Domain of paranoia: Alwetend

[Gwenfloor]

I am planning on making a Cluster, based off of Scandanavian and Northern European countries in the Renaissance.
Brief: Het Alwetend Land van Delbrid, or Alwetend for short, (Omniscient Land of Delbrid in Dutch) is a land with a paranoid and overzealous government, countlessly hurting, torturing, and oppressing its masses for mostly perceived fears to overthrow them.
Cultural Level: Technologically, Renaissance, but in terms of human rights and economy, Dark Ages, as much as their advanced sciences and medicines, the concept of morality has not evolved far.
Magic Rating: 1. Any spellcaster , arcane or divine, is recruited (forced) into working for Frank the Monarch. If they do not join, they will be oppressed and if caught, enslaved, forced to make magic items for the government, working non-stop 16 hours a day, paused only for the 8 hour period of recovering spells. As a Dementlieuse philosopher once mentioned, "In this realm, cast spells in the service of the monarch, and they call you a holy man or a wonder worker. Otherwise, you are branded a heretic and diabolist."
People: The people, or Alwetendians, are very fair skinned, with shades of blonde and red hair predominant. Being in a cold climate, both sexes wear fur clothing and hats, concealing and heavy clothing being widely prevalent. The citizens are taught that their government are the most merciful, civilized, advanced, and several other mostly propagandist teachings. However, the populace is growing to hate and resent the monarchy, who is countlessly culling off his own population for the most inconsequential of reasons. Sadly, the more the populace marks their displeasure, the tighter the grip the government squeezes on its oppressed masses.
The government has been involved in all number of grisly activities, from preventing victims of torture, theft, attempted murder, and rape from making their grievances known, even going so far as to help the criminals, all in order make their land look perfect to the populace, for fear of revolution, to slaying various missionaries and worshippers of Ezra, the Lawgiver, and Hala, and feeding the remains to starving and famine plagued towns, because the faith they inspire and the magicks they cast are viewed as a dangerous and the monarch is afraid of losing any amount of power from anyone, even if it would benefit his country in the long term.
Religion: All religion is outlawed, and the government attempts to stress the fact that "the acts of Man are greater in magnitude than that the acts of Gods." Originally a quote from a Lamordian immigrant, this quote meant that acts of mortals matter more, as deities are capable of solving any personal problem with a thought, while humanity had to struggle for solving their own dilemmas, thus making acts of humanity all the more worthwhile. The monarch, Frank Delbrid III, twisted this quote around to his own use, utilizing the quote as an excuse to outlaw religion, and thus make the populace that much more uneducated and desparate, transforming them into weak-willed psychophants. This was only partially successful, as the lack of a heaven or hell made hthe natives that much more considerate of their own lives, and thus without promises of reward or punishment, they cared much more for their own lives and justice.
Native Players: Alwetendians speak Lamordian primarily, and several know Mordentish. Clerics and Druids are primarily refugess and former prisoners of war, fearing for their lives and permanently in hiding, as long as they remain in the domain. Barbarians are prevalent, whether as desparate city-dwelling thugs or camps of shantytown dwellers or self-taught fighters, learning only self-preservation in a world against them. Rogues are widespread, from pickpockets to hardened criminals, to secret police and contract killers working for the Delbrid family. Fighters are the most common PC class alongside rogues, as soldiers both willing and forced into gangs, the military, and battle-hardened mercenaries. Metal armor is worn primarily in summer, as the cold and harsh fall and winter makes wearing metal armor a liability. Otherwise, leather armor is used. Pistols and muskets are widespread, but the poor can only afford crossbows. Bards, sorcerors, and wizards suffer clerics and druids very same predicament, but are more frequent than the latter to work for the monarch, as their magic is not bound by moral and ethical norms. Monks are common, but are almost always bare-knuckle brawlers then enlightenment-seekers. Rangers are a necessity, for scouts in the military and for raiding bandits, to hunters and wilderness guides. Paladins were few and far, but the people's yearning for a merciful ruler and an overthrow to tyranny has inspired countless underground movements of paladins, seeking justice and protection of the wrongly accused.
Game stats: Alwetendians have known propaganda all their lives, and know little about the outside world. All Knowledge skills are cross-class skills, except for Knowledge (Local), which can only be used for their native land. If a native leaves the couuntry and learns from a University for 2 years or more, he must make an Intelligence check (DC 15, -1 per additional month of study beyond 2 years). If he succeeds, any Knowledge skill for his class becomes class skills.
Prestige Classes: Knight of Shadows (VRA), Propagandist (COD), Manipulator (COD), and Avenger (VRA) are the most widespread prestige classes in the entire realm. Prestige classes based off of divine powers and deities are almost non-existant, and any that remain have most likely feld the country.
The monarch, Frank Delbrid III, is constantly paranoid and fearing for his life, ordering anyone perceived to be a threat exterminated by any means necessary.
I have yet to complete this domain, but what do you think of it so far? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?

[vipera aspis]

this is cool. would it be an island or attached to the core?

[Gwenfloor]

The cluster would be connected to Lamorida via Mistway, due to the advanced technology and cold climate. The domain I have is one domain out of many, although I cannot think of a name for the cluster.
Also, Alwetend is Dutch in language and culture, but the government's policies are based off of present day Communist China and United Arab Emirates, both governments obsessed with making themselves look like a utopia to their people, yet failing miserably.
Also, the cultural knowledge penalty may seem harsh, so I was thinking of a benefit that would balance them out. Giving the Endurance feat for free, due to the overall hardiness of the populace?

[Gwenfloor]

Frank Delbrid, Darklord of Alwetend

Human Male Aristocrat 5/Manipulator4
Challenge Rating 9
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Hit Dice: 5d8+4d6+16
Hit Points: 57
Initiative+1
Spd 30 feet
AC: 29 (+8 Full Plate, +1 Dexterity, +3 Ring of Protection, +3 Amulet of Natural Armor, +4 Mage Armor) Flat-footed 28, Touch 18. Delbrid makes sure that one of his magician slaves casts a Mage Armor spell on him every 24 hours.
Medium Humanoid
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Attack: +3 Rapier +9 Melee (1d6+3), +2 Musket +9 Melee (1d12+2) Ranged.
Abilities: Strength 10, Dexterity 13, Constitution 14, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 15, Charisma 18
Saves: Fortitude+4, Reflex+6, Will+14
Skills: Bluff+15, Diplomacy+18, Decipher Script+11, Disguise+14, Forgery+11, Gather Information+17, Intimidate+14, Knowledge (Local)+11, Knowledge (Nobility & Royalty)+11, Knowledge (Arcana)+11, Knowledge (History)+11, Listen+10, Sense Motive-20, see below, Spot+10.
Feats: Iron Will, Machiavellian, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Bluff), Skill Focus (Gather Information).
Class Skills: Spellcasting, Compelling Conversationalist, World Wise, Iron Will.
Languages: Lamordian*, Mordentish, Balok, Darkonese.
Manipulator Spells Per Day: 2/2
Manipulator Spells Known: 1st/Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Detect Poison. 2nd/ Detect Thoughts, Suggestion. Spell Save DC 14+ Spell Level.
Curse: His paranoia was his downfall in his own realm, so the Dark Powers gave him a realm in his own of the Mists, in which he would rule over. In exchange, he would never be able to discern the truth; he suffers a -30 penalty on all Sense Motive checks, and all Listen and Spot checks always reveal Illusions of a creeping assassin, his friend drawing a dagger, or another image that would incite Delbrid to anger, in addition to whatever results he would ordinarily gain. Any Divination Spell that he casts reveals a result that would appear the most detrimental. There is no way to counter this. For example, if he casts Detect Thoughts on a servant, he would be fed the illusion of the servant planning to betray him, regardless of whether the servant is thinking that or not.
Possessions: Royal crown and robe, gem-studded privy, +3 Ring of Protection, +3 Amulet of Natural Armor, +3 Rapier, +2 Musket, countless slaves, lackeys, and concubines, graveyard full of former close friends that he declared executed for treason, numbering around the low 2,000s.
History: Frank Delbrid was a born politician. He knew every back-up in every social situation, who to bribe, and what subjects to avoid in order to prevent controversy. He married at age 14, to a woman named Celinda. The marriage was lasted short, however, as she was only attracted to him for his noble heritage. Several of his close friends mocked him for thinking that someone would love him for his personality. His father, Delbrid II, grew angry at his son for showing such stupidity for someone of such high birth. His heart broken and betrayed by everyone he knew and loved, he vowed that he would never have any close friends or spouses unless he knew everything about them. Subjected to scrying, thought reading, and many other ways to insure their loyalty. Such invasions of privacy pushed his friends further away, even though they were caring and kind. His father disowned his son, afraid of how it may make him look to the public. Once again feeling betrayed and confused, he assumed that all of his friends and magical servants were in on a scheme to manipulate him via false divinations. Falling into a state of delusion and paranoia, Delbrid grew up to be a ruthless mastermind, not trusting anyone and exploiting every oppurtunity to climb the political ladder. As his aging father lay dying on his deathbed surrounded by several of Delbrid's friends and family members, his father uttered three words to his son:
"Family comes first."
Both confused and angered by his father's words, he refused to believe his father, after being merciless and miserable to him all these years, Delbrid unseathed his dagger and stabbed his father in the heart.
Delbrid was arrested for murdering the King and treason, and Delbrid spent the next 10 years in the gallows. Delbrid used his few remaining political strings to get relocated to a nearby prison, housing magical and supernatural creatures. Delbrid used his silver tongue to learn several eldritch secrets from the other inmates. He took well to learning arcane magic.
As he lay in front of the crowd, positioned under a guillotine, the executioner asked if he had any last words.
"Just one," Delbrid answered.
Delbrid uttered a blashemous incantation, spreading over the whole city, transforming the onlookers into dry, desicatted husks. With this final despicable act, the Mists claimed Delbrid, and he found himself in a strange new land.
To Be Continued

[Gwenfloor]

Cluster's Name: Northerlund

Domains: Alwetend- previously described.
Legacy Hills- A remote mountain region, owned by several Lamordian mining companies, one owned by Geliefde, the Darklord their insatiable greed and willingness to cut funds, wages, and living conditions in order to save several silver pieces. His curse is that his mind will be linked with those that he made suffer, so he will be sick and miserable, regardless of whatever pleasures he could buy with his ill-gotten gain. He has turned to alcohol and drugs to dull himself. Unfortunately, this dulls the miners' sense, and his business is slowly falling apart. Misery loves company, and it also will not let go of its victims. Legacy Hills has a Cultural Rating of Chivalric, but the wealthy mine managers have imported advanced technology and explosives from Lamordia. It's Magic Rating is 2, but 4 for spells that and influence emotions, especially negative ones, like greed and envy, but for spells that rely on precious materials or create materials, such as money, precious objects, and gems, for focuses and material components, the rating is 0; Geliefde's greed motivates his envy to destroy any spell powered by wordly possessions, as he cannot stomach the thought of someone being more wealthy than him. He is also not a spellcaster, and he is currently researching methods to "buy magic," which causes him to despise all spellcasters.
Fairy Hjem- A land based off of mythical Iceland, with the language resembling modern Norwegian elements, this land is a home for humans and fairies alike, who live together alongisde each other, engaging in business, merrymaking, and inebriated pursuits alike. The domains Darklord is The Gyrfalcon princess, an intelligent gyrfalcon bird who can assume the form of a beautiful maiden, reigned supreme among both humans and fairies, renowned for her predatory nature and the fear and respect she commanded from the pitiful humans, with loyal but ruthless faerie servants. Now that the faeries live alongside the humans, the fear of the unknown that were the Fey that used to pervade the land is gone, as humans and faeries intermingle in mutual benefit and respect. She now is just another nobody, and the relative powerlessness that she has left pains her in mind and soul. The Cultural Level is of Early Medieval. The Magic Rating is 5.
Humans in Fairy Hjem are tough and stocky, and possess charming wit and beautiful bodies, but are naive and care little for academic pursuits after living among and intermingling with the fey for so long. They gain a +2 to Constitution and Charisma, but a -2 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. Perform is a class skill for all humans from this land, regardless of class. The Outcast Rating of non-evil Fey are reduced by 3 points in this realm.
With proper consideration, characters can begin as a Fey character or Feytouched. Racial Hit Die and Level Adjustments apply.
Fortjusande Skog- Enchanted Forest in Swedish, this domain forest is beautiful, but unforgiving to intruders. The forest has a mind of its own, and the plants and trees are said to possess supernatural qualities, the "life tree" being the most famous and sought after. Some humans and Giants are allowed to come into the realm, but those who show disrespect and plan to exploit the forests' resources vanish. Locals say that the Will-o-the-Wisps claimed these travelers. Its Cultural Level is Iron Age. Its Magic Rating is 4 for Druids and spells that rely on nature, but 1 for all others.
Alwetend is in the east-central and southeast area of Northerlund, with the eastern sea possessing a Mistway into west-central Lamordian coast (Moderate Reliability, two-way). Fairy Hjem is in the west-central and western area of Northerlund. Legacy Hills dominate the Northwest, North-central, and Northeast area. The south-central and southwest areais dominated by the Fortjusande Skog. All of Northlund is 763 miles in diameter. If this is too large for a Cluster, then make Northlund slightly larger than Lamordia.

[Gwenfloor]

Hey! Am I the only guy who is going to respond? I need comments and suggestions, so I know if I am doing a good job or not.

[Gemathustra]

What's the domain lord for Fortjusande Skog?

[Gwenfloor]

The domain is mostly independent wilderness villages and fiefdoms.
I have yet to think of an appropriate darklord, although I entertained the thought of the woodnymph from Swedish folklore:
http://www.morion.com/morion/wood/engli ... glish.html
She is not just any ordinary nymph!

[mindcrime]

Sounds pretty awesome to me!

[Gwenfloor]

Thank you!
I was thinking of separating Cultural Level into Technology Level and Progressive Level, as in human rights, philosophy, etc.
Alwetend would have a Technology Level of 9, and a Progressive Level of 5.

[VAN]

I like it very much but most of all I like the DL curse, it's awsome and it fits perfect!

[Gwenfloor]

I like it very much but most of all I like the DL curse, it's awsome and it fits perfect!

The curse of which Darklord? Delbrid?

[Gwenfloor]

Cluster's Name: Northerlund

Domains: Alwetend- previously described.
Legacy Hills- A remote mountain region, owned by several Lamordian mining companies, one owned by Geliefde, the Darklord their insatiable greed and willingness to cut funds, wages, and living conditions in order to save several silver pieces. His curse is that his mind will be linked with those that he made suffer, so he will be sick and miserable, regardless of whatever pleasures he could buy with his ill-gotten gain. He has turned to alcohol and drugs to dull himself. Unfortunately, this dulls the miners' sense, and his business is slowly falling apart. Misery loves company, and it also will not let go of its victims. Legacy Hills has a Cultural Rating of Chivalric, but the wealthy mine managers have imported advanced technology and explosives from Lamordia. It's Magic Rating is 2, but 4 for spells that and influence emotions, especially negative ones, like greed and envy, but for spells that rely on precious materials or create materials, such as money, precious objects, and gems, for focuses and material components, the rating is 0; Geliefde's greed motivates his envy to destroy any spell powered by wordly possessions, as he cannot stomach the thought of someone being more wealthy than him. He is also not a spellcaster, and he is currently researching methods to "buy magic," which causes him to despise all spellcasters.
Fairy Hjem- A land based off of mythical Iceland, with the language resembling modern Norwegian elements, this land is a home for humans and fairies alike, who live together alongisde each other, engaging in business, merrymaking, and inebriated pursuits alike. The domains Darklord is The Gyrfalcon princess, an intelligent gyrfalcon bird who can assume the form of a beautiful maiden, reigned supreme among both humans and fairies, renowned for her predatory nature and the fear and respect she commanded from the pitiful humans, with loyal but ruthless faerie servants. Now that the faeries live alongside the humans, the fear of the unknown that were the Fey that used to pervade the land is gone, as humans and faeries intermingle in mutual benefit and respect. She now is just another nobody, and the relative powerlessness that she has left pains her in mind and soul. The Cultural Level is of Early Medieval. The Magic Rating is 5.
Humans in Fairy Hjem are tough and stocky, and possess charming wit and beautiful bodies, but are naive and care little for academic pursuits after living among and intermingling with the fey for so long. They gain a +2 to Constitution and Charisma, but a -2 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. Perform is a class skill for all humans from this land, regardless of class. The Outcast Rating of non-evil Fey are reduced by 3 points in this realm.
With proper consideration, characters can begin as a Fey character or Feytouched. Racial Hit Die and Level Adjustments apply.
Fortjusande Skog- Enchanted Forest in Swedish, this domain forest is beautiful, but unforgiving to intruders. The forest has a mind of its own, and the plants and trees are said to possess supernatural qualities, the "life tree" being the most famous and sought after. Some humans and Giants are allowed to come into the realm, but those who show disrespect and plan to exploit the forests' resources vanish. Locals say that the Will-o-the-Wisps claimed these travelers. Its Cultural Level is Iron Age. Its Magic Rating is 4 for Druids and spells that rely on nature, but 1 for all others.
Alwetend is in the east-central and southeast area of Northerlund, with the eastern sea possessing a Mistway into west-central Lamordian coast (Moderate Reliability, two-way). Fairy Hjem is in the west-central and western area of Northerlund. Legacy Hills dominate the Northwest, North-central, and Northeast area. The south-central and southwest areais dominated by the Fortjusande Skog. All of Northlund is 7,630 miles in diameter. If this is too large for a Cluster, then make Northlund slightly larger than Lamordia.

[Gwenfloor]

Sorry, meant to edit Northerlund Cluster to 7,360 miles, but I accidentally quoted it.

[Gwenfloor]

To counteract the education penalty, all Alwetendians gain a +4 bonus on checks to resist fatigue, exhaustion, thirst, and starvation. This stacks with Endurance.