Arcana: Iron and Magic
- Ether - magical power and knowledge
- Force - magical application
- Life - trade/diplomacy and personal development
- Matter - order/bureaucracy
- Void - exploration and sea/skymanship
The World
Arcana: Threads of Religions
Arcana: Schools of Magic
Arcana: The Alfar Empire
The Continents of Arcana
Thule
The smallest continent of Arcana, Thule is a cold, windswept land dominated by rugged landscapes and boreal forests. Only visited by the Alfar during the Late Imperial period, it was never truly conquered and many small 'barbarian' kingdoms here were never exposed to the advances of Alfar civilization. During the Succession War many raiding bands set out from Thule to both trade and pillage in equal opportunity; most of these fell on the northern shores of Lemuria, though a few reached Mu.
More recently, Thule became the seat of last holdouts from the Necromantic War. Their summoned ice giants and Jotun armies easily swept the local defenders before them and decades later, as the tide turned against them the necromancer-lords of Thule set their defenses for an invasion that ultimately never came. With the necromantic powerbase already shattered and the so-called Alliance of Light splintering after years of grinding advance, the Council of Lothlorian could not pull together the needed forces to force more than a token invasion and in 5203 the Alliance officially disbanded.
As a result, Thule remains under the control of several necromancer-lords to this day, though as they conspire against each other and whatever paranoid delusions they increasingly harbour, their grip on Thule loosens. As for the inhabitants of Thule, surprisingly little has changed. Lacking the powerful defenses and armies of Lemuria or Atlantis, they were walked over with few scuffles and soon began paying taxes to the distant sorcerors that they now called Lord. Many other small kingdoms simply surrendered, and to this day more than half of Thule's 'civilized' land remains in the hands of these princes and kinglets who have began to learn from and conspire with the necromancer-lords.
Lemuria
The largest and most populous continent of Arcana, Lemuria has a varied climate, ranging from torrential chaos jungle fringing the far north-west to warm and dry 'mediteranean' along the western and northern coasts, with the inland ranging from grassy plains to savannah to outright desert, climatically seperated from the northern coast by a range of mountains. The southern coast is often dry and the eastern continent tends towards hilly or mountainous, with misty forests and sharp winters. The island of Oyvind is almost entirely submerged in the Great Roar and is continually wracked by devatating storms and high winds.
Conquered by successive Alfar rulers during the Early Imperial period, Lemusia is rich and cosmopolitan and believed to be the origin point for a number of races, including the Midgar and Uruk. It enjoyed millenia of civilization and as a consequence even the notoriously barbarian Uruk that hail from Lemuria tend to be urbane and polished. Unfortunately, the Succession War hit Lemuria hard and the former Imperial Provinces fall into dissaray, spawning dozens of major nations and hundreds (if not thousands) of lesser ones. Lemuria was also the site of the largest number of battles during the Necromantic War, and many areas are still poisoned or irradiated by the bizzare and terrifying weapons of the war.
Mu
The origin of the Alfar Empire, Mu is a sinious continent covered in rugged jungle in the north-east, fading to the perfectly-manicured Alfar forests that make up much of the south. Ancient cities dot this, built and maintained in aesthetic harmony with nature. Belowground the vast warforges of the Alfar lie, banished out of sight but ready to once again produce the myriad technomagical weapons of the Imperial troops.
The Imperial Provinces of Mu were never broken up like those of Lemuria; it remains too close to the capital on the shores of the Mare Veris. The lords of Mu continue their centuries-old schemes and conspiracies to put their favored candidate on the vacant Imperial Throne, broken only by the fifty-year Necromantic War.
Rutas
The 'Dark Continent', Rutas was originally visited during the Early Imperial period, though it was only truly conquered during the Late Imperial. Geographically it has vast expanses of jungle and swamp in the center of the continent; while host to potentially lucrative expeditions for the strange plants and animals here, the native life is very dangerous. To add to the draw, the center of the continent is also home to many ancient ruins that predate the Alfar Empire. Even today these jungles have been poorly explored and the inhabitants of Rutas generally live on the uplands that wind around the outer edge of the continent where the climate is far more agreeable.
The Rules
To start, all nations have a total of 200 points to spend exclusively on Domains and a further 200 points to be spent on any area of their choosing, such as races, extra domains and military forces. Military forces are purchased at 1 point = 250 Gold. For this purpose consider 1 Mana or 1 Adamantium to be equal to 1 gold, 1 Books to be 5 gold, 1 Horses or Beasts to be 10 Gold and 1 Levistone to be equal to 25 Gold.
Record of Changes - Things that have been changed that are probably important.
Races of Arcana
The cost in points is to unlock a given race; normally one per nation, though Highborn races can have additional Baseborn races at a cost of +10 points per race. They may then be assigned to any domain as desired.
The ancient Alfar had names for most of the races they encountered, while these have either fallen out of use or undergone permutation, they are still widely used. The Alfar term is in brackets.
Baseborn Races
Humans (Midgar)
- The generic
- Racial Alignment: None
Orks (Uruk)
- Originally tribal, some are now civilized. Can be green, brown or red.
- Racial Alignment: Matter
- Infantry units are tougher
- Mage units are weaker
Goblins (Ruk-Tai)
- Surface ones are mostly in isolated regions, underground ones are angry.
- Racial Alignment: Void
- +1 to all Drafts
- Infantry units are weaker
Dwarves (Devgar)
- Short guys that like beer and live in underground halls.
- Cost: 20
- Underdark Race
- Racial Alignment: Force
- Infantry units are tougher
- +25% to all Mine output
- -1 Common draft
Beastfolk
- Catgirls and furries, oh my!
- Cost: 5-20
- Racial Alignment: Void
- May chose one Beast ability at 5 points, 2 at 12 or 3 at 20.
Lizardmen
- Primitive reptilian humanoids that come from the deep deserts far from civilization.
- Cost: 5
- Racial Alignment: Life
- Infantry units are faster
- May buy Lizard Wastes
- Immune to attritionary effects of Wastes and Lizard Wastes
- May not build Mechanical units
Frogmen
- Primitive reptilian humanoids that come from the deep deserts far from civilization.
- Cost: 10
- Racial Alignment: Life
- Infantry units are faster
- Immune to attritionary effects of Marshy Wastes
- Marshy Wastes produce +1 food, and +2 Common Draft
- May not build Mechanical units
Highborn Races
Noble races can 'buy' Common race Domains to represent feudal (or enslaved) underclasses.
Elves (Alfar)
- Fuck'n pointy-ears
- Cost: 20
- Racial Alignment: Ether
- Ranged and Mage units are more powerful
- Wilds generate +1 Food and +10 Mana
- May buy Elven Wilds
- All Common draft halved
Dark Elves (Dokkar)
- Underground Elves
- Cost: 20
- Underdark Race
- Racial Alignment: Ether
- Ranged and Mage units are more powerful
- All Noble and Mage units reduce Mana upkeep by 5
- All Common draft halved
God-Blooded (Asgar)
- Humans with a touch of ancient god in their bloodline
- Cost: 25
- Racial Alignment: Life
- Infantry and Mage units are stronger and tougher
- All Noble and Mage units reduce Mana upkeep by 10
- All Common draft halved
Monster Races
Monster races require GM approval to play. All Monster races cost double to raise and upkeep (discounting equipment)
Draconians
- Mutated dragon eggs, one of the more unpleasant by-blows of the Necromantic War. They're angry
- Cost: 40
- Racial Alignment: Matter
- All non-mechanical units are tougher, breathe fire and fly
- May not use Horses
Trolls (Jotnar)
- Big green regenerating guys
- Cost: 40
- Racial Alignment: Void
- All non-mechanical units are much stronger and tougher
- All non-mechanical units regenerate
- May not buy Cities
- All drafts halved
Dryads
- Half-plant, half-human physical tree spirits. Insular.
- Cost: 40
- Racial Alignment: Life
- All non-mechanical units are much stronger and tougher
- All mechanical units are grown at Wood Nodes, not built (see below)
- Wilds generate +1 Food and +20 Mana
- May buy Elven Wilds
- May not buy Countryside
- All drafts halved
Iron Dryads
- What happens when you put a Dryad grove in an iron smelter
- Cost: 40
- Racial Alignment: Force
- All non-mechanical units are much stronger and tougher
- All mechanical units are grown at Fire Nodes, not built (see below)
- All units reduce Mana upkeep by 5
- Wilds generate +25 Mana
- May not buy Countryside
- All drafts halved
Revenants
- Self-willed undead from the Necro War. May not look like zombies or skeletons.
- Cost: 25
- Racial Alignment: Void
- All non-mechanical units are tougher
- All units have certain magical resistances/immunities
Dryad growth rules: As almost everything Dryads make is grown and sculped from living trees, they do not need the raw materiels or manufacturing sites that other races do. They may pay Adamantium costs in Mana and can construct mechanical devices at the appropriate node - normally Life-aligned, but Iron Dryads use a Force-Essence permutation.
Domains
Domains are what make up your nation, the real estate so to speak. They are where your people live and work and have a very real effect on your national character.
Domain Limits
A nation may have up to 12 domains without any problem, however past that there is a surcharge of +10 points per additional domain. In the turbulent times after the Necromantic War, few large states exist. A Domain can have at maximum two mines/quarries and one of every other type of site. As such a Mountain domain can have a Keep, a Town and two Gold Mines, but not a Keep, a Town, a Gold Mine, a Levistone Quarry and an Adamantium Mine.
Countryside
- Cultivated fields interspersed with small forests, creeks, etc.
- 10 points
- Produces 2 Food and 100 Gold
- 3 Common Draft
- Horses
Wilds
- Deeper forests of virgin oaks and old-growth cedar.
- 5 points
- Produces 50 Gold
- 1 Common Draft
- Somewhat defensible
- Beasts
Hills
- Rolling hills, often with small woodcutting or ranching operations. A popular site for gold mines, both collapsed and non-collapsed.
- 10 points
- Produces 150 Gold
- 1 Common Draft
- Defensible
- Adamantium, Gold
Mountains
- Tall, snow-capped peaks with the occasional high pass and raging river.
- 5 points
- Produces 50 Gold
- Very defensible
- Adamantium, Levistone, Gold
Wastes
- Deserts, swamps or tundras. Not nice places to be, but they make great borders.
- 1 point
- Attritionary
- Beasts
Demesne
- 20 points
- Produces 1 Food, 100 Gold and 250 Mana
- Adamantium, Levistone
Underdark
- 15 points
- Produces 1 Food, 50 Gold and 125 Mana
- 1 Common Draft
- Adamantium, Gold
- Very Defensible
- Beasts
- Is associated with another Domain
Underdark Lightfield
- 20 points
- Produces 3 Food, 50 Gold and 125 Mana
- 2 Common Draft
- Adamantium, Gold
- Defensible
- Beasts
- Is associated with another Domain
Underhaven
- 25 points
- Produces 50 Gold and 375 Mana
- Adamantium, Gold
- Very Defensible
- Beasts
- Is associated with another Domain
Sites
Sites are geographical entities that are relatively small; cities, castles, nodes, etc. They must be placed in a Domain.
Fortifications
- Many militarized borders have large walls, or else frontier fortifications. The practice has waxed and waned over the millenia, but dates back to the early expansion of the Alfar Empire.
- 10 points
- Must be seized and captured before the associated Domain can be conquered.
Keep
- Large fortified castles, complete with forges, smithies, bowyers, enchanters, ridiculously giant cannons, early-warning scrying pools and a rickety wizard's castle.
- 30 points
- Requires 1 Food and 100 gold
- Produces 250 Mana and 10 Books
- 2 Noble Draft
- Must be seized and captured before the associated Domain can be conquered.
- Maintains 25 gold/month of units free of charge, so long as they remain in the Domain.
Town
- Vital cogs in a nation's economy, Towns are home to thousands of people. Like Keeps, they are home to various craftspeople and specialists.
- 10 points
- Requires 1 Food
- Produces 200 Gold and 10 Books
- 2 Common Draft
City
- Much larger than Towns, Cities are centers of commerce and production. It is in Cities that the most powerful and amazing weapons and magics are crafted.
- 50 points
- Requires 5 Food
- Produces 1000 Gold, 250 Mana and 30 Books
- 6 Common Draft, 1 Noble Draft
- Production sites for all Mechanical units.
Underhold
- Even the denizens of the Underdark build cities, vast halls full of the myriad different tasks of civilization.
- 50 points
- Requires 4 Food
- Produces 700 Gold, 500 Mana and 30 Books
- 5 Common Draft, 1 Noble Draft
- Production sites for all Mechanical units.
- Must be sited in an Underdark Domain.
Paddocks
- A proper site for rearing and keeping horses that typically includes stable buildings and fenced-in lands. Also tends to be a hub for experts in matters of training and equipment.
- 10 points
- Requires 1 Food
- Produces 30 Horses
Stockades
- A fortress-like site with well-built walls and enclosures intended to keep dangerous or simply huge creatures which are brought in from the wilds to be trained or otherwise conditioned. Naturally it is a focal point for hunters, trackers and woodsmen. The occasional escape tends to motivate average folks to keep well away, though.
- 10 points
- Requires 1 Food, -1 Common Draft to the domain it is in
- Produces 25 Beasts
Wizard's Tower
- Large, tall, possibly crooked and glows a faint greenish-yellow-purple at night.
- 10 points
- Produces 50 Books
Gold Mine
- Gold (or other similar precious materiels like silver and gems) need to be laboriously extracted from the earth to enrich the local lord.
- 10 points
- Produces 250 Gold
Adamantium Mine
- The reddish, incredibly tough metal known as Adamantium is prized across Arcana. While it makes excellent armor and weapons, it is one of the few substances (and by far the most available) that can be used to construct the frames of Guymelefs.
- 10 points
- Produces 250 Adamantium
Levistone Quarry
- Levistones are chunks of Arcana's rock that have become so infused with mana that they can ignore the grip of gravity. In some select areas these can be quarried and then floated to the shipyards where they become the keel of skyships.
- 10 points
- Produces 10 Levistones
Nodes
Air Node
- Often the sites of continual lightning, rain, snow and other more unusual atmospheric phenomenon. A flare at an Air Node can send storms across a continent, providing much-needed rain - or ruining crops.
- 50 points
- Ether-Aligned
- Each Air Node provides 1250 Mana
- Increases non-Node mana by 5%
Fire Node
- Archetypically a bubbling volcano, though vast fields of bubbling mud or geysers is not uncommon. More rarely, Fire Nodes can be twisted spires of rocks, dispersing raw energy into the air - or those venturing unwisely close.
- 50 points
- Force-Aligned
- Each Fire Node provides 1250 Mana
- Reduces Mana cost of Constructs by 10%
Wood Node
- The vibrant energy of a Wood Node imbues the local forests with unnatural vitality, turning them into vegetative battlegrounds of constantly-growing trees, creepers and other flora.
- 50 points
- Life-Aligned
- Each Wood Node provides 1250 Mana
- Increases Wilds and Marshy Wastes draft by +1
Earth Node
- Often taking the form of ridiculously rugged mountains that are fairly bursting with precious gems and ores, Earth Nodes are the foci of the geomantic forces of Earth magic.
- 50 points
- Matter-Aligned
- Each Earth Node provides 1250 Mana
- Increase Gold income by 5%
Water Node
- Endless fonts of crystal-clear water that fades to the deepest indigo above their unknown depths, Water Nodes are sources of pure water, even when they are found in an ocean.
- 50 points
- Void-Aligned
- Each Water Node provides 1250 Mana
- Increases City and Keep drafts by +1 each
Spirit Node
- It is difficult to define a Spirit Node with any certainty, save that those who unknowingly travel through them will find fires not shedding heat, no animals to hunt and enigmatic dreams that can never be properly recalled.
- 50 points
- Spirit-Aligned
- Each Spirit Node provides 1250 Mana
Unique Nodes
The Sun
- Ether/Force aligned
The Clouds
- Force/Life aligned
Yggdrasil
- Life/Matter aligned
The Core
- Matter/Void aligned
The Skies
- Void/Ether aligned
The Sea of Chaos
- Ether/Life aligned
The Heartsforge
- Force/Matter aligned
World's End
- Life/Void aligned
The Font of Creation
- Matter/Ether aligned
The Grand Flow
- Void/Force aligned
Resources
- Horses
- Warhorses, in specific. Needed to equip any unit with Warhorses.
- Adamantium
- A crucual component in making Guymelefs.
- Levistone
- What keeps skyships in the air.
- Books
- Mages need books.
- Common Draft
- Commoners are the bulk of any military, coming from various lower classes.
- Noble Draft
- The nobles are the priviledged few of titled birth, typically forming the hard core of a Lord's military.