Your characters are from the area of Akkadia ("ah-KADE-ee-ah"). Akkadia is a semi-arid area of plains and rivers, rich in agriculture but poor in resources. The summers are hot and dry, the winters cool, and the springs wet. The rivers flood towards the end of the spring. The two rivers running through Akkadia are the Serrus in the north, and the Semar in the south. Both are wide, slow moving rivers.
The people of Akkadia live in city-states, each led by a divinely descended king from the city's god. Each city state has many smaller towns and villages vassal to it, and often the city states fight over ownership of these smaller villages.
Akkadia is a primarily Human area, but business, opportunity and fortune have brought other races into the region. Humans make up 60% of the population, Halflings 20%, and Elves and Dwarves 10% each.
Most of the people are farmers or herders, but the fertile soil allows for a fairly large population of non-farmers. The mud-brick cities of Akkadia are the largest in the world, several over 10,000 citizens. Within these cities are great centers of art, religion, music, commerce, magic, and craftsmanship. Between the rich agriculture and the strong commerce from all the surrounding realms, Akkadia is a fairly rich and wealthy land.
Agriculture in Akkadia is based almost completely on irrigation from the rivers. Strong organization by the governments allow two growing seasons, with a spring harvest for grains (wheat, barley, oats) and an autumn harvest for fruits (grapes, dates, figs, olives). In between the cities, herders raise goats, sheep and cattle in scrub plains and hills.
---------Surrounding Kingdoms-----------
Refer to the map for more detailed placement.
Nothstech Elves: To the northeast of Akkadia is a great forest. The climate is warm in the summer, cooler in the winter, with rain or snow common year round. The elves of the Nothstech Forest organize themselves into a loose kingdom, but primarily live by the free-spirited nature of their people.
Dragbar Dwarves: To the north, in the mountains, is the Dwarven Kingdom of Drabgar. The Drabgar dwarves are extremely distrustful of outsiders, and rarely if ever leave their homeland or permit others to enter it. Few living Akkadians can claim to have seen a Drabar dwarf, and so they are sometimes called the "Deep Dwarves", as they just stay deep in their mountains.
Simfesh Elves: To the northwest, over the western hills, is the forest of Simfesh. The climate here is cooler, the winters harsher, and the elves tougher. The kingdom of Simfesh is more of a kingdom in true rights, with a strong central leadership. The elves there are less free spirited and more serious about their business and protection of their realm. The Simfesh elves are sometimes called "Hill Elves" for the high altitude and hilly-landscape of their forests.
Khrad Dwarves: Beyond Drabgar and the Simfesh forest is the high mountain kingdom of Khrad. The dwarves of Khrad live in cold, fridged mountains to the east of the great Sky Lake. The Khradese dwarves are reknowned for their great mines and metalworking abilities, and arms made by the "Mountain Dwarves" are favored across the land. But the Khradese are a sour lot, not welcoming to outsiders, nor friendly even when they travel other lands on business.
Tribesman Lands: Beyond the western hills is a long expanse of cool, windy plains. The people there are predominantly human, but less civilized them the Akkadians. At best, they live in small villages with meager farmland nearby. Most are nomads, carrying tent-villages with their great horse herds, following game and clouds as their whims permit. They wear the skins of beats instead of cloth, and hunt instead of farm. Despite their crude ways, the Tribesmen are fierce warriors and great horsemen.
Rambian Dwarves: In the hill country southwest of Akkadia are the Rambian Dwarves. There is no king of Ramb, but they are so-named from their association with the dwarven town of Ramb at the center of the hills. The Rambians dwarves, or "Hill Dwarves" as they are also known, are frequent traders and merchants. The Rambians are unusual among dwarves in their actual welcoming of strangers, but the crafty merchants in Ramb may well just be trying to put you at ease before they sell you something.
Destrech Elves: To the south is a large desert. Legend holds that the southern deserts were once a lush jungle, but the kings of the Destech sought power more then any other. Their pursuits of power tainted the heart of their land, and the gods turned favor from them. Their rivers dried up, their trees died, and the Destrech elves are forever doomed to live in the sands. Destrech elves are sometimes called "Dark Elves" for the dark, almost black skin that they have from generations under the hot sun. Because of the history of their land, most people distrust Destrech elves.
Cressian Dwarves: The mountains to the southwest hold the dwarven kingdom of Cressus. Cressus is a newer kingdom among the dwarves, as the tales go, apparently having been formed when a great exodus of dwarves left the northern mountains and resettled in the distant south. Like other dwarves, they are a fairly sour, quiet lot that prefer to keep to themselves.
Halfling Isles: East of Akkadia the rivers delta out into swampland, and beyond into the great sea. Among the isles and in those swampland are the native lands of the halflings. There are no kings in the halfling lands, only tribes, villages, and a few cities where the smallfolk live peacefully together. The halflings of these areas are reknowned sailors, and frequently bring goods from distant realms up and down the rivers of Akkadia.
The Majite Kingdoms: South of the halflings and east of the Cressians are the Majite kingdoms. Little is known of these human lands, other then occasional gossip brought back by halfling or dwarven merchants. They are rumored to be a greatly rich land, full or silk and spices, and ruled by magic.
-------The Lands Beyond-------
Beyond the lands listed above are the Wilds. In the wilds, men have no place. The Wilds are ruled by the Orcs, an evil race of man-like creatures that live to destroy everything they can touch. With the Orcs in the Wilds are other races of man-like creatures: small, sinister Goblins, powerful Ogres, viciously cruel Trolls, even Giants and other abominations in those savage lands, all of which will feast on manflesh at the first opportunity.
Since the beginning of time the Orcs and their ilk have warred with Men, Elves and Dwarves for supremacy of the land. The good of men keep has always led us to triumph over the orcs at bay, even as they frequently raid into our lands, looting, pillaging, raping and burning as they go.
For the Akkadians, orcs are not so much of an issue. The surrounding lands deal mostly with them, and the Akkadians have not had to lend assistance in many years, since the last goblin invasion through the Western Steppes, 2 generations ago. After the goblins overran the tribesmen, the armies of Akkadia united and drove them back into the netherlands, where they belong.
---------Religion in Akkadia--------
The cities of Akkadia each have their own, patron God. The gods of men are descendants from a divine family tree.
AN ("ahn") is the sky god, and the great father. He is powerful and knowledgable beyond human understanding. He can be calm and peaceful, angry and destructive, soft and nurturing. To him we look for rain and for weather, for spring rains and mild summers. AN made men from clay and water, and breathed life into them.
KI ("key") is the earth goddess. She is compassionate and understanding, providing and helping. Her body brings forth grain and sustains us.
NAR (rhymes with "are") is the water goddess, of seas and rivers. She also nurtures and brings forth our crops. Her waters nurture our plants and sustain us.
ARAST ("uh-rast") is the son of An and Ki, and he is the Sun. Arast is a strong god, of power, or leadership, and of war. He gave us the secret of farming and rule. His sons are the gods that founded the cities of Akkadia, and so each city state traces it's lineage back to him. Arast is also the god of the dead, going under the earth each night to the underworld rule the departed.
MEREST ("mare-est") is the daughter of An and Nar, and she is the Moon. She is quiet, secretive, and knowing. She gave us the secrets of magic, and the question.
---------Gods of other races---------
Elves: The elves worship SHAMASH, the first elf, the eternal elf. He was the archtypical perfect elf, good at everything elves are good at: archery, magic, art, music, and hunting. His three sons, Simfesh, Nothstech and Destrech formed the three tribes of the elves. Shamash is the son of the Moon, and elves often worship her as well.
Dwarves: The dwarves worship GRON, the first and greatest dwarf ever. He was the strongest, smartest, craftiest, fiercest dwarf ever. He taught the dwarves the secrets of mining, or digging, or stonework, or smelting, and of living in the mountains. Gron is the son of the earth, and so many dwarves also worship the earth as the great mother of Gron.
Halflings: The halflings worship BAAHN, the storm god. He is the son of the sea and the sky, angry and peaceful, shifting and constant, meak and all-powerful.
Tribesmen: The tribesmen worship KORD, the god of the steppes. He is a storm god, a god of strength, and a god of fortune.
Orcs: The orc god is Gruumsh, the evil one, the destroyer. He is noted here as the eternal opponent of the gods Shamash, Gron and Kord. An, Ki, Nar, Arast, and Merest have little to do with Gruumsh. The Akkadian gods are generally opposed to him, but not in the way these other gods are.
---------Technology--------
The technological level of Akkadia is roughly equivelent to the early middle ages. Iron and steel are used, but occasionally bronze will take their place in weapons or armor. Horses are domesticated, but stirrups are not known, and heavy cavalry does not yet exist. The cities in Akkadia are mostly mud brick and wood because there is little stone there, but other kingdoms build from stone.
Another important technological aspect is magic. Magic is a fairly common thing in the world. Clerics are more common then wizards, but both exist in number.
Divine (clerical) magic is fairly common. Clerics fill the roll of healers, diviners, and occasionally a leiutenants in the armies. Clerics are often second and third sons of nobles or merchants, sent to learn the clerical arts so they could make a living. Because of this, all clerics are well respected, since they are commonly related to gentry.
Arcane (wizard) magic is less common, and not as well understood by the common man. Some hold it in awe, others in suspicion and fear. For this reason, wizards tend to keep to themselves. However, every king keeps at least one court wizard on hand, and most of the armies have groups of wizards to help with planning. But other then that limited involvement, wizards are mostly associated with themselves and their own arcane goals.
--------Where you Start--------
Your group is starting in the village of Corraab (CORE-ahb), outside the city of of Enkidor. Enkidor is located along the Serrus river (the norther one), about 1/3 of the way towards the sea (roughly above the "A" on the map).
The Patron god of Enki-Dor is Enki. He is a LG god of wisdom, fertility, agriculture, and justice. Enki is also the son of Arast, the Sun.
Corraab is a large village, over 1000 people living in and around it, with a fair sized market, several inns, and several temples to Enki, Arast and An. The governer of Corraab is Hamest, the cousin of King Tredor su-Enki.
---------Game Notes--------
There are no gnomes as their own race. "Gnomes" do appear as a cross-breed of Dwarves and Halflings, much like Half-elves. There will be some modifications to the special abilities of gnomes to reflect this.
Halflings will also have slight modifications to abilities to reflect their aquatic nature. Elves and dwarves will be the same as in the book.
--------Special Rules for Languages and Literacy--------
The language spoken in Akkadia is "Akkadian", or sometimes called common. Other languages available are "Shameshen" (Elven), "Grondic" (Dwarven), "Baahnese" (Halfling), and "Kordch" (Tribesmen). The orc language is not an available language for starting player characters.
Non-human player characters do not start with a bonus language. They start with only their racial language.
The society of Akkadia is illiterate. The player characters are also assumed to be illiterate. To become literate in a language, you can use a language slot to learn to read and write that language. For example, you may know "Akkadian" and "Akkadian R/W". Akkadian, Shameshen and Grondic each have their own scripts. Baahnese and Kordch share the Akkadian script, and you do not need to spend a special language slot to learn to read and write those.
--------Societal Notes----------
Slavery: Slavery is a common practice in Akkadia. The king has slaves, nobles and merchants keep house slaves, and some large plantation owners have groups of slaves to work their land. But the majority of the population is free, farms are small, and most slaves are not hard labor, but house slaves and the like. Slavery occurs as a result of war prisoners, debt, and sometimes criminal punishment.
--------Racial Restrictions and Notes--------
Humans: As a human, you can be from any of the city-states in Akkadia. You cannot be from the Majite Kingdoms. The rules for Akkadian Humans are unchanged from standard rules. Human clerics can follow An, Ki, Nar, Arast, Merest, or Enki. (Note, if you want to be from another city-state, you will have a different god then Enki). Automatic language: Akkadian.
Tribesmen: Tribesmen are humans with the following modifications: +1 STR. -1 INT. -1 CHA. Their favored class is Barbarian. Tribesmen cannot start at wizards, but sorcerers are okay. All other rules the same (skill point bonus). Tribesmen clerics can worship Kord, An, or Ki. Automatic language: Kordch.
Dwarf: You can be a Rambian or Cressian dwarf, but not a Drabgar or Khrad dwarf. Standard dwarf rules apply. Dwarf Clerics can follow Gron or Ki. Automatic language: Grondic.
Elves: You can start as a Nothstech elf (wood elf), but not a Simfesh (high elf) or Destrech (dark elf). Elves do not automatically get a sword or rapier proficiency, but do get proficiency with all kinds of bows. Elven clerics can follow Shamash or Merest. Automatic language: Shamashen.
Halfling: You can be a halfling from any of the traditional halfling areas, or from Akkadia, as many halflings make their home there. All halflings get a +2 bonus on swimming checks, in addition to all the normal rules. Halflings clerics from Akkadia can follow any of the human gods or Baahn, and have the automatic language of Akkadian. Halflings from the swamps or isles follow Baahn or Nar, and have the automatic language of Baahnese.
Gnomes: Gnomes are a cross-breed of Halflings and Dwarves, who have a mixture of the strengths and weaknesses of each group. Gnomes do not get a saving-throw bonus against illusions. Gnomes do not automaticall know how to cast cantrips. Gnomes do get the +2 alchemy bonus, and an additional +2 on all checks involving smell, due to a keen nose. Gnomes do get a special +1 bonus fighting orcs and golblinoids, because it's in their blood, but do not get a +4 AC bonus against Giants. Gnomes favored class is wizard. Automatic language: Grondic or Baahnese.
Half-elves: Half-elves follow the standard rules. They can choose gods based on which side they were raised with. Automatic Language: Akkadian or Shamashen.
Half-orcs: Half-orcs exist in the game, but in Akkadia exist primarily as slaves and gladiators. Starting player characters may not be half-orcs.
---------Class Restrictions and Notes---------
Monk: I don't currently have a place in the game for monks. If you want to play one, let me know and I'll work something out.
Paladins: Akkadian Paladins follow the gods of the city-states, as they are the only ones that are gods of justice and righteousness. The only other god that calls forth religious crusaders such as paladins is Gron, the dwarven god. Paladins cannot follow Shamash, Baahn, An, Ki, Nar, Arast or Merest.
Class requirements: I do not have any class requirements for the party. It would be helpful to have a fighter, a rogue, a wizard, a cleric, and just about one of every class if you really get down to it. But any grouping of classes is acceptable. The game can be molded to fit the party.
------------Gods, Alignments and Powers---------
An, the sky god..... LN : air, knowledge, destruction, law
Ki, the earth goddess..... NG : earth, good, healing
Nar, the sea and river goddess..... NG : water, good, healing
Arast, the sun god..... N : fire, sun, war, death
Merest, the moon god..... N : magic, knowledge, trickery
Enki, City-god..... LG : good, law, war, protection
Shamash, Elf god..... CG : chaos, good, protection, plant
Gron, Dwarf god..... LG : good, law, protection, earth
Baahn, Halfling storm god..... CN : chaos, air, water, travel
Kord, god of the steppes..... CG : chaos, good, luck, air, strength
---------Racial Update----------
Half-Elves : Half-elves now have a +1 DEX and -1 CON to reflect their slightly elven features. Other rules remain the same for them.
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