mysteriesofthehighspeech

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++JINN+++

Jinns are the native race of the distant and alien realm of Exu. They’re highly unusual compared to other high-kin, and this is thanks not only to the bizarre nature of their homeland, but also their life-cycle. When a Jinn “dies,” they instead take a spectral form, and move freely between the astral and material realm. Jinns can even tap into the power of their spirit-form while they live, and may, for a short time, become ethereal. In this state they may glide through air, and are more difficult to damage with mundane weapons, though arcane powers become more effective against them. This strange connection with death gives them a strange and chaotic outlook on life. They have no reason to fear death, as to them it is the same, if not superior to life. In appearance, Jinns seem to be androgynous, well-proportioned humans. It is said that they descended from the elves of old, which is exemplified by their lack of hair, and long, pointy ears. Jinn are an incredibly noticeable people, thanks to their skin, which is often bizarre colors, such as magenta, or blue, and covered with natural markings, believed to be the words of their past lives.

ABILITY SCORE INCREASE: Jinns are known to be clever and charming, so they receive a +2 to Charisma, and a +1 to Intelligence.

AGE: A Jinn’s physical form might live for up to 200 years.

ALIGNMENT: Most Jinn outside of Exu are wanderers, coming and going as they please. Jinn tend to be Chaotic Neutral.

SIZE: The average Jinn stands at 5-6 feet tall, with a lean build. Your size is medium.

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

EXONIAN COMBAT TRAINING: You have proficiency in all Cybertech Weaponry, and Land Vehicles.

CYBERTECH GURU: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to Mechanical Devices or Cybertech Artifacts, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.

ETHEREAL: Once per two long rests, a Jinn can channel the power of their spectral form to become ethereal. In this state, your movement speed doubles as a flying speed, and you are resistant to non-magical attacks. You remain in this state for three turns.

CANTRIP: You know one cantrip of your choice from the Sorcerer spell list. Use charisma as your spellcasting ability.

LANGUAGES: You can speak, read and write in whatever language is common in your region and Xu’ag.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++GANPITH+++

Ganpiths are an alien hybrid of moss and insect which live in small farming communities in southern and western Ogh-Yan. In appearance, they are some of Ogh-Yan’s strangest creatures. Their bodies are oriented radially, with nine legs on their underside, and three arms. They farm the fruit of the fiss plant, which when consumed has some notable qualities. Firstly, it grants prescient visions of the user’s future, showing them nearly every possibility of their actions. Secondly, it has very slight mutanic properties, which only manifest with intensive use. The Ganpiths, who have oft partaken of the fiss fruit, display both of these qualities quite apparently. They have very faint prescient abilities, sometimes seeing unclear visions of their future, leading to many Ganpiths being hopelessly paranoid and neurotic. The mutanic aspect manifests in their strange appearance. It is debated among Scriptor-Scribes whether or not Ganpiths should be called mutants or not, and the Order of Zog outright decries them as spies of Gommohr, and declare fiss-prescience to be corruptive. The fruit bears no seeds, which means the Ganpiths may keep a monopoly on it, so long as they defend the secret of the farming of fiss. Ganpiths are fairly uncommon, and they’re rarely found outside of their communes.

ABILITY SCORE INCREASE: Ganpiths have been made knowledgeable by the power of the fiss. They gain a +2 to Wisdom and a +1 to dexterity.

AGE: Ganpiths reach Adulthood around their first decade and live to be about 50 years old.

ALIGNMENT:  Ganpiths tend to be Neutral, as their communities are so self-contained.

SIZE: Ganpiths are fairly uniform in size, standing about roughly 4 feet tall. Your size is Small.

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 35 feet, thanks to their many legs.

MINOR PRESCIENCE: Once per long rest, you can impose disadvantage on any enemy making an attack against you for 3 turns.

ON EDGE: You gain +1 to initiative.

OF THE STEPPE: Whenever you make a Wisdom (Insight) check related to farming or fiss, you are considered proficient in the skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check.

RUSTIC: You are proficient in the nature skill.

DURABLE BIOLOGY: Years of consuming the fiss fruit has rendered Ganpiths resistant to mutanic influences. You count as proficient in Con saves against mutating.

LANGUAGES: You can speak, read and write in whatever language is common in your region.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++DROID+++

Droids are a rare race of thinking machines found all across Ao. Thanks to the pre-ullas fall of technology, no droids are produced in modern Ao. Most of them are remnants of that forgotten era, and have spent thousands of years in slumber. Droids are of great value to the Orders, as their ability to sort and record information outpaces that of any scribe with a database. Most Droids aren’t humanoid, and are often no more than a talking metal box with legs or wheels. Those few made even vaguely in the shape of humans are normally diplomats, or soldier models. If ever you’re short on money, your Droid friend could easily sell for hundreds of thousands of denarius.

 ABILITY SCORE INCREASE: Droids receive +2 to Intelligence.

AGE: Droids aren’t immortal, and can die of old age due to the degradation of their components over time. The average Droid might live 200-300 years, discounting any time they might have spent in stasis

ALIGNMENT: Droids tend toward true neutral, they care little of the petty squabbles of their fellow High-Kin. 

SIZE: Droids vary greatly in their shape, so their size could range anywhere from 1-8 feet.

SPEED: Your speed is 30 feet.

DARKVISION: Since Droids visualize the world as data, extreme darkness often poses a threat to their ability to perceive their surroundings. To combat this, most have some manner of software that allows them to sense heat or movement in the dark, allowing them to navigate darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.

MECHANICAL NATURE: Due to the circumstances of your biology, you gain the following attributes:

- You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.

- You are immune to disease, and you cannot mutate.

- You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.

- Instead of sleeping, you instead enter a four hour resting period in the place of a long rest. 

LANGUAGES: You can speak, read, and write in whatever language is common in your region, as well as Cybertalk. Cybertalk is really a coding language that can be used to interact with machines such as Databases.

DROID ATTRIBUTE: Droids may choose from one of three common attributes.

ARMOR PLATING: The Droid’s outer frame is especially thick, or made of a more durable material. Remove 2 from the +4 bonus to Intelligence and add it to Constitution. Alternatively, negate the Intelligence bonus and gain +4 to Con, but lose 5 movement speed.

AUTOMATIC DIPLOMAT: The Droid’s personality was made to be notably engaging. Remove 2 from the +4 bonus to Intelligence and add it to Charisma. Alternatively, negate the Intelligence bonus and gain +4 to Charisma, but reduce your Strength by 2.

WORKER: The Droid was made to perform skilled labor. Remove 2 from the +4 bonus to Intelligence, and gain proficiency in 2 skills and a tool set. Alternatively, negate the Intelligence bonus and gain proficiency in 3 skills and 2 tool sets.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++TORG+++

Torgs are a hearty folk who are often skilled Woodsmen, as well as formidable opponents upon the battlefield. If not living among other High Kin, Torgs can most likely be found in small communes, hunting or fishing to feed themselves, with excess traded in villages or cities. For these groups, life is harsh and treacherous, and each Torg must earn their share. The average Torg has a broad frame, somewhat hunched posture, and gangly arms. Their faces are long, with a heavy tusken jaw, and an upturned snout-like nose. Note that there is no sexual dimorphism among Torgs. Skeletal structure differs very little among the sexes, and females can grow just as strong beards as males.

ABILITY SCORE INCREASE: Torgs are powerful in build, and exceptionally resilient, and therefore receive a +2 to Strength, and +1 to Constitution.

AGE: Despite their impressive physique, Torgs are short-lived due to the toll of their large frame. They live, on average 30-50 years.

ALIGNMENT: Torgs are inclined to be neutral. They are known as soldiers for hire, rather than champions of any individual cause.

SIZE: The average Torg stands roughly 6 ½ to 7½ feet tall. Your size is Medium.

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

SURVIVALIST: Natural woodsmen, the Torg instantly have the Survival skill.

POWERFUL BUILD: You count as one size larger when determining what you can Push, Drag, or Lift.

SAVAGE ATTACKS: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll an extra damage die and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

LANGUAGES: You can speak, read and write in whatever language is common in your region.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++DWARF+++

Dwarves are the hearty natives of the Odak mountains. They are stout and small, their frames broad despite their height. The Dwarven city-states are some of the richest in Ogh-Yan, thanks to their high volume of artisans and their location, as the Odaks are located in the dead center of the realm, stretching far from north to south. Long ago, there were many independent states in the realm of Dwarves, but now they answer to one master. Six centuries ago, a group of Dwarven travelers happened upon the largest trove of Cybertech uncovered in Ogh-Yan to date. They would settle this place, and name it Klakneszvar, or “Klak’s Tooth” in the Dwarven tongue. As they mined more and more, they experimented with augmentation of their bodies with this Cybertech. As time wore on, more flocked to Klakneszvar, and they too would become augmented. The colony was soon a town, and this town was soon a burgeoning city, with buildings of stone and it’s people of metal. The Order Klaknekt formed after a military coup overthrew the old noble line, and denounced the houses of the Chothasvai. They would begin ransacking kingdoms up and down the Odaks, installing puppet kings in the place of their past rulers. The houses saw that the Klaknekt had become the undeniable overlords of the Odaks, and declared them the rightful overlords of the central lands. Little is known of how the Klaknekt operate, for entrance to their capital is forbidden, but their injustices are apparent and many.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

+++HIGH KIN+++

The High-Kin are those peoples of Ao who are unchanged by mutanic influences, and untainted with vile unlife. They are those who Ullas once laid claim to, before his ascension. Among them, humans are the most common, and generally hold the most power over their brethren. Almost all noble titles given by birthright are held by humans, who bar the other races from having such power. While this leaves some hesitant to participate in such a restrictive system (Notably the Torgs, who oft live on the outskirts of civilization), it makes others acutely aware of their niche in this uneasy status quo.

+++HUMAN+++

Humans, diverse in appearance, intention, and ability. They are, and have always been, notable for their ability to adapt. Before the ascension of Ullas, humankind was even more omnipresent across Ao. In this age, human kingdoms as far south as Chuddag and well enough into the High North were united under the rule of the God-King. Some humans even resided in distant Exu, thanks to the tolerance of the then-reigning Shah.

A series of godless disasters rendered Ogh-Yan the last safeguard of humanity. In Exu, there was the death of the old dynasty, which allowed corrupt Inquisitors to install a puppet emperor through which they could enact their authoritarian will. This was the time when all Thinking Machines in Exu were hunted and destroyed, for fear of them teaching new generations the ways of the old dynasty. To begin complete population control, all humans were exiled or slain, as they were seen as dangerous interlopers.

In the desolation, at the foot of the Screaming Mountain, Ullas sacrificed himself to the Eld, who provided their bodies as a vehicle for Ullas to banish the Jackal Mother, Gommohr. Ullas had brought with him vast armies of them faithful, of whom few survived. Those who did had no way to return to Ogh-Yan, and would die in the wastes, be enslaved by Gommohr’s mutanic cultists, or become corrupted, and turn to worshipping the Jackal.

With the only uniting factor among the City-States and Petty Kingdoms gone, mass civil war broke out within the decade. Some saw no reason to continue peace, and pursued their age-old rivalries. Others saw opportunities to grow their domain. This great schism would distract the kingdoms of the high-kin from arising threats.

Whilst Ullas’ sacrifice is what most would recall of that great battle of desolation, none can forget the fall of the mighty Thunder King. The titan, he who led an army of giants called Mor, and the master of the High North. It was he who convinced Ullas to bring his armies west. Such a powerful figure, and yet his fate is unclear. During the battle, he clashed with Throgg, eldest spawn of Gommohr. The King would mortally wound Throgg, by tearing a horn from his head, but in turn the hellspawn would create a deathly enenation to wound the King. While Throgg may have entered a state bordering between death and life, where his presence is not living but his form is, the King simply disappeared. This happened to others on that day, notably to Hattin, the Palantir grandmaster, but the Thunder King’s disappearance proved to have a grim side effect. The High North of Ogh-Yan, which before was a sturdy and fairly arable plainland, began to freeze over. Permanent winter crept in as Kingdoms fell, it’s people fleeing or starving.

In the south, a more immediate danger presented itself. The Chuds of Chuddag, once primitive beasts, began to make technological advancements, discovering strategies such as mounted combat, and would begin to raid south Ogh-Yan without warning or mercy. Most Ogh holdings south of the neck of Chuddag were lost, crushed under horde.

This time of massive instability in Ogh-Yan marked the beginning of an unending threat. This being the undead, and mutanic. With all semblance of order destroyed by war and cataclysm, those dead from conflict and circumstance would be raised by liches, or corralled into massive hordes by those with knowledge of the high-speech. Mutanic kin could enslave or slay any who would oppose them.

It has been nearly a thousand years since the ascension of Ullas, with humanity’s survival in the hands of incompetent and greedy nobility, too busy fighting among themselves to protect the common folk. Ogh-Yan is united only under an uneasy confederacy. A second schism, like the one ten centuries ago, could mark the downfall of the final human kingdom.

ABILITY SCORE INCREASE: Your Ability Scores each increase by 1. Alternatively, you can take a feat and two ability scores increase by 1.

AGE: Humans reach Adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

ALIGNMENT: Humans tend toward no particular Alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

SIZE: Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

LANGUAGES: You can speak, read and write in whatever language is common in your region.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

CURRENCY IN OGH-YAN

In Ogh-Yan, iron is as rare and valued as gold was on Earth. So much so that the value of one’s labor, or property, is measured in the iron daram*. Though the idea of iron as a currency is mundane, the circumstances that brought about the daram, and the cultural ripples that it has sent across Ogh-Yan, is less so.

The rarity of iron brings up some questions. If there is little iron, what might people wear as armor? Weapons? Are these still made of iron? Well, the materials that are used in weapons and armor are fairly diverse. While a rich person might wear an iron blade on their belt, the poor man’s arsenal is crafted from wood, or stone. Armour is made of similar materials, with the addition of chitin. This is thanks to the common Utkiform, as well as other insectoid beasts farmed all across Ogh-Yan, whose hide can be used to cheaply produce armor for many.

*Daram: A thick iron coin, about the size of a child’s clenched fist, with a hole punched in the middle. It’s faces normally bear cameos of the region’s ruler, as well as the motto of their Chothasvai house or clan. Note that a daram is commonly broken down into less valuable metals of equivalent value. For example, a week's pay for a Jungle-Steppe farmhand might be one daram, which would be paid in fourteen copper eipat. The noble class would put as little iron in the hands of the peasant as possible, for fear of uprising.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

THE ELD

The Eld are a tribe of mysterious divines, commonly revered in Ogh-Yan. These strange gods number six, and though they themselves are silent, they have selected many mortals throughout history to enact their fate, oft without their knowledge. Their gambit is unclear, but their servants are known, with folk so grand as Ullas among their rank.

The Eld are named, for some thousand years ago they told their name to the prophet Menethier, teacher of Ullas and master of the high-speech. Their names are Atahur, Athusil, Vayyan, Thuru, Rataf, and Hurrall. In legend they reside in a heavenly realm called Ananbu, upon six crystal pillars, whence they watch the doings of mortals.

Worship of the Eld, much like the other gods of Ogh, is mostly done either in the home, or at a temple. At the home, one might have a shrine with statuettes of your gods. One might worship Atahur and Shalrazdun, or Thuru and Emperor Eshed. A temple might be more exclusive, serving one god or simply the Eld as a unit. The Ziggurat of Lantis is a temple to all the Eld, making the city a somewhat common location for pilgrimages.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

CITED SOURCES.

The books of the Luminary (regulator manuals) for purpose to obey them rules which the madam regulator wishes.

PROTOCOLS by CHA-AT. Manual of rules to be observed. Vol. XXXXXVI.

CONFIGURATIONS by YEYET. Rituals for proper use of cybertechs. Vol. IIX

AMENDMENTS by PAHRI. Amendments to previous texts. Vol. I, ongoing.

The AMMUQ, book of ELD, graciously gift from High Priest Seyt Amag Vi Odstreum of Lant. Other religious texts intook then:

NEBBEKHARAT, author unknown. Regarding the old ways of worship for Shalrazdun.

ECHALIAD EXU PATAG: Regarding the lineage of Exonic imperium.

Of the Orders:

ZOGUFAIN: Book of ways of Zog, in management of serfs and thralls, proper Zog life, and the power structures which govern. Gracious gift from Grand Zog Mehmet I.

LEADS OF MASTAGON: Book of gunslingers, outlining their traditions, from rituals to managing ammunition. Gracious gift from a traveler who gave no name, but produced order license.

DICTATIONS OF THE CHOTHASVAI: Donor self-explanatory. Full codex of Chothasvai laws and rulings. Vol. is current.

KLAK CODEX: The scriptor of this document would like to wholeheartedly stress that the tome provided by the Klaknekt is missing entire sections that are in the appendix. Included sections are:

Holdings.

Cybertech Repair/Maintainence.

Law (heavily censored.)

Of the sciences.

MEMORIES OF MENETHIER: Of a retainer who once aided the High-Speaker Menethier.

IN THE COURT OF SHUTHULAS II: Of an Ogh noble who spent some months among the court of distant Exu, before the time of Ullas. She recalls rumors of the assassin wars, whispers at court, and some conversations she had and things which she saw. Translation nearly complete.

FORGOTTEN BLY/TIME OF ULLAS/ASCENSION: Regarding some history before the time of the Ullas (pre history), the reign and biography of Ullas, and the day of his fall as well as the fallout of the banishment of Gommohr.

PSYCHIC ALTERATIONS: Of the many substances which might realign the configurations of one’s mind.

FAR FROM ROAD: An illuminating tome of the lives of the folk who live away from Chothasvai rule.

NOTES.

My hands are quite tired, and eyes ache. Methinks the Regulator has given too many damned books.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

SHALRAZDUN

Shalrazdun is the patron deity to all warriors, or any who value willpower. His eternal enemy is Gommohr, whom he will battle come the day of apocalypse. Some thousand years ago, and long before, Shalrazdun was god-king of the high north, which was then a fertile plains. During the ascension of Ullas, Shalrazdun fought Throgg, who Gommohr had sent to stall him. Their battle resulted in the pseudo-death of both, though it is considered a triumph for the war god, as he tore from Throgg a great marbled horn, which became the symbol of his followers.

Shalrazdun is known by many titles and alternate names, such as Nebekkah, Oturkig, and the Lord of Vengeance.

There are few temples to Shalrazdun in Ogh-Yan, save for the north. While common enough on the household shrines of some veterans, or in the hearts of  nomadic folk, he is commonly feared, since he’s a god of such violence. Among the common folk of the city-states and petty kingdoms, he is found more often on the lips of those swearing vengeance than in prayers.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

From the godless spew of time-before-time, from the blinking womb of the sable mother-flesh, Gommohr was dragged. She was a thing of maws and eyes and horns, carried atop a palanquin of her own many legs and covetous arms. Upon her form she built a paradise of protoplasm, a banquet which the first children of reality could feast upon and grow strong. 

Gommohr thought to make lords to adjudge those upon her corpulent form, to thrall the feasting colossi of her dominion. Like a sculptor, she worked her umbral flesh to create sons and daughters. And so sired she seven children, and gave them the power of cunning, and the gift of domination.

Eldest was Throgg, a creature crafted of ichor and cascading bile, who surveyed with many faces the strange hordes. He bore two great and terrible horns. Second was Loleth, of great beauty, a covetous beast, crafted of shapeless flesh and a shroud of many faces. Then was An-Yath, called the Conqueror, who was more forged than born. He was seeping flesh, who took shelter in a suit of blackened armor, jagged and cruel. He wielded a whip of fire which he called Duchur-Dul. Tharalgrun was next, and they took the form of a great and horrible dragon, long of body with many thousands of writhing wings, and a single great, unblinking eye. There were the twins, Nurg and Algug, abominate and frail, as well as ever silent. They each bore four faces, with eyes looking down from above stern beaks, endlessly watching and addressing wordless messages to their matron. Then was Pnuhad, more a weapon of Gommohrs than a true creature. He was a great leech-being, who could draw from one their will and fortitude.

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

GAMAAT, THE CYBORG

[mysteriesofthehighspeech]

Lantis, the City of Arches

The namesake of the Kingdom of Lant, Lantis is the largest and most populated city in Lant. It’s specific advantages make it one of the single most valuable cities in Ogh-Yan, dominating the landscape of the southern Highland-Waste.

Lantis is within a day’s travel to three robust cities, those being Batreyus to the south-west, Achara to the north, and Tene-Kur in the south-east. Batreyus is known for its talented Cybertech Engineers*. Achara is home to a small but extraordinary community of artists, engaged in creating things like paintings, sculptures and architecture, simulations, (Combat and Non-Combat) and similar crafts. Tene-Kur differs from the others as it’s output can be measured in the sheer quantity of mercenaries and order warriors** that can be found there. It boasts the highest number of Zog brothers outside of the isle of Zog, as well as a fair amount of Klaknekt Cyborgs, and one of the few permanent Gunslinger Temples in Ogh-Yan.

Lantis itself has one single output, which is an incredibly rare utility: an ancient pump facility that draws (relatively) clean water from the ground. In Ogh-Yan, water is generally of low quality, often tainted with parasites, made unclean due to toxins in the soil, or even containing Mutagenic viruses that could severely alter the form of whoever may drink it. The pump of Lantis is estimated to draw up 240,000 liters of water every month from an unknown source, probably an underground cave. A majority of this is purchased by merchants, and sold elsewhere. Little of it goes to the masses, and the few commoners who receive some ration of the water are laborers at the pump. Between this pump and the fact that Lantis is between three major cities combine to make it’s elite merchant class, and nobility, very rich.

* Cybertech in Ogh-Yan is considerably rare, with the entire continent of Midland (Where Ogh-Yan is located) is stuck in a perpetual mix of ancient and medieval cultures. Cybertech can’t be produced on an industrial scale because of this, and so it’s mostly an artisan craft. Individual Cybertech artifacts are the result of months, or even years of work from a team of skilled artisans, apprentices, and unskilled laborers, meaning each individual item costs millions of denarius. So, while your common Ogh might have a club, sling, simple firearm, or something of metal, like a sword,(depending on how rich they are) your average Noble, City-Master, or King might have a small collection of Cybertech artifacts.

** Orders are powerful factions, often militarized, who unite for purposes such as compiling knowledge, exterminating threats such as Mutants or the Undead, or perpetuating a tradition.