Urkana

Players Guide

Referee

Mark "Geo" Gelinas, Sr.

Urkana Players Guide

The campaign is set on a world that is recovering from a cataclysm.  That event devastated Urkana, a far-reaching empire.  New kingdoms have risen from the ruins and from natives of far-flung lands.  There are scattered countries sometimes separated by disputed borders and/or tracts of unclaimed wild lands.  Many ruins still dot the countryside.  The campaign begins in the village of Thorngar.

Character Choices: Races

Humans - Humans are spread across the world of Urkana.  Some come from primitive tribes, some are barbarians, but many have built civilizations on the ruins of Urkana.

Elves - Elves are an older race, descended from the "common" race of Urkana.  Their numbers, however, are fewer than they once were.  Of the Elven peoples, Wood Elves are the most common.  Sea Elves are common on the Inland Sea, and many are seen in Thorngar.  Sea Elves in this context are not the Aquatic Elves in the Monster Manual, but rather Elves that live near or on the sea.  High Elves are the least common.

Dwarves - Dwarves do not have a nation of their own, but live in the hills and mountains of other nations.  Thorngar has a sizeable Dwarf community.

Gnomes - Gnomes do no exist in this campaign.

Half-Elves - Half-Elves are far more common than Elves, as many Elven males have taken a human wife or concubine.  Half-Elves are found among both human and Elven cultures.

Halflings - Halflings in the campaign are wanderers from home as there are not a Halfling community in Thorngar.  The nearst halfling community is in Oakhurst.  There is also one in Tinpick.

Half-Orcs - Like a Halfling, a Half-Orc would usually be a wanderer.  It is possible that a Half-Orc might have been living with or near its human parent in Thorngar, but no Orcs live in or near Thorngar.

Character Choices: Classes

Barbarian - Most barbarians in the campaign are human and come from the tribes to the north.

Bard - Bards may be of any allowed race.

Cleric - Most Clerics serve Magnar, the supreme god of the Urkana pantheon.  See the Pantheon Page for the alignments and domains of the Urnakan gods.  Practices for the believers of major deities are listed on the Religions Page.  Thorngar has a Temple to Adessor and a Shrine to Magnar.

Druid - Most Druids follow Ashethi, the goddess of nature.

Services and Tenets of the Druidic Order: Each month on the night of the full moon, the Druids hold a service consisting of chanting and litanies.  On the Vernal Equinox, they hold the Blessing of the Crops, and on the Autumnal Equinox, they accept the Offering of the Bounty (given to the poor).  Druids believe in the Circle of Life and normal Druid restrictions apply.

Fighter - Fighters may be of any allowed race.

Monk - Monks may be of any allowed race, but Dwarven, Halfling, and Half-Orc monks are uncommon.  The Monastery of Light is located near Thorngar, and novices of that order supplement the city guard as part of their training.

Paladin - Paladins may be of any allowed race.  Paladins follow Dravos, the god of justice.

Ranger - Rangers may be of any allowed race.

Rogue - Rogues may be of any allowed race.

Sorcerer - Sorcerers are primarily Elven or Human.  In either case, they are rare.

Wizard - Wizards are more common than Sorcerers, and are found among more races.  However, wizards are often regarded with suspicion.

Local Geography

The game begins in the fishing village of Thorngar on the Eastern Shore of the Kesathakian Sea. Thorngar is in the highland portion of the Kingdom of Knothera that continues to the east.

A few points of interest are noted below.

Cheweed - This is a small settlement to the south of Thorngar and near the Haunted Woods.

Elven Kingdoms - On the western shores of the Kesathakian Sea are many Elven kingdoms, the closest of which is Vellen.

Eternal Swamp - An extensive series of swamps to the south of Thorngar.  This area is home to many Goblinoid tribes.

Gosien - This is the chief city of a country by the same name.

Haunted Woods - A large wooded region on the Knotheran Highlands that is home to many dangerous creatures, natural and unnatural.

Island States - Sea Elves populate many of the islands of the sea, and have formed the Island States, the chief of which is Galliec.

Kesathakian Sea - This is a large Inland Sea named after the city of Kesathak that once dominated this region.  The cataclysm cut the city off from the mainland and sank significant portions of the city.  When commerce died, people moved away.  The city is now abandoned, and few pass that way.

Kirea - Chief city of the country of Kirea, this city is situated on the mouth of the Haven River.

Knothera - This is a feudal monarch on the western shore of the Urkanan Ocean.  Until about 150 years ago, this area was ruled by squabbling city-states.  A barbarian, Kormak, rode out of the north and united them under one crown.  Knothera is divided into three Marches, each ruled by a Margrave.  At age 16, each prince is sent to be educated in the Elven kingdom.   Knotheran children are not given names until their 5th birthday, hearkening back to the days of high infant mortality.  Until then, children are referred to by their birth order and gender.  Knothera is known for its tobacco that is grown in the highland plains.  The capital of Knothera is Stamesh, and its other major cities are Tinpick and Watcherton.

Larchgel - This is a moderately sized village to the north and east of Thorngar.

Midland Cliffs - a line of cliffs that stretches roughly Northeast to Southwest that effectively divides the land between the Kesathakian Sea and the Urkanan Ocean into the highlands to the west, and lowlands to the south.  The highlands are less settled than the lowlands.  This is largely because there are very few passes from the highlands to the lowlands.  The safest pass is at the city of Tinpick.

Northern Wastes - A desolate, rocky region to the north of the Knotheran Highlands.  Some nomadic barbarian tribes live here, as do many creatures.

Oakhurst - This is a fairly large town along the Po River east of Thorngar.

Ruins of Iverson - Iverson was a city state that chose to oppose Kormak?s unification campaign.  He destroyed the fortress and city and scattered the surviving inhabitants.

Stamesh - Capital city of Knothera, this city is a major metropolis.

Tinpick - Tinpick is a major city of Knothera and guards the pass from the Highlands to Lowlands of Knothera.

Watcherton - This Knotheran city serves as a bastion against invasion by Kirea.

Legends

There are several legends that most people are familiar with.  They are listed below:

Creation - Before Urkana, there was a void with male force and female force energies.  By chance these two energies collided forming the first deities.  The male force formed Magnar and Teor.  The female force formed Terra, Ashethi, and Nekara.  Magnar took Terra as wife and Teor took Ashethi as wife.  Nekara remains unwed.  The two couples formed the second set of deities, which in turn formed all but one of the rest of the deities.  The deities in turn formed all that is.

Birth of Atemi - Sylvara, goddess of the woods, was walking on Urkana and visiting her beloved forests one day when she met a handsome human.  The man was not aware of her status, but treated her with respect and kindness.  Intrigued by his manner, Sylvara learned where he lived and visited often.  Eventually they became lovers.  Sylvara concieved and bore Atemi.  Some say that the man is still living in a hidden grove on Urkana, and Sylvara still visits him often.

Destruction of Urkana - Urkana was once a mighty Elven empire spanning much of the world.  The legend holds that other humanoids were but tribes of savages scattered across the lands.  The aristocracy of Urkana was said to have golden hair and golden eyes.  Many powerful mages were part of the aristocracy.  It is believed that somehow the rulers of Urkana angered Magnar and he destroyed the Capital City and Island of Urkana.  The destruction, called the Cataclysm by the survivors, was so powerful that violent storms, volcanoes, and earthquakes shook the world destroying most of the Urkanan civilization.

The Wizard Tingari - Of all the wizards that have ever lived on Urkana, Tingari is said to have been the most powerful.  Legends about him vary some say he became as powerful as a god, and was accepted by them.  There are some that worship him as such.  Most believe that he died about the time that Urkana was destroyed.

The Hero Tesmar - Legend speaks of a time of peace when Teor, the god of war, grew restless and walked among men.  Legend says that the beauty of a human woman captivated him, and she bore him a male child.  The child became known as Tesmar, and is said to have performed many mighty deeds, including the slaying of a dragon with his bare hands.  Some say Tesmar still walks among men today.