You are a builder of infrastructure roads, canals, etc. (Such as the Candledragon).
The backgrounds described in the Players Handbook are all available across the lands of Narenfel. You may also choose from these additional backgrounds while playing characters in the Aftershadow campaign setting, based on the specific customs, histories and cultures there.
You are a builder of infrastructure roads, canals, etc. (Such as the Candledragon).
You studied at one of the seven seminal seats of learning in the Maugholdings, which are referred to collectively as the Cahedra. During your time there, you delved into an inordinate amount of knowledge and lore, rubbing elbows with other sages and scholars. As a rule, members of the Cahedra pride themselves on being the repository for all known knowledge, and the halls where they gathers are places of lively discussions and deep studies. Cahedrists get more than a little excited when they chance upon a new thought, or unknown piece of information. Virtually all Cahedrists are Maugtheni, though the schools occasionally accept non-Maugtheni who proves that they are built for the rigors of the academic world (and endless Maugtheni debate).
The following is a list of the Cahedra, ranking from the most prestigious to the least prestigious. Although Maugtheni rank the Cahedra in terms of prestige to those who study there, even the least prestigious Cahedra is considered to be a paragon of knowledge. Beyond their ranking, each Cahedra is known for their expertise in a particular areas. Choose the Cathedra you attended for the specific traits listed.
Focus: Choose one area of focus: History of the Dwarves, Seawraith lore, Linguistics, History, Arcanobiology (monsters), The Elflawvin and the Elflaw, Mechanical devices, Travel, Apocolypsology
Though it is ranked and regarded among the Cahedra, it is not technically a Collegium or Royal Charter. However, its well-rounded curriculum attracts both aspiring Cahedrists and bards.
Focus: Choose an area from any list above.
Focus: Choose one area of focus: Reincarnation and the Psychological impacts of Resurrection, Past civilizations, Ya’avinn, Celestial events and Turnings, Death and Undeath
Focus: Choose one area of focus: Games, Jewelry, Lost Artifacts, Brewing & Vintning, Glassworks, Herbology, Poisons, Metalworks, Costuming, The Planes, Biology, Philosophy, Theological studies, Illusionary Magic and its implications
Focus: Choose one area of focus: Wars & Battles, Courtesy & Social Grace, The Craft of Weapons & Armor, Literature, Shipbuilding, Naval History, Information Flow and Politics, Fate, Chance and Luck
Focus: Choose one area of focus: Instrument and Musicology, Heraldry, Theatre, Culinary Arts, Archaeology, The Agegorger, Magic, The Mysteries of the Ork-ish, Equestrian studies
Focus: Choose one area of focus: The Westlands, Art & Architecture, Dance, Calligraphy & Illuminations, Chirurgeonry, Printing, Textiles, The Ethics of of Magic, Cartography and Exploration
You worked for the Silver Tide, a society focused on capturing the news and information about the people and goings on of a particular area or town. As such, your daily mission was to seek out opportunities to talk to the folks you run into, asking questions and learning about the juicy stuff — stories, rumors, gossip and information about the wealthy or famous. Some folks are happy to dish, others need a little financial persuasion (usually a few copper is enough.) On the other hand, there is usually a steady flow of people who are interested in the current news and answers you’ve gleaned. For that, they pay a silver piece, a transaction commonly referred to as a “Silver Tiding”.
In general, you tend to create connections and follow specific areas or people of note, but that doesn’t mean you don’t ask questions about other things when the opportunity arises. When you come across other Chroniclers, you quickly share information so that you both are in the know.
You collect taxes, bounties, items for patrons.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Stuff; or (B) 50 GP
You spend time with patrons, romantically or otherwise, for a price.
You were (and still are) affiliated with a secret society. Narenfel is full of such organizations, from sects that venerate or idealize the Velthorian gods (often referred to as “Hungry Gods”, to those who seek dark powers to restore the former glory of Mistmight and the Orh-Kish Empire, to those that traffic in dark secrets that could topple goverments and guilds. You’ve attended meetings in the middle of the night, deep underground, or when the omens say it is most auspicious. And you’ve seen things, heard things, and done things — “necessary” things of course — that you’ll never speak of openly.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A dark robe, 2 black candles, and a pouch of 15 gold; or (B) 50 GP
Secret Society: Choose a society you wish to belong to, or use the Narenfellian Secret Society table to randomly determine one.
Table of Narenfelian Secret Societies
Choose or roll a d4 and consult the chart below to randomly to choose a cult that you belong to:
| 1 | A coven dedicated to the Velthorian “Hungry” Gods (see the Warlock Class for complete list) |
| 2 | A covert that venerates the Ren Spirit |
| 3 | The Runecult |
| 4 | Other (Work with the DM and/or create your own) |
The Hungry Gods
The Hungry Gods are nine ancient beings of power, each hailing from one of the lower planes. Together they are known as The Nine, or more historically, the Velthorian Gods, since they are believed to have been first worshipped (and summoned) during that Kindom’s rise to power millenia ago, and at various times by subsequent civilizations since. The names of the Hungry Gods have become synonymous with weal and destruction, and are rarely spoken, so as not to attract their undo attention to the realm of men.
The Cult of The Ren Spirit
Legends state that the Ren Spirit was once a paladin lord by the name of Ren, a man both generous and benevolent, until he and an adventuring party chanced upon a treasure of surpassing beauty and corrupting magic deep within the ruins of Everlock. An insidious lust gripped the paladin, and a spirit of unsurpassed malice rippled across his face, replacing every vestige of goodness with a utter malice and greed. Before they knew what was happening, he hacked down those who had ventured with him into the swamp and disappeared — presumably with the treasure. In the unknown decades since, cults have venerated Ren’s spirit and raw desire, and have erected small shrines to summon/placate it, each adorned a blacked talon clutching and orb. Within the shrines are offerings of money and personal effects — tokens left by passing travelers to appease the Ren Spirit, in the hopes that its eye and dark avarice passes over them as they wander past.
The Runecult
The Runecult is deeply concerned in all prophecies, especially the that of an individual of “pure” Omenari blood (whatever that means), who will rise and reclaim the glory that was once Orh-Kish. Cult members are self-proclaimed guardians of this prophecy, and its members lead shadowy (and often feared) lifestyles always looking to tip the scales of fate in the favor of the Omenari race.
You know the arts of crafting Maugtheni glass. (This is a primarily Maugtheni background).
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Stuff; or (B) 50 GP
You are part of a clan or lifestyle which centers around horses.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Stuff; or (B) 50 GP
You spend your days pouring over pieces of parchment or vellum, copying, transcribing, or crafting manuscripts. To these documents (referred to across the land as illuminations) you add elaborate flourishes and illustrations, usually as part of the border, in a margin, or as part of the initial letter of a passage. Many of the most famous illuminators come from Ya’avin monasteries, particularly among the Sabelites or Serpent Eyes (see the Monk document for more information), but other illuminators may be found sprinkled across the colonies and in the Maugholdings.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Caligrapher’s tools, 2 completed illuminations on the topic of your choice (each worth 10 gp each), a pouch of 10 gp; or (B) 50 GP
You are a Khomantu, a sacred tattooist, the cornerstone of any Ya’avin community. Khomanu markings are a fusion of inks and divine magics, a recipe orally passed down from master to apprentice, and that is closely guarded and not discussed with non-Khomantu. The resulting ink is applied to designs of lines and colors that are fused into the very life essence of a Ya’avin recipient. Khomantu markings both large and small are added to a person’s body canvas throughout the course of their lives, particularly during milestone events such as marriage, or child birth, achievements of rank, victories, or other fortuitous or somber events.
Khomantu are highly respected in the Ya’avin community. Their practice is highly skilled, and as a result, most have spent years training under another master khomantu. Khomantu tend to be serious about their craft and its meaning. They are known for their graceful, measured movements, almost as if the process of inking is a kata of a martial art.
Feature: Quickening Ink
Using proprietary Khomantu materials and processes, you may ink a design onto a PC or NPC’s body (usually another Ya’avin, DM’s discretion). Usually this occurs in conjunction with milestone events or accomplishments. The process usually requires materials that cost from 10gp (small khomantu) to 100gp (large khomantu, see the Ya’avin description for placements.) Tattoos made by you in this way provide the recipient with a bonus of 1d4 to healing from any amount of HD they spend during a short rest. (A recipient only gains this bonus once, regardless of how many khomantu you have tattooed on them.) The process of inking a komantu is lengthy and involved, requiring a full day to prepare the ink, and another full day to apply it. No more than one khomantu may be applied in a single week in any case.
Race: Ya’avin only
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Tattooist tools, a collection of pots filled with components, many of which are necessary for tattooing ink, a silver mirror, 10 gp.; or (B) 50 GP
You focus on crafting maps. This requires a deep understanding of mathematics, latitude and longitude lines, and other cartographic know-how. Many cartographers hire or are hired by adventurers to document a far off discover: a tomb, a crumbling city, or a previously uncharted valley or lake.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Caligrapher’s tools, 2 completed maps of your choice (each worth 10 gp each), a pouch of 10 gp; or (B) 50 GP
You spend your days picking at rock, sifting through sand or sludge, and maybe, if you’re lucky, finding a gem or a nugget. With the discovery of gold, and other precious tetramagic dusts in the frontiers past the colonies of Callen Moor, the Westlands have become a haven for miners seeking to make their fortune. However, mineral deposits can be found throughout the charted lands of Narenfel, as well as on many of the islands off the southern coastline or even far-off Jhora-Daema.
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Mining tools, pick and block and tackle. Pouch containing 2 gold nuggets, each worth 15gp, or three jewels of your choice, worth a total of 30gp; or (B) 50 GP
Occasionally a soul will be snatched back from the Endfeast, as part of a Feastwraith’s rituals, an unexpected consequence of the reciprocal nature of the Tetramatrix, or through some other specific design or artifice of Ashblack and his An’Tashi — and you are one of those. While you life a new life, you still remember flashes of your previous one. The memories are hazy, more like a story that you read in a book or heard as part of a tale, rather than your own life experience. (Often, you find that you are driven to complete some additional task — perhaps as part of Ashblack’s agenda, or for some other reason. This might be self-directed as part of your character’s development, or provided by the DM.)
You are unaware of how you came to the place you re-began (which can lead to epsiodes of temporary disorientation or lack of insight). Most often, Returned find themselves standing in graveyards, or in or around a Temple of Ashblack. Sometimes An’Tashi of Ashblack or Feastwraiths are also present, as their prayers or agendas may have caused the Return.
Where You Re-Began: Choose a country or place that you re-began, or work with the DM to develop your new starting origin.
Feat: Your choice of Origin Feat
Skill Proficiences: Choose any two
Tool Proficiency: Choose one tool proficiency
Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) A suit of clothing (your choice of style), and a gold coin marked with the Eye of Ashblack; or (B) 50 GP
Feature: Vigor of the Returned
Your return has diminished your need for rest. When you take a short rest, you may pay a number of HD equal to half your level (round up) to gain the benefits of a long rest. Additionally, you have project a faint necromantic aura to those detecting magic or undead.