Dwarves.
In Atela,
dwarves are not a hardy, roistering race of adventurers. In Atela, dwarves are
small creatures, their minds as twisted as their bodies. To humans, dwarves resemble gnarled old men
with gleaming black eyes and scraggly beards.
No human has ever encountered a female dwarf and it is widely speculated
that there are none, that dwarves emerge from the ground through some
diabolical form of reproduction.
Unlike
elves, dwarves do have souls, but they are shriveled things consumed by greed.
Dwarves love wealth, particularly gold, more than anything else in the world
and they spend their lives accumulating great hordes of treasure. They are
hesitant to part with so much as a single coin and it is common knowledge in
Atela that one never steals from a dwarf. The dwarf will hunt down the thief,
retrieve their missing wealth and interest, usually in the form of the thief's
hands.
Dwarves
live in Atela, far beneath the ground, in secret burrows. They live alone and
their burrows are defended by lethal traps. The only time they venture to the
surface is on nights when the moon is dark. Then they travel and meet with each
other to haggle and deal before returning to their miserable homes.
Dwarves are
excellent craftsmen and they are willing to work for humans, but their prices
are exorbitant. They will drive a hard bargain, but once it is made the dwarf
will follow the agreement to the letter. It's very rare for a human to get the better
of a dwarf.
Dwarves are
not a martial threat to humans, but their presence is felt to be corrupting.
The Church is aware that dwarves have souls and that they worship God even
though they have no priests among them. Paying for a priest to pray for their
dead is one of the few times a dwarf will reluctantly part with coin.
Dwarves
loathe elves and will not ally with them. They do not trust giants and fear the
undead as much as humans.
When creating a dwarf, GMs should
remember that Atelan dwarves are Small. They have a walking speed of 25 ft.
They should have a high DEX and WIS, but low STR and CHA. Atelan dwarves have
Superior Darkvision identical to the drow in the 5e Player's Handbook. They also suffer from Light Sensitivity,
giving them disadvantage on attack rolls and visual perception checks when
their subject is in any sort of bright light.
They also cannot be charmed or put to sleep with magic. Dwarves speak Atelan and Dwarvish. Some might
speak Giant and Elvish.
Elves
The elves
are the ancient enemy of humanity. They are beautiful immortals who slink out
of the Feywold on the nights of the full moon, to make mischief and murder.
Elves in
Atela are immortal. They do not age once they reach adulthood. This is because
they do not have souls. All elves are
related to one another, as their ruler, the Queen of Shadows, is also their
mother. The elves have no desire to
reproduce, but are legendary for their lusts. Elven raiding parties have been
known to ravish entire villages before putting their victims to the sword.
No one
knows why elves hate humans so much. It is widely believed that the hatred is
their legacy from the Queen of Shadows. What is known is that elves cannot be
trusted. When a human spots an elf there is an overwhelming urge to fight or
flee.
Thankfully,
elves rarely remain in Atela. The impermanence of the mortal world disturbs
them. Most slink back to the Feywold on the last night of the full moon to
sharpen their blades and plot new atrocities for the next month.
Thankfully,
elves have weaknesses that humans have learned to exploit. Elves cannot enter
hallowed ground, such as churches and most graveyards, without harm. The sound of bells is a strong deterant to
elves, and ringing church bells are particularly effective in repelling
them. Weirdly, an elf's greatest
weakness may be their inability to break their word. When an elf makes a
promise he must keep it to the best of his ability until the conditions are met
or the person who extracted the promise from him releases him from the
obligation.
Elves are
disgusted by dwarves and will not ally with them. Nor will they ally with
giants, as giants consider elf-flesh a great delicacy. Elves will work, reluctantly, with warlocks
if their Queen commands it.
In game terms, Atelan elves are
similar to their usual D&D counterpart. They should have high DEX and good
CHA. They have darkvision and fey
ancestry as described in the 5e Player's Handbook. However, elves do not go
into trance. They sleep like other creatures. Some Atelan elves are Sorcerers;
they do not get any of the Sorcerer feats aside from Spellcasting. Atelan elves also have unique weaknesses. The
ringing of bells is anethema to Atelan elves and they must succeed on a DC 15
WIS save or be forced to flee from the source as their next action. If the
bells are church bells they must succeed on a DC 20 WIS save or be forced to
flee. Also, elves cannot enter hallowed ground without taking damage. Each
round they spend on hallowed ground costs them half their Hit Points.
Elves speak Elvish and Atelan. Some
speak Dwarvish and Giant.
Giants
Giants are
twelve-foot tall humanoids who descend from the Icewall Mountains, to raid
human settelents in an attempt to assuage their terrible hunger. The giants came into being when angels lay
with human women. Initially, their angelic natures were strong and giants were
a force for good in the world, but with each successive generation their
angelic natures have faded. Modern giants
are a shadow of their ancestor's greatness.
Driven by hunger, they venture into Atela, to be met by shield and spear
and divine spells. Thankfully, giants work alone or with a trusted mate. They
devour each other as readily as they do humans, making trust among them
difficult.
Although giants
have souls, the Church considers them a lost cause, beyond salvation. They are
met with shield and spear and divine spells.
Sadly, only the strongest and canniest of fighters have a chance against
a giant.
Giants have
no living allies as their cannibalistic natures are very well known. They
loathe the undead with a passion.
Atelan Giants are huge creatures
with a walking speed of 40 feet. They should have, at a minimum, STR 20 and CON 20. All other stats should be
generated as normal. HP should be about 100.
Giants get to attack twice per round with a greatsword or a greatclub.
Some might carry a shield, or wear armor, but most should be unarmored. They have advantage on WIS (Perception)
checks involving smell and can automatically differentiate between humans,
elves and dwarves by scent alone. Also, Atelan giants can eat almost anything
and survive. This manifests as a Resistance to Poison.
Atelan giants speak Giant. Some
speak Atelan and Dwarvish.
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