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Character Guide
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The Warrior
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The finest
warriors are born in the heart of Ardyl's forests. From their
earliest years, they have to become tough and develop absolute
physical strength to be able to confront the dangers lurking
in their region.
As children,
they learnt to survive in the most hostile of environments, to
overwhelm wild beasts with their bare hands and, above all, to
fight the goblins and skeletons which abound in their land.
They have also put their many expeditions to the various
villages to good use by acquiring the mastery of
swordsmanship. They usually end up as mercenaries or masters
of arms.
These warriors
are now the strongest men alive. Their powerful, yet agile
muscular frame makes them formidable opponents in direct
combat. Their strength fills the lords with dread and there
are very few that would dare challenge them in single combat.
They stalk their enemies with the patience of a hunting cat,
and can swoop down on them with the speed of a hawk. They do
have once weakness, however: they dislike magic because they
consider it a demeaning means of combat. They prefer by far
the incisive cut and hard steel of the sword to the use of
spells. |
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The Amazon
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Amazons are
fierce horsewomen who live in the region of Ardyl. They are
entrusted at a young age to a Mother and soon become
formidable warriors, showing no fear of either physical
strength or magic powers.
They learn as
a group to compensate for their lack of physical strength
through their agility and flexibility. Guided by their Mother,
they must continually undergo a serious of stern trials with
the aim of strengthening their spirit and making them a match
for any warrior. The worst of these
"character-building" trials involves them venturing
into the goblins' den and bringing back the skull of their
leader…
The Amazons
gain the upper hand in direct combat thanks to their agility
and the way in which they can anticipate their opponent's
blows. Their enemies describe it as being involved in a
relentless dance of death.
Similarly to
the warriors, the Amazons have mastered the use of the sword,
demonstrating impressive accuracy. It is, indeed, very rare
for them to use magic. |
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The Amazon
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The greatest
wizards come from the region of Marghor. Tradition has it that
the ancient wizards always come to Marghor to choose those who
have the Gift to become apprentice wizards. This happens when
candidates are in their adolescence.
Their whole
life is then turned upside down. They return with their master
to his tower, a solitary place conducive to reading and
learning. These young wizards spend most of their time
immersed in the spell books of the ancient wizards. For years
on end they wear their eyesight out poring over scrolls,
spending endless nights in their master's library. And then
gradually, they begin to master increasingly difficult and
complex spells.
Unfortunately,
however, the wizards' towers have now disappeared since the
lizard and rat men invaded the region. They carried out
attacks on the towers, killing may apprentices in the process….
The young
wizards have now been left with no alternative other than to
fight for survival. But as they have never handled weapons
they can only rely on their magic powers to defend themselves,
as they have always preferred to concentrate on developing
their minds, rather than their bodies. But, despite their lack
of any physical strength, they have managed to impress their
enemies with the intensity of their spells.
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The Sorceress
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Very little is
known about the sorceresses' early years. Rumor has it that
they learnt their magic by themselves in the shady clearings
of Marghor's forests. Others allege that the goddess Kaliba,
herself, took them under her wing.
The source of
the sorceresses' power is Nature itself. And indeed, they have
no match when it comes to knowing the right plants to combine
in order to create terrible spells.
But their most
terrifying power, which may be seen as either a gift or a
curse, is lycanthropy, which transforms them into a beast,
half woman, half wolf.
The
sorceresses are universally feared on account of their potent
magic.
However, for
some time now, the ingredients that make up their strange
concoctions have become more difficult to find. Worse still,
the rat and lizard men have overrun their territory. The
Sorceresses realized that they wouldn't be strong enough to
confront them, so they had to leave the safe cover of the
trees and venture further out towards the villages.
The village
inhabitants still eye them with mistrust, even today, but the
sorceresses pay little heed to this as it is vital for them to
keep on the move, roaming the land of Uma in search of new
ingredients that will enhance their magic powers. |
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The Monk
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In the past,
before the darkness descended, many monasteries were
established in the region of Ormar. The prospective monks were
sent to these monasteries where they became good men, enjoying
the respect of all. The monks spent many years in this place
of prayer, learning various combat techniques and spells.
Although less
accomplished than wizards or warriors in these respective
arts, the monks have the advantage of being highly competent
in the complementary disciplines of war and magic. Isolated
from the rest of the world in their peaceful haven, they have
had years to master the use of blunt weapons (i.e. those
weapons other than swords). The staff has become their
favorite weapon. They have also studied white magic, so that
they can use it to help their neighbor and conquer Evil.
There are now
far fewer monks than there were in the past. Nearly all of the
monasteries have fallen under attacks from the wyverns
sweeping across the region.
Monks now
represent good, as well as life and its combat. They are still
held in high regard because of both their skills with a staff
and their ability to heal wounds.
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The Priestess
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As with the
monks, the priestesses have divided their lives between
religious devotion and learning the arts of combat and magic.
The source of their strength is their faith and they fight in
the name of the gods. In a world increasingly threatened every
day by the Darkness, they stand out as beacons of Good and
Life.
During their
travels they offer assistance to beggars, and they are quite
prepared to take on thieves in direct combat, or use their
magic to alleviate the suffering of the sick. |
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The Assassin
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In order to
survive, assassins often begin their careers by relieving
merchants of their purses. From their youth, they know how to
move around in the dark without making a single sound and
steal from sleeping travelers. Their exploits always end up
attracting the attention of the Thieves Guild in Serkesh. The
assassins have settled in this region, so that they can
benefit from the lessons of more accomplished exponents than
themselves. In time, the most able of the young apprentices
can even surpass their masters.
As they are
cunning and nimble, assassins often use projectile weapons
when attacking their opponents in combat. Even if they are
capable of engaging in direct combat, they actually prefer to
kill their enemy even before he has had the time to draw his
sword or use his magic. This tactic is very effective against
the serpents that are rife in the region. The assassins have
also mastered a number of spells.
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The Thief
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The thieves'
reputation precedes them in the region of Serkesh. All of
these women have demonstrated at one time or other that they
have the stuff of which thieves are made. Thus, they became
members of the renowned Thieves Guild, where they could
develop their natural talents further.
Within the
guild they learnt to use their skills to break into merchants'
lavish residences to steal gold and precious jewels. They also
learnt how to kill sentries using projectile weapons and to
set traps for travelers at nightfall. Their skill set is
considerable and makes them very dangerous opponents, both in
direct combat and when using long range weapons. |
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