Population Center: Dekan City:

Nestled in the swamps ten miles Southeast of Obana Village, Dekan City is an thriving center of commerce in the Northeast corner of the Adslein Continent.  Running from Alnaka Bay to Green Line Hills, Dekan City is home to people of many different species.  The most common, as it is part of the Great Suarn Empire, is of course the Glacias Draconis Dragon-Kin, but unlike Obana Village it is more welcoming to newcomers, especially if they have ample funds to invest.

Pixies, Reynix, Gargoyles and Naiads are rarely ever seen in Dekan City, but those that are tend to be all the locals will talk about for days, and the gossip certainly flows through the city like blood through its veins.  Gitwerg run a few small mining operations in the Green Line Hills, as well as businesses centered at the needs of travelers, though rumor has it that there may be something sinister festering beneath at least a couple of them.  Felinae and Kenthri loggers and huntsmen working in the southern reaches are greatly appreciated as they clear out some of the dangerous flora and fauna while the city expands, however, their careers do tend to be very dangerous ones.  Gnomes living in the northern quarter where the ground is more stable purchase as much quality wood and metal as they can from the logging and mining operations, and despite the cost of their investment tend to make a hefty profit on their furniture, agriculture and horticulture businesses that flourish in the city.  

Goblins tend to work along the bay alongside the Cubi most often, creating machinery and ships to keep the fishing industry booming, though there is a fair bit of competition from Gitwerg and Glacias Draconis Dragon-Kin businesses as well.  Humans and others seeking employment without a home are given sanctuary by the Aduron Draconis Dragon-Kin Father Gregor at the local chapel, which despite the acolyte's best efforts is in dire need of repair from not only The Church of The Golden Claw but outside help as well.  Several children run rampant through the markets, typically causing mere mischief, but some may need more than a stern conversation to set them on the right path before something terrible happens to them.

A local human author, G. W. Shell, made a profit a couple decades ago off of stories about a dystopian future set only a few months away, describing a great war between two galactic empires and a mechanical swarm attacking both, with the fate of several planets including one that seems to mirror recent events on Lenida in the first few chapters.  As someone in the Guard thought there was a possible connection he became hounded in an attempt test him for precognition, but after a while he has been left alone to tend to the family graveyard and his small farm.  However, some local children claim they've seen him working on a new book, and have heard strange noises coming from his barn.

The locals tend not to go out at night very far from the market, and will not answer questions about the chanting heard deeper in the swampland to the west.  Not even the few Guard put there by the empire will search there when questioned by travelers as several have come back strangely different in ways that necessitated their replacements being assigned to their posts.  It is said that beyond the Green Line Hills a few wizards have settled, as well as roaming traders who seem curiously odd in the variety of merchandise that they sell at such prices with expedience to unload certain objects even at prices far lower than they initially ask.  Almost directly south, far beyond the logging operations, lays the ruins of an settlement attempt along the Krendak Ridges.  There few will dare to tread as spectral visages have been seen to wander, and magical foci of low quality burst from the abundant of wild magic present.

Creatures: Geist Specters:

While Ghosts and Phantoms may originate as an echo of an individual and differentiate as they degrade, Geists come to be when multiple specters have faded to the point of losing identity while curiously gathering together instead of trying to fight each other.  While most of the specters' echoing personalities are faded beyond recognition, some tend to bond together over similar circumstances in origin, and gesalt into geists.  The most commonly recognized geist is the poltergeist, a specter that moves objects around a dwelling or location to which they are deeply linked.  While they typically cannot move something already animate, the stronger they are not only the larger and more numerous the objects may be that they can move, but also the complexity of their manipulation, including of dead bodies or even living ones in rare occasions.  The dunkelgeist is another type of geist that has degraded into a mere shadow, but is capable of climbing surfaces and reaching up hands or concealing obstacles so as to try to stall or even kill whomever they are bothering.  The bildgeist is a type of geist that may alter the way a painting or other image appears to one or multiple individuals viewing it, as well as playing back imagery of what had recently or distantly happened in the area the influenced are in that they are affected.  This tends to be for the purpose of stirring up emotions that lead to violence or despair, but on rare occasion they are helpful to individuals such as investigators or families whom they have taken a keen interest in.  The nebelgeist is a type of geist that stirs up moisture in an area while lowering the temperature, forming mist or fog to disorient those it is bothering, as well as being able to make areas damp and cause black water, fungal rot and other putrificating juices to run down walls or pool up from one source or another.

Creatures: Ghost and Phantom Specters:

As stated many times before, when a soul leaves the body of a sapient being, even if it returns to its own body, it passes through The Aether, drawing ectosplasm and soul energy with them, which becomes an echo of their being known as a Specter.  Depending on the psyche of the individual whose soul was part of the Specter's creation, it may quickly dwindle into nothing, or become stronger depending on conditions that reinforce its mindset and allow it to draw on other ectoplasm to keep itself from fracturing into smaller shards and fading away.  The old tales of ghosts and phantoms haunting a location that claims more victims as it spooks them to death are not as exaggerated as some of the younger generations may believe.  If a ghost or phantom does indeed end up killing a living creature, it is able to attempt to absorb the echo of its Cor in the case of less developed creatures, or the echo of its Soul in the case of sapient species.  This, as well as the fluctuations in the electromagnetic field nearby a specter, is one reason almost all creatures have an instinctual fear of specters.  Despite how the terms ghost and phantoms are used by lay people to mean specters in general, the proper ectobiologist knows the difference.

A ghost is a guardian of a location, item or individual that tries to ward off others from the danger that it possesses.  Typically these are the echos of those who were fairly innocent in their lives and wish others to avoid their fate, or those that felt guilty as they died and wanted, somehow, to make amends to the universe or a specific individual.  Ghosts will absorb the ectoplasm of those that they fail to protect, most typically not caring about creatures coming near the danger (if the creatures are not the danger themselves) as if one does die they can use the echo of their Cor to keep themselves from breaking apart into shards and vanishing from whatever realm they are in.  Ghosts rarely have a pleasant appearance to them, and most have difficulty communicating effectively for a prolonged period of time after their initial appearance in the realm.  As such, they are more often feared than they should be, as only those that are a danger to someone they are protecting tend to feel their wrath.

Phantoms, on the other hand, are another specter altogether.  Phantoms are the festering hatred, fear and last desires or the soul they are echoing, typically being vengeful, jealous, envious, and most of all, extremely violent.  While most phantoms are quite obvious as they spend more time with their desires than trying to stay coherent, the more sophisticated phantoms may try to appear to be helpful ghosts, living beings, other types of specters, or just outright deceitful about what their true goals are even if they admit to being phantoms.  There is little most phantoms will not do as they become even more twisted than the soul they are echoing, more and more over the years, but some incredibly willful individuals who have a fear or aversion to certain activities, objects, individuals or scenarios may have phantom echos that still resist such to the best of their ability, no matter the cost.

Creatures: Elemental Specter:

As stated previously, anytime a soul passes through ectoplasmic waves of The Aether, an echo of that soul follows their route, typically back to its origin, as in the case of a soul leaving the body after death.  Souls exist within any sentient species from the moment of initial self-awareness in that species and carries on down through all of its line, no matter the origin of said species.  The formation of spectral echos typically appears as the most common varieties which are the guide or guardian Ghost and the sinister and revenging Phantom.  On initial formation there are many other forms as well, which will be discussed later, and additional forms that arise as one form or another attempts to remain separated from The Aether for as long as they possibly can.  There is, however, another type of specter that warrants observation due to reference being made to one already with regard to the origins of the Naiad species: The Elementals.

Elemental specters are formed from the proto-soul, or Cor, of one of non-sapient species that has passed on in an area due to a classical element danger within it overwhelming it in a fashion that drives it through intense pain almost to self-awareness.  Elemental specters always start small, drawing on the power of other Cor fading away, as well as any source of magical power, elemental power or other source of power in the area that is not shielded from specters.  At first an elemental specter tries to warn any of its kin about the danger that killed it, taking a form similar to what they had in life but made out of pure elemental power and ectoplasm.  Next, it tries to protect the former body of what its Cor came from and warn other species, even those that were predatory to it, away from the danger as well.  However, at this point it will deviate into one of four paths: The Haint, The Harth, The Hollow, and The Husk.

The Haint is a simple enough elemental specter, focusing heavily on channeling the elemental danger that created it to drive any out of its territory, most relegating anything outside of it to non-existance in their perspective.  Most Haints are fairly stagnant unless otherwise provoked by territorial disturbances, but some of a more migrant origin species may feel their territory is not a mere radius, but a radius along a path they consider the route of their journey.  As such, that kind can be very dangerous to those not expecting them.  Haints do not care about sharing territory with other elemental specters, and will only fight them if provoked.

The Harth is drawn from their body after it has decomposed to wander the area they consider their territory, starting to lose a sense of self-identity, not fading away, but actually expanding beyond what would have been possible for them as their former species.  They watch and learn from other species in the area they consider their territory, steadily taking on more and more traits they considered to show great power, growing more intelligent and sapient.  They still protect their territory, but more out of continued concern for other species, and may feel relief when the danger is gone, or a profound sense of melancholy, wondering why they wasted so much time guarding it.  Some will fade away, now that they have nothing to protect, while others will seek out other elemental dangers to guard against, and others still may subsume with an individual of another species that wishes to merge with them, would perish without such a merger, or has recently passed on while the harth has grown attached to another individual in that same species.  It is in this last manner that the undine harth and pixie king came to have the Naiads as their offspring.  Harths will share territory with other harths, and will typically leave other elemental specters alone, but if one should attack a living being they will do all in their power to eliminate that individual elemental specter or group of them as appropriate.

The Hollow is one that decides to reanimate its own corpse despite the decomposition already starting on the body, and are slow, but still able to give the illusion of life to blend in with their own species (if it is not a species that easily senses specters such as felines) or that of another that was in their territory long enough for them to study.  However, once they feel threatened, or feel that their territory or kin (whether original or new) are in danger, they will swell in size from an additional fifty to two hundred percent increase in size and reveal their true elemental specter nature as they wield their power to attack their foes.  They will share territory with each other, but will not share it with husks.

The Husk is similar in many ways to the hollow in that it reanimates corpses, however, it does not merely raise its own.  A husk will draw itself into its former outer-most layer while the rest rots away, filling it with elemental power, and surging that into connected extensions of itself into other corpses that it can reanimate in a similar fashion.  Each is connected by a thread of ectoplasm in its shadow, and one husk will not share its territory with another husk or hollow.

For each classical element, there is an individual haint, harth, hollow and husk, but all four share the same overarching label tied to their elemental source.  The ignis is a fire elemental.  The undine is a water elemental specter.  The slyph is a wind elemental.  The murnod is a plant/soil elemental.  The midiac is a metal elemental.  The ellernan is an ice elemental.  The raijesh is a lightning elemental.  The rotane is a stone/mineral elemental.  The lismu is an ink/slime elemental.  The bahn is a bone/shell elemental.  The cruor is a blood/organ elemental.  The toesem is a sand/dust elemental.  The solel is a rot/fungus elemental.  The tevemo is a toxin/poison elemental.  The texla is a fabric elemental.  The phaena is a specter element typed elemental specter, which may seem strange as its elemental is already part of its being, but phaena are only formed in areas where non-elemental specters have slaughtered a non-sapient species in such a way as to drive their cor to become an elemental specter, feeding off of the fading spectral echos of more sapient species as they fragment further due to their nature...  Or by actively fighting them with instinctual ferocity unmatched by any living creature due to a lingering awareness that they are too dead to care that their cor could be fragmented or otherwise attacked like the specters whom they prey upon.  Phaena, when properly entreated or dominated, are fierce protection for any wishing to keep specters at bay, or to keep them in line for fear of becoming a phaena's next ectoplasmic meal.

System Mechanics: Item Parts and Crafting Items:

When crafting items one may attempt substitutions from any recipe to try alternate methods of creating similar enough items, or completely experiment when not yet having a recipe.  Most items are made from multiple smaller item parts, which are in turn made from materials.  An example would be the common sword, which is made from 1) A Pommel, 2) A Grip, 3) A Guard, and 4) A Blade.  Certainly, a sword could be made completely out of the same material, even wood, but a variety of different materials alters the potential benefits an item may have from each of its parts.  Each item part may have an permanent or conditional effect applied to it during its creation, but doing so requires knowing how to create said effect, or knowing the prerequisites of said effect experimentation.  Continuing from the common sword, 1) one might put an effect on the pommel to boost the finesse of the wielder for an amount of time/number of turns after it is first drawn from its scabbard, 2) one might put an effect on the grip to boost the strength of the wielder to make carrying it during battle easier, 3) one might put an effect on the guard to surge electric damage back at those whose attacks the sword blocks, and 4) one might put an effect on the sword to drain life from those it bleed in order to heal the wielder.  Each part of a crafted item may only have one effect on it, and removal of an effect from an item removes all effects from the item, unless the player had knowledge to be able to repair and create all effects upon the various parts.  Below are a list of common parts and examples of uses:


Barrel: Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, etc.
Blade: Axes, Daggers, Knives, Spears, Swords, etc.
Blunted: Bat, Staffs, etc.
Container: Bags, Chests, Luggage, etc.
Fastener: Clothing, etc.
Grip: Axes, Guns, Luggage, Spears, Staffs, Swords, Wands, etc.
Guard: Swords primarily.
Hinge: Chests, Doors, Luggage, etc.
Pommel: Daggers, Knives, Swords primarily.
Surface: Books, Doors, Monitors, Shields, Tablets, etc.

Obviously more types of parts are needed for the variety of different craft-able items the system will allow, but the basic mechanic is modifiable by any GM to allow a player to craft any item they wish if they can explain its construction or it is self-evident, and have the prerequisite knowledge to attempt creating it.

System Mechanics: Item Recipes:

Any time that a character wishes to build something, they can either try to improvise something, or study from instructions.  Below are the chances of crafting a simple item, with each progressive stage of specialization adding an additional 1d10 added to the sum chance of difficulty per level of understanding of its natures that one is below it per nature the item has.  Those that have a greater understanding of an item's natures than is needed to wield it have 1d10 removed from the sum chance of difficulty per level of understanding they have in that nature, with zero or negative difficulty values allowing one to improvise creation of said item with any suitable materials and equipment, and sometimes even those that are not typically considered suitable by the general public.

Those that improvise have a 3d10 (sum) chance of crafting an item properly if they have the proper materials and equipment for each step and have a knowledge of the equipment and materials but not the crafting of the item itself.  Those that have a knowledge of the equipment but not the materials have a 4d10 (sum) chance of crafting the item properly per step, if they at least have the proper materials and equipment.  Those that have no knowledge of the equipment or materials but have the proper equipment and materials have a 5d10 (sum) chance of crafting the item properly per step.  Those have have neither knowledge of the equipment or materials and have the proper equipment but wrong materials have a 6d10 (sum) chance of crafting the item properly per step.  Those that have neither knowledge of the equipment or materials and have the wrong equipment and materials have a 7d10 (sum) chance of crafting the item properly per step.  Those that attempt to improvise crafting an item without even having an idea of what they are creating during a particular step have a 8d10 (sum) chance of crafting the item properly per step.

On the other hand, those that use instructions (or recipes, as they are called collectively) have 1d10 chance of crafting an item properly the first time if they have already created one item previously of each of its natures, and 2d10 (sum) chance of crafting an item properly the first time that they create an item without already having created one with all its natures already.

After creating an item correctly the first time, regardless of method, the character has a chance of remembering how they created it.  If it was in a combat situation or in an altered mental state, then they will have a WIL Check and/or Sanity Check needed to determine if their respective statistic and/or attribute is strong enough to recover that information properly.  If it was in a normal mental state out of combat, or if they have passed their checks, then their chance is the sum of their INT, WIL and WIS compared to a 2d10 (sum) roll by the GM for that specific recipe to become part of their knowledge.  Those that have low INT scores may later have difficulty pulling up that recipe without it being written down for reference, but the information would still be in their mind somewhere, waiting to be called upon when needed.  It is, however, recommended that characters do write it down for the benefit of other characters, especially those in their party, so that should anything happen to them later to make it difficult or impossible for them to pull up the information later, the recipe would still be known to someone else.

System Mechanics: Item Nature Properties:

As mentioned previously, items have a specific format for listing them:

     Item: Item Name (Weight) (Rarity) (Quality) (Value) (Toughness) (EP) (Aspects): Description.

While that format does aid in calculating out the item's value, it does not help with categorization in and of itself.  As such, the format is being updated with the inclusion of an additional modifier which does not change its value, the item nature property.

Item Nature Properties:

     Item: Item Name (Weight) (Rarity) (Quality) (Value) (Toughness) (EP) (Aspects): Description. [Item Natures].

All items are categorized by their nature, into one of three groups:

Archetype: If the items do not require any specialization to reuse beyond knowledge of that type of item. A claymore, for example, despite needing knowledge of longer and heavier weaponry, does not require knowledge of magic, technology, psionics or any other domain grouping, being as easy to use as a stick of similar weight and length accordingly, though knowledge of bladed weaponry would remove a damage reduction on not tilting the blade at a foe and hitting with the flat piece instead.

Refueled: If the items require a source of energy in order to function properly. When not fueled, said items could still be used for their other properties, such as being blunt or bladed, but will not be able to perform the chief purpose of their design.

Reloaded: If the items require another item in order to function properly. When not reloaded, said items could still be used for their other properties, such as being blunt or bladed, but will not be able to perform the chief purpose of their design. Some items may be both refueled and reloaded, while others may require merely one or the other. An oven would need refueling to function (be it by electricity or other fuel sources), whereas with a simple gun the fuel is itself in the bullets and thus it would need only to be reloaded. Older guns may need refueling as well, as might more futuristic ones.

All items are also one of the following categories:

Simple: Any that knows the category to which the item belongs may use it without penalty, even if they do not know the item or have knowledge other than recognition of its categorization.

Basic: Any that knows the category to which the item belongs and at least the first level in that category may use it without penalty, even if they do not know the item.

Complex: Any that knows the category to which the item belongs and at least the first and second level in that category may use it without penalty, even if they do not know the item.

Advanced: Any that knows the category to which the item belongs to and at least the first, second and third level in that category may use it without penalty, even they do not know the item.

Specialized: Any that knows the item itself may use it, as long as they know the first, second, third and fourth level in the category it belongs to and know of the item itself.

All refueled items are one of the following categories:

Psionic: If they require mental energy and force of will to operate. Out of sheer determination to survive the special ability effect clause would be triggered on first use most times due to the boost of will when close to death, but if one uses the item before then they might waste it if it does not have such a clause by using it when their will is not as strong.

Arcane: If it uses wild magic, and does not have another special ability effect clause, the first use will cause it to use its special effect. If it uses foci magic, and has enough magical energy stored in it, then it will cause it to use its special effect. If it uses leech magic, then it will use its special ability after dealing damage to a foe. If it uses soul magic, then it will use its special ability when the user entreats, prays, pleads, or begs the appropriate higher powered being for aid, or cries out for any to assist and have either no favor with them yet (but are not in favor with their hated foe) or are in their favor, if the item is blessed by a higher powered being. If the item is cursed by one, then it will enact its affect the moment one of its special effect clauses are triggered, or if needed, all of them are.

Physical: If it uses physical items to fuel its refueling which it consumes in the process, producing exhaust or pollution typically.

Electric: If it uses electricity to fuel its refueling.

Energized: If it uses a power-source other than electricity to fuel its refueling.

All reloaded items are one of the following categories:

Mundane: If the items used for reloading have no fuel within themselves, and do not draw energy from an external source other than the item they are loaded into.

Charged: If the items used for reloading have fuel within themselves, and do not draw energy from an external source other than the item they are loaded into.

Sapping: If the items used for reloading attempt to use energy from their point of contact to initiate their special effect clauses.

Draining: If the items used for reloading attempt to use energy from the one wielding the item they are loaded into in order to initiate their special effect clauses.

Linking: If the items used for reloading attempt to reduce the energy costs of the item they are loaded into by spreading the cost to nearby appropriate sources of energy in order to initiate their special effect clauses.

Additionally, items may have further properties in various categorizations, such as Offensive Properties, Defensive Properties, Utility Properties, and General Properties, all of which are broken down into sub-categories.