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After the Gods chose their peoples, the Godless Ones went several ways. Some
died out, unable to have children. Others found UL, or demons. The Melcenes gave
themselves over to learning. And the Dals looked to the stars.
Dalasia
Dalasia was conquered rapidly by the Malloreans before the cracking of the world. In fact, the Dals put up no resistance. They tore down their cities and accepted the rule of Mallorea, then went on with their studies. Their only concession was to put up a barrier around Kell to Grolims, one which causes the Grolim to begin an endless, ecstatic contemplation of their God. And whatever God it is they see, it's not Torak, for they show no signs of anything but contentment.
To the outside world, they present the facade of being rough farmers and craftsmen. As such, Dalasians start with four skill levels in any agricultural or craft skill. They do not use money, so they have no business skills.
Dalasian scholars and seers may instead choose to use their skill levels on any combination of pure research or knowledge skills, as well as any supernatural skills except Divining (Ulgo).
Dalasians have the advantage of the group oversoul. Because the oversoul has all knowledge of all Dalasian scholars that ever were, any Dalasian may use one Class X action to "recall" virtually anything that was ever known in the world. If anyone anywhere learned something and recorded the information, all Dalasians probably know it.
This ability does not provide the practical skills required to USE the knowledge, just the information itself. Also, it isn't omniscience. For instance, Cyradis knew of the sovereign specific before anyone else, but did not know how it came to be.
Because they have the oversoul, Dalasians do not speak among themselves. As a result, their use of language tends toward more formal speech, since they've not changed their use of the common language since archaic times. There is also a Dalish language, but it's fallen into disuse.
Seers also have the power to see the future. Anything they want to know about what will happen, they know after one Class X action. This makes them unsuitable as PCs, of course.
However, the information they gain is cryptic, along the lines of, "We need to go down this trail, though it is steeper. It is important." They will always speak the truth, but not always the whole truth.
Each seer has a guide. Guides are the only Dalasians normally trained in
combat. They prefer the staff. They are also very large, muscular and mute. Guides
roll 1d6 and add 12 for their ST and CN. However, no guide will leave his seer so
long as either one lives.
Dryads
Dryads are monsters, which simply means that they are not strictly humans. Though they are monsters, they do not worship UL. They have no particular theology.
Each dryad is bonded with an oak tree at birth. She enjoys the same health as the tree. As time goes on and the tree becomes more deeply rooted, the dryad cannot go as far from it as before. Ultimately, she must stay in the forest that holds the oak.
Dryads prefer to wear green or brown tunics made of spun plant fibers. They also wear sandals whenever possible.
While dryads love sweets in general, chocolate in particular has a peculiar effect. It's akin to orgasm, but has strong overtones of docility and contentment. It can be quite psychologically addictive.
Except for the Rivan queen Ce'Nedra and the wives and daughters of the Borunes, all dryads live in the Wood of the Dryads, a district of Tolnedra.
Dryads prefer bows for their hunting. They do not hunt for food, though, because they eat fruit, nuts, mushrooms and the like (uncooked of course), and drink only water. Instead, dryads hunt invaders in their forest.
Dryads start with four levels of Extra Language (Trees).
Karanda
The Karands and the Morindim descend from a common stock of demon worshippers. While the Morindim turned to a tribal, arctic life, the Karands became farmers.
They also became a much worse variety of demon worshipers. While the Morindim will raise demons for battle and to impress others, the Karands will occasionally raise a demon to breed it with a mortal woman (a great honor in Karandese society). This always results in the death of the mother, and usually the child dies as well. Refer to the monster list for what happens if the child survives.
Karands start with four skill levels to spread among any agricultural skills
and Demonology.
Melcena
The Melcenes turned their lives to study of the world, treating even the supernatural as just another subject. This makes the University of Melcena the second-oldest learning institution in the world after Kell.
Melcenes start with four skill levels spread among any skills requiring
paperwork, record-keeping, etc., or any academic skill. This may include any of
the supernatural arts except the Will and the Word. (Senji tried to teach this,
but it never caught on.) Such arts are considered purely academic in Melcena,
though, so the odds are anyone who knows them works for the University.
Morindland
After the Gods chose their people, the Morindim found a land of their own--the arctic tundra. Gradually their culture evolved around demon worship. Their society is dominated by dreamers and magicians. To them, dreams are more important than the waking world.
Morindim are illiterate. They use markers instead of written language. A typical marker might indicate a curse or pestilence.
Morindim magicians know no supernatural skills, other than those used to summon demons. However, they do have a series of ritual spells they hand down. Though the spells have no real power, all Morindim believe in them, making them effective placebos.
Morindim start with one skill level in Demonology and one in Extra Language
(Morindim markers), and four skill levels in Survival (Arctic).
Perivor
Prior to the shipwreck, treat the inhabitants of Perivor as
Dals. After the shipwreck, they can be treated as Dals or
Mimbrates. They do not, however, worship
Chaldan. He is largely forgotten on Perivor. And there are no
serfs.
Ulgoland
Ulgos are the followers of UL. All monsters technically fall in this category, though most aren't particularly religous. These rules concern themselves only with the human followers of UL.
Ulgo armor is leaf mail, made into a long shirt with a cowl that comes all the way up to cover the forehead. It makes a rustling, rather than clanking, noise. They also use long, hook-pointed knives with saw edges. Treat as a longknife for combat purposes, and double both bleeding and the normal healing time required.
Ulgos start with four skill levels with Survival (Underground). In addition, they gain four skill levels spread among the following skills:
Ulgos also take no vision penalty for anything brighter than absolute darkness. However, they do not handle light well. In situations where the light is brighter than that of a full moon on a cloudless night, Ulgos suffer anywhere from -10% to -50% on sight-related rolls, depending on how much light there is.
Original material © Patrick Clark
1999/2001
Everything else is either © Tai-Gear Simulations or © David & Leigh
Eddings
Last updated 21 November 2001