Theralis

Open Game Content

Certain portions of this document are Open Game Content, per the Open Game License. The Open Game License is attached to the end of the main page. All of the pages and text in the House Rules section is Open Game Content except any mentioned setting names and proper nouns (primarily Theralis and Forgotten Realms). Artwork and text in any other section is Closed Content. Open Content may be reproduced per the rules of the Open Game License. Closed Content may not be reproduced.

Please see the Open Gaming License for the appropriate legalese.

House Rules

• Abilities - No real changes, just some clarifications.
• Level Advancement Over A Lifetime - How XP and levels are handled for everyone, from adventurers to farmers. These rules assume the use of the aging rules, below.
• Aging - The vaguely infamous aging rules.
• Class - Point-based rules for class and levels.
• Skills - The modified skill rules.
• Feats - The modified feat list.
• Alignment -The alignment rules.
• Magic - How magic works in Theralis.

Theralis Setting

Theralis

• Gods - The gods of Theralis.
• Races - The races of Theralis.
• Orcs - Orcs.
• Beasts - A growing bestiary.

A great peninsula lays out like folds of a cloth draped between harsh mountains and sunken at the edges, into the sea. Like the hellenic world, Nature is cruel in Her tests and kind in Her bounty. The people of this land are diverse and splintered, dividing themselves into fiercely independant statehoods and warring with each other as often as not.

Slightly more than two thirds of the land is host to wilderness and barbarism, and civilized habitation encroaches on the wilderness like a spider's web, joined by hair-thin strands of track and road.

Magic is alive here, although few know her secrets. From the brilliant mentalist to the militant elementalist, the magi are an elite and esoteric breed.

The gods are also alive, although not everyone takes joy in that fact. Mighty and terrible, they are seen as the source of heroes and plagues, both. All worship them, and those who devote their lives to it become a breed apart.

Local Lay of the Land

Theralis is a city-state nestled into a short series of linked valleys. A significant portion of all arable land is devoted to the grape, which they trade with their neighbors for their needs (the remainder is devoted to teh usual agriculture). The city itself is situated in the side of the largest mountain of the valleys, near the northernmost third of the valleys. A river passes through the valleys, and is the linking force between them. The southernmost valley is loosely connected, with the river passing through a deep ravine between the mountains.

Theralis is a city of brilliant architecture and absent city planning. Alabaster towers squat amidst tortured streets, while arches bridge areas not otherwise accessible on the ground. By edict, all structures are stone, but there are no zoning laws, and the streets are created by the empty spaces between buildings. Sometimes derogatorily known as "the city of alleyways", citizens of Theralis take pride in their ability to navigate their own city, and laud its defensibility against invaders.

Wilderness encroaches into the valley along the mountainsides, but is otherwise successfully repelled.

General Setting Questions

Populations

Theralis has slightly over 50 thousand people, and there are ten times that number in the Theralis valleys. Some random statistics:

The Theralis military force varies, but usually hovers around 11-12 thousand. The force is composed mostly of youths around age 15 to 16 - a year of active military service is part of becoming an adult. In event of a real war, virtually every able-bodied adult in the Theralis valleys has at least some competency. The military also has an additional 1-2 thousand career soldiers who actually run things.

Magic

There are approximately 2 thousand spell casters in the Theralis region. Of these, about half are healers. Of these, about 500 are 5th level or higher (this translates into about 250 healers who can cure all manner of injuries, poisons, diseases and ailments). And of those, there are perhaps a double handful of spell casters who are 7th, 8th or 9th level, mostly in career military.

Soldiering

Training

Training in Theralis takes four forms: athletics, shield work, spear work, and sparring.

Athletics is fairly informal, with the occasional more formal contest. In many ways, this is just an extension of the natural competitive spirit of the Theralese people, and is not strange to anyone. The usual events are up-mountain sprints, long-distance runs (usually circling a single valley), rock climbing, spear throwing for distance and accuracy, stone carrying events, wrestling and swimming.

Athletics competitions are done in the nude - Theralis is body conscious, but in a very egoistic sort of way, and most young Theralese are justifiably proud of their bodies.

Shield work is something not everyone expects to do in the normal course of events. Theralis soldiers fight in four lines: the first line is the shield bearers, who carry heavy tower shields in parallel, and use those shields to keep as much of an enemy attack out of the line as possible. The second and third lines carry short and long spears, respectively, and stab through brief gaps as often as possible. The fourth line consists of everyone behind the first three, and has the duty of supporting the front lines, whether by healing, throwing javelins or spells at the foe, and so on. When there are sufficient numbers, everyone works in shifts, switching out positions when a front liner gets tired.

Shield work requires a short person with a lot of endurance. The shields are held high, and carried forward or backward as needed. Athan would be a perfect shield guard, except that he is too tall - his feet or head would always be an easy target, and a shield sized for him would not fit the formation.

Training for shield work consists of a lot of formation marching, with a near-50 pound shield held up in front of you. Everyone does it, in case they have to, but no one likes it.

Spear work is the basic training in the spear. The quarterstaff fighting methods that practically everyone practices in Theralis is the simplified form of spear work - or, to put that another way, spear work is quarterstaff fighting with a point.

Every soldier learns this, both in forms intended for formation fighting, and in forms intended for solo fighting.

Sparring is exactly what it sounds like: ranging from organized "army-on-army" clashes to solo competitions, the sparring in the Theralese military is both intense and constant. Athan shone here, and part of most people's admiration of him currently stems from this.

Arms & Equipment

A Theralese soldier wears a knee-length tunic and sandals, but is otherwise naked. One in two shield guards carry a shield on their back, which they hand off to a fresh shield guard when hostilities start. A few of the stronger soldiers carry several wrapped long spears, which are handed out to third-line soldiers at battle. Each company has a captain who wears a sword, and carries the battle banner for the company - when the banner falls, that means the captain has had to join the fight.

Everyone carries a short spear, bread pouch and water flask.

Random Notes on Arms & Armor

Steel is a secret art, known to a few rare cultural groups who sell their elite equipment for a high price. These groups are mostly allied with each other, and treat the potential discovery of the method by another group much like the USA treats the development of nuclear arms.

Theralis is firmly in the late iron age. Armor is too heavy for moving quickly through mountainous terrain (if you expect to be fresh when you reach the battle), and iron swords are far more expensive than iron-tipped spears.

Theralese spears are designed for quick, easy production: the typical spear head is a wedge-cut chunk of iron bound to the head of the shaft. The shields are more sturdily built - they are a thin plate of flattened iron bolted into a hardwood frame, and usually take a bit longer to make than the spears.

Archery is known, but an accurate arrow takes more effort to make than an entire spear... and the mountains sharply reduce the range advantages of the bow. Add to that the years of extra practice required to make a good archer, and the spear wins out yet again.

Theralese captains also have a sword, a single-edged wedge-shaped bar of iron about two feet long. It is a weapon of last resort (just as the captain is the fighter of last resort).

Random Notes on Sexuality

Family:
• Families require heirs; this is a duty of the oldest living child.
• Marriage is always male-female, and is the "balance basis" of a new family.
• Family is a very different beast from love.

Lovers:
• The concept of a lifemate exists, but they're rare.
• Same-sex love is reasonably common, about 6% of the population.
• Love is a very different beast from family.

Philosophy:
• Egalitarianism is very, very strong in Theralis.
• Male/Female is not a dichotomy, but a careful balancing.
• There are hero legends where gender has changed; in one or two, this was willing (and necessary for powers to be gained).

Exceptions:
• There are male-only and female-only mystery cults, usually oriented around Atmos and Demis.
• Men are more commonly wilderness-oriented. Women are more commonly community-oriented. However, female scouts, hunters and hermits are not uncommon, and neither are male politicians, civil servants and engineers.

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