Kilkorin: Other Info
This section is a catch-all of other info in case you're curious about the game world. Stuff like background on the playable species; faith and deities; magic, how arcane versus divine spellcasters are viewed; and floatstone.
There are no game restrictions with any of this material. It’s all setting background, intended to provide additional flavor and story hooks.
Sentient Species
There are five known sentient species. Other sentient creatures exist in the world, such as nature spirits and fell beasts; otherwise, most anything you encounter is derived from these five in some way—typically through magical manipulation—and so don’t have their own culture.
Dwarf
One of the so-called “elder races.” Known for their crafting prowess and analytical nature—they’re big into uncovering the mysteries of the world.
Elf
One of the so-called “elder races.” Known for their strong passions and mastery of warfare—not just in an Art of War philosophical sense, but also being quick to throw down for a duel).
Halfling
One of the so-called “young" or "new" races. Known for their insight and connection to nature(primarily agriculture and animal husbandry).
Human
One of the so-called “young" or "new" races. Known for their hardiness and engineering know-how(basically, humans get all the mechanical/tinkering qualities you’d attribute to gnomes).
Tiefling
The oldest of the “elder races.” Known for their skill in diplomacy—or manipulation, depending on how you look at it—and mastery of magic. Also called the “ancient ones” for having been the first sentient species in the world. Tieflings have been in decline for generations and are now few in number. They are respected and feared for the ancient knowledge and magic that they retain(and they’re not above playing that up to maximum effect).
Faith
Instead of the default D&D cosmology, there is one large pantheon that all the species worship. It includes deities major and minor—your gods of the sun, fertility, war, hearth, secrets, death, trickery, and so on.
Different species and cultures give their gods different names, which then manifest as different aspects. That said, some people do believe that their god of war is different from some other culture’s god of war. The gods themselves don’t give a shit, long as they’re getting worshipped.
Some gods’ spheres of influence overlap—for instance, martial prowess may fall under the god of war and of the hunt—which can result in deific rivalries and an ebb and flow of influence between different gods.
Everyone worships the pantheon as a whole, but most people choose a particular patron deity.
You’re free to come up with whatever deity name and aspect you want your character to worship. I’ll likely build on that and come up with other gods as we go.
Deities & Domains
This is a running list of deities in the setting, listed by domain. (While the gods themselves are the same across the land, they manifest different aspects in different cultures.)
Aqan (elf)
Duahet (dwarf, halfling, human)
Inushnok (tiefling)
DOMAIN: Birth and Renewal
Aspects:
Memket (halfling, human)
Naraz (elf, dwarf)
Urushknok (tiefling)
DOMAIN: Death and Loss
Aspects:
Varnok (dwarf, halfling, human)
Velanzavor (elf, tiefling)
DOMAIN: Decay and Destruction
Aspects:
Gaer (dwarf, halfling, human)
Garanis (elf, tiefling)
DOMAIN: Forge and Foundation
Aspects:
Andraka (tiefling)
Itaska (dwarf, elf, halfling, human)
DOMAIN: Night and Secrets
Aspects:
Pershae (halfling, human)
Rhyshaera (tiefling)
Shrae (dwarf, elf)
DOMAIN: Rivers and Waterways
Aspects:
Magic
Arcane magic is distrusted—even feared—amongst dwarves and elves. Humans are more accepting, although at least mild unease is common with them. Halflings and tieflings are most accepting of arcane magic.
There are no formal schools or training regimens for arcane casters. (Some say tieflings have wizard schools, but they claim that’s not the case.) This makes wizards rare indeed, though those who are truly passionate about becoming a wizard can track down someone to train them.
Casters and Surnames
It's long been customary for magic users, once ready to begin their careers, to take on a new surname based on an animal, plant, or mineral (e.g., Crane, Willow, Agate). In recent years, clerics and paladins have begun taking the name of their patron deity, with the prefix d' (e.g., d'Aqan, d'Pershae).
Magic Classes and Species
Below are general notes on casting types by species.
Arcane casters (sorcerer, warlock, wizard): Mainly halflings, humans, and tieflings. Dwarf and elf arcane casters are exceedingly rare since the distrust of arcane magic is deeply embedded in their culture. Among halflings, sorcerers are most common and wizards less so; they’re not into warlock-ery.
Divine casters (cleric, druid, paladin, ranger): Common to all species.
“Exceptions” (artificer, bard, arcane subclasses): in-setting, dwarves and elves consider these divinely inspired.
Magic Items
One-use or temporary magic items are relatively common. There’s no formal industry (e.g., shops) for creating them, but you can track down individual spellcasters with the skill to make them. Temporary items cover potions and scrolls, of course, but can also include gear—+1 arrows that lose their bonus after one use; an item with limited charges that duplicates a spell effect; that kind of thing.
Permanent magic items are rare and noteworthy. Each is named (many have more than one name). Indeed, some scholars have made careers out of listing all the known permanent items in the world. Discovering a new one would be a remarkable event.
Floatstone
So, yeah. What is it? Floatstone is the common name for levrium, an ore that can be used to, well, make things float. It’s really really rare.
In its natural state, it is unpredictable and highly combustible, often with unexpected collateral damage (it is a magical mineral, after all). When refined, floatstone can be used to create skyships and even floating keeps. The complex refining process was known only to tieflings—that is, until a group of Kilkorin scholars discovered fragments of the process and was able to work out the rest.
A floatstone refinery is a foul, belching gearwork monstrosity. Magic is used to a minimum in such a place, since the combination of magic and levrium can be volatile.
(Part of the refinery’s foulness is that the alchemical process requires urine—or, more correctly, some of the substances within urine.)
Kilkorin: A Brief History
Legends claim that Kilkorin was once the site of a great tiefling city. No one knows why it fell to ruin, but the elder races have considered the area cursed ever since. (The name of the tiefling city is as lost to time as the city itself. Most call it Durukh—tiefling for “ruins on the river.”)
This made it easy for humans and halflings to move in generations later.
Other species do live in Kilkorin, though they’re in the minority (and, of those, only a fraction have become citizens). Some don’t buy into the whole “cursed” legend, while others feel that certain charms and/or worship protect them.
Likewise, other realms have established trade with Kilkorin. The elder races take precautions against whatever potential corruption may exist (divine spellcasters are in high demand with merchants), and most restrict their interaction to Dockside and the bazaar on the outskirts of Korin.
Aside from standard trade goods, a key part of the Kilkorin economy is based on things uncovered from the tiefling ruins. Cursed the region may be, but many are willing to disregard this if it means getting a rare piece of statuary or some other bauble.
Residents and Citizens
Anyone can become a resident of Kilkorin. To be a citizen, you must be born of two Kilkorin parents, over 17 years old, and have completed either secondary schooling and basic military service or primary schooling and extended military service. A regent may also grant citizenship to any resident within their district, subject to approval by a majority of the Assembly.
Citizens have the following rights: full legal status, right to vote (which is compulsory), hold public office, and own property.
Residents can run businesses (which requires a permit) and must pay taxes (at higher rates than citizens). While they cannot vote or hold office, they have the same access to courts as citizens.