Interview with Felix Sundown (Part 1)

I am not really sure why I have agreed to do this interview. Perhaps I’m worried that, once I do eventually die, there will not otherwise be anyone else to tell my story. Or, perhaps its because, given the recent discovery of the Feywyrd, I am now finally able to speak about things that I’ve been forced to be quiet about for over four hundred years. Whatever the reason, consider yourself fortunate to be the one to hear it first, before things get twisted by history’s lens. There is so much to tell though, I guess I might as well get started at the beginning. You asked me to introduce myself? Fair enough.

My name is Felix Sundown. In a children’s book, I might be called a gnome or perhaps a troll, but these terms are in truth derogatory names that have replaced the proper name for my kind: Fey. I have lived for more than six hundred years, with the last four centuries confined within the walls of Loaerth, the city of my captor and once teacher, The Archivist. Recently, I finally managed to escape the cursed bonds that have kept me silent for so long. How? I can only guess, but I suspect that it is because someone else discovered the fate of the Feywyrd, and thus unwittingly released me from my bonds. Allow me to explain…

When I first arrived in Loaerth the world was a place full of colorful and fantastical creatures of all sorts. Mythic demihumans, fey beasts and strange magic were commonplace. It was a world of abundance and diversity, where imagination was the only limit on possibility. I was a student of this magic, a Steward of Aram Court in fact. I had come to Loaerth to further my training under the tutelage of the Archivist Eurig Talfrun. He accepted me as his last student and bonded me into service. The bond was one from the Old Ways, a curse really. At the time I felt it was worth the sacrifice: a little of my freedom to be the sole pupil of one of the most influential archivists in all the realms. Little did I know of Talfrun’s ambitions, and it took decades before I eventually regarded my bond to him as a curse.

You may have heard a story of something the Helfay that happened an eon ago. It is often used as the reason humankind can lay claim to all the world and why Loaerth can expand the boundaries of its empire unopposed. But the Helfay is not a myth – it happened. The whole world was as I described it: a fantastical place full of strange and magical things. Then, in an instant, poof! On one mid-winter night all the world’s strange and mythical creatures, the Feywyrd as they were called, vanished in a silent icy moment. From wizards and students sleeping in Aram Court, to dwarves deep in Forgeholme. From dragons sailing on the winds of the Faertwins, to myrmidons a thousand leagues under the Degra Sea. Their lights just went out as they vanished like fireflies in the twilight. Whole kingdoms vanished in fact. I expect all the world’s Feywyrd vanished, save for one: me. You see, the Helfay was not an act of the gods, but an act of greed and hubris by a man, my master Eurig. It was the result of an ancient ritual he believed would return the Feywyrd the world he believed they came from. But he failed, and the failure carried with it the instant annihilation of not just the Feywyrd, but every other creature beyond the horizons of Loaerth.

Since I unknowingly participated in this ritual, I was fortunately protected by it, and soon found myself to be the last of the Fey. Eurig also allowed me to live on as his assistant and pupil. I was now a curiosity to him. He was the last of the Archivists, the only remaining practitioner of the Old Ways, and having the last of the Fey as his personal thrall was too great a prize to ignore. He bonded me to him again, only this time his bond would last until the Feywyrd returned, something he believed would never happen.

It was no coincidence that, after the Helfay, the people of Loaerth soon discovered the King and the royal family had vanished as well. They soon appointed Eurig Talfrun as Regent of Loaerth, and in time he became the leader of the world’s only remaining civilization: the Empire of Loaerth.

What else would you like to know?

Loaerth & Feywyrd’s Feytroll And Other Possibilities

Edited by Cassey Toi

As I alluded to in the opening post about Loaerth & Feywyrd (Interview with Felix Sundown, Part 1), there’s much more than just “MAN” walking around in the world. Or, at least, there used to be. What I haven’t decided on yet though is exactly what the other races will be. Stock fantasy races, even if you mash-up the cultures a bit (elves underground! dwarves living in trees! oh my!) has been done well enough. Now, this isn’t to say that “been there done that” is something to avoid though, obviously it works. Players get a lot of options; they are familiar with the stock fantasy line up (dare I say Tolkien-esque line up?); and they know the sticking points of each race from the start. This means there’s less overall pre-game work that needs to be done to get a good handle on what’s available.

On the other hand, L&F is a blank slate that I’m hoping to develop collaboratively with the community (meaning you – the reader). So, instead of just dropping all 35 (!) races from the D&D cosmos into L&F, the better approach is perhaps to come up with some themes first, choose which races work, which don’t and what new races we might want to see. We have to work backwards, flesh out the back-story of L&F a bit more, and develop what races are present in the game at the start. But even before we do that – we know already that there’s one race that is new.

Feytrolls – Concepts and Backgrounds

Felix Sundown is a feytroll, but I don’t explain much as to what exactly that means when I introduced him. Obviously, we need to explore the concept behind feytrolls a bit more.

In appearance, Feytrolls are somewhat like faeries with a strong dose of house fly thrown in. They are small, plump humanoids standing about 2 to 3 feet in height, but often weigh in at over 50 lbs. or thereabouts. Their rotund faces feature a pair of prominent, bulging compound eyes that are glazed over like stained glass windows. Humans frequently feel uncomfortable in the presence of a feytroll because there’s no telling what they are looking at. In fact, they are quite capable of looking at many things at once.

In addition to their eyes, the other striking feature of a feytroll is the fly like wings that adorn their backs. While functional and flight worthy, these can not, however, carry them more than a dozen yards or so before they need to sit down to take a rest. They are usually too fat to go much further than that. More often than not, they prefer to simply walk at a leisurely pace to “take it all in” as they say.

As a race, they are generally cunning, quick to react, persistent in the face of opportunities, and patient while waiting for them. They see beauty in the grotesque, and much to their disgust and frustration often find value in the trash of others. Humans, who are often apt to throw away things that are broken or seemingly useless, could learn a thing or two from them.

They are not a violent race, which is perhaps one of the reasons why before the Helfay they were frequently enslaved by humans and the other races who could tolerate them. With their keen senses, and quick reflexes, Feytrolls often made excellent servants to kings and wealthy merchants on the lookout for assassins or tricksters looking to fool them. Feytrolls are not easily fooled by anyone. They see the world as it is, and are quite skilled at adapting to and surviving the worst of it.

Before the Helfay, feytrolls in the more civilized areas of the world integrated in to society as best they could. Many spent their lives as servants or serfs trying to buy their own freedom. Those that did, usually became merchants who traded in rare books and antiquities. They never did well as merchants who traded in foodstuffs or other perishables, except perhaps for the Sugar Cartels (who were rumored to have all been led by a brotherhood of rapacious feytrolls). A few feytrolls became great scholars in their time. Their powers of observation served them well as academicians, and even better as practitioners of magic and sorcery.

The Short Story of Felix Sundown

Felix Sundown, a feytroll, is an academic and sorcerer. He is the son of a petty bookseller who managed to buy his family’s freedom at an early age. Felix never knew slavery as a child, and he was better for it. To him, nothing was impossible to achieve. He entered Aram Court as a young adult, and stayed there for years of scholarly training. Eventually Felix received the title of Steward, which permitted him to openly study the Old Ways (a complex set of rituals and spells that are kept secret from Provincial Wizards). In only a few years he managed to master Aram Court’s most secret rituals, so he left to seek out training from the Archivist Eurig Talfrun in Loaerth City. Eurig agreed to take him on as a student, but only if Felix agreed to bond himself as a thrall to Eurig. Felix agreed, and remained his silent servant for centuries as a result.

Other Races in Laaerth & Feywyrd

As I mentioned above, these haven’t really been nailed down. This may be because I need to rough out the history of the world first, or at the very least come up with some general themes to help decide the issue. So far in L&F we have a couple of themes already: the humans that remained in Loaerth are a society of low-tech steampunk with a heavy dose of manifest destiny and witch burning; the rest of the races who vanished in the Helfay are back, but have vastly sharpened their knowledge of the arcane in the centuries that have past (likely due to isolation or surviving the harsh world of Feywyrd… hasn’t been worked out yet). What else works with this?

Stock fantasy races I think would rub the existing themes the wrong way. Maybe I’m wrong (leave a comment and let me know!), but if we were to include elves, dwarves, gnomes, dragonborn (blech…) and the like – it just wouldn’t work. We would need to pick and choose. I’m currently thinking that elves and dwarves might work with the least amount of tweaking. The other races? Not so sure. Tieflings and Dragonborn? No way, just doesn’t resonant at all with the setting. Gnomes? Perhaps. Haflings? Maybe, but i feel like the feytrolls fill that niche for the most part.

BEARS

Yes, the last thing that keeps crossing my mind is that perhaps what might make the setting interesting is to introduce some more “naturalistic” races. Talking Bears keep coming to mind. Maybe its because I recently saw The Golden Compass, or that my son (who is learning to read) keeps reading Father Bear because he can. But then again…  I mean.. who wouldn’t want to play an armored steampunk talking bear?

EVIL GENIUS RACES

What sort of evil genius race works well in a fantasy steam punk mashup? Illithids – nope, that’s WotC “product identity”. Chtulu? Sure, but – HP Lovecraft just scares me. I’m thinking of (typically) non-playable humanoid races – in D&D these are often referred to as “monster races”. Once again, I keep thinking of a more naturalistic angle. The juxtaposition of naturalistic races against the brass and steam of the Loaerthians (the humans that stayed after the Helfay) is just something that keeps me interested. Perhaps something completely new? Or a derivative of something that is already out there? A race of porcupine-like gnolls who live in the Highlands of  Korgugo? Xenophobic chameleon-like yuan-ti isolated for centuries on The Island? Do you have any suggestions? We’d love to hear them.

In any case, this is all open for discussion and fairly fluid. If you’re a fan of Nevermet Press – or a content developer – throw in your input and leave a comment! This entire post is intended to drive discussion and get people thinking. Everyone’s input, no matter how small, can be a spark…

The Feytroll – Now with Video!

Heya folks. Jonathan asked me if I would be willing to do a character portrait of Felix Sundown. Intrigued by the concept of the feytroll, I jumped at the chance.

Here on the left is the initial sketchwork stage. I emailed this to Jonathan and asked if he had any suggestions/critiques he could offer at this point.

I like this stage in the process. It’s ‘fast and dirty’, but it feels like real progress very quickly. Later in the process, things move a bit more slowly and I sometimes get bored too quickly. At this point, I’m able to make massive changes to the image without feeling like I wasted time with previous versions.

Jonathan’s suggestions all seemed to point to making our little friend a bit more… repugnant, so I moved in that direction fairly quickly.

And here we have a more refined version in greyscale.

Hairy little bugger, with those bulging eyes (though he tries to hide them a bit with his glasses and hat) and I think that I managed to make his wings a bit more realistic. And those jowels… yeesh.

Anyone else think he looks like a certain singer who really liked his peanut butter and banana sandwiches?

Anywhoozle -- I’ve included a quick video to show you the process better than I could describe. As always -- I welcome your feedback! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Interview with Felix Sundown (Part 2)

Edited by Cassey Toi

Hello again!

Finally, we  have time to sit down and discuss Loaerth & Feywyrd again. What a pleasure! I’m glad to see you again, and this time around lets chat some more about the Fey. Some of you had some questions, and hopefully we’ll get them answered.

Who are the Fey you ask? Well, for one, feytrolls aren’t all of them. There is fey blood running through the veins of creatures other than my own kind. Our brothers and sisters in magic, whose very flesh is made or tainted with the stuff of the Feywyrd, include elves, hodolu faerys, giants, myrmidons and many others which I have not even had the chance to meet.

Some, like the elves, were in the World since the dawning of history, they are not true natives of the World. Looking back eons, myth speaks of the elves fleeing from another world into our own. They fled, as an entire race, from things so dark and unspeakable that the names were eventually either lost or stricken from their history. They stayed and made a home here. It’s also thought that the elves brought my people, the feytrolls, with them as servants, watchers, and scholars. And, they brought with them Magic.

The humans at the time were probably living as tribal nomads, or in rudimentary villages when Magic was first taught to them. The World’s primitive dwarf and troll peoples are believed to have been unable to learn its secrets or refused it at the outset. Nonetheless, the humans learned about magic from these elven newcomers and, within a few generations, boasted formidable sorcerers and ritualists in their own right. Eventually, the dwarves and trollkind also fostered traditions of Magic that were unique to each of their racial heritages.

In time, the elves prospered and eventually became the dominant race of the world. They eventually built vast civilizations on the backs of trolls and dwarves. Humans, for the most part, escaped this fate and were able to live in relative peace with their elven counterparts. But only the men and women of Loaerth managed to carve out an independent existence. These people, and perhaps a few more in other pockets of the World, escaped subjugation at the hands of the elves through careful negotiation and strong military might.

What is Loaerth? Just look out the window! Loaerth is a coastal city state that sits on the edge of the Degra Sea. Loaerth has a long, and deep rooted, history of independence. It’s a city of merchants and scholars, soldiers and sailors, artists and thieves. Loaerth is a flickering light, struggling to stay lit even as the winds of change try to blow it out. It is and has been the center of the world for five centuries, ever since the Helfay left the world a vacant place. All the non-Fey, the races of Man, have grown to call Loaerth home. They have also ventured far out into the wild to explore the empty frontier – empty because there are whole cities that were suddenly devoid of anyone living there after the Helfay.

What are the people of Loaerth like? Considering you are no doubt new here, I’ll take a bit more care in answering that. Well, for one, the humans of Loaerth for the most part keep to traditional, plain dress. All too often you will see a man or woman dressed decidedly boorishly, only to be sporting the latest clockwork or coal-work gizmo, bauble, or trinket. “The more it whirls, the more it twirls.” they say. I’m still not sure what in the gods name that means, but you’ll hear them say it all the time

The dwarves of Loaerth are staunchy folk. Quick to anger, but dependable. Clever too. Most of the new gizmos and “wonders of the world” that have been made in the last century or so were invented by dwarven machinists. As you would expect, most dwarves love to drink ale and eat hearty meals that would send many a grown man to a physician. The interesting thing about dwarves is the way they live. Their homes are dense, I mean 10 to 20 families to a house. They prefer these deep basements where they all lay about in tight quarters. I’ve heard them say it makes them feel “safe” while they sleep. Baths? Forget about it. They do take dust baths in the summer, but I have yet to see a dwarf with a bar of soap. Not that they are averse to water, but soap for some reason is taboo.

The trolls of Loaerth are few and far between. Most trollkind moved out of the city a century or so ago after a great fire burned the Troll Ghetto to the ground. They have a few scattered communities , so I’ve heard, hidden away in valleys rarely traveled by city folk. They are more commonly seen along the frontier. Trolls are a quiet, thoughtful folk. Slow to anger and gentle with their hands, even for their great size. You will often see trolls in the employ of merchants looking to travel, or in the company of explorers venturing out to the frontier in the hopes of finding lost riches. Trolls, unlike dwarves, have a unique language that has never gone out of use. It is said that they do not write down their own history, but that it is part of their language so by using trollspeak, “Gua’Fig Na”, they are keeping their history alive as well.

There’s so much more to tell. I’m just at a lost on where to start or to continue from. What else would you like to know? Please ask me anything! Leave a comment after this interview is done, or send me question via tweeting birds.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with a common nighttime blessing for children:

“May the gods wrap me in copper and coal. Protect me from harm, and heat my soul. May my dreams spark the light keeps hodolu away, and may I wake with my heart free from the Fey” – Blessing For a Child’s Night

The Races of Loaerth & Feywyrd

Welcome back!

Over the next couple of weeks we will be detailing each of the player races that will be available in the Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting for Savage Worlds. Last month, I posted some musings about how the races might play out in L&F, and got some great suggestions from the community as a result. Today, I’ll reveal some details about each of them, allowing your imaginations to run wild. Tomorrow, I’ll be releasing the full details about the infamous Loaerth & Feywyrd Troll – it will be something to feast your eyes on!

And remember, as always with all things at Nevermet Press: your comments are welcome and expected! We take them to heart and want our games to be shaped by the community we are building here. If you are taking the time to visit, then the least we can do is return the favor by working on delivering games you enjoy. Don’t be shy, let us know what you’re thinking.

OK, now on with the line up!

What you see below is the evolution of the L&F racial line up. And yes – the figures are all male; a female lineup will be featured in the upcoming Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting. The illustrations are by Matt Lichtenwalner, one of Nevermet Press’ oldest supporters and an excellent illustrator who resides at Dragon Bones.

I just love how each of the races evolved as Matt stepped through multiple iterations of the line up. The last one above is not the final version. The final inked version of both male and female members of the races will appear in the Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting. What was really cool was how, at each stage, he would check in with the Nevermet Press developers (there are about 15 of us or so currently), get feedback, and then head back to the drafting table. As you look at these images, you can see what changes!

What you’ll likely notice right away is feytrolls and giants. The feytrolls are itsy bitsy, while the giants are, well, gianormous. This is something that has always bothered me about stock fantasy races – why are they always “medium sized”? Why not play a faery? Or a giant? In Loaerth & Feywyrd you will be able to play whichever one you like. Groups of PCs could very well be composed of giants or feytrolls, or both! It’s the story that matters, not the size of your character’s britches.

Now that you have seen the races, or at least concepts of them, allow me to tell you a bit more about them.

Dwarf

All that glitters is not gold. After the Helfay, most of the dwarves left the underground mines the elves forced them to work in favor of living under the sun and stars along with their fellow men in Loaerth. Since that time, through their ingenuity and inventiveness, all the races of man have seen the benefits. The dwarves later returned to these ancient mines and built massive foundries to refine the dwarven coal (DC) found within them. It is the secrets of the dwarven coal that has made the dwarven race as a whole rich in material wealth, but poor for spirit. The DC produced within these mines is sold throughout Loaerth to power all the latest technological wonders, and they keep the process of its production a secret from even their closest allies. With the recent return of the Fey,the dwarves of Loaerth have become the least trusting of their ancient masters. Many of them believe the elves have returned to once again strip the earth of its treasures. Those who do have banded together to protect their foundries at all costs and have not seen the light of day in years.

Elf

Banished to the Feywyrd after the Helfey, they want to return to their ancestral homes and seek revenge on those who caused the Helfey in the first place. Many Loaerthians fear the return of the elves, worried that they have the strength to dominate the Known World once again. Others, however, welcome them as masters of the magical arts and look to them as teachers of the Old Ways. The elves are not, however, a monoculture. While some elven factions are indeed plotting to take down the Loaerth crown, others are working to establish a peaceful enclave and university in Loaerth. Outside of Loaerth, a few brave elves have already ventured beyond the shores and are seeking to make a life for themselves along The Frontier.

Feytroll

These diminutive humanoids were one of the few fey creatures that remained in Loaerth after the Helfey. At no more than two feet in height, they resemble plump faeries with the eyes and wings of a common housefly. Felix Sundown, a feytroll, is currently doing a series of interviews about Loaerth & Feywyrd with Nevermet Press and check them out and learn more about his curious race.

Giant

True giants are massive humanoids standing well over twice the height of a man. In Feywyrd, they are called Skado or Skadan by the Fey. They are a minority race in Feywyrd that, due to their size and power, are seldom the target of war, violence, or mischief. They are also one of the Ancient Races who lives continue until they are taken by another: they are immortals. This special status has made them great diplomats, historians, and arbiters. Being native to Feywyrd, only a few have been seen on The Island, and none have yet to make the journey all the way to Loaerth itself.

Hodolu Animal

In the Feywyrd, there are tiny faeries that are often the cause of playful, sometimes even deadly, mischief. They are known as The Hodolu. They have no corporeal form beyond a point of light and warmth, Their voices are not much more than a flutter or a buzz only a few can understand. Many hodolu tried to come to the Known World, but to their horror, they soon discovered they were unable to live for more than a few hours beyond the shores of The Island unless they bonded with an animal from the Known World first. This bonding is permanent, and fuses the two minds of the creatures into one. After the bonding, the new “hodolu animal” frequently assumes a humanoid shape and gains the powers of speech, and fey like intelligence. Fully intelligent and sentient, hodolu animals could just as easily be a talking circus bear, a scorpion mastermind, or anything you could imagine.

Human

The humans remained in Loaerth after the Helfay, but in the power vacuum that followed, war and famine quickly overcame their societies and reduced it to ruin. Decades later, after the dwarves returned to the surface, the humans learned the secrets of dwarven coalcraft and were able to begin rebuilding their homeland. Centuries later, the world is still far less populated than during the time of the elven dominion – but it is an expanse that is open to conquering for anyone willing to do so. Humans have since built a society of inventors, pioneers, entrepreneurs, and explorers. They are an industrious people who have done many things to strengthen Loaerth’s power in the world.

Myrmidon

Myrmidons are a race of humanoid aquarians that, since the dawn of time, have preyed upon the elves of the Feywyrd. Mysterious and rarely seen on land, they are feared in all but the most cosmopolitan citys of the Feywyrd. They are visiting Loaerth for the first time and their appearance there signals that more will be coming.

Troll

Rugged, and built like apes, trolls stand head and shoulders above humans. They are covered by a course fur coat that gives way to longer hair along their forearms and legs. Male trolls often feature beards braided with colorful beads and strands of  yarn; female trolls are known for their colorful furbrands, a type of tattoo that is burned into their coat. Compared to the other Races of Man, the humans and dwarves, trolls are a somewhat primitive race that has not embraced the modern culture of coalcraft. Instead, they have kept their ancient oral traditions alive by becoming notorious orators, translators, diplomats, scholars, and riddle masters. Not all of them are happy about the return of the Fey to Loaerth, since during the time of the elves many of them were hunted for their fur pelts and seen as little more than apes. Nonetheless, most of the troll tribes welcome the opportunity to mend old wounds and to restore the ritual magic traditions of their ancestors.

Summary

So, that’s about it. As you can see, in Loaerth & Feywyrd there will be many opportunities to play rich, deeply developed races from a wide range of backgrounds.  Until we publish the Loaerth & Feywyrd campaign setting – each of these races should be considered “BETA”, or a work in progress. Let us know what you think and leave a comment!

UP NEXT? TROLLS IN FULL COLOR – coming tomorrow.

Written by Jonathan Jacobs, Edited by Cassey Toi, Artwork by Matt Lichtenwalner.

Trolls in Loaerth & Feywyrd

As promised in yesterday’s overview of the races in Loaerth & Feywyrd, today we will take a closer look at trolls.

Trolls in Loaerth & Feywyrd are intelligent, playable humanoids and quite different from the creatures of the same name in the Savage Worlds Explorer Edition core book. Through out this article you will see how the troll concept evolved. The artists Rob Torno & Matt Lichtenwalner and I passed around concepts for a few weeks before settling in on the final concept (at the bottom).

Introduction

The trolls of Loaerth largely moved out of the city a century or so ago after a great fire burned the infamous Troll Ghetto to the ground. They have since created a few scattered settlements along tribal lines. Most of these villages are hidden away in valleys rarely traveled by city folk and far from the noisy railways. Along the frontier, it is not uncommon for them to be seen traveling in small groups, or as mercenaries in the employ of wealthy frontiersmen.

Physical Appearance

Trolls stand head and shoulders above humans and elves, and often are twice the height of dwarves. They resemble orangutans of the Known World, but stand upright on strong three toed feet. Trolls are capable of running on all fours when there is a need for such speed.

Their bodies are covered in a soft, short haired coat of fur that ranges in color from white, browns, to deep black. Their fur grows long along the forearms, along the crown of their heads and down their backs and lower torsos.  Although their fur keeps them warm at temperatures considered chilly by human standards, trolls nevertheless enjoy wearing brightly colored tunics, togas, or other clothing in styles that do not limit movement.

Male and female trolls are of similar height, although the males tend to be heavier and often grow braided beards as a sign of cultural respect or to show off some specific achievement. Troll females are known for their exotic and artistic furbrands, a type of tattoo that is burned into their coat.

Culture

Generally trolls are a quiet, thoughtful folk who are slow to anger. An angry troll is likely the last troll you’ll see before being clobbered; their great size can never be overlooked. Trolls frequently seek employment from merchants looking for protection while traveling, or from adventuresome explorers venturing our to the frontier in the hopes of finding lost riches or new veins of Dwarven Coal. They are also as smart as they are strong, and many trolls can be seen as gatekeepers, riddle masters, or even advisers to the human nobles of Loaerth.

Trolls are known for two exceptional art forms: howlsongs and troll quilts. Their cultural traditions play well into each. Howlsongs are a type of arcane ritual that can have powerful effects if the troll signing them is skilled enough. Troll quilts are the closest thing trolls have to written histories – each quilt describes something specific, and each patch reflects an individual troll’s view of it. Since the fey have returned, some troll quilts are rumored to have regained long lost magical qualities that had been lost for centuries.

Trolls, unlike dwarves, have a unique language that has never gone out of use: Trollspeak, or “Gua’Na”, is their native tongue. Most of them also speak Common.

Unlike the other races of Man, the trolls tend to keep an oral, as opposed to written, history. Their deep oratory traditions have made them masters of riddles and rhymes. It also has caused the troll people to be fractured for centuries into a dozen or more tribes who frequently have disputes about their history and culture, as well as land and property rights.

Player Character Traits

Size +1: Trolls are a full head and shoulders about humans in height.

Troll Might: Despite their lanky appearance, trolls have the strength of orangutans and other primates. Trolls start with a d6 in Strength attribute instead of a d4.

Fleet-footed: Troll lower bodies are built for speed. They all start the game with the Fleet-footed edge.

Oral Tradition: All trolls practice a tradition of oral histories, rhymes, riddles, and (best of all) gossiping. They therefore receive a +2 bonus to all Common Knowledge skill checks regarding anything in the Known World. *

Illiterate: Trolls do not have a written language, nor do teach their young how to write in Common or any other language for that matter. All troll PCs start with the Illiterate hindrance. Those who raise their Smarts attribute to at least a d6 will loose this hindrance once they become Seasoned as they will have learned to read by that time. PC trolls who raise their starting Smarts attribute to d8 do not start with the Illiterate hindrance.

All Thumbs: Trolls are not particularly handy when it comes to using or repairing Dwarven Coal powered or other mechanical devices, thus they start with the All Thumbs hindrance.

Ancestors of the Ghetto: Most trolls are descendants of the those who previously lived in the Loaerth Troll Ghetto. Others come from impoverished wilderness tribes. In either case, all troll PCs start with the Poverty hindrance.

Blood-oaths: Trolls all have a long memory of the wrongs done to them and frequently incorporate them into their own personal oral stories for others to hear. If the wrong is done to them, or to a family member, friend or person they respect, they will swear a blood-oath and thereafter stop at nothing to right that wrong. All trolls start with the Vengeful (Major) hindrance as a result.

Racial Hindrances

These optional Hindrances are only available to troll characters.

Grumpy Old Troll (Major)

Trolls with this hindrance are constantly muttering and complaining about their current situation and how horrible it is (even if there is nothing wrong). They suffer a -2 penalty to their Charisma and suffer a -2 penalty on all Stealth rolls that require silence. In addition, an added -2 penalty to Charisma and Stealth applies for each Fatigue or Wound the troll suffers up to a maximum of -8.

Racial Edges

These optional Edges are only available to troll characters.

Befuddling Tongue Requirements: Novice, Troll, Spirit d8 Masters of rhyme and riddle, some trolls have a natural way with words that can befuddle and confuse anyone listening. Trolls with this Edge add +2 to their Charisma when attempting a Persuasion roll. If successful, the persuaded character also suffers a -2 penalty on Notice checks for 3d6 minutes while they try to figure out exactly what it was the troll said.

Magnificent Charge Requirements: Novice, Troll, Agility d8 Some trolls have mastered how to use their body to execute a powerful charge in combat. Since the charge requires them to run on all fours they can not be carrying anything in either hand during the attack. If they move at least 6″ in a straight line during the charge, they add +2 to their damage roll with a successful Fighting attack.

Improved Magnificent Charge Requirements: Veteran, Magnificent Charge, Troll, Agility d8, Strength d8 This edge increases the Magnificent Charge damage bonus to +4.

Additional Content for Savage Worlds Coming Soon

This is just a sampling of what trolls have to offer. In the upcoming Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting for Savage Worlds, you will also find more details about

• Arcane Background (Howlsong),
• Troll Quilts
• a full list of different Troll Furbrands
• a half-dozen more troll racial edges and hindrances
• troll pre-gen characters
• troll NPCs

Let us know what you think! Until the Loaerth & Campaign Setting for Savage Worlds goes into final drafting, everything is considered BETA. How does this race stack up? Do want to see more? Of the eight player races we’ve already previewed, which one would you like to see more details about? Leave a comment and let us know how we are doing!

Written by Jonathan Jacobs, Edited by Cassey Toi, Artwork by Matthew Lichtenwalner and Rob Torno.

* Thanks to razorwise for the excellent suggested change to Oral Traditions.

The Malachrome Guard Dog

Malachrome Guard Dog: These are constructs made of steel and wired with filaments of malachrome, an alloy metal made with dwarven coal. These malachrome wires, sometimes referred to as veins, run from the heart of the creature outward and serve to connect all of the joints, actuators, and components of the construct. They conduct of an animating charge that originates from the heart outward, which is itself powered by slow-burning dwarven coal. The malachrome guard dogs must be “fed” small amounts of dwarven coal once a day to stay active, otherwise they become inert hunks of metal. The animating charge from the dwarven coal that is carried by the malachrome wiring empowers these constructs with mobility and a low-level of intelligence. Some dwarven coalcrafters even say they are “alive”, but any gods fearing man knows this to be nothing short of exaggeration.

Malachrome guard dogs are vigilant sentries, which (if instructed to do so) will attack any unfamiliar creature which enters their assigned territory. They may be anywhere from 2′ to 6′ in size and attack by biting with their maws, which are like steel traps armed with triangular saw-like fangs. Additionally, a series of malachrome veins fills the interior of these fangs and creates the potential for an electrical discharge. When the creature is threatened and delivers a bite, it often–but not always–delivers an electrical shock.

Because of the slow burning of dwarven coal at the heart of these creatures, they also become exceedingly hot. This heat is released once an hour through a great belching of steam and sparks. This eruption is usually voided from the creature’s mouth, although some of these guard dogs have reputedly been designed to alternately void the fiery gas from their backside.

The malachrome guard dog for Savage Worlds is an example of one creature from the Bestiary found in the upcoming Loaerth & Feywyrd Adventure Setting.

This content was developed by Charles Dickey and edited by Jonathan Jacobs. Illustration by Rob Torno.

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This article contains content for Loaerth & Feywyrd, a Nevermet Press Adventure Setting setting inspired by fantasy and steampunk fiction and art. Leave a comment, ask a question, or contribute to Loaerth & Feywyrd however you like. If you would like to join Nevermet Press to develop for this setting, please Lead Designer for Loaerth & Feywyrd, Jonathan Jacobs, at jonathan.jacobs@gmail.com.

Nevermet Press thrives on community developed games, so don’t be shy!

Gears on Fire! – Loaerth & Feywyrd Logo Development

One of the really fun aspects of working with Nevermet Press is the process of creating new things that – honestly – you have no prior experience doing. A close second is how our development process works (think herding cats). All too often we are “figuring it out” as we run forward, stopping just long enough to lick our wounds and learn from our mistakes along the way.

My case in point: logo design. Lesson learned? Yes. The point? Let people do what they do best and stay out of the grass unless you know how to mow it.

A few weeks ago I posted to the Nevermet Press Content Developers Forum a call for logo designs for Loaerth & Feywyrd. It took only two hours for one of our excellent artists to volunteer for the task: Rob Torno. The idea gristmill started churning immediately. Emails started flying back and forth brainstorming ideas, concepts, and themes. Rob started in on me with some fundamental questions. Things for him that were obvious, but for me I had not even thought about beyond “Hmmm, Loaerth & Feywyrd need a logo or something…” I threw together a really sucky version of something I had in mind using (cough) Word. See the horribleness below.

Fortunately for me, and for Nevermet Press, Rob didn’t run for the hills. He pushed, he pulled. He asked tons of questions. He produced over a dozen concept designs in the process. At one point, I even snapped an iPhone photo of some (even worse) doodles I did on a sheet of paper with a Sharpy and sent it to him by MMS. Feast you eyes on this …

GEARS ON FIRE!!! Yeah… that was the result of about five too many double espressos. Nonetheless – Wow! … hats off to Rob for putting up with me. Not all was lost… Iron Maiden and Metal aside, we still managed to home in on something that really worked.

And this is where the beauty of Nevermet Press comes into play – the crowd. The above horrible image (read: my hand drawn image in the upper left) was shared with everyone in NMP’s development forum and recieved tons of feedback – everyone pitched in and shared their thoughts, criticisms, and comments. Eventually, the version in the lower left above image was used as the seed for the next round of logo designing. Rob pushed on.. firmed it up with his PhotoShop magic wand, and in a returned the silhouetted image below.

Rob quickly followed up with this to say in the forums:

… I think it has more to do with the fact that this logo has occupied almost twice as many hours of work then the troll painting did. If the end result works out that’s great and the process has taught me a lot, but I’m clearly more adept at pushing pixels illustratively…

… The amount of time had more to do with my limited knowledge of what I was doing, but as i said it, was a good learning experience, so time well spent. Maybe I’ll have to try and tackle another one of these in spite of my misgivings, just to cement a process. I’ll try and have a refined B&W and a color for you soon.

Emphasis mine. After all that – he was STILL on board for more. It also goes to show how much all the back and forth between myself, Rob, Michael Brewer and the other content developers really ends up benefiting everyone involved, including the content developer (in this case, Rob). Not to mention we got a great looking logo to boot! Here’s the colorized version he sent me a few days later:

Need I say more? He’s a class act all the way around. I’ll leave it at that.

The logo(s) alone gets me excited to see what else is in store… how about you.

What do you think? Awesome?! Meh? How could we improve this design? Or is it good just the way it is? Let us know in the comments!

oh, wait – there is more!

Come back tomorrow and check out the Malachrome Gaurd Dog; a new fully illustrated creation by Charles Dickey and Rob Torno for Loaerth & Feywyrd due out Friday, April 2nd!

Written by Jonathan Jacobs.

All (good) artwork by Rob Torno.

Edited by Cassey Toi.

Bixby Quartertail (1)

This is the first part of Bixby Quartertail, a series of speculative fiction written by Daniel Mullen set in the world of Loaerth & Feywyrd.

The rough waves between the mainland and the island lapped at the sturdy, cedar ship.

“I don’t think we’ll make it before nightfall, sire.”

“Nonsense, Jackson!” called Prince Lazlo as he ran across the waterlogged deck to the bow of the ship, nearly slipping, grasping the rail tight.  “There it is!  Just at the horizon.”  He surveyed the sky with a quick motion of his head, then stared back at the small tuft of land jutting from the water, willing himself upon that mysterious place.  “We should be upon that land within the hour.”

“Sire,” called Jackson, the Prince’s personal escort.  His unfortunate duty was to keep the Prince safe at all costs, which would prove difficult given Lazlo’s current obsession – the Shard of Feywyrd.  “Sire, let’s gather our things.”

“See to it, Jackson.  I want to be right here when we arrive in the harbor.”  The order was clear: leave me alone. Lazlo wanted nothing more that to hide himself in his daydream until they arrived. Fortunately, Jackson was a loyal man who knew how to follow orders.

“Yes, sire.” I don’t know whether the Prince is more captivated by the Shard or by the Island itself, thought Jackson.  The tall, slender man ducked low as he entered the lower cargo hold and left his charge on the wet deck above.

*

“This way, sire…”

The young Prince glared at him for his forgetfulness.

“Er…this way, Henry, my boy,” he corrected himself.  It felt disrespectful to speak so casually to royalty.

Glancing around him, Lazlo grabbed Jackson’s tunic and brought him close to whisper in his ear.  “I’m sorry, my friend.  I know it must be difficult for you, but discretion is of the utmost importance.  No one must discover the nature of our quest, save Bixby, and even he must not be made aware of our true identities.”

Jackson, a.k.a. Fielding, nodded and the two left the docks with their gear in tote.  “I believe that’s the establishment,” he said, motioning toward a modest inn of four rooms and a drinking area.

“Are you sure this thing is trustworthy?”

“Yes,” said Fielding confidently.  “He’s the best tracker and guide the world has known.  If anyone knows the resting place of the Shard of Feywyrd, it’s Bixby Quartertail.”

The two companions entered the inn and quickly spotted an oversized possum, half the size of a man, sitting at the bar.  Having noticed the newcomers, the possum nodded to the bartender, who set down his bar towel and glass and left the three to their business.

“Bixby Quartertail?” asked the Prince.

The possum slid off the stool and walked casually toward them.  His leather helmet shielded any light from his eyes, making it difficult for the humans to keep track of what the creature was looking at.  “Yes, that is my name,” he said without cracking a smile or extending his hand as a gesture of goodwill.

“You are Hodolu?” asked Fielding.

Allowing his fingers to dance over the hilt of his short sword, Bixby paused.  “Problem?”

“No, no, not at all, sir,” Henry chimed in.  “You have received our request for your services?”

“Yes, though I’m at a loss as to why you want the Shard.  It is useless to humans,” he responded.  “No offense intended, but humans handle magic like a troll handles confined spaces.” There was no humor in his voice.

“That is our concern,” said Henry, not giving Bixby the slightest implication that he wanted to continue the conversation along those lines.  Reaching into his satchel, Henry removed a good sized leather bag and tossed it to Bixby, who caught the bag with ease.

“About 400 gold?” Bixby held the bag at arms length to wiegh it. Any tracker worth their salt could tell if the sum was short by more than a two pence. “We depart now.”  The Hodolu whistled and in walked the bartender.  Bixby flipped the bag of gold to him and walked out the door.  Henry and Fielding followed quickly after him.

The bartender shook his head.  “Poor saps,” he said.  He knew Bixby well and had many times been tossed a bag of gold by the possum.  Never had he seen any human return from an outing with Bixby.  This time, however, the Prince would return, alone, and the whereabouts of Bixby would be the subject of speculation by many for years to come.

*

written by Daniel Mullen, with editing by Jonathan Jacobs and logo by Ron Torno.

Part 2 Bixby Quartertail’s story will arrive at Nevermet Press next week!

Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

Bixby Quartertail (2)

This is the second part of Bixby Quartertail, a series of speculative fiction written by Daniel Mullen set in the world of Loaerth & Feywyrd. Part One can be found here.

The travelers headed west from the small harbor town into the dense vegetation of the Island. Within minutes, the narrow path along which they traveled disappeared and the two humans relinquished their sense of direction and focused solely on the possum in front of them. Slipping through the underbrush, around moss-covered trees and under low-hanging vines, Bixby said not a single word, nor turned around for the better part of an hour.

“How much further?” asked Henry.

Bixby halted and bolted back toward the two foreigners. He hopped up and grabbed Henry by the collar, bringing his face within inches of his own. “Do not speak. This forest will devour you unless you close your mouth and tread lightly. It hates your kind… as much as I do.”

Speechless, Henry nodded as Bixby released the young man. Fielding let his half-drawn sword fall back into its scabbard. “In half an hour we will rest and eat. At that point you may ask questions, but we must reach the clearing before we do so.” Bixby looked around, sniffed the air, and then resumed his trek through the thick, heavy forest. His pace increased to compensate for the momentary delay.

The young man looked at his traveling companion who gave him an understanding look. They chased after Bixby to prevent the Hodolu from losing them. Henry watched the possum effortlessly weave through the trees and wondered what the Hodolu Fairy within him looked like before it joined with the possum. How did the process work? He had heard of such creatures while studying in Loaerth, but had until that morning never met one.

The group soon came to their resting place, and Bixby sat on a smooth rock. Before the two humans could even sit down, their guide had opened his backpack and spread an enormous feast before himself. As Henry and Fielding watched in disgust, Bixby shoved handful after handful of fruits, vegetables and nuts into his munching mouth.

Henry broke the ice. “If you know where the Shard of Feywyrd is, why haven’t you gotten it and used its power to your own benefit?”

Bixby slowed his consumption rate considerably, though at no point did he actually stop eating. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the Shard. It’s an ancient artifact clouded in rumor. I am completely content in my life and have no use of it. I think the only ones who would know how to use it are the Elves.” He let out a small grunt with the mention of elves.

“How did you come to know of its resting place?” queried Fielding.

“Its resting place?” asked Bixby. “You make it sound like a holy relic. It’s a sliver of shiny rock. And if you must know, I won knowledge of its ‘resting place’ in a game of cards. I deal in information, and I hoped at one point that information would prove profitable. Thanks to your 400 gold, that gamble paid off.”

“How much further until we’re there?” Henry’s spirits were not dampened in the least by the beast’s deferential treatment of the young man’s prize.

“Boy you have a lot of questions, eh? Impatient are we? Typical human. I want the shard now; we must expand our borders now; we must pierce the veil now!” Bixby mocked his human employers and quickly spun himself into a fit. He twitched for a moment on his rock and muttered incomprehensibly. His hatred of everything human was evident. “Wait here,” he ordered.

Once the Hodolu had disappeared into the trees, Fielding whispered to Henry, “Sire, I think we should abandon this quest. The possum is obviously unstable, and I fear for your safety.”

“We are close, Jackson, I can feel it. Besides, the trail back to the inn is lost to us. We are completely dependent on our friend there.”

Bixby returned and packed up his meal without saying a word. The two humans followed suit, then resumed their journey through the green, brilliant forest. After only a few minutes, the trees ended and before the party rose a modest hill composed of a smooth, gray rock. At its base was a tall, thin crevice into which Bixby dashed.

“We are here?” asked Henry, confused.

“I don’t like this,” warned Fielding.

The two drew their swords and walked slowly toward the opening.

“Enter,” called Bixby from the darkness. “Your reward awaits you.”

Fielding grabbed a dwarven coal-powered torch from his bag and lit it. There was a brief whirring sound as the torch warmed up. It glowed softly in the dark cave, and once their eyes had adjusted, the two companions lost their breath. Bixby stood in the corner opposite the humans, but towered over the pair, twice as tall as either of them.

“Thank you for the meal, a chance to quickly gain enough strength to attain my full potential,” Bixby said with a rare laugh. “Sire!” called the escort. “Quickly, back out the opening!”

It was too late. Bixby leapt with a screech and swiped at the Prince’s protector. The torch hit the ground, as did the Prince’s lifetime mentor and friend’s lifeless body. “No!” cried out the Prince. “You pugnacious prick!” He lunged at the possum, swiping his sword violently through the air.

Bixby dodged the assault and rapped Lazlo on the back of the head, rendering him unconscious.

*

“What…what happened?” asked the Prince. He looked around, but the cave looked different. He had not noticed an altar before, but there it was in front of him.

“Have a good sleep, little fella?” came a voice from behind the Prince. He whirled around to see…himself. “Haha. Like looking in a mirror, huh?”

Prince Lazlo finally looked down at his hands, his feet, and chest. They were covered in short brown fur. He was a possum. He and Bixby had somehow switched bodies.

“Thanks to your idiocy and the Shard of Feywyrd, I now have your body and will repay your disgusting race for destroying our world. Don’t worry, I’ll say hello to your father for you…before I slit his throat.”

“You ba—“ His cursing was cut short by Bixby slamming the Prince in possum’s body down to the ground, then running the Shard of Feywyrd slowly across the furry neck before him. He watched in contentment until the gurgling and sputtering had ceased and the blood refused even to ooze from the lifeless body.

Bixby stood and wiped the blood from the makeshift blade on his former host body. He turned and set to work moving the heavy rocks from the opening of the cave.

*

The door to the inn swung wide and through it stepped a human in worn, dirty clothes. He breathed heavily, resting against the door until he had regained his strength, then strode confidently toward the bar.

The bartender stuttered, “Uh… sir, where… B-Bixby let you… ?”

“Thomas, it’s me,” said the human Bixby with a sly grin. “Fetch me my gold and call in a favor with someone at the docks. I need a ship. Tonight.”

The bartender shook his head and backed himself against the tall cupboard of mugs and dishes. “What?” Bixby ran and hurdled the bar. With a dagger to the poor bartender’s face, he issued his orders again slowly as he pulled the blade down the man’s cheek, letting dark red blood bead up and run down like tears. Thomas whispered his consent and followed Bixby’s orders.

That night, Bixby would be on a ship. Its’ destination? Loaerth.

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Written by Daniel Mullen. Editing by Jonathan Jacobs & Cassey Toi. Logo by Rob Torno.

Have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

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