Class Specific Relics, Guardians & Rangers

Both guardians and rangers in Fianyarr make their way through the wild places of the world where the ten races haven't claimed control of the land.  Both also often fulfil a protective function for their society, act as guides through dangerous places, and champion the needs of nature (though this is more likely with a guardian than a ranger).  While there are many differences between the two paths with guardians attempting to deflect or delay a terrible future while rangers focus on present issues and circumstances, the two paths are still close enough to be twin paths and sometimes those of one path can benefit from relics dedicated to those of the other path.

Ranger 

(*) Perfect Quiver: Sometimes rangers have a need for a particular type of arrow but they don't have time to pick it out from the quiver.  So long as they have the arrow within their quiver, they don't need to take any additional time to draw it and won't accidentally pull a special arrow by mistake.  The quiver also won't spill nor get in the way of the rangers' movements even if they are crawling through a tight cave.  This costs only a single glamour a week.  Tell: The quiver seems to hold its arrows oddly upright and sometimes the arrows can be seen to shuffle around as the ranger reaches up to take a specific one.

(**) Wilderness Boots: These boots, when activated, allow the ranger to ignore terrain penalties (i.e. snow, slick roads, scree) and provide a -2 penalty against anyone attempting to track the ranger.  These boots require a point of glamour each week.  Tell: The soles and edges of these boots often seem encrusted with slow or water.

(***) Tanglebolas: This item appears to be an ordinary set of bolas until used.  Then the lines will struggle to hold the victim prone and will force the victim to make an opposed Grapple check against 6 dice in order to get loose.   Tell: The tanglebolas seem to twitch occasionally.

(****) Gloves of the Arrow Thief 
Rangers have learned the dangers of being shot by an arrow and so some have invested in purchasing a set of gloves which will help protect them from being on a receiving end.  When someone fires an arrow at a ranger they may activate these gloves and roll Dexterity + Athletics to catch the arrow mid-flight.  Only a single success is required.  This can be activated once per turn.  Tell: These gloves occasionally have a metallic sheen or blur.

(*****) Bow of Flaming Ammunition
This bow can be empowered to create a flaming arrow out of the very air. All the users need to is draw the bowstring and spend a point of Glamour.  These arrows deal +3L on top of the usual damage dealt by the bow and have a chance of setting the target alight with a contested Wyrd + Athletics versus Wyrd roll. Those set alight take one damage from fire until they successfully smother the flames.   Naturally these arrows also provide an intangible light as though cast by a Size 1 flame.  The arrow remains in place until the bowstring is released or until the Glamour is reabsorbed by the user which harmlessly removes the arrow from existence. Tell: This bow feels warm to the touch and has a slightly glowing flame sigil etched into the side.

(* to ***)Fellman's Axe: This axe can ignore one point of Durability on natural objects (stone, wood, etc.) per point purchased in this merit. Tell: The axe makes a rather sharp noise when swung through the air.

Guardian

(*) Ring of Mind Power Detection:  When another character attempts to mentally manipulate the guardian, that guardian may roll Wits + Wyrd to detect that someone has just tried to affect their mind although they won't necessarily know who.Tell: Wearing the ring provides a sense of comfort and confidence.

(**) Ring of Force Shield: Sometimes it's a good idea to have a shield without having to wield a shield and deal with all of the awkwardness that includes. With this ring, a guardian can activate a force shield once per day that floats in front of her and acts just like a shield - providing all of the same bonuses but without any of the nasty penalties. Tell: When tilted in the light in a certain way, a little translucent shield can be seen floating above the ring.

(***) Ring of Locate Creature or Locate Objects: The guardian gains a +5 bonus to track a creature or object so long as they either have a piece of that creature / object, something dear to the person or can hold an image of it in their mind. While they still must make survival checks to track the creature or object, they can follow a trail even when one wouldn't otherwise exist - such as if the person or object was teleported away the guardian could still find some form of 'trail' that leads it in its direction.Tell: The ring seems to vibrate slightly when held toward an object loved by the wielder.

(****) Eyeglass of the Past:  This pair of eyeglasses is keyed to the past and allows a person the ability to see strong resonances in the local area with a Wits + Wyrd roll. This might involve death stains or it could involve seeing lust resonance or romance or subjugation. Through seeing the resonance of a location, the guardian can get a better understanding of what regularly happens there.  Tell:There is an etching of an hourglass on the edge of the eyeglasses that sometimes appears to turn.

(*****) Sword of the Wilds: Guardians always seek to expand their knowledge but they rarely have time to sit down and read books on the situation.  These swords make it easier for them.  This relic whispers into the mind of the user and can provide advice on how to deal with tricky situations.  This sword possesses Danger Sense (dice pool of 2) and can warn the user but may also have three dots in a mental skill - normally Medicine, Occult, and Riddles.  These three dots are rolled as a separate dice pool.Tell: This sword whispers into the mind of the user though when first picked up the whispers are often vague and indistinct.

(* to ***) Ring of Mental Protection: For every point purchased in this object, the guardian may re-roll a single dice on a resistance check against mental effects. The player chooses which dice. If the guardian is reduced to a chance die, they may re-roll that chance die as many times as they have dots in this merit. Tell: The ring has an image of a dove engraved onto it and when it is used the dove's wings are open but when it is dormant the wings are down.

Fianyarr Werewolves

There are plenty of options for what to do with werewolves in Fianyarr. In fairytales, werewolves represent the repressed brutality and cruelty within us all that can be sparked by rage and insanity into a terrible moment of violence that leaves us devastated and confused. Within it lies the seed of every real life story of a mother who kills her baby because it wouldn't stop crying or spouse who kills the beloved they found in bed with another person. They also represent our fears toward those people within the community that hide terrible acts behind a calm facade, sneaking off at night to butcher their victims or abuse their family members. Thus the werewolf is a seemingly normal person who flies into a primal rage when the moon is full, transforming into a monster that stalks the lands, before reverting to their human forms.

In a darker story, the werewolf is a normal person outside of those moonlit nights and those who confront them are forced to kill an otherwise innocent person driven to madness by a curse. The somewhat better option is the werewolf curse that strikes an innocent and makes them evil so that they are sociopaths during the rest of their days which at least allows the PCs a chance to kill them without wrestling with their conscience. In less dark tales, the werewolf was an evil person cursed to reveal their evil on nights of the full moon.

In more modern tales, werewolves are more ambiguous creatures who are neither inherently good nor evil. Perhaps this is due to our fascination with anthromorphising animals (thinking of animals as people) or perhaps it's simply the result of so many childhood years wishing we could grow fur and fangs so that we could run with the animals. Sometimes the werewolves are more in touch with nature. Sometimes they still have that bestial rage but it is tempered by human reasoning and compassion. Sometimes the werewolves actually are more, y'know, wolfy and have a more animalistic nature that encompasses a wider range of wolf-like behaviours. After all, most modern werewolves behave more like Tasmanian devils with their aggression and viciousness rather than the more socially inclined wolves.

But all of that aside, how would you like your werewolves?

Firstly, think of the transmission. Are they born or bitten? Both work in a light fantasy or dark horror setting. Those who are born to be werewolves might grow up as humans before transforming into monsters on some heart-rending night that involves the loss of their sweethearts.

Secondly, think of whether you want them to be the ambiguous evil (lots of heavy hearts and emotion surrounding their deaths) where they are never common and each instance is a moment of tragedy. Or whether you want a chance for your PCs to cut down an entire pack of evil nonhumans without having to worry about feeling sorry for them the way a PC might feel sorry for cutting down an evil mercenary warband. Or whether you want them to be another race in their own right, complete with their own traditions, mannerisms, hopes and dreams. Or outsiders who hide away their strangeness for others. Or something in between.

You could even have two superficially similar werewolf strains but where one turns humans into shapeshifters, the other makes them rampaging monsters. That would certainly make sense for an alchemical poison transmitted through the saliva. Perhaps the failed variant turns folk into killers and got loose from the alchemical laboratory. Who knows?

Finally, how will you create them? Naturally they need to be able to turn into wolves but that could be as simple as creating a Nixie and giving them the ability to turn into a wolf by spending a glamour. Alternatively you could use the Werewolf: the Forsaken wolves and pick whichever gifts and auspices seem to work. You could even use the disciplines from Vampire: the Requiem but make it so that the werewolves have to eat human meat rather then drink blood to regain their 'vitae'. The physical discplines such as celerity, vigor and resilience, not to mention Nightmare and some of the bloodline disciplines are all quite fitting for a home brew werewolf.

With all that in mind, you should be able to develop your own werewolves pretty easily.

So what would I typically do with werewolves?

I like giving them a little complexity so I would be most prone to developing them into little communities of about 30 who oversee their territory. They clash with the agrarian settlements that are start to push forward and through their territories, especially as the settled races don't recognise the werewolves' sovereignty and so expect to buy and sell land through other people. If the werewolves build their own homes or start to sell their own materials, they would be liable for taxation by the nobility. The fact that werewolves are also far superior in combat abilities compared to the average person means that the nobility are also eager to have the werewolves swear themselves into vassaldom so that they could be fielded in battle against other liege lords.

This naturally is creating quite a bit of tension and the situation has reached a political stalemate. Unfortunately for the settlements the werewolves are supreme guerillas with greater power, regeneration, and raw desire to win then the average conscript. Unfortunately for the werewolves, the settlements have a huge numerical advantage and even if the settlements were entirely wiped out there would soon be more as people from neighbouring countries seek fame, fortune and freedom in their lands - quickly repopulating the lost settlements.

You can imagine that a campaign could easily form from this along as the PCs try to navigate the political complexities of the situation, choose sides, and try to find a way that is palatable to all.

Of course, in reality, you'd need a third party to foster unification before anything got done. Perhaps a sociopathic necromancer hell bent on world domination? Or a sentient plague trying to destroy everyone in those lands? I wouldn't introduce the third party until well into the second Act. Best let the players muddle about in their sandbox first.

Cultural Customs: Tieflings & Yuki

In this Fianyarr article we will learn more about the tieflings (born from the essence of a demonic and another race) and the yuki (snow-touched). Both have a very remarkable sense of honour, pride and belief in the sanctity of promises and both can be quite vindictive when scorned or betrayed. When these races set aside their differences they can achieve much of their mutual goals.

Tiefling

Tieflings rarely form their own societies but when they do there is a strong sense of pride in their appearance. After all, any village that consists primarily of tieflings is one that is protected by a demonic which they likely also worship. While there are mixed societies that enforce a degree of shame upon tieflings there are plenty more that accept them as just another race. Demonics aren't necessary evil. They're just far more ambiguous than the angelics and always have some cruel streak. So long as you stay on their good side, everything works out in the end. As tieflings are tied to their vices rather than to malice, per se, they can even be more laidback and at peace than those of other races.

• Tieflings provide those dearest to them with a favor, called a 'promise', which is a symbol of their oath to never let their darker nature get in the way of their friendship. This might be a lusty tieflings' vow to never cheat on a partner or a lazy ones' earnest promise to never shirk their duty to a liege lord. A tiefling who disregards or breaks such a 'promise' are punished by any tiefling who learns of their betrayal. After all, the sanctity of the 'promise' is one of the reasons why those of the other races can trust a tiefling more than most.

• Tieflings take great pride (or shame) in their family tree and will either know the demonic source of their lineage or be actively investigating it. If a tiefling refuses to tell you about their lineage, it means it is a shameful one and must never be brought up again. A tiefling who wishes to discuss their lineage with another tiefling will normally drop hints but will be subtle about it so that the other tiefling doesn't feel backed into a corner.

• Tieflings, as a rule, take great pride in their homes. It doesn't matter if the home is a cozy cottage or a brooding gothic castle. It will be well-tended with not a cobweb out of place. The tiefling will attempt to make it all look quite effortless, of course. The only tieflings who lack this nesting impulse are those who are too consumed with wanderlust to bother. Having said that, even those tieflings are likely to take pride in their backpack and the design of their sleeping bags. They are also most likely to spend a bit more on a quality inn room.

• Tieflings pick up slang and swear words in other languages quite readily and prefer to sprinkle them in to the rest of their dialogue. This isn't an instinctive thing, merely a social one. Some tieflings will even go so far as to create a pidgin language out of bits and bobs from other languages so that they can use it with other tieflings.



• Tieflings tend to be fastidious eaters and are easily put off fouled food and unhygienic locations due to their rather sensitive tongues. On the plus side, they also make exquisite wine tasters as they are generally quite capable of tasting every note in a wine bouquet (apologies if I use the terminology wrong as I am no wine connoisseur.

Yuki

A yuki community is bound by ties of pledges, oaths and promises that must never be broken. They are quite pragmatic about their settlements and while they have a higher threshold for cold climates they build their homes so that they can be easily warmed and protected from extreme weather events.

• Yukis will avoid making promises, even incidental sideways ones, if they can help it as they take all such things to be binding. This can be very disconcerting to members of the other races. It's not that a yuki doesn't intend on performing the action (such as attending the party) but if they make even a subtle promise to do it then they are honour bound to follow through. If they don't believe it strictly necessary for them to brave extreme weather to attend the party, or crawl their way there if they have a sprained ankle, they won't make the promise. Yes, they take promises that seriously.

• Yukis therefore tend to be noncommittal in their speech. "I would like to be there...." "That party sounds like a nice thing to attend...." "It would be nice to see your performance...." This noncommital manner also affects them in other respects with a more passive manner of speech and the invention of a variety of ways to avoid explicitly saying "No".

• Even the poorest Yuki will aim to maintain a sleeping space for guests in the event of an extreme weather event. It is considered immoral to refuse an honest guest refuge, even if the weather isn't particularly bad outside. This sleeping space could range from a bit of floor and a blanket to a full bedroom suite.

• Yukis are raised to carry a whistle or a horn about their person so that they can more readily signal others when they're injured. Such objects also have a handy side effect of scaring away most (though not all) lesser predators due to the sudden blast of loud noise.

• Yukis consider white to be the colour of death due to their ranks of camouflaged assassins and ambushers who keep their villages safe. Those in a white dress, for example, can hide among the snow using their innate protection against the cold before rising up against the enemy. Therefore white is a funereal and a war colour. The yukis also take great pains to prevent them from being stained while committing violence and have mastered the skill of getting out of the way of an arterial spray.

Fianyarr: Fantasy Inns & Taverns

Where would a fantasy game be without the medieval equivalent of a pub? I'm not sure where the fates of both taverns and fantasy lands became inextricably linked but linked they are and since your intrepid adventurers in Fianyarr will doubtless be nipping in to the local tavern on many an occasion it's best to come up with a widely diverse range of taverns they can visit. So without further ado, here are eight succinct options.

Traveller's Inn 

This inn sits within a walled stockade in a rural area. Simple in design, it has a large house with seven small rooms containing straw mattresses and a single larger room with a bed that can be hired by travellers. An open doorway links the kitchen to the public room and one of the innkeeper's children sits in that doorway on a stool, taking orders and helping the innkeeper's with various odd jobs. The open kitchen doorway also ensures that plenty of heat from the ovens will pass through into the main area. There's always a ready supply of mead (or any other local liquor) and a number of locals will fill in at tea time to have a few drinks in public before heading home to their families. There's a stable to one side but most people don't use that. Most people just use the hitching post as they aren't intending to stay.

The Gentleman's Tavern 

This tavern is designed to appeal to gentlemen hoping to get away from the wife and children for a few hours so that they can become embroiled in upper class masculine activities such as reading books in silence and discussing local affairs around the dining table. The building contains plenty of curtained windows to let in enough light and a large central meals room with a sizable table. There's a variety of animal heads mounted to the walls and a perpetual smell of tobacco, leather and wood smoke that pervades the entire place. One requires membership to enter here or needs to be accompanying a member. Naturally women may not enter.

The Ladies Tavern 

Not to be outdone by the gentlemen, a variety of women of the adventuring persuasion have set up their own tavern that has a rather cozy front room containing a shocking variety of doilies and lace which is overseen by a rather matronly figure who sits on a rocking chair doing her knitting and gazing at people over her glasses. Members, or the female friends of members, are allowed to enter the back rooms and cellars which contain a mixture of training mannequins (for sparring), dark libraries lit only by glass orbs filled with phosphorescent moulds, and an underground bar that runs the full length of a narrow room packed with bar stools and booths. The female branch of the thieves and conwoman's guild, a mostly upper class bunch, come here regularly to meet with the poorer members who enter via an underground passageway.

Eco-Friendly Tavern  

All of the chairs are organically grown from dirt-filled holes in the ground and sculpted to create rather attractive but uncomfortable chairs. Several directional chutes in the top of this mudbrick building capture direct sunlight during different points of the day and create a spotlight on different parts of the rushes-covered floor where the bards are encouraged to stand. All the alcohol here tastes vaguely of honey.

Lover's Lane Tavern

This particular tavern is decorated in reds and dark woods and specialise in romantic individuals looking for a pre-wedding gathering place - as is the custom in this city. They have a surprising array of chocolates, more flavors than found anywhere else, which is also why they are ridiculously expensive. The usual adventuring party might find themselves a little bit confused when they slide into a booth and notice the place is filled with couples and celebrating families. Luckily if anyone can afford the costs to get in, it will be adventurers.

The Hunt Club

This club for like-minded adventurers has furs covering just about everything. Fox furs on the back of bar stools. Bear rugs by the fire. Mounted heads of all kinds of things both weird and wonderful line the heavy wood walls. Fires burn in braziers, keeping everyone nice and toasty. Luckily the bedrooms have real beds and glorious furs. Unfortunately the good luck comes with a high price tag.

The Little Hut

There's no real taverns for miles around but there is a friendly alcoholic who will sell drinks from his own hut. He uses the crates and barrels for furniture and then sends them back to be refilled. His hut is a bit sticky from spilled booze and it always smells mildly flammable but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Other than crates and barrels, the only places to sit are on the ground and the mugs are either washed in the nearby river or in a barrel full of scummy water.

The Smuggler's Cave

Alchohol is illegal in this community but that doesn't stop people from creating little spots to booze up and pass out while outside the watchful eye of the authorities. This particular one is managed by the sheriff and woe to anyone who threatens his supply lines as he's managed to become quite rich due to his monopoly on alcohol. Sure there are parties in noble houses where alchohol is served on the sly but his caves are the only places where the poor man can drink. ----------- Hope that's enough to get you started. If you have any cool tavern ideas, feel free to post them below.

Class Specific Relics, Bards & Witches

Both bards and witches are masters of influence and deception and thus these paths intertwine in the world of Fianyarr.  While bards are lured into the limelight and witches are so often content to live normal (if adventurous) lives, the two are twin enough that those of one path will not automatically lose a relic they have nabbed from the other path.  In this way some of the greatest legends are of bards with a witch's relic or vice versa as such things need to be taken (rather than being fated into their path) and this often leads to the kind of legendary tales that bards do so enjoy singing about.

Bard

(*) Musical Instrument of the Snap Open Lock: This instrument or medallion (for singers) can be played to allow another character to attempt a larceny check against a magical lock (which are normally untouchable for those who don't have the right merits)  The would-be lock breaker gets a number of rounds to attempt it as the bard has Wyrd.  Tell: A perky instrument that has high, eager and excitable sound.

(**) Forgettability Charm: While this object is coveted by rogues everywhere, it is only easily available to bard's who jealously guard its existence and rarely admit that it is possible to make such an object - let alone loan it out.  When activated the wielder is entirely forgettable to the point that people will ignore them or break off conversation with them and ignore them stealing objects.  The bard rolls Wyrd + Stealth to become forgettable.  Supernaturally potent senses (such as glamour-infused blessings) have a chance to make a resisted Wits + Wyrd check to penetrate the magic.    The bard can't steal anything larger than his Size, make a loud noise like shattering glass, or attacking a person, or he will be noticed for turns equal to Wyrd.  For every ten minutes under this power, the character suffers a -1 penalty to turn it off (maximum -5).  The bard must make a Presence + Wyrd roll return to memory.  After one day the world begins to forget details of the character, beginning with the good details.  After one week the bard begins to forget details of himself as well.  After a week of this, they become a full amnesiac.  These lost memories stay lost until re-discovered (often through dream journeys).  Tell: The object is often kept on the user's person though they generally forget about its presence until they have a strong urge to disappear or leave a situation.  Then they remember that it's there.

(***) Musical Instrument of Bravery: This might be a medallion for a singer, ocarina, flute or even tap shoes but so long as the instrument is activated and being used to perform those within a number of yards equal to thrice her Wyrd are protected against fear.  Tell: A rousing and resonant instrument that seems to make the heart beat stronger.

(*****) Musical Instrument of the Sleeping Trap: This instrument or medallion (for singers) can be played to prevent a trap from springing and will delay a magical trap's reaction for rounds equal to the activator's Wyrd or until the performance ends, whichever is sooner.  The performance must be begun before the trap is set off.  The trap, if triggered, will occur once these rounds are passed  Tell: A long and drawn out dirge that seems to make the person feel slowed down.

(* to ***) Fireflash: This mirror can be used to blind the target if they fail a Dexterity + Composure roll.  If she fails the roll, she is blind for a number of turns equal to the rating in this relic.  It is charged by reflecting the light of a large fire, such as a bonfire.  Tell: The mirror subtly flashs twice when activated.

Witch

(*) Comb of Unobtrusiveness: The witch is treated as an unobtrusive and ordinary member of the general public no matter what they are wearing so long as they aren't brandishing a sword or carrying something obviously illegal (like a corpse) though a bloodstained rug rolled up around a corpse is fine.  This comb doesn't work against individuals who are already looking for the witch or the perpetrator of a crime.  In other words, it will work while the witch strolls through a market full of the unwary with the rug rolled up around a corpse but will not help her leave a castle while everyone searches for their missing lady.  Tell: None.

(**) Lucky Rabbit's Foot: The witch can activate the foot to upgrade the level of success following the results of her roll.  A dramatic failure becomes a mere failure.  A failure becomes a success.  A success becomes an exceptional success.  This doesn't work on extended actions as it only works for a single roll during a single round.  The rabbit's foot can be used only once per day unless the character wants to risk dread misfortune (where after the first successful roll the next significant roll suffers the inverse where an exceptional success becomes a success, etc.)  The rabbit's foot intervenes in the roll by having some lucky turn of events - perhaps a nearby object - assist with the action.  Tell: The rabbit's foot is green.

(***) Brooch of the Innocent: Despite the powers that a witch may possess, many try to avoid combat where they can and sometimes all that is needed is to simply make it difficult for another to harm them.  Each time the brooch is activated, during that round, each attacker must spend a point of willpower to attack the witch.  Tell: The brooch has an image that is culturally accepted as an icon of gentleness - such as a unicorn or a dove in modern times.x

(****) Thought Sower: This multi-faceted jewelled necklace flashes with sparks of light can implant a thought so long as the target is paying attention to it.  The thought must be spoken aloud by the usher.  It could be either simple or complex or even be a triggered event.  These must be a single set and can't involve two unrelated tasks and must be doable within the hour.  The target won't do anything that will hurt himself or seem impossible.  When activated, the character rolls Wyrd + Expression versus the target's Wyrd + Resolve.  If the task becomes threatening to the target they can make another roll to break free of the suggestion.   Tell: Flashes with sparks of light.

(*****) Gateway Creator: This stick of chalk can mark a doorway or gateway and define a condition upon which the Verge will appear and open freely between the Hisil and the World.  This might be vague such as "midnight" or convoluted enough to be highly specific.  The Verge remains open for hours equal to the character's Wyrd and then closes for a month.  The creation of a Verge consumes the object in its creation unless the character burns a single Mental Attribute point.  A Verge can be created in any world (even the Dreamscape - to unpleasant results) though it always connects with the Hisil.  It is said that there are other objects that might do the same to the Underworld.  The creation of a verge requires 15 successes on a Wyrd + Occult roll.  Tell: None.

(* to ***) Intoxicating Aura: Those in the presence of the object feel pleasantly intoxicated as though slightly tipsy.  Those within the object's radius (equal to witch's Wyrd + successes in yards) suffer a -1 penalty to Dexterity, Intelligence and Wits-related dice pools but gain a +1 bonus to Presence and Manipulation for every dot worth of relic.  These modifiers affect the user as well so long as they are in the area of effect and the aura lasts for hours equal to Wyrd after activation. Tell: The faint smell of perfume, cigars, and expensive alcohol.

Fianyarr Vampires

Whatever you do with vampires, make them dramatic....
(Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2)

While I could give you statistics for each of these creatures that would take up a lot of room and anyone using these creatures could easily come up with attributes and skills themselves.  So instead of doing that I'm going to give you a couple of interpretations / myths and the rules used to create them for Fianyarr and you can take it from there and customise it to your heart's content.  That way I can fit in more content without making this article ridonculously long (that's a word now).

Charismatic Vampires

There are those who feared the penalty of aging and grew terrified of wrinkles, weakness and infirmity.  So desperate were they to keep their young looks that they made pacts with terrible unseen things and dabbled with blood magic to find the secret to eternal youth.  While many people may have done the same, those who would become vampires did it with a purity and dedication that surpassed any other.  For their efforts they gained eternal youth but at a terrible price ... their bodies are locked in a stasis that only the sun can unlock and the sun gives nothing without a price of its own.

Creation: Charismatic vampires can infect another with their curse by biting them over three successive nights but their victim must either love the vampire or be enthralled with a need for eternal youth.  If either condition isn't met they will simply waste away and die.

Signs: Pallor due to a lack of sunlight, clear pale eyes, fangs in place of incisors, cold skin, faded aura.

Powers: 10 dots (elder), 7 dots (ancillae) and 5 dots (neonate) worth of Majesty, Nightmare, Animalism, Vigor, and Dominate from Vampire: the Requiem.

Attributes and skills: 10 / 7 / 5 attributes and 16 / 11 / 7 skills for elder vampires.  7 / 5 / 3 attributes and 13 / 9 / 5 skills for ancillae.  Neonates share the same character creation dots as regular characters.

Power Level: Epic (elders), Overwhelming (Ancillae) and Powerful (Neonates).

Useful Bloodlines

Some bloodlines are more useful than others to a fantasy world so I thought I should include them here.  Unless you're planning on a more expanded and intellectual society of vampires I would recommend using each bloodline as a separate and distinct group of bloodsucker rather than throwing them all in together.  You could also go through all of the bloodline weaknesses and swap out existing vampire weaknesses for a new bloodone one.  Thus you could remove vitae's addictiveness, binding nature, fire's damage, sunlight's damage, risk of frenzy, ability to be staked, bashing damage from arrows or ability to enter into torpor.  You could add additional powers (only take one point of damage from each source of damage); change the fluff (must feed from the liver rather than a vein); or make it more difficult to kill them (ash stake, dead man's blood, or beheading).

The Carnival

If you want a darker form of circus with some more interesting relics, potions and fruit to sell you can look no further than including a few denizens from The Carnival among their ranks.  With all of the benefits of Clan Daeva, Nosferatu flaw on top of the Daeva one due to some freakish aspect of their appearance, as well as a custom discipline these guys can provide you with a lot of interest.

Children of Judas

Some vampires spontaneously arise from those who died unclean and miserable deaths.  Those who died from suicide sometimes have a sudden moment of clarity before their death where they realise the solution to their problems.  Despite their desperation to suddenly live, most still pass on to the other side.  Some come back.  These vampires feel a need to explore other people's pain but it's recommended that the Zelani weakness of requiring an invitation to enter a home and sunlight simply making the vampire sleepy (halving all dice rolls) would give them sufficient distinction.  Perhaps also they can only be killed through a recreation of their method of suicide - though the latter would work better for a darker game.

Spina / Toreador / Zelani / Kallisti / Taifa

These vampires work well for a nobleman turned vampire - perhaps due to a curse or some terrible tinkering with alchemy using the deaths of others to extend their lives.  If you want to have a society of similar (or slightly different) vampire families then these five would do well for it without allowing knowledgeable players to make assumptions.  In fact, if they hear that there are five families most players will leap to the conclusion that they will be the five core clans and will be in for a rude surprise.

Mara

In a world with Nixies there is a need for underwater kindred and what better than a race of vampires that need to feed while utterly submerged?  If you would like to provide a more confusing title, the characters might confuse a Mara with a Rusalka.  It is recommended that you remove a vampire's issues with fire an replace it with similar fears of salt for freshwater Mara and an avoidance of certain symbols for saltwater ones.

Vedma / Dragolescu

These  vampires could theoretically make a decent guide or advisor, providing a less evil or sociopathic vampire type if you have a need, with individuals visiting them to learn secrets much as one might a strange witch.  Vedma should have the Zelani weakness toward entering homes uninvited though they should be able to sustain themselves on animals.  Vedma might also retain their clan blessings though they may not cross a line of seeds thrown in their path nor may they approach a religious symbol nor tread the floor of a religious institution.  Dragolescu work well for monasteries run by the undead and might lack a reflection, fear direct (though not indirect) sunlight but be repelled by certain herbal concoctions and be unable to face their own reflections.

Morbus

Those infected by disease can develop a tenacious will to live and if they have a little knowledge of the darker arts then possible they can transcend the effects of illness - while remaining a carrier themselves.  Such a figure shouldn't be allergic to sunlight (too easy to spot) but should retain the pallor and vague appearance of death.  Perhaps replace the sun allergy with a lack of a reflection.  Issues with fire remain useful with this type of vampire.

Noctuku

These flesh eating vampires make for good foes for adventurers as they lurk in crypts and devour the dead.  If you liked, however, such a vampire might not be evil and might even be performing an important function as corpses provide nourishment for the vampire and can breed diseases for everyone else.  Of course, people tend not to like creatures defiling their dead which could create an interesting moral dilemma for those so disposed.

Melissidae

A vampire that buzzes with bees that live within their corpse?  A vampire that obsessively tries to maintain order over a good little group of obedient humans?  You can imagine the story potential when the players arrive at a hamlet that belongs to one such vampire or deal with a set of caravans that are, in truth, the procession of a new Queen in search of a hive of her own.

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And, of course, there are many more bloodlines that could each be pulled forth and turned into a type of vampire all of their own.  Which bloodline do you think you would use and what story would you put behind them?

Cultural Customs - Humans & Nixie

In this Fianyarr article we will learn more about the human race (which has its own peculiarities that distinguish them from Earth Humans) and the semi-aquatic Nixie race. Both races are known for their versatility and curiosity though the Nixies lack humanity's drive they have a fierce independence that ensures they are equally well-travelled. Both are known for both their fierce wars and their sudden generosity in the aftermath of a disaster where, in times of plenty, they will give much to other communities. While the two mix often, they have a number of key cultural distinctions which ensures that none ever consider the two to be too alike.

Human

Humans maintain a range of settlements that vary quite dramatically between countries. They are also keen to borrow elements and styles from foreign natures, including other races, leading to a delicately wrought combination of styles that is sometimes greater than the sum of their parts. In places of plenty they tend to create more densely packed urban settlements, preferring larger densities of people for reasons of efficiency and protection rather than continually branching out to form small communities elsewhere. Naturally this doesn't apply to the nomadic cultures, however, only the agrarian ones.

• Humans make a point to never discuss religion or politics at the dinner table or at large family gatherings. To even bring it up is a matter of gross indecency.

• All humans must select a favored weapon, normally that of a beloved older family member, and are mentored from the age of seven. Where possible their first proper weapon is one passed down through the generations, especially due to the costs of a good sword or warhammer, but if they must accept a new one then there is a formal ritual in order to induct the weapon into the family.

• Humans are always armed except in a very few special cases: a mother in childbirth gives her weapon to a shieldmaiden who defends her and her midwife, certain religious ceremonies that are protected by angelics or circles or warriors, and visits to a monarch or other person so powerful that one may safely put down one's weapon in the knowledge that their safety is assured by the person they are visiting.

• Humans enjoy a variety of tactical games and prefer to gamble on things that involve an element of skill - such as horse racing and certain card games involving subterfuge. This has also made them notorious as gamblers, though not all humans have the gambling bug. Despite their protestations that these are games of skill, human gamblers are notoriously superstitious and are likely to do a number of weird and wonderful things for good luck.



• Humans enjoy a good celebration and will whole-heartedly embrace other people's traditions, co-opting them to suit their own cultures, and then continuing with those festivals or ceremonies as though they were tradition.

Nixie

Nixies are a rather bright-eyed race who tend to prefer smaller communities that are built partially in - or at least alongside - sources of water. They might have homes whose basements are flooded, buildings that sprawl half in and half out of a river, or even sea palaces that contain dozens of people with some of the floors flooded and others dry. They prefer to avoid large urban populations, largely due to the resultant pollution of the water.

• Nixies have the most efficient waste management systems in Fianyarr, especially in terms of recycling and magical / creature-based solutions for sewerage. After all, while other races can always dump such waste in the water or in the soil, the Nixies don't have that advantage. They often get quite cross with any signs of people polluting the waterways in the expectation that the water will dilute it down to nothing as Nixies are aware that it's a fallacy.

• Nixies tend to be pretty touchy feely people and prefer a hug to a handshake any day of the week. They also like to make a lot of little touches over the course of a conversation, tapping the elbow or touching the shoulder as they talk.

• Nixies generally live within other countries as they don't often maintain territories too far from water and they take full advantage of this by ensuring there's a contingent of young Nixies at every local celebration. On the plus side, they're big on bringing gifts - especially food. It's considered bad form to refuse a gift of food or to expect it. One must also immediately try the food once they receive it so that the Nixie can see their joy. One can't eat it all, however, and the Nixie must be specifically asked to have a bit themselves.

• Nixie courtship is a complex dance filled with compromise and confusion for members of other races. One needs to give in at certain times, stand one's ground at other times, protect the independence of their partner, while simultaneously making them feel needed and welcome. Nixies take to these complications quite easily but members of the other races are often lost.

• Nixies love face painting, especially with ochres, though naturally these don't last underwater. The trouble is they prefer to look at the face paint rather than wear it, so they generally like to convince landdwelling races to let the Nixie paint their face.

Fianyarr: Seven Ruins Aplenty

There is just something marvellous about ruins that really captures the imagination. The idea of people living their lives so many years ago, leaving behind intriguing remnants of their lives that one can explore and cast one's mind back, really grabs the attention and sustains our interest. Unfortunately most ruins in fantasy games are merely an excuse for a dungeon. While this is fine in its own way, it also removes a lot of the mystique of ruins. In Fianyarr, I want to capture that mystique. Here are seven different themed ruins, each with its own possible encounters and styles. And yes, a few of them work in the monster bash.

The Stone Cabin

Although there have been no stonemasons in this area in living memory, there is a cabin in the woods made from slabs of chisseled stone brought down from the nearby mountains and erected on this spot. Strange twigs braided with human hair and formed into shapes can often be found in the nooks and crannies of the wall though no one ever sees them placed. Years ago a local boy found a human jawbone in the chimney, weathered and aged. In truth the cabin had been crafted by foreignors just over a century ago who kept to themselves and went undisturbed for ten years before a comet seen in the sky convinced them the world was ending. They lifted up one of the stones from the floor which covered their safe retreat and crept inside with their food supplies. Unfortunately the stonemason in the family had been too skillful and the stones fit together too nicely. By the time they realised the air was too thin and they were struggling to breathe, they thought that all of the air in the world was stolen and burned up by the comet. Down in the stone room below are etchings in the wall that describe this situation and five bodies lie huddled in the corner. If in need of a little combat, those bodies could well reanimate. Otherwise the tortured souls might haunt the dreams of those who disturb them unless they are given a proper burial. As for the human jawbone? The kid had actually found it in the woods and lied about where it had come from. The jaw is a few centuries old and might well come from a grave exhumed by animals.

The Breach

There is a ring of thick walls of fitted stone twelve feet high and three across that mark out an old hamlet whose thatch buildings have long ago decayed into nothing. Within the ring is hard-packed soil studded with strange pockmarked stones that whistle in the wind. While several people have tried to benefit from the stone walls, any efforts they make to seal the large sundered breaches in the wall come to nothing as the mortar or packed mud is slowly removed and the gaps are bared once more. Anything built on the patch fares no better and even campers find themselves awakening covered in itchy bites. The one-time rich citizens who moved to construct their hamlet here didn't realise that they had built it on a nesting ground for a type of termite that steals away any mud and mortar used to patch the walls (or construct houses) and uses it for their own little homes. If a battle is needed then perhaps all of those termite hives connect underground to a larger cavern where a massive queen lays millions of tiny eggs once a year.

Ye Olde Tavern

This tavern is built atop a portal to the underworld and on each New Moon it really shows with a variety of ghostly figures arising for some good old-fashioned drinking. It is vital to the success of the town that there's barkeeps aplenty to keep them boozed up lest the ghosts rush down the hill to torment them. However the tavern is always closed outside of that New Moon. Impossible to dust, weirdly creaky, and perpetually falling apart, it can never be made liveable with rushes that smell old and mouldy even when freshly lain, new wooden boards becoming splintery within hours of being nailed into place, and perpetual drafts that can never be truly located, this place just isn't a good place to run. Besides which, the ale spoils if it's used for normal occasions. On the New Moon, however, so long as there's plenty of booze to go around the ghosts really don't mind drinking with the living who might not know who they're spending time with. The tavern itself is quite old and appears to have been patched over throughout the years, even though the locals gave up on trying to repair it just shy of a century ago. The tavern even has rooms at the inn, though it isn't recommended that anyone stay there.

The Carved Castle

This moderately sized castle sits on a manmade island of filled in soil at the edge of a lake and its stone walls are decorated both inside and out with large carvings in the white sandstone that are in some strange and ancient language that no one can speak. The castle itself has surprisingly advanced clockwork technology that is still somehow maintained, ensuring that the portcullis can be lifted with a level pull and that sections of stone wall can be turned open when the right fangs on a nearby statue are pulled or pushed. Although these ruins are worth a mint to any nobleman who could claim them, any who try soon find their numbers disappearing and going missing as walls seal themselves, doorways seemingly disappear, and the entire place seems to lay itself out differently. Or so the occasional fragments of notes and diary entries seem to indicate. Strangely enough archaeologists and other research teams have no such problems while there. It's only a problem for those who try to move in. An elaborate hoax? Or something about the castle itself?

The Bridge Hut

Contrary to anyone's predictions, this wooden hut that clings to the underside of a rickety suspension bridge that crosses a wide ravine hasn't fallen apart. Those who walk across the bridge will find a short rope ladder that will lead them into a small hut that clings to the underside of it, just wide enough for a two people to lay down and sleep side by side. The hut had been built on the bridge a century and a half ago and abandoned ever since. Few people have dared to sleep in it, mostly due to the rather rickety nature of the bridge, but those who have reported no problems. At this point it's just a strange peculiarity and nothing more.

The Well Prison

This prison had been drilled down into the desert over a thousand years ago when a narrow well was taken over by a Djinn ruler and expanded underneath after the underground waterways dried up. The old rivers were turned into passageways and lined with narrow, lightless cells with small slits for doorways that required a person to turn sideways to fit within the gap to enter and which were largely bricked up behind the prisoner, leaving a small hole for food and water to be passed through. While this well prison only has four spokes radiating from the central well with twenty cells on each spoke, those who go down there often find themselves afflicted with vertigo and confusion, finding themselves easily turned around and confused. Many of the cells have obscure markings, some the more obvious graffitti and day counting, but most are seemingly arcane, as though the prisoners were in the process of subconsciously setting off a terrible ritual before food supplies were cut off and they each died in their cells.

The Carven Loss

This graveyard is filled with monoliths carved with the names of those whose ashes were interred within the soil beneath the stone. Each stone, when struck with a tuning fork, produces a unique and distinctive sound that is said to carry the souls off to their eternal resting place. What is odd about these stones is that they appear to be entirely nonmagical and yet no stonesmith has been able to recreate the effects. The initial monolith-builders constructed these stones over five thousand years ago and thus the techniques are lost to the annals of time as, unfortunately, the craftsman also had no known written language.

Class Specific Relics, Brawlers & Fighters

In Fianyarr, Brawlers and fighters are twin paths that both favor those who use their physical might to advance either their own goals or the goals of those they serve.  These goals might be something as fleeting as "don't look at me funny" or as long lasting as "all those who oppose the Godking must be vanquished".  Either way those who follow this path put a lot of effort into their ability to wield such physical might and often become well known for their talents.  Thus while relics from the Path of the Warrior are different from the Path of the Soldier and try to settle into the hands of those from their own path they won't be immediately stolen away by fate if they end up in the hands of their twin path.  If a Brawler picks up a Sunderer from a fallen Fighter, she may keep it.  The Brawler just isn't going to randomly happen across it the same way a Fighter may.  A Brawler can also give a Fighter an Armored Tattoo if pressed.

Brawler

(*) Settle Down Manacles: This person who places these manacles upon a target's wrists gains a +3 bonus to all Intimidation rolls made against that target.  Tell: The manacles always seem slightly wet in patches as though someone had freshly cried upon them. These wet patches disappear once they are placed upon someone's wrists.

(**) Ring of Minor Telekinesis:The brawler can activate this ring to lift an object no heavier than 3lbs and move it for up to 10ft.  The ring only works once per day and is rejuvenated at midnight.   Tell: If examined under a ray of light where motes of dust are evident dancing in the air then one will notes the motes seem to dance around a funnel above the ring.

(***) Mask of Life:Damage done to the brawler is never visible to onlookers.  It simply appears that the wounds either immediately closed or the blade simply didn't strike true. The brawler also suffers no wound penalties until the end of the scene.  Can only be used once per week.  Tell: The mask is surprisingly effective at portraying anger and malice as though the shadows within its eye sockets are following you and wishing you harm. 

(****) Obedience Collar: Anyone wearing this collar must make a Resolve + Composure roll to try to escape. Even if successful, they must make additional rolls for every day that they attempt to flee and if they fail any of those rolls then they must spend a day trying to come back to their masters. If they try to remove the collar then they must make the Resolve + Composure roll every round and even a single failure prevents any additional tries for the rest of that day. This doesn't prevent the wearer from trying to attack the Brawler only in efforts to try to flee.Tell: The collar was made with a lot of love and lavish devotion with an incredibly detailed design. Even after extensive study, one keeps discovering new things about the design.

(*****) Medallion of Power Exchange: This medallion lets the user spend health to temporarily buff a single attribute that is chosen at the time of the object's creation. In other words it may buff Strength or Dexterity or Stamina, but once set it can't be changed.  The medallion can only be used once per session.  Each bashing damage taken grants a +1 bonus to the Attribute while lethal damage grants a +2 bonus to it (maximum 5).  This only works for a single hour.  Tell: The medallion always seems to have dried blood within its grooves no matter how well it is cleaned.

(* to ***) Armored Tattoo: The fighter has a mystical tattoo somewhere about their body from which they can draw a defensive armor from use of the spirit within the icon for a single scene.  The 1-point tattoo provides armor equivalent to chainmail, 2-point equivalent to Lorica Segmenta and 3-point is equivalent to Plate Armor.  The character doesn't take any penalties from these armours.  This costs a single point of glamour and lasts for a week.  Tell: The tattoo seems to have some greater significance to onlookers.

Fighter  

(*) Unbreakable Shield: Its durability can't be bypassed by any mundane weapon.  Tell: When first lifted on any particular day, the shield feels twice as heavy as normal. This only lasts for a single round. Bear in mind that this is merely a sensation. The shield itself doesn't literally weigh any more than normal.

(**) Returning Weapon: This weapon can be activated as soon as its left its master's hand (even if it is pulled from your sheath).  The weapon tries to get back to its owner's hand which causes a -1 penalty to all physical rolls made by the thief. If no one is holding it then it will jerk itself back into the fighter's hand, moving three feet per round. The bond can be forged in one of two ways. If the weapon currently has no other bond then a person can forge the bond by spending one point of willpower and ten points of glamour which are invested into it. If the weapon currently has a bond then it is only relinquished if the weapon is gifted to another by the wielder through their own free will or upon the wielder's death. Tell: There is a sensation of 'rightness' when held by the bonded wielder and a sensation of 'wrongness' when held by any other person.

(***) Sunderer: This hand-held weapon ignores Durability when it is attacking a mundane (non-magical) object.  If it's used against a magical item than the weapon ignores up to two points of the object's durability.  Tell: The weapons edge will chew through any scabbard that isn't made of basilisk skin.

(****) Dire Weapon: This weapon can be empowered through the expenditure of  two points of glamour to do aggravated damage for a single round.  Tell: The weapon has rather vicious sigils engraved into its blade that evoke concepts of violence and death.

(*****) Dragonglass Armor: Similar in design to a beautiful set of plate armor, this armor provides an armour benefit of 4 / 4, requires 2 Strength and gives a penalty of -1 to Defense and Speed.  All damage dealt by fire is downgraded to bashing and all damage dealt by electricity is halved.  Custom Mechanic.  Tell: Well, it is a beautifully designed and ornate plate armor made from obsidian. That's a pretty obvious tell.

(* to ***) Keen Weapon: Some weapons are so well-made that their damage bonus can be increased through the expenditure of a point of glamour.  These Keen Weapons boosts the weapon's damage bonus by one for every rank possessed in this merit to a maximum of 6.  Tell: The blade is so sharp that it makes a distinctive sound when it cuts through the air similar to what you find in movies.

Fianyarr Spirits

So I've been building the Fianyarr fantasy world out of various mechanics from the World of Darkness and, naturally, I've needed to populate a bestiary.  The Hisil is a dangerous place and as it overlaps and functions concurrently with our world its important to have a few potential spirits in mind.  As most of the spirits listed in the Book of Spirits and Werewolf books can largely be reused I thought I'd talk a bit about how to get the most bang for your buck from spirits as well as providing three rather interesting spirits that have sprung from myth and which are likely to be found on our side of the gauntlet.

Using Spirits from the Books

Naturally one of the difficulties you'll have with utilising spirits found in the various supplements is that those spirits often have a modern flavor.  In truth you should be use any of the Natural spirits like spirits of dogs or cats but Artificials and Conceptuals can require a bit of thinking.  The trick is that you can often do a bit of a reskin to make a spirit that doesn't work become a spirit that does.  Car spirits can become carriage spirits.  Electrical spirits could be conjured from alchemist's laboratories or a lightning rod.  Data spirits could be linked to data crystals (hold them in your hands to download information).  Oftentimes having to sit back and justify its abilities and its background when adapting an old spirit can cause you to come up with more unique options than simply creating a new one.

Developing Your Own

You can, of course, always develop your own spirits.  Just be sure to find a way to make the ban meaningful as monsters having an achilles heel is a pretty big fantasy trope. So don't give them a ban regarding having to avoid the colour red unless that could be used as a meaningful exploit by the players during the session.  This goes a bit against the grain for those used to using spirits as the spirits' ban is only based on what makes sense to the spirit rather than what might be sensibly used and therefore they are seldom useful. As for finding the inspiration and initial concepts, well, simply dive into myth or your favourite fantasy videogames to get some ideas brewing. You can create a spirit around any concept. After all, that was kinda the idea behind White Wolf's creation of them.

Hellhound
Spirit of Unjust Cruelty

A hellhound is a translucent figure with glowing green fur, glowing eyes, great strength and speed, a sulphurous odor and the ability to talk.  These spirits are raised by the concepts of unfair death, hypocrisy and cruelty and thus they tend to be raised by communities who have a lot of cruel secrets where decent people suffer for the crimes of the cruel.  They are exceptionally likely to be formed in an area where a person is killed for a crime they didn't commit.

Bans (any two): It must answer five questions to any who have anointed themselves with sulphur.  It must attack any oath breakers it finds and attempt to drag them back into the Hisil.  It must strive to kill any who have seen a hellhounds' eyes thrice (even if they were different hellhounds).

Rank 2.  Influence: Fire ** and Dogs ** 

Power 4, Finesse 3, Resistance 2, Size 4, Initiative 4, Defence 4, Health 6.  Essence 15.

Numina: Terrifying Howl, Blast (fire), Abduct, Materialise, Two Numina for an extra Bane, Extra Influence.

Fury
Spirit of Vengeance

Sisters to the Valkyries and on good terms with them still, the Furies help the defenceless protect themselves but do so in a violent and controlling manner.  When a person is possessed by a Fury it is to get vengeance against some terrible wrong and the vengeance will be bloody indeed.  Even when a Fury chooses not to possess a person and fetters to them instead that person will be driven by a desire to gain revenge on others for it is that burning need to avenge oneself that feeds them essence.  The Fury's spirit form appears as a tall woman with clawed fingers spattered in blood.  They are demonics and will sometimes bless a particularly vengeful couple with a tiefling.  Pregnant women who are ridden long enough to give birth will also bear a tiefling child.  Naturally such tieflings are more predisposed to the vice of wrath with a focus on vengeance.

Bans (any two): A Fury must possess anyone who approaches them with vengeance in their heart and a plea on their lips. A Fury can't release its victim from possession until either the vengeance has been fulfilled or the target is dead. The Fury must respond to be the screams of a woman harmed by a man.
Rank 3.  Influence: Vengeance *** 

Power 6, Finesse 3, Resistance 6, Size 5, Initiative 9, Defence 6, Health 12.  Essence 15.

Numina: Materialise, Possession, Fetter, Speak Mortal Tongues (can speak any language and not just the spirit tongue), Emotional Aura, Harrow.

Valkyrie
Spirit of Honorable Battle

These battle spirits temporarily possess warriors and grant them a measure of their power and strength.  They can also be beseeched by powerful warriors to provide them an entrance to the underworld.  They appear to be highly attractive humanoid warriors of whichever race or culture they favor at the time.  They will only favor those races that favor them with legend, song, and deeds done in their name.  Their presence in an area often marks a society's calendars with festivities and their cities with shrines to their name to which the Valkyrie spirits sometimes fetter on special days.  They don't attach to armies who have conscripts or slaves in their midst nor ones that commit rape.  It's said that in the latter case they may well inform their sisters, the Furies.  They shun squads who kill civilians though they don't depart the army.  Valkyries attached to enemy armies do not hate each other nor do they disrespect the opposing side's soldiers.  There is glory in war and both sides must be willing or else there is no sport in it.

Bans (any two): The Valkyrie never possess an individual who hasn't requested it. The Valkyrie must relinquish control over the host once the battle is over. The Valkyrie will only attack an armed enemy. The Valkyrie must exempt one person from death whom the host least wishes dead.

Rank 3.  Influence Bravery ***.

Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 5, Size 5, Initiative: 10, Defence: 5, Health 10, Essence 20. 

Numina: Possession, Materialise, Gauntlet Breach, Fetter, Terrifying Howl, Empower Vessel (spend essence on a one for one basis to boost one or more of the host's physical statistics for a single turn - maximum physical attribute of 10).

Cultural Customs - Elf & Gremlin

In this Fianyarr article I will take a look at the inventive and intelligent gremlins' customs alongside the customs common to the rather determined and stoic race of elves. Both of these races tend to build rather sprawling and lasting communities that are woven into their environments. For the elves it's because they sprang from the forests and the jungles which are filled with so many monsters and creatures that safety is never assured and attempting to clear massive chunks of land for more concentrated urban living is a recipe in disaster. For the gremlins it's because their most famous communities are often built partially underground and when you're dealing with tonnes of rock and soil you tend to want to ensure the walls remain thick and the sections separate from each other so that one cave in doesn't kill everyone inside.

Elf

The elves maintain a number of sprawling communities built in and around the trees of their homes, often venturing underground beneath the roots that try to claim their homes. Their settlements are always well-guarded as even elves who have settled on the plains have suspicion and fear ingrained in their culture from their years spent in the most heavily assaulted areas on the planet.

• Elves never celebrate the birthday of another elf. Instead they each celebrate their first planting day which occured when they were quite young. Few recall what inspired this custom but most believe it was done because the forest sprites didn't approve celebrations of another birth of the house-makers so the only way to safely celebrate an elf was to pretend the celebration was about what they had planted.

• Elves maintain a silent vigil for three days and nights following the death of a loved one. After this vigil, none may mention the deceased until three full moons have passed.

• Elves wear colours similar to the local terrain as it provides an easy form of camouflage if they need to flee a battle. Their jewellery is kept simple and must not jangle. Elves who wear noisy jewellery are thought vulgar, though few recall that this is anything more than a statement on fashion.

• Elves normally adorn themselves with some form of tattoo that is reminiscent of a native creatures whose skill / resonance is something the elf admires and would love to possess.



• Elves reveal their love through dozens of small gifts and unasked for assistance. Their courting rituals often begin with the silent placement of food by the beloved. The beloved shows their reciprocation by eating the food, thus beginning the courtship, or if they aren't interested they simply ignore the food and politely pretend they didn't see it.

Gremlin

The Gremlins have rather marvellous settlements that branch from both underground to overground with numerous entrances and many traps that are often both practical (to slow down intruders) yet silly and non-lethal (in case a guest triggers them).

• Gremlins will ask you three times if you like a particular invention or design. It is polite to say you do the first time, shrug on the second, and change the subject on the third if you actually don't like it. If you actually do like it, you say so all three times. To immediately denounce a design as stupid is considered to be rather mean.

• Gremlins think it is good luck to rub a baby's head when that baby is born to another race. It doesn't matter which one.

• Gremlins don't understand overarching hierarchy and instead consider people in terms of specialisations. They find it difficult to conceive of ruling classes who are expected to be 'above all others' in all ways. How could a nobleman be better suited to telling a farmer how to farm, after all.

• Gremlins smile when upset, even while crying, to show that their tears are sad tears and not angry ones. The smile is meant to be reassuring.

• Gremlins love to dance. They especially love to watch people dance. Especially uncoordinated people. Foreignors will find themselves asked to dance quite a bit and might be surprised to find the gremlin simply wants to watch rather than to dance with them.

Revealing Fantasy Cities

Fantasy cities are an interesting conundrum. On the one hand you want to make them vibrant, exotic and interesting. On the other hand you want to tap into the occasional sense of familiarity because, after all, these are the urban spots of fantasy so it's nice to feel connected to them. You're best off creating a city that has a strong theme that ties it all together to distinguish it from other cities, but you also want to ensure that there's enough variation within the city to justify calling it one. You also don't want it to be yet another Medieval or Low-Tech-Version-of-Victorian London but you may not have much information on cities that aren't in that mould.

So what do you do? Where do you go from here?

You could go and google "Fantasy Worldbuilding Cities" or some other similar collection of keywords to look up advice given by writers for writers on the subject. When it comes to worldbuilding and research, a lot of the same issues apply to both Game Masters and writers, after all.

Some decent links include the Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions Document, the Greatest Cities in Science Fiction Fantasy for a look at some famous ones and why they're so cool, and rpggm has a list of links on the topic.

But for today we will look at it in terms of two main factors of city building: Internal Consistency and Something Cool.

The Something Cool part is that little iconic flair or thematic line that sums it up and gives it an essential flavor. It might be something physical such as a city in the clouds or on a dragon's back, something thematic like "the city that never sleeps", or something based around a social custom like foot binding or dueling.

The Internal Consistency part is when you take that piece of iconic flair and run with it. Why is this city (especially a fantasy city) called the City that Never Sleeps? Is it because there are nocturnal races that take the night shift? Is it because the city is on a constant state of alarm due to the presence of dragons in the local area? Is it that the city is known for its decadence? Is it a mixture of the three?

Brainstorming is your friend here. Take that Something Cool and run with it. Come up with as many options you can think of and then weed out all the ones that seem tired, old, or just plain don't work for your campaign or wider setting.

Then take those details and have a real think about them. If the city is known for its decadence, then what does that mean for the paupers? For the nobility? What sort of decadence is permitted and how does that tie in to the wider customs and social interplay? Is the place starting to fall apart because the city wastes its money on nonessential parties? Is morale high? Low? Is it easier to get in through the city gates or harder? Does the decadence spill out into out-and-out corruption?

And what does that mean? How does that affect class boundaries and the presence of magical artefacts? Also what sort of quests might a decadent and sleepless city hand out?

What's that? You didn't think of the city's style affecting the quests?

Shame on you!

Matching the quests to the style in some way is one of the best ways to get your players to know the city. They spend much more time questing than listening to backstory, after all (hopefully).

A decadent city might use fetch quests, hunt quests, dungeon quests and delivery quests just like your regular fantasy campaign but the flavor should generally be decidedly different. Fetch quests might be given by alchemists to collect rare herbs for a potent drug, given by the merchant in search of clues to an enemy's dirty secrets or by a noble in search of expensive bottles of alcohol. Hunt quests could involve finding attractive dancers for the ball, hunting an impressive creature with the nobility through the parklands, or trapping a nymph to be the spectacle for a gala. Dungeon quests could become quite literal with fantastic creatures getting loose beneath some noble's playhouse ... succubi and nymphs and dryads, oh my! Delivery quests could involve tokens of affection, letters between the beloved or a love potion that needs to be imbibed by the right person at the right time.

Let's face it, if you were part of a party who had to go through all of that you might get a sense of what this city is all about - socially, politically and thematically. It's a great and easy way to do it and it sure beats having to use more exposition.

Of course, the micro-settings you pick for your scenes are vital as well. A meeting in an opium den, battle in the rafters of an opera house, or gathering in the private wing of a mansion dedicated to a noble's heir can all add to the vibe and allow you to really immerse the player characters in the uniqueness of this city. Now this doesn't mean you can't have classic taverns, cozy cottages, or other non-decadent-urban-spaces but they should feel a bit different, a bit special, by providing contrast to the main points of the story.

After all, the more normal and broad a city's vibe, the more generic it becomes.

The more unique and consistent a city's vibe, the more exotic and interesting it becomes.

Fianyarr: A City of Marvels

A wooden city on bridges shouldn't last long, especially in a hot and humid environment like Crezchnoviy, a tropical lagoon in the Fianyarr world. Some people assume that it's magic that keeps the wooden structures standing but it's just dedication on behalf of the residents.

The people here like the taste of the creatures that dwell in the lagoon but the water is too dangerous to swim in for prolonged periods of time so structures were built out across the water to allow the locals to get to all of the different places, dive in to get what they need, then hop out again.

Naturally some people wanted to live close to work and people set up homes and then shops and then marketplaces on the bridges. Soon enough there was a big old rickety city sprawling across the walkways, just waiting for a storm to knock it all over and plunge them into the deadly waters.

Luckily that hasn't happened yet as the lagoon is sheltered within a gulf. So the buildings still stand. And people still live out their lives in them, decorating the ward with beautiful carvings and colourful sea shells, covering the walkways with wind chimes and woven reed mats, using boats made of local wood to take shortcuts beneath the high pilings of some of the bridge sections during low tide.

So what makes the waters so dangerous anyway?

The same thing that encourages such unique and tasty seafood-to-come to live down there.

The water has its own magics that repels outsiders by slowly increasing the temperature of the water around them, eventually boiling them alive until they are reduced to their essential salts. People have about a five minute window of opportunity to get in, grab the food and get out before the temperatures start becoming uncomfortably hot. As soon as the diver resurfaces and gets out of the water, the air steams off the protective magic which causes a hazy aura. The person must wait until they are dry before attempting another dive, lest the cumulative magic boil them too soon.

Visitors come from all around to enjoy the food and bring it back to the nobility of their realm and thus the seafood is the city's greatest exploit - alongside the shell jewellery and wood carvings. There are exotic coral reefs that only grow here where the freshwater meets the saltwater and is imbued by such potent magic and thus visitors can witness how the sunlight hits the clear blue waters to reveal the multicoloured decorations below. While coral reefs beneath a city would normally be spoiled by sewerage and waste, this area seems to have an additional benefit due to the protective magic. You see, the protective magic works on anything, including any waste that is tossed into the water, causing this to be the cleanest city in the world. The only mess that lasts is the local woods, discarded shells and bones, and other local products.

So people patch up the wooden structures (local stone is in short supply here and foreign stone would be eaten away) using the local forests that are protected and harvested in special ways to ensure that the few species of trees that the lagoon recognises as local don't go extinct. They deal with the constant damp, the splinters, the creaking floorboards and the sometimes swaying off the structures in strong wings, in order to live above a food supply protected by lagoon that would destroy them if they spent too much time within it.

The nobility and visiting rich folk (many of which come on pilgrimmages as they believe the waters will cure diseases) stay in mansions built ashore upon and just behind the sand dunes while the majority of the locals live, work and die on the weathered walkways, maneuvreing canoes and small boats built of local timber to spear food and trade with the merchant vessels that dare not enter the lagoon and thus weigh anchor a safe distance away.

The citizens are a brave and smiling lot who believe that their city is the prettiest in the world and who take pride in living above such a dangerous and fickle place. They believe that the offerings they make to the spirits and their cultural customs will keep the dangerous storms away. They believe that no storm will ever wreck their town, which is probably the only reason they live there, for should a savage storm break their bridges and drop their homes into the water, there will be many mutilated and maimed folk whose limbs dangled into the water for too long, and plenty of dead bodies turned to steam who couldn't find a dry place to hide.

Those who are renowned divers tend to tan with a slightly golden colour while those who boat often gets bands of golden tanned skin across their hands and legs and feet where water has most often splashed them. There doesn't appear to be any permanent longterm side effects. Yet.

And thus is this city known as the City of Marvels. Unique and exotic in all the lands.

Let me know if you ever use this small city in any of your games. I'm always curious to see my if my imaginings take root in someone else's head.

Class Specific Relics, Priests & Exorcists

Priests and exorcists are a twinned path (connected by fate) in Fianyarr as both seek to provide solace in their own way but while the priest seeks to provide gentle release for the dead and succor for the living, the exorcist wishes to remove the kind of nasties that leave behind ghosts and terrorist the living.  A community with a skillful priest and exorcist working side by side is a healthy and safe community, and so the relics dedicated to one path will occasionally end up in the hands of the other path.  Both paths also eschew political gain, fame and fortune in order to undertake their tasks and value their duty above all else.

Priest

(*) Ephemeral Revelation: This pouch contains grounded bone dust that may be cast over an ephemeral creature to outline it to allow everyone to see it. This naturally requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll to hit the target. Tell A slight vibration.

(**) Lantern versus Ghosts: This weapon is capable of striking incorporeal creatures (ie those hiding in twilight).  You make Dexterity + Wits rolls with a +2 bonus to strike Twilight entities with a shower of sparks which emanate from the relic. The lantern deals damage to physical creatures much as a regular lantern would - with a -1 penalty and by shattering at the end of the strike.  This lantern can be activated for an entire scene so long as the user chants at the volume of a whisper. Tell: The flame within the lantern is always a yellow-green.

(***) Dedicated Object: The Priest can bond an item to themselves through prayers, or other forms of dedications, and the expenditure of four willpower points.  Once bonded, the object will always find some way to return to them.  As an example, were it lost in a river, it could be found later on in one's bedroll or tripped over in a dark alleyway.  They will happen across the object again within 1d4 days.  Always Returns (**). Tell: The object always feels somewhat warm and comforting to the touch.

(****) Ensnare Ephemeareal Enemy: This puzzle box can be used to ensnare either a ghost or a spirit (chosen at creation).  Once the creature is trapped within the spirit can be forced to converse with the object's creator - as an example, if a book were used as a puzzle box it could allow automatic writing.  The priest would need to roll Wits + Occult versus the creature's Power + Resistance to entrap it.  Others may assist by contributing one point of Willpower (not glamour) towards this goal which grants a +1 bonus to the priest's roll.  No more than a maximum of +5 bonus dice can be granted in this way no matter how many people are trying to assist.  The entity will be trapped for one day and is forced to answer questions asked of it though it is not required to be honest.  The entity may choose to go inside the puzzle box if it pleases (perhaps so that it can be safely moved to a new destination) but it still costs the user two glamour to place it within the object.  Tell: The object seems unusually glossy and translucent faces can sometimes be glimpsed in its somewhat reflective surface.

(*****) Defensive Symbol: This symbol of the priest's religion can be activated to radiate a pale white light.  When activated, an ethereal monster (such as one in Twilight) takes a -5 dice penalty to its next attack roll, be it physical or mystical, whether a domination spell or health damage.  Possessing creatures only take a -2 penalty. As an added benefit, with the expenditure of a further glamour point the protection may be extended to up to three other targets.  This power lasts for rounds equal to Wyrd.  Tell The object seems more important and powerful with the light immediately surrounding it seeming to dim or brighten depending on the deity worshipped.

(* to ***) Smite: This relic can be used once per day and allows anyone within a mile radius to make a Wits + Composure roll to notice it due to the pulsing light.  The priest must hold this item (normally a staff) in both hands to use this power.  The priest who uses this power gains the Narcissism derangement for the following seven days (which is upgrated to Megalomania if already possessed) and leaves the character fatigued and in need of sleep (-3 to physical and mental rolls until he sleeps).  The user rolls Presence + Wyrd to deal a number of lethal points of damage equal to successes + dots in this relic which is dealt to all nearby objects and creatures through a sudden pulse of light.  The power has a range equal to twice the priest's Wyrd + Resolve score in yards.  The user is immune.  Tell: Glowing runes along the weapon's length and the weapon makes a slight hissing sound that is difficult to hear unless you place your ear to its length.

Exorcist

(*) Veiled Object: Sometimes it helps a bard to make an object (generally a weapon) appear like something else of around the same size.  This is an illusion so it won't cover the smell, touch or taste of an object.  The exorcist must touch the object, spend a point of Glamour and roll Wits + Crafts to make the object look like something else.  Its appearance can be changed between uses.  Each use lasts for a number of hours equal to the exorcist's Wyrd.   Tell: None.

(**) The Sleepless Eye
This gemstone is often embedded into a shield or a piece of jewellery.  The user can remain awake for a number of days equal to successes on a Wyrd + Athletics roll on top of the usual 24-hour-period.  Any penalties taken due to fatigue prior to the object's activation are turned into bonuses. Unfortunately, they also gain the Fixation derangement for as long as the object is activated. Once the activation ends, they take all of the fatigue penalties that they should have taken during that time and yet are still unable to sleep for a day.  This gemstone may only be used once per week.  Tell: The gemstone somehow feels as soft as a pillow although it remains rigid.

(***) Clue Finder: This device causes clues to a particular mystery to take on a slight glow visible only to the user which reveals forensic information related to a particular situation (such as murder or a particular visit to a house) - blood drops, barely visible footprints, or loose hair.  Tell: The device makes a slight clicking noise whenever it moves closer to forensic information.

(****) Earhorn of the Past: This earhorn is keyed to the past and allows a person the ability to hear in the past by a year per success on a Wits + Wyrd roll.  The exorcist can finetune the search by a particular timeframe (time / date), by a person or object, or by a particular event.  They can hear the scene play out though can see nothing important.  This horn works best around deathstains or other significant event and provides a -2 penalty to rolls made outside of such areas.  Tell: It may intermittently hiss with static near a death stain thus alerting the PC to its existence.

(*****) Goggles of Mental Protection: This pair of goggles can be reflexively activated to prevent one attempt at mental domination though while it does alert the user to the attempt (in case it was a subtle power like Majesty), it also has the unfortunate side effect of causing the PC to gain the Suspicion derangement within an hour of its use.  Tell: Despite the goggles being shaded from the sun the person wearing them can see just fine as though they weren't wearing any glasses at all.

(* to ***) Icon of Respectability: By placing this icon somewhere visible about their clothing, the exorcist's appearance is subtly changed to become more respectable for a scene.  Threadbare clothing appears new, bloodstains disappear from view, and clothing appears to be made from a somewhat more expensive cloth. This is very handy for an exorcist who normally has neither the money or the time to get a nice new set of clothes before entering a village or castle. Each dot in this relic can repair or remove one aspect of their appearance (hair and face, tears in clothing, stains in clothing, value of clothing, etc.)  Tell: The icon has a dramatic sheen across it and those who view it can never quite recall its design.