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Aegis: City of Magic"
Welcome to the City
 The Districts of Aegis
The Society
 Demographics
 Hellspawn
 Eldritch
 Humans
 Language
 Government
 Nobility
  Some Houses of Aegis
 Trade, Economics, and Jobs
  Some Guilds
 Employer-Employee Obligations
 The Law
  Slavery
  Thieves
   Beggars
 Currency
 Technology and Weapons
 Clans
Religion
 Saegin
 Forbinites
 The Burning Woman
 Sickles
 Rainbows
 Oerimaekin
Mythos
 Luck
 The Tarot Deck of Aegis
  The Minor Arcana
  The Major Arcana
 Death
Monsters
Magic
 How Magic Works
 Magic In Everyday Life
  Everyman Spells
 Magic Colleges
  Elemental colleges
  Givamoe magic
  Saegin
  Dheenunan (Blood magic)
  Moonblade
  Guild of Necromancers
 Alchemy
The World of Aegis
 Continent of The Sceptre
 The Rest of the World
History
Campaigns in Aegis
Some Aegis Proper Names
 Men
 Women

"Trees? I hate trees!"
    - Sujhin Mazerunner demonstrates again that she's not just another elf

Aegis: City of Magic

Aegis is a city-state on the continent of the Sceptre. It is built over the Gate, the heart of the world's magic. The Gate is a blessing, a curse, and a responsibility.

Aegis is also a role-playing environment both familiar and unique. It's an excellent place to begin fantasy role-playing and a diverting location for the experienced player.

For the beginning fantasy role-player, Aegis is comfortable because many of the assumptions underlying life in Aegis are similar to those in the modern world: people are literate, the sexes are equal, and the religious environment is a mosaic. Magic is, in some senses, regarded as technology. Yet there are still monsters to be killed (or befriended), spells to be cast, wrongs to be righted, and a strong sword-arm is of great benefit.

For the experienced role-player, Aegis is different: Vampires and werewolves are citizens, the combinations of magics are heady, and the rules are not the same as in other fantasy cities. Watch your step in Aegis, because your old habits could make you dead...or worse.

Welcome to the City

Aegis has:

• branches of all of the main magic colleges
• the pits of Hell
• the Colossus
• the M, the Midnight Circus, and other attractions
• the Gate, source of all magic

(When talking about places that occur on both sides of the river, such as the Bay Door, it's always assumed that you are talking about the one on your side of the river. If you're talking about the one on the opposite side of the river, you call it the Moon version-you refer to the Moon Bay Door, the Moon Spur.)

The Mearallaem River opens into the Bay of the Colossus, a nearly circular bay. The opening of the bay to the ocean is to the south, and Aegis is on the northeast compass point of the bay.

The territory that belongs to Aegis is roughly the area within four days' ride from the city. Aegis also controls the land along the Mearallaem River into the mountains, up to Goblet-Hollow. Beyond that? To the west is the Great Marsh, and north of that the Blackmark Forest. To the north and east are the Raemear Mountains. To the south is Elfhome. Aegis has never been invaded over land.

The Zoo, the Palace of the Warden, the slums, and the oldest homes of nobles. (Most noble families also keep homes in the Hammer section of town, across the river.) With the exception of the estates, most of these buildings are five and six stories tall, of stone construction for the first story or two, and then of wood. The original construction of the Old City predates the Third War of the Gate. The walls that surround the Old City are intended to keep things in.

The outer city walls line the river on both sides, and surround most of the city. Within those walls are Hell, the Wizardrow, and most of the rest of the city. At each of the Bay Door and the River Door, there is a huge portcullis, erected by magic with the aid of silkies and merpeople, that prevents river craft from entering the city via the river. The river walls are lower than the rest of the walls because of the confidence the city places in these two blockades.

Outside the city walls live many of the agriculturists and laborers. The docks for the bay and the warehouses for the maritime district also hug the shore of the bay, outside the walls. There are river docks above Blood Toll Island.

There is also a small island in the bay, Nagamis Island. Lovers go there for trysts.

Technically, Blood Toll Island is outside the city walls as well, because it is in the middle of the river. However, the two blockades on the river should protect it, and the Undead who reside there.

The city can be supported because it's intensively farmed. Zombies do a lot of the physical labor (the zombies were a problem; not a lot of them have any self-awareness, but they have rights under the Vampire Accord; spells were later developed which created self-aware zombies-these spells are now the only legal spells for zombies), although the land is usually owned by others.

The Districts of Aegis

There are an uncertain number of entrances into Aegis, but everyone talks as if there were four: the Marsh Door, the Plain Door, the River Door, and the Bay Door. Both the River and the Bay Doors are two sets of entrances each, one on each side of the river, but they are talked about as if they were single entrances; thus, people talk about the Bay Door, and not the Western Bay Door.

The eastern half of the city is slightly larger, and it is with this side we will begin. It is roughly a semicircle.

1. Dominating the eastern half is the Old City, which is prominent because of the Palace. The Old City's walls slope to keep things in, and there are sometimes patrols along those walls. Inside the Old City are the Warden's Palace, and some of the oldest nobles' estates, including Illaminonear.
2. North of the Old City is the Chine, which contains the river docks and some warehouses. This area is still busy and bustling, although much of the unloading is now done on the opposite side of the river, in the Grudge district. The Chine district is where you would come in if you came in this River Door. The two main streets are River Road, which comes in parallel to the river and runs into the Old City, and Libertine Street, which runs along the inside of the Outer Wall down to All­Fools Street by the Plain Door. The Chine is a favorite spot for pickpockets and cutpurses, because it is where the wealthy tourists disembark from their ships.
3. Following Libertine Street takes you into the Rookery, which is a residential area. The houses directly on Libertine Street are fairly well­off, and this continues for several blocks to either side. After that, the quality of life begins to fall off, eventually becoming slums where it borders on the Outer Wall, and Hell. The Rookery has one of the few public baths, and a number of good restaurants. Most of the commercial establishments in the Rookery are in the last few blocks, where it runs along the Porter Road, the road which comes in from the Plain Door. The Avenue of Widows is along the border between the Rookery and Hell, and the Fountain of Ebon Abundance is also in this area.
4. The last two blocks of Libertine Street are in Bishopsrood, the religious and temple district. The district is actually quite narrow, only two blocks wide for much of its length. Bishopsrood extends across the river, for almost the full length of All­Fools Street, and is actually shaped like a cross: it extends two arms out in the Eastern half of the city, one to the north, where it comes between some of the Rookery and Hell, and one to the south, where it comes between the Stewpot and the Funnel. There is a relatively inconspicuous estate at the crux of the cross, between Bishopsrood and the Funnel; this is the House of Thought of the Saegins.
5. Hell. Hell comes not quite to the walls of the Old City-at the walls is the area where the weres live as a transition zone-and touches the Chine, the Rookery, and Bishopsrood. The residential section of Hell is for the most part run­down, although near the Midnight Circus it is well­kept and maintained, and in the Vampire sections it is also neat, if Spartan. The Inn of the Midnight Son is in Hell; so is the Fountain. The main street through Hell is Cottar Street.
6. The Funnel is the name for the District of Mages. It got the name because it is popularly believed to have only one street which coils in and around to a central point, no matter how many entrances or streets there appear to be. The street is Fugue Street, for reasons unknown. All of the magic colleges are in the Funnel, as well as the Guildhall of the Mages and the homes of the biggest magicians and sorcerors. The elf-mage Boxcars lives in the Funnel.
7. The Stewpot is the region south of the Funnel and Bishopsrood's southern arm. It extends up along the other (riverward) side of the Bishopsrood cross. The Stewpot is where the majority of the Eldritch in Aegis live (the Eldritch have a different name for the district). The Stewpot has its own gradation of rich and poor; most humans don't know enough to understand it, if only because it's difficult to understand a redcap's notion of rich. The Stewpot is a very green place with a large number of parks. Ash Street runs through the Bishopsrood arm, through the Stewpot, and down into the Spur.
8. The Spur is the name given to the section around the Bay Door on both sides of the river. A large part of the Spur is outside the city walls. Most of the things you think of as existing in a seaport town are in the Spur, whereas things specific to a river port are up in the Chine. The office of the Bell Call is in the Spur. So is the Customs and Excise office, where Rodhamimalon is Chief of Customs. Ash Street meets River Road at the Bay Door on the Eastern side.
9. The section of town between the Spur and Stewpot, bounded on the north by Bishopsrood and on the west by the river, is the Magazine. This is where the warehouses for the city's food supply are, and the grain silos where the exports of the city are loaded into boats and sent out into the Bay. It is not a residential district, for the most part, but rather an industrial one. The Moonblade school is in the Magazine, where it borders on Stewpot; so is the Cascade Leatherworks shop. River Road is the main road here.

On the Western side of the river:

10. To the north is the Grudge district. This area is a slum, consisting of warehouses, some docks, and poorer people. This is one of the areas where the elf gangs control; it is Bad Habits territory. The main street through here is the Avenue of Rest.
11. Along the outside wall is the district of Swords. Here is the Inn of Permanent Slumber. The Avenue of Rest runs through here until it meets Porter Street. Swords runs the entire length of the outside walls until it runs into the Spur. Swords is the major human residency area on this side of the river, and is noted for being the most anti­nonhuman. One of the major sources of political contention in the Swords district is the Echo Rest cemetery, which is being turned into a residential area for the Undead.
12. Porter Street on this side of the river forms the boundary of the Merchant's District, which is called the Thumb (short for Thumb­on­the­Scales, which you may hear from some of the older residents). The Thumb is where the best (well, most expensive) inns and taverns are. Tourists are let off in the Chine, and taken on a carriage ride along River Road through the Old City, down to the Blood­Toll Bridge. That way they get a glimpse of Hell, and then are taken across the river to the Thumb district.
13. The district where the nobles live is called the Hammer. It is south of Porter Road, and inside into the Magazine on this side of the river. The Hammer has many armed guards and patrols, often privately paid for. Because of the number of thieves in Aegis, anyone wandering through the Hammer who doesn't have a good excuse may be asked to leave by any of a number of armed parties. The Warden occasionally takes the nobles to task for this, but this depends upon the current political situation. There can't be said to be one main street for the Hammer.
14. The remaining district is the Wands district. This district occupies the space between the Bishopsrood and the Grudge. It is a middle­class neighborhood, reasonably integrated in terms of Eldritch and humans and Undead. The Clan Frog Inn is in Wands. The major street through Wands, which runs from Porter Street to the Avenue of Rest is Tinderbox Street.

An area that isn't a district and yet may be of some importance is Scribe Alley. This is in the space between All­Fools Street and Porter Road, Scribe Alley on the Western side and the Alley of Rumours on the Eastern side. The Alley of Rumours has a number of interesting and not particularly legal establishments. Scribe Alley deals with information in its own way; translators, linguists, writers, poets, bards, librarians, and others who make their living off language are here. The Bell Call ought to be here, but isn't.

The Society

Demographics

Definitions

Distribution of Wealth: Human/Vampire

Breakdown by Employment

Hellspawn

Some of the Hellspawn are still mistrusted - no one really trusts the vampires as a group. They tend to be aesthetes, interested in complex webs of power and intellectual pursuits.

Other hellspawn could be good friends. For example, there is a sport (blacktongue kickers) which is moderately popular (and once was extremely popular); there is an interclan competition every year during the Festival which is always held on Blacktongue Field, and which is always refereed by the ghost of Emer Spraytoe, who invented the game!Vampires

Vampires

Vampires have a lifespan of 200 to 300 years. Eventually the magic holding them together fades, senility sets in, and they leave the crypt door open. Sunlight destroys them.

As far as other disadvantages that vampires have, most people have heard many stories but don't know which are true (the vampires aren't telling). For instance:

• They drink blood (certainly seems to be true)
• They sleep in their native soil during the day.
• They can't enter a home unless invited
• They fear certain holy symbols.
• They gain strength and speed when they become vampires.
• They can be held in their coffins by a wild rose.
• They dislike the blooms of the garlic plant.
• They can't cross running water (this seems to be true).
• They can hypnotize their victims.
• Normal weapons are held to be ineffective against them; iron hurts them somewhat more.
• To kill a vampire, you must drive a stake through its heart and cut off its head, or expose it to sunlight.
• They have human familiars.

Becoming a vampire has become an expensive, high-status proposition. The vampires charge a great deal of money to create a new vampire, and illegal vampires are condemned to die. There are only a certain number of tombs on Blood Toll Island, which is where the creme de la creme of the Undead sleep. The vampires keep their exact numbers secret, although popular rumour has it that each vampire is assigned one of the noble houses for another takeover. Be that as it may, there are more than two hundred vampires and fewer than a thousand.

Some vampires are good people, although there is a weeding-out process that tends to select for a specific Machiavellian type.

It is illegal for a vampire to directly bite a human being; however, there are vampires who feel that biting is the only way to feed, and who are willing to pay money for the privilege. The Inn of the Midnight Son is a little-known tavern which features a basement room where vampires may feed in the traditional manner.

In the standard Aegis campaign, player characters cannot be vampires. In the Hellspawn campaign, there should be only one vampire.

Weres

Weres look human most of the time. During the full moon (there is only one moon, a large one, with a full moon every 31.683 days; usually the full moon is three days, but sometimes it is four), weres involuntarily change into their animal form. Most weres change into the animal form; they do not become a human-animal hybrid. (Wererats are the most common exception to this rule.)

It is widely believed that weres are immune to normal weapons but not to silver ones. Some magical theorists believe that weres are susceptible to iron weapons as well, due to their inherently magical nature.

Most weres live in a ghetto just outside of Hell, at the base of the Old City's walls, by the Zoo. When the full moon comes, they all go to some of the large empty areas of the Zoo.

Because Contraception spells don't work on weres, fertile weres are often locked up in their homes.

Anyone native to Aegis can recognize a were.

In the standard Aegis campaign, player characters cannot be were.

Eldritch

To compound this problem, the Eldritch also have a problem with drugs: a drug called Red Habit is very addictive to elves, and it is being brought in by the Kraken.

Some of the eldritch (brownies, for example) are much more comfortable with humans than the majority of their kin. You can often find Brownies outside the Eldritch areas of the city.

There are few dwarves in the city, although there is one dwarf-only tavern (The Iron Anvil). There is no rivalry or enmity between dwarves and elves, other than the enmity dwarves feel to everybody.

The only race of Eldritch who are forbidden to the city are Kobolds, who once attempted to mine the Gate. (The expression "dumb as a Kobold" is still grounds for a brawl in the areas of Aegis where memories are long.)

Some humans are aware that the Eldritch are not synonymous with Faerie.

Humans

Some of the districts of Aegis (the Swords district, for example) are highly prejudiced against the non-humans.

Life In Aegis

Language

Most people is the city are literate if they were raised there (public schools until age eight). There are lots of people who weren't, or who are visitors, so you don't need literacy, but you get it free if you're a native. (You also get familiarity with either bow or crossbow-see Weapons.) On the other hand, you pay extra for wilderness skills. This is to make it fair for barbarian characters, who are likely to be greatly inconvenienced by illiteracy.

Government

Aegis is governed by the Warden and the Warden's Council. (The nobility have specific duties, but they are not directly responsible for government.) The Warden technically has absolute rule, but no Warden has put that to test for hundreds of years. There are 13 seats on the Warden's Council. There are likewise thirteen sections or wards in Aegis. The nobles of a ward compete to become representative (note that a noble for a ward need not live in that ward). (It follows, of course, that there are fourteen districts, including the Warden's.)

The Council run the city; the Warden is responsible for its upkeep, image, and protection. The Warden owns the treasury, the city guard, and the . The current Warden, Lairda Gemlen, is a reasonable woman.

The vampires are suspected to be supporting or controlling seven Councillors beside their official representative.

Nobility

Each noble family has a coat of arms; a hundred and five of these coats are over a thousand years old. The other hundred and twenty noble titles have been created in the last thousand years, as the Warden needed more money for the city, or as the population grew.

Non-combatants wear their arms in a upright pentagon; combatants wear them in a circle, representing a shield. Should combat be necessary against a foreign invader, the combatants will wear tabards. Heraldry skill will allow you to know more of them.

Quick Heraldry (the 1 pointer): There are two metals and five colors (gold and silver; red, blue, green, black, violet). You cannot place a metal on a metal, nor a color on a color. Some of the patterns are different than on Earth; for instance, the Aminon coat of arms is Gold, trefoil swords counter-clockwise, on a field, Sable. This is a triangle of three gold swords, the base sword pointing right, on a black background.

The Undead have their own nobility and their own coats of arms, with different metals and colors (mercury and iron (silver and rust); blue, indigo, brown, black, yellow). The Undead can tell the difference. It is either a separate Heraldry skill or -5 to regular Heraldry.

Some Houses of Aegis

House Anamilon: The House is only a few hundred years old. House Anamilon was founded during the last War of the Gate, and is the leading house in supporting magic and magic research. Several Lords of Anamilon have become mighty mages; one founded his own school.

Trade, Economics, and Jobs

There are good times and there are bad times. These are good-times-sliding-into-bad-times. Things aren't as good as they were when your father was young, I'll tell you that. At least there's some work.

Aegis has all sorts of jobs. If you can't do anything else, you can be a guide. And there are others: Fishermen. Craftsmen. Aegis has some of the master craftsmen of the world. Aegis is also very fond of entertainers.

Because of the high degree of literacy in Aegis, they have weekly news-sheets, published on rag paper with movable type presses. The type is carved wood. The news-sheets have ads, so you can make a living as a newsman in Aegis. Not a good one; there are four or five long-term news-sheets with new ones appearing and disappearing all the time. The oldest is the Bell-Call, published and mostly written by Oarimel Lemig.

There are professional people in Aegis-chirurgeons, Pleaders, scribes, etc. They have guilds.

Some Guilds

Employer-Employee Obligations

Probably the best job to get from that point of view is city guard. The pay is good, and there are no restrictions on who you marry, because the Warden has no rivals. (No admitted rivals.) People do leave the city guard; it is a dangerous job, and a cautious and economical guardsman can leave after ten years and buy a small business.

The Law

There is a drug called Red Habit or Crimson Hand (because the leaves have a crimson patch which looks like a hand), which is grossly addictive to elves. Humans are unaffected. Red Habit is illegal. The leading supplier of Red Habit in Aegis is the Kraken, who founded his (its?) mob rule on this vice.

Since all adventurers eventually run afoul of the city guard, I will point out that they have ruffian-to-bandit stats. Due to the tourist trade, members of the city guard have the authority to carry out detective investigations. Most will pick any known member of the criminal class and arrest him. The suspect is jailed for about a month, by which time any tourists who are concerned about the crime are gone.

Any high-profile thief is going to get caught, and publicly punished. Punishment depends on the crime. You might just get sentenced to working in the Zoo. (Not hard work; it just has a high mortality rate.)

The Guard work on clearing out the Undead before dawn. It makes bad feelings with the Hellspawn if you let suspects disintegrate in the sunlight.

There are elite guards, composed primarily of Maze. Every once in a while they run into something. Sometimes they don't come back. Each troop is required to have a token human or vampire (depending).

The justice system is only partly corrupt; some can be bought, some can't. The philosophy is "stern but fair"; Vlad the Impaler would have liked it. (He would have objected to the invisible end most of the criminals came to, though. Couldn't be seen by anyone, in the Maze.)

Instead of lawyers per se, Aegis has Pleaders (also known on the street as Mouths). They are a combination of lawyer and lobbyist, since they will press your case with an appropriate noble or the Warden if paid enough. Most Pleaders have Bureaucratics and Bribery as well as Conversation and Oratory.

There are also regular jails, for regular crimes.

Slavery

1. Slaves by law. Those convicted of murder, treason, or ruinous destruction of another's property who are not convicted to die become slaves. They perform such onerous tasks as the zombies cannot. Jobs that require a certain minimum amount of decision-making ability, or that involve salt or iron, for instance. These slaves belong to the Warden.
2. Slaves by capture. The customs office doesn't ask where imported slaves came from; nor do they care, so long as the tax is paid. There is very little capturing of slaves done in Aegis, but some are imported. Some nobles like slaves and don't like zombies.
3. Slaves by choice. In order to cover a debt, a person may sell him or herself into slavery. The slave's family receives the amount he or she could have earned in five years.

Slavery is for life, although slaves in the second two categories can be freed by kind owners.

Thieves

The Guild doesn't like foreigners working in town, but it hasn't the structure to deal with all of them. The Guild exerts strongest control on pickpockets and those who would steal from inns, since those are the crimes that directly affect the tourist trade. Non-member con men are only hunted on an 11- roll and a really inventive thief might be able to win their respect and membership with a spectacular theft. Of course, then he would owe dues, wouldn't he?

If a thief begins to attract attention, there's a good chance that the Guild will contract to have the thief taught a lesson. Perhaps he or she will be caught...

Legal punishment for first theft is forced labor; second theft is loss of a hand. They never cut off both hands; that would increase the beggar population. Instead, they set you to work in Hell, or they auction off your blood to the vampires to pay back your theft.

Almost all fences in Aegis belong to the Fraternity of Fences. They won't buy from a non-Guild thief. This means that most of the free-lancers work for specific targets or for cash.

About a hundred years ago, the beggars split off from the Thieves' Guild and formed their own group. Most people believe that the thieves and the beggars are still the same group.

Beggars

The Beggars' Guild is made up of six tribes, given here in increasing order of status:

Brams

Brams are the non-deformed children of beggars who must then fake their deformities. Beggars hold them in the lowest regard. Most of the "old" Brams - those who faked injuries before the separation with the Thieves' Guild - considered themselves con-men and are now thieves.

Cleaved

Warriors or adventurers who have been maimed. Some of the Cleaved are a bit fanatical and will "make" converts out of brams in the Thieves' Guild.

Gutterkin

The desperate, the destitute, and the mad.

Demonsbreath

Those maimed and crippled by disease & illness.

Stained

Those maimed by accident or intent (Erdath is a member of this tribe).

Thurget

Those who are congenitally deformed (Maron is a member of this tribe).

Currency

In the simple currency, 1 gold piece = 10 silver pieces; 1 silver pieces = 100 copper pieces. For convenience, use current prices for items, but think of a copper piece as about 50 cents. They cut coppers into eighths if needed. A beer is 2 coppers.

Aegis has a rather complex economy based on blood. There's a fair amount of inflation-devaluation, though in practical terms I probably won't get into it.

The most stable currency is the bridge-token. You can make a profit through careful exchange of bridge-tokens, though not on a regular basis, and the Guild of Money-lenders frowns on it. (Bridge-tokens go for less in the purely human areas far from the bridge, because these people don't go across the bridge. So you can buy tokens from them for resale near the bridge. But these people rarely have tokens.)

Every month, you go down and donate a certain quantity of blood. You receive tokens. The ratio of blood:gold is fairly well fixed, so you can always pay some poor person to donate for you. You might even get the blood cheaper than just buying a token on the black market. Since the coins can only legally be spent on Blood-Toll Bridge and in Hell, they find their way back to the blood banks.

Technology and Weapons

The clock. Aegis has a large clock tower in the center of the mercantile district on the West Bank, which is visible (if not legible) throughout the city.

Nobles and vampires tend to use epee, and rapier. Vampires particularly employ what is essentially Florentine style. A Dagger adds +1 to DCV, like a sword, if you have bought familiarity with Florentine style).

Each city guard has an iron broadsword and a mail shirt, shorter than a cuirass. (Hit locations 9-12) The mail shirt only provides DEF 3; it's bronze, held together magically. He has skirtplate, a small shield, bronze greaves and Helms optional.

Armour: Only ex-Guardsmen have DEF 3 amour. Not all ex-Guardsmen have saved enough money to buy their armor from the Warden. Everyone else must make do with DEF 1 or 2.

The Saegin use quarterstaves. Saegin priests are blinded after their second year of study and meditation; they usually develop combat sense within two more years. You see them around at dawn and dusk, when the crowds are thinnest. Saegin priests are good guys. (See the Religion section; compare with Green Priests and Forbinites.)

Most people are satisfied with clubs; thieves and bandits may use shortswords. The occasional barbarian or professional fighter might wander about with a bronze bastard sword....he'd have to be pretty strong, though. All citizens who have been through the public school system have familiarity with bow or crossbow or staff or sword (equal chance, or the player can choose). This is part of the Aegis Citizen's Package (see later).

Because of the melting-pot nature of the city, there are a wide variety of weapons here, almost any weapon that doesn't contain iron or gunpowder. Maces, flails (includes nunchaku), and lances aren't too popular. (In Aegis' narrow streets, it's difficult to charge a horse.)

Bronze blades nick and dull quickly (treat it as a weapon with 2 DEF and 2 BODY less than the iron equivalent). This is no problem in the city; it'll cost you a silver piece to get the weapon sharpened again, or you can do it yourself with familiarity with Weaponsmith or Weapon Care, and the tools.

You can buy a magically hardened blade that's as strong as an iron one for only 30 gold pieces. You can get one that's much harder for a lot more. These are of spell-bronze, and will revert to being normal bronze if you go into a no-magic area.

You can also buy smith's bronze, which requires magic to make but which will supposedly retain its edge even in no-magic areas. Smith's bronze weighs more than spell-bronze and more than iron. Adventurers tend to buy smith's bronze, but there's no way to know if you're getting the real thing. Only Moonblade sells smith's bronze.

In Aegis, people name their favorite weapons, especially if the weapon is expensive or magical. Each sword in succession needn't have its own name; perhaps a vampire always names his rapier Dheenamra, or Blood Drinker, though this is his fourth rapier by that name.

Clans

Anyone born during Festival is a Raven. Ravens consider themselves special because some of the legendary heroes were Ravens. Many Ravens are executed.

Some clans have Wind vs. Salmon. (These are more like army-navy rivalries than Hatfield-McCoy rivalries.) Wolf, and Raven clans are neutral. (Wolf and Raven clans used to be rivals, but that stopped as a result of the Vampire Revolt. Maybe someday I'll figure out the story.)

A member of your clan is obliged to help you in a time of crisis. Help does not mean betraying their employer. If you go around abusing this, they can boot you out of the clan. Nobody is neutral to someone who has been ostracized from a clan. In practical terms, you have to leave the city, even if that is not explicitly the purpose of ostracism.

Of course, if someone comes up to you and says, "I am also of the Wolf clan. Help me!" then you have to.

Each clan has a mark. The marks aren't secret, but they aren't advertised, either. If you aren't particularly observant, you could grow up without knowing what some of the marks are. It takes 1 pt. of knowledge to know other clans' marks. You always know the mark of your own clan. Each clan assigns the clan mark at a different age, but none before the age of eight.

The clan system extends through the nations of Haquida and Western Ruesada.

Religion

Saegin

The Saegin are a monastic order, with about 1,200 members in Aegis, living in six monasteries. They can be recognized by their white robes, and their milky white eyes. All Saegin have a slightly mystic reputation, because they can fight while blinded. The Saegin have a good reputation in Aegis; they may not in other areas. The Saegin helped greatly in the last War of the gate.

They are blinded after their second year of study; there are varying stories about the blinding. It is known that the student is required to fast for a week before the blinding. It's assumed that this blinding is horribly painful.

In one story, the priest supervising takes a red­hot spoon and gouges out the student's eyes. If the student flinches or moves, he fails, and is further mutilated and left for the Beggar Queen to take. If he does not flinch, he is taken away and his eyes are replaced with ivory balls, which are used by the Saegin as an artifact of magic when he becomes a mage.

In another story, the student is asked to blind himself, by dripping acid into his own eyes. If he blinks, the inside surface of the eyelid is burned and scarred, reminding him every time he blinks afterward that he did not maintain perfect control during his investiture.

Some people believe that the Saegin are not blind at all, but they have a glamour cast over their eyes which allows them to see in the dark.

Forbinites

The Burning Woman

Sickles

Rainbows

Oerimaekin

More importantly, people don't want to like the Oerimaekin, and the Oerimaekin don't help it by sneering at everyone else. There is a fringe group that few people know about (the Maekinant) who are somewhat softer, and more tolerable.

Mythos

Luck

The magic numbers that everyone believes in are 3, 5, and 7. That's why the year is 15 (3X5) months of 28 (7x4) days, instead of 15 29-day months, or any other combination.

The Tarot Deck of Aegis

There are two sets of cards, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana consists of 21 cards, while the Minor Arcana is 65 cards, 5 suits of 13 cards each.

The Minor Arcana

The cards come in the denominations of 0 to 8, with 0 representing the total absence of that characteristic (even reversed), and with four face cards: Heir (youth, potential unrealized), Jack (path unchosen), Lord, and Lady.

The Major Arcana

0. The Fool (also The Tourist)

1. The Mage

2. The Duke and Duchess

3. The Vampire Lord (or The Leech)

4. The Burning Woman

5. The City (or The Shield)

6. The Seer

7. The Sun

8. The Moon

9. The Tomb

10. The Changeling

11. The Blind One (or Fate) (husband of The Burning Woman)

12. The Colossus

13. The Trickster (or the Raven)

14. The World

15. The Sword

16. The Lovers

17. The Merchant

18. The Wanton

19. Death

20. The Cascade

It is possible for one of the characters to make a living as a card reader. It is Precognition, and it only works with the cards (no limitation given; cards are easy to find).

Death

Monsters

There are no lesser and greater dwarves and kobolds. There used to be, centuries ago, but the lesser kinds had the ability to detect iron, and the greater kind didn't (it isn't a magical ability). The greater kind, envious of the ability, interbred with the lesser.

Magic

How Magic Works

Like many other magic systems, we assume that there is a flux or source of magic (called mana by the Maori, and by different names in each school of magic in Aegis). Magic is the ability of an individual or group of individuals to use this force to accomplish tasks, even tasks that are "against the laws of nature".

The source of this energy is believed to be the Gate. Certainly magic is most potent directly over the Gate (Aegis), and weakest on the opposite side of the planet (???). (See the GM Secrets chapter for more discussion of the energy source.)

All spells on the planet have the limitation: will not work if more than a dagger's worth of iron is in the same hex as the caster. This limitation is only worth +1/4, because iron is banned in Aegis. It's important to realize that this also stops Constant spells; mages who are going into iron-legal areas therefore use Ward instead of Shield, so that the iron in arrowheads accumulates on the ground more than a hex from the caster. Dwarves and Kobolds, workers in metals, almost never perform magic of any kind.

Magic In Everyday Life

If you want to blow big bucks, you can buy a Secretary Quill spell, which will take dictation.

Everyman Spells

1. Start fire. (Component: ashes and fuel) (Does 1/2 d 6 K)
2. Contraception. Must be cast daily by men, monthly by women. (Component: leafless branch from a tree that has never flowered-this component is not used up by casting the spell). This spell became necessary because when the dead continue to take up space, you've got to stop the flow of new people somehow.
3. Preserve food. Lasts 24 hours (Component: salt, food must be in a special container)

These spells have been thoroughly tested. I mean, thoroughly. One spell is released for public use about every five hundred years. (The Shield spell is being rushed; it should be ready in about two hundred years.)

Magic Colleges

Elemental colleges

Givamoe magic

Saegin

Dheenunan (Blood magic)

Moonblade

Guild of Necromancers

Alchemy

Almost any magical effect can be created with alchemy, but all elixirs take a long time to create, have only a limited number of charges, use exotic materials and destroy them in the process, and have other limitations, including (usually) requiring time to take effect.

Although alchemy is magical, you cannot use Analyze Magic to analyze an elixir. You must use the new spell Analyze Alchemy, which is otherwise treated just like Analyze Magic. Any decent Alchemist can analyze an elixir given a lab, 4-7 hours and a successful skill roll.

Alchemical potions (take one turn to affect subject); powders-must be taken in food or drink (take 10 minutes to affect subject); pastilles-thumbnail-sized tablets which must be burned and the fumes inhaled for effect (take one phase to affect subject); unguent-cream or jelly, must touch bare skin (effect is instant).

Each form has its own shelf life and storage limitations as well. Potions only last a day after being uncorked (so they're often sold in one-dose bottles). Powders will last nearly forever while dry, one month in food or drink. An unburnt pastille will last a month, but is destroyed by water. Unguents are neutralized by water, strong sunlight, and last a week after being exposed to air.

An elixir costs about 1 silver piece for each day it takes to make.

The World of Aegis

Continent of The Sceptre

The spine of the continent is the Raemear Mountains, which start in the northwest and run the entire length of the continent. They continue as a series of islands, known as the Dragon's Tail.

On the other side of the continent are the Truran Mountains, an old and flattened range.

There are five major nations on Sceptre (the article is left off in common usage), not counting Aegis, which is a city-state with a vassal, rather than a nation.

If you divide the "ice cream" section of the cone into three parts, the westernmost part is Gurril, the middle (and largest section) is Omaki, and the eastern part (just on the other side of the Truran Mountains) is Robalda.

The cone itself is roughly bisected by the Raemear Mountains. On the western side of the mountains is Elfhome, which isn't formally a nation, and Palliss, which is, and is pushy about it. On the eastern side of the mountains is Shier Kra.

Gurril

Its major products are fish, metals, and coal. They produce excellent ships. Gurril is bounded on the east by the Morrillab River

Omaki

The Riders raise meat animals (cattle, buffalo), and the Farmers raise crops. There are (and always have been) bitter disputes between the two groups. Previously, these disputes were brought to the ruler of the territory. The new tribunal has established a central court and circuit judges, but the system still has some bugs in it. Another problem is raiders coming down from the mountains.

The new tribunal may be too ambitious; they have declared a new capital city, a new legal system, and an end to the previous social castes. It seems likely that their next step will be a war to unite the people; the question is whether they will attack Gurril, Robalda, or Aegis.

There is a pass through the mountains to the Valley, and then to Aegis. Animals for meat are brought through here during summer and fall, and caravans come through from the northern part of Shier Kra as well as Omaki. This pass has never successfully been used for an attack before, but it isn't impossible.

Robalda

Robalda has precious little trade, and little to trade with. Some lumber is exported, and they have excellent forests for ship masts, but that's about it.

They are governed by an appointed king, who is chosen from the barons. The king taxes them, but in return plans the major sorties against the Kakkam and train the young fighters whose families cannot afford this themselves. The Robaldans are proud people.

They have relatively few court functions, but there are a number of festivals.

There are no slaves in Robalda.

Shier Kra

Shier Kra has widespread slavery. It is the market for slaves on the continent. The principle industries are textiles and farming, although they make an exquisite liqueur, which is highly prized (Shustrov Trem).

The most important geographical feature of Shier Kra is the Shustrim Klo. It provides transport throughout the nation. It-and magic-holds the nation together. The Shustrim Klo empties into a gulf, the Shustrim Flay, where the capital is.

The capital is Ashiev Du (Kra means nation, Du means city). Ashiev Du is surrounded by bayou and marsh.

Shier Kra has a reasonable merchant navy, but is very limited in its regular navy. It has privateers out harassing other nations, however, principally the nations of Haquida and Ruesada. The nations of the Dragon's Tail do not allow ships with the Shier Kra flag to pass.

Palliss

The main political force in the country is the Order of the Knights of the Riven Palm; they also form the commissioned ranks of the army. The Knights take the names of weapons (e.g., Sir Guy de Pick). Each Knight is expected to be supreme with his name weapon, as well as competent with sword and shield, lance, and mace. Upon attaining his title, each Knight has an iron rivet driven into the palm of each hand, hence the name of their order. The iron rivets are intended to protect them from magic at all times. Technically, the Knights are subservient to the wishes of the Mother Church, though this is not currently the case.

The Church of Palliss is descended from the Roman Catholic Church; they do not recognize the Pope in Aegis, and have their own Pope.

All magic which is not under control of the Church is banned in Palliss.

Palliss has frequently decided that the Gate would be better administered under its rule, but Palliss has no truly competent mages, and has never taken the city. The path directly into Aegis' territory is blocked by the Elfhome, so a land attack would have to travel through Shier Kra and then Omaki in order to get to Aegis. Palliss is also not particularly good at espionage. Their last serious attempt at conquest was inspired by the vampire pope (about two hundred years ago).

Women are second-class citizens in Palliss. There are no slaves in Palliss, although there are indentured freedmen, who are the next best thing.

Palliss has very extensive and exotic court functions, honoring saints that have very little to do with the Roman Catholic Church as you and I understand it. Every three years, there is a tournament at Lidon (near Back Break Pass), the Tourney of Allucquere, which is famous throughout Palliss. The Shrine of Our Lady Allucquere is also in Lidon, near the Tourney site; people are frequently cured of their curses by going to the Shrine. Lidon has a population of about 3,000, and caravans leave for the Palliss cities of Tallommande and Coridomme. Tallommande has a population of about 8,000 and is about two and a half day's journey from Lidon. Coridomme's population is about 5,000 people, and it is about three days' journey from Lidon.

The capital is Allimonde, population about 50,000. The summer capital is Perssallon, which the King much prefers.

The Rest of the World

1. The Sceptre (The Dragon's Tail is the name of the archipelago trailing off the handle). The Sceptre is a moderate-climate continent, possibly better termed a very large island.
2. Astinoivayl. It lies west of the Sceptre. Astinoivayl is divided in half by the Twin Deserts. Through the center of the Deserts runs the Stayviloin River. The River is ruled by the River Empire, an empire in decay. They could never expand beyond the river.
3. Jek Tun Quyinn. This continent is to the west of Astinoivayl. Magic is weakest here, of all places in the world. There are rumors of a race of wizards. The come from here. Barbarians from Quyinn are rare; all use names with Quyinn in them. There isn't much trade with these nations.
4. Lalliprilloman. A continent slightly smaller than Australia, to the south east of the Sceptre, between the Ruesada-Haquida complex and Kharkid.
5. Haquida. Haquida is roughly Europe to Ruesada's Asia. Both lie east of the Sceptre.
6. Dhruntrug (pronounce "dh" as a voiced "th", like "the"). The land of the northern warlike species and races. Many empires are born there; few last long. This continent has produced many Alexanders, and most of their conquests remained united that long.
7. Kharkhid. A cold and frigid land, except for one peninsula. Roughly Antarctica with a peninsula that stretches up; the tip of the peninsula is directly south of the Dragon's Tail. Kharkid contains an insular set of tribes.
8. Ruesada. The fragments of an empire. Several of the fragments claim to be the rightful empire, and have launched abortive attempts to gather all the pieces. The Ruesadan Empire at its height controlled much of the Soorethil and Praesillad Seas.
9. Bef Mozhem-sur. ("zh" like the French "j" in "je"). A strange set of lands, all bonded by a common religion, about which they have many wars. Exquisite spices and jewelry are produced here. The continent is west of Jek Tun Quyinn and east of Ruesada. One of the countries is called Ylar; it had a coup eight years ago, so there are a surprisingly large number of Ylar exiles in Aegis.

The seas and oceans are:

1. The Western Diamond Sea (so-called because it is bounded by Sceptre at the northernmost point, Haquida to the east, Astinoivayl to the west, and the northern tip of Kharkid to the south).
2. Soorethil Sea, which lies between Haquida and Ruesada.
3. Praesillad Sea, which separates Haquida from Kharkid, and is bounded on its eastern side by Lalliprilloman. The area around Kharkid is known for its fierce storms.
4. The Eastern Expanse. Beyond Lalliprilloman and Ruesada there is a vast expanse of water, broken only by a few scattered islands. The Turtle Kingdoms are in the Expanse; so are the Rafters.
5. As it goes north, the Eastern Expanse becomes the Uederasa Sea, bounded by Dhruntrug and Bef Mozhem-sur. This sea is temperate to arctic; it is passable for only five months of the year; for the other ten, no ships sail.
6. The expanse between Jek Tun Quyinn and Dhruntrug is the Arndhrag Ocean. Due to the Moryum Dhrell (think Gulf Stream), this section of ocean is open much of the year. There is constant interaction between the coastal nations on these two continents.
7. Between Jek Tun Quyinn and Kharkid is the Talkhid Ocean.
8. Jek Tun Quyinn has one of the three land-locked seas on the planet: Ahk Bok Rowamm.
9. Between Jek Tun Quyinn and Astinoivayl is the Toem Eskalaedam. A tropical ocean. Although it is relatively narrow, if you aren't becalmed or eaten by sea monsters, you'll be killed by the storms.
10. In Ruesada is an inland-but-not-land-locked sea, Nyeridal Cres. The Nyeridal Cresal allows transport to the Eastern Expanse.
11. On the line connecting Haquida and Ruesada is the Aloquirrel Sea. Formed as the continents push together, it is surrounded by mountains.
12. Directly to the east of Sceptre, between it and Haquida, is the Eastern Wall.
13. Aegis faces to the west of Sceptre, looking out on the Western Wall.

History

?

Founding of Aegis. Eldritch appear.

0 The First War of the Gate.

The Gate is finally sealed by powerful, primitive magics. Some say the First War lasted decades; others say it was over in months. The forces unleashed by the First War created the Bay of the Colossus.

1

Aegis founded upon the ruins of Aegis. Because things still escape the Gate, the Maze begun as a simple walled labyrinth. A roof is added when flying things emerged.

572

Top layer of Aegis razed by the Kradath. They destroy sections of the Maze. They are subsequently destroyed by the Maze's inhabitants.

572-573 Second War of the Gate.

Several major magic colleges founded as a result of knowledge gained in this war. Forbinites claim that this war was ended by Forbin's arrival.

982

Invaders from Ruesada beseige the city; they bring the worship of Thurmillim with them. The seige lasts almost a year; it is this seige that leads the magic colleges to create the "Preserve Food" spell. Aegis' language roots are very similar to the High Ruesadan because of this invasion. Magic is not a useful defense in this war; too much iron in the city.

983-999 Third War of the Gate

Ruesada ceases to be a major military power after pouring its materiel into this war. Because the war ends with the millennium, this is taken as an omen of good fortune to come.

1020-1500 The Golden Age of Aegis.

Prosperity, trade, an exceptional series of Wardens. The Undead knew their place then. The Eldritch and Undead regard this as a time of oppression and slaughter. The Zoo is built during this time, and populated with natural beasts.

1516

The position of Warden taken by Asth, the Sorceror King. Asth institutes sweeping social reforms which are not taken to heart by the populace. (Including final elimination of Thurmillim-worship.) Riots are common. Asth populates the Maze.

1521-1542 Fourth War of the Gate.

Asth, seeking something (power? true resurrection for his dead wife? Opinion still divided), opens the Gate. Thus begins the Fourth War of the Gate, perhaps the most bitter. All fight in this one, Eldritch, and human.

1542 The Vampire Revolt.

The Undead seize the opportunity and take control of the city. A long series of negotiations follow which end the persecution of Undead and Eldritch. Most of the Eldritch retire to the mountains and forests at this point. The Vampire Accord is signed. Iron is banned in the city (except for the iron used in the Gate: even after a War of the Gate, few have seen the Gate itself).

1545

The beginning of the current age in Aegis. Traders spread the idea of one standard Festival week. The magic colleges expand, Hell becomes famous. The Midnight Circus is founded.

1812

A tribe of Kobolds makes its way past the traps, and the Maze, and the Guard, and attempts to mine the iron in the Gate. After arrest, their stated defense: "Well, it was just sitting there! How were we supposed to know it was something special?"

1895

Palliss mounts an attack on Aegis by sea. Forbin destroys many of the ships; Forbin seen smiling for many years afterwards. The rest of the ships are destroyed by magic.

Campaigns in Aegis

The standard campaign, which assumes PCs are human or Eldritch

The Hellspawn campaign, which assumes all PCs are Hellspawn

The Wanderer campaign, which assumes all PCs are time travellers from a science-fiction universe.

All of these campaign settings provide a reason for the PCs to initially band together, a set of antagonists, and a pre-generated background.

Incidentally, none of these campaigns rules out another; you could run three gaming groups through all three campaigns simultaneously. Perhaps they would even meet once in a while...

The Aegis Citizen Package Deal

Literacy

Numeracy - they can do simple addition and subtraction

Weapons knowledge-all citizens are familiar with one of the following weapons: bow, crossbow, sword, or staff

Knowledge of Aegis

Urbanite-Higher cost to learn wilderness and survival skills

The Standard Campaign

All of the characters will be hired by the new Lord Aminon. They will be required to swear fealty.

Setup

He intends to restore the house to some of its former glory. He is renovating Illaminonear, the ancestral home of the Aminon family, by craftsmen, not mages, so he will put the characters up in an inn for the two years until the renovations are done.

He still deals in trade, so he is often away, and his religion requests that he do something for the world now that he is wealthy, so he has purchased the title. He needs a small group of diverse, resourceful agents. Lord Aminon has money but he hasn't yet got a lot of city resources, since the previous lords gradually liquidated almost everything that wasn't nailed to the title.

Player Character Guidelines

Characters can be hereditary servants of the Aminon family, returned now that there is a new lord, or fighters looking for a new job. It's important to me that the characters not have much money (no matter what their background), and that they be able to work together even if they don't like each other.

NPCs

Anikin Roekall: Last Lord Aminon. Now buried in Aminon Crypt on Blood Toll Island, after being misplaced.

Braymin: Major-domo for the Aminon household.

Glasswind: Business manager for current Lord Aminon. Has been with him for many years.

Lord Tererinh Daimrea, Lord Aminon: native to Aegis, raised in Haquida, wife and child in Haquida. Merchant. Recently bought Aminon title, begun restoring Illaminonear. Has hinted he has certain revisionist political theories. Has been patron of boxer Andren Tower for many years.

Clan Frog Inn: the group of people living in and around the Clan Frog Inn, loosely associated with the House Aminon. PCs without a home of their own will be put up at the Inn by Lord Aminon until the Aminon home is refurbished.

Daimris Koriven: ex-Saegin monk who has split from the church after a church-sponsored mission which sent him into the Labyrinth, where he died. Brought back to life largely by Uncle Boxcars, his presence is irritating to mages (gives them headaches). Lives with his two wives Margeth and Edana at the Clan Frog Inn. Known sensualist. Occasionally eats with head of House of Thought.

Edana Koriven: Translator in the court of the Warden, and wife of Daimris Koriven. Originally an Omakiite, she left Omaki during the civil war. Certainly the prettier of the two wives, and the most politically savvy of them. Married a year. Told them about Omaki death curses.

Maysler: singer, back-up bartender at the Clan Frog Inn and small-time thief.

Margeth Koriven: other wife of Daimris, married for 3 years, helped pull him out of the Maze when they went down. She is a conscientious Sergeant of Guards, currently stationed in Hell. When her schedule permits, she joins Daimris in his morning workout. She doesn't know about Maysler's sideline.

Ningal Millover: mistress of the Clan Frog Inn. Ruesadan ancestry but Aegis-born. No known children.

Randven Millover: owner of the Clan Frog Inn. Immigrated from Ruesada. We know he has spent time working in the Zoo. Purchased Cusps-and-Clouds in ten years ago and re-named it, borrowed money from Tererinh Daimrea. Married fifteen years.

Ulkim Lanampoes: A wino who hangs out near the Clan Frog Inn. Maysler hates him. Ulkim occasionally snitches for Margeth, and he has ties to the Veiled Lady.

Adventure: A Proper Burial

Player Information

GM's Information

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

NPCs

Adventure: Slaves of the Rat God

Adventure: On the Breeding of Kobolds

Adventure: Win, Place, or Die

The Hellspawn Campaign

Setup

The PCs gradually discover that they are servants of Pope Gregory, the Vampire Pope, who has not died the True Death. Gregory, under a new name, has discovered a new species of Hellspawn which is threatening to destroy the fabric of Aegis society.

Player Character Guidelines

NPCs

Rodhamimalon.

Adventure: The Circus At Midnight

GM's Information

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

NPCs

Adventure: A Pocketful of Skin

Adventure: The Unicorn's Fang

Adventure: Wholly Unholy

Further Adventures

The Wanderer Campaign

Setup

The Homeworld

???

Technology

Player Character Guidelines

Time Traveller Package

Campaign NPCs

Adventure: A Piece at a Time

GM's Information

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

NPCs

Other Campaigns

Some Aegis Proper Names

Men

Women

THE AEGIS GAZETTEER

This chapter provides a listing of people, places, and things in Aegis. It is intended for the GM rather than the player, since it is unlikely that any one character could know all of these people and places. Some of them are very well-known, others are obscure.

Of course, this list isn't exhaustive. The GM should feel free to add to it or to modify it.

Business Establishments

The Aegis Michelin Guide

Alleara the Tailor

High quality. Expect to be put onto a waiting list.

Aolem's Child Inn

Excellent food and service. Chef is Sironea Koelgim. Prices slightly high. Entertainment average. Owner: Kay Scamoer

Aved's Wood and Bone Works

Flawless sense of art; wood and bone carvings. Accepts some commission sales. Owner: Bardelomea Aved

Cascade Leatherworks

Difficult to become a customer. Excellent gloves and boots. Some customizing done. All work dyed trademark shade of green unless otherwise specified. Owner: Agak Winimin

Changeling's Curse

Fair cross-mixture of Undead and humans. Popular with upper classes. Room 21 is cursed; inhabitant on night of full moon becomes random animal. Rates are tripled during full moon. Owner: Haren Singellik

Diamond Spider Tavern

Rates inclusion only because of its dancer, Rimina Forlin. She performs on Winday, Fogday, Salmonday, and Treeday, two shows each day. House drink is called a Sjpider's Web; contains enough alcohol to stun a man. Owner: Spider Allren

The Duchess' Sash

Clothing accessories. High quality, local and imported styles and materials. Owner: Nerin Aruwen

The Gazetteer

All kinds of maps, books, journals of travellers, etc. Excellent service, knowledgeable staff. Travellers in need may be able to sell area knowledge there. owner: Kai Embrea

Grey Bard Inn

Haunted by several ghosts, most notably a minstrel named Klon Arimig. Contains three units: inn, tavern, dining room. Owners: Randven Oaklim, Kwenta Hager

Hamlin's Blades

Good at customizing existing weapons. Some enchantments done. Owner: Alwijhin Mustoak

Lady of Wands Tavern

Caters to Eldritch trade. Brew a fair ale here; good port. Don't try the sack! House specialty is a drink called Acorn Cluster.

Moonblade

Magical weapons. Unless specifically willed to someone, all of their weapons return to them when the owners die. Strictly custom work except for rresale of returned weapons. Prices high, waiting list long.

Ram Arvo's Armory

Best non-magical weapons and armour in Aegis. good place to see dwarves and metal-working eldritch. owner and master armourer: Ram Arvo

The Raven's Kindness Tavern

Very good wine and ale produced here. Try to get some of the Bock in season. Note that bards Reav and Alwijhin perform here, frequently competing with each other. Owner: Jarl Ravenlock

Trueshaft Bowyery

Excellent non-magical bows. Buys unusual or odd bows; no magic. Bow repair only fair. Good fletcher. Owner: Illinea Trueshaft

The Wolftooth Shop

An excellent weaponsmith's shop. This is where iron swords for guards are made. There are many many guards around to prevent the loss of any iron. Owner, master weaponsmith: Wolf Grinear

Aegis on Ten Coppers a Day

Clan Frog Inn:

The Anti-Michelin Guide

Algan's Transport Vehicles and drivers for rent.

The Arena of Kenrik A gladiatorial arena.

Armillim's Labours* Zombies for rent.

The Black Rose An herbalist.

The Bowsprite* Inn catering to aquatic Eldritch.

The Chance Remark A gambling house.

The Clean Chin Barber and surgeon.

The Deep Tankard A bar frequented by mercenaries.

The Double Dirk Armourer and weaponsmith. Some magic.

The Eel Feather* A tavern.

The Midnight Son* A tavern specializing in Undead trade.

The Fountain of Ebon Abundance A landmark.

The Gatebar* A tavern.

Kimon the Cobbler

Merith's Stables and Livery

Oak and Mistroot An Eldritch tavern.

The Pin and Tumbler A bar famous for thieves.

The Rat's Nest Tavern*

The Shop of West Winds Sailmakers.

The Shop of Ulrim Twofinger A small curio shop of religious artifacts.

Groups and Organizations

Bad Habits: A group of punk elves, elven juvenile delinquents. Possibly connected with Kraken. They are connected with Red Habit distribution in Aegis.

Beggar Tribes: The beggars worship Thurmin. They hate magic users, feeling that mages should be able to make them whole, and refuse. There are six beggar tribes. Currently the tribes are divided on the issue of what to do with the Sword of Life.

Maron, the Beggar King: No legs. Believes that a new god should be created for the beggars, and that the old gods should be allowed to live. In the current dispute between the Beggar King and Queen, Maron has the loyalty of the Cleaved, the Demonsbreath, and the Stained.

Creeper Shatterhip: a lieutenant in the Beggar King's army, of the Stained Tribe.

Horm & Rehmal: Siamese twins of the Thurget tribe, on Beggar King's side.

Erdath: the Veiled Lady, the Lace Lady. Opponent to Maron in the Beggar Feud. She believes that the Sword should be used to improve the lot of the Beggars, mostly by slaughtering gods indiscriminately and restoring the Beggar god to life. The Veiled Lady has the loyalty of the Brams, the Gutterkin, and the Thurget.

Goblet-Hollow: the valley guarded by the Rockline family which provides most of the fruits and winter food for the city of Aegis. Lord Ridgerd is the current Lord of Goblet-hollow. Goblet-Hollow is its own fiefdom, protected by Aegis.

Lord Ridgerd: Lord of Goblet-hollow, the official title of the one who rules the Valley. A friend of Lord Layron. He has brought forces to support the Rocklines.

Lady Aoleveala: fiancee of Lord Layron of the Rocklines, sister to Lord Ridgerd. Has magical potential, but no opportunity to develop it. Very gifted with animals.

The Kinbras: an elite group of assassins. Symbol is a scrap of parchment with a gold (brass) circle on it.

The Kobolds: A family of Kobolds. Kobolds have been banned from Aegis for hundreds of years. Dam, Dem, Dim, Dom, Dum, Fam, Fem, Fim, Fom, Fum, Lam, Lem, Lim, Lom, Lum, Tram, Trem, Trim, Trom, and Willie ("I'm a gremlin") All are male; all have come to Aegis to fulfil a quest, which they must do in order to become adults.

House Koreamon: A young house, four hundred years. The House Koreamon once employed Lomino the sculptor. Koreamon is responsible for protection of the city in case of war; not known whether or not this includes a War of the Gate.

Kraken: Head of Aegis' mob scene. Has managed to unify most of the existing mobs. Has hired ex-fighters as enforcers.

Golem Remi: Former boxer who was hired by the Kraken after retiring, now acts as an enforcer. Old fans of the Circus will remember he had a glass jaw.

Joriven Deathtongue: a necromancer who manufactures illegal zombies for the Kraken. He uses a grimoire obtained by the Kraken, but he knows no real magic himself. The zombies are used to harvest Red Habit. His personal assistant is a ghost (COM 30) who can't quite remember her name. She's been dead 300 years, and is held there by force of a spell. His source of bodies has never been proven, but it is suspected that the Inn of Permanent Slumber (in the Swords district) is involved in the illegal zombie trade.

House Noreamon: A House of Aegis.

House Roakim: The current lord (Loard Rokum) tries to protect the reputation of his sister, Lady Esta of the Deep Pockets. She's a kleptomaniac, and once stole Sujhin's mirror.

Mages: some of the mages who can be encountered in Aegis, who have no easy affiliation, are:

Ekrenax: an animated stone gargoyle, possessed of two minds, the first being a mercenary's and the second is the wizard who animated him (suffered a heart attack in the casting). The mercenary has sided with one of the factions in the Sword Quest, but the wizard doesn't know which one.

Uncle Boxcars: Elven mage, one of the best, and uncle to Sujhin Mazerunner. Conjured up Conscience for her, and thereby earned enmity of Faerie.

Emlin Heartoak: an elven mage who is fascinated by Death; has never met her. He is the elf forensics expert that Margeth calls upon, and he is a good friend of Boxcars.

Rocklines: The Rocklines are the family which rule over Rockhall, the keep protecting the pass between Omaki and Aegis. They are a noble house, but have not got the right to grant arms. They receive their support from House Aminon, although they have received relatively little in the past seventy years.

Lord Layron: current lord of Rockhall. Been lord for about three years, since his father died (fall from a height). Engaged to Lady Aoleveala, but been unable to marry because a representative of Aminon must be at wedding. Takes his duties seriously.

Lady Cetara: mother of Lord Layron. She should be ruler of Rockhall, but she suffered a stroke when her husband died. She has regained most of the movement in the right side of her body (she can walk again), but there was some brain damage. She is given to occasional fits of rage and paranoid fantasies about Lady Aoleveala.

Rollaen: Chief man-at-arms for the Rocklines.

Father Ellijhin: Circuit priest, at Rockhall to perform the marriage of Lord Layron and Lady Aoleveala.

Ruling Class of The Faeries

Distinct from the Eldritch are the Faerie, mostly because they truly live in a separate realm. The Faerie have a complex ritual of accession and succession. Each accession to the throne/breeding period of the Faeries has co-incided with a War of the Gate. Given the long life-span of the Faerie and their involvement with magic, it is not impossible that the Faerie require Wars of the Gate in order to breed, though no one knows this.

Conscience: Gremlin, heir to the throne of Faerie and familiar to Sujhin Mazerunner. Conscience's contention-name during the Time of Succession was Talleyroot.

Cutfern: King of Faerie, he rigged the competition with Conscience to win (an unheard of thing, but easy to do). In league with the Lich, he wants to start a war with the humans and then open the Gate. Cutfern is currently familiar to Allijher Stormscent, Sujhin's apprentice. His new name has not yet been chosen.

Hearthscrub: Half-brother of Conscience, his mother died in childbirth, leaving the royal family with an unlucky number of children. Eliminated in the early rounds of the succession.

Oakwine: Conscience's half-sister, destined to be Queen of Faerie. Twin to Cutfern, but 3 minutes younger.

Shieldheart: Previous king of Faerie. No idea how he died. Father of all contenders for throne.

Talleyroot: contention-name of Conscience.

Treeroot: Current name of Conscience's mother.

Wheatwater: mating name of Conscience's mother, she who is now Treeroot.

Vampires: the vampires may be organized, but they don't usually act as a group. Vampires in Aegis include:

Kearalaminon, Vampire Lord: owner of the sword Dudheenilra, also called Blade of Shiva. Known to be a brilliant fencer, owns a Moonblade. Poet, raconteur, probable mage. Won medals for bravery during time on Maze patrol. Is most likely contender for King of the Vampires, should position fall open.

Dudheenilra: Kearalaminon's sword, intelligent on its own.

Rodhamimalon: Chief Inspector of Customs. Not actually a vampire, but his father (Dramaliron) is a vampire, his mother (Kella Koerall) human. Unusual because he was conceived after his father's death. Raised in the vampire manner, darling of the Undead (+5 to Streetwise in Hell). He knows some magic. Has magical abilities: can see all vampires whether they are invisible or not; is resistant to hypnosis by vampires.

Assorted Characters:

Almethair: An Omaki term for Spawnfood. Spirits which have not been evil enough to become full Shadowspawn (Dumethain) become lunch for those who did. An Omaki belief. Almethair are eternally tortured by Morlethain.

Amajhin Siren: The best model in town. COM 23, genuinely nice, no one seems to have a bad thing to say about her. Doesn't it just make you sick?

Byook Thet Quyinn: Barbarian visiting Aegis, attacked by Ekrenax on the street one night.

Dumethain: Term for full Shadowspawn of the Omaki god of torment and damnation. Like demons, but with more personality.

Elrig: Priest of the Burning Woman.

Fungus Gutterslime: A ghoul bureaucrat who works in the Palace in the Office of Crypts and Residentials. Easily bribed by the offer of dead flesh.

Greemayrisk: Barsoomian, currently leading gladiator at the Midnight Circus.

Jayren Silvertwin: The loan shark to whom Lallin owes money. Although Jayren has no direct connection with the Kraken, he is not above asking for some muscle to extract the interest from Lallin.

Jocomo: Apprentice to Lomino the artist. Also fascinated by the Midnight Circus, he hid out there when he believed his master had gone mad.

Kretel: a werewolf, living in Hell with her sister.

Lairda Gemlen: Current Warden of Aegis. A small white-haired woman with tremendous energy and a forceful personality.

Lallin Skeptril: Alias of Roulette, a free-lance thief who is trying to make it big. She reads Tarot, and will show up anywhere the cards indicate she might make a big score. She owes money to Jayren Silvertwin.

Lomino: Artist, genius, painter, architect, sculptor, inventor, painted a brilliant Renunciation of the Raven. Born bastard in Ruesadan city of Frolin, has worked for many of the noble homes in Aegis, including Anamilon and Koreamon. His apprentice is Jocomo. His son attempted to kill him.

Morlethain: Omaki god of evil and torment. Especially evil people can call upon him at time of death for a chance to become Dumethain (Shadowspawn). Being Dumethain is difficult, but for the chance you get to cast an Omaki death curse. Morlethain doesn't like losers (or rather, he does...with salt).

Oarimel: writer and publisher of the Bell Call, oldest running broadsheet in Aegis.

Saeginimet: Title of the leader of the Saegins; usually resides at House of Thought.

Seara Nannin: a singer.

Thorajean Glass: A dwarven bureaucrat who works at the Palace in the Office of Parks and Druids. He is a nature lover and is easily manipulated, though he is not at all corrupt.

Thromin: A potter and mage, he makes storage pots and sells unusual clays to sculptors. It was he who sold the Casting Clay to Lomino. During the Lomino incident, he mentioned that he was manufacturing something (large?) for Kearalaminon.

Zakhveem rab Ashrav: Alchemist. Seven kids in family. Currently arguing with his eldest daughter and her husband. He is a Ylar refugee and comes from Bef Mozhem-sur.

Some Pallissenes:

Davy Raven: A thief and brigand who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Eldritch are often poor. His secret is that he is a half-elf of the River clan.

Some Inns of Palliss: the Crippled Jester (first night...has path to smuggler's cove), the Midget Horse, Single Oak, the Three Sails, the Cross and Mitre, the Ashe and Palm.

Appendix A: The Saegins

The Saegin Religion

The basic tenets, then, are asceticism and self­control, achieved through mastery of a discipline. (This is most clearly shown in their magic.) There are few holy writings of the Saegin, for obvious reasons. The only holy books and writs they have are intended for the novices. These are primarily writings on diet, topics for meditation, and the initial exercises on training the mind and the senses.

The Saegin religion is not monolithic; they are divided along several lines. First are the divisions of discipline; there is generally respect between the branches. More serious are divisions based on differences in philosophy. The public does not hear about these differences. Given the relative secrecy of the Saegins, we can assume that the revealing of Saegin secrets is one of these issues.

Organization and Hierarchy

Each House has an Elder, who is supposedly only a resource for others, but who practically wields the power.

The Elders of a city meet regularly. The Saeginimet is frequently seen toiling in the garden, or instructing novices.

Combat

The Saegin reputation for combat began with the last War of the Gate. The Saegin monastery of the time was its own division. Being blind, they were unaffected by visual illusions and did not require light in the labyrinth. There are those who say that the Saegin mages did not successfully banish the monsters. But there are those who say that the Saegin mages bound one of them, and that monster waits beneath one of the monasteries, to be used by the Saegin against the Others when the next Gate War happens.

As you can expect, the Saegin are pretty much left alone. Sometimes a gang will learn how to recognize the novices and beat them up; the gang is usually dealt with, but not by the Saegins. (At least, not that anyone can trace...)

Magic

Because the Saegin emphasize self­discipline and memorization abilities, they learn magic relatively quickly once they start, but they start later in life. There are a number of restrictions on the lifestyles of Saegin mages; if these are not followed, the magic will not work.

The mage must abstain from sex, and from contraception spells. (Granted, the second isn't a great disadvantage once you've accepted the first.) For a month after indulging in any form of sexual activity, the mage will be unable to perform any sort of magic.

The diet is highly specialized. No red meat, no poultry. Certain kinds of fish are kosher, some aren't. It costs money to maintain this diet, if you don't have your own garden; about 20 silver pieces extra each month.

There are a series of physical exercises which must be performed at least every other day, preferably every day. These take about an hour, and replace the katas of the regular Saegins. They focus the magical energies in the correct parts of the body.

Touching a piece of iron has the same effect as sexual activity; it "grounds" the magical energies. Saegin magic is built around the concept of balance and entropy. (Even balance needs an opposite concept as counterweight.) Saegin mages tend not to use magical items. They also do not allow the investiture of objects with one's magic - you can't put magical energy into your quarterstaff so you can sleep around and still fight in the morning.

Copyright © 1998 John McMullen