Sunday, December 30, 2012

Race a Day: Mordelan



Mordelan
Ancient colored dragons born of the very magics of the world.

RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5’-6’
Average Weight: 100-250lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom or you may instead take a +4 Intelligence or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Common Draconic, Mordelan Dialect
Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 Insight
Tied to the Magic: No matter what class you are, you may choose three spells with the arcane keyword and use them. If one of the powers you choose is an encounter power, or if you play an arcane class, you may choose one arcane encounter ability and use it at-will.
Blink: You can use blink as an encounter power.

Blink                                                                                       Mordelan Racial Power
With a slight “pop!” you vanish and reappear a short distance away.
Encounter ♦ Teleportation
Move Action                                                                          Personal
Effect: Teleport up to 5 squares. (see “Teleportation” page 286 of the Player’s Handbook I).

Though often credited with being the first true dragons, the Mordelan know that they were born the same time as all their brethren. They are bound to magic in the same way a fish is bound to water. Magic is a living part of who and what they are, and they wield the arcane in the same way many people breathe or walk. They are brilliant, wise, and always looking for more knowledge and more skill in their great ability.

Play a mordelan if you want…
¨      to wield powerful magics with skill and grace.
¨      to be a wise, intelligent, thoughtful character.
¨      to be a member of a race that favors the chaos wizard, cleric, invoker, wizard, and warlock classes.

Physical Qualities
Mordelan resemble humanoid dragons. Their scales are more snake-like than the thick hides of some of their brethren. They have no wings, and only some have tails. They are generally around normal human height. Mordelan are very rarely bulky, and tend to be lithe or athletic despite strength. They come in a wide variety of colors, but the most common are black, blue, green, red, and white. Their eyes are the most unusual part of their bodies as they appear to have no pupil. Instead their eyes are one solid color, generally but not always matching the color of their scales, and their eyes glow. This inner light is thought to be the pure arcane power that courses through them, and the glow can be seen very clearly at night. As with others of their kind they have no hair and instead have distinctive frills along their brow and jawline. They tend not to have the spikes and horns that the other clans possess, giving them a sleeker look.
            Mordelan live a much longer life than most humans. Though they physically mature very quickly, appearing adult at around age 10, they are not considered full adults until 30, when it is deemed their minds have grown enough to be called an adult. They age very slowly, and aren’t considered middle aged until nearly 200. Physically, they start to degrade after middle age, their bodies wearing, growing thin and slower to heal, with the aches and pains the aged speak of. Their minds, however, age much differently, seeming to come alive after that point. Their arcane power increases several fold and even nearing the end of life, at around 500 years or so, they are a force to be reckoned with, no matter how they may appear.

Playing a Mordeln
Mordelan society are words that generally make a mordelan chuckle. They have no official home or city that is strictly theirs. There are no mordelan settlements or villages. Mordelan live in big cities with great libraries and centers of culture. They enjoy great structures, social interaction, art, philosophy, structured society and good people. The largest concentration of mordelan is, of course, in the great halls of Q’omar, the school of magic. There they thrive. There are several generations of the same blood generally living together in the same places in Q’omar, all learning and growing together. There is no caste system, no real honor system among the mordelan. They crave and revere knowledge above all things, and strive to learn.
            Mordelan tend to be a bit self-centered. They are more concerned with their families, knowledge, and studies than they are with events in the world. They see the world in shades of gray, and tend not to jump to conclusions, or get themselves involved in anything they don’t feel very passionately about. To them, a war that may be coming isn’t as important as the effects of the war that may be felt years down the line, even after those who started the war are long gone. They watch the world carefully, but only make a move when they feel it prudent and just.
            Despite their detachment, mordelan are not unfriendly or aloof. On the contrary, they enjoy the company of others and talking with other people, learned or not. All things bring lessons, all things bring knowledge, and so they are warm and friendly to all they meet. They love few things more than a good drink, a warm fire, and friends to talk with on every subject imaginable. To be allied with a mordelan is to have a vast array of knowledge and power to aid you.

Mordelan Characteristcs: Calm, deliberative, friendly, introspective, magical, patient, perceptive, thoughtful, wise

Male Names: Alistair, Bulivar, Cedric, Cygnus, Darious, Erol, Geoffry, Herodian, Julius, Leonidus, Mordechai, Orpheus, Satryos

Female Names: Astera, Calypso, Danae, Eos, Eris, Iris, Kynna, Mykale, Nysa, Persephone, Sophia, Theano, Thoe, Zoe

Mordelan Adventurers
Three sample mordelan adventurers are described below.
            Satryos has studied ancient texts for many years. He seeks the powers of the Invoker, but wishes to make absolutely certain they are safe. He feels he has learned all he can in the halls of Q’omar, and has since set his sights on expanding his power and understanding what he has found through adventuring. He traveled to Port Xel in Tor, not only to explore and broaden his horizons, but also in the hopes of finding an adventuring group in need of his magical prowess and knowledge.
            Calypso can’t remember how long she’s been running. She apprenticed to a powerful sorcerer when she was very young. His wisdom and guidance helped her understand her own great power that was spiraling out of control. One day, however, her master came home badly wounded. He told her to quickly gather as many things as she could while he went to prepare a gate for her to go to Q’omar. While she was gathering the needed items for her journey there was a terrible explosion. Running to the aid of her master, she found a figure in dark robes holding her master’s lifeless body. Rage filled her and she charged in, spells springing forth and setting the intruder aflame. He screamed and a short battle ensued. With luck and surprise on her side, she drove the man away. Her master had left her a note, one that she needed to take to the Edis in Q’omar. Without the ability to create a gate herself, she had to travel the long way and set out. However, her master’s enemy followed her, sending dark creatures and undead to chase her. Still she runs, trying to get to Q’omar, but each day the darkness encroaches further and she must find a deeper well of power to move on toward her distant goal.
            Bulivar is a chaos wizard and that fact fills him with great pride. He is top of his class, clever, funny and filled with great power. His only concern is the shadow he sees spreading across the world. He and Banjo, his hand puppet deity, have been very concerned about a strange increase they’ve noticed in demonic summons and necromantic magic that is pervading the air at Q’omar and in other places. Together, they’ve come up with a plan. They’ve journeyed out into the world to find likeminded individuals to form a band of adventurers to find the cause of this dark magic and to combat whatever evil may be causing it. He has found several adventures to join him and now he leads the mighty Penguin Patrol, traveling the world in search of injustice to right and evil to vanquish!

No comments:

Post a Comment