Deadwood Deer
Ten Thousand Club
This is where the lore, such as PC races, the story so far, and Bestiary of Plotjackers is recorded.
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Fantasy Plotjackers Lore
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Deadwood Deer
Ten Thousand Club
PC Races
Humans
Humans, you and me, the players. Humans are pioneers and colonists, slowly spreading across the continent with plans to establish colonies across the Great Sea. Human skin colors range in varying shades of brown to pale tan, with eye colors that are most commonly brown, but grey, blue, and green eyes also exist. Hair colors usually run in shades of brown, but blonde, red, and black hair exists. Humans have a lifespan averaging 80 years.
Half-Elves
Born from a union between a human and elf, half-elves are rarely welcome in either culture. With a lifespan greater than humans but not nearly so long as an elf, half-elves range in hair and skin tones similar to humans, but with more angular faces than humans and their ears taper to a slight point.
Elves
Forest Dwellers from the north. Think along the line of Tolkien elves and you’re essentially there. Long ears, sharp senses of hearing and smell, and hawk-like vision, with an affinity for archery but are just as capable as any race to be anything besides an archer. Elves have lifespans of a few centuries, but there are tales of an elf that lived for millenia.
Goblins
Short humanoids, usually about 3-3.5 feet in height with mottled skin ranging from shades of green to brown, and eyes with a naturally yellow schlera and no iris. Goblin hair is usually black, but like humans turns white with age. Goblin ears are similar in structure to an Elf, but much floppier. Scavengers due to their poor reputation, many goblins distrust other races and are seen as thieves and tiny murderers. Due to their inability to trade or enter cities, goblins are often very rough in their speech and mannerisms, and often have greasy hair and scars from injuries for which they can buy no medicine. Goblin lifespans average in the 60s.
Due to their small size, goblins are not physically imposing, but usually make up for it with their craftiness.
Beastfolk
Humanoids that claim ancestry from wolves and bears, beastfolk are characterized by the coat of shaggy fur that covers their bodies, animalistic snouts, ears, and claws, with senses of smell and hearing comparable to a hound.
Beastfolk are fairly widespread, but not often found in hot climes. No one truly knows how long a Beastfolk will live, as it is tradition for a Beastfolk to leave civilization and seek death at the hands of nature if ever they are weakened by permanent injury or terminal illness, or the ravages of time.
Subcategory: Mystic Beastfolk- On occasion, powerful magic has influenced Beastfolk bloodlines to create creatures such as the magical breed of fox-folk, commonly called kitsune, and denoted by having multiple tails (Anywhere between 2 and 9, with the prevailing theory being that the more tails they're born with, the greater their magic potential). Thought to have been created by use of an Author Point, such creatures are not restricted specifically to fox folk, that's just the one I knew off the top of my head. By all means, make something up!
Triton
Humanoids from the ocean, Tritons resemble humans with greenish blue skin, webbed hands and fins on parts of their body, such as their ears. Boasting the ability to breathe both in and out of the water, a Triton is most comfortable in saltwater. Due to their need to keep their skin moist, tritons are not fond of coarse or absorbent cloth, often making their clothes from materials that hold moisture, such as woven seaweed or the hides of certain fish.
Golem
There are two varieties of Golem, each made for different purposes, similar to modern machines. Unlike other creatures, golems do not have a set lifespan. Construct golems will exist until a lack of maintenance renders them immobile and destroyed, while slime golems will survive so long as they can feed themselves.
Construct golems are made from stone, metal, and wood. They are made to fulfill a purpose, and that is their motivation, everything is about fulfilling their purpose.
Slime golems have a bit more leeway. Essentially just slimes modified to be intelligent, they are created when a Construct simply won’t do. Slime golems are made of, you guessed it, slime! They can come in a variety of colors but what they all share is being made of viscous goo and being hard to damage. Their gooey nature allows them to alter their shape as they will. Slime golems, being made of goo, can move through grates and through cracks wider than 1 cm. Slime golems eat by inserting food into their mass, which is then dissolved and made use of.
Serpentfolk
There are several varieties of serpentfolk, but the three main ones are lizardmen, lamia, and dragonewts.
Lizardmen are much what you would expect, humanoids with scales and other reptilian features such as claws and tails. They live in swamps, and seem to prefer a tribal lifestyle of hunting and gathering over the norm of cities for most other races.
Lamia are the second race. Usually female, with the rare exception of a Naga. With the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a large serpent, there are four kinds of lamia: lamia, hunter, naga, and matriarch. The Matriarch sits as head of the tribe. She and her four handmaidens are the only lamia that never marry. Reproducing with men of other species, the Matriarch produces hunters and regular lamia. Her handmaidens are Hunters, but not all hunters are handmaidens. Hunters are lamia with four arms, featuring the ability to freely change their skin and scale pigmentation. Nagas are the only male lamia, born only when a magician and lamia couple. They have high magic potential, and serve as the priests of lamia society. Naga are not permitted to marry other lamia. Normal lamia are much what you would expect, with only two arms to a Hunter’s 4, and lacking the ability to change color. Lamia lifespan varies. The matriarch has a lifespan of six centuries, while all other lamia range from fifty to seventy years.
The third race of serpentfolk are the dragonewts. Winged reptilians boasting draconic lineage, dragonewts are decended from an ancient union between a dragon and a humanoid, and have since lost much of their draconic strength over the generations. As they continued to grow their population, interbreeding with other races resulted in dragonewts losing much of their scaly hide in favor of smooth skin, and their flight muscles grew weaker, and rare is the dragonewt that can fly on their own power, though all have the ability to glide. Their tails are muscular, and through some quirk it seems that their draconic parts; claws, nose, eyes, wings, and tails, are the parts that retain scales, along with down their spine. Dragonewts live for close to two centuries.
Shade
A shade is not natural. No shade is born. They are transformed when humans are exposed to too much demonic mana at once. Effectively corrupted humans, Shades have the ability to travel through shadows as though they were stepping stones. Featuring ebony features, literally, except for their eyes and teeth they are pitch black, they blend into the darkness well, and have a natural affinity for nethermancy. A shade is infertile, unable to have children, and their lifespan is similar to humans.
Humans
Humans, you and me, the players. Humans are pioneers and colonists, slowly spreading across the continent with plans to establish colonies across the Great Sea. Human skin colors range in varying shades of brown to pale tan, with eye colors that are most commonly brown, but grey, blue, and green eyes also exist. Hair colors usually run in shades of brown, but blonde, red, and black hair exists. Humans have a lifespan averaging 80 years.
Half-Elves
Born from a union between a human and elf, half-elves are rarely welcome in either culture. With a lifespan greater than humans but not nearly so long as an elf, half-elves range in hair and skin tones similar to humans, but with more angular faces than humans and their ears taper to a slight point.
Elves
Forest Dwellers from the north. Think along the line of Tolkien elves and you’re essentially there. Long ears, sharp senses of hearing and smell, and hawk-like vision, with an affinity for archery but are just as capable as any race to be anything besides an archer. Elves have lifespans of a few centuries, but there are tales of an elf that lived for millenia.
Goblins
Short humanoids, usually about 3-3.5 feet in height with mottled skin ranging from shades of green to brown, and eyes with a naturally yellow schlera and no iris. Goblin hair is usually black, but like humans turns white with age. Goblin ears are similar in structure to an Elf, but much floppier. Scavengers due to their poor reputation, many goblins distrust other races and are seen as thieves and tiny murderers. Due to their inability to trade or enter cities, goblins are often very rough in their speech and mannerisms, and often have greasy hair and scars from injuries for which they can buy no medicine. Goblin lifespans average in the 60s.
Due to their small size, goblins are not physically imposing, but usually make up for it with their craftiness.
Beastfolk
Humanoids that claim ancestry from wolves and bears, beastfolk are characterized by the coat of shaggy fur that covers their bodies, animalistic snouts, ears, and claws, with senses of smell and hearing comparable to a hound.
Beastfolk are fairly widespread, but not often found in hot climes. No one truly knows how long a Beastfolk will live, as it is tradition for a Beastfolk to leave civilization and seek death at the hands of nature if ever they are weakened by permanent injury or terminal illness, or the ravages of time.
Subcategory: Mystic Beastfolk- On occasion, powerful magic has influenced Beastfolk bloodlines to create creatures such as the magical breed of fox-folk, commonly called kitsune, and denoted by having multiple tails (Anywhere between 2 and 9, with the prevailing theory being that the more tails they're born with, the greater their magic potential). Thought to have been created by use of an Author Point, such creatures are not restricted specifically to fox folk, that's just the one I knew off the top of my head. By all means, make something up!
Triton
Humanoids from the ocean, Tritons resemble humans with greenish blue skin, webbed hands and fins on parts of their body, such as their ears. Boasting the ability to breathe both in and out of the water, a Triton is most comfortable in saltwater. Due to their need to keep their skin moist, tritons are not fond of coarse or absorbent cloth, often making their clothes from materials that hold moisture, such as woven seaweed or the hides of certain fish.
Golem
There are two varieties of Golem, each made for different purposes, similar to modern machines. Unlike other creatures, golems do not have a set lifespan. Construct golems will exist until a lack of maintenance renders them immobile and destroyed, while slime golems will survive so long as they can feed themselves.
Construct golems are made from stone, metal, and wood. They are made to fulfill a purpose, and that is their motivation, everything is about fulfilling their purpose.
Slime golems have a bit more leeway. Essentially just slimes modified to be intelligent, they are created when a Construct simply won’t do. Slime golems are made of, you guessed it, slime! They can come in a variety of colors but what they all share is being made of viscous goo and being hard to damage. Their gooey nature allows them to alter their shape as they will. Slime golems, being made of goo, can move through grates and through cracks wider than 1 cm. Slime golems eat by inserting food into their mass, which is then dissolved and made use of.
Serpentfolk
There are several varieties of serpentfolk, but the three main ones are lizardmen, lamia, and dragonewts.
Lizardmen are much what you would expect, humanoids with scales and other reptilian features such as claws and tails. They live in swamps, and seem to prefer a tribal lifestyle of hunting and gathering over the norm of cities for most other races.
Lamia are the second race. Usually female, with the rare exception of a Naga. With the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a large serpent, there are four kinds of lamia: lamia, hunter, naga, and matriarch. The Matriarch sits as head of the tribe. She and her four handmaidens are the only lamia that never marry. Reproducing with men of other species, the Matriarch produces hunters and regular lamia. Her handmaidens are Hunters, but not all hunters are handmaidens. Hunters are lamia with four arms, featuring the ability to freely change their skin and scale pigmentation. Nagas are the only male lamia, born only when a magician and lamia couple. They have high magic potential, and serve as the priests of lamia society. Naga are not permitted to marry other lamia. Normal lamia are much what you would expect, with only two arms to a Hunter’s 4, and lacking the ability to change color. Lamia lifespan varies. The matriarch has a lifespan of six centuries, while all other lamia range from fifty to seventy years.
The third race of serpentfolk are the dragonewts. Winged reptilians boasting draconic lineage, dragonewts are decended from an ancient union between a dragon and a humanoid, and have since lost much of their draconic strength over the generations. As they continued to grow their population, interbreeding with other races resulted in dragonewts losing much of their scaly hide in favor of smooth skin, and their flight muscles grew weaker, and rare is the dragonewt that can fly on their own power, though all have the ability to glide. Their tails are muscular, and through some quirk it seems that their draconic parts; claws, nose, eyes, wings, and tails, are the parts that retain scales, along with down their spine. Dragonewts live for close to two centuries.
Shade
A shade is not natural. No shade is born. They are transformed when humans are exposed to too much demonic mana at once. Effectively corrupted humans, Shades have the ability to travel through shadows as though they were stepping stones. Featuring ebony features, literally, except for their eyes and teeth they are pitch black, they blend into the darkness well, and have a natural affinity for nethermancy. A shade is infertile, unable to have children, and their lifespan is similar to humans.
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Deadwood Deer
Ten Thousand Club
PC Classes
There are several orders in the Abandoned World. From the Dragon Slayers to the Mage Court, all the way down to scattered bands of thieves and warrior halls. Only a few have specific features present only for them, which will be noted here. You can consider these the four Class Archetypes in the Abandoned World. They are only examples, though, and you need not necessarily fit into one of these categories, or any of them, for that matter, these are just the most well known. Creativity within the bounds of what can be done in the world is always encouraged.
Dragon Slayers
Dragon Slayers are members of an order that exists to protect humanoids from dragons. Forged in the aftermath of a previous reign of terror by the winged beasts, they walk the line between man and wyrm to keep the peace and protect civilization. Their weapons and armor are made from the scales and bones of a dragon, and their body is enhanced from a diet of dragon meet, blood, and other organs during their training.
Dragon Slayers require years of intense training from early childhood, some even suggest from infancy. Dragon Slayer weapons and equipment are made of a material called Wyrm Steel, in which dragon bone powder is mixed with the steel to create a metal stronger than any other.
Dragon Slayer Gear
When a dragon tires of life as a dragon, he may offer himself to become a weapon against evil. This is how Dragon Slayer equipment is made.
To become a Slayer:
Magicians of the Court
The Mage Court is where all the greatest wielders of magic are trained. Some would say this is where a wizard becomes one with his magic. Magicians in training, once they achieve a certain level of competency with the magic taught to them by their elders, a magician is sent out into the world to discover their own true specialty. These trainees are excellent magicians of their own right, but only so much can be learned from studying at the Court.
Mages sent out on this quest for true magic have a specialty. It could be their innate magic, or it could be a branch of acquired magic that they happen to be good at, but they go on this quest to become truly masters of their magic.
There are two types of magic a Mage can draw from: Innate and Acquired Magics.
Innate Magic is magic that is unique to the mage in question. It is a part of them. This magic cannot be learned or taught, but it can be mastered. Innate magic somewhat rare, but it is also the most common reason to become a mage. If you woke up one morning with sparks coming out of every bodily orifice, wouldn’t you want to control it?
Innate Magic, unlike Acquired Magic, does not require rote memorization and practice of spells, rather the magic shapes itself according to the mage to the best it can according to the strength of the mage in question.
Examples of Innate Magic are:
Acquired Magic is spell-based. This means that a magician only needs to know the spell and have sufficient mana and a focus in order to cast. For that reason, examples of Acquired Magic would be useless, rather it is left to the players to come up with reasonable spells.
Examples of Focuses, however, are needed. Such examples are:
Priests of Paumus
Paumus is a highly revered god in the Abandoned World, although in recent years his worship has diminished. The God of Goodwill, his temples dot the continent, and to be one of his wandering priests is to have been chosen by Paumus himself. Wandering Priests and Priestesses of Paumus sometimes receive visions from the god in their dreams, giving them advice or warning them of future hardships.
Perhaps what is most odd about Paumus is that his demands of his followers are somewhat… lacking, compared to other deities. Where Loky demands that each farmer give his weight in grain each harvest, Paumus demands his followers use that grain to make bread and provide food to those unable to feed themselves. Perhaps his command that his followers should help the helpless is why he is also known as Charity, and his followers sometimes called Donators.
Paumus grants his wandering priests a unique form of magic, called Miracles. Examples of Miracles are:
As Paumus is the god of Goodwill, his followers are expected to be similarly charitable, and try to help the helpless if they can.
Black Daggers
The Black Daggers own the dark side of civilization. Weapon smuggling, thief guilds, drugs, prostitution, they own it all. Or, if they don’t own it, it owes them a percentage of its earnings. No one does anything without the Black Daggers knowing about it.
Perhaps what is most unusual about the Black Daggers is that no one really knows what they can do or where they hide, or even how many there are. Even the few members of the guild who have been captured don’t really know. Only a few traits have ever been narrowed down to the Black Daggers:
There are several orders in the Abandoned World. From the Dragon Slayers to the Mage Court, all the way down to scattered bands of thieves and warrior halls. Only a few have specific features present only for them, which will be noted here. You can consider these the four Class Archetypes in the Abandoned World. They are only examples, though, and you need not necessarily fit into one of these categories, or any of them, for that matter, these are just the most well known. Creativity within the bounds of what can be done in the world is always encouraged.
Dragon Slayers
Dragon Slayers are members of an order that exists to protect humanoids from dragons. Forged in the aftermath of a previous reign of terror by the winged beasts, they walk the line between man and wyrm to keep the peace and protect civilization. Their weapons and armor are made from the scales and bones of a dragon, and their body is enhanced from a diet of dragon meet, blood, and other organs during their training.
Dragon Slayers require years of intense training from early childhood, some even suggest from infancy. Dragon Slayer weapons and equipment are made of a material called Wyrm Steel, in which dragon bone powder is mixed with the steel to create a metal stronger than any other.
Dragon Slayer Gear
When a dragon tires of life as a dragon, he may offer himself to become a weapon against evil. This is how Dragon Slayer equipment is made.
- The dragon’s soul is extracted and placed within a specialized magic container. The dragon experiences this similar to a human being put under an anesthetic.
- The dragon’s bodily fluids are removed. Blood is drained into a large container, the fire compounds are detonated at a safe distance, but the organs which produce them are preserved with magic for later.
- The dragon is skinned. Wing membranes must be kept in as large sheets as possible, scales must remain undamaged, and the hide must be gathered in as complete a sheet as possible.
- The dragon’s heart, muscles, lungs, and eyes are removed from the body. These will be used to prepare the Slayer. They are magically preserved for use.
- The skeleton is ground down into powder. This is extremely difficult, due to the high concentration of minerals within the bone.
- All tracts reaching from where the fire organs were to the mouth and nose and preserved.
- All other organs are incinerated.
To become a Slayer:
- Abandoned or orphaned children are raised by the Order. From age 5, they receive extensive training in weaponry of all kinds.
- By age 10, they will have specialized into either melee or ranged combat, but are expected to be proficient in both.
- By age 12, two potential Slayers will be selected to choose a dragon every six months until their 20th birthday. If they are not selected by age 20, they are instead free to rejoin the world as highly skilled warriors.
- When a Potential is Selected to become a Slayer, they are locked in a dark room, deprived of all senses save touch. In this room will be all of the stored dragon souls. The Potential has to stumble until they find a Soul. This dragon will be their equipment. This soul will be kept in their quarters to attune the Potential to the soul, which will make the soul better support the Slayer’s weapons and armor.
- The materials gathered from that dragon are prepared to be forged into weapons and armor. This takes about a year.
- During that time, the Potential Slayer is fed a strict diet to prepare them to become a full Slayer, while their training intensifies to inhuman levels. A small steak of dragon meat at each meal, with a glass of a special brew. This develops their body rapidly into prime adulthood and rebuilds their body to beyond peak human condition without physical distortion. (In layman’s terms, they will become superhumanly strong without drastic visible change beyond getting toned.)
- At the end of this year long diet and superhuman training, the Potential’s diet is swapped from the steak to a blend made from the eyes, heart, and lungs of the dragon for a week. Because of this drink, his eyes are altered to have superior sight. His lungs become stronger. His blood, richer. His bones, stronger. Hearing, sharper. Healing, faster. In every possible way that doesn’t involve physics-defiance, by this point the potential is superhuman.
- The materials for armor are now completed. The Potential is fitted for armor, measured for his weapons. Forging his equipment takes a month, during which time he must endure a special operation. The dragon’s fire organs are magically shrunk down and surgically implanted in the Slayer, granting him a dragon’s ability to produce and breathe fire. As he recovers from the surgery, he is to drink another potion that will prepare his throat, mouth, and nasal passages to be resistant to fire.
- In an official ceremony, the new Slayer, now physically superior to every human on earth that is not a Slayer himself, receives his equipment and swears the oath to uphold the peace with good dragons and protect from the evil dragons. As he swears this oath, a magician bonds the dragon soul to the armor, giving it life, in a sense. The armor will repair itself so long as the Slayer follows his oath.
- A Full Slayer is still human at core, but their body has been modified to rival a dragon. They can breath fire, exert strength many times that of a human of similar size, and live until they are killed. Their armor renders them fireproof, their weapons stronger than any other steel. Some even fit their armor with special devices to glide.
Magicians of the Court
The Mage Court is where all the greatest wielders of magic are trained. Some would say this is where a wizard becomes one with his magic. Magicians in training, once they achieve a certain level of competency with the magic taught to them by their elders, a magician is sent out into the world to discover their own true specialty. These trainees are excellent magicians of their own right, but only so much can be learned from studying at the Court.
Mages sent out on this quest for true magic have a specialty. It could be their innate magic, or it could be a branch of acquired magic that they happen to be good at, but they go on this quest to become truly masters of their magic.
There are two types of magic a Mage can draw from: Innate and Acquired Magics.
Innate Magic is magic that is unique to the mage in question. It is a part of them. This magic cannot be learned or taught, but it can be mastered. Innate magic somewhat rare, but it is also the most common reason to become a mage. If you woke up one morning with sparks coming out of every bodily orifice, wouldn’t you want to control it?
Innate Magic, unlike Acquired Magic, does not require rote memorization and practice of spells, rather the magic shapes itself according to the mage to the best it can according to the strength of the mage in question.
Examples of Innate Magic are:
- Pyrokinesis
- Nethermancy
- Vitaemancy
- Daemon Summoning
- Etching (Writing in the air with mana.)
Acquired Magic is spell-based. This means that a magician only needs to know the spell and have sufficient mana and a focus in order to cast. For that reason, examples of Acquired Magic would be useless, rather it is left to the players to come up with reasonable spells.
Examples of Focuses, however, are needed. Such examples are:
- Mana Gems
- Wands, staves, or accessories made of Elma Wood
- Tattoos of Leathen Pigment. (Rare)
- A Familiar
Priests of Paumus
Paumus is a highly revered god in the Abandoned World, although in recent years his worship has diminished. The God of Goodwill, his temples dot the continent, and to be one of his wandering priests is to have been chosen by Paumus himself. Wandering Priests and Priestesses of Paumus sometimes receive visions from the god in their dreams, giving them advice or warning them of future hardships.
Perhaps what is most odd about Paumus is that his demands of his followers are somewhat… lacking, compared to other deities. Where Loky demands that each farmer give his weight in grain each harvest, Paumus demands his followers use that grain to make bread and provide food to those unable to feed themselves. Perhaps his command that his followers should help the helpless is why he is also known as Charity, and his followers sometimes called Donators.
Paumus grants his wandering priests a unique form of magic, called Miracles. Examples of Miracles are:
- Healing (Obviously, this is the cleric)
- Causing animals to provide for food and water
- Purifying food and drink
- Shield
- Holy Smite
As Paumus is the god of Goodwill, his followers are expected to be similarly charitable, and try to help the helpless if they can.
Black Daggers
The Black Daggers own the dark side of civilization. Weapon smuggling, thief guilds, drugs, prostitution, they own it all. Or, if they don’t own it, it owes them a percentage of its earnings. No one does anything without the Black Daggers knowing about it.
Perhaps what is most unusual about the Black Daggers is that no one really knows what they can do or where they hide, or even how many there are. Even the few members of the guild who have been captured don’t really know. Only a few traits have ever been narrowed down to the Black Daggers:
- Per the name, they have a particular affinity for daggers, often choosing them over other weapons.
- They work from the shadows, their stealth capabilities rivaling even a shadow magician in the pitch black of a moonless night.
- Not all Black Daggers work in cities. There is a fair share of them that live and operate in the untamed wilderness and homesteads of the Abandoned World.
- Some of them do make use of Innate magic to make life easier.
Deadwood Deer
Ten Thousand Club
Author Points
Author points are specific locations where the original author put a great deal into that area, so much so that altering that location can have drastic effects on the rest of the world. Plotjackers and sucked-in characters alike should seek these locations, because they are key in the struggle to destroy or maintain the balance.
Also, these are spots where a sucked-in character can create items with the particular Author Magic of an Author Point.
Finding and using Author Points will be a major part of how you overcome the Plotjackers. You will know you are staring at an Author Point, because it will be a large, ornate tome with empty pages on an ornate writing desk of beautifully carved red wood in the middle of a large room.
Author points are specific locations where the original author put a great deal into that area, so much so that altering that location can have drastic effects on the rest of the world. Plotjackers and sucked-in characters alike should seek these locations, because they are key in the struggle to destroy or maintain the balance.
Also, these are spots where a sucked-in character can create items with the particular Author Magic of an Author Point.
Finding and using Author Points will be a major part of how you overcome the Plotjackers. You will know you are staring at an Author Point, because it will be a large, ornate tome with empty pages on an ornate writing desk of beautifully carved red wood in the middle of a large room.
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