Being an Atlas and Guide to Evisath

[Ithril]

So this is where I'm going to put world notes as I think of them, or as they become apparently needed. I'm sure eventually I will have to re-write and/or re-organize them in a better manner, as well as adding an index, but you will have to have some of this information sooner than later; so here it will be.

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[Ithril]

This is one summary of the account of how the gods and the world of Evisath came into being. Someday, when it is important, I may elaborate on it, and on the variations emphasized by the different cultures and societies on Evisath. For now, here it is, more or less accurate, depending on who you ask, or where they're from.

A Tale of the Coming of the gods of Evisath

This is the story of how the gods of this world came into being.
Those whom we call the gods of Evisath were not the first. There were the ones who came before. Powers that were as beyond the power of the gods as the gods of Evisath are beyond the power of mortals. They laid the foundations of the laws that exist, that bind matter to make it solid, and that govern all the laws that establish our reality. They wrote all the laws of magic, and of justice, and of our existence. And to them all things will return at the end of times.

And then they left, and there was Void, and darkness.
Now, the Void cannot exist, except in contrast to something else, as the ancient laws prescribe.

So from the void, Paldon and Crothos became the first gods of Evisath. Crothos appreciated the dark, and he was loath to disturb it too much, and so his light was just a dim glimmer. Paldon, however, shown his light bright, boldly dispelling the darkness, Crothos did not appreciate this, and he was wroth that Paldon would be so bold in this new place, and so Crothos sought to cast Paldon down that his light should falter, and he struck Paldon, and they gave battle to each other.

Therefore through their battles came about the other gods. From the sweat of their efforts came Siradna the god of the waters. From the heaving of their breath came Ozîtha, the god of the winds. From the weapons they forged and destroyed in their war, came Urtil, the earth which men call Evisath, and the stars were strewn from the sparks of their conflict. From the sheer force of their wills arose Zabruthan, the god of magic. Their war would not cease until Nerva, the god of justice was born from the conflict. Nerva was able to come between them, and she was able to drive from them Núril, Nargúl of the elven tongue, and she cast Núril into the utter darkness, for it was evil. And when the evil of Núril was gone, Illessë, the god of peace arose, and awoke Egruthad, the god of earth.
And the gods walked upon the Evisath for a time, and set life upon it.

[Ithril]

Of Calendars, Dates and Times

The human realms of Evisath measure the year at 374 days, divided into 12 months of 31 days, and 2 months of 32 days.
Elves, however, have a much more complex annual calendar, It will be added later. Dwarves do something else altogether; I'll deal with that when I have time.
Human annual calendars generally follow this structure:

Month	Days	Season
Kanîr	31	Winter
Tanda	31	Spring
Baramba	32	Spring
Hlothra	31	Spring
Hothrin	31	Summer
Zadnin	31	Summer
Lirnin	31	Summer
Ligan	31	Harvest
Raldan	32	Harvest
Turnan	31	Harvest
Runar	31	Winter
Zibur	31	Winter

Both humans and elves keep an 8 day week.

Human Week	typical activity	Elven Week
Omdae	Rest	Illessë
Ruldun	Worship	Nandil
Basdae	Work	Ebru
Randae	Work	Arandur
Nimandae	Work	Vëarámë
Nucirdae	Work	Lúnya
Runguldae	Work	Ellu
Tindae	Work	Sildamir

The day of worship may be different for some cults or deities.


Notes:
I need to make a calendar, but it's complicated.
So far I'm getting a lunisolar calendar that typically has an 8-month year, with most months alternating between 42 and 43 days, 2 leap days (sometime) in the second year, and a 43-day leap month every 4 years; but I'm not certain it's stable.
For the sake of argument and simplicity, we'll keep the "24 hour day" (and subsequent minutes & seconds), though it's actually closer to 24.2 earth hours.

Unless otherwise noted, we'll keep this arrangement. I'll have calendars up ... sometime.
Yes, I have planets, moons... the whole solar system mapped out (with names).
I may make the complicated one an elven calendar, and make something simpler, and not nearly so accurate for humans.

How can you have a decent magic system without planets and moons?

[Ithril]

Coins of the Realms

The many kingdoms of Evisath do not use generic tokens of exchange. As in any world, the coinage is specialize to each kingdom or dominion, and often they are not restricted to trade within that territory. Some coinage is far more desirable than others. Some is unwieldy, some is valued everywhere, some is worthless. Here will be some notes and common knowledge about currency that most characters will be familiar with.

Stomanell
The values of the coins of Stomanell are standard as per the 2nd Ed players handbook.
The Duchy of Stomanell does not mint gold, electrum, or platinum coins. Any gold coins circulating in the Duchy are supplied by {The Dominion} (to be named later), and imported as needed. Naturally, these imports are uncommon. There are enough gold coins in circulation from The dominion, as well as other sources that this is not a serious issue. Platinum coins are almost unheard of in Evisath. It is not uncommon to find coins from other dominions and kingdoms being traded along with coins from the local authority.

Of the coins in circulation in Stomanell, they are each about 50 coins to the pound on average.

Gold Coins These visibly reddish gold coins (think modern rose gold) bear the visage of the Emperor of the Dominion on the obverse, and three dragons with coiled necks on the reverse in a triskelion pattern. Like all gold coins minted in human realms, they are alloyed with a substantial amount of copper and are not pure gold. They are called Royal Drakes.

Gold Drake Obverse.jpg (15.68 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

Silver Coins May bear the visage of the Duke Morchar Eldred, or that of the Emperor of the Dominion, or of the Emperor's father, depending on their age or origin. All of them bear a galleon of the dominion on the reverse. These coins are worth 1/10th of a gold coin. These are known as Royal Galleons, and are alloyed, about half copper, and half silver.

Copper Coins These coins all bear the standard of The Dominion on the obverse, and some animal on the reverse. Often a soaring bird, a horse, a wolf, or a bear. There are many types, and they are all valued similarly, at 1/100th of a gold coin. these are known as Copper Standards. They are actually an alloy of copper and tin or sometimes lead, and so they are actually a form of bronze.

The Dwarven Hold of Halturuhm
The Dwarves mint all their own coins, naturally. They are valued, but they are among the heaviest of coins, having double the weight of the coins of Stomanell, though they are only slightly larger.
They are all 7 sided, and well minted, showing more detail and less wear than the coins from human lands, even after many years of circulation. Dwarves do not mint coins of copper, but only of the more precious metals. The dwarves are all masters of the art of metal work, and the coins they produce are examples of this craftsmanship. They are often inlaid with other metals, and occasionally, even a precious gem. They will all bear a stylized hammer of some type on the obverse. Each tribe of dwarves has their own hammer, and use it exclusively on the coinage they mint. The reverse will often depict some architectural structure, including statuary, strongholds, or other stonework. Although the exact alloys and percentages are unknown, it is almost certain they alloy the metals for their coins in some unknown fashion.

Halturuhm Platinum Coins These coins are typically worth 5 times the standard Stomanell Royal Drake, unless they are set with a gem. They will typically be set with either a sapphire, a ruby or a diamond. The gems are always small, and not worth the effort to remove hem, let alone the loss of the value of the coin in doing so. Platinum Hammers set with a sapphire are worth 6 Royal Drakes, a ruby makes them worth 8 Royal Drakes, and if it's a diamond (quite rare) they will be valued at 10 Royal Drakes.They may or may not be inlaid with gold, but this has a negligible affect on their value.

Halturuhm Gold Coins These coins are typically worth two Royal Drakes. Like Platinum coins they may be set with a sapphire, ruby or (rarely) a diamond. Gold Hammers with a sapphire are worth three Royal Drakes, a ruby makes them worth 4 Royal Drakes, and the Rare diamond ones will command 5 Royal Drakes. They may or may not be inlaid with silver, but this has a negligible affect on their value. It is unknown exactly how they alloy their gold, but it retains a rich yellow luster.

Halturuhm Silver Coins These coins are similarly worth two Royal Galleons. Sometimes they are inlaid with gold, and those will be worth 5 Royal Galleons. Again, like the gems, the gold could be carved out, but the resulting gold wouldn't be worth the effort, not to mention ruining the value of the coin.


Elven Forest of Ancalen
These coins are also unique to the elven halls that mint them. Each coin has the silhouette of a leaf cut from it's center, and has a pattern of intertwining vines between the leaf and the edges of the coin. Each leaf and pattern of vines is unique to the different halls of the elves, and this is how they determine who made them. They are about the same weight as coins minted in human lands, but again they are more valued for their craftsmanship. Somehow; regardless of the shape of the leaf, the sharp points and tight corners don't ever seem to catch or to be sharp, though they look as if they really ought to be incredibly capricious with their angles. Much like the elves, they never seem to grow old. Elven coins are always bright, and have crisp details, and edges, regardless of their age. For any given elven coin, you can consider it double the value of a similar coin from Stomanell. They may be known as the metal, and the leaf that is cut from them, thus you may have 'Golden Oaks, Silver Aspens, Platinum Maples', or any similar combination. In human lands they are often simply lumped together as 'Elven (metal type) Leaves'. Like the Dwarven Platinum Hammers, Elven Platinum Leaves are worth 5 Royal Drakes each. They do not mint coins in copper. Like the dwarven coins, the alloys the elves use are unknown, but they are almost certainly not pure platinum, gold, or silver.

Moneychangers, Banking and Finance
The uncertain beginnings to a formal banking industry have appeared. Moneychangers can be found in most settlements of any reasonable size. They can exchange coins of one issuance to those of another, for a fee of course. Sometimes the fee is considerable, but it is never free. Sometimes they can transport money or valuables from one city to another reliably, if not cheaply.

When I have time, I'll post a picture of some typical coins for you to see.

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[Ithril]

Evisath would probably be considered a magic poor world. Magic is rare, but it is powerful. Most clergy in churches aren't able to call the will of their deity for tangible intervention (clerical spells). Wizards are uncommon, and the few that are known are considered legendary, if not otherworldly. Most communities look unfavorably to those who can wield and weave mystical powers from other worlds, and have a deeply held conviction that such meddling is certain to bring harm on anyone who would try.

Magic Weapons: Truly magic weapons and armor are rare, and difficult to obtain. Weapons of simple enchantment (+1 types) are not necessarily magical so much as simply exceptional weapons made with extraordinary skill, almost exclusively by non-human weapon crafters, usually elves or dwarves. Being as these weapons are not actually magical, but instead get their +1 advantage through superior balance, weight and the properties of the metal alloys they were forged from, these 'magical' advantages will not be dispelled by the affects that usually cause it (ie: beholder's anti-magic ray).
Note that this would also mean that when a more powerful magical weapon is exposed to such magic-cancelling effects, it will still retain the (non-magical) +1 that it would have simply from the superior craftsmanship of the weapon.
It also follows that in the right market, certain low-level 'magical' weapons (+1) may be purchased, though the cost may be high.

Magical healing is attributed mostly to herbcraft rather than a divine healing from a cleric who is attuned to the deity they worship, though the ultimate affect is similar. Resurrection is legendary, and unheard of outside the realms of myth or illusion.

Invisibility
Invisibility will operate a bit differently in Evisath. A creature that is invisible can attack without losing the benefit of invisibility, however, the victim of the attack can attack the invisible attacker for one round. The swift action of an attack, and the general disturbance of the attack gives the victim the momentary advantage of knowing approximately where the attacker is, but only for 1 attack, and that attack will still be with a -4 disadvantage. This works the same for NPC's and PC's. Attacking while invisible will not constitute a automatic hit or automatic death-blow. All attacks made by an invisible attacker gain a +2 advantage on the To Hit roll.