For QAL ASHEN.
A mesopotamian-esque setting, where the world is consumed by a curse that infuses all living things with Too Much Life, turning them into immortal monsters. The only safe place, where uncursed people remain, is a bleak, theocratic city where the God of Death is worshipped: Qal Ashen.
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Your Spells are rolled from a 1d100 List. In lieu of the intended one, the one from Vain the Sword 2e is also well written and inspiring.
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The First Monarch founded the City, under orders from God Qal Ashen, to provide a sanctuary from the Curse which ravaged the world. They were accompanied by an army, whose descendants are known as the Gravebound, and by a close ally, whom history calls Merodach. The Monarch was known by many names, but their deeds are carved into the city’s very stones.
There are three Sacred Families, each descended from the First Monarch. Each is a collection of petty-dynasties and cadet branches, bound by shared ancestry.
The first is the Royal House, of which the foremost scion is the Tenth Monarch, Belatsunat, the highest authority in the City. They are controversial.
The second is the Quiet House, whose reputation is one of Silence, peace, contemplation and ascetic living. They are beloved.
The third is the Cursed House, named so for dabbling in dark magic, eerie rituals and political manoeuvring. They are widely considered suspicious.
From across the threshold, you step, Sacred One, blessed and feared.
THE SACRED ONE
+1 Save and +1 Language per Template.
A - Prominence, Sanctuary, Immune to Being Ignored
B - Root Memory, Calming Voice
C - 3 Spells, +2 MD
D - Right of Passage, +1 MD
Prominence
You are always the most prominent member of a group. When you are angry, your eyes darken and your voice takes on a leaden aspect.
Denizens of the Underworld and Shades always treat you as a friend.
Choose whether you are a descendant of the Royal House, the Quiet House or the Cursed House.
Sanctuary
When a non-Divine creature attempts to attack you, they must save or be unable to bring themselves to harm you.
Root Memory
When dreaming, drunk, high or otherwise in altered perception, you can send your soul to the Root Memory, an immense black palace contained inside a lightless cavern so vast that the ceiling cannot be seen. Bats flit about a pallid albino garden by a fountain of blood. The architecture is brutalist, and every corridor is obscured by hanging silk, coloured ashen.
There, you may speak in secret with other Sacred Ones, and leave messages for each other.
You can bring people to the Root Memory as visitors, by sleeping next to them, getting drunk from the same wine, high from the same chemic, etc.
Other Sacred Ones can banish visitors you bring, and you can do the same to visitors brought by others.
Calming Voice
You can attempt to dull the emotions of those you are speaking to.
You may attempt to calm all listeners - if they can understand you, they must save. Mindless undead and monsters with less HD than you fail this automatically. When a creature fails a save, their emotions dull to grey outlines, anger drains out, joy becomes hollow and battles halt suddenly.
You cannot use your Calming Voice again until you have done two of the following: sleep, drink a dose of wine or perform a two-hour prayer to Qal Ashen.
Right of Passage
You may walk through the Gates of the Underworld.
Denizens of the Underworld and the Judges of the Dead treat you as an honoured personage.
Undead creatures are incapable of attacking you.
First of all, I love this along with the rest of the Qal Ashen classes. I will admit when I first saw that you had new posts (all of the Qal Ashen), I was a little sad because I have been obsessed with Eikonokosmos, and then also interested in seeing the Firmament Astrologer and Scribe. But I am loving the Qal Ashen world just as much as the others and wanted to come out of lurking silently to make sure you know how awesome you are.
ReplyDeleteAlso, other than the general public perceptions you mentioned for the Houses (controversial, beloved, suspicious) does the chosen House confer any perks or drawbacks?
Thank you! Eikonokosmos and Firmament certainly aren't dead and gone, my work process is just a mess of fits and starts. It's highly likely there will be more of both!
DeleteAs for the Houses thing, other than the reputation, you would be related to NPCs (and possibly other Sacred One PCs), which always affects things - especially if you're, say, the younger sibling of the Tenth Monarch, and next in line for the throne, or something! Hah
Love this. There aren't enough Noble classes, imo. It's an underexplored concept.
ReplyDeleteWhat are all the classes that you're going to do, and are you going to produce a map of the surroundings of Qal Ashen so that other people can run it?