Candlelight - A Setting for WFRP 3rd Edition

7/29/2019 Candlelight - A Setting for WFRP 3rd Edition

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The setting is a group of five “islands”,

although small continents would be a better

description. The center of these islands, aswell as the capital state is Brimcarr (Old

English for sea and rock), and the capital

city is Bristrol (as well as that to the entireEmpire).

To the north is Gicel (Old English for Ice),

and it harvests the majority of Salt for the

Islands. Salt is found in glaciers, and Gicelhas many glaciers through which to provide

Salt.

To the south is Buclic (Old English for “likea goat”), and as it is the hottest of the Islands

it is the biggest provider of meat, vegetables

and fruits, and pirates. Many pirates makeuse of the island’s coves as base of

operations for them to launch attacks on the

other islands.

To the northeast is Sciedbrim (Old Englishfor “shield and sea”) and prior to the

Flooding it was the biggest producer of

metal and iron. However, since the Floodhad diluted the majority of these materials

the Sciedites have turned to arms

manufacturing, relying on imports from

Neoethan.

To the south west is Noethan (Old Englis for

“below”), so named because it was before

the Flooding the weakest and poorest of theIslands. Prior to the Flooding it had the least

amount of natural materials; its soil was

filled with rocks, making farming difficultand most fish avoided its waters due to the

high concentration of salt. However the

Flooding broke off significant parts of theisland, allowing the Noethians to discover the troves of natural minerals and metals.

Beyond the Islands is for the most part a

mystery. There a pockets of small islandsthat house the Pagan tribes, which makes

travelling anything beyond the Five Way

Routes a dangerous proposition. The

Flooding had completely drowned the

kingdom of Flugsteig, and the mountains became spears of rock and earth that

protrude from the sea. The waters are violent

and no ship has ever managed to journey beyond.

As a result, the Islands have become

isolated. The people of the Islands know

only the words of the Deep God and hisDrowned Priests, and the ruling of the

Empress is unchallenged.

The Frontier Isles

The Islands are the true beacons of

civilization in the Empire, and are the home

of the bulk of the Imperial citizens.However, there are much smaller isles that

lie outside the Imperial jurisdiction. These

islands are on the Frontier, so to speak, the

unexplored seas that represent a new way of life for many Imperial citizens. Many

Imperials want an escape from the

bureaucracy, or they want another chance ata new life. With the use of the Sea Wardens,

the Empire encourages this explorative trait

in its citizens.

The Frontier is called so for a reason – it is

untamed, and when it is untamed that means

it is dangerous. Pirates see easy prey for continued “protection payments”, there are

monsters of the sea that could attack at any

moment, storms that could devastate a smalltown, and Pagan raids. It’s not a safe way of

life, but Imperials have a desire in their

hearts to expand their world. And many do

not have a choice – it’s either remain wherethey are or put their lives on the line and go

to the Frontier.



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The City

The Factions

The Drowned Abbey: The faith of the Deep

God is the dominant, and only legal religion,

on the Islands. Created by Eisaleter Orwyel(A rearranging of the famous occultist

Aleister Crowley’s name) twenty five years

after the Flooding, it oversurped the thenstandard religion of Elethma (a rearranging

of Crowley’s faith Thelema). Fifteen years

of religious “shadow wars” followed untilthe “Ascension at Callisprey” in which

Orwyel oversaw the execution of the last of

the Elethites. They were pushed over thecliffs of Callisprey into the raging tides

below.

Since the Ascension the Drowned Abbey

has become the dominant faith of theIslands. The masked Drowned Priests are a

cornerstone of islander life. Dressed in robes

colored either gray or a dark blue, theycover their faces with a wooden mask

inscribed with waves, fish, whales and other

aspects from the sea. When they are seenwithout their masks their faces are covered

in green paste created from seaweed.

The faith of the deep God is simple: the

Deep God was the cause of the Flooding, but He was also the cause of Salt. Please

him, or else. The “else” is rather ambiguous

and varies from congregation tocongregation although they all follow the

theme of “end of the world”.

Expectations would say that the Drowned

Abbey would argue that any sort of steptowards progress would incur the wrath of

the Deep God, but this is not the case at all.

After all, the Drowned Priests insist that itwas the Deep God that granted the discovery

of Salt in the first place, and the Abbey was

eager to give financial support to engineersof promise.

However, what the Abbey is not progressive

is with the acceptance of magic. The Abbey

preaches that it was man’s careless use of the arcane that caused the Drowning,and

although magic has not been outlawed onthe Islands by law it certainly has turned intoa taboo. Many of the Pagans use magic as

well, and stories of human sacrifice, sexual

deviance, and open worship of the

Whisperer all add to the zeitgeist againstmagic.

The enemy of the religion is the Whisperer,

the patron of sorcery. He is a sly god, portrayed as having a silver tongue (in both

the literal and figurative sense). He does not

have a devilish appearance, but rather as a pale man with blonde hair. The garbs he

wears differ with different interpretations.

The Salters: The Salters are essentially the

engineers of the Islands. The first of theSalters was Toman Neway, who was the

man that discovered the energy producing

properties of Salt. When placed condensedinto liquid and then heated Salt is able to

provide an absurdly large amount of

energy,and since this energy is only expelled

when heated it is also very long lasting. Neway changed the Islands forever; no less

than sixty years after the Flooding, the

Islands were not just equal to their level of prosperity prior of the Flooding, but they

quickly exceeded it.

Neway’s advances in the sciences made bothhim and the Drowned Abbey very rich very

quickly. Following his newfound fortune he

was too quick to establish a faction of other scientific individuals to secure his fortuneand influence on society. The Salters has

become a sort of union for engineers and

scientists that delve into Salt, but they stillhold considerable weight in society. They do

not hold specific political prowess, such as

any of the noble courts or the Drowned



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Abbey, but they are the source of the

Island’s prosperity. Refusing to share any

achievements outside of the Salters wouldhave devastating effects.

Many Salters are often employed by amember of the aristocracy, mostly so theycan share in the glory of their achievements,

but additionally so the Salter will educate

their children. Both will have them be part

of the future of the Islands, one way or another.

The Barons: The Salters are the innovators;

the Barons are the industrialists. The Baronsare the lords of the workers, the masters of

the wages, and the manipulators of the

practical ascension of the Isles. The Baronsare the owners of the factories and the

mines, and they represent the greatest

economic power in the Isles.

The Barons unite under a common banner toensure that their interests are kept in check.

Unlike the Nobles, whom send a

representative to the Court of Lords, theBarons usually just go themselves.

The Men in Red: Signified by a bold red X,

the Men in Red are labeled by anarchist

terrorists by the ruling powers. The Baronsespecially do everything they can to deter

the Red, and the Red in turn will do

whatever they can to undermine the Barons’operations. However, the thing about these

“absolute measures” is that they are not

violent or offensive in any way. The Men inRed essentially help organize laborers across

the factories so that they may get some

representation. They also organize strikesamongst the various factories, often from theshadows.

The Red came about as a result of the poor

conditions of the laborers as instilled by theBarons. The policies of the Barons brought

about then unheard of productivity and

progress in the Isles, at the cost of horrid

working conditions. In reality, this was not

much more different than the abolishedserfdom.

However, there had been a slight divideamongst the Red in the form of The People’s Hammer , a semi militant group that wants to

see a social uprising. The Men in Red have

divided themselves from the Hammer,

insisting in pamphlets and secret meetingsthat they abhor the violent ways of the

Hammer. But the two groups share such

similar goals and philosophies it can be hardto see the differences between the two.

The Noble Courts: Throughout the six

Islands, there are hundreds of noble families.Some date back to the beginning of the

Empire’s history, while some are as recent

as a few years back. All are important, but

not all are as important as others. Manyfamilies have one of their own as a part of

the Court of Lords, a representative body

that shares some of the burden of ruling theIslands with the Empress. Some families do

not have the influence to send one so they

align with other families with similar statureand ideologies and send a representative to

represent them all.

All of the families have an insignia, a coat of

arms, that gives insight into the family’shistory and beliefs, as well as “words of

power” which acts as their catchphrase.

Since the rise of the Barons, the aristocracyhave lost some clout in the machinations of

the Islands. However they are aiming to

secure their place in Islander society.

An important aspect of every royal family isthe idea of renown - the idea that your deeds

are etched into history. Every family has a

steading, and in that steading is a Room of Faces. The Room of Faces is a gallery of

death masks of the most prestigious and

greatest members of their family, and every



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son and daughter is raised up knowing the

name and deeds of each and every one of

these great men and women. Lord Protectors: Each noble family has a

Lord Protector, or several if they feel the

need for them. Lord Protectors areessentially elite bodyguards, although that

does not necessarily mean that is all they do.

Lord Protectors also act as spy masters whenthe need arises. Lord Protectors ensure that

the interest of their noble lord or lady is kept

in check. Becoming a Lord Protector is a

rather informal process - you are either declared one, or you are not.

The Royal Family - The Rosenkratzs: The

Rosenkratz came into power four hundredyears ago at the Glorious Revolution...in

which the noble upstart Joffrey Rosenkratz

in a single night completely assassinated the

royal family and the patriarchs of their mostloyal houses in a single night. It was less

assassination and more lighting the chapel at

which the wedding they were attending onfire and locking all of the gates.

Normally, this would result in Joffrey being

executed for high treason. However immediately following this he had Bristrol

garrisoned with ten legions of mercenaries,

thus holding the capital of the Islands at the

throat. The houses had no choice but toconcede.

Joffrey quickly acted to make sure all of the

major factions were on his side. His predecessor had imposed a series of strict

taxes on the nobles to fund a way with

Kharjavistan, but after the war he had not

redacted them. Joffrey’s removal of thetaxes got enough of the Houses on his side

that he did not need to worry about a coup.

However, many of the peasants loved the preceding emperor. Although he did little of

it in practice, he gave plenty of shows to

demonstrate his love for the serfs and

laborers, such as yearly festivals. Joffrey

quickly acted to abolish serfdom, forcing the

nobles to pay the laborers on their land a fair wage. A civil war nearly broke out over it,

but by the time the dust settled Joffrey was

the most loved emperor in (then) recenthistory.

Lastly, Joffrey earned the respect of the

Elethites by offering his right eye to the fire.

Ever since, the Rosenkratz have firmly beenin power of the Islands. Not even the

Drowning or the rise of the Drowned Abbey

had dissuaded them. The current empress isAdalia II, and her Lord Protector is Mativo

Collesto. She has two children; her eldest

daughter Elizabeth, and her son Caldwin.

Their words are “We Rise Higher and

Higher”, and their insignia is a red rose on a

white banner.

Industry

Bristrol is a vibrant city; it is the crossroads

of the Empire. All of the isles deal with

Bristrol in some way or another; not just because of it being the royal capital but

additionally because it is the heart of the

Empire’s industry. The island of Brimcarr isthe one island of the Empire that has access

to every natural resource a civilization needs

- even Salt is prevalent to Brimcarr in theform of whale blubber and oil - thus giving

it the advantage it needed to conquer all of

the isles.

Thanks to the works of the late Vizery

Kitchiv, Salt was given another purpose inthe form of Chems. Chems are Salt reduced

to an anatomical level thanks to a high levelelectrical current that, when entered into the

bloodstream via syringes, “magical powers”

via alterations of the biological structure of the user. This has, of course, secured the

middle ground between following the faith



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of the Deep God and tapping into

humanity’s latent powers. There is much

dispute within the Drowned Abbey on if thisis pagan magic or scientific progress. For

now Chems are a common factor of life in

the Empire.

Districts

Bristrol is made up of six separate districts,

each serving a different purpose.

Rose District - Also known as the RoyalDistrict or the Lords’ District, the Rose

District is the heart of the Imperial

Government. It is located right in the middleof Bristrol. The White Keep, the home of the

royal family, is located in the middle of the

district.

Bedlam District - An entire district devotedas a prison for the mad and the worst

criminals of the city. The name came from

Bedlam House, which called the districthome before the Great Fire. After the fire,

which devastated many of the prisons and

cells, it was decided to just build a great wall

around the district and dump all of thecriminals in there. It was expected that the

criminal element would just destroy itself.

However, what happened instead was acivilization was created inside Bedlam. Not

much is known, but there is some aspect of a

thriving culture in the Bedlam district, albeitone that lives in the shadow of Bristrol.

The Flooded District - Before the Flooding,

the district that rested on the western shores

was the Government District, where the true

heart of the Empire lied. Back then the RoseDistrict was just all for looks; sure it was

where the White Keep was located, but theCourt of Lords was in the Government

District. But the district was flooded along

with the world, and no engineer hadmanaged to conceive of a way to restore the

district to its former glory.

The Salted District -The smell of the sea

permeates the most southern district. Before

the Salted Revolution the district handledimports and exports of material goods, from

within the Isles and to the rest of the world.But once Salt became such a valuedresource, with the glaciers and whales that

contained them, the handling of trade was

moved over to adjacent district and the

Salted District handled the two goodsexclusively. The famous Asternhouse

Processing Plant and Wrincting Butcher

House reside within this district.

The Industrial District – The Industrial

District is the home of most of Bristrol’sfactories and workshops. The air is thick

with the smell of Salt, and the streets are

filled with workers homes. The near entirety

of the technological advances of the Empireare produced here.

The Old Port District - Before the rise of the Salted District the Old Port District was

a failing center. It was too far off from the

general trading routes to flourish like theSalted District. But once Salt came out, and

the importance of whale blubber became

apparent, many of navigation routes were re-charted to the Old Port District. On paper

this should have been a rejuvenating period

for the district, but in truth it just made

matters worse. Dock workers flocked intothe Old Port, flooding the streets and the

apartments. Most did not find room and

were forced to live on the streets.Contractors hoping to build more apartments

for the additional demand were not able to

get the necessary contracts as the district’s jurisdiction was already filled to the max.



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Career: The Swordborn

Original: Ogre Maneater (Basic)

Lore: While in truth there are only five

islands in the Empire, hundreds of smaller

ones lurk in the seas. Some of these areremnants of the world before the Flooding,

while others are new arrivals caused by

whatever natural means. These clusters of islands have been stereotyped as housing

just the Pagans, but that is not necessarily

true. Many loyal citizens of the Empire live

in this “wilderness”, civilizing the frontier.

The frontier produces many sons and

daughters of the Empire born with an

adventurous fire in their breasts. These thatare “born with a sword in their hands” are

not content with their tropical homes. Theywant to see the entirety of the world, the

good along with the bad. Often times they

become mercenaries, sometimes bodyguards

for the elite. All were forged with their harshexistence. They are often marked with a

small wooden sword – either carved or just a

pair of sticks tied together – hanging fromtheir necks like a pendant.

Career: Pit Fighter

Original: Pit Fighter (Basic)

Lore: Arena fighters date back to even

before Brimcarr united the Islands into theEmpire. The savage nature of the Islands

had produced a love for blood sports that

had never quite left the Imperials after theywere civilized; and so pit fighting continues

as entertainment for the masses and the elite

alike.

Pit fighters come from many walks of life;

just as many are prisoners as there are professional fighters that have turned the

arena into a stage for entertainment. Some

are dressed in little more than rags and

armed with rusted knives, while others wear

finely stitched armaments and equipped with

fine steel.

Career: Mercenary

Original: Mercenary (Basic)

Lore: Ever since the Flooding there had

been relative peace among the Isles. Before

the Flooding nobles would fight amongthemselves – sometimes violently – there

would be captains that would need

additional hands against pirate ships, the

Pagans still had a presence in the unchartedwaters…there were many ways a mercenary

could find work. The Flooding did not

necessarily wash those away. Mercenaries

can act as union busters for the Barons,whaling ships may want to show some

muscle to deter agitated workers fromcomplaining…mercenaries are still an

important part of Imperial life.

Most mercenaries are not born from greenmen: they tend to come from the Imperial

Navy itself. They are men that are used to

the call of battle and the scent of blood ontheir bodies, and either have difficulty

finding clean jobs or have no desire for any.

Career: Bounty Hunter

Original: Bounty Hunter (Basic)

Lore: The criminal elements will alwaysslip through the cracks. The Wardens can

only reach so far, the Guards of the Word

can only search in so many places.Sometimes, you need to rely on Bounty

Hunters to get the job done. Half criminals

themselves, Bounty Hunters will go into thecriminal elements to secure their bounties.

The best of Bounty Hunters will secure their targets alive. That is because most will pay

more handsomely for a living target rather

than a corpse. People love to see criminals

suffer for their crimes, and it is even better if



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that suffering is stretched over dozens of

years instead of condensed into a quick

death. Or a hanging. People love to seehangings.

Career: Soldier Original: Soldier (Basic)

Lore: The Empire may not be at war, but itis not at peace. The Isles are beset by

enemies on all sides; the Pagans in the

frontier, rogue nobles within the cities,

gangs and terrorists that hide within theshadows. Men of arms will always have a

need in the Empire, and professional

soldiers are honored by coin and prestige.

Every Island has their own standing Navy,

so soldiers can be wide spread in terms of discipline, quality of training, and standard

armaments. A blade or rapier is common,

but rifles are practically used across the

board. Most soldiers don’t wear platedarmor, as it is too expensive and will do

little against a bullet.

Career: Veteran

Original: Veteran (Advanced)

Lore: Every soldier of the Isles is a trained

fighter man, to some extent, but that does

not mean they will experience combat. The

Isles are at relative peace, and the largestscenes of combat are on the frontier islands

and they have almost no Imperial presence.

However, the seas are another matter.Monsters inhabit the murky depths and

pirates plague the coast. The Navy fights to

preserve the prosperity of the Isles andImperial men and women die every day.

There are those that survive, and they arehonored. But there are also those that go

beyond mere survival become men who are

trusted by their commanders to get the job

done no matter the cost. Veterans are

celebrated soldiers in the Imperial Navy, but

they are not commanders of men. Not yet,

although it is likely that they will achievethat distinction in time if they desire it.

Some Veterans remain with the ships they

were originally assigned to, while others areenlisted into elite squads.

Career: Champion

Original: Champion (Epic)

Lore: It is an odd thing, to be declared a

Champion. Being a Champion is not justsome mere ceremonial declaration – a

Champion is the greatest warrior in a branch

of the Imperial Navy, or in an entire region.

Champions are the greatest soldiers that are

employed by the Empire, and there are

significant privileges associated with thatdistinction. They are often hired by the greatLords of the Empire, or perhaps even by the

Empress herself. Many admirals will come

to them for advice and suggestions inmatters of stratagem.



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However, Champions will often be

demanded to take command in matters of

martial law. Many Champions arecontroversial figures because of their

association with Barons or Lords that have

enacted policies that go against publicinterest. The opposite is true as well, with

some Champions harboring legislature that

the public approved.

Career: The Iron Marked

Original: Sword Master (Basic)

Lore: Those That Are Marked by Iron, or

the Iron Marked, or the Marked, are a

warrior society that borders on religious

ground. The date back to a time before thefactories, before Salt, before the Flooding.

The Touched follow a rigorous code of honor that has them do Good, a belief that is

greater than all other tenants in their

discipline.

The Marked are some of the very best

swordsman in the Islands, but the

appreciation for such talent is losing itsluster when faced with rifles. The fact that

the Touched adhere to such a rigid code in

the face of so much change makes them acontroversial figure at best. For example,

Touched are to aid the righteous rulers in

benefiting a region – but who is a righteous

ruler when a man can be given charge just by having a large sum of money?

Career: City Watch

Original: Watchman (Basic)

Lore: Those of the Watch are not part of the Navy, although that does not disqualify

them from having come from that or

enlisting in the future. The City Watch arethe police of Bristrol, the upholders of the

law. Not all are necessarily under the

Imperial pay grade – the rich may hire

members of the Watch to act as bodyguards

for their estates.

Although the Watch is a lawful

organization, not all members act with such

distinction.Watchmen have

been known to

take bribes, or take advantage

of others. In

essence, they are

gang thugs indifferent clothes.

Although

officially the

commissionerssay they are

cracking downon such

behavior, the

truth is much

more muddled.The Watch has to go into the center of crime

riddled Bristrol, and Watchmen are not

nearly compensated well enough. To saythey take their fair share from those they

protect would be fairly close to the truth.

Career: Duelist

Original: Avengers (Advanced)

Lore: Honor is everything to men of station.

How men perceive you will affect everyaspect of your life and whom you deal with.

If you are seen as a man of dishonor you

will be treated as such and your life willcrumble into run. Unless you are a man of

power and influence, in which case you can

escape with power intact. However, therewill be those that are harmed by such

individuals. And they will want justice.

Avengers are those men and women of nobility that have sworn to right these

wrongs.



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Avengers are assassins, but they are those of

respect and dignity. They are well trained in

the use of dueling blades and pistols, and aresome of the very best one-on-one fighters in

the Empire. Some Avengers are legendary in

their exploits, and some of their hunts canlast years. An Avenger can be defeated in

combat, but until death takes them they will

not rest until they have taken their target.

Career: Commandant

Original: Thane (Advanced)

Lore: A Commandant is a noble who has

been educated in the ways of war and

formulate tactics and strategies for Admrials

and their Captains. In truth it would be better to say that Commandants are

scientists of war, rather than an actual practitioner as they rarely see the field of

battle once they achieve the rank.

The position is not a hereditary one, butrather one bought with coin. As a result

many Commandants have little practical

knowledge of warfare and are readilyignored by the more practiced war staff.

Those that prove themselves to know their

stuff are a welcome member to any advisory board on an Admiral’s fleet.

Career: Commodore

Original: Captain (Advanced)

Lore: The navies of the Empire are

appointed by the Count of each Isles to be

led by an Admiral of their choosing, whofollows the command of the Fleet Admiral,

who is in turn voted into office by the

Empress and the Court of Lords. However,it is very rare (to the point of nonexistence)

for any Admiral to give direct orders to his

fleet. Instead Admirals will direct orders to

Commodores, each whom have commandover a dozen or so captains.

Most Commodores are nobles who had paid

well for the position, although men of low birth but of considerable talent have

managed to secure the position. They maynot necessarily have much martial

experience, but nearly every Commodore is

an individual somewhat versed in the

knowledge of warfare and knows how tolead men.

Career: Captain

Original: Sergeant (Advanced)

Lore: In a fashion, the Imperial Navy is aseries of men being assisted by men who are

in charge of a body of men. The Admiral of

the Fleet gives his orders to the Admirals of

each of the Isles, who interpret his orders



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and give those interpretations to their

Commodores, who then give their orders to

the Captains under their command. The tensof thousands of Captains of the Imperial

Navy command a wide body of sailors and

soldiers, being as low as three or four to asmuch as a few hundred. The Captains are

always on the front lines of any naval

engagement, and are as likely to be killed asthe men under their command.

Commodores are most likely to be nobles

who had paid for their position, but Captainsare going to be cut from the common cloth

as they are men who proved themselves

capable of leading men in battle. A good

Captain has to be a good soldiers, or else thechain that is the Imperial Navy will just

break apart.

Career: Privateer

Original: Outrider (Advanced)

Lore: In the years before the Flooding,

when the Empire was in a cold war with

Massalia, many Captains were given permission to raid and pillage Massalian

ships and colonies. In truth they were little

better than pirates, except for the distinctionof being titled Privateers and their exploits

being manners of war rather than acts of

criminals. Privateers would often be used to

either break blockades imposed upon theEmpire or to enforce those that were

executed upon Massalia.

However, with Massalia being either

outright destroyed or separated from the

Isles for as long as the Maelstrom is ragingthe Privateers would appear to be an extinct

profession. However, there is the matter of

the Frontier Isles, islands that areunexplored and awaiting to be touched by

the Empire. Privateers are now glorified

explorers, seeking out these islands and

performing raids on Pagan settlements.

Career: Marksman

Original: Marksman

Lore: In the years before the Flooding,missile troops were often reduced to

support. Emphasis was always placed on the

martial fighters; shield and sword had moreweight than bows and arrows. However with

the advance of Salt and guns the Admirals

are reconsidering the importance of missile

troops. Many battles are fought on sea now,and attacks from a distance can reduce

casualties.

Marksmen are amongst the very best of theEmpire’s missile troops. They unanimously

all use long barreled rifles, and have some of the best precision within the Imperial army.

However they are used, they make good use

of the Imperial taxes. With advances in

technology, and as bladed weapons becomeout of date, marksmen will become more

essential to the Imperial military doctrine.

The Knight Career

Pistolier › Knight › Knight of the Inner Circle › Preceptor

Career: Pistolier

Original: Pistolier (Basic)

Lore: In the days of old, before the

Flooding, before Salt and whale oil, the

Barons and the factories, knights were theepitome of the might of Imperial nobility.

These armored soldiers, trained to be the

very best of military might, formed the core

of the army. Trained in every aspect of weaponry – the lance, the sword and shield,

halberd, short swords – a single knight could

easily stand his own against two or threemen-at-arms.

However, the age of the lance is over. Therifle and pistol are overtaking the sword, and



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the knight has changed with them. Before, a

squire would be ascended to knighthood,

and it would take noble influence for a boyto gain the privilege of being a squire. Now,

even though one must almost always be a

noble to do so, most knights first become a pistolier at the Pistol Academy before they

ascend to knight hood. Once they graduate,

and serve years on many ships on thefrontiers, if a Knightly Order desires them,

they will become a knight.

Career: Knight

Original: Knight (Advanced)

Lore: Each knight is one of the best soldiers

under the Imperial banner…but no knight istruly alone. To be ascended to knighthood a

knight must be initiated into one of the sixKnightly Orders. The Orders

linked in history, fighting

styles, heraldry and oaths to

one and another. Each knightof the Order is at least a

brother to another, and the

Grand Master usually viewsall those below him as a son

or daughter. No Grand

Master will ever send aknightly child to their death

without the very best of

reasons.

Almost all knights earned

their marks as a pistolier before they were

accepted into an Order, although someearned the honor through adventuring. These

are exceptional cases and not the norm.

Before knights would fight with martial

weapons, and although nearly every knight

will have a sword or spear at his side theKnightly Orders have taken to the pistol and

rifle. They had thrown away the chivalric

plated armor, taking up armor that absorbs

the impact of shrapnel instead. Bones can

still be broken, but bits of metal will not be

plunged into the knights’ flesh.

Special: All knights must select an Order to join before becoming a knight.

Career: Knight of the Inner Circle Original: Knight of the Inner Circle

(Advanced)

Lore: There is not a single knight within

any Knightly Order that is not trained to the

highest standards of the Empire or is

bestowed upon nothing less than the bestarmaments within the Isles. There is also not

a single knight that does not at the least

admire those of their brothers and sisters

that sit within the Inner Circle of their Order.

Those of the Inner

Circle have bled the

most, have fought the

most, and have wizenedthe most amongst all of

their ranks, save the

Grand Master themselves. There is no

one way to enter the

Inner Circle – it is a personal call by the

Grand Master. Some

Orders have been

known to go without asingle knight in the

Inner Circle for a period of time.

Requirement: To become a Knight of the

Inner Circle a character must complete the

Knight career.

Career: Preceptor

Original: Preceptor (Advanced)

Lore: Within the rank of the Knightly

Orders the Preceptor has authority second to

only the Grand Master of the Order. It is the



14

Preceptor that maintains the chapter houses

that dot the landscape of the Empire, and in

times of war it is the Preceptor that leads his brother and sister knights into battle.

Requirement: To become a Preceptor acharacter must complete the Knight of the

Inner Circle career.

The Sea Warden Career Sea Warden › Defender of the Isle ›

Empire’s Declarant

Career: Sea Warden

Original: Ironbreaker (Basic)

Lore: The islands that dot the Frontier are in

constant peril. There are the threats of paganraids, pirates assaulting the islands for

resources, assaults from sea monsters, andinternal conflicts produced by the pressures

of the Frontier. The Empire sees the Frontier

as an investment, and so they send the SeaWardens to secure those investments.

Sea Wardens work with Privateers to expandthe Empire. Privateers find settlements while

Sea Wardens protect the island from all of

its dangers. They act as both dictators andgeneral for the island community as itgrows, and Wardens will often select an

apprentice and pass his knowledge and

powers of office onto him as he retires. EachSea Warden is a capable soldier in his own

right, as well as general, governor and

diplomat. Sea Wardens are a rare breed.

Career: Defender of the Isle

Original: Ironshield (Advanced)

Lore: There are no “true” in between rank

from being a Sea Warden and becoming an

Empire’s Declarant. A Defender of the Isleis an informal title, one known to signify a

Warden that has on at least several

occasions saved the island community fromotherwise fatal circumstances. It could be

from a Hydra, or a raid from pirate gangs or

an assault from the Pagan tribes, or perhaps

even an insurrection from within thecommunity.

Whatever the circumstances, when aWarden starts to refer to himself as a

Defender is when the enemies of the Empire

start to reconsider attacking that specificisland. Or when they start to be all the more

aggressive to put an end to it.

Requirement: To become a Defender of theIsle a character must complete the Sea

Warden career.

Career: Empire’s DeclarantOriginal: Ironbeard (Advanced)

Lore: There are only twenty three

individuals in the whole of the Empire who

have earned the title of Empire’s Declarant.

That is because one can only become aDeclarant after their island protectorate has

formally joined the Empire. It is a rare thing

– just because there is the presence of aWarden does not mean any frontier island

will survive all of the trials it has faced.

Additionally, it takes time for a communityto grow to the point where it is no longer an

outpost, but an actual town or city.

Declarants are both revered and pitied. Onone hand, they helped add to the Empire,

helped guide a community to prosper. But a

Declarant is without purpose. A mayor or governor will be elected to take over the

island. Declarants can be allowed to stay, to

remain on hand, but it is just a ceremonial position. Many Declarants are too old to do

anything else but stay, but a few go out onto

the seas again.

Requirement: To become an Empire’s

Declarant a character must complete the

Defender of the Isle career.



15

The Hunter Career Pagan Hunter › Spirit Hunter › Heathen

Hunter

Career: Pagan Hunter

Original: Troll Slayer (Basic)

Lore: The Pagans are the greatest menace

the Isles have ever seen, if the Abbey isanything to go by. They have abandoned the

words of God, they been seduced by spirits

and trickster gods, and they raid upon islandsettlements. Perhaps the degree of the threat

they pose is an exaggeration, but the fact

that they pose a threat is unquestionable.

And some Imperials have been hurt more so

than others. Some have been devastated by

the Pagans, and they want vengeance. Theywant it so deeply, it burns with such

intensity within their breasts, that nothing

else matters. These individuals declarethemselves to be “Hunter”. They tattoo

themselves in the insignia of the Deep God,

and they go hunting after the Pagans. They

infiltrate their lands, and from the shadowsthey kill. Sometimes they go in plain sight

and take as many Pagans as they can.

Almost all of them die. As soon as a man

declares himself to be a Hunter, newspapers

add him to their list of the recently deceased.

Career: Spirit Hunter

Original: Giant Slayer (Advanced)

Lore: Hunters live to kill; they fill their lives with the death of their enemies. But asthey kill, a twisted realization sets upon

them. The Pagans are not the true enemy.

Just as the blade is not what one should seek

vengeance on, Hunters that survive their initial encounters refocus their rage onto the

spirits. Whether true or not, many Hunters

decide that the Spirits are simply controlling

the Pagans to do their bidding, to commit as

much chaos as they can get away with.

Many Hunters do not survive their first

encounter with the wraiths and elementals of the world. Even less so than those that

survive their first strike against the Pagans.

But if they can become an enemy of theForest Gods, then the Hunter is something to

fear. And the Whisperer becomes interested.

Requirement: To become a Spirit Hunter acharacter must complete the Pagan Hunter

career.

Career: Heathen Hunter Original: Dragon Slayer (Advanced)

Lore: When a Hunter returns to the Isles, it

is often for one of two reasons. Firstly, and

the more common of the two, to gather up

supplies that cannot be salvaged from theruins of their exploits. The second is much

rarer: to hunt heathens. When one declares

himself a Hunter, he is usually so clouded by bloodlust and fury that he does not see

any enemy beyond the Pagans. But, as the

Abbey so often loves to declare to itsdevotees, not all worshippers of the

Whisperer are outside the Empire’s borders.

In fact, there are many that hide under the

shadows of the Empire, meeting andconjuring foul magic in the homes and

streets.

There are some Hunters that had come to

hunt these heathens. By now their bloodlust

has subsided. They have become practical intheir executions, for they realize they need

to live. So few realize the abundance of

heathens within the Empire’s domain, after all. They do not act brashly, they do not just

crack down every door. In some ways, they

are detectives now. They learn the art of



16

investigating, they interview and interrogate.

They get their facts straight.

And then they strike, utterly and completely.

THE KNIGHTLY ORDERS

The Order of the Last Sons (Knights of the

Blazing Sun)

The Order of the Last Sons was formed in

the fires of the War of the Roses betweenthe Empire and Masallia. The battle at the

Horns of Liuxcreio were one of the

definitive ones in the war, as it involved

fighting for domain over the hills that wasthe battle’s namesake. Masallia would win

the battle in the end, and eventually the war,

but both sides sustained massive losses.

The Legion of the True Sons of the Empire

was one of the older Knightly Orders thatserved the Empire, and going by its name it

was a very exclusive organization. Only

those who could prove that their bloodlines

originated to the First Men were allowed to

swear brotherhood. The True Sons wereknown as a mostly ceremonial position, but

at the Battle of the Horns the nearly gavetheir lives so the Sixth Battalion could enact

a devastating attack on the Masallian Fourth

Legion.

The survivors of the True Sons returned to

the Empire and created a new knightlyorder, that of “the Last Sons”. The exclusive

nature of the True Sons was discarded,

allowing any with merit to swear the words.They put a heavy emphasis on tacticalawareness, using strategy over brute force.

A sense of duty before one’s life is a big

aspect of the order, and many Last Sons hadsacrificed their lives.

Knights of the Chimera (Knights Griffon)

The Order of the Knights of the Chimera

was founded during the Chimera Wars,when the Empire was split into a three way

civil war. Knights from the three kingdoms

came together and formed a single Order and swore to fight for the king best suited to

rule the Empire. After the civil war came to

a close the Knights of the Chimera shiftedtheir objective to acting as protectors of the

Imperial capital. This has put them at odds

with the Roseguard, as they see themselves

as the Emperor’s elite guard and byextension protective of the city as well. The

City Watch has also been opposed to the

Chimera on occasion.

Knights of the Gray Kraken (Knights of

the White Wolf)

Also known as the Gray Krakens, this Order

is the fist of the Drowned Abbey. The

Drowned Abbey forces all of their priests toundergo martial training, but they are not

equipped to represent the Deep God on the

battlefield. Those knights that align with theGray Kraken fill that void. Gray Krakens

can be found throughout the Empire, but the

bulk of their brotherhood can be foundwithin the capitol city of Bristrol.

Knights of the Gray Kraken serve in the

armies of nobles but their primary loyaltiesare to the Drowned Abbey. When the Abbey

calls for their “excursions” of the Pagans

they also send a small score of GrayKrakens along with whatever volunteers out

on their raids.

The Order of the Darkly Sons (Order of

the Fiery Heart)

For most of its existence the Order was kept

away from the history books. Until the years

after the Flooding the Order did not

accomplish anything that warranted



17

historians spending the time and energy to

scribing them into the annals. However after

the world was submerged into the depths of the sea the Darkly Sons were amongst the

first to help establish communications with

the other Isles. They were not the onlyindividuals to do so, but they were the only

Knightly Order.

As such the Darkly Sons have become

associated with selfless individuals who are

the first on the scene, as well as

understanding the importance of knowledge.The Darkly Sons don’t dispute such

associations, often times more than willing

to allow a library to be named in the honor

of one of their knights.

The Order of the Knightly Heart (Order of the Knights Panther)

In the wake of the Flooding, many Knightly

Orders were lost. The Knightly Heart wasformed from the ruins of several Orders,

whose survivors banded together to survive

in the new world. After order wasestablished, the Knightly Heart was one of

the first to make contact with the Pagan

threat and coincidentally aligned with theDrowned Abbey. The Knightly Heart was

paramount in the defeat of Elethma,

although they were not present at the

Ascenstion at Callisprey.

Those of the Knightly Heart are not

dedicated to any one province of the Empire – except those that they were loyal to prior

to their oaths. The Knightly Heart sees itself

as a protector of the Empire as a whole. Nor do they see themselves as distinctly

associated with the Drowned Abbey, despite

its historical association with the faith. Theyembody the “knightly heart”; they put

themselves above politics and do what they

feel is best for the Empire. This has dragged

them into more than one controversy over

the years.

The Roseguard (The Reiksguard)

There is no Knightly Order in the Empire

with more prestige than the Roseguard. The personal army of the Rosenkratz royal

family, each and every member has sworn a

solemn vow to protect each member of the

royal family at all costs. Even at their ownlife if the situation demands it. Only the very

best are even nominated, and from that

selective group the prime candidates are

chosen. The leader of the Roseguard isAlfred Pitchford, a man reputed as being the

second best swordsman in the Empire behind the Empress’ Lord Protector Mativo

Collesto.

Like most Orders the majority of the knightscome from noble stock, and being a sword

in the Roseguard is amongst the highest

social honors. Every lord clamors for their son and marital daughter to be counted

amongst this reputed organization. Only a

sliver of those aspirations are met, however.

Upon swearing the vows, a newly knighted

Roseguard is given an order to venture into

the world. Sometimes it is to match againstthe Pagans, sometimes to secure a person or

relic of interest. Only upon successfully

completing this order can a Roseguardreturn home and assume his duties to the

Empress.



18



19

Career: Thief

Original: Thief (Basic)

Lore: What’s yours is mine, says the Thief.

The thief is a rogue, an outcast of societythat lives within society’s domain. They take

what they want to survive. Or perhaps it is

for fun. The only qualifications one needs to be a thief is to steal. Most thieves are just

petty catpurses, snipping a purse of coins on

unsuspecting victims. Few will go intohouse burglary, treading their way through a

vacant home for valuables.

For authorities, it’s an easy understanding of

the situation. You take what isn’t yours, youget put in jail. For the thieves, it’s also a

simple understanding: try to catch me if youcan. As such many thieves understand the

layout of the city they “employ” in, or

perhaps know of how to escape into woodsif they live off of a town.

Career:

Original: Thug (Basic)

Lore: Criminal gangs perpetuate the Islands.Each major city has at least half a dozengangs perpetuating in criminal empires, as

well as a war between them to wipe the

competition off the crime-political map.Thugs can, in theory, come from a wide

array of origins but nearly all of them come

from the poor. Some of them are bastard

children but that is the closest many of themwill ever come to greatness.

Most thugs are just muscle, but some have

quite a few street smarts to them. If they can play their cards right than these men of the

street could find themselves a little bithigher than the regular cutter.



20

Career: Ranger

Original: Waywatcher (Basic)

Lore: As the world becomes more

industrial, there will be those that cling tothe natural world. Or what remains of it. If a

man calls himself a ranger, he is a man that

knows how to live off the wild. If all of society were to break down tomorrow, it

would not affect a ranger’s ability to live.

He knows how to trap animals, what berries

can cure upset stomachs and what will giveyou poison, and essentially anything else

that one needs to live off of the wilderness.

Just because rangers can live off the landdoes not mean that they

live in the land. Manyrangers employ

themselves a tour

guides, or as hunters.

Most of them wear lightclothes when the

weather is permissible,

and it is uncommon of find a ranger that makes

use of a rifle or pistol.

Arrows still provide thecleanest kill, and it can

take hours to extract all

of the bullet shards

from a carcass.

Career: Hunter

Original: Hunter (Basic)

Lore: There is a keendifference between the

ranger and the hunter:

the ranger knows how to live off of the land,while the hunter knows how to profit off of

it. To the hunter, he sees the wilderness and

he sees things that people want. He is an

industrial man to be sure, but instead of

fumes he fills his life with the scent of the

world. He hunts animals for their pelts, he

forages for alchemical ingredients, securesthe location of trees with profitable lumber.

Rural communities find a great deal of valuein hunters. He know how to bring a large

variety of meat onto their tables, and with

his pelts he can bring in merchants who inturn could provide business for the rest of

the town.

Career: Explorer

Original: Scout (Basic)

Lore: The Islands are a beacon of

civilization, but that does not mean all of theIsles have been

explored. There aremany “comprehensive”

maps that have gaps.

Explorers are

individuals that fill inthose gaps. They go

into the depths of the

unknown and chart newroutes for faster travel.

As such many Barons

will employ explorersso that they may more

quickly ship and receive

goods. Ships are not

practical and are tooexpensive for shipping

from one end of an

island to another.

Being an explorer is

mostly a solitary profession. It is rare for

an explorer to partner

up with someone because that means anymonetary reward will be divided. As such

most explorers are a jack of all trades,

understanding how to live off the land, some

local historical knowledge so as to discern

The Hunter in the Woods –

http://tansy9.deviantart.com/art/The-Hunter-in-the-

Woods-206313014



21

ruins and any artifacts, and how to safely

traverse dangerous natural environments.

Career: Smuggler

Original: Smuggler (Basic)

Lore: In a way, a smuggler is just a

merchant. He is just one that does not pay

taxes. Just as the title suggest, a smuggler will smuggle products past the trade officials

so as to having to avoid paying taxes.

Having to pay a tax raises the base price of a

product, so if a smuggler can do that thenthey can undercut the competition, and

naturally get more customers. That’s not to

say all smugglers directly sell their goods to

their customers – some may act as aretriever of goods for a merchant.

Snuggling upsets the economic balance of

the Empire…the way the trade official see it,

at least. Although moderated, the import

taxes of the Empire can be manipulated byless scrupulous officials to earn them a

pretty penny while merchants and their

customers have to make up for it. Smugglinggives an avenue for them to get their fair

share, albeit one that can get everyone

involved thrown into the dungeons for anindefinite period of time.

Career: Forger

Original: Forger (Basic)

Lore: Sometimes people need to make

something fake look like the real deal. Whenyou need to deal in that certain wing of

criminal enterprises, you employ a forger.

Forgers “forge” documents. It sounds like asimple thing, but it can be huge for a tax

collector to extract just a little more out of

his district’s pockets, or so a crooked lawyer can make winning that big case just a little

bit easier.

Forgers have their hands in many pockets –

they need to be in order for them to do what

they do. They are one part printer, one partlawyer, and the rest of them is all crooked.

Most Forgers tend to stay low – they don’t

overtly advertise their services for obviousreasons.

Career: Grave Robber

Original: Grave Robber (Basic)

Lore: The Drowned Abbey preaches that

the bodies of the recently deceased should be returned to the sea, back to the embrace

of the Deep God. However there is that lull

period between the wakes, the funeral, and

the actual Return. All of these provide anopportunity for grave robbers to secure the

corpse.

There are many natural philosophers who

wish to study the human anatomy, but must

do so in secret lest society and the Abbeycondemn them for it. These well-meaning

men rely on grave robbers to give them the

opportunity to do so, and will pay well for it.A nefarious profession has arisen in the

underworld, but it is not one that would not

be easily abandoned if its practitioner weregiven the financial opportunity.

Career: Gambler

Original: Gambler (Basic)

Lore: Gamblers don’t just gamble with their

coins but with their lives as well, as thesaying goes. Games of chance are fairly

popular across all spectrums of Imperial life,

not just amongst the poor as they are often portrayed. Often times these games are justused as pastimes, with tokens like chips of

wood or flat stones used as gambling tokens.

But there are some that actually turngambling into a way of life, turning high

class gambling dens into an arena.



22

The second half of the saying comes into

play when the gambler has to back up on his

debts, and he has nothing in his pockets.Chances are, he took a loan from someone

you really should not take a loan from.

That’s when the gambler has to skip town or have a knife stuck in their gut.

Career: Boxer

Original: Wardancer (Basic)

Lore: There is nothing like a good blood

sport – two men (or women, or any variationthereof) duking it out in the arena, all of the

emotions and adrenaline thrown in with

them as they fight to be the match winner.

But a part of being civilized is the agreementto not murder a good citizen, and the

gladiators have been dealt away with longago. So boxing rose up, where two

combatants while fight with solely their fists

until another concedes or is knocked out.

Boxers have grown very popular with the

masses, and the higher tiers have learned to

appreciate these sport combatants. A fewhave even come from the Navy and these

individuals seem to become favorites of the

currently enlisted. Every boxer is a fiercecombatant in the ring, although out of the

ring may be a different story.

Career: Assassin

Original: Assassin (Advanced)

Lore: Prostitution is the oldest profession, itis said. If that is true, then assassination is

the second oldest. There are certainly few

more powerful tools to be utilized in the political games of the Empire. Most

assassins go from noble to merchant lord,

while a few strictly serve a singular individual. Whatever the case, they are hired

killers and if any member of the Watch

catches one in the act then the chase is on.

Most assassins are able to slip away,

however, which is why the Watch often

attaches a hefty bounty to any they are made

aware of.

Most assassins congregate in cities – that is

after all where most of the jobs are. A fewhave warred against each other to take away

the competition, but most assassins prefer to

stay out of each other’s way unless the jobrequires it.

Career: Detective

Original: Investigator (Advanced)

Lore: There have always been crimes, and

there have always been those that have gone

after the criminals. The only thing that haschanged are the expertise of the individuals.

Detectives represent a new face of criminalapprehension – things like finger prints haveradically changed the playing field. Even

more so, what used to be volunteering

vigilantism has turned into a paying

profession.



23

Many of the organizations with authority

keep on tabs a detectives of some renown.

The City Watch usually has a few off therecords, and many nobles have a few they

have in their confidence should they require

some sleuthing in one matter or another.Detectives are mercenaries, but they deal

with the truth rather than the sword. As such

they have more respect in higher circles.

Career: Crime Lord

Original: Crime Lord (Epic)

Lore: At the head of an intense criminal

organization is an individual termed as a

“crime lord”. Crime lords may have focused

on a singular criminal wing and eliminatedall other competitors, but more likely they

have their hands in many pies. He may havecontrol of a single gang or several, and it is

unlikely he has control of such a vast

network of thieves and thugs without a few

lieutenants to keep them in line.

Crime lords may dress in a variety of ways –

from the greatest of fashions to hiding in plain sight with casual line of clothes – but

whatever the case they always keep a few

spare weapons. They may get ambushed, betrayed by a lieutenant, or have their home

raided by the authorities. Any crime lord

will be well versed in the arts of murder,

intelligent, manipulative, and just paranoidenough to be healthy.

Career: Vampire Hunter

Original: Vampire Hunter (Epic)

Lore: Vampire, also called dhampir, are theGods of the Undead. They were the first of

the Dead and as such they have control over

the departed that have not been cleansed.Unlike common folktales, vampires are not

restricted just the night. Nor do they have

sharp ears, red eyes, and pale flesh.

Vampires by all accounts look like a

common man…until they reveal their true

natures. And by then it is too late for the

victim.

Vampire Hunters are those that hunt these

gods of the underworld. They may comefrom the Witch Hunter profession, but it is a

not requirement. Vampire Hunters are

careful, as vampires themselves are careful

creatures and hide their tracks well. Many

Vampire Hunters are also quite aware that

not all vampires are evil necessarily, and

some vampires have been known to

collaborate with Vampire Hunters to help

take down their more depraved brethren.



24



25

Career: Chef

Original: Chef (Basic)

Lore: Throughout the five islands, chefs of

every caliber and cuisine dot the landscape

with all manner of restaurants for the publicto enjoy. These folk range drastically in

personality and personal tastes, as it does not

take a specific character trait for one to become a renowned and respected chef. The

true dream of every chef is to one day

successfully serve the citizens of the capital

city, Bristrol. Better yet would be the prospect of being stationed in the royal

kitchen, located in the royal family’s

prestigious home the White Keep, but very

few chefs ever reach this level of honor andglory in their profession. Many fine chefs

are able to find work on one of the manymerchant ships that continuously sail

between the islands to sell their wares.

These positions are typically not as well-

paying or satisfactory as one of theaforementioned jobs in Bristrol’s kitchens,

but they tend to be serviceable enough

depending on the greed (or lack thereof) of the merchant in question. Chefs typically

stay within their respective area for supplies

and ingredients, but the state of Brimcarr tends to have the finest ingredients and

merchandise on hand year-round. For this

reason, particularly cunning and

adventurous restaurateurs will visitBrimcarr, particularly Bristrol and its

surrounding cities, in order to gather the

finest and most exotic produce to delighttheir customers back home.

Career: Dockhand

Original: Dockhand (Basic)

Lore: The expansive and important use of sea travel and commerce amongst the

islands creates many varied professions for

the Empire’s lower and higher citizens, the

most simplistic yet necessary of these

positions belonging to the dockhands. These

are typically simple-minded yet reliable

individuals who are able to carry their weight (and then some) in precious cargo for

merchant ships and private vessels alike.

Depending on the size and prowess of themerchant ship in question, it can take several

dockhands to secure and unload one ship in

an efficient manner. These men and womentypically spend their free time (in between

docking ships) in local taverns or at home

with their families. The most prominent area

of trade is the capital city, Bristrol, wheremany dockhands are employed and stay

regularly busy throughout the year thanks to

the constant and plentiful trade going in and

out of the city. The island of Buclic is also asafe haven for dockhands thanks to the

area’s large exports of meat and fruits (thelatter being a seasonal occurrence). Much

salt is also exported from Gicel, giving

dockhands a reason to reside there as well.

Career: Scholar

Original: Scholar (Advanced)

Lore: The life of a scholar within the

Empire is typically a peaceful and respected

one. Once a student chooses to further his or her education and be elevated to this

prestigious level, he or she has basically

decided to devote his or her entire life to

gaining every possible grain of knowledgeconcerning a certain subject. These astute

individuals also spend at least a small

amount of time lecturing their younger colleagues on the subject in question,

furthering their own understanding of the

field of study in the process. There are a vastnumber of fields these scholars may devote

their lives to, most of which fall within the

realms of sciences, mathematics, history,literature, philosophy, and language.

Depending on their field of study, scholars

may be content to simply stay in their

hometowns for their entire lives or may



26

ALCook - http://alcook.deviantart.com/art/Stephen-

Merchant-Cabinet-Card

choose to study abroad, seeing science,

history, and culture in action firsthand. They

may even join a troupe of adventurers if theend goal fits the scholar’s desired studies.

The adventurer(s) may find the scholar to be

quite the helpful companion as well, sincehis or her vast knowledge could keep the

troupe out of danger and in a good light with

the citizens of another society or culture.

Career: Chamberlain

Original: Chamberlain

(Advanced)

Lore: Within the White

Keep, the royal servants

and employees are keptin line and given their

proper instructions bythe royal chamberlain.

This individual has a

highly respectable and

sought after job, as he is paid far more than any

of the other workers

within the royal house.The job of a

chamberlain is not a

simple task, however,since he or she must

keep a watchful eye on

all of the servants

within the expansivewall s of the white keep

while writing out and

detailing a clever andeffective regimen for

the workers to follow each day. The

chamberlain is the first to take the blame for an unkempt area of the house, as it is his or

her constant responsibility to make sure that

every inch of the estate is cleaned properlyand efficiently by the workers. In order to

make the working troupe as efficient as

possible, the chamberlain must sometimes

“trim the fat,” so to speak, telling off

slacking workers and letting them go

whenever necessary. At times, the job must

require a sharp tongue and the ability toeffectively scare or startle the workers into

being as thorough and quick as possible in

order for the chamberlain to keep his or her proverbial head safe from the judgmental

nobility. The chamberlain, however, is often

a well-to-do and respected individual amongthe noble family, and the position is never

simply thrown around

to anyone who asks for

it. It is a position thatrequires a background

of intelligence,

respectable family, and

business prowess for acceptance and

success.

Career: Merchant

Original: Merchant

(Advanced)

Lore: In the Empire,

merchants are a mostlyrespectable and

important cast of

characters, importingand exporting wares

between the islands

with efficiency and

prowess. Because of theEmpire’s geological

nature, merchants

typically travel by wayof ships that are

tailored to the seller’s specific needs. A ship

requires plenty of space for cargo and thenecessary crew members. It also must be

fairly secure in order to ward off pirate

attacks of at all possible, which are a typicaloccurrence in the Empire’s waters. While

merchants are held in high regard by the

general populace, some of them may

secretively go to great (and illegal) lengths



27

to get the goods they sell at a reasonable

price. There are also local merchants who

stay within the towns and cities of theEmpire, specifically within the bustling

cities located on Brimcarr, selling to a

specific group of townsfolk and touristsyear-round. Merchants typically live

wealthily and happily if they are truly right

for the job. Many people attempt themerchant life, but only those who truly have

the knack for negotiations and deal

searching will succeed in the profession for

any lengthy period of time.

Career: Charlatan

Original: Charlatan (Advanced)

Lore: Unfortunately for their customers and

business partners, there are some individualswho make a living out of swindling hapless

persons into handing them cash. These so-

called “charlatans” are ruthless and cunning

individuals who thrive on the befuddlementof those around them. Charlatans may take

on any garb or personality necessary to fool

their prey into agreeing with their demands.These ruthless con artists must be quick-

witted and slow to panic, with a penchant

for sweet-talking and buttering up thecustomer in order to seal whatever bogus

deal the charlatan has up his or her sleeve. It

is crucial to a charlatan’s continued success

in this manner of business for him or her to be constantly on the move, preferably

leaving an area inconspicuously as soon as

the deal is done so as to avoid gettingcaught. Within the Empire, he or she will

typically want to leave an island entirely in

order to avoid suspicion and to continue inhis or her line of work in a completely fresh

location. As the cultures and needs of the

denizens of each island differ drastically insome respects, it requires a special

understanding of each social class and

environment in order to fully appeal to the

locals’ needs and desires successfully and

appropriately.

Career: Pharmacist

Original: Apothecary (Basic)

Lore: Doctors and Physicians deal in

medicine, but they rarely gather the stuff.

That job are left to Pharmacists, individualswho gather the natural materials needed to

craft medicine, ground the medicine into

fine dust or liquid and then sell it to Doctors

to prescribe to their patients. It is a thankless job, but many Pharmacists share a good

relationship with their Doctors.

Not all ingredients are available in a localarea, and to buy the ingredients may be

costly. That is why many Pharmacist willtravel around the Empire to get the

ingredients themselves. In such a case they

may partner up with other adventurers.

Career: Doctor

Original: Barber-Surgeon (Basic)

Lore: Doctors are individuals that

understand the human condition well

enough to be able to cure it of ailments and bodily harm. Sometimes. The understanding

of the human body had advanced leaps and

bounds since the Flooding, and the medical

practices of ages past just seem outright barbaric in comparison.

Doctors are usually stationery creatures,taking up residence within a hospital.

However some choose to travel the Empire,

offering their services to what small townsthat remains. These individuals may team up

with other travelers so as to offer the most

protection.



28

Career: Physician

Original: Physician (Advanced)

Lore: No matter their line of work or

cultural stature, everyone requires the

assistance of a trained physician at one pointor another in their lives. These skilled men

and women must know their trade incredibly

well in order to be successful, oftencontinuing to train throughout their entire

lifetime. While technology has not yet

reached its historical boom, physicians in

the Empire are able to heal many ailmentsand can perform some complicated

surgeries. Physicians are often required to

enter a specific physician’s guild in order to

learn as much as possible about specificmedical practices. If a physician fails to

enter a guild, he or she could quite swiftly be arrested and put on trial for malpractice,

likely ruining his or her chances of having

any future say in the medical world because

of such a lofty and frowned upon charge. Ascharlatans oftentimes pose as physicians in

order to con hapless sickly individuals into

buying his or her fake wares, these laws andguilds are in place in order to keep people

from paying for faulty products. Physicians

are sometimes disliked by decidedly zealousreligious figures, as the science of the

medical world seems to go against their

philosophy of a nurturing, healing god. Still,

even the gruffest and most unfriendly physicians are respected and liked by the

common man, as most diseases are not fully

understood by the general public.

Career: Magistrate

Original: Magistrate (Elite)

Lore: Many individuals enter the realm of

politics within the Empire, but only a choicefew are able to join the skilled ranks of the

magistrates. These individuals often must

devote their entire lives to studying and

understanding the deep and complex

political world of the Empire. Magistrates

do not have to have a certain personality;

they simply share an incredible and passionate interest in the inner workings of

politics. For the most part, magistrates take

their occupation seriously and will not fall prey to bribes, but some have been known to

do so. There is corruption hiding in the

cracks of the political world of the Empire,and these openings do tend to present

themselves from time to time. Magistrates in

the Empire are often quite busy in this time

period, as the islands are now a bustlingcluster of complex societies and cultures

requiring plenty of political supervision and

study. Their work also covers a wide array

of societal events both large and small,ranging from town festivals to state-wide

elections.

Career: Exterminator

Original: Ratcatcher (Basic)

Lore: Every social class in the Empire has

unwanted encounters with vermin from time

to time. When these problematic creaturesshow up, especially when they do so in large

numbers, it is an exterminator’s job to rid

the infested area of them as quickly andthoroughly as possible. Even though rodent

and insect infestations can be incredibly

dangerous because of the creatures’

unsanitary nature and high risk of communicable diseases, exterminators are

not necessarily well-paid in most situations.

The job can be a difficult and risky one;even with precautions being instated, the

possibility of disease is certainly present.

Exterminators may also be employed totraverse the sewer systems of major cities

and destroy any rat nests they find, which

raises even more chance for catchingharmful (and possibly fatal) diseases.

Exterminators may also catch live rats in

order to sell them to scientists and university

students for lab testing and experiments.



29

Extermination is typically a temporary

occupation because of the meager pay and

health risks, though it is an important onefor the safety and well-being of the Empire’s

civilians.

Career: Agent

Original: Agent (Basic)

Lore: Agents may be employed by a

specific guild or simply by an individual.

Their occupation may cover any possible

assistance to the person(s) in question, fromaiding them with finances and purchases to

defending them from attackers while on a

quest. For these reasons, agents are

oftentimes employed by adventurers whoneed a few more helping hands for carrying

supplies, assisting in battles, or keepingtrack of party rations. Also, most parties will

only employ one agent to follow them on a

quest, so the agent will typically take on

more than one of these tasks whenever theyare needed. Similar tasks of recording and

tracking inventory are utilized by various

guilds as a whole. An agent may choosetheir occupation based on a passion for

adventuring or lack thereof, surrounding

themselves with the comfort of job with aguild or going on a possibly dangerous quest

with adventurers. This occupation may also

open one’s eyes to the world of adventuring

through experience on quests, causing themto move on to a life that revolves around

quest-taking and exploring the four corners

of the Empire.

Career: Actor

Original: Performer (Basic)

Lore: While cities within the Empire have a

number of street performers that entertainthe masses during their daily commute, the

theaters are the prime location to witness

dramatic art at its finest. Actors can move a

crowd to all the spectrums of their emotions

with their prowess of the spoken word. It

was once said that individuals are only truly

honest when watching a play, and there issome truth to that.

Most actors are not willing to leave thestage, as many have had to work for years to

get there. But some actors feel that the time

has come for change: that they need to dosomething different to keep their talents

honed. So they leave the comforts of the city

for the world outside, to bring their talents to

the common man. And maybe to a party of adventurers.

Career: Constable

Original: Roadwarden (Basic)

Lore: The Constables represent the footman of the Wardens, the body of officers

that patrol the Islands for criminal activity.

Many station themselves on trains, as that is

the highest center of activity for bandits andthieves between towns and cities. Constables

work by themselves, and are expected to be

self-reliant. Constables are trained to live off the wild as well as being prepared to not see

another living soul for days at a time.

Being a Warden is a thankless job – they are

never decorated for their services, only

promoted and given a wider jurisdiction.

They can sometimes come into conflict withother Wardens if they cross into other patrol

districts. Some feel they would be better

suited as vigilantes and take up a life of adventuring as a result.

Career: Miner

Original: Miner (Basic)

Lore: Salt is the most important naturalmaterial in the world. It is at the heart of

everything – every piece of technology

makes use of it. Many have found ways to

extract Salt from the seas, but the “easiest”



30

way to get Salt is to mine it from the

icebergs to the north. The climate is

freezing, the hours are long, the labor istorture, but the pay is great.

Still, the wage doesn’t even it out for some.It is a dangerous job as well, and often times

miners are swept under the rug by their

corporate employers. Some miners will quitwork and go find job elsewhere as

adventurers. They are a hardy folk, and

could fit right in with a band of adventurers.

Career: Telegrapher

Original: Messenger (Basic)

Lore: With the invention of the telegram theneed for messenger birds have been waved

away. Now using wire a man can send amessage from one island and, after a period

of time fluctuating from minutes to several

hours depending on both the distance and

length of the message, arrive at another station as a coded message. Once the

message has been decoded it can be read by

all individuals and has been sent. Theindividuals that operate telegraphs are called

telegraphers.

Telegraphers are very important individuals

to the Empire because they in a true sense of

the word unite all of the communities

together. Before what would take days for amessage from Brimcarr to reach an outpost

in Sciedbrim now only takes a few hours at

most.

Career: Industrialist

Original: Burgher (Basic)

Lore: It used to be that the only ones who

were rich in the Empire were the nobility.

They had all the land, they got all the taxes,and they had control over the serfs. The

merchant middle class was rising, but none

of them were “wealthy” so much as they justhad more money than the serfs. The nobles

were comfortably in the economical

authority.

However times have changed. Through hard

work, connections, ruthless wiping out the

competition, and just a little bit of luck, aman with an idea can turn that into a pool of

money. These men are industrialist, using

the technological revolution to spur them to

financial greatness. Unlike the nobles theyhave to work hard to get their money, and

they will work hard to keep it.

Career: Bailiff

Original: Bailiff (Basic)

Lore: A bailiff is essentially a manager, and

the roles he plays can vary depending on his

employer. If he is attached to an employer than it is likely that he manage the noble’s

estate and make sure taxes are paid.

However most bailiffs act as managers for

factories, and it is their job to keep the

laborers in line and make sure everything is

kept on schedule. As can be expected bailiffs are not popular individuals, and are

often times seen as cruel or malicious.

Bailiffs know how to work with a wide array

of people, and when they no longer can

work for their employers they can turn to an

VorpalLover - http://vorpallover.deviantart.com/art/Nurse-Witless-Rooftoop-286530107



31

adventuring party.

Career: Laborer

Original: Commoner (Basic)

Lore: The Empire is at a industrial zenith.There had never been more things produced,

more technologies are making the process

faster, and the Empire has never seen sightsas marvelous as the Walls of Light or the

Voiceagram. But the hard truth is, someone

has got to work the machines. That role is

left to the laborers.

Laborers are essentially factory workers that

are paid just enough to put food in their

belly. They are often homed by thecompany’s expense on company land…but

as soon as they quit or get fired they getevicted from the home. Laborers are not a

happy lot, with most working sixteen hour

days every day. If a laborer saw a chance to

get out, like say a party of adventurers, theywould probably jump ship.

Career: Driver

Original: Coachman (Basic)

Lore: The word “driver” does not apply to just those that drive automobiles, but also

carriages and trains. Carriages are an

outdated form of transportation, and is

simply a form of entertainment. It is a wayfor people to relax while they are drive

around a park or a portion of a city. Trains

are the fastest form of transportation acrossan island, and are used by both passengers

as well as industrialists to transport their

goods. They are the iron horse of the newage.

Drivers of trains are well defendedindividuals – bandits can and will raid a

train, so drivers will always keep a knife or a

pistol tucked into his belt to keep himself

safe.

Career: Negotiator

Original: Envoy (Basic)

Lore: When the Empire had to deal with the

other countries of the world, such asMalassia, they would send and be sent

diplomats to deal with the political

differences before war. Now that the Empireis all that remains of the civilized world

there is no need for diplomats. But there are

still factions in the Empire that come into

conflict with each other; so they send outmen who “negotiate” terms that are

favorable to both sides.

There is no real profession callednegotiators. In fact, they are quite often

lawyers that are representing their clients.They are problem solvers, have a way with

words, and know how to hash out a contract.

Career: Servant

Original: Servant (Basic)

Lore: Mansions and estates are largecomplexes and they employ a large gallery

of servants to attend to the elite family’s

needs. Butlers, the male variant, helps themen get ready for social events and deliver

meals, while maids keep the house in tiptop

shape and will assist the women in getting

ready for parties and other events.

The way servants can be treated will vary

from family to family, but few servantswould ever considers themselves to be

treated well by their employers. They sleep

inside the mansion, they work inside themansion, and they shop near the mansion.

Many want an escape, and would do so

without a second thought.



32

Career: Student

Original: Student (Basic)

Lore: Bristrol is the heart of knowledge in

the whole of the Empire. No other city can

compare to the great Univiersities that thecity has to offer. Nobles and rich men send

their sons and daughters from across the

Empire to study there. Those with the driveand dedication will find all the resources

they will need to become experts in their

field.

However after their studies some students

will feel that they are not yet ready to settle

down. They will go out and experience the

world and take in all they can so as to best prepare themselves.

Career: Clerk

Original: Scribe (Basic)

Lore: Many offices have an army of clerkson hand to deal with the monotonous task of

copying page after page of documentation. It

is, to be brief, dreadfully boring. It is alsoeasy and pays decelty enough. However it is

a task that absolutely no one in any plane of

existence looks forward to when they wakeup in the morning.

It is not entirely unheard of for a clerk to

jump ship and join up with a party of adventurers to make sure he doesn’t die of

boredom. Believe it or not, a clerk’s

understanding of the bureaucratic structureis fairly important to adventurers.

Career: Navigator

Original: Navigator (Basic)

Lore: Every sea faring vessel will require

the use of a navigator to help travel the high

seas. Technology such as compasses can

assist captains, but at this point nothing

beats consulting the constellations for

directions. Additionally he will consult

navigation charts and the position of the sunto lead the ship towards its destination.

Being a navigator is a well-paid enterprise, but it is a rather thankless one in the grand

scheme of things. For most, that is enough.

Others may desire something a little bitmore adventurous and seek to employ their

skills to a rugged band of adventurers.

Career: Sailor

Original: Boatman (Basic)

Lore: At its heart the Empire is a nation of

islands and the so the only form of transportation between is by ship. Sailors are

those that crew the ship, led by the captainof the vessel. They are often away for weeks

at a time, and live off a diet of salted meats

and preserved water. Recently physicians

havediscovered

that lime

can help prevent

many

diseases andso many

captains

have added

that to their sailor’s

diets.

Being a

sailor pays

well enough, but it is a tiring one. Being coated in an air

of Salt for days at a time, on top of the

physically exhausting aspects of the profession, will wear a man out. Some

sailors offer their knowledge to adventurers,

at a chance for something new and exciting.

Montaneous -

http://montaneous.deviantart.com/art

/Whaler-2-293675382



33

Career: Protestor

Original: Agitator (Basic)

Lore: Change is a slow process. Men arenot so readily willing to make sweeping

reforms at any rate – or at all, if they in

positions of comfortable power. Those thatare under the elite’s heel are represented by

protestors, individual that enter the streets

and spread the need for reform. They gather

an audience around them and the resentment begins to grow.

Often deployed by the Men in Red,

protestors are not a readily welcomed aspectof any Imperial city. If a member of the City

Watch finds them then they may be sent to jail for the evening and fined. Many

protestors know how to quickly escape a

pursuit from the City Watch as a result.

Career: Jack-of-all-Trades

Original: Dilettante (Basic)

Lore: It is easier than it ever has been to

learn a trade. It used to be that to learn even

the basics of a craft one would need to become an apprentice to a master, give up

any form of payment for years at a time in

service. But with the rise of Universities one

can pay to have those in the know bestowtheir knowledge. Of course the big divider

here is money, and only the rich will truly

have access to this sort of environment.There are suggestions for Universities that

are more financially suited to the lower

classes but nothing has come of that yet.

Jack-of-all-Trades are born from nobles that

go from major to major, just delving enoughto get a basic idea of the profession before

they move on to something else. These

individuals are obviously very costly to their

parents, and there will come a point where

the plug is pulled. At that point they may

choose to leave and explore, to continue to

expand their pool of knowledge.

Career: Salesman

Original: Pedlar (Basic)

Lore: Salesman are merchants that take to

the streets and sell of small trinkets andother miscellaneous items to pedestrians.

They may be things like a small bottle of

medicine or a Chem that boosts your

vitality. More often than not they are itemsof no true lasting consequence.

It is curious why a salesman would leave the

cities and start to adventure. It’s likely that itwould be due to circumstances beyond his

control, and if he had any say in the matter he would remain where he was. Being a

salesman is not exactly a well-paying way of

life, but it is a comfortable one.

Career: Grudge Keeper

Original: Grudge Keeper (Basic)

Lore: Amongst the nobility are those called

the Grudge Keepers, the keepers of all the

injustices and insults spurred at a noblefamily. Grudge Keepers are not known as

the most hospitable of individuals, mostly

because of their position in life. Even more

so Grudge Keepers are seen as a thing of the past, a relic of an age of swords and blood,

instead of the enlightened industrial age.

Less and less individuals are trained asGrudge Keepers, and this only adds to their

growing resentment.

Grudge Keepers are not exceptional fighters,

as their job is to keep the list of the family’s

enemies in a easily digestible format so thatmore capable individuals can do the killing

for them. But as it stands Grudge Keepers

can hold their own decently enough, just as



34

much as any other noble that is trained in the

art of swordplay.

The Engineer Career Engineer › Master Engineer

Career: Engineer

Original: Engineer (Basic)

Lore: Those who utilize their scientific

prowess to better the salt-craving denizens

of the Empire are met with great renown andrespect. A great deal of them will keep in

touch with many trading companies in Gicel

so that they will always have Salt withwhich to work with. The constant search for

a perfected version of the necessary Salt purification process is something that is

constantly being sought after by an engineer,no matter how in-depth his or her training or

knowledge may be. An engineer is typically

seen carrying a set of proper tools, includinga pickax with which to harvest salts from the

plentiful Gicelic glaciers. Because of the

low temperatures of their area of work,engineers are often dressed warmly with

several layers of cloth or leather and a parka

to keep out any blasts of cold. Because of the mechanical nature of their work,engineers often also wear protective clothing

or coverings to keep fatal injuries from

faulty machinery or dynamite blasts to adiscernible minimum.

Career: Master Engineer

Original: Master Engineer (Advanced)

Lore: At this point in their career Engineers

have been fully accepted into the Guild of Engineers and have successfully worked on

dozens of renovations. Some of them may

have invented a new type of machinery alltogether. Master Engineers make up some of

the higher tiers in the Guild of Engineers,

and for good reason – they are some of thevery best engineers in the Empire.

At this point it is unlikely that an Engineer

will have his hands in many pots, so tospeak. A mind is better focused if it does so

on a single thing – distractions will just deter

progress after all. Each Master Engineer isusually an expert in a single field.

Renaissance men are rare.



35



36

The Priest Career Initiate › Unmasked › Drowned Priest ›Warrior Priest / Proctor › Arch Proctor

Career: Initiate

Original: Initiate (Basic)

Lore: There is one religion in the Empire,

and that is the Drowned Abbey. This is alsothe must secular age in the Islands’ history,

with people more concerned about

accumulating wealth and the advances of technology than they are of the things

beyond their understanding. But there are

still some who are devoted to the words of the Deep God.

If they wish to serve the Deep God in one

His many cults, they must first become anInitiate. Initiates are another word for a

student, and they need to become literate,

learn calligraphy, prayers and strictures. Thecontext of each verse needs to be made

known to them as well. Many Initiates will

learn how to orate their words, so they maylead the masses into prayer or song.

Career: UnmaskedOriginal: Disciple (Advanced)

Lore: There is only one god in the Empire,

and only one faith dedicated to Him, butthere are many cults. Each cult sees another

interpretation on the words of the Prophet,

and although differences may arise betweenthem, each and every cult seeks to glorify

the Deep God in all that they do.

The Unmaksed are those that have beengranted permission to undergo the Rite but

has not yet done so. It is not a matter of

being on a waiting list so to speak, but togive the Initiate time to fully comprehend

what will happen. Once they have been

Drowned and Masked there is no turning back until death. Those that are in this

period of consideration are called the

Unmasked.

Requirement: The Unmasked career is part

of the tiered structure followed by the Priest

characters. A character may only enter thiscareer after completing the Initiate career.

Career: Drowned Priest

Original: Priest (Advanced)

Lore: After having spent time as both an

Initiate and an Unmasked, the priest isrecognized by the Abbey as having been

Drowned (both in the figurative sense of

being “submerged” in the word of God and

the literal sense of being drowned in seawater and then revived). He will often times

be assigned a temple, usually as theattendant although those with larger

congregations may have several Priests, and

there he will attend to until he either dies or

catches the attention of one of his betters.

There has never been a religious war in the

Empire ever since the ascension of theDrowned Abbey, but that does not mean

there are not any rivalries between the Cults.

They all get along in theory, but a regiondominated by one Cult may grant frosty

reception to a traveling Priest from another.

Requirement: The Drowned Priest career is part of the tiered structure followed by the

Priest characters. A character may only enter

this career after completing the Unmaskedcareer.

Career: Warrior Priest

Original: Warrior Priest (Elite)

Lore: To a Warrior Priest, his temple is not

one built out of stone or wood but from the

bone of his enemies, and his flock are the

foes of the Empire. Their sermons are not



37

one meant to

restore faith in

the faithful but toinspire religious

conviction on the

seas of battle.The Warrior

Priest does not

adorn himself insoft silk or

tattered cloth but hard leather. His weapons,

whether they be swords or rifles, are

adorned in religious inscriptions.

When he is not leading a war party against a

Pagan tribe or a band of pirates, the Warrior

Priest can be found on the mainland performing similar duties to a Drowned

Priest. The difference between him and theDrowned Priest is that he is not afraid of be

the first man on the scene of a raid.

Requirement: The Warrior Priest career is part of the tiered structure followed by the

Priest characters. A character may only enter

this career after completing the Unmaskedcareer.

Career: Proctor

Original: Lector (Elite)

Lore: Proctors are amongst the highest

ranking officials in the Drowned Abbey andusually lead dozens of Priests that are under

their supervision. In the religious chain of

command they follow the commands of theArch Proctor and the High Proctor, and

more than one Proctor was caught in the

power struggles between their two superiors.Regardless every Proctor earns respect

amongst their fellows and the local

authorities and could be sent to oversee theGrand Temple in a city.

It is the Proctors job to minister to the

masses, to make sure the Priests under their

command are able to

accomplish their

ministries, andadminister religious

festivals in their

region. They willoften lead sermons

for the important

religious holidays,unless an Arch

Proctor is in attendance. Sometimes a

Proctor may encounter evidence of

heathenism in their regions, in which casethey will either report it to their Arch

Proctor or handle the purge themselves.

Requirement: The Proctor career is part of the tiered structure followed by the Priest

characters. A character may only enter thiscareer after completing the Unmasked

career.

Career: Arch Proctor

Original: Arch Lector (Heroic)

Lore: Promoted from the most charismaticWarrior Priests or the most influential of

Proctors, the Arch Proctor is the highest seat

of power that most men of the Abbey canexpect to occupy within their lifetime. The

Arch Proctor is amongst the most devout

members of his faith, and a proud member

of his Cult – unless he was a corrupt menthat got the position through political

machinations. Pilgrims from across the Isle

will flock to his sermons, and he will have agreat deal of influence on the political

systems of not just his Isle but also the

Empire as a whole.

Only one Arch Proctor will be seated within

each island, with the exception of Brimcarr which will house the High Proctor. The

Arch Proctor is the highest religious figure

in his sphere of influence, and even he has

some clout against the High Proctor. Arch



38

Proctors of the more martial Cults will even

launch Excursions against the Pagan tribes,

usually after strains of heathenism wasfound amongst his flock.

Requirement: The Arch Proctor is part of the tiered structure followed by priest

characters. A character may only enter this

career after he has completed either theWarrior Priest or the Proctor career.

The Zealot Career Zealot (Optional) › Flagellant › Minister of

Falsities

Career: ZealotOriginal: Zealot (Basic)

Lore: Every member of the Drowned Abbey

is devoted, in one way or another. Those thatare called zealots are another breed entirely.

Every aspect of their being is dedicated to

the promotion of the theologies of the

Abbey. Their appearances can vary, as their financial situations can fluctuate from

person to person. Some are little better than

beggars, raving on the street, while othersare relatively well to do, making money off

of their followers.

The Abbey is reluctant to put much faith in

any of these fanatics – many Cults prefer to

have their members be of intelligence so as

to appeal to the rich and the powerful. Manyzealots put the Cults more at a risk than

provide any benefit to the state religion.

Career: FlagellantOriginal: Flagellant

Lore: By this point the zealot views

themselves as having been abandoned – by

their friends, their loved ones, and their God.They seek answers more than anything else,

and in their grief and madness they begin to

flay themselves. They whip their backs in a

mad stupor, they pierce themselves. They

wander the countryside seeking answers.

Flagellants are dangerous individuals. They

are harshly critical of all those that they seeas unrepentant of their sins and unfaithful of

the strictures – even of devoted members of

the Abbey. They can even lay oncondemnations of heresy on innocent

individuals without a shred of proof, which

can have dangerous results. Many Cults will

send them on Incursions to be rid of them,and few will mourn their deaths.

Requirement: A character may only enter

this career after he has completed the Zealotcareer, or has acquired two or more

permanent insanities.

Career: Minister of Falsities

Original: Prophet of Doom (Elite)

Lore: Minister of Falsities is a term coined

by the Abbey and its recognized Cults as a

leader of a group of fanatics that preachtheologies that is contradictory to the official

teachings of the Drowned Abbey. These

individuals are categorized as dangerous, asstudies have found that a great deal many of

them were once flagellants. Additionally in

many instances their followers obey their

every word with fanatical fervor, and theMinister can manipulate them to whatever

he desires.

Ministers of Falsities are usually hunted

down by Witch Hunters and other agents of

the Abbey, as they are a threat not to just theAbbey’s reputation but to the safety of those

around them. Many Ministers have become

paranoid as a result, which only adds to their unbalanced psychosis.



39

Requirement: A character must have

completed the Flagellant career before

moving on to become a Minister of Falsities.

The Witch Hunter Career UZealot (Optional) › Witch Hunter › Witch

Hunter Captain

Career: Witch Hinter

Original: Witch Hunter (Advanced)

Lore: The threat of worship of the

Whisperer, anact the Abbey

defines as

“heathenism”, isan ever present

one in theEmpire. All

people of theEmpire fear the

influences of

the Whisperer, but most are too

busy or are too

ignorant to keepa vigilant eye

for the

influences of the evil god.That is why the

Abbey has

trained specialagents called

Witch Hunters

to root out theheathens. They

are members of

the Cult of St. Jorias, and are under the

jurisdiction of the High Proctor. Not eventhe Empress has power over the Witch

Hunters.

All Witch Hunters are fearsome warriors,

well trained in the arts of both gunplay and

the use of swords, but they also need tointensive investigators and charismatic

leaders. Every Witch Hunter needs to be

able to balance between close combat,

inciting a crowd to assault a den of heathens,and interrogating prisoners. It is a difficult

task, and there are so few, which is why

every loss is sincerely felt by the Abbey.

Requirements: This career is only available

to characters that have completed the Zealotcareer or have acquired at least 1 permanent

insanity.

Career: WitchHunter Captain

Original: Witch

Hunter Captain

Lore: The Witch

Hunter arm of theCult of St. Jorias

has a strict

hierarchy. At the

lowest are theWitch Hunters,

the most

populated aspectof the order, and

are the Cult’s foot

soldiers in its war against the

heathens. They

are led by the

Witch Hunter Captains, who

themselves follow

the commands of the various

Generals.

Captains are proven individuals, who havethe track record of having successfully

tracked down many agents of the Whisperer

as well as being capable leaders.

Witch Hunter Captains are never applauded,

for their arrival on the scene means that

most certainly the region has been corrupted



40

by heathenism. Any could be interpreted as

being an agent of the Whisperer, for

everyone has a skeleton in their closet. Thefact that the Witch Hunters possess some of

the highest authority in the land means that

their actions can only be overruled by fellowWitch Hunters.

Requirement: A character must havecompleted the Witch Hunter career before

becoming a Witch Hunter Captain.

THE NINE CULTS

The Cult of the Deepest Halls (Morr)

Upon death all of the Deep God’s faithful

travel to the Deepest Hals, where they are

attended by the merfolk and are blessed bythe Ten Thousand and One arms of the Deep

God. The Cult of the Deepest Halls are

devoted to giving the recently departed theRite of Passage – the sprinkling of sea salt

on bounded corpses before they are

submerged into the sea. Priests of this Cult

are also called “attenders”, for they attend to

the Deep God’s halls.

The Cult of the Blessed Juliana (Shallya)

Juliana was one of Eisaleter Orwylel’s most

known disciples. The daughter of a doctor,she had wanted to attend to the sick all her

life. Under Eisaleter’s direction she was

allowed to, before the Elethites burnt her atthe stake for heresy. In her memory one of

the first Cults were formed, one dedicated to

the healing of people everywhere. It is oneof the only known Cults have been known tominister to passive Pagan tribes.

The Cult of St. Jorias (Sigmar)

Jorias was a tinkerer, a man known for both

is knowledge of industry and his strong

faith. The Cult formed in his memory is one

dedicated to the advancement of the

Empire’s technology in the name of theDeep God. It is also a martial Cult, one

sworn to drive out the Pagan influences as

St. Jorias was sacrificed by the Pagans totheir wooden gods. The order of the Witch

Hunter is a wing of this Cult.

The Cult of Stars (Manaan)

Dedicated to the art of navigation, the Cult

of Stars sees navigating the domain of theDeep God as a blessing. To them the

entirety of the seas are a place of worship

and just the act of traversing upon them is

bringing glory to their God. The Cult investsa great deal of tithes towards research into

navigating the seas an easier and safer prospect. Their name comes from how the

alignment of stars are often used by

navigators to guide a ship.

The Cult of Solair (Myrmidia)

Named after one of Lukard Soimnt, a

captain in the Imperial Navy that was one of

the first disciples of Orwylel. Like the other two martial cults, that of Jorias and that of

Veredictius, the Cult of Solair seeks to drive

out the Pagan threat from all of the Islands.However, whereas the followers of Josua

uses its Witch Hunters to draw it out via fear

and intimidation and those of Veredictius

will charge down on the Pagan tribes withwild enthusiasm, those subscribed to Solair

believe in a more directed, tactical approach.

Focusing on the rallying leader of a war

band are preferred by priests of Solair rather than wiping the enemy out, and each

member of the Cult is trained in the art of warfare.

The Cult of Illumination (Ranald)



41

The Cult of Illumination seeks to unearth the

secrets of the world…but most specifically,

to root out the heathen threat. One wouldthink at first glance that they are the same as

the Witch Hunters of St. Jorias, The two

Cults are starkly at odds, with the WitchHunters favoring the use of mobs, torture

and fear over the Illuminator’s detective

work. Most of the Illuminators are dressedsimply, in gray, and they keep themselves in

discreet. They do not have temples that are

open to the public, nor do they hold

sermons. The Cult of Illumination are theeyes of the Abbey.

The Cult of Nets (Taal)

The Cult of the common man, the Cult of

Nets is dedicated to the faith of the regular man. Originally made in reference to

fishermen, the Cult ministers to all common

day laborers. The men in the factories, the

merchants who have not made it big, thefarmers and the blacksmiths; are all included

in the Cult’s focus. Many priests from the

Cult are also laborers themselves: every robeis made by a fellow priest, every temple are

built by priest in conjunction with local

architects.

The Cult of Veredictius (Ulric)

Veredictius was a soldier that followedOrwylel, and he was written as having been

the most violent of the disciples. Scholars

are not entirely certain that Veredictius wasan actual man – his name is not Imperial in

origin, and if he was a soldier than there

should be records of him in the militaryarchives. Of course, the plausibility of those

archives having been lost in the Flooding are

not nonexistent either. Regardless, the Cultfounded in his honor follows his example

well: the priests of the Cult are the most

zealous in assault the Pagan tribes, and

favors wiping them out altogether.

The Cult of Knowledge (Verena)

The Deep God is a god of wrath, but also of justice and discovery. The Cult of Discovery

is dedicated to that aspect of their deity. The

priests of the Cult are judges and scholarsequally, with many of the best libraries and

universities in the Empire founded by them.

Places of worship in their temples areknown to be designed in a fashion similar to

either libraries or courtrooms. They are

known to be fair in their decisions, so when

a judge or jury are found to be biased priestsfrom the Cult are sent to replace them.



42



43

The Salter Career Salter › Professor

Career: Salter

Original: Apprentice Runesmith (Basic)

Lore: At the heart of the industrial race of

the Empire are the Salters. These natural

philosophers research Salt, the core of everyfacet of technology the Empire possesses.

Guns, automobiles, walls of light, iron

vessels, and more are all a product of therevolutionary Salt. Despite the fact that

many Salters’ are not a household name,

they are vital to the Empire. The Empressherself has been known to finance many

prospective projects.

Salters are not solitary creatures, despitewhat the newspaper cartoons deptict them

as. Many projects are undertaken as a team

effort, with some of the Universitiesfinancing projects involving as many as a

hundred different natural philosophers.

Salters have a keen knowledge of thescience behind the technology, and could be

an asset to many adventurers.

Career: Professor

Original: Runesmith (Advanced)

Lore: Professor is just another name for

men of academia, but in the case of Salters itis meant specifically for one that is leading a

project. A Professor doesn’t get into that

position by sheer luck – he has to haveformed connections, made impressions, and

convinced those with money that his ideas

were worth backing in coin. Most Professorsalso have some concept of leadership skills,

as they need to coordinate a group of

Salters.

It would be false to say that Professors

haven’t allowed the success to get to their

heads – quite a few have. Some would argue

that the best advancement in science has been when a Salter worked under someone

and had to deal with all those constraints.Whatever truth there may be to the

argument, Professors are a vital component

to the Empire’s scientific machine. Someone

needs to direct all those minds.

The Wizard Career Apprentice › Acolyte › Wizard › Battle

Wizard / Master Wizard › Wizard Lord

Career: Apprentice

Original: Apprentice Wizard (Basic)

Lore: The Abbey would like to believe thatthe Eight Schools have been chased out of

the Empire, that thanks to their purge of the

wizards no form of organized body of arcane philosophers exists. They would be

wrong. The Eight Schools were not driven

out of the Empire, but rather underground.

The wizards of the modern Empire are notmind raddled heathens, but rather are men of

station and authority, inquisitive young men

and women, thugs and bureaucrat.

An apprentice is defined as someone who

has put significant study into the ArcaneRiver of his School, and is at the point



44

where he can be allowed to assume the

position of a full-fledged Wizard…almost. It

is a dangerous world for arcane philosophers, and so they must be tested.

Apprentices must spend a significant period

of time – up to three years, but never anyless than six months – to hide their magic

from the world. They need to prove they can

be trusted. If they can, they will ascend. If not, chances are the Witch Hunters will have

their heads.

Career: Acolyte

Original: Acolyte (Advanced)

Lore: Although accepted as full-fledged

wizards, apprentices that have returned fromtheir exodus but have not yet gone through

the Ceremony of Names are considered

acolytes. They are still bound to their

master, technically, and they still have somemonths of hard tutelage ahead of them

before their masters are truly ready to let off

the leash.

Make no mistake, there is a world of difference between apprentices and acolytes.However, both are young, both are eager to

prove themselves, and both can easily

destroy everything they have every workedfor with a single mistake.

Requirements: The Acolyte career is part

of the tiered structure followed by Wizard

characters. A character can only enter thiscareer after he has completed the Apprentice

career.

Career: Wizard

Original: Wizard (Advanced)

Lore: Upon the Ritual of Naming, in which

an acolyte chooses his “true name” amongst

his wizard brethren, the boy becomes a man

and submerged himself completely in theRiver Arcane of his School. He is, at last, a

Wizard, with all the power and danger that

the title provides. At this point he is given

more access to what remains of the GreatLibrary and he is able to expand his

knowledge of the arcane.

Wizards are also put at even greater danger

than when they were acolytes or apprentices.

Because many Witch Hunters that havecharms that can detect magical residue, if a

Wizard commits a ritual – as in, a spell that

requires at least a few hours of preparation – he will need to go into hiding until it has

dissipated or risk capture. This will only get

worse as the Wizard grows in power…but,what Wizard could resist learning move

about the Arcane Rivers?

Requirement: The Wizard career is part of the tiered structure followed by Wizard

characters. A character can only enter this

career after he has completed the Acolytecareer.

Career: Battle Wizard

Original: Battle Wizard (Elite)

Lore: Before the rise of the DrownedAbbey, when the Empire went to war

Wizards specifically trained for the theatre

of war called Battle Wizards would

accompany companies of men into battle.



45

They would weave the Arcane River of their

choice with devastating effect and were a

vital cog in the Imperial war machine.

Not that the Wizards have been grouped

with the followers of the Whisperer as“heathens”, there is no chance any Battle

Wizard will openly display themselves on

the field of war. The Wizards are on their own now, but they still have battles to fight.

Sometimes it is against other Wizards who

have gone rogue or are putting the other

Schools in danger, or perhaps a Pagan tribehas something to value to a School. Battle

Wizards still have their roles to play, but

they need to stick to the shadows.

Requirement: The Battle Wizard is part of

the tiered structure followed by Wizardcharacters. A character may only enter this

career after he has completed the Acolyte

career.

Career: Master Wizard

Original: Master Wizard (Elite)

Lore: Master Wizards are nearly at their

zenith of power. They are capable of

redirecting the chaotic Arcane Rivers with precision and unparalleled understanding. At

this point the Master Wizard has trained

under the most astute tutors of the arcane,

has likely communed with spirits and possibly even travelled on one of the Rivers.

Once a Wizard has reached this level of

magical prowess it is likely that he will beasked to take on apprentices to bring his

knowledge to the next generation.

Some Master Wizards prefer to be out in the

world, learning new facets of the magical

realm by taking in experiences from the physical one. Others will remain within their

cloisters and delve into their manuscripts.

Special: The Master Wizard is part of the

tiered structure followed by Wizard

characters. A character may only enter thiscareer after he has completed the Acolyte

career.

Career: Wizard Lord

Original: Wizard Lord (Heroic)

Lore: It used to be that there were eight

Wizard Lords for each of the Eight Schools,

and the direction of the College would be

dictated by them. Times have changed, andthe life of a Wizard has never become

entirely certain since the rise of the

Drowned Abbey. To even earn the rank of

“Master” is a rare thing among the Schoolsin this days…to reach the point where a

Wizard could be consider a “Lord” is aterribly rare thing/

It has happened, though, albeit only twice in

the three hundred years since the rise of theDrowned Abbey. Both of these were the

greatest Wizards to be educated in their

time, and their deaths had left a power vacuum the Schools that had just barely

been repaired.

Requirement: The Wizard Lord is part of

the tiered structure followed by Wizard

characters. A character may only enter this

career after he has completed the BattleWizard or Master Wizard career.

The Seer Career Mystic › Seer

Career: MysticOriginal: Mystic (Basic)

Lore: Under the Drowned Abbey’s tutelage,the people of the Empire have become a

fatalistic lot. The Drowned God has made a

plans for every man and every woman, theDrowned Priest preaches. Some have a



46

desire to know just what these plans are, and

in the case of the superstitious they may turn

to mystics for an answer.

These mystics, who usually reside in

backwoods town away from the eyes of Witch Hunters, claim to have a direct link

with the world beyond. They use salt water

and the bones of fish to divine the future of aman. Some can’t divine their own future and

need to go on the run when Witch Hunters

catch wind of them. As such they just may

run into a party of adventurers who couldmake use of their skills.

Career: Seer

Original: Seer (Advanced)

Lore: If they can avoid the torch of theWitch Hunter for long enough, then mystics

can get good enough with their divining to

the point where some may call them seers.

Seers have – or are said to have – anespecially valid insight into the world

beyond. Some say they can even conjure

spirits, although this has never been trulydocumented beyond word of mouth.

The few supporters of these seers claim thatthe Cults are nothing more than frauds who

will readily persecute those individuals that

have a true, sincere connection with the

divine. These men and women are quick tokeep their opinions to themselves.

Requirement: Characters must havecompleted the Mystic career before

becoming a Seer.

THE EIGHT SCHOOLS

The Burning School – The River Aqyshy

(Bright Wizards)

A river born from fire, it is said of Aqyshy,

with a molten coast and volcanic rock

protruding from its hot waves. Practitioners

of the Burning School are said to be brash

and act on impulse. They may be a little bitmore likely to criticize the Abbey when out

in the open than their contemporaries from

other Schools, an act they get plenty of criticisms over.

The Gray School – The River Syrlmu(Grey Wizards)

The River of Knowledge, Syrlmu’s waters

are made from the ruins of fallencivilizations, and the faces of dead

philosophers rise from the wave and gives

words of wisdom and doom to travelers.

Those that draw upon Syrlmu are from theGray School and they deal in shadows. Gray

Wizards are a secretive lot, keeping mostlyto themselves and are the most modest of the

Schools. Their magics deal in suggestion,

rather than an outright display of force.

That’s why they were often deployed asspies or embassies by the Empire, and they

have the easiest time hiding from the

Abbey’s agents.

The Sand School – The River Qwixia

(Celestial Wizards)

It is said that time is a river – that is because

time is the river Qwixia, the source of power

for the time meddling Sand Wizards. TheRiver is one formed from constellations and

galaxies, and anyone who treads on Qwixia

would see the whole of creation in theripples of the waves. The Sand Wizards deal

with time, but only in the divining of it.

They can’t meddle in the past, but they canuse constellations and meteors to help

predict the future. Sometimes their

predictions are unclear – they saw death, butnot so specifically in relation to the fall of

the Schools.



The Worldly School – The River Juqaan(Amber Wizards)

Of all the Arcane Rivers, Juqaan is the only

one that resembles the human interpretation

of the word. Its water is…well, it’s water,and its shore is made up of rocks and

pebbles, and the only thing protruding out

from the water are rocks. The WorldlyWizards resemble the Pagan Druids, and

they were the biggest scapegoat when the

Abbey rose against the Schools. The

Worldly Wizard employ the natural world – the shifting of landmasses, communing with

the wild, getting a vision of the man that left

a track in the mud. Worldly Wizards in these

days stray far from the cities – not just for protection from the Abbey, but also because

their “world” cannot be expressed in thecities.

The Dread School – The River Achoriax

(Amethyst Wizards)

It is said that when you die you travel along

the river Achoriax before you reachwhatever the Priests say where you go.

Achoriax’s waters are made up of bleached

bones, and the same goes for its shores. Thesouls of the departed linger along as if they

were a thick mist. The Dread Wizards deal

in the dead, but they do not control them –

that is strictly prohibited. Next to the GrayWizards, the Dread Wizards are amongst the

most secretive of the Schools. Not much is

known of them. As the saying goes, the deadtell no tales and the Dread Wizards follow

suit.

The Iron School – The River Charos(Gold Wizards)

The waters of the River Charos is smelted

gold, and the shoreline is made up of various

through. The Iron Wizards draw upon

Charos, and their powers are that of metal.

Some would call them alchemists, and thatwouldn’t be too far from the truth. They

could make coal into gold, if it so desired

them, or harden their bones into iron. Beforethe fall of the Schools they were strictly

monitored to make sure they did not cause

devastating effects upon the economical balance of the Empire, but now all bets are

off. The fact that so few Iron Wizards

remain are the only thing keeping the

Empire from entering an economicalapocalypse.

The Storm School – The River Soliem

(Jade Wizards)

The River Soliem is a torrent, a mad river that crackles with lightning. The Storm

Wizards are the contemporaries of the

Worldly Wizards, but whereas they deal

with nature’s balance the Storm Wizardsemploy the wrath of nature. Thunder and

maelstroms are the tools of the Storm

Wizard, and they are dedicated to preservingthe balance of nature.

The Illuminated School – The River

Yieshua (Light Wizards)

A River of the brightest light and the widest

array of colors, Yieshua is the source of power for the Illuminated Wizards. The

domain of light is their domain, and despite

that field they are some of the moreenigmatic Wizards of all the Schools – to the

common man most of all. On one end, the

Illuminated are more philosophers thanemployers of Yieshua. The light of the River

deals with philosophical truths, and many

philosophers of academia past wereIlluminated Wizards first. Their writings get

past the scrutiny of the Drowned Abbey

Documents

Candlelight - A Setting for WFRP 3rd Edition