Paths of Heroes

"In the Time Before Time, all was well and the gods walked in peace among men. The world was Their Garden and All Was Good. But then the gods took to quarrelling among themselves. The oceans rose, mountains crumbled, and finally the Heavens Fell. Stars and the bones of dead Titans crashed to the earth, remaking and poisoning the lands and seas. If any gods have survived they are silent. Beasts prowl the wastelands and mad spirits squat in rotten ruins of their former glory. But like mice amidst a battlefield, humans avoided the wrath of the gods against each other to survive into this new age. The passing of the generations has erased from living memory the Time Before Time and the turning of the age. Gone is the age of gold and light, and come is an age of iron and fire. An age of darkness. An age of heroes!"

The gods fought, and the world died. That is what the elders say. The truth is unknown, and perhaps irrelevant. What is relevant is that the world is toxic and hostile to human life, and to be merely human is insufficient to survive, let alone thrive. But while every human is born weak, there is nothing that says that they have to stay that way. The energies that poison land and waters can be infused into the flesh and soul. The heartsblood of great beasts can be drunk to take on their power. All manner of strange rituals and magics can transform the merely human into beings capable of fighting back against a world that wants them dead.

To be a hero in this world, in this age, is to be larger than life. It is to drink from the cups of power even if they poison you, change you. It is to have drives and passions that push one against the impossible. It is a lonely path with few peers and many enemies.

But even if they achieve singular greatness, all heroes come from somewhere.

Select a starting territory
[] [Terr] Storm Riders of the Savage Seas
[] [Terr] Oasis Farmers of the Desert Wastes
[] [Terr] Cave Dwellers of the High Mountains
[] [Terr] Scavengers of the Titans' Bones
[] [Terr] Hunters of the Hungry Jungles

Savage Seas

A storm swept archipelago where the worst of the toxins have been washed from the land but concentrated into the seas. Dozens of tribes of seafarers vie for control of the land and hunting waters by way of lightning raids, with the mightiest among them seeking to harvest the great and terrible leviathans of the deeps.

Advantages: +Travel, +Personal prowess
Disadvantages: -Resources, -Organization
Challenges: Abyssal Leviathans

Desert Wastes

The essence of the sun nourishes life when plants use earth and water to purify it. Should a land grow so tainted and poisoned that plants struggle to grow, the sun shall bring scouring, bleaching death instead of sustenance. Where the gods cast stars to the ground they burned and blighted all life, leaving only cracked glass for the sun and wind to break. In the few oases where life has broken through, city states fortify themselves against the horrors that dwell in the shifting sands.

Advantages: +Defence, +Organization, +Essence
Disadvantages: -Resources, --Food
Challenges: Toxic terrain, Mutant Horrors

High Mountains

The struggles of the gods flattened mountains and raised new ones, but in some places the ramparts of the world stood strong. Nestled within fortified caves and vaults, populations weathered Heavens Fall better than most. Emerging to a harsh new reality to scrape and scrabble on scoured hills, they soon discovered that the terrain that had preserved them had also sheltered mad spirits and cataclysmic beasts better than most. Some left in search of greener pastures, while others took to feuding over the scraps of what they could find.

Advantages: ++Defence, +Resources
Disadvantages: -Food, --Travel
Challenges: Here Be Dragons

Titans' Bones

Sometimes when the gods died, their corpses landed on the earth, leaving behind rib cages that brushed the sky and warrens of alien flesh. Some humans took up habitation in these places, maggots crawling and burrowing through a divine corpse. To live and feast in these rotten halls is to take in some of the strength, but also to take in some of the pain of a celestial mind still twitching its last.

Advantages: Random bonus tech, +Essence, +Personal Prowess
Disadvantages: -Resources, -Food, --Organization
Challenges: Stillborn Dreams of Dead Gods

Hungry Jungles

The end of the past age saw the destruction of most life, including the plants that helped maintain the flows and cycles of essence in the world. Those that survived were either the hardiest, or the hungriest. Twisted by foul energies to the point where vegetation could subsist on essences they were never meant to, these riotous forests expand into places they should not grow, and sustenance where they should not. For those dwelling in these places the rules are simple: eat or be eaten. The humans living there are very good at eating indeed…

Advantages: +Defence, ++Personal Prowess
Disadvantages: --Organization, -Resources
Challenges: Toxic life, The Trees Have Eyes

Select a starting enhancement tech
[] [Tech] Alchemy
[] [Tech] Artifice
[] [Tech] Beast Binding
[] [Tech] Geomancy
[] [Tech] Patron Spirit
[] [Tech] Xenografting

Alchemy

The art of distilling organic and inorganic substances into forms that can be consumed by humans and beasts to enhance ability.

Artifice

The skill at binding magical effects into physical objects, which can be wielded by humans for their own benefit.

Beast Binding

Some powerful beasts can be bound in a spiritual way to a human, granting the human increased strength and the beast increased intelligence.

Geomancy

Through large scale arrangements of various focal points, the ambient essence of a place can be collected and gathered for the benefit of humans. This can be as small as a room, or as large as a nation.

Patron Spirit

In some places powerful spirits still dwell and commune with humans. These survivors are often tightly bound to a singular place, more than a little mad, or both. While not universally useful, they are sources of power and wisdom… if you can pay their prices.

Xenografting

The muscles of a man pale in comparison to those of a dragon, so some have learned the art of transplanting the meat and organs of slain or captured creatures into new recipients.

Select a local challenge
[] [Cha] Ferocious Beasts
[] [Cha] Unclaimed Ruins
[] [Cha] Barbarian Raiders
[] [Cha] Toxic Terrain
[] [Cha] Mad Spirits

Ferocious Beasts

The local beasts are harder to kill and tame, but they provide better rewards.

Unclaimed Ruins

Who knows what lurks in the ruined halls of the gods? Whatever it is, it is not easily claimed by scavengers.

Barbarian Raiders

The human neighbours are particularly hostile, which is both a hazard and an opportunity.

Toxic Terrain

The local area is (especially) toxic to human life, but this also means that there are more exotic ingredients to be found.

Mad Spirits

There are particularly powerful spirits about, their minds fractured in a way that makes them unpredictable and hostile.

Select a local advantage
[] [Adv] Essence Spring (+Essence, +Food)
[] [Adv] Ore Veins (++Resources)
[] [Adv] Rich Soil (++Food)
[] [Adv] Local Militias (+Organization, +Personal Prowess)
[] [Adv] Safe Settlement (++Organization, +Food, -Personal Prowess)
[] [Adv] Intact Archives (Random bonus tech)
[] [Adv] Ancient Infrastructure (++Travel)
[] [Adv] Natural Chokepoint (++Defence, +Organization, -Travel)
[] [Adv] Chaos (2 random advantages, 1 extra local challenge)

Stats
Food Poor
Resources Terrible (Temp Poor)
Essence Very Good
Defence Poor (Temp Good)
Travel Poor
Organization Abysmal
Personal Prowess Good
Discontent Significant
Panic Impeding (-1 action)

Comparative Ranks

Abysmal
Terrible
Poor
Good
Very Good
Fine
Very Fine
Incredible

Units
1 Hunter Squad (Hunt, Patrol, Explore)
1 Delver Squad (Explore, Scavenge)

Techs
Beast Binding
Patron Spirit

Information
Food
How much food there is available for humans and beasts. Food controls the quantity and quality of life in a region, human or otherwise.

Resources
Access to raw materials useful for constructing things. Low Resources means that a polity has access to limited amounts of poor quality materials, while high Resources means that a polity has access to things like rare metals and gems.

Essence
The ambient magical energy of a region. Low Essence means that there is little free floating magic to work with, precluding the most fantastical of creatures and workings. High Essence makes the region more magical and 'alive', but also a tempting target for the powerful.

Defence
Whether natural barriers or logistical constraints, Defence measures how easy a location is to hold from outside attackers. Low Defence is associated with rolling plains with plenty of pasture, while High Defence is indicative of numerous choke points and few logistical paths.

Travel
How quickly one can move about a region, which is useful for trade, communication, and mustering military strength. Low Travel indicates numerous barriers, while high Travel means that it is easy to move from place to place.

Organization
How able a group is to coordinate and collaborate. At low Organization the people are probably organized into small, nomadic families who may only vaguely tolerate each other. At high Organization a polity has sophisticated bureaucracies and systems of government to manage their affairs and infrastructure.

Personal Prowess
A combination of training and necessary skills for local survival, Personal Prowess indicates just how potent the average person is. Low Personal Prowess indicates that much of the population probably hasn't seen combat and hasn't prepared for it. High Personal Prowess indicates that either most of your people are trained killers, or those who do train are incredibly elite.

Discontent
How upset the people of a polity are with their current leadership. High Discontent leads to problems performing polity wide actions, and threatens revolt against those in charge.

Panic
How scared the people of a polity are. High Panic slows down the ability to perform actions, causing economic disruptions that can lead to starvation and ruin.

None (yet)

Reserved, Just In Case