Information For Prospective Contributors: Overview

If you have come this far you clearly wish to contribute: or are the kind of person who thinks spoilers are awesome... (:-/)

In either case let's begin with the information.

The World of Eva:

Eva is a world much like our own, but with different geography and laws of physics: magic works, for one thing...

The world has three suns: Palor, the yellow sun; Sarenrae, the white sun; and Anti-Helios, which shines with anti-light, making things colder and darker when it is in the sky. Each of the suns is named for the god who rules over it, except in the case of Anti-Helios where it is the other way around.

The world has only one moon however, called Selune, who is also a goddess.

The year is divided into 18 months of 20 days each, all named for major gods and goddesses; plus 5 days which are outside of any month, week, or year, called "Calibration". The year begins at the winter solstice, just after Calibration, then passes through 360 days and nights before calibration begins again.

Physics, cosmology, and probability here follow the rules of Pathfinder, Spell-Jammer, and 'The Order of the Stick', respectively. Creatures level up as they gain experience, and with that comes new insights and talents. The planets are housed inside a crystal sphere, and follow orderly and organized tracks around each other. ('Palor' is a size H Gate into the Plane of Positive Energy and sits at the center of the sphere.)

Foreign Lands, Gods, and Pantheons of Eva:

The world of Eva has several pantheons of gods, but we will only give a brief nod to most of them before focusing on the main five.

To the Far South of Lore, across the sea, lies the lands of Ægyptus, which is controlled by the Egyptian pantheon from the real world, plus greater roles for a few of the more obscure Egyptian gods and goddesses to round things out. It is a land of deep desserts bordering five fertile river valleys which all converge into a wide marshy delta on the edge of the sea.

To the north, beyond a screen of mountains, are the Far Frost Lands. There are worshiped gods similar to the Old Norse Pantheon, save that the Frost Giants are not their enemies, but primary worshipers, who call on the Nordic gods to aid them in their eternal struggle with the marauding Fire Giants from deep beneath the earth.

To the Distant East, beyond another range of barrier mountains and a vast 'rain shadow' dessert, is a land of bamboo forests and fertile hills, where rule a pantheon of gods based on the Chinese Zodiac, ah-la "Order of the Stick".

Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings, and Gnomes, have their own pantheons, which are a blend of those from 3.5 D&D and Pathfinder.

For example, the eleven pantheon is ruled over by Corelian Lotharian, but second only to him in the Elves devotion is Calistria, goddess of Vengeance, Lust, and Wasps. Interestingly in this world the Elven and Drow pantheons didn't split: they just place different focus on whom they worship: Corelian Lotharian is considered King of the gods by both, and both acknowledge Lolth as it's Queen: but each side disagrees which is more powerful and weather men or women are rightfully the dominant sex.

Now we come to the five main Pantheons of the game: The Loreian Panthion, The Court of Miracles, The Green Faith, the 'Dark Faiths' and the Orcish Panthion, which is different from that of the normal game...

The Lorian Pantheon:
The Lorian Pantheon is made up of most of the unsorted good or neutral gods and goddess from both 3.5 and Pathfinder, plus a few more, mostly evil, gods and goddesses who are tied into the pantheon by inheritance. Palor and Sarenrae are the rulers of the pantheon and parents to many of its members.

The Court of Miracles:
The Court of Miracles is a small pantheon which is composed of all the Gods and Goddesses from pathfinder who were granted godhood by the 'star-stone' plus Saint Cuthburt from 3.5. They all are called "Saint (Blank)" and claim they are just intermediaries for the true GOD who is utterly beyond the understanding of mortals. Saint Norgorber is kind of an oddity, because all the other Gods and Goddesses are Good, or Neutral, he/she is the only Evil 'Saint' in the Pantheon. (Important point of note: 'Saint Aroden' is still very much alive in this universe, but was not the first of the Saints, that was Saint Cuthburt.) This faith and it's 'One GOD' is making significant inroads among the populous, and the clergy of the Lorian Panthion is quite alarmed.

The 'Saints' of the Court of Miracles, a.k.a. 'The One Faith' are as follows:

(Listed in order of 'Ascension' to 'Sainthood'.)

Saint Cuthburt of the Cudgel:
Align: L/G
FW: Club

Domains: Destruction, Good, Law, Protection, Strength
Holy Symbol: A Bejeweled Maltese Cross superimposed on two rings.
Other Notes: Saint Cuthburt is the nominal leader of the Pantheon.

Saint Aroden, the Last Son of Atlantis:
Align: L/N

FW: Longsword

Domains: Community, Glory, Knowledge, Law, Protection

Holy Symbol: 'Eye of Aroden': a winged eye sheading rays of light.

Other Notes: Saint Aroden, though neutral, will not sanction Evil Clerics and other divine casters as they go against his interests.

Saint Norgorber, The Reaper of Reputation:
Align: N/E

FW: Short Sword

Domains: Charm, ****, Evil, Knowledge, Trickery

Holy Symbol: One Eyed Black Mask

Other Notes: Saint Norgorber is the only Evil Saint of the Panthion, and some people consider his/her followers to not be true members of the One Faith, even though Saint Cayden's mostly are despite being by-and-large Chaotic where the rest of The One Faith is Lawful. Saint Norgorber is also known as "The Apostle to the Halflings" for reasons that are unclear to those outside his/her shadowy cult within The One Faith, save that it is known that many halflings worship him/her as their intercessor with GOD. Also, as you may have noted, no one knows if Saint Norgorber is male or female, he/she has claimed to be each, both, neither, and things altogether stranger than that, at various times.

Saint Cayden Cailean, The Drunken Hero:
Align: C/G

FW: Rapier

Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Strength, Travel

Holy Symbol: An Ale Tankard

Other Notes: Cayden is the only Chaotic Saint of the Panthion. His Chaotic followers are sometimes seen as a disruptive influence in the churches of The One Faith, but typicaly not outright heretics like the followers of Saint Norgorber.

Saint Iomidae, the Solar Crusader:
Align: L/G
FW: Longsword
Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Sun, War.

Holy Symbol: Sword and Sun: a Long-Sword with a Sunburst behind it.
Other Notes: Saint Iomidae was a paladin following The One Faith, in particular Saint Aroden and Saint Cuthburt, before she traveled to the Court of Miracles and ascended to Sainthood, and for this reason she is sometimes known as 'The Inheritor', because rather than forging a branch of the faith herself she mostly 'inherited' lapsed worshipers of other Saints.

Saint Razmira, the Voice in the Wilderness:
Align: T/N
FW: Flail (Heavy or Light)

Domains: Animal, Charm, Darkness, Plant, Trickery

Holy Symbol: A Stylized Mask With a Jewel in the Forehead. (The type of Jewel denotes the cleric or other priest's rank.)
Other Notes: Saint Razmira was part of a short lived heresy as a child in which a powerful wizard named Razmir pretended to be a newly ascended Saint and swayed much of the church to his control. She eventually took the tests of Sainthood at the Court of Miracles and passed, then destroyed her namesake in a mighty duel of magical prowess. She seized the mask he had used to hide his ageing face and made it her holy symbol, an eternal reminder to the worshipers of The One Faith of the danger posed by False Prophets. She is the One Faith's intercessor with The Green Faith, and the 'youngest' of the Saints. She is also the only Saint who is true neutral. Unlike Aroden she will empower evil clerics, and is the only member of the pantheon who regularly interacts with Norgorber willingly, though even she does so at arms length.

Becoming a Saint:

To become a Saint of the Court of Miracles you must travel to the eponymous location deep in the dessert beyond the eastern mountains. There you must meditate for no less than a year and a day, enduring blazing heat, bitter cold, and both hunger than thirst. If you find the location and pass this first trial you will be tested by 24 other challenges: and if you master all of them you are granted something equivalent to godhood. Supposedly one of the challenges is a test of purity of spirit, and no one knows how Saint Norgorber was able to pass it.

The Green Faith:
The Green Faith is the collection of all the gods of nature and the Elements. It cuts across several other pantheons with members in its ranks belonging to other faiths as well, and its leader is Gaia, goddess of the world itself.

The Orcish Panthion:

Align:

FW:

Domains:

Holy Symbol:

Other Notes:

Queensland of Lore:

The game takes place in the "Queensland of Lore".

In this case a 'Queensland' is equivalent to a Kingdom, save it is ruled by a line of Queens instead of Kings.

"Lore" is a large realm, occupying roughly the same amount of territory as the USA, tied together by magic, a "pony express" type thing, stage coaches, and semaphore towers.

Lore is bounded on the north and east by mountains, on the west and south by ocean.

It's capitol is "Truthanaw" a sprawling city roughly at the exact center of the realm. Truthanaw is home to over ten million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world. It also has a very active Thieves Guild, which are almost a law unto themselves in some parts of the capitol.

Lore has a very diverse population of races, Humans, Half-Elves, Elves, Dwarves, Catfolk, Gnomes, Halflings, Ratfolk, Half-Orcs, and even full Orcs. (Yes, the Orcs are proper subjects of the crown, some of them anyway...) There also is a significant number of Tifelings, Assimar, Dhampires, and 'Elemental Touched' persons, though they are rarer than the other races.

In terms of Technology the Queen's Land of Lore is at an early renaissance state. Gunpowder and firearms have not been invented but things such as clock towers and other gear and spring technology is starting to catch on. The Science of Alchemy is well established and you can buy boxes of tindertwigs in any big city.

Ambuscade County and "The Castle Manorial" there of:

Ambuscade County lies near to the western coast of Lore,

It is mostly farmlands and woods, and is a large county, containing several baronies, marches, and dozens upon dozens of villages.

It's primary importance to the Queen, beyond that of any poor farming region, is that it contains the Labyrinth of Ambuscade, for which it is named, and inside which is said to be the Tree of Life, which will grant eternal life to anyone who eats it's fruit...

The Castle Manorial of Ambuscade County is a large tall edifice of hewed gray granite. It's foundations were laid long before Lore became a united nation, and it guards one of the few stable entrances to the Labyrinth of Ambuscade. It is in ruins now, and infested with goblins, but clearing it out is one of the first tasks of the PC.

The Labyrinth of Ambuscade:

The Labyrinth of Ambuscade stretches under the coastal regions of the Queensland of Lore for hundreds of miles. it is filled with treasures left behind by the foolish and incautious as well as deposited there by unknown means, but also with traps and monsters. The Labyrinth is deadly not just for those reasons but because it shifts and changes over time by means that are poorly understood, meaning that once you go in for more than a day or so there is no guarantee that you can find your way out again.

Somewhere in the depths of the labyrinth, so it is claimed, is the Grove of the Gloaming, where grows the Tree of Life. The legends claim anyone who eats the fruit of the Tree of Life will live forever, and the Queens of Lore all share an ancestral obsession with gaining access to this fruit so they can give it to their daughters to grant them eternal life.

Thus far none of the many expeditions they have sent into the dungeon have found the tree and returned: and most have not returned at all.