email: Aelor

This is the handout given out at the start of the campaign...

 

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Welcome friend, to the lands known as Aelor. Heed these words well, and keep them in memory. Within this document lies much knowledge, most of it common to those with any small bit of learning.

 

Calendar

There are 365 days in one Aelorian year. In the ancient calendar, which is still used today, there are ten months of 30 days, and two of 29 days. There are also 7 festival days spread throughout the year. Below is the list of the months and the number of days in each. Festival days are in italics.

 

Aurel: 30
Kosk: 29
Spring Dawning (first day of Spring)
Ves: 30
Ranmuk: 30
Illoria: 30
Festival of the Sun (first day of Summer)
Lorel: 29
Early Flamerun: 15
Midsummer Night (celebration of the depths of Summer)
Late Flamerun: 15
Enkil: 30
Harvestfest (first day of Autumn)
Ur: 30
Lyrah: 30
Festival of the Moons (celebration of Lyr and Tyr)
Nervah: 30
Yule (first day of Winter)
Helath: 30
Winternight (celebration of the new year)

 

A week is 7 days. Moonday, Twosday, Wunsday, Turnday, Fifeday, Iberday, and Restday. Today is Wunsday, the third day of Aurel, in the year 1317Af. It is, as usual, a very mild midwinter in the Kingdom of Aris.

 

The Heavens

One sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. Two moons, the silvery Lyr, and the bluish-grey Tyr, crawl across the Sea of Stars at night. Shooting stars and similar heavenly phenomena are not uncommon, and are usually thought of as good portents.

 

Environment

Aris lies on a continent on the southern hemisphere of the planet, located just south of the tropics. Aris is a very temperate region on Aelor. In the winter, the temperature might drop to just below freezing at its worst, and in the deep summer, it may rise as high as 95 degrees. The humidity is generally low in all but winter and springtime, when most of the year�s precipitation takes place. Snow mostly comes in the higher peaks of the Hammerheads, and in the Plains of Pel.

 

Languages

There are many different dialects and tongues among the people of Aris and its neighbors. This list is by no means comprehensive, but choose your starting languages from among these.

 

Proper Arisian. Spoken amongst the wealthy, the nobility, and the government of Aris.
Arisian. The language of the common man. It varies slightly among the towns and villages of Aris.
Common. The trade language. Spoken in Aris, the City States, and Rudan.
Turmish. The language of the City States. Originally spoken only in Tur, the rise of that city to power amongst the alliance brought it into wide use 200 years before the Betrayal of Valshan. It is now almost universally spoken in the north.
Rudani. The language of the Empire of Rudan.
Sailor�s Cant. A mix of Windal, Selshan, and Common, it is spoken often among those who work on or near the sea. Not written.
Dwarven. Two dialects exist between the deep and green dwarves, although both understand each other well enough to converse with relative ease.
Gnomish. Also known as Tinker�s Tongue, this is a highly �technical� language spoken amongst gnomes, priests of Jond, and the occasional dwarf.
Windal. The language of the seafaring wind elves.
Wodan. The language of the woodland elves, it is known by few outside their race, save some druids and rangers.
Urthan. The language of the wild. Spoken by the centaurs for centuries, it is also known to most druids and rangers, as well as to the wood elves. Most nature spells are written in ancient Urthan.
Minotaur. Just like the dwarves, there are two dialects spoken among the minotaur peoples. Selshan is spoken by the sea minotaurs, while Lashan is used by the land. Lashan is the oldest of the two, used in the ancient days of the great minotaur empire.
Lizard. Called the Forked Tongue, this is spoken by the northern lizardmen. An older, less proper form is spoken by the gnolls of the Fens, as well as by most of the older Fenlanders.
Orcish. Dialects vary from tribe to tribe, but all can understand one another. Spoken by orcs, hobgoblins, and orlocs.
Simple Orcish. Also known as goblin, it is a broken form of orcish. Spoken by goblins, trolls, and kobolds. Not written.
Eldris. The language of the Eldren. The spoken language lost to history, all that remains in current knowledge are the meanings of some runes and letters. Very few individuals, most of whom are gnomes of�Jond, can even read what is known.
Gith. Spoken by the Gith. Also spoken by a small number of mages. Not written.

 

Religion

There are a number of gods and goddesses, both major and minor, worshipped among the people upon Aelor. The most common are found here, although that list is by no means comprehensive. There are many smaller faiths, both good and evil, that exist, including a number of cults. Such worship is usually kept very quiet, especially in Aris, for fear of retribution by the agents of Tyr and other good religions. Not all citizens of Aris worship devoutly, but almost all say a prayer or swear some sort of oath to a higher power now and then, and the existance of such beings is definitely regarded as truth.

Characters who are not clerics or holy warriors should feel free to choose a god they tend to revere above all others, if not outright worship. You never know when such a power will be watching and care to give their favor.

 

Currency

There are various forms of coin used throughout the realms. In Aris, the most common coins are the copper farthing, the silver penny, and the gold crown. Platinum coins are not used. In the City States, the silver florin and the golden laurel are most common. The coins in these two regions are both based on the ancient Lashan coins, and so are of the same size and weight. Thus, there are still some very old coins in circulation. The Empire of Rudan uses hexagonal coins called unites. They come in platinum, gold, and copper. Silver is not used for coins.

 

Politics

The Kingdom of Aris is a monarchy. The current king is Gareth II, in his 50th year as king, and is fast approaching his 67th birthday. He has two sons and two daughters.

The dwarves of the Hammerhead Mountains are ruled by the Ministry of Thanes, each governing a specific aspect of the government.

The elves of the Great Forest are ruled by a council of elders, each representing the interests of a different caste. Their current policy has been one of isolationism, though it is rumored the Watcher of Balintree holds some special privilege among them.

The City States of the North are a loose trade federation, each with its own local government. A Trade Council, based in Tur, manages issues common to all four cities, such as the protection of trade routes between them. Each city still maintains a small defensive force for its own particular needs.

 

The lizardfolk of Dracomare Swamp are a highly peaceful and democratic people, concerned with learning and knowledge foremost. They keep relations on good terms with whomever they can, and welcome trade and those who wish to learn.

 

The Empire of Rudan lies far, far to the northwest, and is ruled by a Sultan. There has been little to no official contact with the Rudani for many years.

 

The Coral Archipelego is a collection of over three hundred islands northwest of Arstelon. Two factions compete for supremacy here: the Coral elves and the Velarten pirates.