New art: Crages Merchant

Crages Merchant, dressed in all his finery

There is a new illustration on the Wiki of a Crages merchant. It has been great to get more visuals to help players think about what the people in Krayzen look like and spark their own imagination.

A cool part of all these pictures is that they also depict the subjects in the clothing styles and adornments  that would be typical of the person shown in the current age.  This merchant might appear to have a hunter-type look,  but that’s just because furs and bones are popular across all social levels in Crages society — even among those who never go hunting themselves.

Similar to the other template art, this was commissioned with Avongale Art: https://www.deviantart.com/avongaleart

Art skills and Craft skills, and their relationship

Art skills and Craft skills have been updated to show how they intersect with each other and are related. Art is about creating something new, innovative, and interesting. Craft is about creating something consistently and the speed of that production. Art feeds Craft. The original, beautiful, engaging, or clever objects and works created through Art are reproduced to scale using Craft skills.

Art skills all have a Craft skill that is the prerequisite skill. This is because skills are generally taught via repetition, with creativity coming later, once the basics are understood.

All Craft skill have a corresponding Art skill that is used when the character is trying to be creative. Without the Art skill, the character is just able to replicate what they have done before using their Craft skill, though improving the Craft skill will speed the rate of reliable reproduction.

Template highlight: Blessed of Drexeron: Priest

The Blessed of Drexeron: Priest is the most common sort of Drexeron blessed. Priests tend to work within cities, being advocates for change within local governments, and rallying the faithful to the causes of Drexeron and their followers. Priests usually try to bring change with words as much as they can, though Priests have also been known to lead violent revolutions. Priests of Drexeron also are often the wisest among Drexeron’s worshipers, able to construct careful plans, organize groups, and execute them smoothly.

Template highlight: Blessed of Krellebernon: the Time Bearer

A Blessed of Krellebernon: the Time Bearer. Krellebernon is a deity of death, cold and time. The Time Bearers of Krellebernon serve to maintain the orderly flow of time, which some believe protects the nature of Prime Reality from Outsider Magic.

“When the structure of the order of time and the cycles of life become broken, it is Time Bearers who are sent in to clean up the mess. Throughout history, there have been events where the proper flow of season upon season, or hour upon hour has been interfered with by mortals and spirits, and the effects have been catastrophic. Many historians believe that some of the darkest ages in history – periods into which divining magic can not pierce and into which whole civilizations were lost – were the results of such disorder.”

Template highlight: Blessed of Krellebernon: Death Walker

Every deity has people who serve as their weapons in the world. In the case of Krellebernon (deity of death, decay, cold and time), these people would be a Blessed of Krellebernon: Death Walker. who are called upon to destroy that which is an abomination to the cycle of creation. They seek out and destroy unnatural, unliving monsters and those who search for immortality

“Death Walkers are frequently seen at the fronts of battles, or in the midst of a great spirit infestation sweeping across the world. While the common people of the world sometimes think that Death Walkers are there to create strife or to aid spirits of disease and disorder, this is not true. They are there to make sure more terrible things don’t rise up from these places. They are remarkably driven in this cause.”

Template highlight: Blessed of Krellebernon: Priest

Priests are the most common and visible sort of blessed. A Blessed of Krellebernon: Priest focuses on understanding the domain of death, its intersection with the living, and aiding with that transition point. They handle the dead and protect, construct, and maintain holy sites of death. They are often sought out by local authorities on matters related to death, particularly in the cases of possible murders. If there is a mission to be taken on, they are the planners and directors, assuring the resources of their church are effectively directed. Priests are frequent travelers and executors of their god’s will, especially in areas that it is their domain to oversee.

Template highlight: Blessed of Drexeron: Enigmatic

Those selected by Drexeron (deity of secrets, hidden knowledge, control, and dark magic) to become the deity’s weapons in the world are known as the Blessed of Drexeron: Enigmatic. They are called upon to serve as assassins for the Church of Drexeron, especially when the target is politically, magically or spiritually powerful. They primarily use magic tools for this, although they will fall back to more mundane tools when it serves their ends.

Template highlight: Weapon Master

The Weapon Master Template

Weapon Masters are people who have taken up a very specialized study of a single weapon. They devote all their energies to the perfection of their skill with their weapon of choice, until it becomes essentially an extension of their bodies. Besides simply learning to strike with their weapon, the Weapon Master learns a variety of special flips and rolls. This increases the Weapon Master’s control of combat by allowing them to choose the ground from which they wish to fight, or allowing them to be out of the range of an enemy’s strike. The Weapon Master uses these quick movements to confuse their opponents, and they may still strike their targets through the execution of these moves.

The origins of Weapon Masters are somewhat unclear. Several references exist to their sort throughout even the oldest of histories. There are, however, two popular tales to from whence Weapon Masters emerge. The first belief is that rebel Kaythelian Knights, who are known for their acrobatics in combat, as well as their tendency to focus their energies on a single weapon, trained humans and Kafke in their ways thousands of years ago, and that these teachings have been passed down from master to pupil until the present day. The other belief is that long ago, an order of Kenessho splintered away from the normal strictness and order of Kenessho society. These Kenessho focused on movement, awareness, and skill at arms, rather than on the whole range of skills studied by most of their order. Gradually, this school broke up, but its teachings have been passed on by the few who are loyal to them. Both of these beliefs have their own merits, but no one alive knows for certain which is closer to the truth.

Like Kenessho, Weapon Masters gain a keen sense of themselves. Through this self awareness, Weapon Masters sometimes gain powers that seem almost magical. These powers are not magic, however, but rather they are reflective of the keen tuning that the Weapon Master’s body and mind have obtained. Additionally, Weapon Masters often take on quests in a fashion similar to Kenessho, to test their skill, and hone it to perfection. Unlike Kenessho, however, Weapon Masters usually have nothing to prove to anybody. They perform these quests to get a challenging workout, not to demonstrate what their training and skill has brought them.

Weapon Masters take great pride in their weapon of choice. They will always keep it in the best of condition whenever possible. Often times, they will have their weapon specially engraved and adorned so as to increase not only its value, but also its beauty. When a weapon becomes too old and worn to be useful any longer, the Weapon Master will try to find a place of honor to display the weapon. Weapon Masters usually name their weapons.

Weapon Masters are almost always trained by a single master. This master, obviously, is a master of the weapon that their disciple is attempting to perfect. On rare occasions, a master will have more than one pupil at a time, but such situations are extremely rare, and only the greatest of masters would attempt such a feat. The study and focus that the training of a Weapon Master takes is too great to pass on well to more than one at a time.

RESTRICTIONS
– Cannot possess any Classical or Non-Classical spells
– Weapon Masters can use only focus on one weapon. It must be a non-missile, melee weapon, not weapon category.
– Weapon Masters may only use soft armor. Shields are never used.

BENEFITS
Skill purchasing
The following skills are Special Template Skills
– Combat Skills (info about Combat)
– Melee Weapon Skills that relate to the weapon of choice
– Any general skills with Nimbleness or Swiftness as a base
– Parry
– Any Weapon Master Skills
The following skills are Template Skills
– All other Avoid Skills except Parry

Autobases
The following skills are Autobase Template Skills
– Tumbling
– Rolling Attack
– Regional Warrior Community Contacts
– Regional Current Warrior History

Special
Weapon Masters have a Reaction Modifier bonus of +2 when using their weapon during an action scene.

Deity: Slilkanaric, the Rogue God

The Rogue God

Slilkanaric, the Rogue God, is the God of escape, stealth, speed, bows, alcohol, shadows, luck, music.

They are know (respectfully) as: Shadow Master, The Silent Stalker, The Great Archer, The Rogue Boss, The Escape Artist, Courtier of Luck. They are also known (disrespectfully) as: The Master Drunk, The Noble Scum, Fletcher, The Coward, Runner.

The Silent Stalker is a deity of many diverse and colorful aspects; they are believed to be a youthful god, and their various embodiments seem to reflect the choices of the young. Much like the Avenger, Slilkanaric finds representation especially strong among those who are few in years. Tales of the Shadow Master depict them as being a roguish god, prone to foolish gambling, excessive drinking, cowardliness, and occasionally even thievery. In one popular story, they are depicted as stealing music from the Great Mother; in another, it is told that they stole wisps of wind from the pocket of the Chaos Star and used these to craft their arrows. Despite this, the Silent Stalker is generally seen in a positive way in most lands, as a playful poet, a crafter of good fortune, a witty lover, a swift archer, and a master brewer.

Many come to follow the ways of Slilkanaric. Some follow them because they are the host of the party. Youthful revelers tilt their drinks to the god who brought the spirits of alcohol to Krayzen. Those spirits are aspects of them, and those drinking join themselves with the Rogue Boss. Music is also the realm of this god, despite the fact that it is claimed they stole it. Poetic words in general are held to be their domain, and those that are crafty at turning a good tale, singing lively songs, or plucking out a tune are often followers. Others follow them because they lead a life of trouble and rely upon swift feet and luck to make it from day to day. To these people, the Silent Stalker provides them with the shadow that is just dark enough to hide in, or the moment when the guards happen to be looking the other way. They give them the drop of the dice that will feed them for one more day. Those that use weapons that hurl through the air, be they archers or spearpersons, often times are followers of the Great Archer. They are said to guide their bolts, javelins, and arrows to their targets. It is held that all the ways to attack with weapons from a distance were originally crafted by the Silent Stalker’s hand.

Many things are held as being aspects of Slilkanaric. The realm between light and darkness is said to be theirs. Shadows provide hiding places for those who need them; it is said that those who are in their favor can find a shadow in an open field under the midday sun. Shadows can also play tricks on the mind, and this can be used as a tool. Often times, Estar Foci are worshipers of the Shadow Master for this reason.

Music, poetry, and even witty conversation are said to be their creation. These entertainments offer an escape from the occasional harshness of existence. Well-turned phrases and humor can turn tense situations, allowing the user to avoid harm by preventing conflict. Being clever in general is often associated with Slilkanaric, and those that follow them do seem to be blessed with their craftiness.

All alcoholic beverages are said to be the Silent Stalker’s gift to mortals. Correctly made, these drinks become imbued with spirits that ease the burden of the consumer’s mind. Once again, in this way, the Shadow Master allows mortals to briefly escape the bonds of their troubles.

The colors with which Slilkanaric is commonly associated are black and blue. Black is a practical color that doesn’t stand out readily in shadow, allowing those wearing it to move in the dim light unseen. The dark blue is said to represent the sky just beyond sundown, the time of shadowy perfection; it is not yet so dark that nothing can be seen, yet the shadows are deep and dark. Some archers claim that the blue represents the air which carries their arrows to their target, while the black represents their target’s fate. Several animals are associated with the Rogue Boss. A whole variety of small mammals are said to be their embodiment; this is due to their swift feet, their crafty nature, and the skill at which they can quickly escape. Crows are said to be their creation as well, given their tendency to grab small, shiny objects and secret them away. Song birds in general are attributed to them, expressing their music in the world. Finally, cats are said to be blessed by them; they embody silent, swift motion and are particularly wise about disappearing when danger appears.

Dedicated followers of Slilkanaric lead exciting lives, generally. While frequently on the wrong side of the law, they attempt to avoid conflict when possible. They prefer to keep out of the path of danger, and when they must deal with it, they do so from as far away as possible. True worshipers of the Silent Stalker hope to enjoy what they can out of life and to find escapes when pain or trials make life difficult. By drinking, performing music and poetry, engaging in witty exchanges, and socializing in general, they seek to bring joy to life, and, through this, they embody Slilkanaric. Worshipers know that life is full of troubles, though, and know to make for the shadows when trouble comes. Some worshipers of the Silent Stalker lead shadowy lives, using their skills to steal from others. They may do this for the sake of survival, they may do it to increase their own comfort, or they may do it just for the fun of it. Whatever the case, they depend on the gifts of their great lord to keep secret their illicit activities.

Occasionally, some worshipers of the Rogue Boss are chosen by them to receive his blessing. Typically such beings represent strongly one of their many aspects. Most frequently, this takes the form of the blessed being having some minor spiritual power. Once in a while, though, Slilkanaric will grant their favor to a mortal.