World of Bronze

It is a more primitive age. Bronze is the height of metallurgy. In the civilized nations, the City State reigns supreme; though much of the world still belongs to the clans of the North and East. The gods are not distant beings removed from the affairs of man; rather, they are the genius locii, spirits tied to the land who often become highly involved in men's lives. Beasts of all kinds clog the wilderness and the seas, making life difficult for travelers and merchants.

The known world is made up of the island-dwelling Helioans in the Middle Sea, the Gyptians of the Southern deserts, the Chelonians of the Southeast, the horse tribes of the East, and the numerous, savage tribes of the North. To the West lies naught but distant ocean and death.

The people give power to the gods by their belief and their worship. In turn, The gods breathe direct power into their priests. Meanwhile wizards wrest secrets from the elements via alchemical experimentation. Many of the best-known warriors have the blood of the gods running through their veins, giving them tremendous strength and vitality.

Helioans

Spread across hundreds of islands ranging from tiny upthrust blades of rock to land wide enough to support agriculture and large cities, the Helioans are a blend of ideals and beliefs. Some have taken to mercantilism, buying and selling goods across all the known world. Others have taken to war, breeding soldiers of unmatched prowess. And still others are patrons of the arts, science, mathematics, and alchemy. Despite a common heritage and history, the Helioans are constantly at war with each other in one form or another. Many heroes are of Helioan stock, taken to the far corners of the world by their own undeniable urge to explore.

The patron gods of the City States are given fine places to live in these lands; they are giants who lounge within enormous temples of granite and marble, directing king and elected ruler alike in the affairs of state whilst sipping wines of the finest vintage and eating of the most tender of lamb.

Gyptians

Living along their fertile river, surrounded by endless desert on one side and ore rich mountains on the other, the Gyptians mostly war amongst themselves. Occasionally they organize enough to go on campaign against the Helioans or the Chelonians, but they rarely stay organized long enough to be successful.

Like the Helioans, the Gyptian gods are giants who live in temples, though these gods have the heads of beasts and their temples are made of stone. The line between priest and wizard can be a thin one here, for even though they receive some power from their gods, the priests perform rituals very much like those of a wizard. All magic taught is of this variety, meaning that those who wish to have power here must learn the ways of both the priest and the mage.

Chelonians

Built on top of an older civilization, the Chelonians occupy a number of ancient City States split along three different lines of treaties. They have inherited a knowledge of agriculture, allowing them to turn desert into farmland through an extensive irrigation system.

Chelonian cities are made of sun-fired bricks and center around the ziggurat, a temple wherein dwells their gods, their king-priests, and their scholars. Friendships and rivalries between Chelonian gods go much further back than those of the Helioans, driving much of their politics.

Schools of magic amongst the Chelonians revolve around the summoning and binding of demons. The power of the spell and the skill of the sorcerer are commensurate with the size and fearsomeness of the demon thus bound.

The Barbaric Lands

East and West ofthe Middle Sea are the lands of barbarians. Horse tribes run free across the grassy plains of the East while golden-haired barbarians wage constant war against each other in the cold North.

Notes

• Main weapons: Spear, short sword, axe, mace, sling, bow
• Armor: Padded cloth, leather, bronze plate, shields

Campaigns

This is an excellent setting for exploration and combat. Numerous, ferocious beasts wander the land. Heroes can make names for themselves by bringing back proof of what they have killed and wizards are constantly looking for exotic ingredients to work with. Those with a strong arm or the blessing of the gods and in need of coin can always find work guarding caravans and merchant ships

On a larger scale, war is common between the various City States and heroes are always welcome to join the ranks or compete as champions.

Star Chasers

"I remember chasing that desert world in the XT-50572 system. We had assumed all the orange-brown stuff floating in the air was simple dust. Turns out it was some kind of fungus that loved two things: the carbon-dioxide and sulpher soup in the atmosphere and the insides of our lander's thrusters. You see, old Terence — that's our backup pilot who's usually onboard the jumpship in orbit — had had to sit out this mission and we were all too itchy to wait for his replacement. That was a mighty unpleasant five weeks the seven of us spent in a cramped up lander waiting on the Beta-314 crew to come bail us out. And they'll never let us forget it."

— Vick Chambers, veteran Star Chaser

Habitable worlds are rare in the settled regions of space. Most are dirty, crowded places. Star Chasers are those who cannot stand to be crushed amongst the masses. They escape the anonymous drudgery of an unchallenging life by seeking out the unknown depths of space, hoping to see that which hasn't been seen and to make their mark upon the wider universe.

In addition, despite all of the advances, discoveries, and advantages of living in a star-spanning civilization, there are still men and women who feel an irresistible urge to head out into the deep unknown to see what is out there and to pit themselves against the rigors of unexplored space. Some work for underfunded government agencies to pursue pure scientific knowledge. Others work with fancier toys paid for by megacorps who expect them to turn up profitable discoveries. Whatever the means, they are all collectively referred to as Star Chasers. Star Chasers are always pursuing that next big discovery beyond the comforts of home in the star-studded vastness of space.

The player characters are among the misfits known as Star Chasers. Ever seeking adventure, excitement, and discovery, they make whatever accommodations they need to in order to chase that next star system. The least experienced tend to be hired by some sort of government agency working with an ever shrinking budget to supply them with the essentials. Despite the poor pay and aging equipment, these are the ones who get to explore for pure science. The Star Chasers who make a name for themselves often find a much better offer working for a megacorp, with an obligation to seek out new sources for mines, interesting botanicals or foodstuffs, new cultures to trade with, or any other profitable venture.

Star Chaser crews are made up of a blend of specialized scientists, spacers, diplomats, and other rugged individuals:

• The spacers' job is to get the crew from place to place and keep them, and the equipment, in working order. Encounters with hostile spacefaring races and the inhabitants of pirate havens are not unheard of and Star Chaser ships are not designed for combat, so they must be ready to run and/or talk fast. Pilots, astrogationers, engineers/mechanics/electricians, medics, and captains/diplomats generally fill the spacer roles.
• Scientists generally include astrophysicists, geologists, biologists, linguists, and any others with an appropriate field of study.
• There are usually at least a few crewmembers who have martial training and experience surviving in hostile territory. Many are ex-military, although some simply hail from the rougher rim worlds. Rim worlds are often the least habitable planets, moons, and stations, with a mostly poor populace existing under the worst of conditions.

The tone of a Star Chasers campaign can vary widely depending on the makeup of the Player Characters. Looking for excitement in unexplored space as part of the ship's crew? Care to explore the cultural and scientific possibilities as scientists who prefer to avoid violent conflict? Wish to head out as part of the rougher explorers who enjoy pitting themselves against the dangers of brand new worlds? Feel like setting up a campaign revolving around a first contact situation, possibly with an aggressive species?

The life of a Star Chaser is one filled with excitement and danger. Only those who reject the soft comforts of civilization need apply.

Android Space

More than one million years ago mankind went extinct, leaving behind partially sentient AI as a legacy. These AI, many in the form of anthropomorphic robots, continued to function mostly as humanity had left them. Using the labor of less intelligent machines, they built and maintained structures suitable for supporting human life and waited patiently to serve their missing masters.

In the present time, another race with FTL travel made their way to Earth and attempted first contact. They are the Trallong: large, dark-skinned humanoids who developed on a world of jungle, swamp, and desert. They are similar enough to humanity that the AI greeted them as masters.

Trallong society is highly democratic and opposed to slavery. Once they realized what was going on, a few of their specialists reprogrammed the AI to have a more independent mindset. (However, some of the Trallong saw no problem with being served by machines and kept a number of the AI as such, but this was a very small number.)

The Trallong

The Trallong have colonized a number of worlds outside their homeworld. It was the expansion that brought them in contact with first the Krith-kinna (see below) and then the androids of Earth. They have developed a peaceful nature, though in their past was much warfare, so they are not ignorant of the art. There is much agonizing over the unnecessary war with the Krith-kinna.

Krith-kinna

A third species exists called the Krith-kinna. They are much more alien to human ways of thinking. There are four clans or castes (it is a difficult concept to describe) that act quite different from each other and can almost be considered separate species. Their world is one of cold desert and constant wind, with a landscape much like Mars. They attacked the first-contact team of Trallong and stole their FTL technology. They have just begun to expand from their homeworld.

All Krith-kinna have a generally gecko-like appearance, modified for bipedal operation.

Krith-gesha

The Krith-gesha are long and thin with yellow-toned skin and eyes. They are focused wholly upon the arts of war and are in constant conflict with both the Krith-shepta and the Trallong. They do not breed much, instead relying on massive cloning to replace those lost in the endless warfare. The Krith-brenna supply them with all necessary materials and the Krith-klatha run the cloning tanks and patch up the wounded.

Krith-shepta

The Krith-shepta are shorter and stockier than the Krith-kinna but just as warlike. They have a deep purple skin with black eyes. They are consummate warriors who breed naturally and often. Thus they are lesser in number than the Krith-kinna but they are superior in fighting ability.

Krith-brenna

Wholly focused on technology and science, the short and chartreuse-skinned Krith-brenna run the factories and research facilities. They waste no effort in supplying the other warlike Krith-kinna and seem oblivious when any of their own die in the crossfire.

Krith-klatha

The doctors of their race, the Krith-klatha are a pure, albino white with amber eyes and a spindly frame. Those not directly involved in medicine are responsible for growing and feeding the rest of the Krith-kinna.

Campaign Notes

PCs should be able to play any of the three races (android, Trallong, and Krith-kinna.) Removed from their society, the Krith-kinna seek to continue their ways solo. A Krith-brenna will love gadgets and wish to share with her companions while a Krith-shepta will be happy in the role of party tank. Trallong society is generally peaceful but there are many possible occupations to be had therein. An independent android will be part of a race just now finding its way into its own.

The Return of Magic

Magic is finite and replenishes itself slowly. Once, thousands of years ago, it was plentiful and the various races prospered. But over time the magic was used up. When its rivers were too low to flow into our world, a barrier grew up between the worlds of the magical and the mundane.

When that happened, all supernatural critters and spirits were trapped away in that other world. Items of power and enchanted relics crumbled into dust. The world of magic became nothing but superstition and myth.

Over time, the river of magic replenished itself until it became too great to be held back by the barrier. Twenty years ago cracks began to form in that barrier. Just a little at first and then with increasing force.

Over the past few years it has become more difficult to deny that the world has changed. More miraculous events are reported every day. Creatures of legend have begun to appear. Spirits masquerading as gods have begun gathering followers, using real magical effects to impress the masses.

Perhaps the world could have adjusted to these changes if we had all been given more time. However, six months ago, the barrier cracked wide open. The world erupted into chaos.

Dwarves began pouring from the mountain depths of Northern Europe while lumbering trolls descended from the pine-riddled heights, both hell bent on taking back their world. Elves and the fey began terrorizing the populace of the British Isles. Djinn continue to rampage in the Middle East. In the far East, demons of all kinds stalk the land.

Few of these new residents of our world are peaceful. They have all been trapped for a few thousand years and seek to take back what was once theirs.

Yet mankind is armed with modern technology and willing to fight with equal ferocity. In addition, much work is being done to explore the arcane arts. Even so, the world is engulfed in madness.

Factions

• Defending humans: Focused on survival, these are normal humans caught up in the conflict. This is a diverse group and includes anything from soldier to civilian.
• Invaders: Made up of any and all creatures from legend, the invaders take many forms. Their technology is crude but most have powerful magics on their side.
• Spirit Cults: Humans under the sway of spirits masquerading as gods. Allegiance is given to whatever capricious ideology drives the spirits.
• Peaceful Otherworlders: Not all of the returning races are aggressive. Some are naturally peaceful by nature and would prefer to either integrate with humanity or live in unpopulated areas. Some waver between evading the conflict and throwing in their lot with one side or the other to finish the conflict.
• Human Occultists: Their motivations may vary, whether aligning with Humanity, the Otherworlders, or simply looking out for themselves, Human Occultists have thrown themselves fully into the study of these newly returned arcane forces. Their organization can vary widely as well: from government lab to pure research at a university to simple covens.
• Infected Humans: Some folk started out human but have been changed by the new magic and the Otherworlders. Werewolves of the European mainland are a prime example. Their allegiances will vary.

Suggested Uses

Pick an area of the world for the campaign and use mythological creatures pertinent to the history of that region. PCs can be humans fighting against the Otherworld incursion, part of the invading force, or a mixed group with any number of motivations.

Alternatively, the timeline can be placed before the incursion but after magic has begun to seep into the world. Just as the PCs begin to gain an understanding of the nature magic, let the hordes invade.

Water and Land

There is the world of water and the world of dry land. Men rule the land, lizard folk rule the swamps and fresh water, and fish folk rule the sea.

The World of Man

Men tame the land, farm, and build villages, cities, and castles. They make treaties, they go to war, and they delve into the realms of the divine and the magical. They have spread across the open plain, through the wide desert, into the valleys and the forests, and over the mountain heights.

The World of the Lizard Folk

The lizard folk, or Slithesh, are split into a number of primitive tribes who live amongst the swamps and fens. They know not the working of metal and use rock, bone, and wood to build with. Being comfortable both on land and in the water, most live in villages of cobbled together shacks that sit partly above and partly below the watery surfaces of their homes.

The Slithesh are great in numbers, for the world is filled with areas comfortable to them and untenable to humanity. Their culture encourages both bravery and a healthy respect for their many gods of the natural world. The second-most respected of their number are the best warriors; the most respected are the shamans who speak directly to and for the spirits of the land.

Being clever, brave, and backed up by the power of their gods, the Slithesh are unswayed by the animosity of man. Neither has any love for the other. Raids into human territories are common, as are (mostly ineffective) retaliatory strikes. Occasionally, men attempt to raise armies to put down the saurian threat, but they are never able to push far into the swamps before being overwhelmed. Men are clumsy in the soggy, unstable ground of Slithesh territory, and their heavy chain armor is more a hindrance than a help.

The Fish Folk

Called Teesha, the fish folk have a culture far older and more sophisticated than that of man. Their cities grow like coral in the shallows and deeps off of the sea coasts. They have their own nations, their own treaties, and their own understanding of magic and the world and look down upon the barbarism of both man and Slithesh.

In appearance, the Teesha are bipedal with mostly humanoid features. They do have fins upon their arms and legs, webbed toes and fingers, large black eyes, and gills on their necks. They have large black eyes and unparalleled senses of smell and hearing.

They can breathe the air on land, though it tires them quickly; without their magics, they can survive for 2-3 days outside of their natural realm before their skin begins to crack and their limited lungs collapse.

The Teesha are most proud of two things: institutions of learning going back a few thousand years and their elaborate, unbroken traditions honoring the gods of the sea. Teesha culture is highly hierarchical in nature and respect for one's elders is expected.

Teesha cities are both beautiful and ancient; multi-tiered structures of stone and coral, pearl and shell, maze-like in their complexity. Works of art adorn the walls and byways, the cathedrals and the halls of learning.

Technologically, Teesha are somewhat backward. Due to the nature of their realm, they do not work in metals and must make due with the natural materials provided them. However, they have an impressive knowledge and mastery of magic, both arcane and divine, with which they manipulate their world. The magi and the priest outnumber all other professions. Hunters may use simple woven nets and bone-tipped harpoons in their trade, yet both are enchanted to strike true.

World Notes

Mankind wars with himself and the Slithesh but has little to do with the Teesha, for their respective realms are too well separated. Teesha and Slithesh do not normally encounter one another and thus are neutral in their attitudes toward one another. If anything, the Slithesh would respect the deep respect the Teesha have for their sea gods.

The human world is typical high fantasy with a number of nations who worship different gods. The Slithesh are primitive yet potent adversaries. The Teesha are keepers of lore and magic.

Characters may be drawn from any realm, though a party of mixed race could present difficulties. Neither man nor lizard would be welcome in the others' homeland and the Teesha, outside of magical assistance (and this holds true in reverse), would find it difficult to spend much time in the world above the water. When designing a campaign, it would be important to set the location and the expectations of the players early on.

T4-27: Mining Town

At the edge of civilized space, a dozen jumps from the nearest inhabited system, T4-27 is a mining operation for the UKTG Materials & Processing Corporation. The world itself is a large, airless rock of unending ochre vistas, completely devoid of natural life. It has extensive deposits of the sorts of rare elements which fetch a good price in the manufacturing of technological goods and large-scale production of structural materials for star ships and space stations.

Outside of the Greeth conclave (more on that later) all of the facilities on T4-27 are built, owned, and operated by UKTG Materials & Processing. There are extensive tunnels underground with a few fortified domes protruding above the surface. A number of active mining sites dot the rock, open pits brimming with heavy machinery operated by workers and automata. Material from the sites are collected and brought to the central company settlement where the more precious elements are extracted for shipment.

T4-27, along with a number of other uninteresting chunks of rock and ice, revolves around a red dwarf star. Surveyors actively jump from one body to another, searching for more of the same valuable deposits found on the relatively larger planetoid. So far nothing has panned out.

In far orbit above the mining world sits a large space station. Much of the station is taken up by material storage as it is collected and prepped for transport back home. The rest of the station is devoted to the comfort and care of the company executives stationed so far from the amenities of civilization. Being stationed at T4-27 is a good way to make or break an executive's career. Up production and lower costs and a path is cleared further up the ladder. Anything else is a sure ticket out of the company. Due to this dynamic, the overseers of the mining operations have a poor track record when it comes to how they treat the miners.

The Greeth

Five years prior, the Greeth showed up at T4-27 in two small warships accompanying a smaller, unidentifiable vessel. The Greeth had never been seen previous to this encounter and they still have never been seen outside of this particular system. When they showed up they simply landed on an unworked portion of T4-27 and began to build a small outpost. They refused all outside attempts at communication and nearly destroyed the attempted approach of a company vessel.

For the most part, the Greeth ignore the mining operations. Representatives have been sent from civilized space to make contact. The Greeth have allowed some minor contact but for the most part these diplomats are quartered in the mining towns.

A number of missteps have almost ended in open war with the Greeth. UKTG Materials & Processing is terrified of such an event as that would certainly mean a loss of mining operations there. They are also uncomfortable with being observed by outsiders as they would prefer to keep working conditions for their employees hidden.

When the Greeth are open to communication it is apparent that they have a great deal to offer the other worlds in terms of technology and an understanding of the natural world. Unfortunately, when they are not in a good mood, they tend to demonstrate just how powerful their military technology is as well. There have not yet been any casualties, but there have been a number of instances of material damage to approaching ships and other vehicles.

Plot Hooks

• The PCs are hired to investigate the disappearance of a relative who went to work for UKTG Materials & Processing and was never heard from again. An initial investigation will reveal that the worker disappeared while on duty. Further investigation may reveal that the worker was killed by either company negligence or a misunderstanding by the Greeth (an event kept hidden from the non-Greeth inhabitants; revealing this information could potentially lead to a costly war.)
• The PCs are part of the diplomatic team and could run into any of the following:
  • They discover the horrible extent of employee mistreatment at the mines. This is something the mining company would not be happy to have get out as this is a sensitive time for them politically (they rely on charters for their operation) and could cost them much.
  • Encounters with the Greeth could lead to great knowledge or brutal war. The PCs must use great tact if they wish to be successful in establishing lasting peaceful contact.
  • A few curious or enterprising miners attempted to sneak into the Greeth settlement. Violence ensues. How do the diplomatic PCs handle this?
• The Greeth are gathering information for an invasion of the inner worlds. The PCs could be curious miners who sneak into the Greeth settlement and discover proof of this. Getting out alive will not be easy.
• The Greeth are actually peaceful but having difficulty understanding the other races. The mining company has sent some agents into the Greeth settlement in the hopes of stealing information about their technology. If discovered, this could cause the Greeth to decide their overtures are wasted and either go to war or simply leave.

Lizards of the West

History Lost

Once, long ago, there existed a mighty civilization of reptilian humanoids. They had a great understanding of the natural world and used this knowledge to build advanced technological cities across the continent.

They made a singularly devastating mistake, these reptilian beings, when they tried to adapt themselves through the manipulation of their own DNA. In order to purify their species, they transformed themselves into asexual beings who procreated through self-fertilized eggs. Only the purest of reptiloid stock was allowed to be a part of this experiment; the rest were made sterile and eventually went extinct.

A side-effect of the sexual adaptations caused the remaining lines of reptiloid to become overly territorial, xenophobic, and to develop an irrational fear of leaving regions outside of what they considered their homes.

The reptiloid civilization collapsed. The ancient cities became choked with dust and became devoured by the creeping vine. The remaining numbers of their species withdrew into caves and underground lairs. Some died out over time while others managed to hold on to their numbers.

The members of the reptiloid race are nothing like their ancestors. They are backward, superstitious, and have only the barest of their original technologies available. As each line has been left to its own devices over the millennia, they have diverged in their cultures, language, and histories.

The full history has been lost to all colonies. They each have a story to tell of their origins but none of them are true.

Western Incursion

When men crossed the great ocean and made it to the new land, they were amazed at both the plentiful land and wildlife and at what they thought to be the complete absence of other inhabitants. Outside of squabbles between the newly arrived and their masters across the water, men were happy to spread across this new land and make it their own.

It was not until they made it much further west, within a thousand miles of the opposite shore, that they discovered the land was not completely uninhabited. Amidst the arroyos and sandy dunes of the southwest, they began to discover the existence of that small remnant of the reptiloid race. At first the sightings were thought to be the product of heat stroke or alcohol, or both. In time, as men began to bring water to the desert through irrigation and the digging of wells, the two species found conflict.

The population pressure of humanity's spread and the intensely territorial nature of the reptiloids caused an immediate struggle between the two species.

Reptiloids

Reptiloids are fully bipedal and do not have tails. They range from 4' to 7' in height, with the shorter ones being slighter and the taller ones being stockier in build. As their reproduction is entirely asexual, each colony will have only a few different types of reptiloid with a number of what look to be identical clones.

Colonies are always underground. Some dwell in caves while others live in complex tunnels beneath the sands. A few still live in the crumbling ruins of the old cities.

Technologically, the reptiloids are very backwards, except for the odd piece of equipment that still works from long ago. It is not uncommon to see ray guns, jetpacks, and self-propelled carriages that look like metallic spiders. Where they have lost the working items, they make do with Jockamounts (large, lumbering reptilian mounts the size of small elephants), simple forged tools (similar to early iron age implements), and whatever else the dry lands they dwell in offer.

They have long lost the ability to read the old texts and most works have long since disintegrated or been damaged beyond repair.

Ancient Cities

The ruins of the old reptiloid culture still exist but are not easy to find. Many have crumbled before the passage of time and the efforts of weather, root, and vine. Others have become buried by earthquake or sit in areas yet unseen by man.

Who knows what ancient wonders still exist within these old piles of stone and steel?