The Great Terrace (Fantasy World)

[Myrleena]

The Great Terrace

In the beginning, there was Chaos.  From the chaos came, as all things can, came Order.  The first plane to take form was Heaven.  Within Heaven formed the seven gods, Alain, Ceres, Durand, Jarekon, Markael, Numina, and Phentos.  Each of the seven took up a virtue according to their own beliefs and created servants, angels, who exemplified these virtues.  Alain took up Chastity, Ceres took Kindness, Durand took Diligence, Jarekon took Temperance, Markael took Charity, Numina took Patience, and Phentos took Humility.

With their servants created to stand by their sides, the gods looked out on the near-endless expanse of Heaven and the limitless, ephemeral substance of Chaos, and they chose to create Order once more.  With the aid of their angels, the gods brought forth Adena, the Great Terrace.  Suspended amidst Chaos, each terrace was an immense continent, with seas and mountains, forests and swamps, sun and wind.  Each of these terraces was isolated, however, so the gods placed portals between them, ways for inhabitants to go from one terrace to the next.  And upon the terraces the gods created mortals.  The most populous of these mortals were the humans, dwarves, and elves, each with the most precious gift of the gods of all.  Free will.

Having completed their task, the gods stood back to admire their work, when one of the angels stepped forward and spoke.  Andrellon, servant of Phentos, was a powerful angel, and she was much respected amongst the Host.  Having given the mortals free will, she suggested that the gods give them an even more precious gift, the chance to choose without the guidance of gods nor angels.  She proposed that they cut themselves off from Adena and allow the mortals a choice of their own.  The gods mulled this over, but eventually agreed and began to prepare a ritual to bind all those in Heaven to the plane for all time.  What they did not know yet was that Andrellon and six other powerful servants, one of each god, wished to be free themselves, and that they had gathered many angelic followers.

As the gods prepared their ritual, Andrellon gathered her allies on the lowest layer of the Great Terrace, waiting for the ritual that would free them from the service of the gods at last, and allow them their own freedom.  It was this, when the gods heard from a loyal angel of Andrellon's odd movements, that informed the gods of Andrellon's betrayal.  The gods, ignoring Numina's advice not to act hastily, changed the ritual.  Ceres attempted to speak, to suggest some kindness might be in order, even as Jarekon suggested they might want to temper their response.  But four of the seven agreed, and the other three went along reluctantly.  They performed their new ritual while many angels were still journeying between the Terraces, and thus made the greatest mistake of their existence, for they did not foresee the full consequences of their actions.

The ritual bound all the angels to the plane, and terrace, that they were on when it was performed.  It also affected the gods themselves, but they judged that the original idea had had merit, even if Andrellon had betrayed them.  And thus they punished and cursed Andrellon and his followers, which was the true mistake that they made.  The land of the lowest terrace twisted and deformed as a side effect of the curse on Andrellon and his allies, growing putrid and vile as the earth turned to horrified, semi-living flesh.  Water turned to acidic bile, trees to bone and vicious creatures.  The terrace grew into a horrifying, near infinite world like Heaven.  The blasted, twisted landscape was horrifying, but the changes they inflicted on the believed traitors were worse for all of Adena.  They struck their virtues from their followers, twisting and changing it within them, believing the change would be a worse torture for the former angels than any other punishment.

They were right, but they also created their own worst enemies in the process.  Chastity gave way to Lust, Temperance to Gluttony, Charity to Greed, Diligence to Sloth, Patience to Wrath, Kindness to Envy, and Humility to Pride.  And the twisting of their souls in such a way twisted the bodies of the former angels into mockeries of their former, angelic forms, mockeries that exemplified the Sins that they now bore.  And the twisted agony of their natures bestowed within them a hatred for their former masters, an undying hatred that still burns today, with the same tortured anger and sense that they have to do what they have been changed into, yet knowing the very wrongness of it.

Yet not all the angels fell as some were loyal, and some of the rebels had never made it to the lowest terrace, now called the Abyss.  Those angels and new-born devils were trapped on the planes where they had found themselves.  Devils on the uppermost terraces were quickly destroyed by the horrified angels, and a few hid themselves deep enough so as not to be found.  On other, lower terraces, the devils and angels each claimed homes for themselves, where the others dared not tread.

And shortly after the ritual, the seven leaders of the rebels took up new names and, to the horror of the gods, became dark gods themselves.  Andrellon took the name of Arissana, Queen of Pride and the leader of the dark gods.  The others took note of her change, and changed themselves.  Bhelkor of Sloth, Gheldine of Greed, Jacqueline of Lust, Lorvault of Gluttony, Orethon of Envy, and Zephyr of Wrath.  And, with a unanimous decision, the Gods of Darkness declared war on the Gods of Light.

It was then that the Gods of Light realized that, in their haste, the ritual to bind angels, and now devils, to their planes had been flawed.  Angels and devils could still walk through the portals between planes, though gods, both Light and Dark, could not.  Additionally, those beings capable of shifting planes could still use their abilities to visit neighboring terraces.  But, still further, any being that strayed from its home plane grew weaker with every world it crossed, whether by portal or shifting planes.  Few that could shift planes could shift more than three terraces away before losing the power to go any further, and only the most powerful of angels or devils were of any use at all beyond four terraces from their own.  But mortals, it seemed, could summon outsiders at their full power wherever they wished.

And it was the realization of how mortal faith powered each of the sides that truly brought them into the war.  The Gods of Darkness, fixated and determined to destroy the Gods of Light, began to slowly corrupt the lowest layers of Adena.  The first sign of what they were trying to do came when the next layer up was suddenly consumed by the Abyss when its corruption grew great enough.  This was the event that made many mortals of the lower terraces begin to resist more fervently, but the loss of a terrace created many more devils in the service of the Gods of Darkness.  But this also fueled the desertion of many of the Fallen, who didn't wish to destroy everything.  They wished to sate their appetites, not destroy, and many of these became known as demons, while those loyal to the dark gods were called devils.

Now, mortals know that there are eight terraces that separate Heaven and the Abyss.  Once, they know, there were ten.  It is suspected by many that once there were many more, but time has forgotten them, and the Abyss has consumed them.  The battle lines, such as they are, are on Lylaen, the sixth terrace, third up from the Abyss itself.  There, fortresses and towns fight the weakened demons and devils for their lives, trying vainly to keep the forests free of the monstrosities that slowly slink up from the even more embattled lower terraces.  The Gods of Light send champions and avatars to aid the fray, while the devils do the same.  None know how to stop the encroaching Abyss, but as of yet, there is still time.  Light still burns brightly, and none know what might come from Chaos once more.

[Myrleena]

World Information

Gods: The 14 gods are each distinct individuals, each with their own focus.  Some support the war between Light and Dark more than others.

Light
Alain, Goddess of Chastity.  Alain is known for her steadiness and knowledge, and while passionate she doesn't allow such to cause her to get too close to others.  Alain often guards forbidden knowledge, that which none should know, and she knows better than to touch it.  Alain is not directly involved in the war, but she has learned and given much knowledge that allows mortals to fight more effectively.

Ceres, Goddess of Kindness.  Ceres is known for always having a kind word for anyone, and for the fact she will forgive almost anything.  She is a healer, and her faith is known for giving second chances to those who are willing to accept her somewhat harsh disciplines to allow redemption.  In spite of being the least combative of the gods, she is heavily involved in the war.

Durand, God of Diligence.  Durand is a hard worker, throwing his all into everything he does.  Although considered somewhat dim-witted for a god, Durand makes up for it through sheer effort.  He has little patience for those who don't work hard, and he is at the forefront of the battles between Light and Dark.

Jarekon, God of Temperance.  Jarekon is the voice of caution of the gods of light, always urging care and moderation in their actions.  Many consider Jarekon to be plodding and far too conservative, but he simply chooses to wait and weigh his actions before stepping forward like a sculptor to carefully strike a single point that does everything that needs to be done without damaging those things he holds dear.  Jarekon is often the defender of the gods in the war.

Markael, God of Charity.  Markael is likely the god most concerned with mortals.  He keeps an eye on them and cautions the others when mortals seem to be flagging or worried.  His is the faith that most often helps refugees or the poor, and it is his faith that has been behind rebuilding many cities that have fallen in battles.  While not directly involved in the battles, he chooses to help fortify and rebuild where he can.

Numina, Goddess of Patience. Numina is the goddess of agriculture and also the planner of the gods.  From her came the ideas for cities, and from her come many of the long-term plans of the gods.  She gets along particularly well with Jarekon, as does her faith.  In the war she is the strategist, often looking at things with the true long view in mind.

Phentos, God of Humility.  Phentos is the god of humility, and his is the faith at the forefront of the battles against darkness with Durand, for he feels responsible for the rift between the gods of Light and Dark.  His faith help where they can, often traveling simply, and few have any positions of authority.  In spite of this, they often end up where they need to at the oddest of times.

Dark
Arissana, Goddess of Pride.  Leader of the dark gods, Arissana feels the greatest pain from her transformation.  Now dark and beautiful, she dominates with an iron fist, gaining the most pleasure from gaining the adoration and service of others.  She is the planner and plotter of the war, but leaves the implementation to others.

Bhelkor, God of Sloth.  Bhelkor is possibly the least active of the dark gods, likely because he can't move his body without magical aid.  However, this very lack has led to him growing skilled with magic, and he is the patron of those who wish to get others to do their work everywhere.  Bhelkor is, oddly, the closest that the dark gods have to a recruiter for the war.
Gheldine, Goddess of Greed.  Gheldine, the gilded devil, is the patron of wealth and acquisition.  She desires to have everything, and her faith reflects this.  Her temples and shrines are works of art, as well as being well-guarded vaults of treasures.  Thus, her warriors often guard the cities that they have acquired fiercely.

Jacqueline, Goddess of Lust.  Jacqueline is the First Succubus, and is the seducer and taker of souls of the Abyss.  She is darkness and desire embodied, and her fell charms have seduced many.  Her faith is rarely in the open, nor does it need to be.  Others fall into her arms almost without her trying.  Her role in the war is as a spy and saboteur, a task at which she excels.

Lorvault, God of Gluttony.  Lorvault, the gluttonous lord, hungers to consume.  Thus his concerns include both the living, who desire to eat as well, and the undead, who lust for life.  Even the other dark gods are careful around Lorvault, given his short temper and proclivities.  Often having to fight for more territory to gain that which he desires, Lorvault is combative and aggressive, fighting frequently in the war with his necromancer servants.

Orethon, God of Envy.  Orethon is sometimes the least respected of the dark gods, but only out of ignorance.  The god is petty, jealous, and known for his love of poisons and assassinations.  Few know much about his mind, for he is private and loves his secrets, to the point that he has killed more than one favored servant who might have learned too much.  Unsurprisingly, his role is that of an assassin in the war.

Zephyr, Goddess of Wrath.  Zephyr is the goddess of destruction and war.  Other gods may dance around the issue, but Zephyr is exceedingly simple.  She is short-tempered dangerous, and insanely powerful in direct combat.  Fortunately for her allies, she is also easy to distract and manipulate.  Oddly, her closest ally amongst the dark gods in Jacqueline, who finds the destructive goddess fascinating.  For obvious reasons, Zephyr is the one who leads the battle lines in war.

Unaligned
Death, Deity of Endings.  Death is simply that.  The god of endings and destruction.  Little is known about Death except its inevitability.  It's said that Death came to be a deity after millennia of war, mortals came to believe in it so greatly that a deific force came into being, and that is the god of Death.  Death is the god of undead and the dieing.  Death is the one prayed to to prevent one rising as undead, or to wish death on one's enemy.  The other gods acknowledge that Death exists, but all of them seem to be afraid to speak of Death.


Races
When it comes to angels and fiends, each has a specific role and general appearance.  By and large, these are the ones that one would encounter out in the world.  Unfortunately for everyone, fiends have interbred, creating hybrids, and some others have been created.  None of the more specialized latter forms have been included. Each angel or fiend is categorized by its virtue or sin, though this is simply the creature's heritage.  Any angel or fiend can choose to swear allegiance to a new faction, and as such there are all types of outsiders in the various factions.  All angels and fiends are generally human in appearance, though they have unique and sometimes monstrous features.  Most are usually oddly beautiful, however, even if in a monstrous way.

Angels
Charity: Angels of Charity are most often recognized by a slightly more ragged appearance.  They tend to plain clothing, but they are characterized by a willingness to give what they can to aid others and their happiness at helping others in whatever way they can.  Their powers tend toward the healing of others and a greater gift for building and constructing.

Chastity: Angels of Chastity are almost uniformly beautiful, shining with an internal radiance and garbed in beautiful clothing.  They also all wear chastity belts that protect their sacred chastity, though their vows extend to touching others as little as possible.  Most of these angels are female, but by no means all of them.  Many such angels seem aloof and unreasonably calm, possessed of a great sense of themselves.  Their powers tend toward magic, particularly divination, and many possess knowledge of an enormous variety of subjects.

Diligence: Angels of Diligence are universally fit, though they vary from being heavily muscled to simply being perfectly balanced in form.  Many such angels are male, and a disproportionate number have become warriors.  Their powers, such as they are, are simply their inhuman toughness and physical prowess, whether that be as a mason, carpenter, or warrior of any ilk.

Humility: Angels of Humility are oft recognized by their relatively humble garb and oddly wing-less state, yet their eyes hold a knowledge of who they are, and yet how little they know.  Oft traveling alone, these are the least numerous of the angels.  Their powers are an inner knowledge of the natural order and they have an intuitive knowledge of the martial arts, a knowledge they use with abandon when it is needed.

Kindness: Angels of Kindness are beautiful, like those of Chastity, but it is a much friendlier, earthier beauty.  Where they live, plants grow much more quickly and vibrantly than in other places.  With a friendly smile, they will speak to anyone at all, seemingly with no preconceptions.  This does not mean they are soft, though, for they are quick to punish those who do not learn from a first mistake, and their penances are often unusually harsh.  These angels have great powers of healing, and some have powers to influence plants as well.

Patience: Angels of Patience are most oft recognized by their lack of words.  Speaking only rarely, these angels are known as observers, though they are willing to help where needed.  They take the long view, and thus are most welcome amongst elves, as humans find them disturbing.  Sometimes they are battle commanders, but most often these angels help mortals plan ahead, sometimes without the mortals even knowing about their actions.  These angels have a gift for foresight, but their precise abilities vary according to the individual nature of the angel.

Temperance: Angels of Temperance are often mistaken for those of Humility or Patience, but they are universally fit, without too much or too little fat or muscle on their bodies.  They practice all things in moderation, making certain to never go too far, yet rarely not going far enough.  Their powers tend to be intensely focused and precise, allowing them to strike with precision, whatever their individual interest.

Champions
Avatars: Avatars are those fallen mortal spirits who have been gifted with a fragment of the deity's divine essence, turning them into a form of angel.  The power of the Avatar is based on the power of the individual in life, making it an honor bestowed only on the truly powerful.  However, only rarely does an Avatar achieve the power of a greater angel or fiend, for those beings are amazingly potent.  The reason for a god choosing to make a spirit into an Avatar is simple, however.  An Avatar retains their free will, and they may also travel anywhere in the planes without their power diminishing, making them more powerful than a greater angel in some cases.  Additionally, the risk to a deity is greater.  Should an Avatar be slain, the power invested in them returns slowly, taking a year to cross each terrace on its way back to the deity.  And those with the proper knowledge or rituals can steal that essence instead, empowering themselves.  Still worse, the power cannot be revoked except in person, with the Avatar's permission.  More than one deity has had their Avatar turned to the other side, leaving them weakened and the other side strengthened.

Champions: When a mortal truly exemplifies a god's virtue or sin, whether the god is light or dark, the god appropriate may take notice of the mortal.  If this mortal consistently continues to show those actions that the god approves of, they may make the mortal one of their Champions, bestowing powers on the mortal.  These mortals are known as the God-Touched.  Many of them only briefly gain the powers bestowed by their deity, but some few are granted greater and greater powers, until they have gained the full mantle of power that the deity can grant.  A deity can only grant a single individual in all the terraces this full mantle at a single time, so deities are cautious granting such power, especially as, should the mortal be killed, the power invested in the mantle is slow to return to the deity.  However, neither side can afford not to grant their mantle to a mortal, as it would weaken them to the other side.  However, when a mortal falls, the deity can choose to offer the mortal the chance to become their Avatar, an offer that occurs only rarely.

Fiends
Envy: A fiend of Envy is a thin, almost wasted-looking creature with huge eyes and long fingers.  They are exceptionally agile, and often have bat-like wings.  They long to acquire the things that others possess, and love magic, wishing to horde it to themselves.  This causes them to greedily attack wizards, killing them so that they have sole access to magic.  Such fiends can often naturally turn invisible, and most have a gift for magic.

Gluttony: Fiends of Gluttony are frequently large, though not horrifically so.  Some of them are alternately emaciated to the point that they look dead, with glittering, greedy eyes.  In search of things to consume, these fiends eternally hunger, and are able to consume almost any amount of sustenance.  These fiends have the ability to suck souls, though doing so causes them to take on even more disturbing, clawed and horned visages.  Once in this form they are incredibly difficult to kill, as they often heal faster than a foe can harm them.  Alternately, these fiends can take on this form by feasting on nearly their body weight in food.  Many of these fiends also are able to raise the dead as undead servants, and others learn necromancy to do so.

Greed: Fiends of Greed most often glitter with fine clothing and jewelry, distracting others from their slight differences from others.  They oft have small inhuman features, such as small horns, claws, or even sometimes additional limbs.  These additions often look as if they're inset with precious stones or metals, allowing them to sometimes pass them off as jewelry.  Some of these fiends can take on a more war-like form, however, which always glitters with the signs of the same precious materials.  These fiends wish to possess things, whether those things are precious materials, land, or even individuals.  They possess powers of divination for such things, and are skilled at reshaping materials.  Some of them even are able to reshape flesh, which has led to more than one mortal rescue falling back in terror from the misshapen figure of the very individual they meant to rescue.

Lust: Fiends of Lust are attractive without exception.  Some sport horns, tails or wings, but such is immaterial to them, for they are all shapeshifters, able to take any form and cause chaos.  Lust is their calling and joy, and the aftermath matters little to many of them, though they love to acquire doting servants, often broken in mind.  They also delight in manipulating would-be heroes into destroying their enemies, and they are very good at such things.  Their most common powers are the ability to hide their aura as well as to utilize mental domination and charms.  Additional common powers are their skill with binding contracts and enchantment magic, as well as pheromones that allow them to manipulate another even without magic.

Pride: With a tall, imperial form, fiends of Pride are arrogant and inhuman.  Their sin the one that led to the cursing, their form is more difficult to hide than some.  All of these fiends have alien features on their faces and heads, and often on the rest of their bodies as well.  They are commonly scaled, horned, and some have hooves, as mere examples.  But they are powerful, possibly the most powerful of fiends.  They wish to rule with an iron fist, crushing others under their perceived omnipotence.  Their powers vary wildly, but most have an affinity for fire and earth magic, and are able to shatter the very land with their strength.

Sloth: Fiends of Sloth are often disrespected, for they are slow to get anything done.  They are slug-like and repulsive, but far too many of them are skilled with magic and more powerful than their bodies might imply.  Additionally, they're often immensely tough, if only due to the sheer weight of fat that they carry on their bodies.

Wrath: The most feared of the fiends are those of Wrath.  Many look mundane in their humanoid form, some of them even looking beautiful.  But one can identify a fiend of Wrath by examining them closely, for their bodies are tattooed with fiendish runes hidden within the intricate designs.  These designs give a hint of the fiend's other form, though one would be wiser to retreat quickly.  Fiends of Wrath are often short-tempered, and others simply wish to do nothing but destroy.  Yet, oddly, some can be reasoned with or easily distracted.  Some can be bought off of an attack with something as simple as a beautiful song.  But when angered, a Fiend of Wrath shapechanges into a horrible monster, a living engine of destruction that terrifies all who stand before it.  Some take the form of dragons, others horrible, spined monsters, and still others appear as enormous armored figures made entirely of blades.  No two of them are alike, and in their awakened form they are the most dangerous of their kind.  They have few powers, merely relying on their strength, regeneration, and physical resilience to take them through battle.  Some do have additional powers based on their alternate form, but such is suited to the form.

Mortals
Dwarves: Short and stocky, dwarves rarely reach more than four and a half feet in height, yet they weigh far more than one might expect.  This is due to their bones being made largely of stone.  Dwarven flesh is incredibly dense, further increasing their weight.  It is with good reason that dwarves loathe water, for they are unable to swim.  However, this very denseness of their body makes them incredibly strong and resilient for their size.  Pound for pound, no mortal race can match the sheer endurance, strength, and toughness of dwarves.  Unfortunately, dwarves are notoriously insular and loyal to their home clan.  They make their homes among mountains and hills, often beneath the earth, and make friends only slowly.  Living upward of four centuries, they most often make friends with families, not individuals.  Dwarves are reputed to be the masters of working metal and stone, as such is literally in their blood.  Some others may be able to equal their work on an individual basis, but no other race has their inborn flair for metal and stone work.  When they encounter fiends, most dwarven clans are staunch enemies, though a few clans now follow the Gods of Darkness or even individual demons.

Elves: Tall and slender, elves could be the antithesis of dwarves.  Their bones are light but strong, and they are both quick and nimble on their feet.  They are known to reach up to six and a half feet in height, though the average is closer to six feet, and they tend toward beauty and wisdom, and are most obviously identified by their long, slender ears that reach up to four inches outward.  Elves are at home in forests or on the sea, as each brings peace and the sense of unexplored horizons to this folk.  Elves rarely build cities, mostly tending to build small towns from which they can roam.  They take care of their surroundings, being forced to take a long view with a lifespan that extends beyond three-quarters of a millennium.  They have a gift for magic and items of fine detail, but they love to experience new things, particularly food and music.  As their greatest homeland is the current battleground between fiends and angels, the elves have put their gifts for magic, archery and swordplay to work to defend their homes.  But some have gone over to the other side, seduced by new experiences, powers, and even simple pragmatism and belief that the Gods of Darkness are taking the longer view.

Humans: The most numerous of all the races save goblin-kind, humans are ubiquitous.  They are good and evil, allies of law or chaos, and confusing to many.  However, they are simply people.  They range from five to six feet in height on average, and are physically and mentally more fit than humans of many other worlds.  But humanity is what it is, and far too many humans distrust the other races, and still others have chosen to ally with the Dark.


Adena
The eight terraces of Adena are each unique places of their own, almost their own worlds.  Each is a over three thousand miles across (approximately the size of North America) and each contains two portals, one to the terrace above it, and the other to the terrace below it.  And each of these terraces has a distinct edge to it, where one can, if one is determined, fall off the terrace.  The edge of each terrace is steep and mountainous, forming a ledge of sorts to keep anyone from accidentally falling off into Chaos, where they will likely dissolve into nothing.

Cathedral, the 1st Terrace: The terrace closest to Heaven, Cathedral is an idyllic paradise.  The land is gently rolling hills, open fields, craggy mountains, and tranquil forests.  In this land live many humans, dwarves, and elves, in gleaming cities that make many other realms look shabby by comparison.  Here the faith of the Gods of Light is strongest, and few fiends or cultists make themselves known, and those that do are quickly destroyed.  However, there are shadows to Cathedral, in spite of what the faiths can do.  They just aren't as open as the other terraces, by comparison, and most conflicts take place in political arenas, paralyzing the realms of Cathedral in bickering.

Osira, the 2nd Terrace: Unlike all the other terraces, Osira is the home of the only true sea that Adena has ever known.  While other terraces have large lakes that they call seas, the sea of Osira spans most of the terrace.  Mediterranean in climate and navigability, Osira is dotted with dozens of large islands and realms.  Filled with ships that gather their main export, fish, and exploring the horizons of their sea, Osira is home to many humans and elves, but dwarves avoid it like the plague.  The greatest dangers of Osira are some sea monsters from the depths and the weather, which can spawn impressive storms that would almost be alien to its climate.

Mountainheart, the 3rd Terrace: Home to the vast majority of dwarven clans, Mountainheart is a rugged, mountainous terrace.  Vast stores of ores and gems pocket the mountains, as well as good building stones.  This terrace would be almost impassable if it weren't for the great engineering projects of the dwarves, for they've carved immense highways through the mountains to haul their goods across the terrace.  The dangers come from the dragons that dwell in the mountains, immense, hostile beasts that hunger for gold, as well as giants and goblins that live to raid and steal.

Dale, the 4th Terrace: Dale is a land of rolling hills and small forests, a land where farmers and horse lords hold sway.  Giant eagles and rocs nest in the mountains surrounding the hills, preying on the antelope and other herd animals that roam the lands.  Few other threats roam Dale, save for purely mortal ones, as the various lords vie with each other for territory.  Most travelers are unmolested by these private conflicts, but sometimes the feuds grow dangerous and spill over.  Additionally, there are the nomad tribes that claim allegiance to no one.  And plenty of bandits roam the terrace, making life where they can.

Jewel, the 5th Terrace: A land of strange symmetry, Jewel is a land with a vast lake in the center of the terrace, on the edge of which sits the capital of the Empire of Jewel, Amethyst.  This realm, more than any other short of Lylaen, knows of the dangers of the Abyss, for they have to guard the portal to Lylaen against the threat of the lower terrace falling to darkness.  Jewel is home to many mage academies, knightly orders, and temples where they train heroes to defend their lands, and to venture forth into Lylaen to attempt to drive the Darkness back.  This land, more than those above them, holds the burning spirit and drive that is necessary to slow the Darkness.  But whether they can stop the Abyss is a question that has yet to be answered.

Lylaen, the 6th Terrace: Lylaen is sometimes considered the home terrace of the elves.  Enormous forests cover the vast majority of the terrace, and frequent luminescent mists and dense fogs add to the mystery and quiet of the land.  Unfortunately for both the elves and those who live in Lylaen, this terrace is where the current battle between Light and Dark is waged.  Fiends lurk in the depths of the wood, corrupting and striking from the shadows.  But the defenders have not lost, not yet.  The elves are also at home in the woods, and they do their best to fight this war of attrition wisely.  The towns and villages are small fortresses, some of them centered around the homes of angels that were trapped here ages ago, when fiends came to be.  But there are two locations of major note.  Cindersedge was once a peaceful trade city, but was renamed after decades of war ravaged it.  The ruins surround the portal to Heaven's Scar, and the ownership of the ruins changes frequently.  Neither side can afford to allow the other to keep it for long, and thus it is the location of many bloodbaths.  The other is Citadel Windspire, a massive fortress that guards the portal to Jewel.  Heavily warded and defended, Windspire is also home to Karyldian Skyspear, an Avatar of Alain and the greatest defender of the portal.  Some whisper that she is further empowered by hidden altars across Lylaen and guarded by priestesses of her faith.

Heaven's Scar, the 7th Terrace: Heaven's Scar is a terrace of volcanoes, broken land and immense gorges.  It wasn't always this way, having once been a land of rolling prairies and grasslands.  This changed with Lorand, the first Avatar of Durand fought the Avatar's of Darkness with all his might nearly two thousand years ago.  The devastation that the battle wrought set back the plans of the Dark by nearly a millennium, but at a tremendous cost.  The gods, both Light and Dark, have since reduced the power of their Avatars, reluctant to destroy so very much.  Few mortals live here, but those that do are hardy and strong, able to survive the predations of the fiends that also make their homes here.

The Blasted Wastes, the 8th Terrace: Once known as Kyrsan, the Blasted Wastes were always a land of dunes and deserts.  But once there were many oasis's and pockets of life where one could gather rare spices and herbs to trade with others.  Once it was a place of tradesmen and nomads.  But that was before the coming of the fiends, and the desperate counterstroke of Alain's servants.  The land of Kyrsan was cursed, and oasis dried up, life all but died.  The land was cursed in such a way so as to make even the Abyss reluctant to consume it.  Demons prowl the Blasted Wastes, and their slaves and servants do what it takes to survive the wasteland.  A few free peoples still survive on the fringes of this land, but they are little better than the fiends, and many of them serve the dark gods willingly.


Heaven
Heaven is perfection in material form, and at times it seems barely material itself.  Here the weather is perfectly suited to what it needs to be, the land is idyllic and ranges from mountains to seas.  The expanse of Heaven seems virtually limitless, and within it live the Gods of Light, many of the angels, and the souls of the faithful of Light.  Yet it is here that the danger of the Abyss is most keenly sensed.  The inhabitants can feel the encroaching corruption of the Abyss, and under the surface one can see them quietly preparing for a war that they fear is inevitable, and one that they fear that they might lose.  Here the gods themselves walk the lands, doing what they can for their followers, and they can sense any hints of corruption and purge it quickly.  However, this cannot stop the Dark, for that battle is taking place on Adena.  The result of that conflict may well determine the fate of Heaven itself.


Abyss
Where Heaven is a vision of perfection, the Abyss is a hideous, tormented place.  Much like Heaven, the Abyss is nearly limitless, but the similarities end there.  No earth is known to exist in the Abyss, nor are there normal trees or rivers.  Instead one has living flesh underfoot, flesh that is resilient yet easily tunneled into, much like the ground of other planes.  But within the earth are bones, sinew and all the other hallmarks of flesh, and on rare occasion one finds points where the very ground bleeds when struck.  Rivers are of blood or bile, filling the air with noxious fumes.  And instead of mountains one has bony ridges and spires.  New fiends spring forth from tumors in the earth, born of fallen mortal souls or of copulation between the many forms of fiends.  Palaces of flesh and bone mark the lairs of the powerful denizens of the Abyss, and the greatest of these fortresses mark the homes of the Gods of Darkness themselves.  Occasional heroes choose to enter these fortresses, and only rarely have any of them managed to leave alive and uncorrupted.

[Myrleena]

System Information

Under Construction.  Will include rules for Anima: Beyond Fantasy and the Pathfinder RPG.

Pathfinder

There are a number of rules that are changed from Pathfinder to fit it better into Adena.  Most of these changes are minor, but I will list them in the following, as well as new material for the world itself.

Races:
All of the core races are available, but any beyond dwarves, elves, or humans are extremely rare.  Additionally, these races are much more powerful than the norm for their races, and replace abilities with the following adjustments, where applicable.

Dwarves:
+4 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Dwarves are strong, tough and wise, but also a bit gruff.
Stone Bones: Due to their density, dwarves gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their AC, but take a -15 to their Swim skill.
Toughness: Dwarves receive the Toughness feat as a bonus feat.

Elves:
+4 Dexterity, +4 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, –2 Constitution: Elves are nimble and beautiful, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.
Woodcraft: Elves know the deep secrets of the wild like no others, especially those of the forests. Elves with this racial trait gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks. In forest terrain, these bonuses improve to +2.

Gnomes:
+4 Constitution, +4 Charisma, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom –2 Strength: Gnomes are physically weak but surprisingly hardy and agile, while their attitude makes them naturally agreeable and generally wise.
Gift of Tongues: Gnomes love languages and learning about those they meet. Gnomes gain a +1 bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks, and they learn one additional language every time they put a rank in the Linguistics skill.

Half-Elves:
+2 to Two Physical Ability Scores, +2 to Two Mental Ability Scores: Half-elf characters get a +2 bonus to two physical and two mental ability scores of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Ancestral Arms: Some half-elves receive training in an unusual weapon. Half-elves receive Exotic Weapon Proficiency or Martial Weapon Proficiency with one weapon as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Half-Orcs:
+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom: Half-orc characters are physically superior to many races, reflecting their orcish ancestry, and they possess an instinctive cunning, much like their ancestors.
Beastmaster: Half-orcs have a spiritual kinship with fantastical beasts, capturing them for sport or living and hunting with them. Half-orcs treat the whip and net as martial weapons and gains a +2 bonus on Handle Animal checks.

Halflings:
+4 Dexterity, +4 Wisdom, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength: Halflings are nimble and strong-willed, but their small stature makes them weaker than other races.
Warslinger: Halflings are experts at the use of the sling. Halflings can reload a sling as a free action. Reloading a sling still requires two hands and provokes attacks of opportunity.

Humans:
+4 to One Ability Score, +2 to Two Ability Scores: Human characters get a +4 bonus to one ability score and a +2 to two other ability scores of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Adaptible: Humans gain one of the following feats at first level in addition to their normal bonus feat.  Acrobatic, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Magical Aptitude, Persuasive, and Stealthy.

Equipment:
Firearms are available in Adena, though only in their most primitive incarnations.  This limits firearms to the blunderbuss, double-barrel pistol, musket, and pistol.  Firearms are only just emerging in the world, built by several quiet dwarven clans, but they are common enough that most adventurers recognize such weapons.

Domains:
The gods of Adena have the following alignments, domains, and favored weapons.

Alain - LG Goddess of Chastity.  Artifice, Good, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Nobility and Rune.  Spear.
Durand - LG Goddess of Diligence.  Destruction, Fire, Glory, Good, Strength, War.  Longsword.
Jarekon - NG God of Temperance.  Air, Community, Good, Healing, Knowledge, and Travel.  Rapier.
Markael - NG God of Charity.  Artifice, Earth, Good, Luck, Protection, Strength.  Sling.
Numina - NG Goddess of Patience.  Community, Good, Plant, Protection, Water and Weather.  Sickle.
Phentos - NG God of Humility.  Good, Knowledge, Liberation, Sun, Travel, and Trickery.  Unarmed Strike.
Ceres - CG Goddess of Kindness.  Animal, Chaos, Charm, Good, Healing, Liberation, and Repose.  Quarterstaff.
Death - N Deity of Death. Death, Destruction, Repose, and War.  Scythe.
Arissana - LE Goddess of Pride.  Earth, Evil, Fire, Glory, Law, Nobility, and Trickery.  Longsword.
Bhelkor - NE God of Sloth.  Charm, Community, Evil, Liberation, Protection, and Travel.  Pistol.
Gheldine - NE Goddess of Greed.  Artifice, Evil, Healing, Nobility, Protection, and Rune.  Flail.
Lorvault - NE God of Gluttony.  Death, Evil, Strength, Sun, War, and Water.  Lucerne Hammer.
Orethon - NE God of Envy.  Air, Darkness, Evil, Luck, Magic, and Travel.  Dagger.
Jacqueline - CE Goddess of Lust. Chaos, Charm, Evil, Knowledge, Rune, and Trickery.  Shortsword.
Zephyr - CE Goddess of Wrath. Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Madness, Strength, War, and Weather.  Greataxe.

Feats:
Fleshcrafter (Item Creation)
You are skilled in the art of transforming the flesh of the Abyss into other forms.  You may craft symbionts and fiendish constructs.
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks, Heal 5 ranks.
Benefit: You may craft symbionts and fiendish constructs.  Crafting a symbiont takes 1 days per 1000 gp the symbiont costs.  Crafting a fiendish construct takes 1 day per hit die of the fiendish construct.  You must have an alchemy lab and an ample supply of Abyssal flesh to craft using this feat.
Special: If you wish to enchant items created using this feat, you must have the appropriate item creation feat to do so.

Spells:
Most spells work as listed, however, those spells that allow a caster to use planar travel can only use the spells to move to adjacent terraces or planes.  Thus, the caster must be on Cathedral to reach Heaven with plane shift, or on The Blasted Wastes to plane shift to the Abyss.  Each terrace counts as its own plane for the purposes of teleportation or other transport magic, but a mortal who moves solely between terraces cannot be banished.

Special Materials:
Mithral is heavily changed from the Core Rules, and cannot be purchased without extremely rare circumstances.  Now a gift of the Gods of Light, mithral is usually a reward to their favored servants.  Mithral has all of its normal properties as well as the benefits of adamantine, making it far stronger than before.  Additionally, enchanting mithral takes 10% less time and money to manage.  In the rare cases that mithral items go on sale, their market value often exceeds 10 times the standard price of mithral.

Fiendbone is the material most often used by fiends and denizens of the Abyss.  Either white, black, or looking like normal bone, it is very strong and hard.  In fact, fiends use it as a substitute for steel because they don't have metals in the Abyss, instead mining fiendbone from the bone-riddled ridges of the Abyss.  Weapons fashioned from fiendbone gain a +1 profane bonus to damage.  Armor fashioned of fiendbone has a maximum Dexterity bonus 1 higher and an armor check penalties are decreased by 2.  An item made of fiendbone weighs half as much as a metal item normally would.  Fiendbone has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 11.  Weapons fashioned of demonbone cost an additional 2,500 gp.  Light armor or shields costs 750 gp extra, medium armor costs 3000 gp extra, and heavy armor costs 7000 gp extra.

Monsters:
Outsiders are the focus of the majority of changes.  When summoned, there is no affect on the powers and abilities of an outsider.  But when an outsider travels the planes by its own power, it grows weaker the farther from its home plane it goes.  For each plane that an outsider goes from its home plane, it takes 1 negative level that persists as long as it remains that far from its home plane.  These negative levels never become permanent, and dissipate as the outsider moves closer to their home plane.  For this purpose, each terrace counts as its own plane.

Outsiders are also not unique to individual alignments.  There may be chaotic, neutral, or even lawful succubi, or there might be chaotic pit fiends.  This can change the subtype of individual outsiders, and the same can occur with angels and their ilk.

Additionally, there are templates that may be applied to outsiders that are loyal to any given virtue or sin.  These 'sin-touched' or 'virtue-touched' templates may be applied to any outsider that is descended from that line or is a servant of the deity of the appropriate sin or virtue.

Fleshcrafting:
The art of fleshcrafting is something that inspires fascination and revulsion, even in the Abyss, where almost all practitioners must go to practice their art.  True fleshcrafters take the flesh and bone of the Abyss and reshape it, making its spark of life burn brighter and augmenting it to gain whatever abilities that they wish.  A prospective crafter needs significant knowledge of the arcane as well as a laboratory, but the limits of fleshcrafting have yet to be determined, as the skills required are immense as well.  The two types of items that can be crafted with Abyssal flesh are symbionts and fiendish constructs.  Both require the crafter to use the Craft (fleshcrafting) skill.

Symbionts are creatures that link with living creatures to nourish themselves and provide their benefit to the creature.  These abilities vary wildly, but the relationship is detrimental to the host, though many consider it a fair trade for the abilities that are gained.  Some symbionts are closer to single use creatures, and usually have a significant detrimental effect, but only temporarily.

Fiendish constructs are just that, constructs of Abyssal flesh that have only the basest instincts, instead following orders given by their creator.  Unlike normal constructs, fiendish constructs have a constitution score and can heal, but they have a disadvantage as well.  A fiendish construct learns tricks like an animal, and can learn only 6 tricks.  Additionally, they learn a seventh trick, one which tells them to obey another individual.  A creature cannot use Handle Animal to force a fiendish construct to perform an action it does not know the trick for.  The DC to craft a fiendish construct is DC 10 + double the construct's Hit Dice.

Symbionts:
Artificial organs, replacement limbs, or even simply a growth placed on the body, symbionts can take many forms.  These creations of Abyssal flesh range from weak creatures to powerful additions to any creature that they are bestowed upon.  However, such power, non-magical though it may be, does not come without a price.

Most symbionts are inexpensive to create, requiring few rare materials, but they impact the wearer's body in exchange.  In order to reduce the impact on their bodies, many fleshcrafters use many rare and expensive components in order to make the symbiont more efficient and sturdy.  At least, they do this for personal use much of the time.

Symbiont Descriptions
A symbiont has its own description.  Unless otherwise noted, a symbiont has a hardness of 5 and 20 HP per tier of its symbiont.  (ie. A lesser symbiont has 20 hp, and a major symbiont has 80 hp).  Symbionts heal at a rate of 2 hp per day.  As a note, not all symbionts can be attacked, depending on where they are in or on the body.  Another note.  Due to the vast variety of locations that a symbionts can be located at, use common sense to determine what ones you use.  Unless you're taking a symbiont that gives you multiple hearts, you cannot take multiple symbionts that replace your heart.  All symbionts grant their powers as extraordinary abilities except where listed.

Aura: Most of the time, detect evil or other alignment detection spells can detect symbionts.  This portion specifies what the symbiont detects as.
Craft DC: This tells you what the DC is to craft the symbiont.
Price: This is the cost, in gold pieces, to purchase the symbiont, in the areas they are available for sale.
Weight: This is rarely applicable, but where appropriate it lists the weight of the symbiont in pounds.
Type: This lists what type of symbiont it is.  Each symbiont is classified by the maximum bonuses from penalties they may have.  Lesser (5,000 gp), moderate (20,000 gp), greater (50,000 gp), and major (120,000 gp).  Each type of symbiont has a base cost as follows: Lesser (500 gp), moderate (1,000 gp), greater (5,000 gp), and major (10,000 gp).
Penalty: This is the penalty the symbiont applies to the wearer when worn.  This is always a penalty to attributes or skills, and each gives the amount of effective funding that the penalty provides.  This amount is based on how much a bonus of that value would cost as a magic item.  Multiple penalties from symbionts always stack.  These penalties persist for 24 hours after a symbiont is removed.
Description: This section of a symbiont describes the item’s powers and abilities.
Construction: Most symbionts can be created by a creature with the appropriate feats and prerequisites. This section describes those prerequisites.
Requirements: Certain requirements must be met in order for a character to create a symbiont. These include feats, spells, and miscellaneous requirements such as level, alignment, and race or kind.
Cost: This is the cost in gold pieces to create the symbiont.  Generally this cost is equal to half the price of an item

Symbionts
When first attached, a symbiont inflicts double the normal penalty on the wearer, or inflicts a -2 penalty to Constitution, whichever is greater overall.  This increased penalty lasts for 3 days before reducing to normal.  It is only after this acclimation that the wearer gains the benefits of the symbiont, unless otherwise listed.

The following are a number of sample symbionts.  They may not be purchased without GM approval.

Explosive Parasite
Aura faint evil; Craft DC 20
Price 250 gp; Weight 2 lbs.; Type Lesser; Penalty 1 Con Damage (500 gp, no Acclimation)
Description
This symbiont looks much like a six inch long, desiccated spider with a bulbous abdomen.  When fed a pint of a living creature's blood, the spider comes to life under their command.  At this point the controller has two choices.  They may throw the spider as a grenade weapon, or they may designate a target for it to go after.  This symbiont does not require nutrients for one year, at which time it dies if it has not been used.
If used as a grenade weapon, the spider has a range increment of 20 feet and deals 3d6 acid damage to the creature it strikes.  Adjacent creatures may make a DC 14 Reflex save to halve the damage.
If set on a target, the spider is a Tiny creature with a speed of 30 ft., and Climb 20 ft.  It has an AC of 14 (+2 from Dex) and 5 HP.  If it is reduced below 0 hp it explodes in a 5 ft. radius, dealing 2d6 acid damage (Ref DC 14 half).  If it reaches a square adjacent to its target, the spider must take a standard action to willingly explode.  If it does this, it explodes in a burst of fire and acid.  This deals 5d6 damage, half acid, half fire, to all creatures within 10 feet (Ref DC 14 half).
Construction
Requirements Fleshcrafting; Cost 125 gp.

Healthy Skin
Aura faint evil; Craft DC 19
Price 1,000 gp; Weight -.; Type Lesser; Penalty -2 Dex (4,000 gp)
Description
This sheath of skin is perfectly smooth and unmarked on the exterior, but the inside is slimy, discolored, and has grayish tendrils that writhe when living flesh comes near.  When put on, the symbiont quickly buries the tendrils into its host and begins consuming their skin.  When has eliminated the old skin of the host, it bonds with their flesh and aids them in healing more quickly, though their manual dexterity suffers from the reduced sensations from this skin.  The host of this skin heals at twice the natural rate and gains a +2 enhancement bonus to their Charisma.
Construction
Requirements Fleshcrafting; Cost 500 gp.

Healer's Leech, Lesser
Aura faint evil; Craft DC 17
Price 250 gp; Weight 1 lbs.; Type Lesser; Penalty -1 Str (1,000 gp, -1 Str and Con during acclimation)
Description
This repulsive, reddish-green leech is nearly six inches long and writhes internally at a touch.  Unlike other symbionts, a healer's leech only takes two days of acclimation before becoming useful.  The leech stores healing nutrients inside of itself and waits for the wearer to become critically injured before flooding their body with the nutrients and Abyssal flesh to heal them.  When the wearer drops below 10 hit points, the leech heals them for 3d8+5 hp, killing itself in the process.  For 24 hours after being healed, the creature radiates a faint evil aura.
Construction
Requirements Fleshcrafting, Heal 5 ranks; Cost 125 gp.

Healer's Leech, Greater
Aura faint evil; Craft DC 23
Price 750 gp; Weight 1 lbs.; Type lesser; Penalty -2 Str (4,000 gp, -2 Str and Con during acclimation)
Description
This repulsive, reddish-green leech is nearly six inches long and writhes internally at a touch.  Unlike other symbionts, a healer's leech only takes two days of acclimation before becoming useful.  The leech stores healing nutrients inside of itself and waits for the wearer to become critically injured before flooding their body with the nutrients and Abyssal flesh to heal them from virtually any wound.  When the wearer drops below 0 hit points, the leech heals them for 5d8+15 hp, killing itself in the process.  This healing functions as the breath of life spell, and is able to keep its wearer from dieing, should they be healed sufficiently.  For 24 hours after being healed, the creature radiates a faint evil aura.
Construction
Requirements Fleshcrafting, Heal 10 ranks; Cost 375 gp.


Prestige Classes

Shadow Stalker
Warriors of Citadel Windspire, the Shadow Stalkers are the elite of the Shadow Scouts.  Where the others of their organization often work in groups, scouting and reporting, the Stalkers are lone warriors.  Stalkers rarely work together except in the most dangerous of circumstances.  Most often they destroy small groups of opponents or assassinate leaders to shatter enemy forces, and they are almost never seen except when they want to be seen.  Their risky lifestyle means that only the rare Stalker manages to live to retirement, and most are held to a degree of awe by their fellows.
Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites:
Feats: Shadow Strike (APG)
Skills: Perception 8 ranks, Stealth 8 ranks, 8 ranks between Knowledges (arcana, dungeoneering, local, nature, planes, religion)
Special: Must gain a letter of recommendation from a current Shadow Stalker.

Level		BAB		Fort Save		Ref Save		Will Save		Special
1		+1		+1		+1		+0		Master Stalker
2		+2		+1		+1		+1		Sneak Attack +1d6
3		+3		+2		+2		+1		Burst of Speed 1/day, Shadow Meld
4		+4		+2		+2		+1		Poison Use
5		+5		+3		+3		+2		Favored Enemy
6		+6		+3		+3		+2		Sneak Attack +2d6
7		+7		+4		+4		+2		Hide In Plain Sight
8		+8		+4		+4		+3		Burst of Speed 2/day
9		+9		+5		+5		+3		Assassinate
10		+10		+5		+5		+3		Favored Enemy, Ghost Stalker, Sneak Attack +3d6

Class Skills: The shadow stalker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana)(Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Master Stalker: A shadow stalker adds half his level (minimum 1) to Perception and Stealth checks.
Sneak Attack: As rogue ability.  Received at 2nd level and every four levels thereafter.
Shadow Meld (Su): At 3rd level, when in dim or darker illumination, a shadow stalker may use the Stealth skill to hide, even if the terrain doesn't grant cover or concealment.
Burst of Speed (Ex): At 3rd level, a shadow stalker can gain a burst of speed once per day.  As a free action, he can increase his base land speed by 30 ft. for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier (minimum 1 round).  He may use this ability a secont time per day at 8th level.
Poison Use: As assassin ability.  A shadow stalker receives this ability at 4th level.
Favored Enemy: As ranger ability.  A shadow stalker gains this ability at 5th and 10th level.
Hide In Plain Sight (Su): At 7th level, when in dim or darker illumination a shadow stalker may use the Stealth skill to hide even while being observed.
Assassinate (Ex): At 9th level, a shadow stalker can kill foes that are unable to defend themselves.  To attempt to assassinate a target, the shadow stalker must first study his target for 1 round as a standard action. On the following round, if the shadow stalker makes a sneak attack against the target and the target is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly killing the target.  This attempt automatically fails if the target recognizes the shadow stalker as an enemy. If the sneak attack is successful and the target of this attack fails a Fortitude save, it dies.  The DC of this save is equal to 10 + the shadow stalker's level + the shadow stalker's Wisdom modifier.  If the save is successful, the target still takes the sneak attack damage as normal, but it is immune to that shadow stalker's assassinate ability for 1 day.
Ghost Stalker (Su): At 10th level, a shadow stalker can take on the form of a ghost and kill foes more easily.  The shadow stalker may become incorporeal as a swift action.  While incorporeal, the shadow stalker gains an additional die of Sneak Attack and his assassinate ability's DC is increased by 2.  Additionally, all of his weapons count as Ghost touch while he is incorporeal.  A shadow stalker may use this ability a total number of rounds per day equal to his shadow stalker level + his Wisdom modifier.  These rounds do not have to be consecutive.

[Myrleena]

This is a campaign setting that I've had the vague ideas for floating through my head for the better part of a year.  A few days ago I decided I wanted to get it out on paper, with nothing more than the layout of the Terraces in mind.  What you see, as of now, is what I've written in the last two days.  I hope people enjoy what I've written up, and I'd be delighted to hear people's opinions or answer questions.

[Genbu83]

I'll need to pull off my adveturer's sash as well...I use them on too many characters...I just forget that they aren't in all books.