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Urbis: A World of Cities
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Path: Eruvian.com / Urbis

Table of Contents: Overview * Locales of Interest * Races * Organizations * Deities * Items of Interest * Classes * Spells of Interest * Map * History * Politics * Technology * Culture * Recent Locale Threads * Ratings & Reviews

Sublocale Quick Links: Alliance of the Pantheon * Avareen * Cosmology * Desert of Thunder * Distant Shores * The Eternal Storm * The Flannish Cities * Gawaris Desert * Gol Algor * Gol Grungor * Gol Murak * The Great Southern Chaos * Hamajan Mountains * The Hobgoblin Dominions * Lake of Dreams * The Lands of the Dead * The League of Armach * Malundi * Narevoreen * Norfjell Wastes * Parginian Rim * Places of Legend * The Siebenbund * The Snake Kingdoms * Star Mountains * Sunset Province * Thenares * Turaveen * The Verdant Coast * The Worlds Beyond

Urbis (World):

Overview:

This page will no longer be updated!



Due to unfortunately low traffic on Eruvian.Com, the home page for the setting of Urbis has moved to a new location - the Urbis Wiki. While the old material will remain available at Eruvian.Com, all new material for the setting - including user-submitted material - will be published there.


Welcome to Urbis!

Urbis is a new fantasy setting currently being developed for the d20 System. There are few new rules you have to learn to use this setting; indeed, great care was being taken to add as few new rules to the Core Rules as possible to make entry easier. Where Urbis differs from other d20 fantasy settings is not in the rules, but in the scope of the setting.

Urbis is Urban Fantasy

As the name implies, cities are central to Urbis. Gone are the quaint market towns of other fantasy worlds - these belong to an earlier, feudal age. Instead, the world is divided into a multitude of city-states with populations ranging into hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people! While there are plenty of wilderness and frontiers left in the world, these are not the main focus of this setting. There are plenty of things to do in the cities, from hunting monsters in the sewers, getting caught up in struggles between crime families, fighting for social justice for the downtrodden masses, to high-stakes games of dimplomacy and intrigues between the rich and powerful of the cities.

Urbis is a Magical Industrial World

While most d20 fantasy worlds draw their inspiration from the Feudal Age or Renaissance of our world - or even earlier periods - Urbis is heavily inspired by the time of the European Industrial revolution - the time when cities came into their own. On the one hand, it was a time of wonder - of scientific and technological prowess, and it seemed that there was nothing that humanity couldn't do. On the other hand, it also saw the rise of the urban poor - of masses of desperate people huddled together in ramshackle apartments who had not only work themselves to near-death, but also had to send their underage children to the same factories to keep their families from starvation.
The Nexus Towers, the iconic image of Urbis, represent both of these extremes. On the one hand, they promise near-limitless magical energies to those who control them, and thus make the vast cities with all their splendor and magics possible. On the other hand, they drag upon the very life of all those who live nearby, thus also becoming the Satanic Mills that many people imagined the early factories in our world to be.

Urbis is Realistic High Fantasy

At first glance, this seems to be a contradiction in terms. After all, "realism" and "fantasy" do not often come together. What this means in the context of Urbis is that for all the magical trappings of the setting there is an inherent logic to it. Fireball and other spells have radically altered the face of the battlefield. No longer is a battle fought with tight infantry formations that just ask to be killed by area-effect spells. Instead small groups of warriors try to sneak into enemy territory so that they can take out key installations or people before the other side notices. Raise dead has a real effect on the social structure of the setting - the rich and powerful are unlikely to die permanently of anything except old age. And all those monsters that look like they couldn't have possibly evolved in an Earth-like environment... well, they didn't. Most of them were brought to this world from other planets.

To sum it up, nothing in here exists in isolation from the rest of the setting. Everything affects the rest of society in some big or small way, or at least has the potential to do so - if the player characters bring it to light.

Urbis needs Heroes

While the cities seem calm and civilized on the surface, below it are intrigue, social unrest, and hidden wars that could turn into open bloodshed at any moment. As the cities grow ever larger and the differences between rich and poor more pronounced, some sort of radical transformation or even outright revolution becomes more and more likely.
Something has got to give. The only question is: In what direction will you push it?

Map LabelLocales of InterestLocale TypeComponentsDate Last Modified
 Alliance of the PantheonRealm172/23/2008 3:33:23 AM
 AvareenRealm139/11/2007 12:20:39 PM
 CosmologyMultiverse119/6/2007 9:04:21 AM
 Desert of ThunderRealm142/18/2008 7:04:44 AM
 Distant ShoresRegion78/29/2007 10:42:58 AM
 The Eternal StormRealm129/11/2007 11:37:46 AM
 The Flannish CitiesRealm921/30/2008 1:42:50 AM
 Gawaris DesertRealm69/11/2007 12:33:31 PM
 Gol AlgorRealm99/11/2007 12:38:24 PM
 Gol GrungorRealm69/11/2007 12:46:40 PM
 Gol MurakRealm89/11/2007 12:51:14 PM
 The Great Southern ChaosRealm89/11/2007 12:56:07 PM
 Hamajan MountainsRealm79/11/2007 1:02:27 PM
 The Hobgoblin DominionsRealm199/11/2007 1:12:04 PM
 Lake of DreamsRealm149/11/2007 1:21:57 PM
 The Lands of the DeadRealm189/11/2007 1:34:21 PM
 The League of ArmachRealm239/11/2007 1:46:59 PM
 MalundiRealm119/11/2007 2:05:34 PM
 NarevoreenRealm109/11/2007 2:18:59 PM
 Norfjell WastesRealm112/16/2008 6:12:34 AM
 Parginian RimRealm149/11/2007 2:29:01 PM
 Places of LegendRegion19/11/2007 2:42:04 PM
 The SiebenbundRealm152/2/2008 9:45:38 PM
 The Snake KingdomsRealm189/11/2007 3:03:36 PM
 Star MountainsRealm89/11/2007 3:11:35 PM
 Sunset ProvinceRealm49/11/2007 6:25:10 PM
 ThenaresRealm79/11/2007 6:26:06 PM
 TuraveenRealm102/19/2008 3:50:02 AM
 The Verdant CoastRealm79/11/2007 6:32:53 PM
 The Worlds BeyondStar System69/11/2007 6:37:14 PM



RacesRace TypeDate Last Modified
DareshAberration9/5/2007 5:46:04 AM
DestrachanAberration9/6/2007 6:48:46 AM
SurathiAberration9/5/2007 10:18:34 AM
WarforgedConstruct3/2/2008 2:06:45 AM
DragonbornDragon2/2/2008 9:31:28 PM
DragonsDragon9/6/2007 6:51:33 AM
Fair FolkFey9/5/2007 8:26:01 AM
The Sylvan RacesFey9/6/2007 7:02:24 AM
DrowHumanoid2/19/2008 1:33:55 AM
DwarvesHumanoid8/30/2007 11:11:28 PM
EladrinsHumanoid2/18/2008 10:43:51 AM
ElvesHumanoid8/30/2007 11:51:32 PM
GnomesHumanoid9/7/2007 10:22:56 AM
GoblinsHumanoid9/6/2007 6:57:58 AM
Half-ElvesHumanoid8/31/2007 12:02:07 AM
Half-OrcsHumanoid8/31/2007 12:07:30 AM
HalflingsHumanoid9/8/2007 9:19:41 PM
HobgoblinsHumanoid9/27/2007 9:04:37 PM
HumansHumanoid8/31/2007 3:48:58 AM
KoboldsHumanoid9/6/2007 6:58:50 AM
OrcsHumanoid9/6/2007 6:59:46 AM
TieflingsHumanoid2/18/2008 10:05:10 AM
TarrasqueMagical Beast9/6/2007 7:04:51 AM
UnicornsMagical Beast9/6/2007 7:05:45 AM
YrthakMagical Beast9/6/2007 7:07:06 AM
DopplegangerMonstrous Humanoid9/6/2007 6:50:14 AM
GhoulsUndead9/6/2007 6:56:10 AM
ZombiesUndead9/6/2007 7:07:39 AM

OrganizationsOrganization TypeDate Last Modified
The Astromantic SocietyAcademic9/6/2007 5:12:23 AM
The Cryptozoological SocietyAcademic9/6/2007 5:29:24 AM
The GemeinschaftsbankEconomic9/6/2007 6:15:59 AM
The Athanatos ClubIdeological9/6/2007 5:09:33 AM
The Children of Mercy OrphanagesIdeological9/6/2007 5:26:01 AM
SecondariesPolitical9/6/2007 6:28:23 AM
The TriumviratePolitical9/6/2007 6:45:22 AM
Dragon CultsReligious9/6/2007 6:12:20 AM
The GurionsReligious9/6/2007 6:19:50 AM
The ArchitectsSocial9/18/2007 12:57:40 AM

Items of InterestItem TypeDate Last Modified
Bank NotesWealth or Money1/29/2008 11:07:47 AM
Why don’t nexus towers make magic items cheaper?Wealth or Money9/1/2007 2:48:49 AM
IdentificationGood or Service9/5/2007 7:05:14 AM
Life InsuranceGood or Service9/5/2007 6:31:53 AM
Research LibraryGood or Service9/5/2007 7:06:56 AM
Signal Tower NetworkGood or Service9/13/2007 7:19:19 AM
Spell LegalityGood or Service9/4/2007 2:41:41 AM
BloodstonesWondrous Item9/1/2007 2:46:22 AM
Nexus TowerWondrous Item8/31/2007 10:02:52 PM
One-shot enchantmentsWondrous Item9/1/2007 2:45:34 AM

ClassesClass TypeDate Last Modified
BarbariansBase PC9/5/2007 5:59:31 AM
BardsBase PC8/31/2007 4:01:30 AM
ClericsBase PC8/31/2007 4:05:02 AM
DruidsBase PC3/12/2008 11:30:30 AM
FightersBase PC8/31/2007 5:58:22 AM
MonksBase PC8/31/2007 6:02:56 AM
PaladinsBase PC8/31/2007 6:06:39 AM
Psionic ClassesBase PC8/31/2007 6:18:22 AM
RangersBase PC8/31/2007 6:08:42 AM
RoguesBase PC8/31/2007 6:11:14 AM
SorcerersBase PC8/31/2007 6:13:23 AM
WizardsBase PC8/31/2007 6:15:20 AM

Spells of InterestSpell TypeDate Last Modified
Knowing The CoinArcane & Divine9/6/2007 3:58:19 PM

History:

Creation of the World


Most religions have creation myths that claim that their patron deity created the world, or at least played a significant part in its creation. However, these stories vary from religion to religion, and even from region to region even among the followers of the same deity. An added problem with these stories is that they usually claim that the world is only a few thousand years old, but recent examinations of fossils with powerful divination magics hint that Rothea is at the very least many millions of years old, and possibly older still. As a result, these creation myths are rarely seriously considered anymore in academic circles.

How thinking creatures such as humans came into being is another big mystery. Popular theories involve creation by the gods, creation by dragons, refugees from another world, magical alterations of animals from extradimensional or extraplanar beings, or gradual change of animals through ambient magical energies.

The First City


Interestingly, most cultures, human or otherwise, have legends of a “first city” where civilization got its start. According to the legends this city, usually called “Oreanor” or something phoenetically similar, was ruled by powerful mages and full of marvels. But the details differ. The elves claim that they built this city and thus were the first of the civilized races. They then took pity on the other races, who were only primitive savages at the time, and invited them to the city and taught them the ways of civilization. But the other races were ungrateful and soon reverted to their base nature, and the elves abandoned the city just before the others destroyed each other in a magical cataclysm.

While the dwarves don’t discuss their beliefs with outsiders, among themselves they tell lengthy sagas about they were enslaved by the rulers of the city, powerful sorcerous beings they call Zargûl. The elves were the favored servants of the Zargûl, and lived a life of leisure while the dwarves toiled, and for this reason dwarves will not trust elves easily even today. But eventually, the gods of the dwarves appeared among their elders, and taught them how to craft weapons and armor, and how to fight their oppressors. When they were ready, they rose against the Zargûl, destroyed the city, and then left to found their own realms.

The hobgoblins claim that the rulers of Oreanor were powerful human wizards, who created various other races as servants - the elves as concubines, the dwarves as miners, the gnomes as craftsmen, the halflings as household servants... and the hobgoblins as warriors (various other races, such as orcs and goblins, were earlier attempts of creating warrior races, and cast away when they were unsatisfactory). But the warrior spirit of the hobgoblins proved too great to subdue, and they eventually rose up against their oppressors, and defeated them after a long and bloody struggle. But their numbers were seriously depleted after this war, while the other races, who had cowardly fled, still had many people, and thus the hobgoblins were unable to claim the leadership over the world as it was their right. But surely, eventual rulership of the world is only a matter of time...

Among humans, the details of these stories vary a lot between different cultures, though most agree that the rulers of this city were human. In the western realms, the stories tend to claim that the city was abandoned after its rulers turned against each other, destroying the city in the process. In the eastern regions, divine retribution for its sinful ways, or for some other offence against the gods, is generally cited for its end. Nethertheless, the fact that stories of it can be found nearly everywhere is considered highly significant by historians.

Age of Legends


Tales of the period after the fall of the First City are even more confusing than those of the First City itself. Supposedly, the very gods themselves walked the land (and several of them appear to have come into existence during this period), shaped the landscape, and meddled directly in the affairs of lesser creatures. Mighty heroes battled fierce monsters, and their exploits are remembered in song even today (though in very garbled form). Most humans and other thinking beings seemed to have lived in small villages or as nomads, and even the recognizeable cities were laughably small by modern standards.

Age of Empires


Also known as the “Classical” period thanks to a large number of surviving written texts from that period, this time was characterized through the rise of new cities, and these cities eventually joined with others to form mighty empires. The last and greatest of these was the Atalan Empire, which grew to enormous size thanks to both its invention of nexus towers (though they were fairly inefficient by modern standards) and the military might of its legions.

Feudal Age


But eventually, the Atalan Empire collapsed just like its precedessors, and gave way to numerous small successor kingdoms, mere barbarous shadows of the Empire’s former glory. These kingdoms mostly lost the power to build new nexus towers or even to maintain existing ones, and thus had to derive their power from rural estates where they had to oppress large number of peasants just to feed themselves.

Modern Age


But eventually, the cities gained in power again and relearned the old arts of building nexus towers - and improved on them. Thanks to modern agricultural magic and an efficient network of transportation, the population of the cities have been able to surpass almost any comparable city in history. For the moment, most cities remain independent political entites - but many scholars suspect that this is only a temporary phase, and claim that new empires arise as history repeats itself. The rise of the League of Armach and its neighboring states is the most potent argument for this hypothesis.

The question is whether this time the collapses of past empires can be avoided...

Politics:

The Great Game

City-states are in a constant state of competition. They all need the same resources - food, minerals, trade goods, and so on - and most of them will do everything in their power to get them in sufficient quantities and low prices. Likewise, all of them try to sell their own products to the highest bidder. Thus, even cities on the friendliest of terms will have some people plotting against their counterparts in the other city, while cities on less friendly terms will do everything in their power, no matter how foul, to get ahead of their competition. This section examines some of the means employed to this end.

Diplomacy

Knowing your trading partners is important. Knowing your enemies is even more so. In an age where contracts aren’t normally given to the lowest bidder, but made behind closed doors after much wheeling and dealing, knowing just the right people and what kinds of incentives they are amenable to can make all the difference between vast earnings and going broke. In times of conflict this is even more vital - a good diplomatic network can mean that you will have many allies standing by your side against your enemies, while a bad or nonexistent one means that you will be overrun without any warning.

Consequently, the diplomats of Rothea are always busy. There are always more people to meet, and it requires a charming manner to make new friends, and a keen mind to distinguish the true movers and shakers of a city from those who will only waste the diplomat’s time - or worse, drag him into a scheme that will ultimately be harmful to his agenda.

Espionage

Sometimes, normal diplomatic channels won’t be enough - sometimes, you need to know exactly what your enemies are up to, and you need to know it now. While there is some overlap between diplomats and spies - being able to talk your way out of a situation is a useful skill for spies as well - spies tend to move around unseen, sometimes hiding in the shadows and sometimes hiding in plain sight. Diplomats have the disadvantage that their name and appearance is generally known to all in their social circles, but a good spy will only be detected long after he is gone - if ever.

A good spy who can learn of any enemy plans and evade any obstacles in his way, whether mundane or magical, can demand almost any price - if he seems trustworthy to his employer. But in this business of deceitfulness, betrayals and double-crosses are all too common, and most spymasters learn to anticipate them.

Sabotage

Once you have learned of your enemies’ foul plans, you must try to stop them - or perhaps you want to start some plot of your own, and want to hinder the enemy’s ability to stop you. Sabotaging the enemy’s equipment or infrastructure can certainly make his life difficult, and even assassinating key personnel can be considered to be sabotage of sorts. If you can point the blame to yet another enemy and sow confusion and distrust among your foes, then so much the better.

The easiest way to sabotage something is to bribe one of the enemy’s employees to do it. After all, they know their workplace - and its weaknesses. Roving saboteurs who can infiltrate a hostile installation, pick out the most vulnerable points, and damage them without anyone noticing it until it is to late are far rarer - and highly sought-after specialists.

Skirmishes

Sometimes, simple sabotage isn’t enough - or too difficult to pull off - and it is time to send actual soldiers to harrass enemy operations. The aggressor side in such a conflict tries to keep a layer of deniability - any of their soldiers caught by the enemy are usually said to be “acting without orders” - but while this keeps the conflict from being true warfare, no astute observer is really fooled about the nature of the conflict.

The goal here is to disrupt enemy operations in a remote locale - such as farms, ranches, mines, or military patrols - in such a way as to make them unprofitable abd cause a withdrawal of the enemy. It is fairly common to hire mercenaries for such activities - which adds another level of deniability. Payment depends on the difficulty of the tasks, but there are only few highly-trained experts that can expect to get rich from such a career, while most die an early and lonely death in the wilderness.

Limited Warfare

Sometimes, hostilities between two cities boil over to such an extent that a shadow war spills into the open, and the competitors enter a state of war. Nevertheless, trying to assault another city-state is an extremely costly undertaking that would leave even the winner exhausted and stretched to the limit - a state of affairs when other city-states traditionally enter the fray and finish him off. Therefore, the concept of “Limited Warfare” was born - the two cities come to an understanding (sometimes a verbal “Gentlemen’s Agreement”, sometimes an actual written treaty) to limit their conflict in scope. Usually this kind of war is fought over a specific resource that both covet, and this resource marks the center of the battlefield - but sometimes both parties want to avoid any damage to this resource, and agree to pick another battlefield.

This kind of warfare gives a great opportunity for rulers to induce their people some civic pride, and they are usually quick to emphasize any victories, and downplay any defeat. Often, the effect on the morale of a city-state becomes more important than the resource itself - a quick victory over some hated enemy can distract an angry population from the problems caused by corrupt and incompetent rulers.

All kinds of people can get involved in such a war, and mercenaries prefer this kind of conflict over any other, since the “Rules of War” that are in place at such an occasion mean that if they are taken prisoners, they will be released at the end of the conflict instead of being executed for “war crimes”. But spies and saboteurs matter just as much in a conflict when the pride of an entire city is at stake...

All-Out War

When even limited warfare isn’t enough, and a city is willing to do anything to conquer or destroy a hated enemy, then the Rules of War are abandoned and all-out war begins. The objective is to conquer or destroy another city-state - or at least make the enemy city incapable of being a competitor in the foreseeable future.

Most cities have massive and multiple defenses, starting from the nexus towers to multitude of well-trained troops to hidden traps, stockpiled weapons, and other tricks. Thus, conquering an enemy city requires a massive effort that usually starts with extensive espionage (often years before the actual invasion starts!) to ferret all the contingency plans the rulers of the city might have. Then there will be multiple strikes by highly-trained specialists who try to take out as many enemy commanders, nexus towers, and other fortifications as possible, and throw any defending forces into confusion before they have time to organize a counterattack.

Then, once the main defenses are disabled, the normal soldiers move in and begin to suppress all opposition. Usually there is intense urban fighting with remaining enemy who survived the initial raids, and who can inflict horrendous casualties on the invaders. After this, there will be a few days of quiet while the remaining defenders retreat underground and try to take the measure of the invaders. Eventually, the occupiers will have to relax curfews and other measures somewhat to keep the occupied city functioning - but this usually means that they will be subject to increasingly effective guerrilla strikes by the survivors. Any crackdowns will usually cost the lives of innocent bystanders - whose relatives will now have a new cause for fighting the invaders.

All in all, there are many things that can go wrong with this kind of warfare, and all too often the invaders find themselves stretched to the limit in terms of money, resources, and manpower - a situation that other city-states will invariably try to take advantage of. It has been all too common in history that a city-state wins a war, but ultimately looses the peace. Wise rulers know all this, and take care never to let affairs degenerate to this state - it is usually far more effective to dominate your enemies through other means than through sheer force of arms.

Technology:

Transportation

Effective transportation systems are one of the pillars upon which the modern system of trade rests. No city is entirely self-sufficient - they all depend on a steady influx of food, raw materials, and even people to survive. On the other hand, they often produce more goods of certain types than they require or consume, so their merchants and craftsmen are strongly interested in finding ways of getting these goods to other people who will pay handsomely for them.

Thus, to keep the cities functioning, transportation cannot be allowed to be as slow and inefficient as in feudal times, when most traffic was catered to by horse-drawn carriages, primitive river barges, or even on foot. Fortunately, there is money to be made by providing transportation, and various groups organizations have risen up to the occasion in myriad ways.

Flight

Flight as a mode of transportation is fairly rare, and can be divided into two categories. Flight via flying creatures, and flight via magic.

There are quite a few creatures capable of both flying and carrying a rider at the same time. Unfortunately, these creatures are either sapient or hard to tame and train. And even if they can be trained, they will only accept the person who actually trained them as a rider (though some of them will accept other passengers as well). Thus, the availability of flight as a personal mode of transport is limited to those who spend lots of time caring for and training their mounts - not to mention deal with the difficulty of acquiring such a mount in the first place! Many elves have proven willing to do so, but among other races only few organizations (often but not always of a military nature) have been willing to spend the time and effort for such an enterprise. Most humans would rather save the time and effort and just travel where they want to go by rail and coach. It might not be as flashy, but it gets the job done - and ultimately costs less time and money.

That magic is capable of granting flight has been known for a long time, and many wizards enjoy flaunting their abilities in front of others. However, such spells require a lot of time and effort to learn - thus making them expensive - and only rarely last for long enough to get to distant locations, which means that more conventional modes of transportation have proven more efficient under most circumstances. Magic items capable of granting flight for longer periods are known, but thanks to the expense required in creating them, they are usually kept in secure locations instead of being casually used for other travelers, since the owners of such items don’t want their investment stolen at the next opportunity. Instead, they are only used in emergencies or when they can be sure that no stranger will get hold of them. Thus, their impact on transportation is limited as well. Some ambitious artificers dream of flying golems who will usher in an Age of Flight when traveling through the air becomes affordable to the common man, but as of now, these remain pipe dreams.

Railroads

One of the great symbols of the modern age, possibly even more so than the nexus towers, railroads are quickly spreading across the continent. The basic principle of a railroad is simple: Several large wagons filled with either passengers or goods are moved along metal rails through the pull of one or more golems. In older trains, these golems had quadrupedal form and walked next to the rails, drawing the train similar to a stage coach (in fact, the earliest “trains” used flesh-and-blood horses instead of golems. This is still done on some short routes where using golems would be uneconomical because only few passengers or freight are being transported, and time is not of the essence). However, this has proven to be inefficient, as these golems take up a large amount of space (very inconvenient for tunnels) and their weight tended to damage the ground they were walking on, requiring frequent repairs. Thus, more modern coaches (the wagon at the front that pull the whole train behind them) incorporate golems into their very structure. These golems cannot separate themselves from the coach, and their “arms” and “legs” are basically giant pistons that provide the power for the wheels.

From the original Bodenwald to Grüngarten line founded in 1376 NA, the rail network has spread over much of the continent. Competition for being awarded the rights to build a line between two location is often fierce, as the profits can be immense. This competition can vary from fairly open competition for the highest bidder to outright nepotism, with the strategic interest of the city involved often playing a crucial role. Sabotage between the railway companies to drive each other out of business is not unknown - sometimes even at the cost of innocent lives. But for those raking in the profits, it is all worth it.

The railway system can be grouped into the following independent networks:

The Western Network: The largest and oldest of them all, the Western Network covers the Flannish Cities, the Siebenbund, the Parginian Rim, Thenares and the Alliance of the Pantheon (although there is no direct rail connection between the latter two thanks to historical and mutual animosity - anyone wishing to travel from one to the other via rail has to go via the Parginian Rim). Efforts are currently being made to expand to the south along the coast of Malundi, and to the north through the Norfjell Wastes (hopefully eventually reaching Gol Grungor and the Lands of the Dead). Finally, a major spur is built through the Grand Road a subterranean tunnel starting at the Parginian city of Alassio, with the intention of reaching Gol Murak, the Desert of Thunder, and finally the Eastern Network at the Verdant Coast.

The Central Network: This Network used to be part of the Western Network, but the Alliance of the Pantheon cut all links to the League of Armach when the latter started to expand in their direction - and Thenares does not seem to be in any great hurry to create new rail links to the East, either. Since then, the Central Network has been strongly reinforced to cope with the increased traffic of military units and associated material on it. It mostly covers the League of Armach and Gol Algor (whose inhabitants have taken to the new technology enthusiastically and started to introduce several innovations based on it), with tendrils reaching into the Gawaris Desert and the Lake of Dreams region.

The Northern Network: The Hobgoblin Dominions might not have invented the railways, but its leaders know something useful when they see it. Their own rail network now covers almost all of the Dominions and is now starting to connect many of the cities of the Lands of the Dead - which makes some people nervous since this would also make an invasion easier for the hobgoblins. Plans are currently made to extend the Northern Network to the Norfjell Wastes, eventually meeting the Western Network there. However, the Northern Network uses rail tracks with a greater distance between the rails than the other networks, so that rail wagons can’t move from one network to the other and passengers will have to switch wagons once that day arrives.

The Eastern Network: The youngest and sparsest of the networks, the Eastern Network is almost solely limited to the Verdant Coast, with a single spur reaching up to the Gawaris Desert (with the eventual goal of reaching Ranya to the east). It is expected to become much more prominent once the Grand Road is completed.

Ships

In theory, ships are one of the cheapest ways of moving large amounts of goods long distances. However, they also have the significant drawback that they can only go where there is large amount of water - large rivers, inland lakes, or the open ocean. Thus, most historical trade routes centered on these whenever possible. In modern times, it has also become possible to dig vast canals between the cities, thus allowing ships to travel even where no convenient river is located. This is a massive undertaking and is only done by very large and wealthy cities which can afford it. Skeptics claim that these canals will soon be rendered obsolete by the expanding rail network, but for now, building such canals has usually been worth it.

The slow, placid, horse or golem-drawn river barges can hardly be compared to the ships moving across the open oceans - these must be much sturdier constructions to be able to endure the frequent storms lashing across the surface of the seas. Most such ships are still sailing ships, but more and more of these are replaced by metal constructions propelled by giant, golem-powered paddlewheels.

Traditionally, travel on the ocean has been a risky undertaking for land dwellers. Not only do fierce storms and dangerous currents threaten the travelers, but the ocean depths are also home to numerous large monsters and often hostile underwater civilizations. While well-organized and -armed humans are quite capable of clearing wilderness areas of monsters on land, the hostile underwater environment has proven to be beyond their ability to tame. Traditionally, seafarers have either attempted to stick to well-known routes with few known dangers (though no such routes were ever completely reliable, since more than a few dangerous underwater creatures are migratory), appease whatever creatures live along the way with gifts ( Experienced navigators know spots where they can throw such sacrifices - usually gold, silver, and gems - to the dwellers below, and they always warn the owner of the ships not to ignore this custom. Of course, a number of less than sterling representatives of this profession have also made up such spots and then arranged to retrieve such treasure for themselves...), or rely on speed or powerful defenders to power through such dangerous regions. But the defenders had better know what they are doing - even a small number of sahuagin can easily destroy a ship with a wooden hull if no one above can breathe and move underwater and challenge the sea devils in their own domain! Recent advances in shipbuilding have made iron-plated hulls more common, which makes wrecking the hull more difficult - but not impossible.

Whatever their type, ocean-going ships are a significant investment, and while the merchant fleets of individual city-states can be impressive, none of them have the numbers to maintain true colonies in distant lands. Instead, they prefer to create trade outposts where they can buy or sell their goods, and make sure that the local ruler is on their side through a combination of diplomacy, bribery, and the occasional show of force. Sometimes, they have even backed adventurers to take over local rulership in return for favorable trade concessions.

Teleportation

The fastest and most expensive form of transportation, teleportation is also the rarest. Few spellcasters are able to teleport with any reliability, and those who do are very well paid for their services indeed. Only those able to use greater teleport will usually teleport others for hire, for only the desperate will hire others to cast an ordinary teleport spell to get where they want, and only the foolish will tempt fate by depending on it for a living - for sooner or later the odds are that they will end up in a location quite hostile to them. Given all this, it is not surprising that the possibility of teleportation has changed little in the way most people travel. It is reserved for emergencies, missions of great importance, or when the things the teleported people carry are so valuable to make the trip worthwhile.

One exception to this are permanent teleportation circles, which are expensive to create (since casting the permanency spell is not the same as creating a magic item, it is not possible to use the energy of nexus towers for this purpose) - but once they are created, they can rapidly move goods and people from one part of the world to another. Nevertheless, they do not have become a convenient system of mass transportation replacing railroads. First of all, they are a security nightmare for the city using them - if someone manages to take control of them for even a short time, it becomes possible to transport a large number of enemy troops into the heart of the city. For this reason, if teleportation circles are permitted at all, they are usually established outside the city itself at a secure location (an easily collapsible cave is a favorite). Furthermore, they are fragile - a greater dispel magic spell has a good chance of destroying the circle and undoing all the hard work that went into creating it.

For these reasons, teleportation circles are either tightly controlled by the local government or other organization in good standing with the same which maintains extremely strict security precautions. Mostly they are used to transport freight, and people are only allowed to use them if they are in good standing with the organization controlling them. Teleportation circles between cities that are not ruled by the same government are all but unknown (it should be noted that the Tsan Empire maintains a network of teleportation circles for its officials and soldiers - though private citizens are denied its use - which perhaps helps explain how it manages to maintain its power over such a large area). Instead, the circles connect between the city itself and its various outposts and colonies, some of which are in far-off regions. The most famous example of these is the network connecting the city of Bodenwald to its outpost Neubodenwald in the Star Mountains, which in turn maintains circles to colonies on several other planets, most notably the diamond mines on Surtus.

DeitiesDeity TypeAlignmentDomainsDate Last Modified
ArgannonGreater DeityTNKnowledge, Law, Trickery, War9/6/2007 1:26:13 AM
BucatarLesser DeityTNAnimal, Fire, Travel9/6/2007 2:54:12 AM
CryelisLesser DeityNEDeath, Evil, Travel9/6/2007 3:07:39 AM
DahlaLesser DeityNGGood, Healing, Trickery9/6/2007 3:21:25 AM
GebralGreater DeityTNChaos, Knowledge, Law9/6/2007 3:29:01 AM
HatramoGreater DeityTNLuck, Protection, Travel9/6/2007 3:44:08 AM
JorunnosGreater DeityTNKnowledge, Luck, Travel9/6/2007 3:47:29 AM
KortusGreater DeityTNDeath, Earth, Plant9/6/2007 3:53:14 AM
MaraLesser DeityTNChaos, Knowledge, Trickery9/6/2007 3:56:40 AM
NorolLesser DeityCNAir, Chaos, Strength9/6/2007 3:59:50 AM
NyrosLesser DeityNEDeath, Evil, Luck9/6/2007 4:02:54 AM
OuneirosLesser DeityLNLaw, Protection, Strength9/6/2007 4:18:13 AM
PaliasLesser DeityTNAir, Sun, Travel9/6/2007 4:30:25 AM
SarushGreater DeityTNKnowledge, Magic, Trickery9/6/2007 4:37:38 AM
ShapratLesser DeityNEDestruction, Evil, Travel, Trickery9/6/2007 4:43:31 AM
TekelGreater DeityTNChaos, Evil, Trickery9/6/2007 4:46:22 AM
ThenosGreater DeityTNHealing, Law, Stength, Sun, War9/6/2007 4:49:01 AM
UngolGreater DeityTNProtection, Travel, Water9/7/2007 12:27:17 AM
YgrebGreater DeityTNKnowledge, Luck, Magic, Travel9/6/2007 4:53:35 AM

Culture:

Languages

Common

It is unknown when, in the distant mists of time, the first language was developed. All scholars know today is that a vast number of different languages sprang up all over the world, and that these language have such a dizzying variety of forms that it is hard to believe that they ever originally sprang from one source. The various nonhuman races often seem to have been able to hang on to “racial languages” - perhaps because of longer life spans and increased cultural homogenity. But even among them, the languages seem to gradually drift apart - a dwarf from Gol Algor will have a hard time understanding the speech of a dwarf from Gol Grungor unless he spends some time getting familiar with the dialect of the latter.

With scattered humanity, the situation was even worse. While the Atalan Empire lasted for long enough and spread far enough to allow Atalan become the language of trade, commerce and government in much of the Known Lands, when the Empire shattered it only survived as a language of scholars, wizards, and the Thenaran Church. The Tsan Empire in the Far East seems to have more success in maintaining linguistic stability, but people who have traveled there say that the Tsan too have a bewildering variety of mutually incomprehensible dialects, despite a unified system of writing.

This seemed to be the fate of humanity - to speak in a bewildering variety of languages. But 150 years ago, shortly after the Treaty of Praxus was signed and dreams of Flannish Unification were common, the noted linguist M. M. Wutenheim created a new, artificial language derived from Atalan and several local dialects. He called it the new “Common Language of All Mankind”, or “Common” for short. The language was indeed quite easy to learn and for some time became quite popular among the learned and the new elites of the Flannish cities, but as time went on, support for the language dwindled until it was only spoken among a few excentrics and those who still dreamed of the unification of the Flannish cities.

Time and Seasons

The Calendar

The official calendar used in most of the Known Lands originated with the Atalan Empire, and counts the years since the first nexus tower was erected. This calendar starts with Year 1 of the Nexus Age, or 1 NA for short. The years before that time are considered to be “Before Nexus” (BN), starting with 1 BN (or sometimes -1 NA). There is no “Year Zero” in this calendar, as the number zero had not been discovered by the Atalan Empire by this time. The current year is the year 1423 of the Nexus Age, or 1423. Though other ways of counting the years exist in some regions, even they tend to refer to this reckoning when corresponding with foreigners.

A year consists of 363 days. These days are divided into twelve months, which were originally named during the Atalan Empire after various deities or emperors. The following table lists both the modern-day name for the months as well as the “classical” Atalan version, which is still used in some high society circles as well as among occultists and some academics.
Modern NameAtalan NameNumber of DaysSeason
NorNorus30mid-winter
VarnusVarnus31late winter
AvernAvernus30early spring
JoruneJorunnos30mid-spring
VictorVictorius31late spring
NorolNorolus30early summer
MaraMara28mid-summer
KortKortus31late summer
InvarInvarius31early autumn
HatanHatanius30mid-autumn
DrususDrusus31late autumn
UngolUngolius30early winter
However, Rothea actually takes slightly longer than 363 days to revolve around the sun. For this reason, every five years (a period also known as a “pentad”) the month of Mara has 29 days instead of 28. It is said that any good deed you will perform on the 29th of Mara will be returned to you tenfold, and children born on that day are considered to be blessed by Mara herself.

Even that adjustment is not exactly accurate, as recent astronomical measurements have shown. For this reason, astronomers have proposed to eliminate the 29th of Mara in the 50th year of every second century. The first such adjustment would be in 1450 NA, but this has not yet gained widespread acceptance.

Time is also divided into weeks of seven day each. Each day is named after a different color, dating back to a custom in the Atalan Empire where the emperor’s palace would display banners of different colors each weekday (a custom still followed in certain locales to this day, especially in cities which consider themselves to be “heirs” to the glories of the Empire). The days are: Blueday, Greenday, Redday, Yellowday, Blackday, Whiteday, and Purpleday. Purpleday is a general day of rest (and even the working poor tend to get the mornings off), and many faiths hold their ceremonies on this day. On Whiteday, government offices as well as many shops are also closed, though much of the population still has to work. There is also a rich lore of superstitions regarding the significances of the various “day colors” - for example, Redday is supposed to be a lucky day for love, Greenday is a good time for garden work, while Blackday is generally considered to be “unlucky”.

The 1st of Nor of 1423, the default starting year for an Urbis campaign, is a Blueday.

Class and Station

In most of Urbis, differences of class and station between members of the same society are readily apparent. The rich and powerful live at the top of the mightiest buildings, and the poor scuttle in the shadows of the same buildings. The upper classes are always healthy and well dressed, the lower classes are frequently diseased and often dressed in little more than rags. The slum dwellers work themselves into an early grave, while the movers and shakers of city-states get resurrected until their bodies finally succumb to old age.

It used to be that status was primarily determined by how much land a person owned - the more land, the wealthier and more influential he was. This system was often codified into hereditary aristocratic titles. But while remnants of this can still be seen in many places, land ceased to be the deciding factor in a person’s worth when the nexus towers came into widespread use. Whoever controlled a city controlled its nexus towers, and their vast magical potential with them. But “control” of a city can be achieved through many different methods - through force of arms, control of vital resources, or skillful political alliances. No longer is one’s station in life fixed at birth - with enough determination, smarts, and plain good luck, anyone can claw his way to the top and proclaim himself ruler of a city.

At least, that’s the theory. But for most of the poor starving in a slum, the palatial estates of their rulers remain as out of reach as they did in earlier times.

Slaves and Serfs

Slaves and serfs have the lowest station of all people. They have in common that their lives are not their own. Even the poorest freeman can, at least in theory, emigrate from a city and try to make his fortune in another city. Not so slaves and serfs - they cannot move away without their master’s permission, they cannot marry without their master’s permission, and they cannot make a single life altering choice without getting their master’s approval first. Slaves are the actual property of another person. They can be bought and sold, and there is nothing they can legally do against this. Often, they can be killed with impunity by their masters, and if another person kills them, it is regarded as a crime against another person’s property, and not manslaughter. Some slaves have considerable freedom in going after their daily activities - but this is a privilege granted to them by their master, and not a right, and it can be revoked at any time. Slaves are either the children of slaves or were captured in a war or raid. Some people sell themselves into slavery (or are sold by others) to cover their debts.

Serfs are usually considered people by most legal systems, though usually with lesser rights than freemen. Their masters usually have some obligation towards them, like protecting them from attacks of monsters and other outsiders, or buying food for them in times of hunger, though these obligations are rarely enforced. Serfs are usually the children of other serfs - their ancestors pledged themselves to a ruler in exchange for protection. With the decline of the traditional feudal systems, such contracts become rarer. Another form of serfdom is used by certain churches - sometimes, the main money earner of a family dies while still in his prime, and leaves several dependents behind. These dependents then ask a church to have him raised. Since it would normally be impossible for a poor family to pay the money necessary for a raise dead spell, they agree to a generational contract - the family pledges to become serfs for a certain number of generations in servitude (eight is typical) in return for the spell.

Slavery and serfdom are becoming rarer in the world of Urbis, and these institutions are even outlawed in some of the more enlightened regions. However, even there slavery is far from gone - when slavery itself is illegal, slaves are used for activities that are illegal or outside of the public eye. Prostitution is especially common, for many brothels are willing to pay high prices for exotic slaves from far-off regions. Slave workers are also sometimes used for laying new railroad tracks or digging new canals, for these activities usually take place far from the prying eyes of the citizens of the city-states.

The Working Poor

Ever since an advanced understanding of the principles of agriculture and a massive use of magic have worked together to make bumper crops a regular occurrence, a much lower potion of the general population had to work in agriculture. In feudal times, nine out of ten people worked the fields. Today, only three out of ten people still do so.

Most can only work as menial laborers. They take on any job that is too low paying for the guilds and other professionals to bother with - heavy lifting at the myriad construction sites that dot the cities, helping with the annual harvest, weaving, and so on. They can’t be choosy about their jobs, since they know that there are less jobs than poor people, they can be fired at any time, and there often a dozen people competing for the same job.

The truth is that many of these working poor are worse off than slaves in other regions. A slave can at least be assured a place to sleep, something to eat, and clothes to wear, no matter how low their quality. A member of the working poor has no such certainties - he has to pay for everything, and if he can’t pay, he will have to sleep on the streets, starve, and watch his clothes fall apart. A slave has at least some worth in the eyes of his owner. A poor man without a job is of no use to anyone.

Maintaining a stable of poor workers is also often cheaper and more effective for the wealthy than owning slaves - a fact that probably explains the decline of slavery better than any supposed moral enlightenment! A slave has certain needs that must be provided for, and when all is said and done he makes a poor worker because he has no better motivation for working than avoiding the whip. A working poor can be paid very low wages, made to spend them in the employer’s stores and dormitories, and he will still be motivated to work because he knows he could fall even further.

Other poor people want the “easy way out” and fall into a life of crime. Some work as beggars, pick-pockets, burglars or prostitutes, and others join criminal organizations. Most come to a bad end - they bleed to death in a small alley or rot away in the prisons. Still, there are enough tales of criminals who either retire wealthy after a spectacular coup or become crime lords and gain access to the halls of power in a city to inspire others to follow in their footpaths. And sometimes, these tales turn out to be true. And these chances, while low, are better than the misery that is guaranteed to those who are poor and honest...

Craftsmen and Professionals

Keeping a city running smoothly requires more than just brute labor and a few people who tell others what to do. Creating high quality items, trading goods to places far and near, or overseeing lesser workers requires skills which can only be developed through years of training. The craftsmen and professionals have just these necessary skills, and they are usually able to make a good living from them. Since there is usually a high demand for their skills, they don’t have to fear being fired and replaced like the unskilled workers do. They frequently organize into professionals’ organizations to increase their power and set standards of quality, and to take care of the dependents of a guild member who dies. These guilds usually try to maintain a monopoly in their city through whatever means necessary, be they fair or foul.

The upper ranks of many guilds are often considered part of the ruling classes - they certainly command enough money, resources and influence to make the rulers of a city take notice. And in some cities, the guild leaders are the rulers of a city.

All in all, while a guild member has to work long hours day after day, he is at least sure that he can earn a decent living for the foreseeable future. And there are worse fates in the world of Urbis.

The Ruling Classes

In some cities, a family of nobles rules. In others, a council of guild leaders or merchants determines the city’s policies. And elsewhere, a ruthless despot and his circle of friends have slaughtered their way to the throne.

Regardless of the specific form the rulership of a city takes, all rulers have a few things in common. They must smart, skilled in the arts of politics, and ruthless in the application of their power. Those who don’t meet these qualifications usually don’t last long and are replaced by those who are smarter and more ruthless than they are.

The perks of being at the top are many. More gold than any sane person could possibly spend in his lifetime (but many rulers overspend nonetheless), easy access to resurrection spells, and the powers of life and death to wield over lesser mortals. Yet a ruler has many enemies who want his power for themselves. People who will go to any length to slander him, steal his allies, and make sure that he stays dead after he is slain. There are many ways of attacking someone, whether through financial, political, or magical means. Anyone who wants to stay in power needs to be ready for all of them at all times.

This means that no ruler can survive without allies. A ruler at the very least needs a trusted circle of advisers who keep watch for any threats for him - but how is he supposed to know whether his advisers are trustworthy?

The most successful rulers form dynasties, where their descendants follow in their footsteps. The ruler’s family knows that it must always present a united front to outside threats - no matter what their internal divisions might be. For if the ruler’s enemies find any weak links in the family, they can bring the ruler down, and with him, the clan’s power base is gone, and the ruler’s relatives are rendered helpless. And it is traditional in these circumstances to kill all relatives, lest one of them return and make a claim for the throne...

The young in these families are usually either subjected to the strictest form of discipline to make sure they will work hard for the honor and glory of the family when they are older, or they are left to their own devices to scheme their way to rulership - which usually means killing off all contenders. In the first case, the adults will take on incredible hardships to advance the cause of their family and gain merit in the eyes of their elders. In the second case, the adults are master schemers without peer who can usually see any plots against them from miles away.

Ruling a city offers many advantages. But those who take on the mantle of rulership are often divorced in many ways from their fellow humans - their entire way of thinking is so alien that commoners can rarely understand their true motivations.

This content is copyrighted by its creator and any contributors, and is displayed here with permission.

Genre: Medieval Fantasy Popularity: TBD Owners: 2
Maturity: S Rating: 4.8 Components: 460
Tone: Average Date Created: 6/16/2007 Last Modified: 1/21/2009

Creator: Jürgen Hubert

Ratings & Reviews

Rater: EruDepth: 5Verisimilitude: 5Gameplay: 5Creativity: 5Overall: 5Date Reviewed: 9/7/2007 10:28:13 PM
Review: Sliced bread? It ain't got NOTHIN' on Urbis.

Let's see...I love how a single, powerful concept like the Nexus Tower has taken the typical fantasy genre and flipped it on its head. The politics, the intrigue, the fresh look at old standards, the sheer coolness of the setting just make me happy.

I've also found it to be well written and perusing it is a pleasure. Though I've stared at it for some time I regularly find new nooks and crannies with some little delight - maybe a clever detail, a cool idea, a neat turn of a phrase, or a wink and a nod at gamers out there.

Urbis has a thousand pieces (well, actually 423 at the moment ;) that each fit together and create something greater than the sum of its parts. I can't wait to see how it evolves and definitely plan on contributing mightily!
Rater: QueenfangeDepth: 5Verisimilitude: 5Gameplay: 5Creativity: 5Overall: 5Date Reviewed: 9/14/2007 10:22:35 AM
Review: "Wow" doesn't begin to describe Urbis. While parts are still a bit thin, overall it has extraordinary depth. It is filled with variety but still maintains an overall consistent feel. Both combat focused parties and PCs interest in roleplaying and intrigue would be at home here. Of course, Urbis seems to be the quintessential world for my favorite aspect of playing- setting exploration.
Rater: Big GuyDepth: 5Verisimilitude: 5Gameplay: 5Creativity: 5Overall: 5Date Reviewed: 5/12/2008 6:05:44 PM
Review: An outstanding world! It is a great top-down campaign setting. My only issue is that you could have drilled down more on some of the sections. Even this lack of detail doesn't have much impact on this truly great effort.
Rater: monsmordDepth: 4Verisimilitude: 4Gameplay: 4Creativity: 4Overall: 4Date Reviewed: 9/15/2007 2:45:58 PM
Review: What I've read on the Urbis main page here at Eruvia sounds pretty darned dee-lish. I'm a bit miffed that you've gotten to the golem-powered tech before I have, and also followed a similar "age" path to the one I've been toying with the past few months - grrrr! (On the upside, I have a few ideas to offer based on my own less-than-triumphant work in these fields.) In fact the only things that actually bother me a bit are some of the naming conventions, primarily "Urbis" itself. Considering the flair of some of the other names, the "Urbis" title, while appropriate, doesn't "grab" me as nuanced or dynamic. Not that I have anything worthy to suggest to replace it, mind you, but I do tend to appreciate titles that suggest tone rather than explain the premise - I think TSR did that pretty well with "Ravenloft," "Dark Sun," etc. All in all I think Urbis is off to a fantastic start. Sweet job, sir!
Rater: valadaarDepth: 5Verisimilitude: 5Gameplay: 5Creativity: 5Overall: 5Date Reviewed: 12/6/2007 4:45:44 PM
Review: Hmm, I'm going to enjoy digging through this place if this is any indicator!
Warn you all, I don't give out 5's lightly, so here is a bunch...

Most Recently Active Locale Threads

CategoryTitleLocaleCreatorLast PosterLast Post DatePosts
Miscellaneous Urbis in 4E Urbis Jürgen Hubert Tanniynim 8/25/2008 3:30:15 PM 8
Races [4E] The new races in Urbis Urbis Jürgen Hubert Jürgen Hubert 3/4/2008 3:18:44 AM 8
Locales "Alliance of the Pantheon" is now complete Alliance of the Pantheon Jürgen Hubert Jürgen Hubert 2/23/2008 3:52:18 AM 1
Locales Revision of Tuvareen Turaveen Jürgen Hubert Jürgen Hubert 2/19/2008 4:02:45 AM 2
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Miscellaneous "To Do" list for Urbis Urbis Jürgen Hubert Jürgen Hubert 9/7/2007 12:19:54 AM 1

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