Background: Fated Hero

 

If you've been following my blog, I don't think it should be any surprise to you that I love backgrounds. They're one of the best ideas 5e ever had, offering customization options for characters that add flavor, and most of the features are narrative-focused, opening up new avenues for characters to explore and interact with the world rather than just giving them mathematical bonuses. That being said, I do think that there's room for background features to introduce mechanics of their own. There's some fun things that can be done there. As a bonus, they provide an avenue to mechanically represent new character concepts without having to write a completely new class - let's face it, D&D has more classes than it has archetypes for those classes to fit as it is. Here's one such example.

This started out as a post for The Saga of the Ortegids as a background to represent a PC being a member of the Ortegid Dynasty - that is, the legendary family that includes (but is not limited to) the main characters of the first three Dragon Quest games. The idea of a legendary hero is a common feature in contemporary Japanese fantasy that tends to be a direct reference to the player characters of the Dragon Quest games in the same way that the "demon king" archetype is the result of porting the video game conceit of a final boss into narrative media. Usually, the two are linked, with the hero often being prophecized to defeat the demon king. In some stories, they're the only one physically capable of doing so, and in some, the hero and the demon king are both metaphysical roles passed down cyclically every generation, with their struggle serving to keep the balance of good and evil. These aren't mutually exclusive.

Notably, however, the heroes of the Erdrick Trilogy are not prophecized chosen ones - that trope comes mainly from later games. In the first three games, they're all people who volunteered or were volunteered to deal with a pressing threat, but from what little exposition we get, it appears that this is because they feel it's the right thing to do and/or because they're following the example of their ancestors, not because of a mandate from higher powers. With this in mind, in addition to the fact this project is deliberately eschewing any artifacts of the medium of video games, you might be wondering why I'd try to represent it.

Well, heroes being elevated in some way among common people is something we see in fantasy and mythology in pretty much every culture and era, so I think it can still work. Drawing more than a little inspiration from The Saga of the Volsungs, the lore for my version of the setting is this: when Baramos, the Sorcerer-King of the Southlands, was told by an oracle that he was doomed to be slain by the line of the Aliahanian warrior Ortega, he had a curse placed upon Ortega's kin, such that all would be blessed with incredible strength, wit, and bravery, but simultaneously doomed to misfortune and tragedy, attracting powerful enemies and more often than not dying by the sword. This is why they're so often capable of great heroic deeds and faced with a need to perform them, not because the world works like it's a video game.

However, while plotting out this background, I realized that it'd also work very well for a variety of names in fantasy and folklore - the Volsungs, but also the heroes of ancient Greece, subject as they are to the whims of the gods, Samson, and even more modern examples like Elric of Melnibone. To that end, I've submitted it as a setting-agnostic background. Feel free to tweak it for your own purposes.

Fated Hero

For whatever reason - be it a curse, a prophecy, or merely attracting the eye of the gods, you are capable of great deeds, but your fate is a plaything of higher beings. You have the potential to become a figure of renown through heroism, but the same fate that guides you toward greatness could just as easily bring about your end.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion

Languages: Celestial

Starting Equipment: A token of your divine favor, a set of common clothes, an explorer's pack or a dungeoneer's pack, and a pouch containing 15 GP.

Feature: Gigantic Melancholies and Gigantic Mirth. Once per long rest, you can beseech the gods to grant you their favor in performing a great task. If the DM agrees that the roll at hand is a suitably heroic deed, you make the roll with Advantage. However, your fate is bound in both directions. Each time you use this feature, the DM will make a note of it, and can inflict Disadvantage on any one roll they choose in the future. Additionally, if you roll a natural one on your reroll, even if the original roll was higher, you must take it, as the gods are punishing you for your hubris in calling upon them so wantonly.

Variant: Ortegid Scion. This variant can only be used in a Saga of the Ortegids campaign, or one where the setting also features a family of heroes cursed to tragic fates. You are a member of some branch of the Ortegid Dynasty - possibly a prince of one of the three Ortegid kingdoms, a distant cousin, or the product of a one-night stand in foreign lands. In addition to the Gigantic Melancholies and Gigantic Mirth feature, you also have the Inheritor feature from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (if you bring up your heritage, you will get an idea of the local reception of your ancestors and how you can be expected to be treated in turn). You must be a human or a half-race of human parentage, and of at least partial Aliahanian ancestry, to use this background (though the Ortegids have traveled throughout Erdland and Torland and their descendants can be found in surprising places).

The Northmen

Among the most fearsome barbarians of the known world are the Northmen. Just about everywhere close to the coast has heard legends of their ferocity - if not experienced it face to face. As expert mariners, their ships have traveled far and wide across every sea, and they are merciless fighters in battle. Their name has passed into legends that speak of an invincible race of giants that descend from the coast and lay waste to everything in their path, burning villages, massacring townspeople, and carrying off riches. Although these tales are exaggerations of the truth - the Northmen are very much normal humans, if tall of stature - it speaks to the imprint these warriors have made on the world.

Traditionally, the lands of the Northmen are held to encompass anything north of the Kvessian city of Mordregaard and west of Ukiah. The true boundaries are fuzzier if one wishes to split hairs - the Kvessian ruling class is of Northmen descent, after all, and their progeny can be found further south yet - but it is these lands where the Northmen practice the way of life that has sustained their ancestors for generations.

Art by Jack Keay

The North has never been ruled under a single crown. It is the domain of countless kings, jarls, and tribes that hold stead over a few villages - some rulers are more powerful than others, but none have united the realm, and to do so would be a task not even the gods could perform, according to Northman tradition. Despite this, they share a common culture, and their languages are mutually intelligible. What unites the Northman clans are their belief in honor, martial valor, and their culture of raiding.

While they pay homage to Kerne and Kord, and while Old Faith practices are common, the Northmen hold Olmo, the god of the sea, as their chief deity, fearing him as a wrathful bringer of storms who must be appeased and placated. Many clans attempt to do so by human sacrifice, and many an unfortunate captive of the Northmen has met their end beneath the icy waters, where it is believed their soul will take the place of a Northman's in Olmo's quota so that the Northmen will not be harried at sea.

One of the most influential - and the most infamous - aspects of Northern life is the tradition of raiding. The lands of the North are poor in resources, with rocky soil and frigid winters; as such, the growing season is short and temperamental. In order to supplement their wealth, the Northmen turned to raiding along the coast during the summer months (taking advantage of warmer temperatures and longer days to navigate more comfortably), attacking seaside settlements and hoarding their treasure. The Northmen do not see such actions as immoral, as long as they do not bring harm upon one's own family.

Art by David Lozeau

As such, the Northmen began to value strength and bravery in battle to succeed in their bloody business. They became renowned as great warriors, some of them even channeling mystic power to shrug off pain in the heat of battle. It also became a point of pride for the Northmen to commit great deeds of bravery in combat, and to boast of them to advance their own status. In some Northman clans, strength alone determines authority, but even among those with traditions of nobility, it is expected that kings reward their most accomplished warriors with wealth and power. Many of these exploits pass into legend, and the Northmen are proud to count a storied hero among their ancestry, recounting familial sagas through a rich oral tradition.

In fact, the Northman tradition of raiding has led them to travel quite far from home. Most commonly, their targets are other Northman clans, or cities on the coasts of the Sea of Bartel and western Vardessy down to Sonderlund. But many Northmen, driven by greed, wanderlust, exile, or any combination of the three, have captained ships far afield. Their legacy is storied along the City-States and even as far as Quel'Ahma, and Northman treasure hoards have turned up in unexpected places.

The Northmen have a reputation in foreign ports - not entirely undeserved - as figures of terror and destruction. However, it should be noted that not all Northmen travel with hostile intent. Their expertise in seamanship and navigation has also made them great traders, and their longboats are a frequent sight at some of the richest harbors in the land. When their ships display shields on their sides, that is an indication that the Northmen have come peacefully to trade. But if there are no shields, that signals they are being held by the warriors on board - and that they have come to shed blood. That is a sight that strikes fear into many a heart.

Background: Northman

Suggested Names: Old Norse or Anglo-Saxon names.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Intimidation

Tool Proficiencies: Navigator's Tools, Vehicles (Water).

Languages: Northern

Starting Equipment: A drinking horn, a tunic and fur-lined boots, a seax (stats of a dagger), 50 feet of rope, and a pouch with 25 GP.

Feature: Ancestral Saga. You have been taught of the heroic deeds of your forefathers throughout the North and beyond. If the DM mentions a location, you can declare (with the DM's permission) that your ancestors have visited that place before; the DM will tell you any relevant information you would have gleaned from the sagas. This feature can be used for three locations in the North and one location beyond the North per campaign.

Halfling Magic

Strictly speaking, the halflings of the Green Downs are not ones for magic. Mastery of the mystic arts involves hours upon hours of careful study, hours that most halflings would rather devote to honest farm work. So too, in such an insular society, halflings are reluctant to entertain the scholarly traditions of magic from outside the Green Downs.

However, it cannot be denied that the Hinnisch folk often encounter situations in which magic is useful. They too suffer ailments and need protection against robbers and the elements. They too lose tools that no one can find, and they too may be bedeviled by spirits. To that extent, the halflings have their own traditions of spellcraft that exist within their own communities.

In the Hinnisch tongue, magic is known as braucherei, and a practitioner is dubbed a braucher (pl. braucheri). There are only a select few families in the Green Downs that practice braucherei; it is a gift passed down through generations, and most halflings do not bother to study the mystic arts unless they are born into them. The braucher families keep meticulous records of their traditions, sharing their knowledge with their children from a young age to carry on their craft. All braucherei consider themselves members of the same extended family, united by craft if not by blood; as such, they do not intermarry, though any child with at least one braucher parent may have the gift. When a child is born to a braucher family, all braucheri in the nearby villages gather to celebrate the occasion. At these meetings, a ritual is performed to confirm whether or not the child has an innate skill for magic - if they do, they are taught the craft, trained from childhood to carry on the family business.

Braucheri deal strictly in white magic - that is, protective and healing spells. They consider offensive magic and curses - black magic - to be dangerous and unholy, and fear it. In game terms, they are best represented by clerics of the Life or Peace domains. Halfling magic, like the traditions of the cunning folk in human lands, is influenced heavily by religion, and incorporates prayers and the invocation of deities and saints, but braucheri are not ordained members of the Pantheonist cults.

The braucheri collect their wisdom in grimoires - which, in halfling tradition, do not consist solely of spells; a typical Hinnisch grimoire will also contain prayers, mundane remedies, and even recipes for food and drink. These tomes can be considered a collection of all information the braucheri consider useful to have at hand, which, for halflings, includes the more victual pleasures of life. The most prized grimoires of all, however, are the missives of heaven - texts held to have been miraculously delivered from the gods themselves. These texts are magic in and of themselves, and protect anyone who carries them from harm, be it from demonic powers or the hands of men. However, in order for such protection to apply, the user must abide by a code of conduct outlined in the text. Failure to live by its tenets means the spells will be undone.

Braucheri enjoy a position of status within halfling communities, revered as healers, teachers, and religious leaders. Many villagers will turn to them for help that only they can work. However, though it is unusual for halflings in general to stray far from their burrows, and braucheri specifically even more so, there are some that may be found plying their craft in other lands, or along the roads.

Art by Caterina Capogrossi

Background: Braucher

Prerequisites: Must be a halfling. Optionally, a DM may allow PCs of other races to take this background if they have, for whatever reason, been raised among halflings, but this is rare.

Suggested Names: Pennsylvania Dutch names, or classically Tolkienian hobbit names.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Religion

Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kits, one set of artisan's tools or musical instrument of your choice.

Languages: Hinnisch, Celestial.

Equipment: A healer's kit or a herbalism kit, a grimoire, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 50 GP.

Feature: Hex Sign. You have been taught several apotropaic sigils, and can imbue them with power; halflings use these to decorate their barns and homes, and they are often of fine craftsmanship, featuring bold colors and artistic designs. You may spend an hour to paint a sign on a building no larger than a barn; all creatures within that building are under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell. This effect ends if the sign is damaged or the wall it is on is destroyed.

Elves of the Lunar Lands

It is the deepest and darkest of the forest that the mysterious and inscrutable elves call their home. Ageless and ethereal beings, they are held as creatures of bewitching beauty and great wisdom. However, they are held just as much with fear. Travelers passing through the forest are wise to beware the elves as much as they fear orcs, bandits, and wild beasts, if not more - for it is the elves who know the wilds, and who will fight with an undying fervor to defend it against incursions.

Tradition holds that elves and humans were made in the same vein, but while humans were created by the gods, elves were created by the whim of the fair folk. They still regard the fairies as their forebearers and their masters - and they have abided by the same traditions their ancestors had for untold generations. While humans settled, tilled the land, and built great cities and empires, under the provenance of the gods, the elves stayed in the woods, hunting and gathering. To this day, most still subsist in scattered woodland villages, living off the land. This is not to say they are primitive - they have strong literary traditions, told in poetry and song, with their elders chronicling the tales of bygone ancestors in meticulously memorized verse, and as they grow bored with daily toil over the course of their long lives, they often turn to contemplation of the universe; it is not uncommon for clans to meet to discuss philosophy, often in heated debates.

Art by Terese Nielsen

Elves do not view themselves as something greater than the natural world, but as a part of it. They feel that humans, dwarves, orcs, and other races have abandoned their calling in seeking to defy nature. In the elvish perspective, not only are they nothing more than particularly clever animals, this is not an insult, but a compliment. Humans, the elves hold, are pretentious and cowardly, refusing to accept their destiny as a part of the natural world - their short lifespans have made them short-sighted, and they have no appreciation for the big picture. It is the elves who are more honest and true to themselves. They subsist largely off of hunting, dress in furs, use arrows of bone and antler, and spurn the higher learning of men.

Still, elves are not without spiritual traditions. In fact, they are attuned to the mystic energies of the land - so much so that they are shaped by their environs, taking on the qualities of their homes. Their hair, for instance, may take on the color of leaves, changing with the seasons, and their personalities change with the weather - those in stormy climes are mercurial, while those in more mild regions are placid. They know the languages of beasts and of the earth itself, and their druids hold communion with trees and rivers to determine what the earth wants and to guide themselves in accordance with its whims. So too, they may call upon wild animals to aid them in hunts or in battle as freely as they might call a friend or cousin. Their belief system is most similar to the Old Faith, and indeed, they hold that the druidic ways are a corruption of their own, though obfuscated by the interpretations of meddlesome gods and foolish mortals who do not grasp the truth.

Art by iromonik

In particular, many elven tribes worship the earth as the communal body of their ancestors. As the body decays, they claim, its life force is absorbed into the greater ecosystem, and thus, every tree and beast and blade of grass contains the spirits of all the bygone elders of the elven race. When the druids consult with the spirits of the land, they are also communicating with their forefathers, who watch over the clans. One peculiar way this belief shapes customs is that elves view plants with great reverence, seeing them as living flesh, and it is a great taboo to harm them. Most do not consume vegetable matter or chop down trees unless it is necessary, instead subsisting off of meat. Fruits and berries, however, are okay, as being eaten is a part of their life cycle, as is harvesting materials from dead trees. To an elf, uprooting an herb from the ground and eating it is akin to tearing off a creature's limb and devouring it in front of them as they sputter and die. They do not place as much of a taboo on the consumption of animals, as the animal is killed before it is harvested - and "animals," in this case, includes humanoids, which plays into their burial rituals. Many elves will devour a share of the flesh of slain kinsmen to help sustain themselves, using the rest to fertilize the trees, and hanging their bones from their branches.

The elves are a reclusive people, and fiercely protective of their forest homes. They especially detest settled folk, who they view as threatening the natural order by their presence. Many an unfortunate logger has unknowingly chopped down the trees of an elven grove, and their mutilated corpses have been found hung from the trees as a warning to their people afterward. Humans often regard elves with wonder and fear - they are the creatures lurking in the dark that they warn their children of. And elves, in turn, spurn humans as clumsy, oafish, greedy, and blind to their own nature.

However, occasionally, an elf will be grasped by wanderlust and leave the confines of their tribal lands, perhaps driven by the sense of boredom that comes with immortality. If everyday life becomes too mundane and routine, they may seek out new experiences elsewhere. In human lands, elves are often treated with fear and suspicion. People suspect they will eat them, or steal their children, or place curses upon them - and this is not entirely untrue, but most elves that grow old enough to wish to seek out new lands are wise enough to know that their traditions will not always be welcomed.

In fact, most large cities have an elven quarter of some size, where elves have settled and established communities of their own. Often, these elves strictly do business with one another - humans want little to do with them, and they want little to do with the humans either. Their districts exist as self-sufficient enclaves; a city within a city. But as much as they are cut off from humans, they also share little kinship with their cousins in the woods, who usually view them as having strayed away from their true nature and been blinded by the foolish ways of mankind.

Background: Elven Tribesman

Prerequisites: Must be an elf or half-elf. Optionally, a DM may allow PCs of other races to take this background if they have, for whatever reason, been raised among elves, but this is rare.

Suggested Names: Finnish or Welsh surnames or place names. Some elven societies have a custom of renaming someone after their most shameful deed, in order to remind them to remain humble.

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument of your choice.

Languages: Elvish, one other language of your choice, plus see below.

Equipment: A hunting trap, a set of fur clothes, a musical instrument of your choice, and a beast of no greater than Small size.

Feature: Attuned to the Wild. Choose one class of animals or plants. This should be fairly broad, but not so broad as to be overly permissive - "songbirds," "conifers," and "even-toed ungulates" are acceptable; "mammals" and "yellow-bellied sapsuckers" are not. You know the language of these beings and can communicate with them. Whenever you have the option of taking a feat on leveling up, you may instead choose to learn the language of one other category of animal or plant. Additionally, if another member of your party has the option of taking a feat, they may instead learn one language that you know if you spend the time to teach them.

Outlaws of Sonderlund

In Sonderlunding culture, there are some crimes so severe, it is deemed that not even execution will suffice.. Murder of a kinsman, the breaking of an ancestral oath - there is no codified set of circumstances for when such punishments may apply, as they are often meted out in an ad hoc fashion as an individual ruler sees fit, particularly in the disorganized Highlands, where thanes and kings rule by tradition and force of arms. But everywhere in Sonderlund is the concept of an outlaw understood, and the threat of being outlawed known and feared.

In most lands, to be declared an outlaw means that one can expect no protection from the law of the land, and that any matter of crimes directed against them shall go unpunished. In Sonderlund, however, there is more to the idea than that. Because of Sonderlund's long tradition of ancestor worship, it is believed that if an outlaw cannot be forgiven in this life, they may at least do something worth remembering with their dying breath, so that their progeny may still look back on them with honor. To this end, the greatest honor for an outlawed Sonderlunding is to die valiantly in battle against a worthy foe.

Sonderlunding outlaws roam the roads in search of a glorious death - their sentence is not the executioner's axe, but the battlefield, and they may never know peace. To die of natural causes, in fact, is considered a grave dishonor, and a sign that the outlaw was too much of a coward to face their fate, or else that they lacked the drive to redeem themselves with a death that may live on in the annals of history. So too, it is dishonorable for an outlaw to meet death at their own hand. Their dying breath must be made with a heroic effort, against an opponent that they must give all their effort against. It is even more honorable if they die while inflicting mortal wounds on their foe, but this is not necessary - only dying in battle is.

The life of an outlaw is not an easy one. While in the domains of their kin, they can expect no mercy or hospitality, for to aid an outlaw is believed to bring ill fortune upon one's household - the outlaw must meet their destiny by their own efforts. This leads to them being rather itinerant, going from place to place to seek new challenges and to avoid persecution. All the same, outlaws often acquire somewhat of a fearsome reputation, both for the nature of their crimes as so severe as to warrant their punishment and for the rugged sensibilities that allow them to survive on the road. Many petty thieves and brigands have actually given outlaws a wide berth, either out of fear of retribution, or because they know that it would dishonor the outlaw to fall victim to such an ignoble fate.

The travels of an outlaw may even take them beyond the lands of their people, or even beyond Sonderlund, and many outlaws have become great heroes in other lands, whether as slayers of monsters or generals on the battlefield. Beyond their homelands, outlaws are not necessarily shunned, but it is rare for them to lie about their status as an outlaw if they believe they will not be recognized, as this is seen as incredibly dishonorable. The pursuit of a heroic death is a solemn and important one, and one that outlaws are wont to accept as their fate, grim as it may be.

A quirk of this practice is that an outlaw who has slain many foes and survived to tell the tale is, technically speaking, not very successful as an outlaw. It means they are a mighty warrior and warranting of respect, but also that they have not been able to find an enemy that will grant them the death they seek. If an outlaw manages to best a foe without dying in the process, they often set their sights on an even greater challenge, hoping this will be the one. After all, they do not merely want to die, but to die heroically, and there is not much heroic about dying to rabid rats when you have slain dragons in the past. Though Sonderlunding honor culture may seem primitive and barbaric to outsiders, they have a great reckoning of the merits of many deeds and how they should be ranked, and this is not to be taken lightly.

For an encounter with a Sonderlunding outlaw, see here.

Art by Roman Zawadzki

Background: Sonderlunding Outlaw

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisan's tools of your choice (your trade before being outlawed) and one musical instrument of your choice (a hobby you picked up to pass the time on the road).

Languages: Sonderlunding, one other language of your choice.

Equipment: A cloak with the tartan of your former clan, a dungeoneer's pack or an explorer's pack, a musical instrument of your choice, and a pouch containing 25 GP.

Feature: Worthy Foe. You seek a glorious death in battle, and you have an eye out for a foe worthy of doing the deed. You can issue a challenge with the effects of the compelled duel spell, so long as the target's challenge rating is equal to or higher than your level. If the target of this effect is a Sonderlunding, it has Disadvantage on the saving throw. If you drop to 0 HP during this duel, you have Disadvantage on all death saves made and cannot cheat Death.

Reasons for Being Outlawed (d12)

1. Committed murder against a member of your clan.

2. Broke an ancestral oath issued by one of your ancestors.

3. Partook in an affair with the spouse of your thane.

4. Toppled an important runestone.

5. Committed treason against your clan during a time of war.

6. Defiled a sacred grove.

7. Killed a sacred beast revered by your clan.

8. Lost an heirloom belonging to an important ancestor. 

9. Neglected a task entrusted to you by your thane. 

10. Killed a druid your clan was in service to.

11. Brought a fey curse upon your people.

12. Aided a necromancer.

Brothers of the Sword

Art by ThaneBobo

Though often described as an organization, it would be just as accurate to call the Swordbrothers a philosophy, a movement, or even a fashion sense. There are a number of different mercenary companies - most based in the Freikantons, but some have established operations beyond there, some even beyond Vardessy - who define themselves as Swordbrothers, but not all are aligned with one another, and not all practice the same codes or traditions. There are, however, a number of common traits that help to define these warriors, and which all such organizations exhibit.

The Swordbrother way of life can be traced back to Adelbrecht von Bergschafen, a mercenary captain active in what is now the Canton of Hagen many centuries ago. He was known for his eccentric behavior, which he imparted to the men in his employ, and many other mercenaries began to follow his example, modeling themselves after him - whether in the hope of attracting attention, winning the same success he did, or merely being impressed with his swager. These sellswords, and their armies, were the first of what would become the Swordbrothers. Though a number of disagreements and divergences have broken out among the ranks over the years, some of them with corresponding armed conflicts, all Swordbrother companies to this day honor Adelbrecht von Bergschafen as their spiritual liege.

The most noticeable quality of the Swordbrothers is their outrageous fashion sense - by all regards, they dress more gaudily than even the most ostentatious of nobles, favoring big hats (often with large feathers), puffed-and-slashed sleeves and pantaloons, and elaborate codpieces. They are fond of using as many colors and patterns in their ensemble as possible, often leading to dazzling asymmetrical designs - and they wear these outfits into battle. The purpose of this is multifold. As dyes are expensive, the ability to wear so many vivid colors at once is a sign of a Swordbrother's wealth, and thus an advertisement of their success. In much of Vardessy, dyes are taxed; Swordbrothers have historically been exempt from this as their way of life ensured their lives would be short, and officials thus deemed them as not worth bothering with shaking down (the fact they carry zweihanders didn't make things any better, of course) - in turn, the Swordbrothers latched onto this exemption as a point of distinction and an assertion of their independence. The outfits are also a way for the Swordbrother to express themselves; owing to the individualistic spirit of the Swordbrothers, each chooses their own colors and patterns, and they are not bound by uniform or heraldry, using only badges to identify themselves as belonging to a specific company. Finally, to wear such conspicuous costumes into battle is a statement in and of itself - it is the means by which the Swordbrothers declare that they have enough faith in their sword arms to have no need for stealth, and no need to hide.

Art by drunkonishuten

The Swordbrothers are also well known for their weaponry. While their ranks make use of crossbowmen, spearmen, and halberdiers, their most iconic weapon - used as a symbol of their movement, borne by their members as a badge of office, and lending the group its name - is the zweihander (stats of a greatsword), an exceptionally long two-handed sword, long enough that it may be used as a polearm and carried over the shoulder as it is too long to fit in any scabbard. There are accounts of Swordbrothers using their swords to cut the tips off of enemy spears before they could get into range. Some are made with wavy blades to grant the swords an even more imposing appearance. As a sidearm, Swordbrothers also carry a katzbalger (stats of a longsword), a shorter sword that is traditionally worn hung from the belt by a single loop of cat skin, and with an open, S-shaped guard designed to catch and parry opposing blows.

Finally, the various Swordbrother companies are united by their fierce independence and love of freedom. The Freikantons were, after all, shaped by the Swordbrothers' desire to govern themselves free of Imperial oversight, and that is a value that has not been forgotten. Swordbrothers are taught to only hold loyalty to their masters, rather than to any kings or feudal overseers. In times of peace, they are expected to be loyal to their fellow Swordbrothers and drink, eat, and socialize with one another at their guild halls, but when on the job, they are to defer to their employers - and, should members of the same company be hired by opposing sides in a war (it happens more often than you'd think), Swordbrothers are usually expected to take up arms against one another. They do, however, maintain the right to revolt if they are not being paid. In keeping with this free spirit, the only requirement to become a Swordbrother is to submit onesself to a company for training, and they do not discriminate by race, societal class, or nationality. The majority are Vardessian, but many foreign swords have found themselves joining the ranks of the Swordbrothers, and some companies have even been started in other lands following the Vardessian example.

Swordbrothers form the elite class of the Freikantons. With no nobility and no knights, they are what serves as the ruling powers of these lands, with each canton being effectively controlled by a different company. Though the Freikantons are ostensibly democratic and every citizen has a voice, the Swordbrothers exert considerable authority by being both wealthy and heavily armed as well as forming the backbone of the region's defenses, leading many to rely on them against invasion. The voices of the Swordbrothers have weight that few would wish to contest.

Background: Swordbrother

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation

Tool Proficiencies: Karnoffel cards

Weapon Proficiencies: Martial weapons

Languages: Vardessian, one other language of your choice

Equipment: A set of ostentatious clothes (Disadvantage on Stealth checks when worn), a deck of Karnoffel cards, a zweihander, a katzbalger, a badge of your company, and a pouch containing 100 GP.

Feature: Swordbrother Training. You have all the benefits of the Great Weapon Master feat. In addition, you have a badge that marks you as belonging to a particular Swordbrother company; it is considered dishonorable to hide this badge. As long as you wear the badge, Swordbrothers of your company will recognize you as a fellow and will allow you to eat and sleep in their guild halls free of charge.

Swordbrother Traditions (d20)

Each Swordbrother company has its own rules and traditions. Roll 1d4 times on this table for whatever rules apply to this company.

1. Members must distribute all wealth won in battle (either as loot or payment by an employer) equally among all members.

2. In order to join the company, prospective members must defeat an existing member in a duel.

3. Several members of the company are doppelsoldners - they are obligated to be paid twice as much as regular members in exchange for going on more dangerous missions or being placed on the front lines of combat. 

4. Members of the company are sworn to secrecy and may not discuss what happens at any meetings under the penalty of expulsion.

5. Members are obligated to never surrender in combat unless magically compelled to.

6. This company is made up of swordsisters; only women may join.

7. Each time the company holds a banquet, a different member is selected to hunt a suitable animal for the main course.

8. Members add a feather to their cap for every campaign won.

9. The company holds a regular tournament that all members must partake in.

10. The company silvers all their weapons.

11. Members are not allowed to take orders or assignments directly from nobles.

12. Members must give half the wealth won in battle (either as loot or payment by an employer) to the poor.

13. The company conducts its meetings dressed as monks to mock the clergy.

14. The company conducts its meetings dressed as cultists to cultivate the rumor that they have demonic powers. 

15. Members are forbidden from using magic or magic items other than enchanted weapons or armor.

16. The company maintains a trophy hall, where artifacts won in past campaigns around the world are displayed.

17. Members are forbidden from harming other members, even if on opposite sides of a battle.

18. Members of the company use exclusively flame-bladed swords.

19. Members may not refuse a duel if offered.

20. Members are not allowed to have homes of their own and must stay with fellow Swordbrothers.

The Covered Path

The way of Elementalism holds that in order to achieve harmony and alignment with the cosmic forces of the universe, each individual must strive in the pursuit of perfection, seeking purity in accordance with the elements and their associated traits as much as is possible for them. Conventional doctrine preaches that the way to do so is attained through governance in accordance with the Four Books of the Elements, under the guidances of the priests and temples who safeguard the purity of the elements and guide the people in homage to them. However, another path to perfection exists - the Covered Path.

There is some debate as to whether the Covered Path represents a particular school of thought within Elementalism, or another religion entirely. While it accepts the elements as the cosmic forces that sustain all things and holds the gods as imperfect and unworthy of worship, it also rejects temples, the priesthood, and the caste system. - which has made it appealing to the lower classes, and a target of persecution from officials who find it a threat to their authority. To those of the Covered Path - the dervishes - the pursuit of perfection is not a one-size-fits-all goal to be imparted to the masses from on high. Rather, it is a personal journey, one that must be discovered by each person in their own way.

The Covered Path was founded centuries ago by a human scholar named Amid al-Samad, and thus, its practitioners are also called Amidis. Where the name came from has puzzled scholars. Some believe it came from Amid's practice of disseminating his teachings in debates with other scholars held on a bench beneath a cover of palm fronds, while others posit a link to the woolen caps used by mystics to cover their heads. Whatever the case is, the Covered Path quickly took hold as a popular movement, and in the years since, it has given rise to a multitude of different schools and philosophies - all of which, however, claim a direct line of teaching that can be traced from student to master all the way back to Amid himself.

According to the Covered Path, Amid al-Samad was the perfect being - the first living thing created, but who lived in secret for milennia until the time came for him to reveal himself to the world. Although conventional Elementalism claims that humans are inherently imperfect beings due to being made up of all four elements in equal parts, and thus impure, devotees of the Covered Path argued that this balance of elements actually made one's existence more harmonious, as it ensured no one element overpowered the others. Nevertheless, the Covered Path is not a phenomenon exclusive to humans, and numbers genasi and even a few genies among its ranks. A core teaching of the philosophy is that everyone, regardless of their social standing or place of origin, is an equal in the balance of the universe, and that the only pursuit in life worth following is understanding this balance, not wealth, power, or personal gain.

Many Amidi dervishes thus follow an ascetic lifestyle, deliberately cutting themselves off from earthly desires to pursue spiritual enlightenment alone. Every school of the Covered Path approaches this differently, but they all hold that wealth and comfort is a distraction from perfection. For this reason, they are often compared to the monks of northern lands. Like monks, they devote their lives to study and meditation, with little communication with the outside world - in particular, they are well known for their rituals in which they gather to play music and whirl in place, allowing themselves to be moved only by instinct and the ecstasy of spiritual revelation.

Unlike monks, however, dervishes do not flock to monasteries. Every member of a given school considers themselves to be part of the same brotherhood, but, in keeping with the individualistic focus on perfection, dervishes of the Covered Path undergo spiritual training under a master, who sees to their personal instruction. Amidis maintain that it is not possible to achieve perfection through passively reading theory; they must actively be guided. They do congregate at their own schools and holy sites, however, many of which are the tombs of esteemed Amidi masters. Traditionally, they are buried in their homes, which become shrines tended to by their families and students. These shrines are often sought out as places of pilgrimage in a dervish's journey to spiritual understanding, and become hotspots of congregation where knowledge (and, informally, rumor) is shared, often providing housing for itinerant mystics, with shade and water to relieve themselves from the desert heat. Some masters, in fact, are so devoted to the cause that they choose to let their spirits linger at their tombs after death, forgoing rest in the Land of the Dead so that they may impart their wisdom to those who seek it.

To the dervishes of the Covered Path, adventure is not a means to gain power, fame, or wealth. It is an exercise in patience, understanding, and broadening one's horizons, often with functions that may make little sense to the initiate at the time. These mystics are tolerated by some authorities more than others, and they often find themselves as outsiders beyond their own communities. But they and their communities can be found all across Quel'Ahma.

Background: Amidi Dervish

Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion

Tool Proficiencies: One musical instrument of your choice

Languages: Quel'Ahman; one language used for mystical and poetic texts

Equipment: A set of common clothes, a begging bowl, a musical instrument of your choice, and a scholar's pack.

Feature: Path of Perfection. You have a master who personally instructs you in the journey to perfection, and they will offer you guidance if sought after. You are also welcome at any Amidi shrines or gatherings of the faithful.

Feature: Asceticism. Your school under the Covered Path requires that you pursue some form of voluntary asceticism to cut yourself off from worldly distractions and focus on the big picture. As long as you practice this restriction, you may cast Divination once per day by whirling in place for ten uninterrupted minutes until you recieve a vision. If you break your restriction, your master will give you a quest of penance to undergo before you may make use of this feature again; until then, other dervishes will recognize that you are out of balance with the universe and refuse to help you. Roll 1d8 on the following table to determine your restriction.

1. Cannot eat meat, legumes, or leavened bread.

2. Must spend one hour per day in meditation.

3. Must travel exclusively on foot (boats are fine if your destination can only be reached by water).

4. May only wear unadorned woolen robes.

5. May not use edged weapons to shed blood.

6. Must give all wealth attained to charity (your fellow dervishes will provide you with food, water, and other necessities). If using gold for EXP rules, consider money donated in this fashion to be worth EXP.

7. Cannot consume alcohol, caffiene, or other mind-altering substances.

8. Cannot willfully lie. 

Note: A PC may take up tutelage of a master of the Covered Path during play. If this happens, they gain the Path of Perfection and Asceticism features regardless of whatever background they already have. Consider having the PC undergo a personal quest to prove their dedication to the cause in order for them to obtain these features.

The Caravan People

The majority of Quel'Ahmans live in cities that hug the fertile coastline, and follow whatever trade routes and oases cut through the deserts beyond. But they are not the only folk of Quel'Ahma. There are still those brave enough to roam the deserts, and they form an important artery of trade between the cities - and even into lands beyond. These are the Caravan People, or Vistani in their native tongue, and they have spread far and wide over the world, yet still have not forgotten their traditions.

The origins of the Caravan People are a matter of debate. Their oral history claims that they once held a great empire, but it was shattered in an ancient war and they were cast out to the roads by the victors. Some have thus identified them with the bygone Nuwapians, who held Quel'Ahma in the days before the reign of the genies. Others dismiss these claims as mere myth, and believe them to be a third, and unrelated, ethnic group apart from both modern Quel'Ahman humans and Nuwapians. Whatever the case may be, though they consider the deserts of Quel'Ahma to be their ancestral home, the Caravaneers have migrated far beyond, and now they may be found wherever there are roads.

The Caravan People are nomads - they travel typically as family groups, which can become quite large as the extended family tends to stick together, and the caravans of multiple allied clans may band together into a tribe. These caravans are often led by a sheikh - an elder or other such chieftain - who settles disputes and guides migrations, but for the most part, individual caravaneers have great independence. They travel in trains of horses, camels, and carts, herding their livestock with them, from destination to destination, often camping beside the road and setting up tents where they stop. Typically, they will stop at towns to sell their wares at markets and look for odd jobs among the locals, often as tinkers or entertainers, before they leave and move on to the next town when there is no more trading to be done.

In this way, the Caravan People are an important mechanism for the exchange of goods and ideas - because they do not stay in one place for too long, they bring news and rumors with them wherever they go, and can disseminate such ideas much farther than more sedentery folk could. When Caravaneers stop at a market, they may bring goods from far afield, carrying southern silks and exotic perfumes potentially as far as Kvesland. All they seek in return is gold to keep the flow of trade going, and the grain their nomadic lifestyle does not allow them to cultivate - in particular, they will trade for wheat, which they grind into a flour to make couscous and dine upon it with stewed meats and olives around their campfires, dancing and laughing into the night.

Also because of their itinerant lifestyle, the Caravan People tend to be perceived as outsiders wherever they go. They are not beholden to the Quel'Ahman caste system, but neither are they greeted as equals in many of the towns they stop at, and the more settled folk often look upon them with suspicion. They have a reputation, whether deserved or otherwise, as thieves and con artists, and indeed, a few notorious Caravaneers have fallen to these trades. But they have a strong tradition of honor and hospitality. They value familial bonds and are loyal to their kin to a fault, and they will accept lost travelers into their camps to treat them with meals and a place to rest - no matter how far they travel from home, they have not forgotten how harsh the desert can be, and they know that the kindness of a stranger could well be the difference between life and death. This is a philosophy they stick to even in more temperate climes. For the Caravaneers, to bring harm or misfortune upon a guest is considered one of the gravest of crimes, one that is punishable by exile - and, considering the ancestral memory of the deserts, to be condemned to exile is, to a Caravaneer, akin to being condemned to death.

The connections of a Caravaneer family run deep, and one is expected to be loyal to one's kinsmen. Many caravans in Quel'Ahma and beyond have played this to their success, making use of the loyalty between brothers and cousins to extend their patriarchs' reach. Some of these caravans form wealthy merchant dynasties that have secured control over lucrative trade routes - but among the more unscrupulous sorts, it is also a structure that has led to the rise of crime families, controling underground empires of smuggling, spying, and assassination, which they may offer for the right price. Although the Caravan People have been faced with persecution in some lands, in others, the local rulers have come to see them as useful assets indeed. They travel great distances and never stay in one place for long, which makes them useful as spies, bringing in intelligence from many corners of their masters' domain and vanishing without a trace. They guarantee the influx of wealth from other lands. And if one can enter the gratitude of a caravan, every man and woman therein will raise arms in their support if it comes to it.

Background: Vistani Caravaneer

Suggested Names: Romani, Armenian, or Berber names

Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies: Tinkers' tools, one instrument or gaming set of your choice

Languages: Vistani, one other language of your choice

Equipment: A set of colorful common clothes, a set of tinkers' tools, an instrument or gaming set of your choice, an abacus, a map of the surrounding region, and a pouch containing 30 GP.

Feature: Well-Traveled. The DM will give you a list of three settlements close to the starting area of the campaign that your caravan has been to. You know any important or relevant information about these places. You also have contacts (extended family members or business partners) in each settlement who will provide you information and shelter you if need be.

Note: These rules replace those given for Vistani in Curse of Strahd. As such, Vistani in the Lunar Lands do not have inherent cursing abilities (a Caravaneer might know some magic, but that's because they're a magician, not because they're Vistani). My Vistani function like actual people and not magical fairies, thank you very much.

The Ukian Way

For the Ukians, the yurt is more than merely a shelter from the elements. It fits that role, yes - a circular lattice of flexible wooden beams draped with felt and animal skins, providing a dwelling that can easily be assembled and disassembled so that its parts can be carried wherever its owner goes. But the yurt is also the core unit of the Ukian people, and their way of life. Each is home to an extended family, typically headed by the patriarch of a clan and including all his sons, their wives, his unwed daughters, and his grandchildren. All of them dwell in the tent, returning there to take meals and to sleep on the floor beneath furs. It is thus a place of meeting where the family comes together after the day's work is done to sing songs, drink mead, and make plans for the next day. It holds all of their belongings, and all of their livestock are kept not far from the tent. The family may change as elders grow old and die, as warriors are slain, and as daughters leave one yurt to marry into another, but the same belongings, the same wealth, and the same yurts all stay in the family and are passed down for as long as they remain viable, communally owned by all members of the family, who decide on what to do with them by mutual agreement (though this is often guided by advice from the patriarch).

Sometimes if a family grows too big to fit within a single yurt, they may split off and build yurts of their own, but they usually still travel with their kindred, unless great offense forces them to separate. So too, after two families are married, it is not uncommon for their yurts and herds to travel together. A group of individual families joined this way makes a clan; a group of clans united by a common ancestor or way of life makes a tribe. The Ukians take their geneology very seriously, and they keep meticulous records of who belongs to what tribe - any Ukian can trace back their ancestry to their clan and tribe, and the leaders of the tribes - the Khans, usually generals appointed by the elders of the clans for their leadership and skill in battle - know the clans under their command.

It is only recently that Ukiah saw its first Great Khan, a leader capable of uniting all the tribes under his banner. But even then, the structure of tribe, clan, and yurt has not been forgotten. As a matter of fact, because these systems of relation and loyalty arose to help promote communal effort and mutual survival in the harsh lands of Ukiah, they also provided the perfect framework for organizing an army. Much like a general commands several lieutenants, who each commands several warriors, a Khan commands the heads of several clans, to whom the elders of each family turn for advice. Indeed, it is not unlike a feudal system, though it is not tied to land. The family goes wherever they go, making long journeys between the grazing lands in the north when they will sustain their herds in the summer and the forests of the south when they must take shelter from the cold winters.

Tall and slender, fair in both hair and skin, and dressing in furs and hides, the Ukians could be mistaken for elves, and it is thought that they may have some elvish blood, far back. They are not a people of great wealth and splendor. They are practical folk - their home is a brutal one, and they must make do with what they have. Without the means or the lifestyle to grow crops or extract ore, they must live off the land; they forage for food and raise animals for meat, milk, and hides, including cattle, sheep, reindeer, horses, and (in the mountains) llamas. While they will trade with the occasional caravan for luxury goods, often dealing in furs and ice from the mountains, they cannot expect this to be a regular occurance, especially in times of war - which have grown more and more common with the pressure of raids and the encroaching occupation of the Vardessians and Kvessians, though some clans maintain trade deals with their settled neighbors. Instead, the Ukians have a robust wealth of knowledge of what plants can be eaten, where to go to find medicinal herbs, how to navigate the trails, and how to survive for long periods in the cold. As the Ukian winters are harsh, cold, and snowy, they have even developed a means of running across deep snow, placing minimal pressure on the ground at each step to avoid sinking.

And of course, they are quite apt on the battlefield. Every Ukian trains in archery and riding, and the arts of wrestling, falconry, and knifeplay are highly valued as well. Not only are they skilled hunters, they are also fierce fighters, and the able-bodied men and women of any yurt will not hesitate to take up arms in its defense. Every Ukian family is a hunting party and a military unit if it needs to be, and when they count orcs among their neighbors, this is a necessity. So much more the better, when their close familiar ties ensure their cooperation.

Predictably, the Ukians most commonly are worshipers of Kerne, god of war and the hunt, and Volos, the god of cattle and herdsmen. Many follow the Old Faith as well, and there is much debate as to which of the powers they invoke are deified ancestor and nature spirits and which are manifestations of the gods - perhaps it is a mix of both. They do not have free-standing temples, and their altars usually take the form of carved wooden poles or stones bearing holes for libations. Ukian worship is often a brief and simple affair, with warriors making personal offerings for good fortune but little in the way of rituals. Unless the shamans are involved, that is...

Background: Ukian Tribesman

Suggested Names: Saami names

Weapon Proficiencies: All simple weapons

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Artisan's Tools, one musical instrument of your choice.

Languages: Ukian

Equipment: A hunting trap, a set of travelers' clothes, a shortbow, a quiver with 20 arrows, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

Feature: Survivalist. Deep snow does not count as difficult terrain for you. Additionally, you are familiar with any natural features, trails, and resources in territories you have been previously, and can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth. You also can expect your yurt, clan, and tribe to shelter you, assuming you have not done anything to offend them.

Los Vaqueros

Valossa is a sparsely populated, arid land, with vast plains of scrubland and desert. The rough terrain has limited settlement - but life finds a way. The lords of the land have taken to using the extensive pastures to graze great herds of cattle, but when these animals are distributed over such a wide area, with settlements few and far between, managing them presents a task of its own. This has led to the development of a particular kind of herdsman - the vaquero.

Though vaqueros have their roots in Taldameer - which possesses a similar climate - it is in Valossa where they grew to become an important class in their own right. The vaqueros are mounted herders, trailing cattle over the plains, herding them from location to location, and defending them against threats. Some vaqueros are subjects of a feudal lord and tend to their animals, while others live a nomadic life, traveling from manor to manor to find work for the highest bidder. Because of the long distances that must be traveled, horsemanship is an important skill to these herdsmen, and their business is often a family affair, with vaqueros raising their children in the saddle from a young age. The bond between a vaquero and their horse is like family, and the animal is carefully trained to obey its master as if they were of the same mind.

Because of the vast amounts of empty space they must travel, vaqueros are self-sufficient people, often living off the land when they are forced to make camp overnight. This, in turn, has shaped their culture. They have a reputation as rugged, fiercely independent outdoorsmen - which can inspire respect and scorn in equal measure, as the nobility of the isles often view them as coarse, barbaric folk. But the vaqueros take this with pride. They drink and sing with one another, boasting of their skills with the rope and rein, and often engage in contests of bravery and endurance - riding bulls, flipping steers by their tails, and jumping from one moving horse to another. Sometimes, teams of vaqueros in service to rival houses may meet in such contests to defend the honor of their lieges, and to show off their own exploits.

This is not to say that vaqueros are never to be feared, of course. Though the nature of their work means they are more free and mobile than serfs, it does little to deter them from lives of crime. Some vaqueros live as bandits and highwaymen, preying on the roads and demanding tribute from the isolated towns of the prairies. But so too do vaqueros often serve in the militias of their masters' fiefs, putting their skills in riding and self-defense to the art of war. They train with many weapons, including the machete, arquebus, scythe, and bola, with many of these being favored for their utility as tools as well as arms.

To some, they are brigands. To others, they are as noble as any knight. But what unites the vaqueros is a common way of life, and one can always recognize another who rides beneath the same sky.

Background: Valossan Vaquero

Suggested Names: Spanish names

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Rope, one gaming set of your choice

Languages: Taldameeri

Starting Equipment: 50 feet of horsehair rope, a set of common clothes including a wide-brimmed hat, a riding horse, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

Feature: Code of the Plains. You share a common and unspoken code with your fellow vaqueros, one that all your comrades know and understand. If you ask another person if they are a vaquero, they must answer truthfully. In addition, if you challenge another vaquero to a duel, they are honor-bound to accept the offer and any stipulations you set.