Encyclopedia Ermariana - User contributions [en]

Nephilim

2006-10-15T16:30:45Z

Dikiyoba: /* Habitat/Society */ Typo

The Nephilim are a furry, feline [[race]] that inhabit both the [[Empire]] and [[Exile]]. There are communities both friendly and hostile to humans throughout [[Ermarian]].

== General ==
[[Image:Nephil.jpg|thumb|right|A drawing of a nephil.]]
===Physical Traits===

Nephilim are commonly a bit shorter than humans. They are lithe and weigh far less than the average human, which gives them their speed and their nimbleness. As a feline race, they are covered with fur and have heads shaped like a cat's. A nephil's ability to see in the dark is renowned, and their sharp vision alone makes them skilled scouts and archers.

Nephilim have an average lifespan of close to 40 years and rarely live more than half a century. Some shamans have been said to live even longer than humans, which may be due to their familiarity with alchemy and medicine.

===Habitat/Society===

Nephilim are at home on the surface, mainly in forested regions but also taking shelter in smaller caves. This makes them very adaptable to life in [[Exile]].

Nephilim from the caves have met up with large settlements in southeastern [[Valorim]], where they hope to live undisturbed. Other Nephilim have integrated into [[human]] society, where they are most often found as [[archery#Fletching|fletchers]].

They are fierce warriors and have a strong tribal structure. However, clans often engage in raids on each other, stopping just short of outright warfare. Two tribes will not live together unless the situation necessitates it. Nephilim clans live in isolation, which keeps them from achieving the great societies that humans have formed (with the exception of the [[Ratbane Clan]]). They were once common on the [[surface]] world, until the Empire began a campaign of extermination and deportation against them. Now, with the recent [[reconciliation]] between the two nations, Nephilim have begun to return to the surface in force.

Nephilim are extremely nimble, and they excel at archery, lockpicking, and disarming traps, which makes them excellent adventurers. While not particularly adept at [[magic]], every tribe does have its own shamans, who advise the chief. It is interesting to note that there have been no Nephil archmagi worthy of mention, despite there being many shamans.

=== Diet ===

Nephilim are natural hunters and carnivores, who hunt mainly [[rodents]], but other wild animals as well. While the Nephilim are a warlike race, they rarely hunt large or ferocious creatures, using their prowess in battle almost exclusively for defense or in tribal conflicts.

=== Clothing ===

Contrary to a certain human hypothesis, the Nephilim did not adopt clothing only upon their integration into human culture. Evidence of this is the nearly universal custom of clothing seen among the hostile tribes of Nephilim in [[Exile]], who are only fleetingly familiar with human culture, and have never adopted their ways.

On formal occasions, the Nephilim cover their fur with cloaks sewn from a rough cloth spun from flax. Such clothing is not common and likely a luxury item. In everyday life, light leather armor is customary for adults as well as adolescents.

[[Shamans]] and [[alchemy|alchemists]] are usually dressed formally, indicating both their wealth and their status within the tribal hierarchy.

=== Weapons ===

The [[longbow]] has long been the cultural weapon of choice of the Nephilim like the gigantic two-tined spear is for the [[Slithzerikai]]. When ranged combat, their preferred style, is not practical, the more advanced tribes use light blades forged of iron or even steel, and the more primitive resort to blunt weapons, stone cudgels and bronze maces.

=== Language ===

Possibly one of the most tragical results of the long campaign of [[Extermination of Non-Humans|extinction]] that the [[Empire]] waged on the Nephilim race is the loss of their native tongue. Today, next to none of the Nephilim living among humans still speak the ancestral language of their people, and many of the tribes in [[Exile]] - even those who have no dealings with humans - use the human tongue or a very removed dialect thereof. This creole that is also termed Nephilian on occasion has only passing resemblance to the original [[Mmh'rrur]], and owes nearly as much to human speech.

Mmh'rrur itself is still known to the wise and learned among the Nephilim (and even a few [[human]] scholars), but it is hardly spoken outside of ceremonial or academic use nowadays.

== History ==

== Hostile Nephilim ==

Most Nephilim in the [[caves]] are of the friendly variety, due to the similar plight of the Avernites. The few remaining hostile Nephilim have been scattered, although there are occasionally reports of a brash chieftan bringing them together. On the [[surface]], there are more hostile Nephilim, who cling to the idea of their own empire, like that of the [[Ratbane Clan]], and harass and attack citizens of the [[Empire]] wherever they can find them.

{{stub}}
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Humanoids]]
[[Category:Felines]]
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Cats

2006-10-15T05:59:04Z

Dikiyoba: Made article

[[Cats]] are small felines kept as pets by [[humans]], [[nephilim]], and [[rakshasi]]. They are found both on the surface and in Exile. They are valued for their ability to hunt mice and [[rats]]. They are also kept as [[familiar]]s by certain mages and wizards. The most famous cat is [[Cheeseball]], the familiar of [[Solberg]].
{{stub}}
[[Category:Felines]]
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Wolves

2006-10-15T05:53:04Z

Dikiyoba: Added link to Goblins

'''Wolves''' are furry, carnivorous canines found on the surface of Ermarian. They typically hunt in packs. Sometimes, packs of wolves are led by [[worgs]]. They typically do not attack humans unless desperate for food or provoked. [[Goblins]], and occasionally bandits, tame wolves for use as guards and attack animals.
{{stub}}
[[Category:Canines]]
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Worgs

2006-10-15T05:35:56Z

Dikiyoba: Added links to Bears and Wolves

[[Worgs]] are large beasts somewhere between the size of a [[wolves|wolf]] and a [[bears|bear]]. They have coarse fur and large, sharp teeth. Worgs typically travel in packs, and they are notoriously dogged and ferocious hunters. They are known to hunt alongside [[goblins]], [[ogres]], and [[giants]], but anyone calling them "pets" would be sorely mistaken.

{{stub}}
[[Category:Canines]]
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Talk:Gorgons

2006-10-15T05:18:26Z

Dikiyoba: BoA gorgons

OK, I've been poking around on the net, and there are some contradictions.

In Exile 3, gorgons are giant humanoids that look like efreeti (or big demons) and seem to have no resemblance to either the Greek gorgons (medusa, etc) or the D&D ones (bull-like with clattering hooves). In Exile 3 they breathe sleep clouds.

In Avernum, I haven't seen them. I assume they look similar. I have found claims on the net that they petrify characters, or that they use forcecages. Are either or both of those true? And are the sleep clouds gone?

-- [[User:Slartucker|Slarty]] 06:57, 14 October 2006 (PDT)
: A3 gorgons...
1) Look nothing like Greek gorgons
2) Might possibly be described as being "golem-like" in A3
3) No longer look like blue-tinted giants; they are about the height of a golem and have lines etched into their back
4) Only fire forcecage beams, as far as I know.
--[[User:Rakshasi2|Rakshasi2]] 08:07, 14 October 2006 (PDT)

I looked at the gorgon data for BoA. They fire forcecage beams. They no longer have sleep clouds and they don't petrify. They are immune to acid and poison. They are listed as a stone/golem creature type, but they don't look like golems. -- [[User:Dikiyoba|Dikiyoba]] 22:18, 14 October 2006 (PDT)

Black Shades

2006-10-12T06:46:10Z

Dikiyoba: Typo

''For the unique, visible creatures, see [[Black Shades]].''

[[Black shades]] are dangerous, spectral creatures, very similar to [[guardians]]. Unlike guardians, however, black shades are powerful [[mages]] and are not [[demon]]ic creratures. However, the reason they are universally feared is not because of their ability to cast powerful [[magic]] spells, but because they are invisible.

{{Stub}}

[[Category:Bestiary]]
[[Category:Magic]]

User talk:Dintiradan

2006-10-12T06:05:32Z

Dikiyoba: ...you can't?

== Linking to sections ==
You can't, unfortunately. A link to [[Magic#Spells]] will take you to exactly the same place as [[Magic]]. This seems to be some kind of flaw in the wiki software.
-- [[User:Slartucker|Slarty]] 21:00, 11 October 2006 (PDT)

Hmm... [[Magic#Spells]] appears to work correctly for me. -- [[User:Dikiyoba|Dikiyoba]] 23:05, 11 October 2006 (PDT)

Wolves

2006-10-01T00:55:58Z

Dikiyoba: New page

'''Wolves''' are furry, carnivorous canines found on the surface of Ermarian. They typically hunt in packs. Sometimes, packs of wolves are led by [[worgs]]. They typically do not attack humans unless desperate for food or provoked. Goblins, and occasionally bandits, tame wolves for use as guards and attack animals.
{{stub}}
[[Category:Canines]]
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Pixie dust

2006-10-01T00:27:03Z

Dikiyoba: Pixie dust = healing

[[Pixie dust]] is a magical substance that is exuded by [[pixies]]. It has powerful healing properties. Pixies exude the dust both voluntarily, to throw around, and involuntarily, something like sweat. It can also be extracted from dead pixies.

{{stub}}
[[Category:Items]]
[[Category:Magic]]

Spider Goddess

2006-09-29T20:57:03Z

Dikiyoba: Typo

The '''Great Spider Goddess''' is a deity worshipped by the [[GIFTS]] and by some other [[giant spiders]], who sometimes construct statues of her.

''"She's like a spider, but really, really, really big! And she eats bugs the size of, well, uhh, really, really, really big bugs! And she's cute too."'' â€” [[Spider]]

{{stub}}
[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Deities]]

Game canon

2006-09-29T18:02:22Z

Dikiyoba: /* The Story of the Troglodytes */ Typo

{{Ooc}}

This page lists several essential quotes drawn from the context of the Spiderweb game series that establish important facts about Ermarian.

==Exile Series==
===Exile I - Escape from the Pit ===

====Introduction====

*Screen One:

:The trial was completed, and the sentence was passed. There was no appeal. There was no need. It wasn't as if it was considered a terribly awful sentence, anyway.

:After all, you had not committed one of the hard crimes. You were not thieves, or pirates, or murderers. Sentences for those offenses were harsh and generally fatal. Hard miscreants inevitably died.

:No, your crime was one of not fitting in. Of rebelling, or being peculiar in some way, or speaking out against the [[Emperor|crown]]. And for those "soft crimes", the punishment was considered just, appropriate, and, most of all, lenient.

:Well, at least it was considered lenient by those who fit in with society, those who got to live the rest of their lives above-ground.

:Living in the light of the sun, however, was a privilege that had just been stripped from you. All of you were taken to a portal, a one-way, permanent [[teleportation#Portal|teleporter]], and thrown in.

*Screen Two

:You come to in a giant [[caves|cave]], unlike any you have ever seen before. Green, luminescent [[Glowing mushrooms|fungi]] on the ceiling show you how high it goes - hundreds of feet.

:The cave goes on for what seems like miles in all directions. One of its walls stretches up ominously nearby, and in the other directions it goes on far beyond the range of your vision in this dim light.

:It is especially difficult to see things about the cave you are in because you are "indoors". As your eyes adjust, you see you are in a [[Fort Exile|fort]]. Walls and buildings surround you, made of large blocks of stone crudely mortared together.

:There are people too, thin, pale people, going about their business. Most pay little attention to you, but one, a small man, watches you carefully from a little ways away.

*Screen Three

:Welcome to [[Exile]].

===Exile II - Crystal Souls ===

====Introduction====

:Exile is a state of being. An Exile is a person who has been expelled from his or her country. To exile someone is to declare that person an undesirable, a person who must leave and can never return.
:[[Exile]] is also a place. It is an enormous network of tunnels and caverns far below the [[surface]] world. For years, the [[Empire]], undisputed master of the surface world, has used these caverns as a dumping ground for the unwanted.
:Men and women, skilled and unskilled, elderly and young children alike, were sent through a one-way [[Teleportation|teleporter]] into the caverns below. There, they survived, endured, and formed a society.
:They waited, and bided their time.
:They desired to return to the surface. They desired revenge.
:And they struck back.
:The Empire made the mistake of sending into Exile several powerful [[mages]] who had become too inconvenient to keep around safely. They were a great help in building the nation under the world, and waited for the chance of vengeance.
:Then, they had their chance. The strongest of them all, [[Erika Redmark|Erika]], managed to [[teleportation|teleport]] a group of adventurers to the surface, where they assassinated [[Hawthorne III|Hawthorne]], the powerful and brilliant King [sic] of the Empire.
:The others used their skill to help the Exile army defeat the sinister [[Slithzerikai]], a [[races|race]] of vicious lizard men. Exile was now safe from threats in the underworld.
:The Empire realized, overnight, what a brood of vipers they had given birth to. There were two reactions. The first was sudden. Nobody else was teleported below. The misfits of the surface were kept in prisons, rather than caves.
:The second reaction came five years later, after it became clear that Exile was surviving just fine without fresh people from the surface.
:The Empire invaded.
:Soldiers, priests and mages were teleported into the underworld, slowly at first, then faster. The exiles have waged a vicious guerilla war against them, but little by little, the denizens of the caves are being wiped out.
:Your band was part of one of the last groups sent into Exile. After Hawthorne was killed, you were hired into the Exile army as adventurers - a small band designed to take care of jobs calling for small, stealthy groups.
:You have just arrived at [[Fort Ganrick]]. You are there to help the garrison there fight a tribe of [[Nephilim]], fierce, feline humanoids. You are in your quarters. [[Cecile]], the captain there, has told you to go see her after settling in.
:So do what you can. But remember. Every day, the Empire invaders carve up a little bit more of your home. One by one, your people are being put to the sword. The question - what are you going to do about it? What can you do?
:Welcome to Exile. How long do you plan on staying?

====Chapter I - The Barriers====

==Avernum Series==

===Avernum I - Escape from the Pit===

====Introduction====

* Screen One

:You are never going to see sunlight again. You will never breathe fresh air, or be warm, or feel safe.

:That is your punishment. For your crimes, you are to be thrown into a [[teleportation#portals|magical portal]] and banished to [[Exile|Avernum]], never to return. What was your crime? Not what you might think.

:Not murder, or arson, or crimes against other people. No, your crime was against the Empire, ruled by the cruel [[Emperors|Emperor]] [[Hawthorne III|Hawthorne]]. You spoke out against an unjust law, or you angered some politician, or you may have just been a misfit.

:Not being able to fit in is a crime in the [[Empire]]. Thus, you are being sent to Avernum. It is not a different land. After all, the Empire controls the entire surface of the world. All four continents have completely submitted to its rule.

:No, Avernum is a series of caverns, far below the surface of the world. It is a dark, subterranean prison, a place where exiles like yourselves spent the rest of their lives, far from the light.

* Screen Two:

:What is it like there? Nobody on the surface knows. All they know is that it is dark, and unpleasant, and that it is a place to be regarded only with fear.

:Some people believe that there is no air, warmth, or food, and death comes with merciful speed. Others believe that there is enough food to enable Avernites to endure a miserable, wormlike existence. Until, of course, the monster get you.

:And a few believe that Avernum is a paradise. A subterranean land of pleasure and relief, and of freedom from the Empire's iron rule. People mad enough to believe Avernum is paradise soon end up there themselves.

:They don't really know what it is like. Nobody on the surface does. But soon, you will. There is no appeal to the judge's decision.

* Screen Three:

:Early one morning, in a low stone building far from any city, you are taken to the teleporter. You breathe clean, fresh air one last time.

:Then they throw you in...

==== Stagnant Tunnels (Waterfall Warrens) ====

* Entering

:The tunnel opens up on a section of river long cut off from the tumult of rapids outside. This water in here has long been still and stagnant, and a foul smell pervades the place. You have to fight to keep from gagging.

:In front of you, you see several human skeletons, surrounded by the mostly rotted wreckage of some small boats. A large group of people met an unpleasant fate in these caves.

* Well

:In the middle of this small room is a well. A moist wind bearing a foul, unsettling smell wafts slowly from it. You shine your light into it, but can't see a bottom. You throw a light into its depths and listen, but you don't hear it hit.

:The sides of the well are far too steep to climb down. A very interesting geological feature, but there isn't much you can do with it.

* The site of Thralni's death

:This cave has been a scene of intense destruction. A tunnel leads out of the cavern to the east. Apparently, someone set off a magical trap down there. The flames from the resulting explosion poured into this room.

:Most of the supplies on the bodies have rotted or rusted away. A few items do remain, though, a final testimony to the quality of the armor workmanship of the Empire army.

:The most interesting thing, though, to your greedy adventurers' eyes, is the glint of light in the southeast corner of the cave. There's something shiny back there.

===Avernum II - Crystal Souls===

====Introduction====

* Screen One

:[[Avernum]] is the underworld. It is a series of hundreds of miles of caves, far below the [[surface]] of the world. The land is kept alive and fruitful by powerful [[magic]] and the heat and energy of natural steam vents and hot springs.

:Avernum is also a nation. It is a land of people exiled from the surface world. The surface is ruled by the [[Empire]], an all-powerful nation who disposed of unwanted people by banishing them to Avernum.

:They formed a new nation, far from the eyes of the Empire. Some, however, were not satisfied with safety and peace. They wished vengeance. Adventurers, aided by the archmage [[Erika Redmark|Erika]], slew [[Hawthorne III|Hawthorne]], cruel leader of the Empire.

:The Empire was stunned. They realized that there was a den of vipers threatening their sole control of the globe. They had no other possible response.

:They invaded.

* Screen Two:

:The power of the Empire completely dwarfed that of the Avernites, but it had great difficulty teleporting troops to the underworld. They arrogantly thought that Avernum could be subdued with a few hundred elite Empire troops.

:They were wrong. The dirst few hundred soldiers sent down had great success, at first. But, after the surprise wore off, they found out that the Avernites were brave warriors, with powerful magicians on their side.

:In addition, they had advantage of familiarity. They were used to living and fighting in caves. The Empire wasn't. The Empire soldiers were fought to a bloody standstill.

:The Empire sent more troops down, but the brave army of Avernum kept them at bay. The Empire grew frustrated and angry, and then it turned to terror and atrocity. An, slowly, it ground away at Avernum's defenses.

:Little by little, cave by cave, it won victories against Avernum. Then, when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, a new disaster occurred.

*Screen Three:

:[[Magical barriers]] appeared all over Avernum, splitting it into small sections and blocking the roads. Communication was difficult and carrying supplies was impossible. Nobody knew who made these barriers.

:Maybe the Empire made them. Or maybe not. Just as the barriers appeared, you arrived at your first posting. You have just joined the army of Avernum, eager to join the good fight.

:Your dreams of heroism were short-lived. You were, much to your disappointment, sent to [[Fort Ganrick]], a tiny outpost in the far northeast corner of Avernum.

:You dream of great battles, of great victories, of doing the deeds which turn the tide and save your homeland. Instead, you are supposed to report to [[Captain Vidican]] and learn about some tiny uprising in some unimportant caverns.

:Your dreams of heroism are dim, now. It's hard to imagine anything that could happen which would enable you to strike a mighty blow against the Empire...

===Avernum III - Ruined World===

====Introduction (incomplete)====

:[Caves]

:Legends tell that Avernum
:is the gateway to the underworld,
:from which the dead never return.
:Avernum is also a real place.
:It is many miles of caves and tunnels,
:far below the world's surface.
:''[Portal appears]''
:The Empire rules the surface totally.
:When they discovered Avernum,
:they had the perfect use for it:
:''[Man appears in the portal]''
:A prison.
:Everyone who didn't fit in:
:the rebels, ''[Mage appears]''
:the antisocial, ''[Soldier appears]''
:the disliked. ''[Archer appears]''
:They were teleported to Avernum ...
:forever.
:The Avernites were not inactive.
:They built subterranean cities.
:They learned to fight. ''[Soldiers duel]''
:They studied magic. ''[Mage casts Bolt]''
:They built their strength
:and, when they were ready,
:they got their revenge.
:The archmage Erika
:made her own teleporter. ''[Man steps into portal]''

:''[Throne room, [[Hawthorne III|Hawthorne]], [[Garzahd]], [[Howar]]]''

:Emperor Hawthorne ruled the Empire.
:He was brilliant
:and ruthless
:and despised.
:''[Assassin appears]''
::Hawthorne: WHAT? <small>''happen*?''</small>
:''[Assassin casts fire spell, Hawthorne dies]''
:''[Assassin disappears]''
:''[Garzahd casts bolt where the assassin no longer is]]''
::Garzahd: Oh dear.
:''[They face each other]''
::Garzahd: Howar?
::Howar: Yes?
::Garzahd: It is time to deal with Avernum.
::Howar: Yes, Garzahd.

:''[Back to caves]''
:Avernum struck down the Emperor.
:Four years later ...
:''[Teleport three times]''
:...the Empire invaded.
:''[Battle scene]''
:''[Avernites get asses kicked]''
:Avernum was outgunned ...
:... and outnumbered.
:The Empire War was thought lost...
:... until Avernum found an ally.
:''[Vahnatai appear]''
:The alien Vahnatai joined you...
:''[Vahnatai kick the Empire around]''
:... and turned the tide.
:''[Wizard disappears]''
:The Empire was expelled.

:''[Fade to black]''

:Avernum won the Empire war.
:Five years passed.
:Nothing was heard from the Empire
:The Avernites decided
:that it was time to return
:to the surface.

:They built a teleporter,
:and formed Upper Avernum
:a new series of caves
:just below the surface.
:...
:to explore the surface
:for the first time.
:You.
:Your testing was extensive
:''[shot by arrow]''
:''[hit with sword]''
:''[hit by fire spell]''
:and very painful.
:Your briefing was considerable ...
::Instructor: This...
::Instructor: ... is a TREE!
::Player: What's it for?
:... and confusing.
:You were sent up to Fort Emergence
:...
:All Avernum waits on you.
:All wait to see what you'll find.
:They want to return to the surface.
:You carry the dreams of your people.
:Good luck.

--
<small>*Sorry.</small>

====Books====

=====The Life of Empress Prazac=====

''The Life of Empress Prazac,
by Flotno Boerheis''

::Our blessed Empress and ruler, Prazac the Kind and Just, was born in [[YE|Y.E.]] 5420. Her royal parents, Hawthorne and [censored], waited nearby, anxious and loving.

::It is said that angels appeared and the sky opened up in holy light on the eve of her birth. Eyewitness accounts prove this story true in legally enforceable ways. This was a great harbinger of the wondrous works she was later to achieve.
=====The Story of the Troglodytes=====
We know not where we came from. One day we were not. The next day, we were. We know we were once a mighty people. Then we were not. Now again we are. But the generations between are gone. We have ancestors, but no fathers or mothers.

They who brought us back again are called by us the Glowing Ones. They brought us to get our vengeance on the humans who took us from the world. This was good to us! Great, we said, would be the flow of blood that we would bring forth! But then, curse the Glowing Ones, they brought back the giants to fight with us as well! The giants, the great enemy! We remember little, but we remember that! The Ones connected our castle to that of the giants by a tunnel. What a gift!

We charged through the tunnel, and they charged back. The Glowing Ones, curse them, were angered! We must fight humans, they said! So they closed the tunnel with the Great Barrier, and the giants were far from us. But our foes exist, and we will feed on them yet. One day the barrier will come down, and our war may be resumed. Until then, humans will be our meat. But we live by the Great Dream.

===Blades of Avernum===

====Chapter 2: The World of Avernum (Manual)====

The surface world is ruled by the Empire. That's what it's called. The Empire. Not the Empire of Something, or the Something Empire. Just the Empire. It's understandable. There's no need for elaborate names when there's only one game in town. And, like all such nations, it grew arrogant in its power.

For many years, the Empire banished everyone who didnâ€™t fit in. Eccentrics, petty criminals, malcontents, all were regarded as undesirable by the Empire. And, for many years, these unwanted citizens were sent into Avernum.

According to mythology, Avernum is a gateway, the portal leading into the underworld. Avernum is also an actual place. It is a network of hundreds of miles of caves and tunnels, forming an enormous, weblike labyrinth of warrens under the surface of the world. Kept lit by magic, fed by fungus, and populated by the unending stream of humans (and humanoids) from the surface, the people of Avernum struggled by as best they could for many years. Generations of exiles lived and suffered in the underworld for their entire lives.

When Avernum was established, however, the Empire, complacent and arrogant, made its greatest mistake. It sent down several powerful mages, who were on the wrong side of a political struggle. The winners, Emperor Hawthorne and the archmage Garzahd, were confident that sending down these archmagi would not be a problem. They even thought that maybe their skills could later be harnessed, once they were beaten down by several years rotting in the sunless lands.

'''Avernum Strikes Out'''

They could not have been more wrong.

Some of the Avernite wizards, like Rone, Solberg, and Patrick, were content simply building a better life for their fellow prisoners. One of them, however, was named Erika Redmark. A harsh and vindictive incantatrix, she enlisted a band of adventurers, made tough by their years below, in a wild, dangerous, and eventually successful scheme. She wanted to assassinate Hawthorne, brilliant Emperor of the surface world.

Erika created a magical portal and recruited a group of adventurers to help her. She intended to use her portal to drop these warriors directly in front of Hawthorne so they could strike before he could react.

Her plan worked perfectly. Hawthorne was killed in his own throne room.

'''The Avernum War'''

The response was immediate and vicious. First, the portal into Avernum was closed. Nobody was to be sent through. Second, other portals were created, able to send people on the surface into remote areas of Avernum. Soldiers were sent down there, the finest soldiers in the Empireâ€™s army. They had one mission: Vengeance. Not one citizen in this subterranean den of vipers was to escape alive.

In launching this invasion, however, the Empire made their critical mistake. They discovered a new, bizarre, humanoid race living even farther down in the caves - the vahnatai. These creatures were highly intelligent and resourceful, and very skilled in the use of crystals to perform powerful feats of magic. The vahnatai have the ability to take the spirits of their ancestors and bring them back in crystalline form. These new beings, the Crystal Souls, were their spiritual guides and the most revered beings among their people.

The Empire, seeing how strange and powerful the Crystal Souls were, kidnapped three of them. The vahnatai, appalled by the magnitude of this crime but unsure of the identity of the perpetrators, attacked Avernum.

Fortunately, aided by the peaceful vahnatai Bon-Ihrno, a group of bold Avernites were able to infiltrate the Empire controlled areas of Avernum, steal the Crystal Souls, and return them to their rightful owners. In return, the vahnatai joined forces with Avernum and used their mighty magic to slaughter the Empire troops. The Empire War finally ended, bloody but victorious for Avernum.

'''Returning to the Surface'''

Aided by Erika Redmark and their new vahnatai allies, the Avernites built a mighty teleporter, a magical machine able to instantly send people from the caves to the surface. Avernum slowly and secretly built Upper Avernum, a new network of cave cities just below the surface of the continent of Valorim. The plan was for the Avernites to emerge, in force, and find a way to take from the Empire a chunk of land to use as their own. And they did.

A small band of Avernite spies emerged onto the surface and found a world wracked by war, tormented by plagues of vicious and cunning monsters, created and sent by unknown foes.

These spies investigated and discovered that the monsters had been sent by the vahnatai, a mission of vengeance for the Empireâ€™s theft of their prized Crystal Souls. These adventurers met Prazac, the new empress of the Empire, and offered to end the plagues in return for the Avernites being able to return to the surface. Then they found and challenged Rentar-Ihrno, wizard lord of the vahnatai, and destroyed her fortress. She escaped, but the monster plagues ended.

'''Peace, and Discord'''

The years since then have been quiet. The vahnatai sulked and planned in their warrens far underground. Some Avernites returned to the surface, while others stayed in their new home.

Empress Prazac continued to solidify her control over the Empire. However, the death of the harsh Emperor Hawthorne emboldened many who wanted to throw off the total control of their Empire masters. Small rebellions and resistance groups began to break out.

The forces of magic continued to create instability in the world. Magical races, like the slithzerikai and the drakes, continued to reappear, despite the Empireâ€™s constant efforts to wipe them out.

In this peaceful age, there is still a constant need for adventurers, mercenaries who can travel to remote lands and solve problems too small to merit sending in the army. This is your job. You are troubleshooters, solving problems for the Empire and Avernum for pay.

You have just ended your training. You have stepped out into a large, unpredictable world, filled with mighty cities, great wealth, temporary peace, and occasional chaos and danger. Your job is to help to keep calm and order.

And, hopefully, become rich and famous. Or at least not dead.

==External Links==
[http://stuff.ermarian.net/slartucker/dump/ Complete text dumps of the Exile/Avernum games]

[[Category:OOC]]
[[Category:Sources]]

Bats

2006-09-29T17:52:18Z

Dikiyoba: /* Lava Bats */

== Cave Bats ==
[[Bats]] are curious flying creatures whose small body is dwarfed by the span of their long, folding wings. Their vision is unaffected by darkness, and they are at home underground, especially in moist, warm environments. Normal bats, often called '''cave bats''', are not aggressive, and tend to avoid [[humanoids]] when possible.

There are various species of cave bats with different coloration. Some, such as the '''mottled cave bat''', are sought after for use in [[alchemy]].

== Giant Bats ==

=== Lava Bats ===
'''Lava bats''' are less common and more aggressive than cave bats. They also have the capability to breathe fireballs at intruders. They are often found living near fumaroles and volcanic vents. Occasionally, one or two will be mixed in with a flock of cave bats.

=== Static Bats ===

{{stub}}
[[Category:Bestiary]]

Alchemical ingredients

2006-09-29T04:24:31Z

Dikiyoba: /* Graymold */

'''Alchemical ingredients''' are used by alchemists and sages across [[Ermarian]] to create [[potions]] for various purposes. Alchemical ingredients should be distinguished from magical [[reagents]] such as [[sapphire]]s and [[smoky crystal]]s.

==Herbs and their Alchemical Purposes==
===Healing Herbs===

===Spiritual Herbs===

===Energetic Herbs===

===Holly===

===Comfrey Root===

===Wormgrass===

===Toadstools===

===Crypt Shrooms===

===Glowing Nettle===

===Asptongue Mold===

===Ember Flowers===
Ember flowers are beautiful, sweet-smelling orange or yellow flowers. They have powerful healing properties that make them the essential component in the strongest healing potions and Resurrection Balm. They are extremely rare.

===Graymold===
Graymold is a slimy mold. Because of its scarcity and ability to cure almost any illness or injury, it is constantly in demand by healers and alchemists. It is best known for its use in graymold salve, though it is also used in other powerful potions.

===Mandrake===

==Animal Part Ingredients==

{{stub}}
[[Category:Herbarium]]

Alchemical ingredients

2006-09-29T04:01:29Z

Dikiyoba: /* Ember Flowers */

'''Alchemical ingredients''' are used by alchemists and sages across [[Ermarian]] to create [[potions]] for various purposes. Alchemical ingredients should be distinguished from magical [[reagents]] such as [[sapphire]]s and [[smoky crystal]]s.

==Herbs and their Alchemical Purposes==
===Healing Herbs===

===Spiritual Herbs===

===Energetic Herbs===

===Holly===

===Comfrey Root===

===Wormgrass===

===Toadstools===

===Crypt Shrooms===

===Glowing Nettle===

===Asptongue Mold===

===Ember Flowers===
Ember flowers are beautiful, sweet-smelling orange or yellow flowers. They have powerful healing properties that make them the essential component in the strongest healing potions and Resurrection Balm. They are extremely rare.

===Graymold===

===Mandrake===

==Animal Part Ingredients==

{{stub}}
[[Category:Herbarium]]

Orb of Thralni

2006-09-29T01:15:43Z

Dikiyoba: Typos

The [[Orb of Thralni]] is a legendary artifact that grants its bearer the power of flight.

== Appearance ==

As related by the adventurer who discovered it in the [[Waterfall Warrens]], the item is a bronze sphere chased with silver, about five inches in diameter. However, the [[Measures#Weights|weight]] of the sphere is far lower than one would estimate from its size: A bare fifth of a stone, the item can be held between two fingers easily.

The chased silver ornaments take the form of runes, but no-one has yet managed to decipher them.

== Power ==

The orb's spell is activated by rubbing it with one's hand. It will act on the bearer and anyone they are in physical contact with, lifting them to a height of about a hundred [[Measures#Length|feet]]. The spell's effect can lift up to around five or six people, depending on their weight, and lasts for about ten minutes. The effect wears off very rapidly, and it is therefore dangerous for non-experienced persons wielding the item, since timing a flight wrong can result in a lethal crash over deadly terrain.

Being an artifact, the orb's enchantment is permanent and apparently inexhaustible.

== History ==

=== First Expedition ===

The Orb's makers are unknown now, but the Orb was first mentioned historically in the account describing the [[First Expedition]]. Its then owner, the adventurer [[Thralni]], had received the orb from the [[Saxton School of Magic]] for the purpose of the expedition. Prior to this, the item had been in the safe-keeping of the school, but knowledge about its past is lost.

Thralni was one of the leaders of the expedition, and he led his group into the [[Waterfall Warrens]] in Central Exile. This maze of currents, rapids and waterfalls continues to be one of the most dangerous areas of the caves, but evidence suggests that Thralni believed he could master the maze by using his orb to carry them to safety if necessary.

Whether by hubris or by inexperience with the orb, he far overestimated its power in terms of the number of people it could lift, the duration of the spell, and the height it could carry the user. Even without the boats that the orb could not have lifted, his group was far too large to fly with the orb, and they split up to explore the maze separately.

In spite of the extreme folly of trusting the orb's limited ability, and the high risk of drowning, Thralni's eventual end ironically was of a different nature. He perished from a fire trap in one of the caverns. The orb was lost.

=== The Kingdom of Avernum ===

Similar to [[Demonslayer]] and the other artifacts carried by the first expedition, the orb soon became legendary and, in lack of a distinct origin, received the name of its last bearer, Thralni.

It was found years later by a group of adventurers in the Waterfall Warrens and eventually bequeathed to the [[Tower of Magi]] along with the other First Expedition artefacts.

=== Unspecified Services ===

In 831 [[IE]], during the construction of [[Fort Emergence]] in [[Upper Avernum]], the Orb was granted by the [[Triad]] to the forces overseeing the settling of Upper Avernum and the construction of the fortress. The orb significantly eased the construction and the exploration of the caves, and was eventually stored in a chamber in [[Fort Emergence]] for later use.

=== Theft ===

In 833 [[IE]], shortly after the departure of the [[Reconciliation#The_Second_Party|second party]], the [[Cult of the Sacred Item]] hatched a highly elaborate coup, teleporting into the chamber where it was kept and stealing it under the gaze of its appointed guardian Levy.

The teleportation spell of the cultists, however, was detected and tracked by the skilled [[teleportation]] sorceress [[Seles]], and the orb was reclaimed from the cult by the adventurers of the second party.

It is currently believed to be still in the possession of these adventurers.

[[Category:Items]]
[[Category:Magic]]

Vyvnas-Bok

2006-09-28T22:19:42Z

Dikiyoba: Typo

[[Vyvnas-Bok]] was one of the [[Crystal Souls]] abducted by the [[Empire]] in the [[Empire-Avernum War]]. He was held in the dark prison of [[Angierach]] where [[Midori]] tormented him with a sea of false images in an attempt to break his will and make him a tool of the Empire. He was rescued by the [[Empire War Heroes]] and returned to the [[Vahnatai]], but as years passed, the consequences of his torment began to surface, and Vyvnas grew increasingly unstable. He assisted [[Rentar-Ihrno]] in her [[plagues]] against the Empire and again in her [[retribution]] against [[Avernum]]. He was killed during the latter conflict, by [[adventurers]].

{{stub}}
[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Vahnatai]]
[[Category:Magic]]