Title:	Tears of Blood - A Community Built Campaign Setting
Author:	Lappy09 et al

# Tears of Blood ##############################################################
__*A Community Built Campaign Setting*__

![An Image of an Uroulian Battle Scene][i01]

> "Save your tears, my fetid friends,  
> The dead have Wept enough!  
> The blood flows forth from riverbends,  
> Through overflowing bluffs.

> We sail through the Alarran sea,  
> Upon our ship of bones,  
> Past sons of men and elven trees,  
> Where death eternal moans.

> By drifting dwarves forever grim,  
> Just loners as the giantkin,  
> And beings of flesh and stolen limb,  
> Where bloody victims dwell within.

> At last, we see Ursoule ahead,  
> Came whence Feldarin Lords,  
> 'Lest they fall, to deathly red,  
> The blood forever pours."

> *---- Halfling Pirate, Renard B'Marne*

## Preface ####################################################################

A number of years ago a few fellow fans of Order of the Stick and members of
The Giant's Playground tossed around the idea of creating a new campaign world,
taking a cue from The Giant himself on his campaign building tips. We had the
support of The Giant in this endeavor and our own little corner of the
Playground was granted to us where we could take and run with the idea. We
quickly set about tossing around ideas for a theme, a tone, and general this
and that. We agreed that we would put ideas to a vote for each issue thereby
coming up with a campaign world by consensus. Thus was born Tears of Blood. 

The highlights of what we established early on, to name a few, are as follows:
the tone would be gritty, a world where day to day life was a struggle; there
would be several themes that worked together, namely --- a plague that recently
ravaged the country, an atmosphere of revolution and unstable governments, an
atmosphere of mistrust of strangers, including especially PC adventurers, and
finally that magic use is in flux; the races needed some adjustments; a
pantheon of gods would be original material; a playable large race would be
introduced; at least one template sort of race would be established for players
who had at some point contracted the deadly plague we now call The Weeping ...
and survived.

## The World of Ursoule #######################################################

Greetings, intrepid traveler! The world of Ursoule has crawled from the depths
of despair under the deadly Weeping Plague and the Feldarin Empire decrees that
it is safe, once again, to travel the land in the name of imperial progress.
Read on to understand what the world has been through and what part you may
play in setting the Empire back on its feet.

People in the Tears of Blood campaign world have suffered great losses from the
recent plague and are struggling to recover. As such, the world has a feeling
of grit where day to day survival is not taken for granted, mistrust is fairly
high, and the pleasures of life are things once dreamed of, now long forgotten.
Even the stability of the Feldarin Empire is not what it once was and some
speak of throwing down the kings of old and rising fresh and stronger out of
the fetid squalor.

Outside of the Feldarin Empire there are several points of interest. Beneath
and above the Empire are two contending factions of gnomes: the Nether and
Aether gnomes who are masters of magic but mysterious, selfish, and secretive
with this knowledge, traveling in flying crafts belching toxic fumes in the
skies as well as the tunnels Beneath.

On a separate continent lie the Orcs who have their own rich culture of tribal
warfare and ritual sacrifice.

Ruling the seas in between these continents are the halflings. Basing their
sailing ships on island chains and certain mainland ports, they are merchants,
naval experts, and occasionally pirates.

Finally, some human cultures are so remote that they have escaped Feldarin
occupation: the Yujung, the Pahali and the Omeshik.

![A Map of Ursoule][i02]

## The Weeping ################################################################

The Tears of Blood Campaign Setting is focused around the Feldarin Empire,
which until recently stood as an unassailable bastion of order and strength,
dominating its human subjects and the neighboring realms. The Feldarin
conquered the human lands five centuries ago, when they escaped their cursed
homeland. Basing their empire around an inland sea and submitting the humans to
lives as serfs, the Feldarin built canals, roads, and great cities across the
continent.

The plague threatened to bring all of that to ruin. Appearing out of nowhere
and spreading like wildfire, the plague brought panic and terror wherever it
appeared. People fled their homes, leaving farms untended and cities
undefended. As waves of refugees spread across the land, so did the plague.
Terrible atrocities were committed as local lords attempted to keep the
sickness from entering their territories. The most ruthless of these succeeded
where the merciful did not, and spared their followers some of the horror
accosting the nation.

Finally, the plague died away. It vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.
Though it occasionally appears now and again, it doesn't seem to spread as fast
as it did. It left behind a grim legacy, however --- fully one third of the
populace have died and (even worse in the eyes of some) some of the survivors
have become plague touched, pitiful wretches who survived infection but were
horribly warped by the ravages of the disease. Ten years on, the realm
struggles to recover from the devastation. People now flock to the cities,
their fear of the Weeping (as the plague has become to be known) forgotten in
the face of new dangers --- starvation and anarchy. Bandits run rampant through
the countryside, and the farmlands have lain untended for a decade. 

If this wasn't enough, the rule of the Empire is being questioned across the
continent. The Emperor himself was struck down by the Weeping and his various
potential heirs now jockey for position. Lords of all ranks question the right
of the Imperial Council to issue edicts or proclaim their independence, whether
due to a selfish need for power or a desire to improve the lives of their
subjects. Worse still, some of those subjects have decided not to leave the
matter in the hands of their lords --- humans have begun to take up arms against
their rightful masters and declare them selves free. Embracing magic as a
weapon against the Imperial military and their Dwarven mercenaries, they have
seized whole cities, and elsewhere Feldarin nobles look to the swarms of
refugees gathered in their cities and wonder if they can stem the tide.

## Player Races ###############################################################

The world of Ursoule is populated by a vibrant mix of different races, some of
them closely resembling their standard counterparts and others vastly
different. Every race has its own rich history and cultures, and each survives
in its own unique and interesting ways.

### Feldarin ##################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Feldarin][i05]

Military dominion and power are the ancient hallmarks of the Feldarin. A race
with a rich warrior heritage and skill in the art of battle that is surpassed
only by the Dwarves, the Feldarin invaded the lands of the Humans five-hundred
years ago, and have since been the undisputed rulers of the south. 

The Feldarin have been heavily influenced by the many diverse cultures of the
Humans they rule over, but still have the foundations of their culture shining
through even today. Feldarin loyalties lean to their warrior ancestors, to the
gods, to their Emperor, and to the law, encouraging Feldarin to see the world
and do mighty deeds. The great Queen Conastinia who freed them from the cursed
Floating Isle and forged their glorious Empire sparked the great line of
Emperors who have ruled over the last five centuries, to whom all Feldarin owe
their loyalty. While such traditional goals focus on discipline and honor, the
realities of ruling an Empire have forced the Feldarin to learn subtlety,
intrigue and secret ambition.

### Dwarf #####################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Dwarf][i06]

The Dwarves of Ursoule are a proud and ancient folk, stubbornly holding onto
the legacy of their forebears even as they forge a new way of life as wealthy
soldiers of fortune. Dwarven mercenaries can be found fighting in almost every
conflict in the Feldarin Empire and the surrounding human nations. Although the
tumultuous time of the Feldarin invasion severely disrupted their ancient ways,
the stoic character and deeply ingrained work ethic of the Dwarves allowed them
to quickly carve a niche for themselves as the most fearsome mercenaries in
Ursoule. Even the devastation wrought by the Weeping has failed to halt the
growth of their affluence. 

But the Dwarves are not quick to take undue pride in these accomplishments.
They measure their successes against the glorious achievements of their
ancestors, and feel they aren't living up to the precedents set in days of old.
To the Dwarves, the last five hundred years seem little more than a litany of
devastating tragedies that have severed their ties to the venerated traditions
of their ancestors, damaged the sacred halls of their forefathers, and
scattered their clans across a war-torn continent. As their fortunes grow, they
seek to reclaim and restore their age-old mountain citadels and subterranean
galleries so that one day, perhaps, they can renounce their mercenary lifestyle
and once again stand apart as a race answerable to no other.

### Elf #######################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Elf][i07]

Not all Feldarin agreed with the invasion of the mainland. As the invasion
progressed, a number of Feldarin poets, sorcerers, and scholars voiced their
opposition to the violent subjugation of other races. They believed that the
true strength of the Feldarin culture lay in its arts and music, and that the
Feldarin should direct their ambition to the study of the arcane arts rather
than war. They tried to spread this message, but most Feldarin benefited from
the spoils of the conquest and ignored such romantics. Over time, these
idealists grew vain and bitter. They came to see themselves as better than
other Feldarin, and decided to form their own perfect society.

Not long after, a powerful Celestial angered the gods. Seeking a way to flee
their divine wrath, he asked the rebellious Feldarin to perform a profane
ritual that would strip him of his divinity and pull him into the material
plane. Since Celestial glory can only be transferred, not destroyed, he offered
to give an equal share of it to each of them. They knew his evil nature, but in
their vanity they cared nothing for the suffering he might bring to others.
They performed the ritual and gained beauty, elegance, and a natural affinity
for magic unmatched among mortals. They became a new race, the Elves. However,
in doing so, they brought forth an infernal being, the Plague Fiend. 

Only too late did the Elves understand that the price of their beauty was an
avatar of blight, a fiend who gains power by drinking the suffering caused by
all disease. Living in human and Feldarin cities became unbearable to them,
because every victim of disease served as a painful reminder of the terrible
deed they had committed. They retreated to the forests and other uninhabited
places where they can hide their disgrace from the world.

### Fleshwrought ##############################################################

![An Image of Two Typical Fleshwrought][i08]

They Fleshwrought are a young race that came out of the Weeping when it tore
this world asunder. From that violent birthing stepped a race heretofore
unseen. Man shaped beings, seemingly hewn from the flesh of the dead, with
warped limbs and bodies that require vigilant self-repair lest they fall to
pieces. The younger forms amongst them closely resemble their humanoid kin,
while the elders are seldom mistaken for anything but monsters. 

The Fleshwrought have a relatively short, though certainly varied history. As
they were birthed within the maelstrom of the plague, the true story of their
early years has been covered over by rumor, misinformation, and confusion due
to the sheer upheaval of those years. Some scholars say the first of the
Fleshwrought arose from the corpses of plague victims that were still afflicted
with the warped magical energies of the Weeping. This version of their origin
would suggest that they have the plague itself as their progenitor --- a
disturbing thought to say the least.

Despite the many versions of their origins, what is clear is that very soon
after they were abroad in Ursoule, there were those that preferred not to have
the Fleshwrought in our world, and indeed still do. Prejudice, fear, and hatred
are part and parcel of the daily bread of a Fleshwrought. Free Fleshwrought
often live away from other races, as hermits or in small isolated communities
in response to their ill starred appearance. Their skill as healers and
surgeons sometimes causes nearby races to seek them out in times of dire need,
but they are otherwise treated with fear and revulsion from normal folk.

### Giantkin ##################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Giantkin][i09]

The Giantkin are a large, but benevolent and friendly folk who live in the
tundras of the north. During their everyday life,they do not have much contact
with other people besides the Omeshik who also live in the north, though there
is one quite big exception --- a travel to the South in their youth in some
Giantkin groups. However, since the Giantkin live in a vast area and are not
great in number, most of them don't end up in Feldarin or other "civilized"
areas. People tend to recognize Giantkin, although most know little about them
besides the fact that they are big, also, there is very few research about
their life in their homes. Occasionally, a Feldarin explorer would study them,
but this was the hobby of a few and unknown to the masses. This was the state
before the Plague. Sometimes a farmer would meet a haystack-sized being asking
for directions and he had something to tell his grandchildren about when he
grew old. People knew that they existed, and as long as they minded their own
business, they didn't care. 

However, they gained more attention during the Plague, because of their strange
immunity to it. The Giantkin had a most remarkable quality --- the Plague left
them completely untouched. When people heard of this, despite the immunity to
the Plague, being Giantkin was more dangerous than before, starting with
problems such as angry mobs beating them to death out of envy and finishing
with rich Feldarin nobles who feared the disease and ordered them to be
captured and studied in all possible ways (usually with little care for the
welfare of the Giantkin individual). This was not without lasting effects ---
now, about ten years after the Plague, the Giantkin still prefer to travel to
non-civilized areas because of the tales of "southern people growing and mad
and bloodthirsty in their terrible disease" and Giantkin have become somewhat
demonized in the Feldarin-area folklore. The little accurate information about
the Giantkin grew even scarcer and people know very little about Giantkin as
such. 

One of the few sources of information about Giantkin in their everyday life
comes from and Feldarin traveller, explorer and writer von Nordlicht (name
taken himself). He traveled to the far north with five human servants and lived
with the Giantkin for ten years. His diaries reveal a lot of information about
that strange, but calm folk. Besides the Giantkin, he also writes about the
harsh but beautiful northern nature, other folk who live in the northlands and
the strange creatures and anomalies that he encountered. 

### Gnome #####################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Gnome][i10]

Gnomes are viewed with fear and suspicion by those unlucky few who have
encountered them. Most surface-dwellers know of them only through fireside
tales of plundered graveyards and ancient cities deep underground. Nearly
everyone has a talkative friend or an eccentric uncle who claims to have seen a
gnomish skyship belching smoke as it cut through the clouds, but few can
honestly claim to have seen or spoken to them. Few besides the most potent of
wizards try to seek them out, and what dealings they might have with these
secretive masters of arcane lore is unknown.

Like their Halfling ancestors, gnomes travel in ships. But in the silent
caverns beneath the ground, there is no wind to fill their sails. Instead they
have found a way to create ships that fly. Scholars have noted, however, that
the ships reported flying through the sky are quite unlike the ships that
navigate the tunnels Beneath. They theorize that the different ship designs
indicate a schism in the gnomish ranks, in which one faction tired of life
below ground and made their way to the surface. A handful of reputable wizards
have hinted that the dispute is over some obscure point of religious doctrine.
The real nature of this divide, as with so much else about the gnomes, may
never be understood by outsiders.

### Halfling ##################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Halfling][i11]

Ranging far and wide over the seas of Ursoule, the Halflings ride their ships
in webs of trade, piracy, ancient spirituality, and intrigue. Backed by a long
tradition of seamanship, the finest craft and the devastating capacity of
firearms the Halflings' dominance of the sea stretches far into the past,
beyond the founding of the empire or even the split with the gnomes some four
millennia ago. 

Quick witted and cunning Halflings are always looking for a subtle advantage.
Often feeling that their short stature has put them at a disadvantage to other
races the halflings have compensated by focusing on advancing technology social
skills which has led to both their masterful, if wild negotiations and such
amazing works as personal firearms. Canny traders and often guests they are
publicly polite but in the crucible beneath decks a lively tradition of insult
and impassioned argument has developed. Many are driven by a deep curiosity and
many suffer from wanderlust at least for a couple decades. Also great size and
brute force is looked down upon by many halflings while guile and finesse is
highly valued. 

### Human #####################################################################

![An Image of Various Human Ethnicities][i12]

Humans are the most numerous race in Ursoule. They have occupied every corner
of the continent of Terdusas since time immemorial. For the past five hundred
years, they have shared it with the Feldarin. Many have lived as second-class
citizens in their own homelands ever since, while others have avoided conquest
thus far.

Humans belong to eight distinct cultures, each bearing similarities to
real-life counterparts: the Caltan (Celtic), Baran (Arabian), Kvrin
(Romanian/Transylvanian), Pahali (Indian), Phoedran (Greek), Omeshik (Inuit),
Taeshin (a cross between Japanese and Viking), and Yujung (Chinese). Each hails
from a distinct region of Terdusas, where they and their ancestors have lived
for thousands of years. For Humans, loyalty to their homeland and its people
takes priority over other allegiances, and they rarely think of themselves as
members of a common race.

Without going too deeply into Feldarin history and politics, Humans within the
Feldarin Empire would be of Caltan, Baran, Kvrin or possibly Phoedran heritage.
The other cultures lie entirely beyond the control of the Feldarin Empire.

### Orc #######################################################################

![An Image of a Typical Orc][i13]

The Orcs are a proud and deeply religious people who inhabit the dense jungles
far to the south. There they have carved out mighty kingdoms and built towering
temples to their revered deities.

The Orcs are a stoic people who value hard work and strength above all else.
Upon first meeting an orc many people believe them to be standoffish or smug
but in truth orcs simply don't trust strangers and keep them at arms length. It
can take an orc years to cement a friendship but only minutes to ruin one. Orcs
believe in helping one's self and rarely accept aid though if they do they will
attempt to repay their 'debt' as soon as possible. Orcs are on the whole a
devoutly religious race who often are shocked by the rather flippant ways the
people they meet treat their deities. Orcs prefer the simple comforts of life
and put little stock in luxuries. They prefer to be upfront, honest, and
honorable in their dealings with others, deception and guile are rare amongst
the orcs and universally detested by them.

### Plaguetouched #############################################################

![An Image of a Typical Plaugetouched][i14]

The Plaguetouched are not a race of themselves, rather, they are the
end-product of the Weeping and its affects on a body. Becoming Plaguetouched is
the inescapable fate of the few humanoids that contract and survive the
Weeping. For unknown reasons these unlucky victims were able to endure the
disease and live on. However, survival did not come without its price. The
Plaguetouched suffer gross deformities and massive mutations that mar their
bodies. The Plaguetouched are only just coming into their own as a people. They
are still relatively new to Ursoule and are struggling to define a group
identity. As such, individual choice and background is a huge element in the
life of any Plaguetouched.

[i01]: images/draftheadertc3.jpg			(An Uroulian Battle Scene)
[i02]: images/TOB-MC.png					(Map of Ursoule)
[i05]: images/Knightchickprime.png			(A Typical Feldarin)
[i06]: images/dorfbyhand.jpg				(A Typical Dwarf)
[i07]: images/averageelfcopy.png			(A Typical Elf)
[i08]: images/fleshwroughtxs6.jpg			(Two Typical Fleshwrought)
[i09]: images/77473911dj4.jpg				(A Typical Giantkin)
[i10]: images/beargnomeen8.jpg				(A Typical (...) Gnome)
[i11]: images/halflingpiratecolourxz9.jpg	(A Typical Halfling)
[i12]: images/20788250km7.jpg				(Various Human Ethnicities)
[i13]: images/60852234by2.png				(A Typical Orc)
[i14]: images/PlaguedWarrior.jpg			(A Typical Plaugetouched)