 Goto [ Index ] |
Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Termana is the a sister volume of the previously released Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad. However, while Ghelspad is a civilized continent, Termana is a more dangerous, savage world. In contrast to Ghelspad's suitably generic fantasy world, Termana should be attractive to GMs who enjoy developing historically rich, unusual worlds. As a recap of the Savage Lands, the Gods overthrew the Titans in the Titanswar. Where the Titans fell, their blood spilled, corrupting lands, scarring civilizations, and bringing evil.
Like Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad, Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Termana text is "spoiler free" (ie. a GM could just hand over the book to a player to read). Aside from the Appendix, most of the book is d20-free and quite suitable for any FRPG system. Artwork and layout is in black-and-while, with the same professional quality as other Sword and Sorcery Studio products. The art is actually livelier than that of Ghelspad. More interior maps make finding the location of an area easier. Web support is at http://www.swordsorcery.com/scarredlands.
Chapter One: History of Termana
This chapter presents the historical background for the rest of the book. The history of Termana is rich with variety and conflict: the Primal Age of the ushada, the Divine War between Titans and Gods, the conquest of the dark dwarven charduni, the Coming of the Ghoul King, and the emergence of the Jack of Tears. A timeline of Termana is also provided. The chapter is presented through historians and other personalities. It avoids the excessive prose sometimes seen in first-person accounts. As GM aids, this information can be provided to the PCs either through their writings or the NPCs themselves. More subtlety, just because an NPC says something, it's not necessarily true, allowing the GM some room to modify Termana.
Chapter Two: Religions of Termana
In Gheldspad, we had the Gods vs. Titans, much like the Greco-Romans Gods and Titans of myth. Termana has a third religion, the Ushadani, an animistic system, where everything has its own spirit or soul. Animism is actually pretty familiar to us through various non-Western cultures, yet infrequently used in RPGs. Compared to Ghelsdspad, Termana's Titan worship reflects its more primitive land. As reflections of the primitive forces of Termana, Titans are the most powerful forces of Termana. They are not worshipped as a source of power, they are worshipped because they must. Gods, dominant on Gheldspad, are an invading religion in Termina. Their worshippers spread the faith, both adapted to local cultures, and through means not necessarily peaceful. Though not going into specific details, this chapter set up religious conflicts the GM can use in a Termana campaign. In particular, it notes how worshippers of the Gods, the Titans, and Ushandi view each other. d20 deity information is provided for several Gods and Titans of Termana.
Chapter Three: Nations of Termana
Nearly every nation of Termana has conflict or a point of view worth developing as part of a campaign. Throughout their descriptions, they are tied by the past wars against Titan Chern, the dark Chiruden dwarves, and the Ghoul King. Some are suitable as homelands for PCs, particularly elves and humans.
Gamers of the pointy-eared variety will relish the fallen elven nations of Termana. When the Titan Chern rose from the depths to destroy the civilizations of Termana, he slew the elven demigod. His name now forgotten, the elven nations cope dramatically differently with his loss. Ehitovael still holds hope of his return, holding onto cultures long lost. Withered Sylavael resorts to human slaves, to create half-elf conscripts for its ranks. Kasiavael has become corrupted, their dark magics enabling tyranny as much as holding back titanspawn. Pelegael is nothing but decadence. Ganjulael, where Chern rose, has fallen entirely. There, elves have become tribal cultures, in the land called the Plaguelands.
Humans have their conflicts as well. Azale engages in fatalistic hedonism, as its refugees live in fear of conquering Karsia. Thieves and mercenaries are the only inhabitants of the Gray Isle, where compassion and kindness was repaid with treachery and murder. North and South Crilos are fiercely independent, recovering from civil war. The residents of Pendrinola suffer deep malaise, a result of three great wars. Sunharrow has not yet recovered from overthrowing its half-elven masters. Thorvalos has fallen under the thrall of the Jack of Tears of Blood Bayou. Virduk's Promise is the dubious conquest of the civilized Ghelspad Calastian culture over Termana's primitive one. Silverisle is the only bright spot of Termana's nation, a nation reborn under the blessings of the goddess Madriel.
Other PC races do not have their own specific nations. Chiruden receives its entry, although its dwarves are dark and evil. (Most non-human PCs will find a place in the predominantly human societies.)
Chapter Four: Other Locations of Termana
Blood Bayou is the highlight of this chapter. Certainly, you've seen the "Circus of Terror" in modern day horror. But what happens when the Carnival of Shadows visits a medieval town? Very little -- at first. When the Carnival took away with them the sick, the insane, the unwanted, few cared, and some even welcomed them. But the Carnival grew in power, and now they have their sights set upon the "important" people. Can the adventurers rescue the mayor's daughter? How will they react when they find out that the town took no action when the first townspeople were taken away? It's pretty rare to find an adventure where the "helpless villagers" are almost as guilty as the "evil bad guys", but and the Carnival of Shadows lets you develop such an adventure. What starts out as a standard rescue can lead to corrupt officials using the Carnival for their own reasons, or apathetic ones unable to see it as a threat. I haven't had an opportunity to read the Blood Bayou supplement, but hopefully it lives up to expectations.
A great jungle, the Gamulganjus is the only land untouched by the Titans war -- though not Gods and Titans themselves. There, the (optionally) psionic Tepuje have split into religious factions, a result of the failure to bring the Titan Mesos, back to Termana. The gnome tribes of Gamulganjus are a creative blend of jungle animism and gnomish illusions. The gnoll tribes of Gamulgans are traditional gnolls. (This section is actually rather well written. Perhaps Sword and Sorcery Studios will present a generic humanoid resource book?). The Terali tribes are clannish leopard-men practicing ushada. Yuan-ti worship their Titan Mormo in the Yellow Forest, filled with poisonous flora and fauna.
Unusual and exotic creatures populate the rest of Termana as well. The Bonewind Hills are the last remaining essence of the titan Lethene: sand vortices, the Bonewinds, Redstorms, and Winds of Madness. In the Centaur Plains, centaurs, athach, gnolls, bugbears and human war endlessly for limited resources. Those encountered in the Chain Mountains reflect the historical war between Chiruden and its elven foes. The Eternal Isle is the last stand of the Citadel of the Roses, holding back interdimensional evil from the rest of Termana. In the Iron Sands Deserts, titanspawn fight amongst each other, with weapons carved from the Bones of the Lost One. The riches of the Iron Steppes are defended by its guerrilla tribes of lamia, humans, kobolds, ogres, trolls -- and an ancient tarrasque. The Isle of the Dead is the land stand of the still-undead Ghoul King. Rumors from the conflict between the great God Corean and Titan Golthagga bring seekers of fabled artifacts -- and death from endless goblins to exotic titanspawn.
Appendix: New Traits and Prestige Classes
The appendix is pretty much d20 content.
Totem Feats: To accompany the Ushandi religions, this chapter provides Totem feats. Typically a worshipper will only have one totem they adhere to, and some totems are racially specific.
Poisons of Termana: This section provides d20 statistics of the poisons of Gamulganjus and the Yellow Jungle.
Prestige Classes: Termana introduces seven geographically and culturally-specific Prestige Classes. If your players play the Standard Generic Adventurers Who Are Outsiders, it's unlikely they will be able to become one of these classes. Still, there's enough color and background written for them that GMs will be able to make colorful important NPCs and villains.
Conclusion
Termana is the worthy savage successor to the civilized Gheldspad. Its richness of history and variety will delight GMs who enjoy developing campaign worlds. The demand, however, of tailoring a unique world may overwhelm a GM only looking for a "generic world" to drop a module into. In the introduction, the game designers asked themselves, "Should we really be doing this," this being an expansion to a popular setting. For Termana, the answer is a definite "Yes".
Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
