DMing Chemistry

Wood elves mostly inhabit the huge stretches of untamed forests that cover the northwestern part of the known world. They have a complicated relationship with the mostly human settlements, as they despise cities, industry and farming, but some of the local tribes still hold to the old ways of hunting and foraging, or are actively working to preserve the woods, and nature more generally. They are around two meter tall humanoids, which are seemingly made out of wood. The color of their bark ranges from the stark white of birches to the deep brown of oaks. Their faces resemble masterfully carved masks of beautiful faces, and their eyes glow with the colors of leaves, ranging from brilliant greens to striking reds and mellow yellows. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about them is that their faces and mouths never move, their voices coming out muffled and echo-y, as if coming from a hollow tree. They usually communicate mood and emotions using exaggerated body movements. No one knows ho

There is no animal more beloved by the gods than the humble goat. No one knows the reason for this, but it’s clear as day to those who are knowledgeable in the ways of the world. Almost a full third of goats are born with the ability to speak, and a more than half of such goats have other magical powers besides. This is unusually high for animals and even amongst humanoids, those blessed with powers are more rare. This cannot be the result of anything other than divine favoritism. Legend has it, that before Atar-Numash gifted cattle to mortals, goats were considered to be the best sacrificial animals and were offered to the gods by the hundreds. It was in fact the goats themselves who pleaded the Unconquerable Sky Father to deliver them from the sharp knives and sacrificial altars of men, and this was the reason Atar-Numash decided to bestow cattle upon the world to spare goats of such a grisly fate. For this reason goat sacrifices are quite rare nowadays, as people loathe to offend

Gar was an ancient monster that is said to have predated even the oldest gods. It may have been the first being to ever exist. According to sacred texts kept by the priests of Atar-Numash , Gar looked like an enormous thousand-headed crocodile with the paws of a lion and the three pairs of wings: one that of a swan (or a heron, the translation from Old Elvish is unclear), one of a kingfisher, and one of an owl. It also seemed to have great fanged maws open and close randomly on its body and limbs. According to legends all the deities that existed back in the day needed to work together to defeat Gar, and even then, it ate almost half of them, and chewed them up so thoroughly that not even their names survive. After Gar’s defeat the surviving deities used its body to make the world as we know it. Its meat became the ground, its teeth the mountains, its blood the rivers and the oceans. The pair of kingfisher wings were used to create the daytime sky, and the owl wings the nighttime sk

Cur-Atesh is a cruel trickster god associated with necromancy, diseases, and scavengers. He is the eternal rival of the White Lady , always scheming to steal the souls of the dead from the Underworld , but very rarely succeeding in doing so. He also delights in breaking parts of himself off forming various diseases (thought not all diseases are made this way) to torture people. Because he is a coward, it is believed that having statuettes and amulets depicting various fearsome creatures can ward off his illnesses. It is said he was originally a mortal thief, who stole the secrets of immortality from the gods, but only shares corrupted bits and pieces of these secrets in the form of necromancy. In myths about him, he is more often than not tricked and/or humiliated himself. He is most often depicted as a vulture, a jackal, or a raven, for these animals steal the bones of the dead, just as he steals their souls. It is said that having ones body eaten by scavengers means their soul is l

Bronze elves are tall, pointy-eared humanoids. Unlike some other elves they can grow facial hair, which they take great pride in. They use sesame oil and elaborate rings to style and maintain their facial hair. Their skin is quite reflective, giving it an almost metallic shine. Skin colors range from almost totally black to shining copper, or even brass tones. Most bronze elves live in the East, in the heartland of the old Ippur Empire. They are said to have an innate talent for astrology, poetry and soothsaying.  Image by perseomedusa Humans are said to have originated on a different world, where the gravity was higher. While some dispute this theory, it is undeniable that humans can reach a much higher muscle mass than other people, and their physical strength and stamina can reach heights where others struggle to follow. Of course most humans who are just living their everyday lives don’t reach the top of their potential, being about as strong as anybody else. In fact humans can

There are a multitude of different peoples in the known world. Most are quite similar, sharing a basic bodyplan of one head, two arms and two legs, but some can be quite different. In the age of great empires one could travel and trade all over the world, so it’s no wonder that all kinds of people exist basically everywhere. It is true, however that certain peoples are more numerous in certain parts of the world. Of course people aren’t a monolith, and even among, say the orcs, there are multiple ethnic groups, different languages, and multiple kingdoms, each with their own history, friends, foes and agendas. And of course an orc living in Nashat-Ippur will have more in common with their bronze elf neighbors than with their kin living on the western islands. The following are just some of the various peoples one can meet. Orcs are thought to be masters of combat, on account of having four arms and fearsome tusks. This allows them to fire two bows, if rather inaccurately, to wield a

The Chariot of Mekineios was looted from the orc warlord Mekineios. It is a small war chariot made of oak wood with gold, silver and steel decorations. It can, like all orcish chariots, only accommodate one person. This is not a problem for orcs, as they have four arms, allowing one person to both drive the chariot, and shoot a bow at the same time. The enchantment on this chariot allows the driver to telepathically communicate with the animals pulling the chariot. For orcs this is more of a gimmick, allowing the driver to shoot two bows at the same time. For non-orcs however, it allows for the normal operation of the chariot by a single person. The Chariot is buried in the crypt of Sorcerer-King Rimush, on the second level of the crypt-complex . He is a cowardly recluse, hiding behind hundreds of mummified bodyguards. His paranoia is somewhat justified, as the Chariot is sought after by both other undead kings inside the tomb, and Ea-Ir , who feels it would further his image as a

The Spear of Numati is a long spear made of cedar wood, tipped with bronze. It was made for Prince Numati (who didn’t inherit any magic and as such was not a valid heir to the Sorcerer-King), to slay a monstrous boar named Lagashti, who was razing the villages north of Ish-Nitar, one of the regional capitals of the Ippur Empire. The Spear was buried with Numati’s grandson, En-Sippar, who succeeded in becoming an undead wraith, and thus became interred in the crypt-complex of Nashat-Ippur . It has unique enchantment that made it able to unerringly find and pierce Lagashti’s heart (Lagashti was able to move his heart around in his body, turning what were surely fatal blows into flesh wounds). Since Lagashti’s death however, the Spear became only as useful as a normal bronze spear, since it was made to slay a specific foe. This is not unusual, in fact since this kind of enchantment is relatively easy to weave, most magical weapons are in fact made to kill a specific foe, after which

 The Companions of the Shell is the largest gang of criminals operating in Nashat-Ippur . Their name comes from the fact that many members used to be pearl divers, going into the river Sem to to bring up their bounty from the giant man-eating clams inhabiting the river. As one can imagine these already rough-and-tumble men and women found it easy to convert to a criminal enterprise when the empire collapsed and the market for pearls shrunk to almost nothing. They mostly deal in protection, prostitution, and illegal magical artifacts (which is most of them), as light narcotics are already legal in the city, and they are keenly aware that supplying heavy narcotics would cut into the long-term sustainability of their operations. This understanding most likely comes from the pearl diving business, as the clams need around fifty years to grow large enough to provide the most expensive types of pearl, so harming them is ill-advised as the fully grown ones are hard to replace. They also hav

The Scepter of Sorcery is an almost a meter long bronze artifact, the top of which is shaped like a clawed hand holding a fist-sized obsidian sphere. The shaft is decorated by a long text is small letters snaking along the item. Looking into the obsidian sphere one can see the night sky, even if it’s currently the middle of the day, or if the Scepter is underground. The sky in the sphere is accurate to what one would see based on the date and location of the Scepter. The main use of this artifact is to empower sorcery. It is said that by channeling a spell through the scepter its efficacy can be boosted by about a third. This, however is only scratching the surface. By decrypting the writing on the handle one can learn several ways of increasing the potency of their spellcasting. These all relate to the positions of the stars and how by invoking the name of the right celestial objects at the right time, one can cast even the most powerful spells with very little effort. The main func

Depending on the myth, rite, or prayer Hath-Ur can be either male or female. This does not mean that Hath-Ur is of indeterminate gender, or that Hath-Ur is genderfluid, for the Brilliant Sun is above such mortal concerns. It also doesn’t mean that Hath-Ur has a male and a female aspect either. Hath-Ur expects mortals to know the lore of Hath-Ur, and to know in which contexts is Hatth-Ur male and in which others is Hath-Ur female. For this reason when people speak of Hath-Ur not in the specific contexts of Hath-Ur’s deeds or Hath-Ur’s rites, they do not use pronouns to refer to Hath-Ur. While this is a bit troublesome, it is preferable to the alternative, as misgendering a deity carries grave punishments indeed. Hath-Ur, as mentioned, is the Brilliant Sun whose rays give life just as readily as they take it away. People revere and fear Hath-Ur in equal measure, and this is reflected in the way Hath-Ur’s worship is carried out. The priests pray for her life-giving gift in the spring, a

The Sky Father is known by many names, but in the territories of the former Ippur Empire he is called Atar-Numash, the Unconquerable. He is said to have given two invaluable gifts to mortals: cattle and horses (or local equivalents, for societies using different livestock), and for these gifts he is to be praised, and praised often. He is the brother or husband of Hath-Ur , depending on whether the latter is male or female in the context of the relevant culture, story, or rite. (Hath-Ur is both male and female, but not at the same time, and is always definitely one or the other.) According to legend the first Sorcerer-Kings received the codes of law directly from Atar-Numash, and he is often called upon to punish those who break their vows, or do not hold to contracts. He is also commonly held to be able to see and hear everything that happens under the open sky. He is usually depicted as tall and muscular male, with a long beard and piercing eyes. He usually wears minimal clothing.

The imperial crown of the Ippur Empire was buried with its last emperor, when the last imperial holding of Nashat-Ippur fell to the Satnak Uprising. The crown is made from gold, silver, and copper, studded with gems. It is enchanted with various protective spells: it can deflect arrows and sword-strikes, or negate spells aimed at the wearer. It is however not the magical properties of the crown, but its historical significance that give it its monumental value, for whoever retrieves it from the depths of Nashat-Ippur’s necropolis would no doubt be recognized as the rightful monarch of Nashat-Ippur, and will surely be expected to go forth to reconquer the territories once held by the Empire. It is currently held by the undead form of the third Emperor of Ippur, Asnet-Arak, who, despite existing only as a floating skull is still able to wield his almost unmatched magical powers of soul-magic, ice, and lightning. He currently resides on the seventh floor of the crypt-complex in a sa

Most of these things are known only to mystics , sorcerers of great power and understanding, the most learned sages of the temples, and those who willingly consort with intelligences not of this world. What would the common man do with the information that the world is not flat, but a sphere, anyway? The known world (called in a great many names by different people, although almost all of them derive from their language’s respective word for “ground” or “dirt”) orbits an even bigger objects, called a gas giant by the few gods willing to discuss the topic. It has no natural satellites, but it has twelve brothers and sisters, fellow worlds orbiting the gas giant. This gas giant, being by far the largest object in the sky is associated with Atar-Numash, the Unconquerable Sky Father. Some say it’s his eye, some that it’s his chariot, and some that it’s his home. The twelve other moons are similarly associated with other deities. They are called “moons” in most languages, even if they don

The following are just some of the magical artifacts that were buried in the crypt-complex of the Sorcerer-Kings of Nashat-Ippur : Sword of a Thousand Flames: A beautiful one-handed bronze straight sword decorated with rubies, garnets, and citrines. It was owned by Adab Who Stole a Thousand Flames, a nomad warlord, who conquered Nashat-Ippur, and founded its second royal dynasty almost a thousand years ago. It contains one thousand fire spells from producing harmless sparks to calling down a rain of fire from the skies over an entire city. Each spell can only be used once, and then it is gone forever. However it is possible to “recharge” the sword by storing new spells inside of it. The only requirement is that the spell must conjure some form of fire, and that the user cannot be able to cast the specific spell that is to be stored. Crown of the All-Seeing Father: This crown looks less like a piece of regal headgear and more like a steel loop with a random collection of golden and

Perhaps the most striking feature of the necropolis of Nashat-Ippur is the crypt-complex of the Sorcerer-Kings of old. It is rumored to contain the wealth of a hundred kingdoms that were conquered by the Sorcerer-Kings buried within. Of course it is protected by traps, both magical and mundane, the undead servants of the Sorcerer-Kings, as well as the Sorcerer-Kings themselves rising from their sarcophagi to wield their ancient magics once more. The requisite for being buried in this complex is not actually to have been a Sorcerer-King of Nashat-Ippur in life, but to be a member of the royal family and to achieve undeath on one’s own. This leads to a very strange bias in the inhabitants. Since the souls of people who did great deeds in life get spared from the suffering of the Underworld , some of the greatest kings and emperors are not present, while many talented sorcerers who are barely mentioned in the histories are. Then there are some truly great rulers as well, who made too ma

The Spiderweb is the name locals have given the network of underground tunnels, caves, sewers, and animal dwellings under Nashat-Ippur . It started with the irrigation tunnels from the river Sem being built over, then the construction of sewer pipes from the temples and palaces made it commonplace to see people work underground. Less savory individuals soon realized that a large underground network could lead to a veritable explosion in smuggling opportunities, and so the first tunnels were dug. They were then joined by sewer maintenance tunnels, drained underwater caves, dwellings of the giant nutrias, and much more. As operations expanded, people started tunneling under the necropolis on the other bank of the river too, adding cursed crypts and wandering undead to the things hard-working smugglers, on-the-run thieves, and the occasional fugitive needs to worry about while hiding underground. The forces of law enforcement and the temples tried and failed multiple times to put an en

Like his brother, Ea-Ir , the royal princess Set-Nur is a valid heir to the throne of Nashat-Ippur , and all her territories. She is the magically gifted of the two, and her magic lends itself more to crating and controlling lightning, thunder and rainstorms. She is studious, serious, and is almost entirely without a sense of humor. She usually looks quite disheveled, with huge black circles under her eyes from studying spell-tomes until the small hours of dawn. When she need to however, she can cut quite a striking and royal figure. Her power base comes mostly from the temples, which appreciate her dedication and interpret her natural talent as an indication that the gods would prefer her on the throne. She knows that in spite of her good standing with the temples, it is not certain if they would take up arms against her brother, so she is planning on poisoning him as soon as their father passes away. For this purpose she is poring over alchemical treatises and tomes on herbalism. S

 Ea-Ir is handsome young man, quick to laugh and quick to anger. He wears colorful robes and a well-oiled beard to appear more impressive. As the son of the Sorcerer-King he has inherited command over light and heat. He mostly uses this to have a slight halo of light around his head, or to have the air around him ripple and twist, as if his body was extremely hot. This show of his powers gains him friends as quickly as enemies. Most of the older men in power love him, as he is very good at pretending he is like what they imagine their younger selves to be. The priesthood however tends to look down of such displays of magical power, claiming it’s using the gift of the gods for mere parlor tricks. The prince knows that his inheritance is not secure as long as his sister is alive, but can’t act directly against her while their father lives. His plan is to get supporters within the nobility and the military who can support him, and hopes to get enough sorcerers on his side to intimidat

 The Ashen Conclave is a small colony of mystics living in Mount Aret, about two days walk from the city of Nashat-Ippur . They live in a small village carved into the side of the mountain, relying on the mountain goats and the kindness of pilgrims for sustenance. There are approximately a dozen of them, both men and women, although they all took an oath of celibacy. Thanks to the gifts of the gods they can communicate telepathically with each other, so talking to one of them is talking to the entire Conclave. Although all of them are full individuals, when communicating with outsiders they always speak in unison and mirror each other’s movements. This has caused some to believe they are a hivemind and that a choir of gods speaks with their mouths. They are highly skilled astrologists, and are sometimes asked to help with the construction of temples, if it’s important for the temple to align with certain astrological events. They are also quite knowledgeable about demonology, thou

 The souls of the dead go to the Underworld to forget. Immediately after death the soul still contains all memories from life. However the souls will naturally forget memories from its life, much faster than a living person would. This process is naturally very confusing for the soul, and it usually causes it to act unpredictably. If the soul gets stuck in the lands of the living as, for example a ghost or an improperly made undead, this becomes a huge risk to anyone in the vicinity. The Underworld was created to serve as a safe space to store souls until all their memories fade, and they can safely move on. As it is a very utilitarian place, the Underworld was never designed to be comfortable. In fact it is mostly a gray, sandy desert with o food or water found anywhere, where the souls of the dead wander ever hungry and thirsty until they forget every moment of their lives and are able to pass on. There is a strange feature, however: anything that was buried with the person ends up

 The Red Plague is a terrible, virulent disease that has destroyed entire communities, and wiped out armies. It starts with small red spots on the skin, kind of like a rash. These first grow and spread all over the skin, then they start swelling and soon develop into huge red lesions. Simultaneously the patient becomes weak and develops high fever, which is then followed by nausea and vomiting. In the final stage the patient becomes delirious and sometimes even violent. There is no natural cure for the disease, with almost 90% of the afflicted dying. Surviving the disease doesn’t always confer immunity either. Magical methods of healing the plague get mixed results, which is usually attributed to it being a punishment from the gods. Outbreaks are usually dealt with by quarantining the settlement, and either burning the corpses or burying them in quicklime. Some say that those who died in the Red Plague come back as zombies intent to infect the living. This is false, but many necroman

Wanderers and explorers sometimes sometimes come back to civilization with tales of strange buildings made from materials that are unknown even to the greatest craftsmen, filled with objects whose purpose cannot be ascertained. These places always seem abandoned, and at best are inhabited by the local fauna. When asked, even the gods say no more than these strange structures are left behind by those who came before. Nobody knows what these sites were used for, what these ancients were trying to achieve, or even what they looked like. Speculation, of course, is rampant. Some who have spent some nights in the buildings report dreaming about strange reptilian creatures that have human-like hands, but crawl on the ground, their lower torso resembling snakes. Others claim they were abducted from around the structures by large-headed humanoids with no noses, small mouths and huge, jet-black eyes. Others still say they saw inside the buildings pictures of animal-headed men lining the walls.

 A bit over fifty years ago the fields of a farmer named Nabir suddenly split open, and a river of lava burst forth from the vast crevice. As it cooled the next eruption piled even more on top. For seven months, seven weeks, and seven days the mound grew to a hill, and the hill grew to a mountain. The lava caused a wildfire, the ash blanketed the fields, and the resulting famine killed hundreds. The priests prayed in vain, and even the Sorcerer-King’s powers proved insufficient to stop the devastation. Defeated, Ea-Nur ordered the grain of the surrounding towns seized and transported to the afflicted capital. The resulting food riots killed thousands.  As soon as the toxic gases stopped billowing from the newly-formed caldera, the priests were ordered to scale the volcano and talk to whatever power dwelled therein. It had no name, so the priests called it Atra-Ippur, for it has appeared next to the city of Nashat-Ippur . They then made an effigy of bronze and arsenic for the new god t

In this post I tried to balance basic real world information with the more fantasy-oriented details, because I don't want to leave readers with absolutely no idea about metallurgy without any idea of what the different metals might be used for, but I also don't want folks who have watched multiple hours of youtube videos on the topic to have to slog through a bunch of stuff they already heard a hundred times. Copper: probably the first metal to see large-scale use. It’s not very good for weapons or armor, and is rather hard to enchant with magic. What it is good for, however is it can be made into catalysts, that help a sorcerer channel magical energies. Most use staves or plate-sized tablets, although smaller, hand-sized sheets are sometimes used by the less affluent sorcerers. Iron: plentiful, relatively useful for tools, arms and armor. The problem is its brittleness, which means unlike bronze, it breaks instead of bending, which makes iron items much costlier to repair.

 The remaining seats of the Council of the Wise are: - Naram-Sin Turul, head of the Turul House, which can trace its lineage back to three of the five mythical founders of Nashat-Ippur. They also operate most of the breweries and bronze forges in the city. Naram-Sin’s boisterous and jovial demeanor (not to mention his sizable belly) hides a highly calculating mind, and he isn’t squeamish about arranging a hit or two if somebody threatens his business interests. Since booze and weapons will always be in demand, he has the most stable income, and consequently he has the least incentive to hire outside help. He supports the prince , since he spends a lot of times both in the inns, and with the military, making him more of a known quantity than his sister, who can mostly be found in the ancient libraries and temples. - High Commander Engur is a rather small and nervous man, a compromise candidate for the position, living his life in constant fear of assassination. His fears are mostly w

  The Sorcerer-King Ea-Nur rules Nashat-Ippur from the Tower of Bronze in the city center. He is an old man, nearly blind, hard of hearing, and foul of temper but still possessing enough magic to reduce a man to ash with a wave of his finger. It is said one of his ancestors was Hath-Ur, the Brilliant Sun himself, and another was the terrible storm dragon Al-Tenem. His magic is therefore of scorching heat, dazzling light, and unstoppable storm. In his old age he rarely leaves the Bronze Tower, sometimes only on the Day of the Sun (summer solstice) when he is leading a parade through town on top of a giant golden sedan throne. He leaves most of the day-to-day ruling to his son, Ea-Ir , and his daughter, Set-Nur . Of the two the son is more popular with the nobles and the military, but the daughter is the more powerful sorcerer, and she has the backing of some of the temples. The two are constantly maneuvering for power, and when their father dies, they will inevitably clash in a bi

  All magic comes from the divine. Mortals cannot learn magic anymore than they can learn to fly or breath water. There are only three ways for them to gain magic. The first, and most common is by birth. If one can trace their bloodline back to a god, spirit, demon or monster that can use magic, they may awaken their magical talents, becoming a sorcerer. It goes without saying that the vast majority of kings and emperors are sorcerers. In fact in most states one isn’t even considered a noble if they can’t show at least one sorcerer among their direct ancestors for the last seven generations. Being a sorcerer, however does not automatically mean high status, as one’s birth still mostly decides their status, and thanks to nobles and magical creatures having affairs with common people, many sorcerers are born into poverty or even slavery. The second most common is to be granted magic by the gods, spirits, demons or some other monster. This includes priests, mystics, warlocks and champi

There are many ways for a person to relate to the gods. Most people don’t dedicate themselves to a specific god, but offer sacrifices and prayers to the gods as they relate to what’s happening in their lives. If you are building a house, you might go to the temple of Atarash, the Scorching Flame and pray for him to help you get the mudbricks right, and offer a sacrifice so that he doesn’t burn down the house once it’s built. You might also stop by the temple of Moss-Covered Nir of the Woods and promise burn some expensive incense in their name if the cedar trees you want to use for the roof are of excellent quality. When going fishing, you probably say a prayer to Brilliant-Scaled Esir, so that she sends some of her children to your net, and when a family member dies, you take a white goat to the temple of the White Lady and ask her to grant easy passage to the Underworld. A person might also join the clergy of a specific god of goddess, becoming a priest or priestess. Usually god

The White Lady is one of the hundreds of Underworld deities mentioned in the clay tablets rescued from the ruins of the drowned city of Ab-Cir. She holds the keys to the nine gates of the Underworld, and the souls of the dead are only allowed to leave on her authority. Legends of heroes delving into the Underworld often feature bargaining with or straight-up threatening her to allow for the release of the hero’s loved ones. She is worshiped more out of fear than reverence, as in her displeasure she is wont to unseal the gates of the Underworld, allowing the spirits of the dead and other, even worse creatures to wreak havoc on the mortal world. She may alternatively bar spirits from entering the underworld, rendering the souls of the dead cursed to wander the lands of the living. She is most commonly depicted as a woman wearing a long white dress and a white veil, or as a white snake or sparrow. Her temples are made out of marble where possible, and out of limestone where practical.

  The city of Nashat-Ippur was once a seat of great empire, now after plagues , a volcanic eruption , famine, and rebellion it is a shadow of its former self. The great firestorm burned the docks on the great river Sem, the quaint wooden houses, and the great bazaars. Now in their place stands a ramshackle collection of cheap tents, shacks, and huts inhabited by the ever-growing number of the desolate, hungry and sick. The palaces, temples, and gardens of the old imperial elite still stand in the middle, separated by a great mudbrick wall some ten meters high, from the problems of the lower class. Therein the old aristocracy still pretends at imperial grandeur, though the sources of wealth have dried up, and the great edifices of old have begun to crumble under the pressure of greed, nepotism, and plain old incompetence. As the nobles’ estates crumble, their eyes are ever vigilant for new sources of wealth. Indeed many have their gaze turned onto the sprawling necropolis on the other