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Race
The Humans
 Humans
inhabit the flourishing Kingdom of Cathalon.
Their capital city, named after the kingdom,
lies at the heart of Cathalon. The Great
War of the Gods seems to have had a decimating
effect on the power of the Dwarves and Elves,
since their influence is on the wane - in
strong contrast to the Humans, a race which
is well on the way to becoming established
as the most powerful in the known world.
Not that the Humans had it any easier than
the others after the Great War - even after
nigh-on a thousand years of comparative
peace, they＊re still not living in
the lap of luxury... but in comparison to
the greatly weakened Kingdom of the Dwarves
and the lands to which the Elves and the
Serpents retreated, Cathalon is a prosperous
and up-and-coming Kingdom. The Great War
of the Gods also affected the borders between
the races＊ territories. Before the
carnage, humans had lived in the area around
the town of Oswaroth, to the east of Cathalon,
but the war razed their settlements to the
ground - now what was once home to many
humans is totally uninhabitable. Even today,
sluggish poisonous vapors lie over the surface
of the barren landscape, making approach
impossible. The only creatures that seem
to have developed any kind of immunity to
these gases are monsters - and there are
hordes of them in and around Oswaroth. The
young and vibrant royal city of Cathalon
is centrally located on the banks of the
river Gon. A junction for trade routes and
waterways, the King of Cathalon＊s
seat of residence is a busy and impressive
town. One of the reasons for Cathalon＊s
recent strong emergence is its strict military
organization. Individual towns in the kingdom
retain their autonomy and have their own
Town Guard. The taxes these towns pay to
Cathalon aren＊t all that high, but
still enough to cause occasional protests.
In emergencies, the Royal Guard protects
the satellite towns. On the one hand, the
Guard is seen as welcome reinforcements
against enemies, but the Royal Guard and
tension among the citizens seem to go hand-in-hand
in the satellite town where the Guard is
temporarily stationed. However, the proud
and energetic citizens of Cathalon can be
satisfied with the relatively rapid development
of their kingdom, but there is one nameless
threat in their lives＃ the faceless
Taint, which seems to be approaching Cathalon
from the east. It＊s said to be omnipresent
in Antaloor and getting stronger by the
minute. The Taint and the increasing strength
of the barbarian tribes and the Orcs make
life increasingly difficult, not just for
the inhabitants of Cathalon, but for humans
throughout Antaloor. More and more refugees
from the countryside are fleeing to the
towns for protection and the trading routes
are no longer safe 每 the only ones
who aren＊t complaining are the mercenaries
and the bounty hunters 每 they have
plenty of work to do. It would appear that
Cathalon is about to experience one of the
darkest periods of its relatively young
history.
The Dwarves
 The
race of Dwarves once boasted greater numbers
in Antaloor than any other race, but the
Great War of the Gods cost them dearly -
they now have only a shadow of the power
they once possessed. The Dwarves are concentrated
in and around the well-hidden mountain town
of Yarmalin, in their northern territory.
There in Antaloor＊s far north, the
rugged mountains hinder any other race from
accessing their new domain - but the former
dwarf stronghold of Tharbakin is now in
human hands. You＊ll occasionally come
across dwarves in the foreland around the
mountains. No one knows much of events in
Yarmalin. Information seldom leaks out of
the town. Rumor has it that the Great War
of the Gods struck a terrible blow to the
heart of the dwarf nation. The disciplined
ways of the dwarf culture mirrored the eternal
and unchanging rules of the divine Olympus,
the home of the Gods. The god Aziraal＊s
struggle for power and the chaos that followed
thrust the dwarves into total confusion
每 aye, they did fight side by side
with the other civilized races and they
did play their part in a victory against
Aziraal which at the outset seemed almost
impossible to achieve - but the story going
the rounds is that the dwarves＊ witnessed
the huge effort it cost their other gods
to defeat Aziraal and restore a semblance
of balance to the world - and this shook
the very foundations of their beliefs in
the power of their gods. This warlike race
of the high northern mountains was once
extremely disciplined, with a strong structure
of command 每 but nowadays the clans
fight amongst themselves and the atmosphere
is one of mistrust. However, don＊t
ever make the mistake of underestimating
them! Continuous internal skirmishing has
ensured that the fighting power of the dwarves
remains dynamic and hard-hitting.
The Serpents
 The
Serpent race lives on a peninsula to the
southwest of Cathalon. These snakelike beings
are mistrusted by all the other races 每
and this feeling was never quite laid to
rest, even during the Great War, when the
Serpents actually fought the same foe as
the Elves, the Dwarves and the Humans. However,
they could never bring themselves to form
an alliance with these other races and that＊s
why they fought their own battles against
the Orcs and Aziraal. The Serpents weren＊t
completely to blame for this though... it
was the Elves who weren＊t prepared
to even contemplate an alliance with the
Serpents - simply because they hated them.
A large part of the Serpents＊ former
territory was lost to the ocean during the
devastating war. Today, Ashos is the Serpents＊
most important town. It lies on the peninsula
in the river Gon delta and is rumored to
have secret connections to the sunken Serpent
lands. In the Temple District of Ashos,
the Serpents mainly worship Yatholen, the
god of water and storms. Ashos is a bustling
port, with both sea and river harbors. This
makes it an important trading center for
merchandise of all kinds. The Serpents themselves
are only to be found in the tightly-guarded
Temple District. The Temple Guard is extremely
mistrustful, guarding the temple entrance
with increased vigilance in these troubled
times.
The Orcs
 This
proud warrior race probably suffered more
from the effects of the Great War than any
of the other races. The banishment of the
rebel god Aziraal by the other gods not
only deprived them of their warlord - they
also lost faith in their own fighting abilities
and the Orcs were almost entirely wiped
out. Scattered in defeat, remnants gathered
in the territory around the town of GorGammar,
in Antaloor＊s far south. It was there
that the Orc culture sank into utter darkness
over the course of centuries. Split into
small clans, which had no time for alliances
because of internal feuds and power struggles,
the race of Orcs seemed doomed to die a
gradual death. They had no political structures
and no diplomatic relations with other races.
The few attacks which scattered bands of
Orcs carried out on other areas weren＊t
really a threat for the individual victims＊
races as a whole - and statements like ※Who
cares if these Orcs are wiped off all the
maps of Antaloor?§ could be heard
all over the land. The other races were
too caught up in their own lives - and Orc
clans couldn＊t become the threat they
once were if permanently at war with one
another＃ so why bother? This attitude
may soon prove to be terribly wrong. Centuries
of clan battles in the swamps have hardened
the battle morale of the Orcs. The old values
like courage and determination have returned.
In its fanaticism, the warlike cruelty and
determination of these warriors is on a
par with their boundless adoration and worship
of Aziraal. The more observant among the
other races are already proclaiming that
the age of peace is finally over, but the
majority still chooses to ignore these warnings
for one reason or another＃ they cannot
ignore that Orc attacks are becoming bolder
- in Cathalon＊s vast interior, there
are even rumors of Orc commandos harassing
the Royal Guard...
The
Groms
 These
wild barbarian tribes are a threat to the
life of travelers throughout Antaloor. As
fighters, the Groms can＊t compare
to the warlike Orcs, but many who made the
mistake of underestimating them are now
in the spirit world. The tribes live in
huts and are very well organized. They are
led by shamans, several of whom can be found
in each tribe.
The
Elves
The Elves aren＊t too popular with
the other races - they＊re thought
of as being blatantly arrogant. Nevertheless
the other races do respect them, albeit
grudgingly. Even the Orcs admire the Elves＊
bold and fearless battle tactics (and that＊s
saying something!). There is one race which
has no time for the Elves, however＃
the Serpents. It＊s said that they
truly despise the dwarves 每 and that
the feeling is mutual. After the Great War
of the Gods, the Elves populated the offshore
islands to the northwest of Cathalon - and
since then, have taken nothing to do with
mainland affairs. Thanks to this reclusiveness,
not much is known about what the Elves have
been doing in the last few centuries - rumors
do abound however - and the most popular
is that they are only concerned with their
own deeds, vainly erecting one monument
after another to their heroic actions during
the Great War of the Gods. If you happen
to meet an elf or two on the mainland, they
are probably employed as mercenaries or
are on some secret mission of their own. |
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