Selentines

The Selentines are an empire of humans, whose capital is Enmouth, on the Western edge of Lauredor, by the Paramer Sea. They are a great naval force, and espouse freedom, profit and enjoying life to the fullest. They also regard all trees as ships that are simply yet to be constructed.

As a culture, they refrain from metal armours and prefer bows, rapiers and other puncture-type weapons (especially tridents). Emperor Lynian rules from Enmouth, while on their ships, Captains are the absolute rulers of their domains.

Abilities and Classes

Selentines are a free-willed, energetic people who love to push limits and challenge expectations. The country is made up of mainly humans, with half-elves, elves, halflings and dwarves mixed in (in roughly that order of makeup). All Selentines, regardless of race, receive no bonus to riding-land based (not even the +3 other races receive).

Selentine Humans gain a +2 to sailing, along with a +1 to boating and swimming. Half-Elves receive a +1 to sailing. Elves living in Selentine are always of the Elvallie caste, as the Dark Forest elves are mortal enemies of the Selentines. They receive a +1 to sailing and +1 to navigation. Halflings in this land are similar to Sirian Halflings and receive one free craft proficiency. Dwarves are very rare, and never seen at sea. They are typically hill dwarves, gaining an extra 30gp at 1^st level.

Note: Elves in the Empire gain the resistances, bonus with swords and bows and abilities to move silently and detect secret openings as Elvallie elves. The have the same vision as Elvallie elves.

                Selentine dwarves gain the same resistances, ability to carry more and suffer the same magic-item failures as hill dwarves from the Grey Dwarves.

                Halflings in the Empire are similar to those in Siria, and gain the same abilities with slings and thrown weapons, silent movement and reaction bonuses.

                Selentine Half-Elves are some of the most versatile characters available. Half elves are a result of a union between an elf and either a human or a half elf. Most elf and half elf unions result in full blood elves, but a small percentage retains enough of their human heritage to be considered half elves. Half elves tend to be as tall as humans, with slightly lighter builds. They have hair and eyes that range from light to dark, like humans. Their facial appearance tends toward elven, with high cheek bones, light brows, and thin noses. They typically are found anywhere in the game world, but if raised by elves, (a rare occurrence) then they prefer woodlands.  Half elves, like half orcs, are outcasts. Neither human nor elven, they are not fully welcome in either society. Considered bastard half-breeds by many, they rarely rise above the middle classes. They seem to fit in best with adventurers, who look more to a person’s ability than their parentage. And with the elven abilities coupled with human drive and passion, half elves have the ability to become great in nearly every profession.

Half elves receive some gifts from their elven side, those being elven nightvision and infravision, secret door detection as an elf (1 2 on a d6 searching, 1 on a d6 passing), and a 30% resistance to sleep and charm related magic. All half elves receive Read/Write common or elven, and one of: Read/Write common (or elven), and Ancient History (human or elven).  Half elves follow the alignments of their parentage, and as such if they are raised by elves, they follow the elven alignment restrictions, but if they are raised by humans they may be any of the Good alignments as well as True and Lawful Neutrals.

Humans may be a bard, cleric, druid, fighter, magician, ranger, thief, wizard. Paladins are far too rigid and law-abiding to fit in.

Half-Elves may be a cleric, druid, fighter, ranger, wizard, specialist wizard, magician, thief, bard, cleric/fighter, cleric/fighter/wizard (or magician), cleric/ranger, cleric/wizard (or magician), fighter/wizard (or magician), fighter/thief, fighter/wizard (or magician)/thief, wizard (or magician)/thief, and druid/fighter.

Elves may be a cleric, fighter, wizard, magician, thief, ranger, fighter/wizard (or magician), fighter/thief, fighter/wizard (or magician)/thief, wizard (or magician)/thief.

Halflings may be a cleric, fighter, thief, fighter/thief.

Dwarves may be a cleric, fighter, thief, fighter/cleric, fighter/thief.

How the Selentines view the different classes:

Cleric – holy men and women are respected as much as the next person, as long as they don’t try to force conversion to their religion. The people of the Empire are too individualistic to put up for much prosletyzing.

Druid – respected as much as clerics, sometimes even more if they consider the sea their chosen terrain. Their kinship with the sea and sea creatures can’t help but be viewed favourably in a nation of sailors and pirates.

Fighter – the backbone of the navy and the main profession for armed men and women across the empire. They can be found in the strong Selentine army, as mercenaries and guards.

Ranger – These warriors are rare, but very well respected amongst the Selentine people, whether they are drawn to the water or the land. Land rangers are viewed as brave beyond measure as they normally encounter the elves of the Dark Forest more than others.

Wizard – Viewed in awe and wonder, the people of the Empire recognize the power and usefulness of a wizard, whether aboard a ship, or on land.

Magician – Most people can’t differentiate between wizards and magicians, but those that can find magicians even more useful than true wizards, if not as powerful.

Thief – Thieves are found on every ship, in every town and city and along the highways of the Empire. There is a strong, well-founded Thieves Guild in Enmouth – common knowledge to all that live there. They keep thievery and crime within reasonable limits, ensuring that trade flourishes.

Bard – these roguish travelers are well received in most company. Even the disreputable, scheming bards with patched clothes and playing for coppers are welcome in all of the cities of the Selentine Empire.

Leadership

Emperor Lynian rules the Selentine Empire. He calls the mighty city Enmouth his home, ruling with absolute authority there. In name, he rules the entire empire with the exception of the many ships in the country. Upon those ships, the Captains have more authority than any land position. Interestingly, Emperor Lynian decreed that he is de facto Captain of any ship he sets foot on, for as long as he is aboard.

Rulership normally passes from the current Emperor to a chosen successor – if the Emperor dies without naming a successor, there is usually a great deal of intrigue and bloodshed as different factions put forth candidates to be chosen by the Inner Circle, the Emperor’s group of advisors.

Gods of the Selentines

Among the various deities worshipped in the Empire, the most prevalent (and most popular) are Bessina (the sea and rivers), Thalain Windrider (wind and weather), Khoris Silvertongue (trade) and Yels (luck).

Cities of the Selentines

Carmel: Carmel is the Selentines' most landward town. A trading post between the Empire and the dwarves, it does well from both mining and logging, and proximity to the larger coastal towns.

Enmouth: Known for its efficient shipyards, the capital of the Selentine Empire sits on the Coast at the mouth of the En river. Emperor Lynian rules here.

Jessarton: Jessarton sits in a sheltered cove on the coast. There, its people harvest crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans from the sea floor. The winters in Jessarton are milder than other coast cities.

Marton: Marton sits on the River En, and plies the waters for its' livelihood. Under the control of the Selentine Empire, it serves as an Eastern border town.

Upbourne: The Southernmost port for the Selentine Empire, Upbourne does a lot of logging and shipbuilding. The winters here are particularly brutal, keeping the population low.

Waybourne: Waybourne is only about 12 leagues overland from Jessarton, but has a totally different economy and way of life. They don't fish crustaceans here, they produce many wicker products, herbs, leeches, and the like from the swampy inlets around the town. Some derisively call Waybourne "Frogtown".