hero that arose in the 
  eastern part of the country, a warlord named 
  Jánosz. In order to repel the invading Amarnans, 
  Jánosz formed a society of knights called the Or-
  der of the Dragon. The Order was modeled upon 
  the traditions of Jánosz’s Sylphic countrymen and 
  their famed dragoons. Jánosz and his knights 
  managed to hold the Amarnans at the banks of the 
  Veloc: they never won into Sylvania, and they 
  never conquered any lands north of Illyria. 
   
  A descendant of Jánosz I still rules the east 
  country in Sylvania: Prince Jánosz VI, Archduke 
  of Agyar. The sixth Jánosz is not as well-beloved 
  as his ancestor: his country is a wasteland, and his 
  people are poor. There are even rumors that 
  Jánosz himself is a nosferatu and a sorcerer, and 
  that he has drained these lands of their vitality. 
  The prince rarely leaves his castle at the city of 
  Praf, although from time to time he does make 
  conspicuous trips to Fredonia to press his suit of 
  marriage with the queen. 
   
  The ruler of all Sylvania, Katrina Beldenberg, 
  distinguished herself as a warrior and an adven-
  turess before she came to the throne as Queen 
  Katrina I. Unlike past human rulers of Fredonia, 
  Katrina has been intent on keeping all of Sylvania 
  united, and this includes making sure that the 
  Sylphs have their say in her government. Though 
  her autocracy is absolute, Queen Katrina does her 
  best to hear grievances and take advice from local 
  rulers of border-provinces. Even still, some Sylphs 
  that live in the Valks would prefer to be complete-
  ly independent of a human monarch, and whis-
  pers of imminent rebellion are widespread. This is 
  the last thing that Queen Katrina needs: Emperor 
  François of Utopia, in his thirst for conquest, girds 
  his country for wide war. In response to this im-
  minent threat, Katrina has seen to it that Sylvania 
  now marshals its own defenses. The only thing 
  that this audacious soldier-queen will not do is 
  accept the marriage proposal of Archduke Jánosz, 
  even if that would greatly increase her political 
  power and allow her to declare Sylvania a proper 
  empire. The archduke’s reputation is simply too 
  besmirched by foul rumors for Queen Katrina to 
  ever consider such a match. 
   
  Agyar Wastes: This is the country ruled by 
  Archduke Jánosz VI from his castle at Praf. The 
  land here is gray, as if all the life has been drained 
  from it. Vampires are said to stalk the nights with 
  impunity here. Rumors also persist that Jánosz 
  himself is a vampire-lord, but there is no proof to 
  support such accusations. The fact of the matter is 
  that Jánosz has been seen publicly in the daytime, 
  which cannot help but cast considerable doubt on 
  any such superstitious hearsay.  
   
  Bleeding Crags: A region of high seaside cliffs 
  and narrow canyons, ancient tombs are dug into 
  the crags. The tombs predate human settlement of 
  the region and are probably of Sylphic origin. 
   
  Desfǎta Hills: This hilly country is sparsely 
  populated but peaceful. The southwestern edge of 
  the hills forms the border between Sylvania and 
  Elysia. Recently, Queen Katrina has started to dis-
  creetly move soldiers into the hills. She does not 
  want to provoke a response from any of the Elysi-
  an city-states, but she nonetheless feels the need to 
  guard this border in case Utopia ever invades. 
   
  Farcasember Forest: These woods are thought 
  to be haunted by hexbeasts and werewolves. The 
  town of Farcas on the north edge of the woods is a 
  strange place, quiet and dolorous during the day, 
  but with mad music and wild celebrations on a 
  nightly basis. Visitors do not stay long, for they 
  eventually come to suspect that the people of Far-
  cas are under some sort of odd spell. 
   
  Great Sylvan Woods: This vast expanse of 
  woodlands in the center of the country is home to  
  
  SYLVANIA 
   
   
  71 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  72 
  a great many harpies and humans. The cities of 
  Dárda and Fészkel are the centers of some of the 
  most strident opposition to Queen Katrina’s mili-
  taristic rule. 
   
  Fredonia: The capital of Sylvania sits at the 
  southeastern foot of Nobilvǎnt Mountain. Harpies 
  yet live within the mountain, whereas the humans 
  prefer to live in the city. The royal palace of Queen 
  Katrina is more than just a splendid mansion: it is 
  also a center of culture and the arts. The Sylvani-
  ans are great lovers of music, sculpture, and paint-
  ing, and all of these endeavors are well-supported 
  by the royal treasury. Fredonia is famous for its 
  museums, conservatories, theaters, opera hoses, 
  academies, and a famous school called the Illumi-
  nari University. The Scholars of Illuminari are 
  some of the world’s finest physicians, surgeons, 
  philosophers, and magicians. 
   
  Omor Swamp: South of the Tern Lake and the 
  Gyors River, this large wetland area is difficult to 
  navigate, but that doesn’t stop people from living 
  here. Wandering faun and humans bands are its 
  primary inhabitants. 
   
  Veloc River: Most of Sylvania is a part of the 
  Veloc’s river-valley. In the parts where the river 
  flows through the Great Woods, humans make 
  their living as loggers and ferrymen. Farther 
  south, the cities rely on the trade plied up and 
  down the Veloc and its tributaries: Proaspǎt and 
  Clǎdire on the Gyors; Kívánalom on the Bûbáj; 
  and Kiéget, Szürke, Sereglet, and Aggódik on the 
  Veloc itself. At the mouth of the river, the city of 
  Jóval is Sylvania’s only real naval port, charged 
  with defending the country’s eastern shore against 
  all threats—not just the shadowspawn of Tuonela, 
  but the Amarnan Empire as well. 
   
  Víla Vale: This narrow, densely forested val-
  ley is said to be a home of capricious nature-
  spirits. People who enter Víla Vale do not come 
  out. Whatever it is that lives here, none can tell 
  whether it is truly evil or merely a danger to the 
  unwary and the foolish. 
   
   
   
  
  TIRNANOG 
   
   
  73 
  TIRNANOG 
   
  Tirnanog is an island which sits approximately 
  one-hundred and fifty miles west of Avalon. Of 
  the two islands, Tirnanog is considerably smaller, 
  covering perhaps one-third the area Avalon does. 
  Much of Tirnanog is highlands, but there are also 
  rolling meadows, fens, woods, and heaths. The 
  island is roughly divided into three regions by the 
  two mountain ranges that run north–south 
  through the middle of it, the Fia and Céirseach 
  Mountains. East of the Céirseachs, the native háin 
  (also known as hánfolk or leprechauns) and mer-
  rows mingle with men and elves of Avalonian 
  descent. This part of the country is more or less 
  directly under the control of Avalon, a fact not 
  likely to change soon. West of the Fias, the Ard 
  country is peopled almost entirely by háin, and 
  fiercely nationalistic ones at that. Proudly patriot-
  ic, these lands are the heart of the háin rebellion 
  against the Avalonian Empire. The center of the 
  country, then, is the region that the two sides are 
  fighting over. Whoever controls Mag Mell and the 
  river-valley of the Beannaithe will control the 
  greater part of Tirnanog. And yet, the country be-
  tween the mountains—the Gleann Forest and the 
  Bréan Wastes—is wild and fearsome, home to 
  spirits and monsters. No mortal rules over this 
  place—not Avalon and not rebels. 
   
  The very first inhabitants of Tirnanog were 
  not the háin, but the Sidhe. Those that dwelt here 
  in the First Age built a kingdom called the Daoine 
  Sidhe country. It was greatly weakened by the 
  First Great War with the Four Fiends, but it was 
  not destroyed. That did not happen until the Sec-
  ond Age, when dwerrow-folk (primitive dwarfs, 
  the ancestors of the háin) first came to the island. 
  These little people, when they originally appeared 
  in Gaia, were war-like and barbaric. Although the 
  fays named them leipreac-háin (“the little folk”), 
  the dwerrows were fierce enough that they were 
  able to push the Daoine Sidhe clear off their own 
  island. This was a slow process, though, only ac-
  complished over centuries. During that time, the 
  hánfolk learned from the Sidhe, and they even 
  picked up a dialect of their language, which is 
  why Old Fay so closely resembles Old Hánnish, 
  the ancestor of the modern Tirnish tongue. Even-
  tually, the hánfolk came to call themselves by 
  what is now their traditional name as a people 
  and a nation, the háin (a plural form that means     
        
  “the folk”; one leprechaun is called a hán). The 
  fays who were descended from the Daoine Sidhe, 
  meanwhile, were driven all the way back to the 
  Ard country in the west of Tirnanog. At last, they 
  built ships and joined their brethren in fleeing 
  across the Dysic Ocean, into the Uttermost West 
  (Lemuria and Tollan), where they then dwelt all 
  throughout the Second Age. 
   
  The háin burrowed a city into a great earthen 
  mound at a place called Mag Mell. Here dwelt the 
  High King of the hánfolk, who was lord over all of 
  the lesser hán-kings that ruled the many tribes 
  throughout Tirnanog. But the Elfin Empire that 
  grew up in Avalon proved superior in war, and 
  after a few centuries of freedom, Tirnanog came 
  under the thumb of Avalon. The High Kings were 
  forced to pay dear tribute to the Emperor at 
  Annwn, although they resisted all throughout the 
  Second Age. In the days when Meliora came to 
  rule in Avalon, there lived at Mag Mell two princ-
  es, Darby and Dermot of the clan O’Donnell. As 
  the old legends tell it, Darby was the elder brother 
  and the rightful heir to the throne—but both 
  brothers were cruel and conceited, and neither 
  was worthy of the crown. Their father, the old 
  High King, knew this to be true and died without 
  naming a proper successor. The throne then 
  would have fallen to Darby, but for the fact that 
  Dermot made a pact with Meliora to betray his 
  brother. The elf-queen intervened and had Darby 
  exiled from Tirnanog. In this act, she made a dire 
  enemy. Plotting his revenge all the while, Darby 
  secretly went to the Forest of the Ancients in Ava-
  lon, and there he helped to found a rebellion 
  against Meliora. This was the famous rebel army 
  that clashed with Meliora’s knights when the Ur-
  ther walked out of the mists and found them. 
  Somehow, Darby convinced the first human Hero 
  to join the rebellion, an act that made history. In 
  the war with the Elfin Empire, Dermot is said to 
  have been killed; and Darby, made wiser and 
  kinder by his years of hardship as a rebel, was 
  installed on the throne as High King. Thus did 
  Tirnanog enter the Third Age. 
   
  The háin kingdom remained strong, even as 
  humans arose in the south. The Second Great War 
  did not touch Tirnanog at all, so remote was the 
  island from the rest of Arcadia in those days. But 
  after Elysium built its empire at the very end of 
  that period, the fourth Emperor of Cælestium, 
  Thadrian, embarked upon a campaign to subdue  
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  74 
   
   
  
  TIRNANOG 
   
   
  75 
  it. Thadrian had great success in Avalon, where he 
  drove the rebuilt fay kingdom north of the moun-
  tains; but in Tirnanog, he never won a beachhead. 
  The háin were simply too swift, too silent, and too 
  sure of aim to be defeated by the relatively big 
  and clumsy humans. Indeed, the hánnish king-
  dom persisted well into the Fourth Age, though it 
  did so under a new dynasty, the O’Brien line, 
  which had replaced the O’Donnell kings late in 
  the Third Age. 
   
  Then, still early in the Fourth Age, Elysium 
  retreated from Avalon, and King Agravain came 
  to power in Annwn. That king of fays hungered 
  for the glory of ancient times long past, and he 
  vowed to build a new Avalonian Empire. He be-
  gan with Tirnanog. The united skill of fays, elves, 
  and men in Avalon proved the hánfolk’s undoing. 
  In the centuries of war that followed, much of 
  Tirnanog was pillaged and destroyed, and the 
  royal O’Brien line was exterminated. With the 
  High Kingship broken, Tirnanog came firmly un-
  der the rule of Avalon, a protectorate of the new 
  Empire. But the háin have a history of rebellion 
  that dates back to the O’Donnell kings, to Darby 
  the Great who was friend of the Urther. They do 
  not brook foreign rule lightly, and the spirit of 
  resistance burns hottest in the west country, as it 
  has for much this past Age of the world. The háin 
  have only risked open war sporadically, whenever 
  the time has felt right. The Eighteenth Century 
  was comparatively peaceful, and so far, the Nine-
  teenth Century has not seen any major conflagra-
  tions. Many patriots are restless, though, and soon 
  more violence may come to the land of the Little 
  Folk, the onetime isle of the Daoine Sidhe. 
   
  Ádhúil Forest: Since the later days of the 
  Third Age, this forest has been home to an order 
  of wizards (including a few human mages from 
  the south) who were the first Druids, following in 
  the tradition of the fay preacher, Midir. It was, 
  however, believed that Midir’s original cult had 
  mostly died out by the time King Agravain had 
  conquered Tirnanog. But now a secretive society 
  of men and fairies once again dwells here, at the 
  old forest stronghold called Grian Grove. Avalo-
  nian soldiers suspect that the Grove has become a 
  rebel stronghold, but it’s also possible that these 
  humans are trying to bring back the first Druid 
  Order in Ádhúil—entirely for their own mysteri-
  ous purposes, whatever those may be. 
   
  Ard Meadows: The west country is gentle in 
  both climate and terrain, an emerald-green grass-
  land that reflects in the bejeweled eyes of the hán-
  folk. This part of Tirnanog foments the direst op-
  position to Queen Maeve and Avalon. The surest 
  way to get oneself grievously injured in this part 
  of the country is to duck one’s head into a pub in 
  Críonnacht or Loiscneach and shout, “Long live 
  Queen Maeve!” or “For the glory of the Empire!” 
   
  Beannaithe River: This river flows between 
  the Fia and Céirseach ranges. Near the source of 
  the river, the land is wild; more civilization is to 
  be found as the waters course south. By the time 
  the Beannaithe empties into the Smaragaid Lake, 
  it is a mighty flow indeed. (The Smaragaid, inci-
  dentally, is home to a large community of mer-
  rows, and a powerful merrow witch is said to 
  dwell there among them and protect the lake.) 
  Then, leaving the lake, the Beannaithe continues 
  down to the sea, where the storied city of Port 
  Mór becomes Tirnanog’s chief seaport and its 
  gateway to the rest of the world. The Avalonian 
  Navy has firm control of Port Mór, but it holds a 
  less certain grip on the cities upriver (including 
  Mag Mell). The Beannaithe is in fact navigable by 
  ship all the way up to Smaragaid Lake. 
   
  Bréan Wastes: This country is rocky and bare, 
  with naught to break up the sight of it but scrag-
  gly scrub and ancient stone cairns. The old city of 
  Suarach was a Sidhe fortress during the time of 
  Daoine Sidhe, but it was taken by shadowspawn 
  at the end of the First Age. The ’spawn held onto 
  it for millennia, but they were driven out of the 
  region in the later part of the Third Age. Five or 
  six hundred years before the present day, Suarach 
  came alive again—and it drew to itself many evil 
  wizards, both human and fay. Shadowspawn and 
  trolls have also returned to the Wastes. There are 
  even rumors of dragons. Bréan is without doubt 
  the deadliest part of all Tirnanog. 
   
  Caiseal Gobán: This fortress was built by the 
  O’Brien kings at the start of the Fourth Age, but it 
  was quickly taken by invaders in the name of 
  King Agravain. It has been a stronghold of Avalon 
  ever since. 
   
  Céirseach Mountains: These low and round-
  topped mountains stretch through the eastern part 
  of Tirnanog. They are known chiefly for the bluish 
  fog that rolls off their eastern slopes and down to 
  the sea, a perfectly natural occurrence that makes 
  the streets of Eolas look haunting and mysterious 
  at both dawn and dusk. 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  76 
   
  Fia Mountains: These brown, jagged moun-
  tains divide western Tirnanog down the middle. 
  Located in the southern part of this range, Tine-
  dragan Mountain is said to be the lair of a huge 
  and ancient firedrake which has slept on a vast 
  treasure-hoard these past thousand years. 
   
  Firbolg Fens: A tribe of ogres live in the fens. 
  They mostly keep to themselves and rarely visit 
  the cities. Of late, though, they have been growing 
  restless—and since this part of the country is quite 
  solidly under the control of Avalon, the foreign 
  soldiers will naturally suspect that the ogres have 
  been incited by rebels from the west. 
   
  Gleann Forest: Except for the brave háin that 
  dwell in Cumacht, most people do not go into 
  Gleann Forest. This is only prudent. Gleann is a 
  dangerous place. The trees of Gleann, so say the 
  locals, do not take kindly to visitors. 
   
  Mag Mell: The capital city of Tirnanog, Mag 
  Mell was seized from the rebels by Avalonian sol-
  diers over two hundred years ago, and the rebels 
  have not yet dared the attempt to recapture it. The 
  city is still rocked by violence from time to time, 
  though: usually this takes the form of a bomb 
  planted at a government building by insurgents. 
  The Mound of Mag Mell, the old palace of the 
  O’Donnell kings, still stands here. From the out-
  side, it looks like an earthen mound covered in 
  emerald grass. From within, it looks just like any 
  other stone castle, but much cozier. 
   
  Muir Island: This island sits before the mouth 
  of the Urlabhra River, across the strait from the 
  port city of Imeallbhord. (When pronouncing the 
  name of either the river or the city, note that the 
  “bh” sounds like an English “v.”) Imeallbhord is 
  an important naval base for Avalon, and Muir 
  Island itself is the site of a famous sea-battle in 
  which the forces of King Agravain defeated the 
  háin sea-farers defending the island. 
   
  Olc Island: This northern island is a strange 
  place for a shadowspawn stronghold, but such it 
  is. The mountains here house hordes of loathsome 
  ’spawn, who ply the north Dysic like pirates. 
   
  Seamróg Coast: This region is populated by 
  far more humans and merrows than háin. A great 
  many of the humans living this region are more 
  likely to think ill of the Críonnacht rebellion than 
  of Imperial Avalon. But there are plenty of sympa-
  thizers here too. In short, for all of its emerald hills 
  and shining beaches and other idyllic scenery, this 
  place is a bloody powderkeg waiting to go off. 
   
  Tirnish Sea: The merrows that live in this sea 
  invariably think of themselves as Tirnish, not Ava-
  lonian. To wit, they would much sooner side with 
  hánnish rebels than with the Imperial soldiers, 
  should the rebels ever think to ask for their help.
   
  
  UTOPIA 
   
   
  77 
  UTOPIA 
   
  The country of Utopia (which is nowadays called 
  the Utopian Empire) covers the enormous region 
  in western Arcadia situated north of the Valk 
  Mountains and west of the Gylden and Wunder 
  Rivers. Like a great peninsula, most of Utopia juts 
  out into the Dysic Ocean, although the southern 
  coast of the country is actually formed by the Hip-
  ponic Sea, the shallow body which separates Uto-
  pia from Hesperia. Most of Utopia is plains coun-
  try, although hills and mountains do make some 
  parts of it more rugged. The many rivers that 
  wind through its lowlands serve as the major 
  travel-routes, even in this day and age when rail-
  roads crisscross the whole nation. Utopia is far 
  and away the most technophilic of all Arcadia’s 
  nations, not least because it is the homeland of the 
  gnomes. Humans dwell here in great numbers 
  too, and many Sylvan Elves make their home in 
  the northeastern part of the country, a region 
  called Lutinny, which is culturally much closer to 
  Midjard than to the rest of Utopia. 
   
  The Utopian language is descended from a di-
  alect of Cælestine (since the whole country was 
  once a province of the Elysian Empire), but it is 
  more distinctive than modern Elysian or Hespe-
  rian. The Utopian tongue has been heavily influ-
  enced by the harsh sounds and particular vocabu-
  lary of Old Gnomish, a speech distantly related to 
  Old Fay and Old Hánnish and now long extinct 
  from the region. Two other major languages, Alfo-
  Lutin and Ûkyar, are spoken in the more provin-
  cial reaches of Utopia. Alfo-Lutin is the tongue 
  spoken by the Wood Elves in the northeast; it is 
  very closely related to Midjardisch. Ûkyar, mean-
  while, is the language of the ogres who dwell in 
  the southeast of Utopia, in the Heights and the 
  Desolation. Their language is actually quite simi-
  lar to modern Pohjolan. 
   
  During the First Age, the land now called Uto-
  pia was sparsely settled by scattered little commu-
  nities of primitive Sidhe. (Some of their archaic 
  farm-villages have actually been uncovered by hu-
  man and gnomish archæologists, much to the ex-
  citement of Utopia’s vibrant scientific commu-
  nity.) Later in that period, when the first fairy-folk 
  were summoned into the world, gnomes settled 
  these same lands in great numbers, but they didn’t 
  dwell on the surface. Instead, they tunneled under 
  the ground and lived in subterranean halls. (These  
   
  too are well-documented by archæologists and 
  historians.) In the Second Age, when elves came to 
  power in Avalon, the gnomes avoided conquest 
  by simply hiding underground. Though elves col-
  onized the surface of Utopia, the gnomes were 
  never seen. In those days, they were known as the 
  “Hidden Folk,” and the elves were actually skepti-
  cal of their very existence. 
   
  Near to the end of the Second Age, the under-
  ground cities were ruled by a single Gnome King, 
  a great engineer called Calcasterix the Wise. This 
  ruler became a friend of the Urther after that 
  famed hero returned from over the sea with 
  Myrddin and the exiled fays. He even helped the 
  human to build machines of war, to aid in the de-
  feat of Meliora. It is said that the gnomes learned 
  much of science and engineering from the Urther, 
  who was wise beyond the ken of any fairy in the 
  application of Natural Law; and ever since, the 
  gnomes have been a people fascinated by technol-
  ogy, a fact which now holds true for all the Uto-
  pian people, regardless of their kindred. 
   
  When the Third Age began, the threat once 
  posed by the Elfin Empire was now gone, and the 
  gnomes moved onto the surface of their country. 
  But humans also came into the world en masse in 
  this time, and a great many of them appeared out 
  of the west from over the sea. They mainly settled 
  in the far south, in the countries which were then 
  called Elysium and Illyrium. For most of the Third 
  Age, humans did not bother the gnomes directly; 
  but they did play their part in bringing about the 
  Second Great War, which caused much strife for 
  the gnomes when the fighting finally reached the 
  borders of Utopia. This war weakened the gnome 
  kingdom considerably, such that when Elysium 
  arose in the south, centuries later, Julius Dracus 
  and his son Octavius were able to conquer the 
  whole region in only two generations. 
   
  Early in the Fourth Age, Utopia became a 
  province of Elysium. Many humans came and set-
  tled there, mostly in the south country. Gnomes 
  remained dominant in the north, where they were 
  treated as full citizens of the Empire. The region of 
  Lutinny, meanwhile, was still independent. In 
  those days, it was still considered a part of Mid-
  jard, and it was never taken by Elysium. When the 
  Empire did finally fall, Utopia was hit hard by the 
  Dark Age that followed. Most of the country then 
  fragmented into warring tribal states, tiny king-
  doms of men and gnomes and elves. 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  78 
     
  Things began to change in the Medieval pe-
  riod of the Fourth Age, when a gnome king 
  named Charles the Small rose to power in the 
  western kingdom of Rolandeaux. Charles was a 
  gifted general and a shrewd politician, and he 
  managed to unite many kingdoms under his ban-
  ner. Eventually, most of the other lords of Utopia 
  swore fealty to him, and so Charles the Small 
  came to be known as Charlemin, King of Rolan-
  deaux and Emperor of all 
  Utopia. He reigned from 846 
  until the year 1187 of the 
  Fourth Age, when he was suc-
  ceeded by his son, Charles II. 
  The second Charles ruled 
  Utopia less ably than his fa-
  ther had, though he managed 
  to subdue the elves of Lutinny 
  and add them to the empire. 
  But the elves ultimately won 
  the upper hand in that trans-
  action, because after Charles 
  II was assassinated in 1265, a 
  bit of political maneuvering 
  on the part of an elfin warlord 
  by the name of Lénou placed 
  him upon the throne in Rolad-
  neaux. King Lénou I was a 
  good ruler who treated the 
  gnomes and humans as well 
  as he did his own people, and 
  he worked to spread learning 
  and wisdom throughout Uto-
  pia. But, just as Charlemin 
  had done before him, Lénou 
  eventually passed the king-
  dom down to his son.  
   
  Lénou II, who came to 
  power in 1544, was a very 
  decadent king. He built for 
  himself and his court an enor-
  mous pleasure-palace at the 
  city of Jardin; he squandered 
  the money in the treasury on 
  frivolous wars; and he 
  seemed more interested in 
  building an empire in fara-
  way Lemuria than in seeing to 
  the welfare of his own people, 
  who grew poorer by the day. 
  Eventually, the people could 
  stand it no longer, and cries of révolution rang out 
  in the streets of Rolandeaux. Lénou II lost his head 
  to the guillotine in 1789.  
   
  Following a decade of bloody civil war, the in-
  famous Utopian Revolution climaxed with the as-
  cendancy of the brilliant general and all-around 
  military genius, François Biendit. This gnome is 
  the best tactician that the world has seen since Jul-
  ius Dracus. François was made the president of 
  
  UTOPIA 
   
   
  79 
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  80 
   
   
   
  Utopia’s revolutionary government, only to have 
  himself declared emperor once his power had 
  been consolidated. He now rules Utopia autocrati-
  cally, with a General Assembly of elected leaders 
  serving only to rubberstamp the laws that he en-
  acts. François is also a brilliant scientist in his own 
  right, and he has done much to promote the ad-
  vancement of science, technology, and learning in 
  his new empire. He continues his predecessor’s 
  exploration of northern Lemuria, racing with Ava-
  lon to expand Utopia’s colonies overseas (namely 
  New Vinchamps on the east coast of Lemuria and 
  also vast western expanse known as Arborea). But 
  François is a dictator and a ruthless nationalist, 
  and the very instant he sees the opportunity to 
  strike out at neighboring countries, he will take it 
  without hesitation. On that day, Arcadia will be 
  plunged into wide war the likes of which have not 
  been seen since the Second Age of the world. 
   
  Béni Mountains: These old, eroded peaks 
  serve to separate the region of Lutinny from the 
  rest of Utopia. Everywhere north and east of the 
  Béni Mountains is Wood Elf territory. Many cities 
  along these mountains (especially Pioche, Deux 
  Voies, and Drightensele) and are still active and 
  relatively lucrative mines. 
   
  Blé Hills: This pleasant, hilly prairie country 
  is home to great numbers of farmers, but it yet re-
  mains one of the most provincial regions in all of 
  Utopia. The town of Pente Élevé is home to a key 
  military garrison and school where officers in the 
  Utopian army are trained. Many of the cities to the 
  immediate east of the Blé Hills are highly industri-
  alized factory-towns: Pignon, Carburant, and 
  Chaudière are all well known for the mass-pro-
  duction of various mechanical parts and tools. 
   
  Bleu River: The main river-valley running 
  through Utopia, a number of rivers empty into the 
  Bleu: the Chanson, the Vite, the Nuage, and the 
  Ceil. The capital, Rolandeaux, is located where the 
  Chanson meets the Belu. At the mouth of the riv-
  er, the city of Les Ondines (founded long ago by 
  merrow-folk) is a major port and naval base, well 
  known for its raucous annual springtime festival. 
   
  Cavernes Peintes: This site is home to a num-
  ber of caves, the walls decorated by paintings of 
  absolutely indescribable antiquity. Not far from 
  the Versteinert Valley, these two sites taken to-
  gether seem to point to a time that doesn’t just 
  predate the Sidhe civilization of the First Age— 
  it actually harkens back to a long-lost and totally 
  primitive time from even before the Ancients. 
   
  Clarté Cliffs: The perilous waters that flow 
  between these cliffs and the islands of Précaire 
  and Rocheux are home to all manner of dangers, 
  from sirens and hydras to vicious pirates. 
   
  Cuivre Hills: Gold, iron, and copper mines 
  are found here. North of the hills, the city of Mer-
  vielles is both an important trading port and a ma-
  jor center of art and culture in Utopia. 
   
  Desolation of Tarrasque: This wasteland has 
  been barren and dead throughout all Four Ages of 
  Gaia. Whatever caused it to be so happened dur-
  ing the Elder Days, the time of the Ancients. Now 
  only a few scattered ogre tribes dwell here. 
   
  Étant River: The Étroit River empties into the 
  Étant, and here the city of Jardin was built. Jardin 
  is a city surrounded by an immense and sprawl-
  ing hedge-maze (of course, one does not need to 
  navigate the maze in order to enter the city; a 
  wide highway cuts through it and leads straight 
  up to the city gates). Within the walls of Jardin 
  
  UTOPIA 
   
   
  81 
  there lies the infamous Garden Palace of Lénou, 
  one of the most richly appointed and decadent 
  mansions ever built. The city is also home to an 
  odd order of scholars called the Green Men, who 
  are chiefly known for publishing a witty, satirical 
  newspaper called Le Pomme aux Jardin. 
   
  Gêné Marshes: Old stories say that cu sith 
  and cait sith stalk these swamps. Whether those 
  stories are true or not, dire rats most definitely do 
  live here. Perhaps hexrats do as well. 
   
  Gostlig Woods: Many hearth-tales told in 
  Shyldbury involve the horrors of the Gostlig 
  Woods. A great battle was fought in this forest 
  long ago, and now it is infested with ghouls. 
   
  Lac Blanc and Lac Triste: These two peaceful 
  lakes are heavily fished by the nearby human set-
  tlements. Most prosperous among these is Dulac, 
  which also happens to be the home of a centuries-
  old brotherhood of knights, the Order of the Lance 
  and Flower, whose creed is to promote peace 
  (even if violence is sometimes required to achieve 
  a greater and more lasting peace). 
   
  Lutinny Plains: This low, grassy country is in-
  habited by Wood Elves which are famous for their 
  horsemanship. Once an autonomous kingdom 
  akin to those in Midjard, it has been a part of Uto-
  pia for centuries. A legend connected with the city 
  of Wyrmsege says that Lutinny was actually 
  founded when the elves, coming from the east out 
  of Midjard, slew an entire family of evil dragons 
  there and decided to stay in commemoration of 
  those warriors they lost in the battle. 
   
  Maudit Forest: This wood is said to be cursed.  
  The animals in Maudit are extremely vicious and 
  belligerent. This is true of any animal that enters 
  the forest, even domesticated steeds. 
   
  Rolandeaux: This is the capital of Utopia, 
  where the old palace of Charlemin still stands—
  now the private and personal home of Emperor 
  François. This is also where the General Assembly 
  meets to ratify laws decreed by the Emperor. The 
  Rolandeaux Académie des Sciences is perhaps the 
  finest technical institute in the world. 
   
  Poussière Heights: This wild highland region 
  is still home to a number of hill giants and ogres. 
  Wizardly hermits are known to wander into these 
  heights on arcane pilgrimages that can last for 
  months. The Heights must conceal some magical 
  secret known only to a few very learned mages. 
   
  Puca Cleft: This eighty-mile-long gash in the 
  ground is an open wound in the very surface of 
  the earth, a place where shadowspawn and other 
  Chaos-beasts can crawl up from the Deep-Under. 
  The Wyrd Tower set north of the cliff is home to a 
  very old, very evil wizard named Zoltar  
   
  Roussi Woods: This forest is slowly but surely 
  growing northward, inch by inch reclaiming the 
  Desolation on its doorstep. 
   
  Schinan Woods: All who enter these blessed 
  woods feel their spirits lifted and their fatigue 
  wiped away, especially after they drink a draught 
  from any of the forest streams that empty into the 
  Eorcanstan River. Without a doubt, leshies must 
  dwell deep in the Schinan. The nearby Crater Lake 
  seems to have been formed by a massive meteor 
  impact, tens of thousands of years old. 
   
   
  
  PART THREE: NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  82 
  FURTHER ADVENTURES 
   
  The world of Gaia is bigger than just Arcadia. For 
  that matter, it’s bigger than just the planet Gaia. Not 
  only are there other continents to explore; other di-
  mensions and other worlds also await any adventur-
  ers willing to brave the farthest frontiers that one can 
  reach with modern technology and ancient magic. 
   
  Other Continents 
  Provided on the following page is a partial map of 
  the east coast of the continent of Lemuria and the 
  large northern island of Jøtunheim, home of the 
  stone giants. (Note that ifrits live in Muspellheim 
  and marids in Neifelheim—the locals call them “fire 
  giants” and “frost giants,” but these are planar be-
  ings, powerful and magical elementals.)  
   
  Developing these new lands is left up to the cre-
  ativity and ingenuity of individual game referees 
  who will run their own E&E campaigns. The broad 
  idea of a world was presented in this book, but the 
  fine details remain the responsibility of the referees 
  who will actually portray this world and bring it to 
  life at the game-table. Likewise, should the players 
  ever venture to more distant shores—to the jungles 
  of Tollan, the wastelands of Mu, or the far-off cities 
  of Imperial Jianghu—the referee will have to develop 
  these settings as well. 
   
  Other Planes 
  The world of Gaia has the same simplified meta-
  physics as the E&E Core Rules. The wider Cosmos 
  starts with the Center of Being, and the other planes 
  wrap around it in concentric layers: the Astral Sea, 
  the Inner Etheric Plane, the Physical Universe(s), the 
  Outer Etheric Plane, the Surface of Limbo, and lastly 
  the Void of Chaos (which spawned all of the other 
  planes spontaneously in the first place, but which 
  also longs to swallow them back up again). 
   
  The Physical Universe encompasses multiple  
  dimensions—alternate versions (or timelines) of the 
  same “Prime” Material Plane. Our Earth, Solar Sys-
  tem, and Milky Way could very well reside in one 
  such as these, but the possibilities are really limitless. 
  A technologist intent on exploring the implications 
  of the so-called “many-worlds” interpretation of 
  quantum mechanics might even be able to invent a 
  device that enables travel between such realities. 
   
  There are places within Gaia itself which could 
  best be described as “pocket-dimensions” or “demi-
  planes.” Shadowspawn and trolls swarm up onto the 
  surface of Gaia from a place called the Deep-Under, 
  which is not by any means a natural underground 
  space. Rather, it is an entirely separate netherworld, 
  with its own continents and countries, seas of 
  magma, and skies of stone. (Deep dungeons might 
  reach all the way down to this place.) There is also a 
  Sky Realm, a number of floating continents created 
  by the Ancients that hover above the very clouds 
  (where the titans and shenlongs live). These miracles 
  of magitech float high above the lands of Draconia, 
  Atlantis, Mephret, and Tollan. They are not ordinar-
  ily visible from the ground and must be discovered 
  by accident. (In Draconia, there exists a Crystal 
  Tower that reaches all the way up and into the Sky 
  Realm, but climbing it is not easy: high-tech Ancient 
  robots called war-mechs patrol its many, many lev-
  els.) Wondrous are the treasures that may be found 
  in the Sky Realm, possibly including ships or tele-
  porters capable of sending characters to other planets 
  in the Helion System—or even to the stars. 
   
  Other Planets 
  At least two other celestial bodies in the Helion Sys-
  tem are capable of supporting life: Gaia’s far moon, 
  Selene; and the planet Ares. Selene has on its surface 
  a great Crystal Palace, the home of the Lunar Behe-
  moth which guards the sealed sprit of Zudos. The 
  Behemoth is a great platinum dragon, terrible to be-
  hold, but steadfastly Order-aligned and very good-
  hearted. The Behemoth will greet heroic adventurers 
  cordially but will never under any circumstances al-
  low anyone to try and descend into the Lunar Core. 
  (The Sky Realm’s floating continents and the Crystal 
  Tower in Draconia share the same Ancient architec-
  ture as the Behemoth’s Lunar Palace.) 
   
  On Ares, there exists a warlike, primitive species 
  of purple-skinned humanoids called the Rubians. 
  Their civilization was once much more advanced 
  than it is today and seems to have some mysterious 
  connection to the departed Ancients. Many pyramids 
  and other ruins of unspeakable antiquity dot the sur-
  face of Ares. Then there is the mystery of the Athena 
  Cloud to consider: if one entertains the supposition 
  that it was not a natural occurrence, what manner of 
  cataclysm could possibly have reduced the planet 
  Athena to a cloud of rubble? 
   
  Travel beyond the Helion system is not possible 
  with ordinary Gate magic or rocket engines. But it is 
  certainly within the bounds of possibility that a 
  clever and very high-level mage or tech could devise 
  some means of faster-than-light or wormhole travel 
  and then build a starship that makes use of it. At this 
  point, the referee will be obliged to decide just how 
  strongly he or she wants to focus on the mystery of 
  the Ancients, and what kind of life may be discov-
  ered on the planets in systems near Helion. 
  
  FURTHER ADVENTURES 
   
   
  83 
   
   
  
   
   
  All artwork found in Engines & Empires™ World of Gaia is taken from, or derivative of artwork taken from, the Public Domain.  
  The cover art is taken from the Public Domain. 
   
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  Engines & Empires™ Core Rules Copyright 2017, Relative Entropy Games. Author John D. Higgins. 
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