User:Spanambula/Elegy (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Cultures

Racial Distribution

Nearly all races can be found in all kingdoms, to greater or lesser degrees (for example, not many elves live in the dwarven lands, and vice versa, and the Vaniri Empire had oppressed the non-human races during the reign of the Imperatrix). In most cases, assume a mix between seventy-thirty to ninety-ten percent mingling of races in a given city. Monstrous races are rare, but if they exist in civilization at all, they are usually either in magor metropolitan areas, or out on the fringes of known and "civilized" lands.

On the world map, the names in parenthesis are Elven (with the exception of the Vaniri Empire), since the Elves were usually the first to name the lands they explored.

Languages

Core Racial Languages

Common: Although it functions in gameplay as English, is technically a mix of dwarven, human and Elvish that evolved out of a tradespeak some five hundred years ago.

Dwarvish (Low): The common, or “low” dwarven language, being the closest to the human tongue, can almost always be pronounced phonetically.

Dwarvish (High): Also known as royal or "legal" Dwarvish, as all contracts and legal proceedings are written and spoken in this tongue. It can be spoken by other races with some practice. -Special: Learning High Dwarvish requires 2 skill points instead of the usual 1 due to the complexities and intricacies involved

Elven: Spoken by all Elven nations. There are regional dialects for each of the Elven nations, but all can be readily understood by outsiders and other Elves. Half-Elves

High Elven: A dead language for several thousand years, it the in-game equivalent of Latin. Primarily used in royal proceedings, known mostly by scholars who study ancient texts.

Gnomish: Closely related to Elvish; the two languages share alphabets, but not pronunciation.

Mann: The native language of Humans. Most humans learn Common before learning Mann, if they learn the latter language at all. All human kingdoms speak Mann except Strelichz (where Lichzespakk is the native language), and the Vaniri Empire (where Vanir is the native tongue, and not all humans understand common).

Halflings speak common, although they have a few peculiar regional dialects that escape being foreign languages only by clinical definition.

Uncommon and Extraplanar Languages

Aetheiri: Also called Celestial. The common language of good-aligned outsiders such as Angels and archons.

Aquan: Spoken by aquatic creatures and beings from the Elemental Plane of Water.

Auran: Spoken by flying races and beings from the Elemental Plane of Air

Draconic: Language of Dragons and other draconic races. Also used in a great many arcane writings. Often learned by spellcasters.

Druidic: Secrety-secret Druid language.

Giant: Spoken by giants, ettin, trolls and ogres.

Goblin: While most Goblins speak undercommon, they have their own language, used by goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears.

Ignan: The language of fiery or fire-based creatures, or creatures from the Elemental Plane of Fire.

Nyxx: Also called Abyssal, Demonic, or Infernal. The common language spoken by the denizens of the Evil outer planes. Used for summoning and controlling demons and devils.

Orc: Spoken only by orcs, or those evil or strong enough to have interacted with orcs on a repeated, social basis. Extremely uncommon.

Primus: The language spoken by most divine beings, it is a derivative of Truespeech, though far, far less potent. Speakers of this language can be understood by any species if the speaker so chooses. -Special: Only available for PCs by DM permission.

Sylvan: Spoken mostly by wood elves and druids, but also anyone who has more than average dealings with the fey.

Terran: Spoken by creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth and other Earth-based creatures.

Undercommon: The language of the more monstrous races. Spoken by Drow, Duergar and many evil creatures who are native to the Prime Plane. Also used heavily in many Thieves Guilds.

The Calendar of El

One of the subtle differences in Elegy is the length of the year: it is 366 days long, rather than 365.

ELVES: The elves (and half-elves who live among them) observe a 6 day week, with 61 weeks in the year. The elven calendar has eight seasons: Thimblewinter, Thawling, Spring, Summer, High-summer, Autumn, Thindusk, and Winter. There are 8 weeks in the main seasons, and seven weeks all the "mid-seasons". Those of you paying attention will note that there is an extra week unaccounted for. There is an extra week that moves to a different season every six years. At the time of this adventure, the extra season is in Autumn. This week is traditionally looked upon as a time of ill fortune.

HUMANS, GNOMES, HALFLINGS: These races observe the more traditional 7 day week. The days are: Sunday, Mansday, Marksday, Wainsday, Lassday, Kingsday, Godsday. The months of the year are similar in name to the Gregorian calendar (by some odd coincidence), but with a few minor differences. The names are: Jonaver, Frayaver, Marches, Aprel, Mayven, Jelos, Septander, Octander, Novander, Disander, Grimander and Noctaver. Note that "Septander" is equivalent to July, and the following three months are similarly two months behind their Gregorian equivalents. (This is largely due to the GM having always wondered why month names with the Latin roots of 7, 8, 9 and 10 should be the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelth months of the year.) The numbers of days per month are the same as the Gregorian calendar. There are 52 weeks in the year, (the astute thinker will note that in the human calendar, every other year would have to be a leap year to accommodate the extra day. The shorter years are called fell-years, and the longer years are full-years), with normal season names. As in our world, the extra day falls in Frayaver (Februrary).

DWARVES: The dwarves, being a race that lives for long periods, sometimes entire generations, without seeing the sun, have developed a system of time called the Karut.

A Karut is a traditional candle or lamp made to burn for exactly eight and a half hours. This time is broken down into smaller units, measured by a dwarven hourglass called a knut (literally: finger). There are ten knut-ku in a knut, and five knuts in a Karut. Three Karuts make up a Dwarven "day."

Traditionally, the dwarves have some concepts of the seasons, but pay them little heed, only noting when the entrances to the mines are colder or warmer. The dwarven week is ten days long, and the year is 60 weeks long. High dwarven holidays take place three times a year, or every twenty weeks. In recent ages, some dwarf clans have informally adopted the human calendar, and many now use gnomish clockwork to measure time.

It is also worth noting that the Dwarven calendar runs backwards.

Timeline of Notable Events

The Ancient Elven Calendar

Elves and Dragons are created. The Ancient Elven Calendar begins.

Year 2781 Start of The First Demon War

Year 2821 Dwarves first appear. The Dwarven Calendar begins.

Year 2824 Gnomes are created. Dragons create Kobolds. Lizardfolk begin to proliferate.

Year 2834 All chromatic dragons have been turned to evil. First Metallic Dragons appear.

Year 2842 Dwarves and Elves create the Artificer, who in turn create the Soulforged.

Year 2870 First Demon War ends. The Artificer disappears and the remaining Soulforged help build the Dwarven Kingdom. Many elves move Westward to escape lands devastated by a century of war.

Year 2990 Ortua (literally Golden Axe) is crowned kind of all Dwarves. Ortua becomes the official title for all future dwarven Kings.

Year 3125-3163 Second Demon War. Monstrous races become more prevalent. Elves colonize Mionait Fainnear and Allafione.

Year 3921 Dwarves are accused of stealing the Heart of the Forest by the Elves, which begins the war between Elves and Dwarves.

Year 3933 The Third Demon War begins with the destruction of the Elven Capital City of Shear.

Year 3945 Orcs are created, and in massive numbers.

Year 3967 Goblins are created.

Year 4026 The GoldenAxe is lost. There is no new Dwarven King, and the Three Royal Clans are created.

Year 4128 The first of the Druids appear. For the first time in almost 200 years the tide of war turns against the demons.

Year 4144 The Third Demon War ends. The Elves establish a new Capital to the north, and begin a new calendar that celebrates their victory, the Laisren Calendar.

The Laisren Calendar

Year 18 In the south, primitive human settlements are discovered by Elves.

Year 103 The gnomes establish a new kingdom, the Gaddunshom, after the destruction of their lands in the demon war

Year 312 After some in-fighting among human clans, the first human nation of Skalla is established.

Year 481 Aris, the first human Druid, is born.

Year 676 Humans go to war with the Elves, then the dwarves.

Year 678 Humanity surrenders to the Elves, who narrowly decide against enslaving the human race. Skalla becomes Duinsearch, a kingdom co-ruled by humans and elves. Humans spread out and settle the lands to the south and west. Non-druid Humans are no longer permitted to settle in the Old Forest.

Year 766 Caer Din, The Capital city of Cardinia is founded, and the humans establish their own calendar. Usually referred to as "cc" or "common calendar", this calendar becomes the standard across El as the human population explodes.

Common Calendar

Year 52 The Desert Kingdom of Meresanhk falls into Civil War.

Year 269 The Kingdom of Falle is established.

Year 676 The King of Falle divides the kingdom into seven pieces to be ruled by the Grand Dukes in reward for their saving of the crown.

Year 812 Cardinia attempts to colonize the Dark Isle and are driven off by the Drow.

Year 991 The Cardinian city of Blackreach becomes the largest city in the known world, impressive for not being a capital.

Year 1280 Orcs invade and overwhelm the dwarven mountains and drive westward, destroying everything in their path.

Year 1299 The Orcs are destroyed, the few survivors fleeing back into the Blasted Wastes east of the Dwarven Mountains.

Year 1323 The Berklas Tribe begins its conquest of the other nomadic Vaniri tribes.

Year 1365 The Berklas Tribe founds the Vaniri Empire.

Year 1454 A disgraced dwarf discovers the long-lost Goldenaxe and becomes the new Ortua, sparking a dwarven Civil War.

Year 1456 Another orc incursion stops the dwarf civil war, and is driven back. The new Goldenaxe begins his reign.

Year 1521 Vaniri attempt to invade Cardinia and destroy Blackreach. The attempt fails but the Vaniri War begins.

Year 1525 Cardinia and an alliance of Elven Nations establish a naval blockade of the Vaniri

Year 1531 The Imperatrix, ruler of the Vaniri Empire, is killed, and her daughter surrenders, ending the war.