== Game Info ==
Classes are limited to those from the Players Handbooks 1-3 (no Eberron, etc). Also, for sake of simplicity, no Hybrids (PH3).
Race is human.
Languages are (in order of expected usefulness), Common, Themelorian, Isurian, Khoran, Medorian. I'll try to make them all useful if you pick 'em 3nodding
Not going to put a blanket ban on feats in the character builder from any one source, just because that seems like it'll be really difficult (they're not sorted). Let me know what feats you're planning on taking, and if they need to be tweaked for the setting or just won't be appropriate, I'll let you know? ._.; No Dragonmark, Guild, or Tribal feats, though, please.
As far as Backgrounds go, feel free to come up with a backstory for your character outside of the whole list of backgrounds - I can grant you a small bonus or two to skills based on what you come up with. Essentially the same idea as the backgrounds, but you can spin it however you like rather than picking from a list.
== Khora ==
At present ruled by a council of 6 heads of noble houses, and 39 representatives elected by lot from the major towns of the province - all are male, though those who have had to travel have of course brought their families with them, and it is not uncommon for a man's wife to attend meetings with him.
The capital city of Khora is home to the Tower of Wings - a reclusive group of mages whose tower dominates the city skyline and whose authority is unquestioned, even by the nobles of the senate. The Tower was actually there first, or at least before Khora held any real power. During the years when the city-state was still defining its boarders and squabbling frequently with Themeloria, their neighbor to the south, the city of Khora became important due to its natural harbor. The Khorans also sought to bring the studious mages of the Tower under their control as well, but were soundly defeated by the magic the mages possessed. The Tower is thought of as a deterrent to attack, as Khora has experienced relative peace since the formal establishment of the city-state, however the mages have been conspicuously uninvolved in the recent conflicts with the Isurian colonists.
In recent memory, the Tower was known as the Temple of Words, and occupied a smaller structure. Those who live and study there are known as mages, and also as priests of the Goddess of Primal Words. Though the common people agree that they are extremely secretive, it is not uncommon at all to see the mages in the city proper. It is common knowledge that they study language and construct spells, however no details are known. Magic exists elsewhere in the world, and even within the city itself, but there are no other organizations that can hold a candle to the Tower.
The Sun and Moon are the primary gods of Khora and also Themeloria. They are roughly akin to yin and yang respectively, and many of the temples depict them as husband and wife. In their union, they spoke the world into being, and the gods that assisted them in creation can also be seen in the sky as the five visible planets. These auxiliary gods - Primal Earth, Primal Air, Primal Water, Primal Fire, and Primal Words - do not have large followings on their own, but many places will have shrines to one of them, particularly nearby corresponding natural landforms. Primal Words is deeply respected by the mages of the Tower of Wings, as she was the goddess who spread the Sun and Moon's language of creation to the world, thus giving humans magic.
For alignment purposes:
the Sun is LG
the Moon is CG
Primal Earth and Primal Words are LN
Primal Air is N
Primal Fire and Primal Water are CN
Khorans and Themelorians also practice ancestor veneration. Those who have passed on join the stars in the sky, which are imagined to be the lights of extremely distant cities where these souls reside. Oaths are sworn on the stars of ancestors, and those who die are said euphemistically to "cross the star veil". Astrology is also important, though it is much more concerned with the aptitudes of a person in connection with the planets in order to determine where his star will fall when he dies. Astronomy is fairly advanced, and there are some organized schools on the subject in major cities, but there are no constellations - stars are cities on a map, rather than points of pictures in the sky.
== Themeloria ==
A very merchant-driven city, used primarily as a center for trade. Its position makes it useful for moving of ships, as well, however. The city is ruled by a king, elected from a council of merchants. Only the rich families may submit candidates or have any say in who is elected, but both men and women have served as the monarch of Themeloria. The merchant families work together well enough, and the largest tend to maintain their own small private militaries, but are united enough to work together as a single city-state. Each large family has a coat of arms which they wear with pride; smaller familites may not have their own, but if they have associated themselves with a larger group, they may wear their patron's colors.
Recently, the city has been strained as Isurians settling to the south along the coast have turned more expansionist. Isurian ships have troubled other city-states' maritime interests in recent years, as well, but Themeloria has been the hardest hit - likely because they are so reliant on the trade that passes through their capital. Smaller Themelorian cities to the south have somewhat tenuous relationships with the Isurian settlements which have been primarily peaceful, but in the last four or five years, reports of raids have become more common, and the populations of Isurian settlements have grown drastically. They have primarily been seeking food in their trade endeavors, and offering metal in return, mostly in the form of smelted but unforged bars.
The capital city is located at the mouth of the Rhellon River, but it was constructed so that the river's occasional floods rarely cause extensive damage in town. The rest of Themeloria's lands are flat and fertile, and the numerous farming villages and larger towns that dot the countryside are well-connected by an extensive road system. The Themelorian merchant-nobles are of course interested in facilitating trade throughout their city-state, and therefore the roads are kept in the best possible condition. Quality still suffers in outlying areas, but even the furthest reaches of Themeloria have better roads than similar areas in Khora or Medoria.
== Medoria ==
Medoria is not quite a unified city state yet, and the towns are largely feudal, ruled by separate minor nobles. They occasionally squabble with each other, however there are no major conflicts going on at present. The coastal towns are all fishing villages, while further inland, the land is mostly forested. Medorians throughout are known for their woodcrafts, and many of them export lumber, particularly to the Themelorians up north. More recently, the Isurian colonists have been trading for lumber as well. They also clear the trees in places to farm.
The coastal towns and those just inland have gotten along a bit better with the Isurian colonists since they do not have the same large-scale interests as the merchant families of Themeloria controlling them, and it is not unheard of for the Medorians and Isurians to intermarry. This has only become a reasonably common occurrence, however, and most half-Medorians are not yet adults.
== Isur ==
All you mainlanders do not know much about them, except that they are generally darker-skinned than most mainlanders, with the possible exception of some Medorians, and they come from an island off the coast of Themeloria. They have been building colonies all along the coast, from the city of Themeloria south, and generally trade metals and metal goods. They also brought with them some interesting fruits, and some beasts of burden that look like miniature horses with strangely-shaped heads and bumps on their backs. Such things are strange but not unheard of in Themeloria and Medoria, and largely rumors in Khora.
Isurians are also known to fight well from horseback, and typically carry heavy single-bladed swords and polearms like naginata and pudao. They are also strange polytheists, but not terribly much beyond that is known about their religion.
Once you have your character finished, please fill this out and comment with it, so I have it handy ninja
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