The Monastery gourds are considered to include the city surrounding it, anywhere there is cobblestone is the Monastery. The population, 4,000 strong, consists of mostly students or teachers at the Monastery but there are enough supporters for the city to be somewhat self-sufficient. The city is kept very clean and tidy from constant cleaning done by all residents. There is no crime in the city and very little drinking. Consumption of alcohol to the point of drunkenness is frowned upon and the barkeeps will prevent it if possible. The Vindicators act as law enforcers for the Monastery and are the only ones allowed to carry weapons. Any person of any race or creed is allowed to visit the Monastery as long as they follow the rules. If you see an orc walking down the street you should give him the same respect you would any other person. This applies to any other "evil" race as well, even demons, the authorities are very aware of who and what is going on the city.

The city is divided up into three basic areas: the trade area, the Monastery grounds and the residential area. The trade area encompasses the lower third of the city and includes the docks and the merchant quarter, the southern quarter has been absorbed into the merchant quarter. The residential area covers the northern third of the city and includes two different residential areas; the Northern Quarter and the Eastern Quarter. The Monastery grounds divide the two areas and consists mostly of parks, fountain, groves and the facilities of the Monastery itself.

Esten Cristis/Old Libraries(Kailin, Elshon)

No mention of the adventurer himself was found in any of the records in the library. The libraries mentioned in his journal were located. Most of them were relocated to the Monastery when it was built. Two of the libraries were destroyed during conflicts, it is not known whether the books survived or not. The destroyed libraries were located in Hallomaer and Pisendar, these cities are now known as Sertor and Dort respectively. The stored knowledge of the library in Greenfield, now Celestine, was lost during the Unification Crusade. There are no records of what happened to the Greenfield Library or its books.

Sismondo Greeleth/Tunnels(Kailin, Elshon, Malus)

There are many books about Sismondo and the things he wrote about. Most of his work seems to revolve around the interaction between the physical and astral realms. He uses this interaction to explain various magical theories about how all the forms of magic are just different methods of accessing the same power. He also theorizes that some spirits are the result of physical being's hopes, dreams, fears, etc. manifested on the astral realm. His most controversial theory states that the gods may just are powerful spirits born from our own needs.

His other work is based on the Ancients; how and where they lived, the things they created and what happened to them. Most of the information is sketchy at best because he was working with fragmented records to gather his information. He was able to find several references to a vast network of tunnels used by the Ancient's for habitation and to transport goods and people great distances quickly. He was never able to determine the method of transportation. Most of the tunnels were damaged in the massive upheavals caused by the Great War. The tunnels originate at large centers of Ancients civilization, the only above surface structures that exist today seem to roughly correspond to the ruins in the Plains of Sorrow. Other sites are spread throughout the Homelands and the Farlands but must have either been destroyed or are buried deep beneath the surface.

Old Mythia map>

Protectors(Kailin)

Records of the Protectors are very scarce and the monks seem surprised to find any. What is found tells that the Protectors were actually persons who guarded others and kept the peace. What Esten was referring to seems to be the weapons they used in their duties, there is no actual name for the weapons in any of the records you find. The weapons resembled small clubs but were actually some form of distance weapon that was able to strike someone down at long ranges. There seemed to be three distinct types of weapons used for short, medium and long ranges; the size of the weapon corresponds to the range it was intended for.

Demons(Elshon)

Compared to the information found on Demons the information found on the Protectors is a treasure trove. The only useful pieces of information that were found are the names of the Demon Lords. The four surviving Demon Lords are: Pox-Bringer of Disease, Torment-Inflicter of Pain and Suffering, Betrayal-The Faith Breaker, Ash-The Great Destroyer. The Demon Lords Avarice and Blood were destroyed during the Great Uprising, the former by Betrayal and the latter by Tring and Lansis of the First Heroes.

Psionics(Giovanni)

Brother Ward is a gentle and patient teacher as he leads Giovanni through the beginnings of his Mastery of the Mind. He tells of the basic abilities that are possible to use through Mastery of the Mind. Mind over Mind: The ability to sense others thoughts and influence or communicate directly with those thoughts. Mind over Matter: The ability to move object with your thoughts. Mind over Body: The ability to control and direct the energies of the body to increase or decrease the speed of the bodily functions. Mind over Spirit: The ability to interact and travel in the astral realm. Mind over Vitality: The ability to drain another's thoughts or energies. Mind over Energy: The ability to control physical energies with your thoughts. Mind over Place: The ability to move yourself from place to place with your thoughts.

His teachings also include the basics of the skills Mindshield, Telereceive, Telesend and the knowledge of the Sanden. The Sanden are the undisputed masters of Mastery of the Mind in the physical realm. Some Sanden may also be as good or better than demons in their Mastery.

GypsyGiovanni)

The gypsy troupes originated from the refugees who fled Jacen Dranin's Unification Crusade to the islands in the Ephor Ocean. A seafaring culture quickly sprang up among the refugees becoming the Indavu Nation. Some however did not like this new culture and as soon as the Crusade was over and it was safe to return they left the islands for the mainland. For these ex-refugee, ex-sailors it was hard to find a place to call their own and after a time it became normal for them to travel from place to place with no permanent home. The leaders of the original five troupes were Shella of the Yellow Veils, Dareth Silvertongue, Haelee Dawnflower, Gocklear Greeneyes and Mayla Stout.

Legends(Giovanni)

Noticing that your knowledge of the First Heroes is severely lacking the monks direct most of your research to that area. The legends tell about each hero's life and how they came to lead the rebellion against the demons, that information will be provided later but here are the basics. The heroes came together through different means but all were drawn to Drash, the Unknown Hero. Drash provided the heroes the means to fight the demons on even terms. In most cases this aid was in the form of weapons but for some it was knowledge. Fodran the daring and cunning human rogue received Quietus, a blade of deadly precision. The gentle giant centaur Jemmis was given a magnificent halberd that struck fear in all opponents. Eadoll, the mercurial halfling warrioress, was taught how to "walk the shadows" in order to penetrate enemy strongholds unseen. The greatblade, Devastator, was given to Tring the female warrior leader of the reptilemen armies. To the wise and patient dwarven strategist Rakud, Drash gave Grenmae'l, a mighty axe with the power to move the earth. The gnomish magi, Beisel, received the ArchStaff that allowed him to harness great magical energies. Drash taught Lansis, the ruthless and calculating elven warrior maiden, the powers of the mind to fight the demons with their own powers. The First Heroes lead the combined forces of the Young Races against the Demon Horde and were able to eventually destroy or banish the demons from the physical plane the sub-realm of Shadow.

Mythia(Elshon, Malus)

Looking for information on the tunnels and possible entry/exit points leads to the information of Sismondo about the tunnels and maps of the world as it is today and what it may have looked like in the time of the Ancients. The maps only have detailed information about the Homelands of today, everything is else is very vague with general areas and inhabitants.

Old Mythia and Mythia maps>

Fallen Lands(Brudik)

The Fallen Shores is the rocky and sandy windswept area from the eastern side of the Markill Mountains running out to the Fallen Sea. Although this area does receive significant amounts of rainfall very little vegetation grows in this desolate area. Violent thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes plague the Fallen Shores. These storms constantly uproot what little vegetation there is so the plants have developed shallow roots systems that can easily put down again. Sentinel Trees on the other hand have roots that go deep underground allowing them to resist the strongest winds.

The sentient beings that live here have become outcasts from their own cultures for one reason or another and now just want to live in peace. It is not uncommon to see elf, human, dwarf, orc and ogre working side by side. There are some above ground structures but most are subterranean due to the effort involved in making a structure stout enough to resist the ferocious elements. There is no overall government here just individual settlements looking after themselves and trading with their neighbors.

Exports: None

Imports: Outcasts

Known For: Many races coexisting peacefully

Centaurs(Brudik)

The centaurs, along with the reptilemen, acted as shock troops during the Great Uprising. Wherever the fighting was heaviest you could always find the centaurs and the reptilemen. Pathwalker was a powerful shaman and great centaur general, second in command to Jemmis and in total control when Jemmis was unable to lead the armies himself. It is believed that his spear was gained during a vision quest with his spirit guide Kragier, the ferocious hunting cat of the plains.

The Centaur Oath Circle ritual is actually based on the Circle Oath Ritual that was used by Drash and the First Heroes to bind themselves together to create a force that would be able to overcome the demon reign of tyranny. The exact ritual of the Oath Circle is secret but Jemmis did adapt it for the centaurs to form the basis of their honor system.

Tassa/Leylas(Kailin, Brudik)

The reasons behind Tassa's frequent absences lie in her breed type. Her breed requires constant physical exertion or they rapidly sicken and die. The only places these dogs are plentiful are the swamps of Hessia and the tundra of the Frozen Steppes, very harsh places. In "normal" habitats she will require a lot of physical activity to remain healthy. As long as you guys are adventuring that will be sufficient but if you stop anywhere for an extended period of time she will begin to suffer. It hasn't happened before because she is still young and very healthy but the combination of staying with the dwarves and the month long boat ride has depleted all the reserves that she had.

One of the times she returns to the North Quarter Dwelling an elf by the name of Leylas accompanies her. He encountered her in the forest a days travel to the north of the Monastery and decided to follow her to make sure she was safe. They wandered the countryside for a couple of days before she returned to the Monastery. Noticing the damage she had suffered to her throat he fashioned a studded collar to protect her. Leylas is a scout of the southern reaches of the Fallian kingdom and often visits the Monastery of Maeder to improve his healing skills. He reports that the deep forests are no longer safe to travel alone. Strange and dangerous things are happening within the sylvan proper. He refuses to tell anything more to anybody but the elves unless they say it is okay to do so and that he can trust the rest of you to keep confidence.