[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 11: Bonus Material

[Zeta Kai]

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Chapter 11: Bonus Material

Warning: Material presented here is not necessarily complete, nor is all of it expected to be completed anytime soon. This is a repository of all of the ideas that we have had for the setting that didn't fit anywhere else, but were too cool to die. Enjoy what is here, & hope for a day when more may be added.

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Races of Najmah

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Demon

Overview
Population: 29,524,000 worldwide
Height: varies by clade
Weight: varies by clade
Language: Abyssal

From the ever-night world of Najmah, a horde of vicious, insane creatures have spread to every corner of the map. They are the very embodiments of chaos & madness, a kind of malevolence like no other evil known to mortal (or immortal) men. Best known by the title Demon, their names are as innumerable as their various forms; they are called Tanar’ri, the Spawn of the Abyss, al-Iblis, Legion, aq-Qarmira, the Asura, & a thousand other epithets. They have no single name for their own kind, as they are not unified by any other concept. They are divided by size, shape, color, language, ideology, & every other conceivable schism, having no organizing force to rein them in. Each one is a living nexus of disorder, sowing destruction, slaughter, & ruin wherever their instincts take them. Their roaming packs threaten to destroy both the realms of day & night, if left unchecked. A fragile pact between the devas, the devils, & the houris of their home plane keep them mostly isolated in the Najmai region of Sergala, but some of them still find ways to terrorize other lands.

Biology
Trying to identify a demon is like putting a face on a nightmare: it is invariably horrific & disturbing, but the details are always in flux. No two demons are remotely alike, & categorizing their traits is an exercise in futility. They can be roughly classified by their clade, but myriad exceptions, corner cases, & unidentifiable aberrants exist, & new clades spring forth from nowhere all the time. They defy any attempt to impose order upon them, & the madness that they engender is something that they relish with cackling delight.

Their forms are often (but not always) somewhat humanoid: most have two arms, two legs, & a roughly-vertical bearing. Some have a pair of wings, a tail, horns, or some other bestial traits, but none of these are universal, or even representative of their ilk. Even with two demons that are ostensibly of the same clade, there may be so many differentiations that proper classification would difficult, if not impossible. A demon might have an extra arm, different coloration, larger eyes, fewer claws, or any other imaginable deviation from the norm, if such a thing exists for them. And if all this variety were not enough for them, they often modify their bodies with tattoos, piercings, & self-inflicted scars, to further set themselves apart from the rest of the horde.

A demon’s body is as divergent from mortal biology on the inside as it is from the outside. Their bodies conduct all electricity harmlessly away, & their simple physiology prevents any known poison from taking effect. Their tough, fibrous tissues resist damage from common sources, as well as most acids & all but the extremes of hot & cold conditions. Like devils, they need not breathe, & their telepathy obviates the need to even speak. Their bodies do not seem to follow any natural laws of biology at all, & it is suspected that they are partially sustained by some form of evil magic. Lastly, they are able to summon others of their kind from any distance, although their fractious nature sometimes nullifies a summoning attempt before it can be completed.

Diet
Demons only need to eat when they are on their native plane; when they are off of Najmah, they can exist indefinitely without sustenance. But even on Siraaj, they will eat whenever they can, whether they are hungry or not. While they only need to have about one meal a week, they will gorge themselves if they can, just for the perverse joy of wasting food & preventing others from utilizing valuable resources. They can eat almost any material, from meat & bone to leaf & stem. They can even consume bare soil or broken rocks, if they must. They would rather eat the flesh of sentient creatures over any other fare, but this is mainly due to the fear & disgust that this engenders in other races. They will readily eat their own kind, if such cannibalism becomes more convenient than obtaining other food sources.

Reproduction
Demons are not generally fertile creatures; they do not create life, but merely deform or destroy it. Though some clades are capable of participating in sexual acts, they only do so to tempt or ruin others; the results of these rare successful unions are half-fiends & cambion (also known as a tiefling). Their numbers swell because of their ability to turn mortal souls into shells to house their malevolent energies. They capture beings of other races (see The Culling, below) & subject them to a vile, tortuous process (called the Aasrava, or “Defilement”), which slowly transforms them into a Dretch or a Quasit. This ghastly procedure warps the creature’s mind as it twists their body, leaving only a depraved monster with no memory of its former life.

The Aasrava can take hours or even days to completely convert a soul into a demon, & is usually only done within special pits within their homeland, Sergala. These artificial craters were excavated for this exact purpose, so as to house the fiendish magic needed to properly perform the Defilement. For this reason, demons constantly wander throughout the Kamala, hunting down souls to take back with them to Sergala. They will do anything that they can to obtain a soul, whether it is seducing the unwary with some trickery, founding a cult of deluded demon-worshippers, or simply pouncing upon an unfortunate person in the night. There are rumors of demons that are able to perform the Aasrava without the need of a magically-charged pit, & some say that they can even convert a soul in mere minutes, perhaps through some infectious agent. The veracity of these claims is unknown, but any sane man would be terrified by such a possibility.

Like many races native to the Realm of Night, demons are not mortal beings. They do not age or die of natural causes, & so their lifespans are indefinite. Few diseases can afflict them, & they are immune to all known poisons, so sickness is virtually unknown to them. They can be killed by another’s hand, or die by some violent accident, but otherwise, they will live forever in theory. The eldest of demons are thousands of years old, monstrous creatures twisted into gibbering beasts by time, destruction, & madness. What happens when a demon finally dies is beyond anyone’s knowledge, but scholars & sages have debated this question since time immemorial, & countless theories abound.

Culture
Internal Relations
Demons exist in a state of perpetual violent anarchy, wherein the individual does whatever they wish, whenever they wish, & their only opposition is the collective wishes of other demons. Only the strongest demons survive for long in this mayhem, as it is often the wish of a demon to slaughter or destroy anything nearby. Particularly powerful demons are sometimes able to conscript lesser demons to obey their commands, but most of them resist even this most basic level of imposed order, & so these arch-demons can only rule over those that they can directly threaten into submission. While the most elite of them can force a horde to follow their orders for a time, eventually the maverick aspect of demonic nature asserts itself, & the mob once again collapses into a disorganized mob of brutality incarnate.

The only system by which demons could be said to adhere to is a loose process of promotion to more powerful clades. Unlike devils, which are promoted & demoted by a patron from a higher echelon, demons promote themselves once they have accumulated enough power (via Hit Dice). Once they have collected enough spiritual energy (see The Culling, below), a demon will then cloister itself within a chrysalis & undergo a painful & disgusting metamorphosis. During this period of change, they are inert & vulnerable, so most demons are wise enough to find a safe place to hide for their pupal phase. If the demon was impatient & did not wait for the proper amount of energy, then they will die within the chrysalis, consumed by the process. But if the transformation is successful, then the demon will emerge from their cocoon evolved into a higher clade.

External Relations
Demons, by their very nature, cannot peacefully coexist with any other creature, even others of their own foul kind. They are effectively in a state of war with any & all races that they have encountered, & that is unlikely to even change. While they are morally & ethically opposed to the devas & houri most strongly, their greatest conflict is with the devils of the Hima Sovereignty, with whom they share the northern continent of Nidhanandha.

The perpetual war with the devilish forces has ground to a hopeless stalemate where neither side can gain an upper hand for very long. The demons hold numeric superiority, while the devils have long held a strategic & logistical advantage; for every devil that the demons slaughter or possess, the devils execute or corrupt two of the demon-folk. But the hordes are seemingly inexhaustible, & neither side has made any major gains or losses in ages. Their bitter war with the Himai has further ravaged the already-harsh badlands in-between the two forces’ homelands, the trench-carved & wind-scoured desert known as the White Wastes.

Due to their universal predation of other sentient beings, there seems to be no race that tolerates the presence of demon-kind. The devas & the houris have conducted many campaigns to push the demons back or to remove them from their lands, as did the genies before the Great Calamity. The mortal folk of Siraaj have long been afraid of demonic malevolence, & it is believed by some scholars that this fear drove pre-Pactspell cultures to take solace in sorcery & wizardry, to their eventual ruin. The mysterious & depraved rakshasas seem to be less opposed to the demons than other races, & it is suspected in some circles that they are somehow manipulating the hordes, using them to their own evil advantage.

Occupations
For a demon, it is difficult to cooperate with another being; teamwork & collaboration are strange concepts for them to grasp, let alone participate in willingly. Therefore, every demon relies exclusively upon themselves & their own abilities to accomplish their desired goals (which are ultimately just various means of destruction). This makes each demon an independent jack-of-all-trades, whose effectiveness can be measured by their versatility. They are all capable of performing many varied tasks, & can generally find some way of using their talents to get what they want, regardless of the current circumstances. They may sometimes manipulate others into doing their bidding, but this is just one means to an end, & is only done if it is momentarily expedient. They often use magic to make their work easier, so as to minimize the amount of effort needed to achieve a particular objective.

Names
Demons will usually collect a wide variety of names, aliases, & pseudonyms as the years go by, a testament to their tendency to deceive. A demon will rarely, if ever, give the same name twice to different people, even (or especially) if they are already well-known in the area. Their names have no connotation in terms of gender, & demons of any gender will use the same name, if it suits them. In truth, a demon will respond to any name, provided that they are clearly being addressed; designations matter little to them, as only the intent of the speaker is important.

A demon cannot be bound by a single name, as to them, a name is as ephemeral & transitory as their bodily form. If it is convenient, they will adopt a name for a time, & will answer to that designation for as long as they feel the need to do so. But this is more of an affectation of convenience than a permanent label, & will be dropped the moment that it is no longer necessary. For beings in a constant state of flux, a name is just another arbitrary method of control, an aspect of order to be subverted & destroyed.

Sample Names
Aamon, Adramalech, Agrys, Ais, Allat, Antedeus, Apollylon, Arimon, Arun, Astaroth, Asterion, Atalan, Atzan, Azazil, Baal, Bachraeus, Barbatos, Baytor, Belathauzer, Belial, Belphegor, Dajal, Darxitan, El, Eloh, Erel, Ethen, Falilites, Feklar, Garamoth, Gazra, Grogar, Hadus, Hael, Halael, Hamshal, Iblis, Idelya, Ish, Kafir, Kagu, Kalim, Kayin, Kerub, Korgoroth, Kybel, Lazu, Lilitus, Limuri, Lugus, Luki, Malak, Mamon, Melekh, Memnoch, Molikroth, Moloch, Nisroc, Ophan, Pruslas, Qabil, Rajim, Shiq, Siva, Salan, Thul, Urazi, Urdun, Zalambur, Zarus, Zeraf, Zeth, Ziz

Arts & Education
The very existence of demons is predicated upon a premise of destruction, & therefore creation of any sort is anathema to them. The only means by which they display anything approaching creativity is when they are killing, torturing, or otherwise sowing devastation. They are only innovative in matters of inflicting pain & ruin, but in those areas of expertise, their ingenuity is unrivaled. There are no reliable records of a demon actually making something, so it is widely believed that they are incapable of constructing things on their own.

There is no formal system of education in the world of the demons, as there are no formal systems of any kind. They learn through experience, & their experience comes mainly from observing other demons & acting as they do, for lack of a better process. From the moment of their spawning, a demon is driven to participate in the Culling (see below), their only other instinct is to spread chaos & ruin wherever they can. But demons are nothing if not unpredictable, & so some of their ilk will rebel against even these most basic tenets of their nature, acting contrary to other demons & ignoring the Culling. Their strong-willed independence can sometimes even lead a demon to act benevolently, but this behavior is a very rare aberration, & is theorized to be just another manifestation of their supreme chaos.

Relationships
Love is beyond a demon’s understanding, & they are only able to (somewhat poorly) emulate the trappings of affection. They lack even a rudimentary sense of empathy, & will readily kill & break anything without a shred of remorse. The greatest, & perhaps only, pleasure that a demon can experience is the result of destroying something. They take great joy in breaking & killing, making what was once beautiful & alive into that which is ruined & dead.

The end result of this inherent antipathy is that demons do not form bonds with one another, or any other being for that matter. They exist in a state of ruthless independence, relying only upon themselves & their own faculties to survive & achieve their goals. While they may, for a time, ally themselves with another creature, or even serve a more powerful being, but eventually they will betray their partners’ trust, either for some wicked purpose or merely for some perverse amusement. Such arrangements are invariably based on deceit & convenience, never lasting for more than a few weeks.

Crime
There is no such thing as a law amongst demon-kind, & so there are no crimes in their culture, at least in theory. Every act is permissible, & no depravity is forbidden, or even worthy of comment. The only restraint that a demon has upon their actions is the threat of retribution, a fear (either real or imagined) that some more-powerful creature will take umbrage at their actions & seek revenge. If a demon is harmed by some entity, they will swiftly lash out at the offending being, & may even fixate upon doing them harm for a time. But a demon is easily distracted, & will only pursue vengeance for as long as they can remain entertained by the malevolence that they perform. Unless they are compelled by some outside force, they will grow bored with their self-appointed reckoning, & move on to more ripe targets. But in the meantime, many lives may be destroyed by a demon’s predations.

Language
The demons of Sergala speak a number of interconnected tongues, all sharing the same runic alphabet & linguistic root. The Abyssal languages, as they are commonly known, have many names (Asuri, Dhaimonos, & Qartabariqad, just to list a few of the most popular), & each of them have several distinct dialects. It has been proposed by certain scholars of demonology that all of their countless languages are actually just variants of a single tongue, & that the nature of demonic speech makes them seem like they are separate systems.

Like the demons themselves, Abyssal is an amorphous, fluid language, with ever-shifting grammar & syntax. It is constantly evolving (or devolving), with new words being borrowed from other tongues, old words falling in disuse, & phrases acquiring different meanings on a frequent basis. Almost every word can be spelled or pronounced in radically-different ways, & a word’s meaning can be interpreted quite differently, depending on the speaker’s inflection & the context of the moment. These characteristics, combined with its innumerable synonyms, homophones, & metaphors, make Abyssal possibly the most maddeningly-complex language (or languages) known to mortal man.

The Culling
As mentioned before, the only method by which demons can reproduce is by capturing the souls of other races & defiling them in a procedure called the Aasrava, which results in the captive souls being painfully transformed into a minor demon. Because of this oblique route, the demonic hordes spend much of their time attempting to acquire souls via any means necessary. They waylay hafazas bearing newly-deceased souls. They raid the Pit of Fate. They invade houri settlements, slaughtering anyone within reach. They stage incursions across the planar divide, stalking the nights of Siraaj in order to tempt mortals into their clutches. These relentless attacks are collectively known as the Culling, for they harvest the souls of mortals like a farmer would cut down his crops.

They not only use the Culling to collect souls that will boost their numbers, but demons can directly add to their own spiritual energy by devouring souls. If a demon were to consume a number of souls whose total Hit Die equaled or exceeded its own, then that demon’s Hit Die would increase by one. A demon of maximum Hit Dice which has gathered enough spiritual energy to gain one more Hit Die is eligible to promote themselves to the next-highest clade. They can secrete a resinous chrysalis & pupate within it, eventually emerging as a member of a higher clade (with minimum Hit Dice). A demon that did not eat enough souls will die within their cocoon, as the process is very energy-intensive. Those that did enter prepared will become inert, suffering indescribable agony as their body is liquefied & reformed into a new shape over the course of several days (one day for every Hit Die of the new clade).

Clades
A demon’s form can vary widely, & can even change over time, but their basic structure can usually be categorized according to a rough hierarchy of clades, which are broad groupings that share particular physical qualities & behavioral mannerisms. Every demon is initially spawned as either a dretch or a quasit, & evolve into more powerful clades as they accumulate spiritual energy. While a comprehensive listing of traits for each clade would be impossibly long, certain general tendencies are notable in every one.

A minor demon, such as a dretch or a quasit, can become a babau, which can in turn evolve into a succubus. A succubus can eventually become what is called a mesodaemon, the lowest clade of which is a vrock; a vrock can then become a bebilith, then a hezrou. A hezrou may yet one day become a major demon, the least of which is a glabrezu; a glabrezu can then become a nalfeshnee, then a marilith, & finally a balor, the greatest clade of demon-kind.

To add to the confusion of all of this, there are many other clades besides the ones mentioned above; those are merely the most commonly encountered. There exist several clades that are rarely seen, yet verified by multiple accounts. Demons classified as bar-igura, dybbuk, goristro, mane, molydeus, sibriex, & countless other divisions exist alongside the better-known clades, & their relationship with the established hierarchy is unclear. On top of all that, the mightiest of demons cannot be classified at all, belonging to no clade & apparently transcending the system altogether. It is thought that demons are so infused with chaos that they defy all attempts to understand them, refusing to bear the yolk of order imposed upon them by such categorization.

Notable Demons
Over the centuries, several demons have made a name for themselves, standing out from among their peers to enter the annals of history. Here is a sample of the most well-known demon princes:

• Over 1,400 years ago, Johoum gathered a horde of followers (including the equally-estimable Nathar) & left Sergala for a campaign of ruin & slaughter on Siraaj. His army of demons destroyed the kobold nation of Haz-Hurad, & he began to acquire divine power from an apocalyptic cult that he had formed around himself. He was then caught in an arcane trap set by the Admajai & bound in the Shrine of the Imprisonment, where he still lies to this day, sealed away into the barrier between Siraaj & Najmah.
• A former lieutenant of Johoum, Nathar led a horrific campaign to the Eastern Continent, corrupting the shaghal tribes & turning them into a loyal servant race. With Johoum bound within his prison, Nathar hid among his mortal minions as a living god, & eventually gained true divine power from their worship. He is still in the shaghal homeland of Nefer-Ta, plotting the invasion of the continent of Admaja.
• Long ago, in the Age of Kingdoms, Shikk mated with a human being & spawned an abominable child. Disgusted by the cambion that it had spawned, Shikk slew the offspring, splitting the child in twain in its revulsion. Curious about death & undeath, the demon possessed the body of a necromancer & reanimated the two halves of the youth’s body. These both became separate undead entities, which were the first nasnasi. Fascinated, the demon “created” many more pairs over the next century, slaughtering hundreds of mortals to craft thousands of these half-bodied horrors.
• A masterful lair & manipulator of consummate skill, Zalambur presides over dishonest & fraudulent business transactions. The demon prince literally has a forked tongue, & it is said that he can speak with two voices at the same time. For centuries, Zalambur has roamed the edges of mortal civilization, tempting the unwary with promises of wealth & power. No other demon is so adept at luring people into giving up their own souls, & for that reason the Prince of Lies has risen through the clades to a form that transcends the balor. Legend has it that it was Zalambur that negotiated with the rakshasa to allow demon-kind to use the Seven Paths, which gives them easy access to Siraaj.

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Deva

Mitrana Deva (Astral Deva)

Abilities & Racial Features

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• Strength +8, Dexterity +4, Constitution +6, Intelligence +8, Wisdom +10, Charisma +8.
• Outsider (Extraplanar): Mitrana devas are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, & resurrection, don’t work on them. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life. They breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish).
• Medium Size: As Medium creatures, mitrana devas have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Racial Hit Dice: A mitrana deva begins with 12 levels of outsider, which provide 12d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +12, & base saving throw bonuses of Fortitude +8, Reflex +8, & Will +8.
• Racial Skills: A mitrana deva’s outsider levels give it skill points equal to 15 × (8 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Concentration, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, & Spot.
• Racial Feats: A mitrana deva’s outsider levels give it 5 feats.
• A mitrana deva’s base land speed is 50 feet.
• A mitrana deva’s base flight speed is 100 feet (good maneuverability).
• Darkvision out to 60 feet & low-light vision.
• Spell-Like Abilities
  • At Will: aid, continual flame, detect evil, discern lies (DC 19), dispel evil (DC 20), dispel magic, holy aura (DC 23), holy smite (DC 19), holy word (DC 22), invisibility (self only), plane shift (DC 22), remove curse (DC 18), remove disease (DC 18), remove fear (DC 16)
  • 7/Day: cure light wounds (DC 16), see invisibility
  • 1/Day: blade barrier (DC 21), heal (DC 21)
  • Caster level 12th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
• Celestial traits: All creatures with the Celestial subtype possess the following traits:
  • Immunity to acid, cold, & petrification.
  • Resistance to electricity 10 & fire 10.
  • +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.
  • Protective Aura (Su): Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC & a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20’ of the celestial. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect & a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20’ (caster level equals celestial’s HD). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in a celestial’s statistics block.)
  • Tongues (Su): All celestials can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level equal to celestial’s Hit Dice). This ability is always active.
• Change Shape (Su): A mitrana deva can assume the form of any Small or Medium humanoid.
• Good traits: All creatures with the good subtype possess the following traits:
  • If the good creature’s alignment changes, then it will still retain this subtype.
  • Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a good alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment.
  • A creature with the good subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons & any weapons it wields were good-aligned.
• Mace: A full-grown mitrana deva is almost always equipped with a +3 heavy mace of disruption. It takes a fierce joy in bashing evil foes with its powerful mace. A mitrana deva’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as good-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
• Stun (Su): If a mitrana deva strikes an opponent twice in one round with its mace, that creature must succeed on a DC22 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d6 rounds. The save DC is Strength-based.
• Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Mitrana devas can react to danger before their senses would normally allow them to do so. They retain their Dexterity bonus to AC when flat-footed, & they cannot be flanked except by a rogue of at least 16th level. They can flank characters with the uncanny dodge ability as if they were a 12th-level rogue.
• +15 natural armor bonus.
• Automatic Languages: Celestial. Bonus Languages: Archaic & Houri.
• Favored Class: Monk.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

Population: 1,340,000 worldwide
Height: 7’6” tall (average)
Weight: 250 lbs. (average)
Languages: Celestial, Houri

The Order of Mitrana is the First Host of the greater devas, the most powerful of all deva-kind. Long ago, they were known as the astral devas, for they were associated with the stars in the sky, but that name has fallen out of favor since the Great Calamity. Like all greater devas, they are tall, lithe, & beautiful, with large feathered wings & an aura of mystical power about them. This aura sets them apart from even the other hosts, & makes them difficult to look at directly. The rarest & least populous of the devas, they have a strong connection to the divine, & this close bond makes them aloof & difficult to communicate with easily. They tend to keep to themselves, moving about on errands that they will not discuss with others & staying airborne almost as often as they are on the ground. On the occasions in which they do speak with others, they are cryptic & mysterious, often leaving those they talk to with more questions than answers.

Biology
Mitrana devas are between 7’ & 8’ tall, weigh around 220 to 280 pounds, & usually have smooth reddish flesh, although some of them have bright blue skin instead, a sign of even greater spiritual power. The males & the females are of roughly equal height, & they are both are lean & well-muscled. They are stunningly attractive creatures, by human standards. Over half of them are naturally bald, including some females, but those mitrana devas with hair have pure white locks & matching wing feathers. Their eyes lack visible pupils, looking like featureless orbs, & can be either a glowing white or an inky black.

Diet
Greater devas do not need to eat to survive; although they can eat if they choose to do so, most of them refrain from it, finding the consequences of ingestion unpleasant. A few opt to eat regularly, on the premise that living as mortal beings do & dealing with their everyday concerns is a lesser-traveled path to wisdom, but these are rare individuals, & are often seen as strange by their brethren. On the occasions when they do eat food, they consume the same fair as other devas.

For more information, see Lesser Deva: Diet.

Reproduction
Devas do not reproduce sexually, like mortal beings do; instead, they increase their ranks in a somewhat circuitous fashion. When a sentient being dies on Siraaj, the mortal soul travels through the Pit of Fate on a journey that will test its worth. If the devas of the Terrace of Peace find the soul to be virtuous, then they will bid upon it, offering to let the rare soul join their ranks. If the soul accepts, then it will travel to Najmah, where it will form into a tiny sphere of luminous energy.

This little light, called a Murmur or a haasya, will be drawn to powerful devas (or groups of less-powerful devas), where they will flit about, whispering & waiting for the time when they will be born anew. The devas are unaware of the connection between haasyas & their reincarnated souls, but they do know that the lights are associated with a greater feeling of contentment & serenity. It is viewed as natural and not often discussed.

Once each month, when the moons are full, there is a ceremony performed by an elder priest in each deva community. The ceremony is carried out under an open sky, & must be done when the moons are at their zenith in the ever-night sky. The priest take a wing feather from a bird, set it alight, & then douse it in a small pool of fresh consecrated water. If it is done correctly (& if there are souls to incarnate), then the burnt feather will transmute into a deva, which will arise from the pool fully-grown. The newborn deva will need to be cared for & educated by the community, but it will already be instilled with a basic understanding of how to function. Typically, a mentor (called an aacaarya) or two will be assigned to guide the new deva for its first few years.

Devas are effectively immortal; they do not age or die of natural causes, & so their lifespans are indefinite. There are few diseases or poisons that can harm them, so sickness is almost unknown to them. They can die by accident, or be killed on purpose by another’s hand, but otherwise, they will live forever in theory. There are devas alive today who remember the God-War in the Age Before Time, although these ancient beings are few in number & worn in spirit. What happens when a deva finally dies is beyond anyone’s knowledge, but scholars & sages have debated this question since time immemorial, & countless theories abound.

Internal Relations
All devas live in harmony with one another, but they are socially divided into their different castes, known as jaatii. The common devas segregate themselves from the lesser devas, & both of them isolate themselves from the greater devas. The greater devas are further split into the three hosts (the Asurana, the Rudrana, & the Mitrana), which act in much the same way towards one another. This makes five separate factions of devas, all of which are somewhat alienated from each other. While mingling is allowed, & peaceful cooperation is assumed, close relations between members of different castes is kept to a minimum at all times. This is not a codified law anywhere, but it is an unspoken rule that all devas grow to understand & accept as the natural way of their people. They gain strength from their differences when needed, but they keep their castes divided to maintain those differences in perpetuity.

External Relations
Devas strive to live in harmony with all things, & that not only includes each other, but it applies to other beings as well. They do not seek to expand their territory or to convert others to their system of beliefs, so they rarely come into conflict with other races. While they are willing & able to defend themselves when necessary, their altruistic nature & serene demeanor preclude any act of violence or aggression that could foment such conflict.

Devas are closest to the houris, who are also a peaceful people with a strong emphasis on learning & cooperation; the devas are fascinated by the houris & their search for enlightenment. The devas feel sympathy & pity for the genies, for they had so much power & influence before the Great Calamity, & now they are a lost, vanishing people. They are fascinated by encounters with beings from “beyond the mists,” as they call the mortals that they meet, & they extend them every courtesy in exchange for any information that they may have about their homelands. The only peoples that the devas don’t get along with are the demons & the rakshasas, who have both proven themselves to be destructive, duplicitous, & working against everything for which the devas believe & hold dear.

Devas have cool relations with the devils; they often engage in minor disputes or skirmishes, but they have had a fragile truce for centuries, based on their shared fear & suspicion of the demons. There is great distrust between the two sides, & the armistice could collapse at a moment’s notice, but in the wake of the Great Calamity, both the devils & the devas understand that it is in their mutual best interests to work together.

Occupations
Devas perform all of the tasks that one would expect would be needed in an advanced civilization. Despite their great personal power & magical talents, a majority of labor is accomplished the mundane way: through muscle & sweat. Devas farm their fields, build their shelters, their water, & make their clothes, all in a manner much like how mortal beings do such things. Ships are rowed & messages are delivered by devas, all without magical aid; this is as much to build character & hone the body as it is a convenient allocation of energy. The young devas, those who have been newly made, do much of the work, & tend to work the hardest, but all devas lend a hand at least some of the time, regardless of seniority or station.

The devas, as a people, have been given a great deal of responsibility by the higher powers of the Kamala. They have been charged with protecting of the Three Gates, as well as to receive newly-born houris arriving on Najmah. Occasionally, a representative from one of the divinities will appear before the devas, tasking them with a mission that requires the utmost dedication & skill; these quests are often fatal to those who undertake them, but such duties are considered a great honor, & even those who fail in their charge are revered for their efforts.

Devas have also become intrepid explorers in recent times, out of necessity more than inclination. The Great Calamity caused the genie kingdoms to vanish overnight, & they left behind many great cities & valuable relics. The disasters wrought by the Pactspell also destroyed many of the historical records & killed many of the great scholars of their kind; as a result, they have lost much of the lore of the past, as well as all knowledge of Siraaj. In their current ignorance, myth & superstition have replaced facts, & some have taken it upon themselves to reverse this unfortunate trend. To counteract this loss, many devas have become explorers, wanderers, surveyors, & relic hunters, searching the abandoned genie cities & lost ruins for secrets, lore, & magic from the half-forgotten past.

Names
When a deva is first “born,” it is given a name by the elder priest that perform the Rite of the Ascended Moons. This name is usually just a convenient means of telling the newborns apart & granting them an identity to latch onto; little thought or care is put into the assignment of this first name. Later, as a deva matures & becomes an integrated part of its community, it is given a new name by the young deva’s friends & neighbors, usually on their seventh “birthday.” This second replaces the first name, & is much more representative of that individual’s personality & demeanor. Finally, during a celebratory ritual commemorating their fourteenth “birthday” (a rite that signifies that the young deva is considered fully mature), a deva chooses a name for themselves, a moniker that reflects their own idea of who they are & what they represent. This third name does not replace the second name, but it does precede it, so when addressing a deva by their full name, the third name always goes first.

Male Sample Names
Amrit, Bhima, Damodar, Govinda, Hari, Jyoti, Kiran, Lai, Mahesh, Narendra, Prasad, Rarna, Sankara, Shankar, Tarun, Varuna, Vyasa

Female Sample Names
Ananda, Bala, Chandi, Durga, Indira, Jaya, Kanti, Leela, Madhuri, Nalini, Purnima, Radha, Sarisha, Shakti, Usha, Veda, Vimala

Arts & Education
The devas have an advanced society, one that is devoted to artistic expression & creative endeavors. They value beauty & elegance in equal measure, placing a high value on the aesthetics of even the most common of items. In their minds, if an object, place, or person is unsightly, then it is incomplete or broken, & therefore should be fixed or made whole. This aspect of their psychology, combined with their natural drive to give back the world for blessing them, leads them to try to improve the world & everything in it, even at their own expense.

One area of expertise that the devas excel at is the use of architecture, which to them is an art as much as it is a practical concern. Using wide arches, large windows, & open terraces, their buildings are designed to accommodate the use of flight without mandating it. The greater & lesser devas can fly, but the common devas cannot (except through the use of magic, which not all of them possess), so their structures have ground-level entrances as well as upper balconies. As part of this airy design, they prefer to use cylindrical columns for support, instead of solid walls, even in places with inclement weather. They also like to integrate graceful sculptures & statuary into their buildings, & they favor the use of marble over almost any other building material.

The devas emphasize the importance of science & education, especially those with a more lawful bent. They revere nature & the natural world, & they seek to understand the laws & rules behind such natural beauty. This has led them to make great advances in mathematics, astronomy, physics, & alchemy. Nearly all devas are literate, as one of an aacaarya’s first duties is to teach the newborns in their charge how to read & write in the languages of the deva, including Archaic, Celestial, & Houri.

Unfortunately for the devas, many of their historical records have been lost, & so their understanding of the past is but a shadow of its former self. The Great Calamity (as they call the Pactspell) destroyed many buildings, including most of the libraries, with their delicate clay manuscripts & fragile scrolls. Countless lives were lost in the ensuing conflicts afterward, & so few remain who remember the past well enough to paint an accurate picture of it. Nowadays, many scholars devote their entire lives to the recovery & reconstruction of historical knowledge, but most of them fear that the monumental task is a futile one, & that they will never be able to fully restore what has been lost.

Relationships
Within one’s caste, a deva is free to associate with whomever they choose. As each deva is born from the Rite of the Ascended Moons, they do not have family members as mortal beings would understand them. All devas consider each other siblings, & they live together in mutual harmony. There is a loose hierarchy of sorts, based on an individual’s age, experience, & insight, but as they are prone to say, “Even the blind can see the stars.” Even among caste-mates, the devas do not engage in sexual behaviors or relationships. While devas do form close friendships (most commonly with their mentors) & even intimate bonds, they are asexual beings, & therefore sexuality is rather foreign to them.

Crime
As stated before, devas are inherently kind, selfless beings, who naturally strive for the greater good of all living beings. As such, most crimes are completely anathema to them, & it is difficult for a deva to grasp the concept of violating the law for one’s own personal gain. A deva will not commit an act of violence against a living being, unless it is in defense of themselves or others. This is as much a cultural norm as it is a part of their psychological makeup; they seem to be utterly incorruptible, incapable of even being tempted to act in a selfish or greedy manner. Contrary to popular belief, they are capable of lying, & some will do so if it will benefit others, but devas are generally honorable & forthright beings.

Devas are not always completely lawful, though, especially in situations in which the law conflicts with their own perceptions of Right & Wrong. More lawfully-minded devas will obey a law that seems unjust, working to enact change within the system & make the laws more fair. Other devas might simply ignore the unreasonable law, defying it in favor of what they see as the greatest good. This schism of thought can lead devas to oppose on another, & many a spirited debate has been caused by such differing viewpoints, although these arguments have never led to violence among the devas.

Because of their benevolent nature, there is little need for a police force to patrol deva settlements, enforcing laws & keeping the peace. Each settlement has at least one constable, but few of them have more than one, regardless of the town’s size, & most of their duties revolve around coordinating defense efforts against outside threats, settling disputes, & dealing with emergencies like fires, storms, accidents, & mist events. In these capacities, a constable serves as a roving vice-mayor, rescue worker, & civil judge. Devas often volunteer to serve a similar role in settlements of other races; they did this in many towns & cities in the genie realms before the Great Calamity, & they continue to do so in houri-dominant lands to this day.

Faith & Religion
Devas are mostly a devout people; they live in a world that is close to the divine, a place where wonders are commonplace & miracles happen almost every day. Unlike mortal societies, which are usually monotheistic, the devas believe in several deities simultaneously, & some even worship more than one. The Peacemaker (Sidaru) has by far the largest presence in deva culture, although there is some minor support for other deities, such as Qalima (Zaia), Dakhiel (Daq), & the Darshan trinity. Most devas choose a single parton god or goddess to venerate above all others, & it is their shrine which they will visit to pray, seek guidance, & make offerings.

There are few large temples dedicated to a single god or goddess in deva lands, but there are numerous small shrines liberally sprinkled across the landscape. One cannot travel for a whole day in the realms of the devas without encountering a shrine of some deity. These shrines are typically small structures, often just a 10’-20’ square stone altar with four column supporting a tiled roof & a large symbol or statue of the deity in question. These little shrines are attended by no one in particular, but every cleric that comes across a shrine of their patron is obligated to pray for a few minutes & help maintain the site, even if it is only to sweep away some leaves, mend some broken tiles, or replenish an incense bowl.

Genies
The devas may seem to be a race that is far beyond the concerns of mortal beings, & such an assessment is not an unfair one to make. But the devas are not infallible beings, & they are prone to some of the same flaws & quirks of any thinking people. Many of their faults can be traced back to the Great Calamity, & their reactions to such a cataclysmic event.

During the Great Calamity, the devas lost a great deal of their historical records, as fires & floods destroyed many libraries & killed their eldest brethren. As a result, what was once known as fact has become mired in legend, myth, & superstition. Efforts to regain the missing lore have been mixed, & so many stories have arisen to fill the gap, for good or ill. Many of these tales revolve around the fate of the genies, who disappeared en masse during the Pactspell.

Some say that the genies unlocked a way to ascend to a higher plane of existence, much as the houris aspire to do. Others believe that they were all slain by Sunya/Sidaru/another god for some terrible transgression. Still others think that they were taken to a strange alien realm, a place where they would serve to atone for their greed, vice, & ambition. There are even some who claim that the genies wanted to leave Najmah behind, & that their gambit paid off in ways that no one could have expected. The truth of the matter continues to elude the devas, although there are many explorers & scholars searching the abandoned ruins & forgotten settlements, scouring the land for some clue to this great mystery.

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Rudrana Deva

Abilities & Racial Features

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• Strength +6, Dexterity +8, Constitution +8, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +6, Charisma +6.
• Outsider (Extraplanar): Rudrana devas are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, & resurrection, don’t work on them. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life. They breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish).
• Medium Size: As Medium creatures, rudrana devas have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Racial Hit Dice: A rudrana deva begins with 10 levels of outsider, which provide 10d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +10, & base saving throw bonuses of Fortitude +7, Reflex +7, & Will +7.
• Racial Skills: A rudrana deva’s outsider levels give it skill points equal to 13 × (8 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (The Planes), Sense Motive, & Spellcraft.
• Racial Feats: A rudrana deva’s outsider levels give it 4 feats.
• A rudrana deva’s base land speed is 40 feet.
• A rudrana deva’s base flight speed is 90 feet (good maneuverability).
• Darkvision out to 60 feet & low-light vision.
• Spell-Like Abilities
  • At Will: aid, detect evil, protection from arrows (DC16), water breathing (DC17)
  • 3/Day: cure serious wounds (DC17), hallow (DC19), holy smite (DC18)
  • 1/Day: dispel evil (DC19), raise dead
  • Caster level 11th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
• Celestial traits: All creatures with the Celestial subtype possess the following traits:
  • Immunity to acid, cold, & petrification.
  • Resistance to electricity 10 & fire 10.
  • +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.
  • Protective Aura (Su): Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC & a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20’ of the celestial. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect & a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20’ (caster level equals celestial’s HD). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in a celestial’s statistics block.)
  • Tongues (Su): All celestials can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level equal to celestial’s Hit Dice). This ability is always active.
• Deliverance from Death (Ex): Rudrana devas are immune to all death spells & magical death effects. They are likewise immune to ability damage, ability drain, & energy drain.
• Good traits: All creatures with the good subtype possess the following traits:
  • If the good creature’s alignment changes, then it will still retain this subtype.
  • Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a good alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment.
  • A creature with the good subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons & any weapons it wields were good-aligned.
• Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Rudrana devas can react to danger before their senses would normally allow them to do so. They retain their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if they are caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, they still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
• +12 natural armor bonus.
• Automatic Languages: Celestial. Bonus Languages: Archaic & Houri.
• Favored Class: Paladin.
• Level Adjustment: +2.

Population: 2,691,000 worldwide
Height: 7’6” tall (average)
Weight: 250 lbs. (average)
Languages: Celestial, Houri

The Order of Rudrana is the Second Host of the greater devas, the most stoic & reserved of the three hosts. They are kind, caring, & beatific, but they almost never speak, even amongst each other. They will not discuss religious or existential matters, & they are reluctant to talk about anything that isn’t related to their objectives. When they do converse with others, they are fairly straightforward, but even then, they are beings of few words. They tend to be pensive, appearing to contemplate for long periods before taking decisive action, & they are known to meditate for days at a time. They are exceedingly patient beings, with a great appreciation of balance & harmony, & are utterly vigilant in their appointed tasks.

Biology
Rudrana devas are between 7’ & 8’ tall, weigh around 220 to 280 pounds, & usually have dark brown flesh, although some of them have deep blue skin instead, a sign of even greater spiritual power. The males & the females are of roughly equal height, & they are both are lean & well-muscled. They are stunningly attractive creatures, by human standards. Most rudrana devas have jet black hair with matching wing feathers, although other colors are possible, such as gray or white. Their eyes are invariably a piercing green, with the slit pupils of a cat. They are the most likely of all deva-kind to have multiple sets of limbs, with a full quarter of their ranks possessing 4 or 6 arms, & about one in ten of them have more than one face on their head.

For all other aspects of their culture, see Mitrana Deva.

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Asurana Deva

Abilities & Racial Features

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• Strength +2, Dexterity +6, Constitution +2, Intelligence +4, Wisdom +8, Charisma +6.
• Outsider (Extraplanar): Asurana devas are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, & resurrection, don’t work on them. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life. They breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish).
• Medium Size: As Medium creatures, asurana devas have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Racial Hit Dice: An asurana deva begins with 6 levels of outsider, which provide 6d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +6, & base saving throw bonuses of Fortitude +5, Reflex +5, & Will +5.
• Racial Skills: An asurana deva’s outsider levels give it skill points equal to 9 × (8 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (The Planes), Sense Motive, & Spellcraft.
• Racial Feats: An asurana deva’s outsider levels give it 3 feats.
• An asurana deva’s base land speed is 40 feet.
• An asurana deva’s base flight speed is 90 feet (good maneuverability).
• Darkvision out to 60 feet & low-light vision.
• Spell-Like Abilities
  • At Will: aid, create food & water, detect evil, protection from arrows (DC16)
  • 3/Day: bless weapon, cure serious wounds (DC17), holy smite (DC18)
  • 1/Day: raise dead
  • Caster level 9th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
• Celestial traits: All creatures with the Celestial subtype possess the following traits:
  • Immunity to acid, cold, & petrification.
  • Resistance to electricity 10 & fire 10.
  • +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.
  • Protective Aura (Su): Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC & a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20’ of the celestial. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect & a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20’ (caster level equals celestial’s HD). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in a celestial’s statistics block.)
  • Tongues (Su): All celestials can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level equal to celestial’s Hit Dice). This ability is always active.
• Good traits: All creatures with the good subtype possess the following traits:
  • If the good creature’s alignment changes, then it will still retain this subtype.
  • Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a good alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment.
  • A creature with the good subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons & any weapons it wields were good-aligned.
• Heavenly Deflection (Su): An asurana deva can deflect ranged attacks & certain spells by batting them away with its +1 flaming greatsword as an immediate action. When a ranged attack, ray, or single-target spell would ordinarily hit or affect the deva, the deva can make a Reflex saving throw (DC20). If the ranged weapon has an enhancement bonus, then the DC increases by that amount. If the attack is from a spell, then the spell level is added to the DC. If the deva succeeds the saving throw, then the attack is deflected, & therefore has no effect. Deflected spells are negated as if counterspelled. The deva must be aware of an attack in order to be able to deflect it.
• Soothing Presence of Nature (Ex): Asurana devas have a calm spirit that is pleasing to the inhabitants of the natural world. Unless magically compelled to do so, an animal or a plant (as per the creature types) will not attack an asurana deva unless attacked by it first.
• +8 natural armor bonus.
• Automatic Languages: Celestial. Bonus Languages: Archaic & Houri.
• Favored Class: Cleric.
• Level Adjustment: +3.

Population: 5,369,000 worldwide
Height: 7’6” tall (average)
Weight: 250 lbs. (average)
Languages: Celestial, Houri

The Order of Asurana is the Third Host of the greater devas, the most numerous of their kind. They are worldlier & more personable than the other hosts, & they the most likely to form social bonds with non-devas. While they are as reticent on certain sensitive topics as a rudrana deva, they always approachable & pleasant, deftly changing the subject with aplomb of a diplomat. They tend to be flexible & practical, seeking the simplest solution to any problem, even if it is unpleasant or difficult in the short term. It is they who brokered the truce between the devils & the devas, & it is they who often maintain the armistice with frequent envoys & negotiations. They sometimes chafe under rules & regulations, seeing some laws as getting in the way of the greater good, but they find some way to work within the system, for the harmony of their people.

Biology
Asurana devas are between 7’ & 8’ tall, weigh around 220 to 280 pounds, & usually have milky white flesh, although some of them have pale blue skin instead, a sign of even greater spiritual power. The males & the females are of roughly equal height, & they are both are lean & well-muscled. They are stunningly attractive creatures, by human standards. Most asurana devas have silvery hair with matching wing feathers, although other colors are possible, such as coppery or golden. Their eyes are always a swirling silver, with no visible pupils. They are the most likely of all deva-kind to have animal-like body parts; over a third of them have the head of an animal, such as a lion, an elephant, or a bull, & many of them have some other bestial feature like a tail or hooves.

For all other aspects of their culture, see Mitrana Deva.

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Lesser Deva (Half-Celestial)

Abilities & Racial Features

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Lesser Deva is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature with an Intelligence score of 4 or higher & non-evil alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A lesser deva uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here:

• Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to outsider. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves. Size is unchanged. Lesser devas are normally native outsiders.
• Speed: A lesser deva has feathered wings and can fly at twice the base creature’s base land speed (good maneuverability). If the base creature has a fly speed, use that instead.
• Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +1 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
• Special Attacks: A lesser deva retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special abilities.
• Daylight (Su): Lesser devas can use a daylight effect (as the spell) at will.
• Smite Evil (Su): Once per day a lesser deva can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD (maximum of +20) against an evil foe.
• Spell-Like Abilities: A lesser deva with an Intelligence or Wisdom score of 8 or higher has two or more spell-like abilities, depending on its Hit Dice, as indicated on the table below. The abilities are cumulative. Unless otherwise noted, an ability is usable once per day. Caster level equals the creature’s HD, & the save DC is Charisma-based.
• {table=head]HD|Abilities
  1-2|protection from evil 3/day, bless
  3-4|aid, detect evil
  5-6|cure serious wounds, neutralize poison
  7-8|holy smite, remove disease
  9-10|dispel evil
  11-12|holy word
  13-14|holy aura 3/day, hallow
  15-16|mass charm monster
  17-18|summon monster IX (celestials only)
  19-20|resurrection[/table]
• Special Qualities: A lesser deva has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
  • Darkvision out to 60 feet.
  • Immunity to disease.
  • Resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and electricity 10.
  • Damage Reduction: 5/magic (if HD 11 or less) or 10/magic (if HD 12 or more).
  • A lesser deva’s natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
  • Spell resistance equal to creature’s HD + 10 (maximum 35).
  • +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves against poison.
• Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +4.
• Skills: A lesser deva gains skill points as an outsider and has skill points equal to (8 + Int modifier) × (HD +3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation; the lesser deva gains outsider skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, & gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature’s list as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
• Challenge Rating: HD 5 or less, as base creature +1; HD 6 to 10, as base creature +2; HD 11 or more, as base creature +3.
• Alignment: Always good (any).
• Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +4.

Population: 13,422,000 worldwide
Height: 7’0” tall (average)
Weight: 225 lbs. (average)
Languages: Celestial, Houri

The lesser devas are an intermediate step between the three hosts & the common devas. It was once thought that they were each merely the perfected form of a mortal soul, much like a houri, but it is now accepted that they are a type of deva. They all look like members of the mortal races, but with great downy wings & an aura of tranquility. They vary in power greatly; some are weaker than a common deva, while others are mightier than a mitrana deva. Many of them serve as the administrators of the deva society, orchestrating & facilitating the daily duties of their people. A few have more important or prestigious roles, but they often prefer to work behind the scenes, doing good deeds away from the spotlight. They are naturally humble & altruistic, wishing to give anonymously & make the world a better place from the veil of the shadows.

Biology
A lesser deva is usually 6”-12” taller than a mortal being, & more muscular as well. They each look like an ideal member of a mortal race, a paragon of beauty, strength, & grace without flaw or blight. The only major difference (aside from an air of serenity that is almost unknown to mortals) is a pair of large feathery wings on a lesser deva’s back. About half of the lesser devas are shaped like humans, but there are many who look like gnolls, kobolds, lizardfolk, & even aazlai or camelotaur. Their coloration is highly variable, with skin, hair, & eyes of nearly any shade or hue.

Diet
Unlike the greater devas, the lesser devas must eat in order to survive. They do not eat meat (unless they must to survive), preferring various fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, & grains. Najmah is home to many different varieties of exotic fruit, so the devas can live comfortably just living off the land or cultivating small orchards for themselves. Their most popular dish is kartapuura, a flatbread made from a coarsely-ground wheat-like grain, topped with a paste of mashed vegetables & rolled into a tube. They often chew a tasty mint-like leaf to clean their teeth & moisten their pallet. Most of their other dishes tend not to have many spices or other flavorings, as they favor simple dishes without a lot of ingredients. They also enjoy a rose-colored wine made from the fermented juice of the draakzaa fruit. They are unfamiliar with dairy products, like milk & eggs, as they do not have domesticated animals that provide such fare.

For all other aspects of their culture, see Mitrana Deva.

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Common Deva (Aasimar)

Abilities & Racial Features

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• Wisdom +2, Charisma +2.
• Outsider (Native): Common devas are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. They also can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be, & they need to eat & sleep.
• Medium Size: As Medium creatures, common devas have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• A common deva’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Racial Skills: Common devas have a +2 racial bonus on Spot & Listen checks.
• Racial Feats: A common deva gains feats according to its class levels.
• Daylight (Sp): A common deva can use daylight once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher.
• Special Qualities: Resistance to acid 5, cold 5, & electricity 5.
• Automatic Languages: Celestial & Common. Bonus Languages: Archaic & Houri.
• Favored Class: Paladin.
• Level Adjustment: +1.

Population: 21,475,000 worldwide
Height: 6’6” tall (average)
Weight: 200 lbs. (average)
Languages: Celestial, Houri

The lowest caste of deva-kind, the common devas are just was wise & serene as their exalted brethren. In ancient times, members of this most numerous caste were known as aasimar, a word whose meaning has become lost over time, like much of the old lore. The common devas are tall & well-built, appearing much like the houris that often live among them. To those who can perceive the aura of one’s spirit, however, the two beings have a marked difference: whereas the aura of a houri is that of an earthly being that has been enlightened & crystallized into a more perfection version of itself, the aura of a deva is one of inhuman spiritual connection, mingled with an unmistakable spark of the divine. All devas, even the least of them, are innately linked to a power beyond the mortal realms, & this bond unites the devas even as it separates them from the mundane affairs of mortal beings.

Biology
The average common deva is between 6’ & 7’ tall, weighs around 160 to 240 pounds, & usually lack the feathered wings of their higher kin, although feather-filled hair is not uncommon. The males are generally taller & more muscular than the females, but both genders are lean & beautiful, by human standards. A homely aasimar is almost an oxymoron, as they are invariably attractive creatures. Their hair is usually a pale color, with blonde, ginger, & silver being the most common shades. Their eyes can be of almost any color, although golden-amber, icy-blue, & pearlescent are more prevalent than other colors. Their skin can be a deep shade of teal, a scintillating silver, or nearly anything in between.

Diet
For more information, see Lesser Deva: Diet.

For all other aspects of their culture, see Mitrana Deva.

[Zeta Kai]

Devil

Population: 13,421,000 worldwide
Height: varies by echelon
Weight: varies by echelon
Language: Infernal

In the misty, star-lit world of Najmah, there is an empire of merciless, tyrannical creatures, beings of pure law & even purer evil. They are known by many names: Baatezu, the Infernal Ones, al-Iblis, the Fiends, aq-Qarsid, the Paapiiyas, & others. But their most common designation is Devil, a name that they reluctantly accept; they would rather be called the Achyrion, which is the word for their own kind in the Infernal tongue (both singular & plural). They are divided into several echelons, which determine not only their form but also their role in devil society. Diabolical & deceitful by nature, the devils are singularly dedicated to the conquest & subjugation of all other creatures. They wish to rule the Kamala & every being that exists within it, & they will ruthlessly use any means at their disposal to accomplish their ultimate goal.

Biology
Little can be said about the devils as a group, physiologically speaking, for they come in all shape & sizes. Their form is entirely dependent on their echelon, ranging from the tiny, lithe imps to the towering, hulking pit fiends. Most of the echelons are roughly humanoid in shape, if not in nature. Almost all of them have two arms, two legs, & an upright stance, although the bezekira are a notable exception, their form being mostly feline. There are some echelons that have a pair of wings, & nearly all of them possess a tail of some sort.

Devils may appear to be similar to more mundane creatures, but internally, devils are quite different from mortal beings. Their bodies generate no warmth, nor do they have any need for heat; so long as they do not actually freeze solid, their black, oily blood will still pump through their icy veins. Their organs are mostly simplified versions of those possessed by humanoids, lacking complexity or variation. They can see perfectly well in even total darkness, their eyes being able to detect colors far beyond the normal spectrum. They need not breathe, & they only have a single small lung which they use to speak. Most telling of all, however, is the fact that no ordinary flame can burn them; they seem to be completely immune to fire or intense heat, & can even wade through molten lava without ill effects.

There is little if any variation within a particular echelon; one barbazu looks much the same as any other. In fact, it is even difficult for other devils to tell two of the same echelon apart, such is the extent of their physical conformity. For this reason, most devils bear an identifying tattoo somewhere on their body, the placement & shape of which is used to distinguish individuals from one another. This tattoo usually bears some similarity to the mark of a devil’s masters, so that they can tell at a glance to who a devil has sworn fealty.

Diet
On their native Najmah, devils must eat in order to survive, just like any living creature. They need to consume relatively little, however, often having only one large meal per week. This is fortunate for them, considering how barren & inhospitable their homeland is, largely lacking vegetation & other wildlife. Therefore, they eat meat almost exclusively, largely eschewing fruits & vegetables. They prefer the flesh of other sentient creatures, & will readily cannibalize their own kind if other sources of food are not available. The bulk of their fare apparently comes from captured demons, although they consider mortal flesh to be notably superior in taste & texture. In centuries past, they usually feasted upon the bodies of devas & houris, but the post-Calamity truce has largely curbed this habit, much to their chagrin.

Reproduction
Devils are sexless beings; while some echelons are equipped to engage in sexual acts, they only do so to corrupt or torment others (half-fiends are the result of these rare successful unions). Instead, their primary method of reproduction is similar to the indirect manner of the devas. When a sentient being dies on Siraaj, the mortal soul travels through the Pit of Fate on a journey that will test its worth. A trio of devils on the Terrace of Rubies makes offers to any soul if it will agree to join them instead of passing on to the next stair in the afterlife. If a soul signs their bargain, then it will travel to Najmah, where it will form into a dark, diffuse, reddish mist.

This gloomy haze, called a Blight or an usnaka, will be drawn to powerful devils (or groups of less-powerful devils), where they will drift about, moaning & waiting for the time when they will be born anew. The devils are aware of the connection between usnakas & their reincarnated souls, but they avoid discussing them & generally try to pretend that they do not exist. They associate the Blights with a demoralizing feeling of misery & unease.

Once each month, when the moons are dark &/or absent, there is a ceremony performed by a dark priest in each devil community, known as a spawning ritual. The ceremony is carried out under an open sky, & must be done with the prior consent of Tamaskama’s court (permits are procured through official channels). The dark priest takes a clump of salt crystal (easily obtained near Hima) & places it within the body of a sacrificial sentient creature (usually a demon, but a mortal or even another devil will suffice). If it is done correctly (& if there are souls to incarnate), then the salt crystal will be infused with a Blight & transmute into a devil, which will erupt from the corpse fully-grown. The newborn devil will often be a human-like timira (known in some circles as a tiefling), but about a third of the time the procedure will go slightly awry & a molten, warped lemure will be produced instead.

Devils are effectively immortal; they do not age or die of natural causes, & so their lifespans are indefinite. There are few diseases or poisons that can harm them, so sickness is almost unknown to them. They can die by accident, or be killed on purpose by another’s hand, but otherwise, they will live forever in theory. The eldest of devils are thousands of years old, wicked creatures worn down to sharpened bone by time, betrayal, & paranoia. What happens when a devil finally dies is beyond anyone’s knowledge, but scholars & sages have debated this question since time immemorial, & countless theories abound.

Internal Relations
The rigid & stratified culture of the devils is dominated by one primary tenet: fealty. Each devil is effectively enslaved by another, more powerful devil, in an unbroken chain from the lowliest timira to the Empress herself (in fact, Tamaskama’s official title is “The Empress of All & the Servant of None”). A devil will usually have one to four lesser devils that directly serve them, & can command its servants (or its servants’ servants) to do anything that it wishes. The only recourse that a devil has, if they do not wish to fulfill one of their master’s demands, is to petition their master’s master, which can be a dangerous proposition.

The only other reason to contact one’s master’s master (or grandmaster, in devil parlance) is to petition for a promotion. This is the second tenet of devil society: ambition. Every devil strives to accumulate power, by any means necessary. Some seek to gather slaves, while others risk their own immortal beings on the fields of battle, so that they may bask in the glories of victory. But these are just means to an end, as power is always a means to amassing more power. A devil that has distinguished itself from its peers can request a promotion from its grandmaster to the next-highest echelon, which is one of the very few times that a devil be said to experience true joy. A devil can only promote a servant to an echelon below its own (that is, they cannot raise another to an equal echelon to itself), so a devil must truly stand out from the crowd to be noticed by its grandmaster.

The transition from one echelon to another is violent & agonizing, as a devil’s body is wracked with painful spasms for several hours, until finally their flesh splits & the devil’s new form bursts forth from the bloody husk of the old form. This excruciating process is emblematic of the final tenet of devil civilization: suffering. Nearly every aspect of a devil’s life involves pain & the infliction thereof. They have seemingly no sympathy for one another (or any other creatures, for that matter), & appear to even relish the misfortunes of others. They have no compunction against harming or humiliating their servants, & will even do so to peers or superiors if they can get away with it. The only restraints that they have against their innate depravity are fealty & ambition; they must follow their masters’ orders, & they will not risk losing their standing in the eyes of said masters. But devils respect those who can inflict pain well, & so often a devil must learn to creatively indulge their dark desires if they wish to rise above their brethren.

External Relations
Devils do not really get along well with any other race, as they do not get along well with each other. They have had several major conflicts with the houris, the genies, the half-genies, the mortal folk, & the rakshasas. They do have a fragile truce with the devas which has lasted centuries, ever since the Great Calamity, but it is solely based on their shared fear & suspicion of the demons, & the armistice could collapse at a moment’s notice.

Currently, the devils are embroiled in an interminable war with the demonic hordes of Sergala, one that has ground to a hopeless stalemate where neither side can gain an upper hand for very long. The demons hold numeric superiority, while the devils have long held a strategic & logistical advantage; for every devil that the demons slaughter or possess, the devils execute or corrupt two of the demon-folk. But the hordes are seemingly inexhaustible, & neither side has made any major gains or losses in ages. Their bitter war with the Sergalai has further ravaged the already-harsh badlands in-between the two forces’ homelands, the trench-carved & wind-scoured desert known as the White Wastes.

Occupations
Devils perform all of the tasks that one would expect would be needed in an advanced civilization. Despite their great personal power & magical talents, a majority of labor is accomplished the mundane way: through muscle & sweat. This toil is performed by servants, who in turn delegate their duties to their servants, down to the lowest echelon that can reasonably be expected to perform adequately at a given task. Some echelons are better suited to certain roles than others, so they are directly assigned to those positions by the highest castes. Some echelons are not ideally suited for any specific role (like the lowly lemures), & so are consigned to do whatever job needs done at a particular moment.

For more information, see Echelons.

Names
A devil will invariably accrue a host of names in their ages of existence. A devil is given a name when it is first condensed from a Blight, & it is given a new name upon entering every echelon (via promotion or demotion). Each is formally addressed by its newest name alone, & to call a devil by one of its former names is viewed as a sign of disrespect, as if one were ignoring the devil’s latest achievements & status. A devil recalls every name that it has ever had, & sometimes uses these designations as aliases when traveling outside of the empire.

Each devil also bears a secret name, one that is unique to them alone. This secret name, which tends to be quite long & multisyllabic, identifies a devil as the property of their master, & is known only to them & their masters. To learn the secret name of a devil gives one a great deal of power over them, as a devil will do almost anything to prevent the public release of this most private designation.

Male Sample Names
Aphalex, Axalathos, Bacharthydes, Charystes, Chyros, Daryxan, Exethion, Hystares, Kalames, Malythex, Mastyphes, Nædios, Phelydius, Phrynus, Stalydon, Thæmolai, Zelykoi, Zyrus

Female Sample Names
Æthelydes, Apaltharus, Beltharon, Chælon, Chorydius, Dachythion, Haphysus, Hyla, Karkythai, Lyxus, Nyphalon, Phylegor, Pyragethos, Syron, Steriex, Thaxiron, Thyxaphion, Zalaches

Arts & Education
It cannot be said that the devils are a particularly creative people. They prefer to corrupt things that already exist, to subvert & warp extant things rather than craft them from nothing. In their view, it is better to enslave an artist & command them to create than to do so directly. But they are not without the spark of imagination that is necessary in an artistic endeavor.

The devils are all very clever creatures, with a wicked wit & a gift for strategy. They are best known for their mastery of the word, both in spoken & in written form. They are natural orators, capable of stunning feats of prose & moving delivery of speech. With but a few well-chosen falsehoods & half-truths, they can convince others to act according to their wishes, acting upon their target’s own motives & perceptions.

This talent, which is present in nearly all devils to some degree, reveals yet another gift of theirs: the knack of insight. They can size up a person & determine what drives them with formidable speed & ease. Combined with their powers of persuasion, it is of no surprise that their malign influence has topped more than one nation, to say nothing of the countless souls that they have damned over the ages.

These abilities are not present in a newly-spawned devil, although the seeds of such dark faculties are ubiquitous in their kind. From the hour of their spawning, when a Blight is first condensed & infused into a nascent timira, its training (& its service to the empire) begins. Every young devil is instructed concerning the laws, the tenets of devil society (see Internal Relations, above), & imperial doctrine. They are trained to serve their masters, & to perform the tasks demanded of them without failure, hesitation, or complaint. They also learn to rely only upon themselves, & to keep a watchful eye for betrayal by their fellow devils.

This tutelage is brutally exacting, & the price for failure is either torture or death, depending of the expectations of the student. This cruel education continues for many years, until the young devil is honed to a razor-sharp edge, & all possibility for empathy & trust is scoured away. Any student that fails to conform to the standards of the empire is summarily killed, as an example to the others of the cost of deviance from the norm.

Relationships
There exists no romance among devils, for love requires empathy, which is apparently beyond there capacity to experience with any veracity (although they can emulate it well enough as part of a deception). To them, the only relationship that matters is the one that exists between a master & their servant, & no affection lies within such bonds. A master’s demands leave no room for fondness, & a servant’s only desire is to attain the power that its master possesses.

Amongst a devil’s peers, there are only rivalries of various degrees of acrimony, as each devil attempts to outdo one another, while undercutting the accomplishments of those within their echelon. Alliances of convenience are often formed, but these are strictly business deals of mutual benefit, & are dissolved the moment that there is the slightest imbalance (often with a malicious betrayal). To stand out from the rest, an ambitious devil (as there is no other kind) must find creative ways to impress one’s masters, & so they often find equally-creative ways to sabotage the efforts of others.

Crime
The laws of the Hima Sovereignty are as numerous as they are strict. Conformity & obedience are of paramount importance to the devils, & any deviation from the regulations set forth by the state are considered a rejection of the supreme authority of the Empress herself, & punished accordingly. There are laws governing just about every conceivable facet of daily life, covering even the most obscure & unlikely scenarios. Indoctrination concerning the laws is mandatory for every devil (see Arts & Education, above), & such training begins the day that a Blight is condensed into a timira (or a lemure).

The legal codices of the empire are encyclopedic in size & scope, spanning dozens of volumes & thousands of pages. The laws are updated with new edicts & errata, which are frequently clarified by imperial adjudicators, & it is a point of pride among devils to memorize them all in every detail. Ignorance of the law is, in fact, a crime itself, & so all devils strive to maintain a comprehensive knowledge. Contests are even held in which two or more devils compete to determine who has a greater understanding of the official rulings, both past & current.

Execution of the laws falls under the jurisdiction of the Sovereign Guard, the internal security forces of the empire, although it is expected that every citizen (IE all devils, everywhere) assist the guard in performing their duties by reporting any breach of the laws, no matter how minor. A devil accused of a crime is required to report to the imperial courts & stand before one of the local adjudicators, who will assess the crime, the devil’s prior record, & the relative status of the devil’s masters. The accused is considered guilty unless proven innocent, & it is up to the defendant to represent themselves (or employ an advocate, although this is generally frowned upon as a sign of weakness or stupidity), which is yet another incentive to know the laws thoroughly. If convicted, a devil can appeal the decision to the adjudicator’s master, but the success of this is utterly dependent upon the standing of the adjudicator in its master’s eyes.

The penalties for breaking any law are unsurprisingly severe, & they fall into three main categories. The first punishment is the Price of Pain, wherein the guilty devil is tortured, either by their master or an imperial torturer assigned to carry out the sentence; this is for relatively-minor infractions, & is a common event in the devils’ lives. The second punishment is the Price of Position, wherein a convicted devil is demoted to a lower echelon, the degree of which is determined by the severity of the crime; it can be as simple as a single-echelon downgrading, or as harsh as a return to the near-mindless wretchedness of a lemure (demotions are just as painful as promotions are, & they are seen as a fate worse than death by many). The final punishment is the Price of Provision, wherein the offending devil condemned to death, its immortal life extinguished & its body fed to others; this is a rare sentence, & is usually invoked for reasons unrelated to the crime itself.

Language
The devils’ tongue (known formally as Achryos or Infernal) is a wickedly complex language, capable of both damning precision & deceptive ambiguity. It is a lawyer’s speech, with many rules & even more exceptions, clauses, & loopholes. Many poets have been tempted by its plethora of homophones & synonyms, but are vexed by its rigid grammar & cold, sharp pronunciation. Best spoken with a silvered (or forked) tongue, the language excels when used to draft contracts & treaties, as its nuances & distinctions lend themselves well to the application of legal matters.

Infernal is an ancient tongue, a language that has been worked, revised, & codified several times over the millennia. Its primordial roots can be traced to pacts & edicts dating back to the Age Before Time, although it is said that the devils’ speech was old even then. It hasn’t really changed too much since the primeval days of the God-War, as the oldest available documents are still comprehensible today. It seems to share some similarities with Draconic, & it is suspected by some linguists that the first dragons borrowed elements from Infernal when they originally made their own speech. It also shares some vocabulary with Abyssal, the demon’s tongue, although neither race would admit to cross-contamination, despite thousands of years of interaction.

Echelons
The culture of the devils is rigidly divided into a caste system, stratified by their physical forms, which are called echelons. As mentioned prior, each devil starts its existence as a mere timira (or, in unfortunate cases, as a wretched lemure), & can be promoted to more powerful forms. The available forms, their roles in devil society, & their relationships with one another are enumerated below.

• Tiefling (Timira)
  • Population: 6,712,000 (50%)
  • Description: These nascent devils look like fiendish mockeries of the major races of Siraaj: gnolls, humans, kobolds, lizardfolk, etc. They are the lowest echelon of devil-kind, yet they are more highly regarded than half-fiends (as they are true devils) & even lemures (as they are considered to have a greater potential). They almost never have servants of their own, & when they do, their servants are always non-devils.
  • Societal Roles: Apprentice, Farmer, Laborer, Student
  • Possible Promotions: Imp (common), Bearded Devil (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: None
• Lemure
  • Population: 3,357,000 (25%)
  • Description: These miserable, half-melted devils are either the result of a spawning ritual gone slightly wrong or a demotion of a devil from a higher echelon. They are considered worthless cannon-fodder by other devils, & are given the most unpleasant tasks imaginable by their masters. They never have servants, & they often attack each other out of frustration over their lot in devil society.
  • Societal Roles: Farmer, Guard, Laborer, Soldier
  • Possible Promotions: Imp (common), Bearded Devil (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: None
• Imp
  • Population: 1,678,000 (12.5%)
  • Description: These tiny devils are known for their cowardice & their reliance on their words to accomplish their goals. They travel to Siraaj whenever possible to corrupt souls & send them on the path towards evil. More than any other echelon, they use their servants for physical defense, as well as to carry out attacks.
  • Societal Roles: Apprentice, Bureaucrat, Messenger, Student, Spy
  • Possible Promotions: Bearded Devil (common), Chain Devil (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Lemure
• Bearded Devil (Barbazu)
  • Population: 839,200 (6.25%)
  • Description: These bellicose devils are the primary shock troops in the imperial army. They are noted for the well-tended glaives that each of them carry, which are considered an integral part of their being; a barbazu that has lost its glaive will either kill itself in shame or be torn asunder by its peers. They rarely have imp servants, preferring to train timiras or lemures in the arts of war.
  • Societal Roles: Laborer, Guard, Merchant, Messenger, Soldier
  • Possible Promotions: Chain Devil (common), Bone Devil or Erinyes (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Imp (common), Lemure (rare)
• Chain Devil (Kyton)
  • Population: 419,600 (3.13%)
  • Description: The clanking, rattling devils are walking personifications of the binding oppression that is the Hima Sovereignty. Their chains are embedded into their very flesh, & thusly cannot be removed while they live (if any devil can truly be considered alive). While some have barbazu servants, most would rather train young timiras or lemures in the ways of devil society, feasting upon their dimmer students.
  • Societal Roles: Guard, Magus, Soldier, Torturer, Trainer
  • Possible Promotions: Bone Devil (common), Erinyes (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Bearded Devil (common), Imp (uncommon), Lemure (rare)
• Hellcat (Bezekira)
  • Population: 209,800 (1.57%)
  • Description: The leonine devils are unlike any other major echelon, which are all basically humanoid in form. The shimmering beasts have an unsettling nature, & often shock those unfamiliar with their kind, who would be unused to their wit & their exclusively-telepathic communication. They usually keep imps as servants, although kytons & barbazu are not unheard of.
  • Societal Roles: Guard, Soldier, Spy, Torturer
  • Possible Promotions: Bone Devil (common), Erinyes (uncommon), Barbed Devil (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Imp (common), Lemure (rare)
• Erinyes
  • Population: 104,900 (0.78%)
  • Description: These comely devils are said to have been originally crafted in the image of devas, so as to infiltrate their forces & subvert them from within. Regardless of their initial purpose, they serve many functions in modern times, & they especially delight in seducing mortals to consign their own soles to evil. They most commonly keep imps as servants, although some choose to train particularly-clever timira (never barbazu or lemures) in the ways of persuasion & magic.
  • Societal Roles: Advocate, Diplomat, Magus, Messenger, Spy
  • Possible Promotions: Barbed Devil (common)
  • Possible Demotions: Bearded Devil (common), Chain Devil (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
• Bone Devil (Osyluth)
  • Population: 52,700 (0.39%)
  • Description: These skeletal devils form the base of the imperial bureaucracy, mostly keeping records of performance on the lower echelons & filing reports for the upper echelons. Quick-witted & versatile, many of them chafe at the monotony of their tedious existence, & wish to prove to their masters that they are capable of more (like most other devils, really). They are bound, however, to work with the proper channels to accomplish this, so ingrained is the imperial system within their minds.
  • Societal Roles: Advocate, Bureaucrat, Merchant, Messenger, Spy
  • Possible Promotions: Barbed Devil (common)
  • Possible Demotions: Chain Devil (common), Bearded Devil (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
• Barbed Devil (Hamatula)
  • Population: 26,400 (0.19%)
  • Description: These tense, anxious devils are often seen as the petty tyrants of the Hima Sovereignty, self-important minor functionaries & mid-level ministers who take every advantage of their authority (as is a given for the devils). The highest echelon that is present in all three columns of devil-kind, they are quite eager to ascend to where the true power lies, having risen so close to Tamaskama’s supremacy. They keep osyluths & erinyes as servants in nearly equal measure, with kytons being a distant third choice.
  • Societal Roles: Advocate, Bureaucrat, Magus, Merchant, Soldier
  • Possible Promotions: Ice Devil (uncommon), Horned Devil (common), Pit Fiend (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Bone Devil (common), Erinyes (uncommon), Hellcat (rare)
• Ice Devil (Gelugon)
  • Population: 13,400 (0.10%)
  • Description: These frigid devils comprise the Third Column of devil-kind, the masters of the White Wastes & the arch-nemeses of their demonic adversaries. Concentrated in the northern reaches of the empire, where the salt plains fade into true tundra, they rule an almost independent fiefdom, & some have begun to question their loyalty to the empress. Their most common servants are hamatulas, although osyluths & erinyes are frequently seen in their thrall, as well.
  • Societal Roles: Bureaucrat, Magus, Soldier, Spy
  • Possible Promotions: None (common), Unique (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Barbed Devil (common)
• Horned Devil (Cornugon)
  • Population: 6,700 (0.05%)
  • Description: These fearsome devils comprise the Second Column of devil-kind, the leaders of civil society within the Hima Sovereignty. They intimidate & unnerve even their superiors with their terrible visage, & they use this to their advantage to push their callous agendas. They are most often responsible for running the day-to-day operations of many imperial offices. They usually possess hamatulas as servants, with osyluths & erinyes as somewhat-rare alternatives.
  • Societal Roles: Archmagus, Bureaucrat, Diplomat, General, Politician
  • Possible Promotions: None (common), Unique (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Barbed Devil (common)
• Pit Fiend
  • Population: 2,900 (0.02%)
  • Description: These hulking devils comprise the First Column of devil-kind, the lords of the military & the Sovereign Guard. Ruling over warriors & sentries throughout the empire with their imposing presence, they are often undone by their own hubris & overconfidence, as they strive to attain the power of the Outer Court. They almost always have bezekiras for their servants, & will only accept hamatulas as substitutes, preferring the hellcats to humanoid minions.
  • Societal Roles: Archmagus, Diplomat, General, Minister, Politician
  • Possible Promotions: None (common), Unique (rare)
  • Possible Demotions: Barbed Devil (common)
• Others
  • Population: 1,400 (0.01%)
  • Description: The Outer Court of devil-kind consists of those devils that cannot be classified within the major echelons: archdevils with exclusive forms & devils of rare types. The Uniques are considered blessed by Rajani (or whichever divinity a devil adheres to), although Tamaskama claims credit for their distinctive shapes. The others in this smallest of groupings belong to what is known as the Minor Echelons, with seldom-heard names & much less power than the Uniques (all of them carry the same social status, though). Pit fiends are their most common servants, but they can have minions of any echelon, with cornugons, gelugons, & hamatulas being less rare than other kinds.
  • Societal Roles: Archmagus, Diplomat, Fateweaver, Minister, Socialite
  • Possible Promotions: Various
  • Possible Demotions: Various

Infernal Alphabet

{table=head]Sound|Name
AI/Y|Aima (Yma)
O|Ophia
OI|Oida
A|Athla
Æ|Æda
E/I|Estilon (Istelon)
U|Upha
PH|Phæda
P|Pachron
B|Belda
X|Axilon
S/Z|Sæga (Zæga)
ST|Stæga
D|Dæda
TH|Thæga
CH/K|Chæda (Kæda)
G|Gæda
M|Malda
N|Naion
R|Ræda
L|Lapa
H|Hiotha[/table]

[Zeta Kai]

Genie

Coming Soon!

[Zeta Kai]

Houri

Coming Soon!

[Zeta Kai]

Rakshasa

Coming Soon!

[Zeta Kai]

Archaic Language (Admajai)

The language commonly known today as Archaic was the predominant tongue of the Empire of Admaja, as it was for the Kingdom of Admaja before it. It originated on the Shepherd's Isle (called the Shattered Isle in modern times), & was spoken there in some recognizable form since the Age of Kingdoms. It served as the lingua franca on the continent of Admaja during almost the entirety of the Imperial Era, up until the Ten Dark Years, when it was rapidly supplanted by the Common speech (formerly the tongue of the kobolds). It can still be seen today on most ruins dating from the previous two ages, on many old texts, & on some magical scrolls. While the Common Speech is the prevalent language of the modern age, many people can still understand Archaic (particularly along the Mamlaqah Coast), & some can even speak it after a fashion, even though it is effectively a dead language.

Table 11-1: Vocabulary

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{table=head]Admajai Word|English Meaning
abazi|village
adua|three (3), third
adul|male, masculine
ahuz|ending, stopping, ceasing
-ai|of, pertaining to, adjective form
aimas|revenge, retribution, vengeance
aiqu|heat, hotness, warmth
aladul|man
alaja|life, living
alaqanas|human, folk, people
alarun|woman
aluq|child, children, offspring
aq-|the
aqimar|map, guide
araq|lizard, reptile
arun|female, feminine
ashiz|song, ballad
atuj|creative, making
atuj-mazir|benign spirit, bahamut
azet|territory, dominion
badras|assassin, killer
balaz|month
baluqar|moon
balzed|alphabet
baruq|dune
basha|town
beqi|to find, to locate
bet, -abet|city, metropolis
bishaj|tax, toll, levy, tithe
buqa|two (2), second
burashi|flatbread
dal|home, house, residence
daqa|plants, greenery, vegetation
daqabet|city of green
deruq|green, plant, vegetable
dilam|hand
diai|your, yours
diu|you (singular)
duaz|closed, narrow
duraq|hymn, chant, mantra
edala|change, alter, transform
elaq|magic, sorcery
elaqras|mage, sorcerer
eq|I, me
eqar|eye
eqri|we, us
equt|quiet, silent
esham|madness, insanity, lunacy
ezbar|to own, to possess
faj|though, although
falaj|between
farun|blood
fediq|to heal, to cure, to mend
fizar|letter, character, symbol
fuardul|merchant, salesman
gabar|to dig, to bury
gajaq|cavern
gazila|fate, destiny, doom
geju|only, just
genumel|victory, success
gihala|dynasty, lineage
gilam|provider, donor, supplier
guadai|instead of
gul|ravenous, voracious, greedy
hadab|unpleasant, foul, disgusting
hal|tooth
haqalil|sky
haqara|wind, air, airy
haqara-sim|air genie, djinni
harash|path, trail
haza|leader, commander, ruler
hazaqan|king, lord, ruler
hazanim|queen, lady, ruler
hazari|kingdom, nation, empire
hebaq|true, genuine, real
hequ|craft, product, goods, wares
hila|four (4), fourth
hizu|courage, bravery, valor
hizul|brave, courageous
hul|black
huzia|oasis, pond
-i, -ri|plural
ibar|gold, golden
idai|by
ija|bridge
ijabet|city of bridges
iqura|glass
iqurabet|city of glass
ishar|explosion, burst, blast
izana|seven (7), seventh
izr|son
izud|daughter
jahar|land, ground
jahazi|island
jalaq|destructive, unmaking
jalaq-mazir|malign spirit, ahriman, ghul
jalim|hatred, spite, malice
jalud|ruin, destruction, decay
jerim|regime
jeqta|fool, idiot, buffoon
jima|hope
jimabet|city of hope
jina|open, wide
jiqaluja|caravan
jual|west, western, westward
jujim|through
juza|eight (8), eighth
laraz|year
lazaqa|guardian, protector
lazaqa-nasid|guardian spirit, hafaza, hafza
lehan|south, southern, southward
leqad|bird
lila|dome
ludr|knowledge, to know
luqad|anger, fury, rage
lura|five (5), fifth
luz|to live, to dwell
luzar|dweller, resident, citizen
madirun|prostitute, whore
madun|flood, flooding
mal|light
malaz|day, daytime
manas|warrior, fighter, soldier
mar|white
mashaz|to walk, walking
mazir|god (spirit-being)
mazuri|god, diety
meqar|hiding, concealing
mezul|father
mezun|mother
mira|one (1), first
mua|religion, faith, belief, creed
muaji|cult, sect, cabal, circle, order
muarzi|divine, holy, sublime
muarzibet|holy city, city of god
mutar|number, integer
nadim|plain, field, flatland
naduza|ocean
nam|half, part, portion, fraction
nasid|angel (spirit-being)
naz|good, kind, benevolent
neshid|to shake, to convulse
nilum|to repair, to fix, to mend
niu|you (plural)
nizia|lake
numar|half-breed, crossbreed, hybrid
nuraz|to wash, to bathe, to cleanse
nuza|water, sea, watery
nuza-sim|water genie, marid
qaji|guild, union, group, club
qalila|hill, bluff, mound
qalim|mountain
qama|all, every
qanas|people, group, population
qanuil|nomad, wanderer
qar|evil, cruel, malevolent
qarsid|demon/devil (spirit-being)
qash|resolve, determination
qaturan|battle, fight, skirmish
qazaj|holy corpse, mummy
qehala|earth, soil, ground, earthy
qehala-sim|earth genie, dao
qidar|soul, spirit, essense
qira|rock, stone
qimarazan|temple, shrine
qrai|our, ours
quhad|serpent, snake
quhad-gul|ravenous serpent, dragon
qulzad|desert, wasteland
qurai|small, little
radim|tower, spire
radimbet|city of towers
rahan|north, northern, northward
raiz|old, elderly
razir|elder
ral|red
rema|six (6), sixth
rezal|beer
riqa|pain, agony, suffering
rimar|thief, rogue
runaraq|stabbing, piercing
ruz|in, within
-sad, -asad|without, lacking, negative, -less
sadi|without, lacking, negative
saj|claw, talon
salaz|shadow, shade, dimness
salur|absent, missing
salim|arch, curve
saraq|hair, fur
sarqai|hairy, furry, wooly
selash|peace, harmony, calm
sezashar|to escape, to flee, to retreat
shadul|brother
shahazan|castle, fortress
shamat|sibling
sharun|sister
shiur|love, emotion, feeling
shibaj|poison, venom, toxin
shuqa|wing
sim|genie (spirit-being)
sisana|coast, shore
sual|east, eastern, eastward
suja|death
sumar|bone
suraj|corpse, dead body
surja|dead
tabari|word
tabariqad|language, tongue, speech
tal|dark, darkness
talar|night, nighttime
taq|slave, indentured servant
taqma|service, fidelity
tazi|wall, divide, partition
tazibet|city of walls
teqar|mouth, maw
teshiq|hero, champion, savior
tila|nine (9), ninth
tiqar|to wound, to harm, to maim
tizash|noble, aristocrat, elite
tuaj|unholy corpse, ghoul, zombie
tul|knife, dagger, blade
ua|and
ubaz|head
udal|forever, eternity
uimar|to block, to prevent, to parry
ulaz|dry, arid, parched
unas|thing, object, item
uqali|hyena, wild dog
usaq|new, young
usham|forged, manufactured
uzari|eater, devourer, consumer
zabul|can, could, may
zadi|sand
zalim|border, boundary, edge
zarqa|fire, blaze, fiery
zarqa-sim|fire genie, efreet
zataqar|sun
zehim|gate, gateway, passage
zehimbet|city of gates
zehira|pass
zek|drawing, painting, sculpture
zekar|artist, painter, sculptor
zenul|will, would
zihara|road
zimbal|lion, lioness
ziria|river
zuha|ten (10), tenth
zui|star
zuqar|damnation, curse, hex
zur|high, super, great, arch-
[/table]

[Zeta Kai]

Hoplite (3E)

The elite soldiers of Uqalizar were feared & respected throughout the continent during much of the Age of Kingdoms. These mostly-gnoll warriors defended their homeland with a discipline & efficiency that was legendary. They were often hired outside their native land as mercenaries, which spread their well-deserved fame even further.

Today, the proud tradition of the hoplite is mostly forgotten, relegated to tales of days long past. However, some rare individuals still follow the old martial customs, & the tactics of the hoplite have not been completely lost. All along the eastern coast, warriors still carry spear & shield into battle, as their ancestors once did.

Rarely without employment, a hoplite is a lightly-armored polearm-wielding warrior, employed as a noble retainer or elite soldier. A professional combatant, the hoplite wields polearms & bears a large shield, the better to move quickly & dominate the field of battle. They are a cut above other warriors, & they are quick to exploit every advantage.

Hit Die: d10.

Entry Requirements
To qualify to take levels as a hoplite, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

• Base Attack Bonus: +5.
• Proficiencies: Must be proficient with all martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, & shields (tower shield proficiency is not necessary).
• Feats: Weapon Focus (Glaive, Guisarme, Lance, Longspear, or Ranseur).
• Special: Must possess & use a heavy shield or a tower shield. This shield may have magical enhancements &/or special abilities, but must be of at least masterwork quality.

Table 11-2: The Hoplite (PrC)

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fortitude Save|Reflex Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1|+2|+2|+0|Bonus Feat
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+0|Short Haft, Bonus Feat
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+1|Phalanx Formation, Bonus Feat
4th|+4|+4|+4|+1|With Your Shield or Upon It, Bonus Feat
5th|+5|+4|+4|+1|Molon Labe, Bonus Feat[/table]

Class Skills
The Hoplite’s class skills (& the key ability for each skill) are Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), & Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are features of the hoplite prestige class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hoplites gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Bonus Feat: At each level, a hoplite may choose a bonus feat from the list of feats available to fighters. This is in addition to the feats that a character of any class normally gets from advancing levels. The character must still meet any prerequisites for these bonus feats, including levels of fighter for the Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, & Greater Weapon Specialization feats.

Short Haft (Ex): At 2nd level, a hoplite is able to use a reach weapon more effectively, even in close quarters. As a swift action, a hoplite can now switch his grip on his reach weapon so that he can use it to attack adjacent opponents. To attack opponents at reach again, a hoplite must use another swift action to switch his grip back.

Phalanx Formation (Ex): At 3rd level, a hoplite can use his shield to defend both himself & those adjacent to him. Any ally within 5’ of a hoplite at this level gains an untyped bonus to their AC equal to the hoplite’s shield bonus, as long as the hoplite is holding & using his shield.

With Your Shield or Upon It (Ex): At 4th level, a hoplite is able to use his shield more efficiently, defending himself more effectively. While holding & using his shield, the hoplite becomes immune to critical hits, as well as precision-based damage, such as that dealt by sneak attacks. However, if the hoplite loses his shield, he loses these benefits until it is replaced; in addition, he suffers a morale penalty on all attack rolls, skill checks, & saving throws equal to his lost shield’s AC bonus. This effect lasts until the hoplite either regains his original shield, or acquires one of equal/greater quality.

Molon Labe (Ex): At 5th level, a hoplite becomes one with his reach weapon. He cannot be disarmed against his will, & his reach weapon cannot be sundered while it is in his hand. Any attempt to either disarm the hoplite or sunder his reach weapon provokes an attack of opportunity, even if the opponent possesses the Improved Disarm or Improved Sunder feat. Disarm attempts automatically fail, while sunder attempts deal damage to the hoplite himself instead of his weapon, assuming that the attempt successfully overcomes his AC.

Sample Encounter
Teshiq Zaq-Zalar (EL9)
Fluff Coming Soon!

Spoiler

Show

RACE: Narsabi male
CLASS: Fighter 6/Hoplite 2
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil
DEITY: Sunya
SIZE: Medium
AGE: 27 (born 328 AF)
HEIGHT: 5’11”
WEIGHT: 159 lbs.
EYES: Red
HAIR: Orange
LANGUAGES: Common & Ignan
HIT DICE: 10+5d10+2d10+16 (64HP)
INITIATIVE: +6
SPEED: 30’
ARMOR CLASS: 26 (+3 Dex, +12 armor, +1 deflection); touch 14; flat-footed 23
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +8
GRAPPLE BONUS: +11
ATTACK: +13 Glaive (1d10+5, ×3, slashing)
FULL ATTACK: +13/+8 Glaive (1d10+5, ×3, slashing)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +10, Reflex +7, Will +2
ABILITIES:

• Strength 16 (+3)
• Dexterity 16 (+3)
• Constitution 14 (+2)
• Intelligence 14 (+2)
• Wisdom 10 (+0)
• Charisma 8 (-1)

SKILLS: 44 points

• Bluff +1
• Climb +12
• Intimidate +12
• Jump +12
• Listen +3
• Spot +3
• Swim +12

FEATS: Avoidance**, Cleave, Defensive Stance**, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Style Feat**, Weapon Focus (Glaive), Weapon Specialization (Glaive)
WEAPON: +2 Glaive (8,308gp, 1d10+5, ×3, 10 lbs., slashing)
ARMOR:

• +2 Banded Mail (4,400gp, +8, maximum dexterity bonus +1, check penalty -5, 35% AFC, speed 20’, 35lbs.)
• +2 Heavy Wooden Shield (4,157gp, +4, check penalty -2, 15% AFC, 10lbs.)

EQUIPMENT:

• 135gp
• Ring of Protection +1 (2,000gp)

RACIAL FEATURES:

• Outsider (Native): Narsabi are not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. They also can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be, & they need to eat & sleep.
• Darkvision 60’.
• Elemental Resistance: A narsabi gains Fire Resistance 2.
• Genie Heritage (Su): A narsabi gains a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against [Fire] spells & effects. This bonus increases by +2 for every 5 class levels the sabi attains.
• Hot to the Touch (Ex): Each time that a narsabi character makes a successful attack with a natural weapon or an unarmed strike, they deal an additional 1 point of fire damage. This damage cannot be added to any other melee or ranged attack. In addition, they deal 1 point of fire damage per round to all opponents that are grappling them.
• Ritual Lore: Narsabi gain Ritual Lore as a bonus feat, but they must choose a ritual with the Fire descriptor.
• Spell-Like Abilities
  • 3/Day: flickerflame
  • 1/Day: flame blade
  • Caster level 5th. The save DCs are Intelligence-based.

CLASS FEATURES:

• Short Haft.

LEVEL ADJUSTMENT: +1

[Zeta Kai]

Revised Poison Rules (3E)

NOTE: These revised poison rules replace the rules for poison found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (pages 296-297).

Poison
When creatures become poisoned via any method, they must make a Fortitude saving throw. If they fail the save, then they take the poison’s initial damage & are sickened (see Condition Summary: Sickened) for one minute. Even if they succeed, though, they still must take non-lethal HP damage equal to the ability damage that they would have taken on a failed save. For example, if a creature fails their initial save against Honey Spider Venom, then they take 1d4 Intelligence damage (& are sickened); if they had made the saving throw, then they would still take 1d4 points of non-lethal damage.

One minute later, the poisoned creature must make another Fortitude saving throw (with the same DC as before). If they fail this save, then they take the poison’s secondary damage (listed in that specific poison’s entry), & are nauseated (see Condition Summary: Nauseated) for one round; after that round, they are sickened until they rest for one hour. Even if they make the save, they must again take non-lethal HP damage equal to the initial damage that they would have taken on a failed save.

The Fortitude save DC against a specific poison is listed in that poison’s entry. The Fortitude save DC against a creature’s natural poison attack is equal to 10 + ½ poisoning creature’s racial HD + poisoning creature’s Constitution modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text).

One dose of poison smeared on a weapon or some other object affects just a single target. A poisoned weapon or object retains its venom until the weapon scores a hit or the object is touched (unless the poison is wiped off before a target comes in contact with it). Any poison smeared on an object or exposed to the elements in any way remains potent until it is touched or used.

Although supernatural & spell-like poisons are possible, poisonous effects are almost always extraordinary.

Poisons can be divided into four basic types according to the method by which their effect is delivered, as follows:

• Contact: Merely touching this type of poison necessitates a saving throw. It can be actively delivered via a weapon or a touch attack. Even if a creature has sufficient damage reduction to avoid taking any damage from the attack, the poison can still affect it. A chest or other object can be smeared with contact poison as part of a trap.
• Ingested: Ingested poisons are virtually impossible to utilize in a combat situation. A poisoner could administer a potion to an unconscious creature or attempt to dupe someone into drinking or eating something poisoned. Assassins & other characters tend to use ingested poisons outside of combat.
• Inhaled: Inhaled poisons are usually contained in fragile vials or eggshells. They can be thrown as a ranged attack with a range increment of 10’. When it strikes a hard surface (or is struck hard), the container releases its poison. One dose spreads to fill the volume of a 10’ cube. Each creature within the area must make a saving throw. Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons; they affect the nasal membranes, tear ducts, & other parts of the body. Creatures that do not need to breathe are usually immune to these poisons.
• Injury: This poison must be delivered through a wound. If a creature has sufficient damage reduction to avoid taking any damage from the attack, the poison does not affect it. Traps that cause damage from weapons, needles, & the like sometimes contain injury-based poisons.

The characteristics of specific poisons are detailed on Table: Poisons. Terms for each of the table’s columns are defined below:

• Type: The poison’s method of delivery (contact, ingested, inhaled, or via an injury) & the Fortitude save DC to avoid the poison’s damage.
• Initial Damage: The damage the creature takes immediately upon failing their saving throw against this poison. Failing this save also renders them sickened for one minute.
• Secondary Damage: The amount of damage the creature takes one minute after exposure as a result of the poisoning, if they fail a second saving throw. Failing this save renders them nauseated for one round; after that round, they are sickened until they rest for one hour.
• Price: The cost of one dose (one vial) of the poison. It is not possible to use or apply poison in any quantity smaller than one dose. The purchase & possession of poison is usually illegal, & even in big cities it can be obtained only from specialized, less than reputable sources.

Damage Types
The initial & secondary damage that poisons inflict are usually ability damage of some sort. Ability damage is temporary unless marked with a double-asterisk (**), in which case the loss is a permanent drain. Unconsciousness lasts for 1d3 hours; paralysis lasts for 2d6 minutes; death is (ostensibly) permanent. Poison entries marked with a single asterisk (*) after their name are able to affect all Outsiders, in addition to creatures that are normally affected by poison. In addition to conventional ability damage & status conditions, poisons can also do ability damage in the following combinations:

• Muscular: Strength & Dexterity
• Nerve: Dexterity & Intelligence
• Physical: Strength, Dexterity, & Constitution
• Cognition: Intelligence & Wisdom
• Psyche: Wisdom & Charisma
• Mental: Intelligence, Wisdom, & Charisma

So a poison that does 2d4 nerve damage deals 2d4 points of Dexterity damage & 2d4 points of Intelligence damage. A creature that makes a save against a poison that deals combined ability damage instead takes non-lethal damage equal to the value listed in the entry; for example, if a poison deals 1d6 psyche damage (1d6 points of Wisdom damage & 1d6 points of Charisma damage), then a creature would only take 1d6 points of non-lethal damage upon a successful save.

Perils of Using Poison
A creature has a 5% chance of exposing itself to a poison whenever it applies poison to a weapon or otherwise readies poison for use. Additionally, a creature that rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with a poisoned weapon must make a Reflex save (DC15) or accidentally poison itself with the weapon. A creature with a poison attack is immune to its own poison & the poison of others of its kind.

Poison Immunities
Creatures with natural poison attacks are immune to their own poison. Non-living creatures (constructs & undead) & creatures without metabolisms (such as elementals) are always immune to poison. Oozes, Plants, and Outsiders can theoretically be poisoned, but generally not by the same substances that would poison other creatures. Therefore, treat these creature types as being immune to poison unless a poison's description mentions that it harms them.

Table: Poisons

Spoiler

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{table=head]Poison Name|Type|Initial Damage|Secondary Damage|Price
Abzi Chungwa Venom|Injury DC17|1d6 Dexterity|1d6 Constitution|1,000gp
Abzi Lujeng Venom|Injury DC14|1d6 Dexterity|1d6 Constitution|750gp
Arsenic|Ingested 15|1 physical|1d6 physical|120gp
Black Adder Venom|Injury 13|1d6 Constitution|1d6 Constitution|120gp
Black Lotus Extract|Contact DC22|2d6 physical|2d6 physical|4,500gp
Bloodroot|Injury 14|N/A|1d4 Constitution + 1d3 Wisdom|100gp
Blue Whinnis|Injury 16|1 Constitution|unconsciousness|120gp
Burnt Othur Fumes|Inhaled 20|1 Constitution**|death|2,100gp
Button Spider Venom|Injury DC16|2d12 HP|2d6 nerve|200gp
Centipede Poison (Small)|Injury 13|1 nerve|1 nerve|90gp
Dark Reaver Powder|Ingested 20|2d6 Constitution|1d6 Constitution + 1d6 Strength|300gp
Deadly Nightshade|Ingested DC19|1d6 psyche|1d6 psyche**|450gp
Deathblade|Injury 22|1d6 Constitution|2d6 Constitution|1,800gp
Djinn-Blight*|Contact DC20|1 physical**|3d6 physical|4,000gp
Dragon Bile|Contact DC28|3d6 muscular|N/A|2,500gp
Foxglove|Ingested DC15|2d4 cognition|death|1,100gp
Giant Wasp Poison|Injury 20|1d6 nerve|1d6 nerve|210gp
Greenblood Oil|Injury 15|1 Constitution|1d2 Constitution|100gp
Hayya Bark*|Ingested DC30|2d4 cognition|2d4 mental|1,300gp
Hemlock|Ingested DC20|1d6 Charisma|death|800gp
Honey Spider Oil|Contact DC24|1d4 Intelligence**|2d6 muscular|2,800gp
Honey Spider Venom|Injury DC20|1d4 Intelligence|1d8 Strength|250gp
Hydra Blood|Injury DC22|death|death|2,200gp
Id Moss|Ingested 16|1d4 mental|2d4 mental|125gp
Insanity Mist|Inhaled 17|1 cognition**|2d4 cognition|1,500gp
Lich Dust|Ingested 19|2d6 Strength|1d6 Strength|250gp
Mahavara Flower Extract|Contact DC22|1d10 Dexterity|2d6 cognition|2,300gp
Malyss Root Paste|Contact DC18|1 Dexterity|2d4 Dexterity|500gp
Mandrake|Ingested DC19|1d6 psyche|2d6 psyche|400gp
Maqur’s Kiss|Injury 13|Unconsciousness|Unconsciousness|75gp
Naja Lojing Venom|Injury DC15|1d6 Constitution|2d6 Constitution|950gp
Naja Xanghua Venom|Injury DC18|1d6 Constitution|2d6 Constitution|1,200gp
Nightshead Venom|Injury DC30|2d4 muscular|4d4 physical|2,600gp
Nitharit|Contact DC15|N/A|death|650gp
Oil of Taggit|Ingested 17|N/A|unconsciousness|90gp
Pearl Scorpion Venom|Injury DC28|2d4 nerve|3d6 Constitution|2,200gp
Purple Worm Poison|Injury 26|1d4 muscular|2d4 muscular|700gp
Rajani Flower Extract|Contact DC29|1d4 muscular|2d4 physical|2,000gp
Red Shahbanu*|Ingested DC28|1d8 psyche|3d6 Constitution|1,300gp
Sassone Leaf Residue|Contact DC18|2d12 HP|1d6 Constitution|300gp
Scorpion Venom (Large)|Injury 20|1d6 Strength|1d6 Strength|200gp
Shadow Essence|Injury 19|1 muscular**|2d4 muscular|250gp
Smoke Adder Dust|Inhaled DC25|2d6 Constitution|2d6 nerve|3,200gp
Spider Venom (Medium)|Injury 16|1d4 Strength|1d4 Strength|150gp
Splinterstone|Ingested DC25|3d4 muscular|2d6 Constitution|1,400gp
Striped Toadstool|Ingested 13|1 Wisdom|2d6 cognition|180gp
Terinav Root|Contact DC18|1d6 Dexterity|2d6 Dexterity|750gp
Ungol Dust|Inhaled 17|1 psyche**|1d4 psyche|1,000gp
Wizard’s Bane*|Injury DC23|1 Intelligence**|1d6 Intelligence|700gp
Wyvern Poison|Injury 19|2d6 Constitution|2d6 Constitution|3,000gp
Zimari Oil|Contact DC17|1 Dexterity**|1d8 Dexterity|1,500gp[/table]

* = affects Outsiders, as well
** = Permanent drain, not temporary damage.
Poisons not found in the SRD are in RED.

[Zeta Kai]

Rituals

In the magical realms of the Kamala, the foundations of existence are the mystic patterns shaped by Zihaja eons ago, polished by exotic creatures & fantastic beings & frayed by coincidence & circumstance. The loose threads of these patterns wind back into the master design, & it is by tugging at such strands that rituals are performed.

Superstition is, by & large, descended from truth on the Kamala. Though perhaps diluted over centuries, the grains of veracity in fables & legends lend themselves to being cryptic guidebooks to great power. With enough study & corroboration, it is possible to find the consistent set of events that, when brought about, tap into the magic of Siraaj & Najmah to release a primal sorcery; an echo of some fantastic event; an innate, esoteric power in blood tinted with the arcane.

Though rituals speak to the magic in one’s own veins, or to the spirits of the elements that comprise the world, or to a demiurge of arcane memory, there remains always an element of uncertainty in their craft. One who studies the lore of a ritual can grow highly skilled in it, but in a speculative, esoteric practice such as it takes to bring about a ritual, there is always a margin for error. & rituals do not always require the intent of the one performing them; some rituals, in fact, can be performed quite by accident, which adds further unpredictability to the potential consequences.

Why Allow Rituals?
Rituals allow characters of all classes to employ magical effects, & give the same benefit to the NPCs of your world. They also function with error & uncertainty present, & so can create effects that might be too powerful for a standard spell. Similarly, a ritual can have more specific or narrow uses, which an equivalent spell might be marginalized for.

Most importantly, the DM has the final say over the power of any ritual at any time, as each requires at least one skill check. Thus, they function as powers that can be used in the swing of an adventure, but with a built-in valve that lets you stop some fatal effect from ending the plot a few seconds in, & allows you to bring in justifiable plot complications without cheapening powerful magical preparations & defenses. They also provide the DM with plot hooks & other storytelling tools, so that they may easily create adventures that appeal to everyone at the table.

What Are Curses?
Curses are simply harmful magical effects that affect a character over time. Whereas a magic missile or inflict light wounds spell will harm a character immediately, a curse has more permanent detriments. Cursed characters might have large penalties to ability scores, attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, etc. They might have negative status conditions, like blind, confused, exhausted, frightened, or sickened. They might even suffer some more unusual malady, like a penalty to caster level, a grotesque visage, a low Initiative, or some sort of hallucination.

Virtually any ongoing negative magical effect could be termed a curse. True curses, though, come as the result of either rituals or certain spells. The bestow curse spell is probably the most well-known method for inflicting curses, but most curses in the worlds of the Kamala are the result of rituals. In fact, in many cases, the terms “curse” & “ritual” could be used interchangeably, even though not all rituals are harmful, & not all curses are rituals.

How to Use a Ritual
Rituals can be used in two fashions: trained & untrained. The former is normally reserved for rituals that will be used often, for highly dangerous rituals, or for those that cannot be performed untrained. The latter will crop up commonly for rituals with a narrow range of uses, or for very simple or easy rituals. Untrained rituals are also important for another reason, which will be discussed later.

To use a trained ritual, a character must possess the Ritual Lore feat for the corresponding ritual. The use of a ritual typically takes anywhere from one minute to one hour, although some exist that take as little as one round to perform, & several can take more than a day. Many rituals will require one or more mundane components in addition to the time it takes, & some impose prerequisites to learn or perform. These prerequisites only apply when using the trained ritual.

To use a ritual untrained usually requires a Knowledge check to know anything about the ritual at all, even the ritual’s existence. The DC of this check is set at the DM’s discretion; simple or superstitious rituals might be DC 10 or 15; clan or racial rituals might be DC 20 or 25, & some will be so obscure & forgotten that their DC could be as 50. Only a trained individual can use the Aid Another action to assist someone with their ritual’s skill checks.

The use of any ritual, whether trained or untrained, requires a skill check on one or more key skills. The DC’s are set by the terms of the ritual, though circumstances may increase or decrease it accordingly. Taking 10 or Taking 20 on a skill check for a ritual is not possible, as it is a quasi-magical effect. It is normally more difficult to perform a ritual untrained, & in some cases may be simply impossible.

Some rituals also require expensive material components or foci, & a rare few even demand XP from the character performing the ritual. In these cases, where an untrained attempt is even possible, it will likely incur an additional cost in goods or XP.

Unless otherwise specified, rituals are considered supernatural effects, & have a permanent duration.

Lastly, some rituals are dangerous or fatal if performed untrained. A ritual tablet will allow the use of these rituals in a safe manner.

How to Read a Ritual
A typical ritual appears below:

Truth Born of Mercy [Good, Martial]

• Prerequisites: Any lawful or good alignment.
• Key Skill: Diplomacy.
• Time: 1 standard action.
• Ritual: The secret ties of combat hide many surprises; one is the price that may be extracted to purchase mercy from a foe. Truth Born of Mercy is a warrior’s tradition come to life; the practice of sparing a foe in exchange for information is a pale echo of the covenant that this ritual represents. You may demand Truth Born of Mercy when your foe has less than 50% of his or her normal hit point total remaining. Truth Born of Mercy may only be demanded when your foe is seriously threatened by you. Make a Diplomacy check opposed by your foe’s Sense Motive check.
• Effects: If you succeed, you must immediately cease hostilities against your foe, as must your allies. You cannot harm or detain your foe, nor knowingly allow your allies to harm/detain it, nor knowingly allow it to be harmed/detained through any circumstance that would result from either inaction or consequence of action on the part of you or your allies. In exchange for this mercy, you may ask 1d4 simple questions of your foe, which will be answered truthfully to the best of the subject’s ability. Increasing the DC of the check by 5 allows you to ask one additional question if successful. The mercy you grant extends for an indeterminable period of time. Should you breach the terms of mercy during this time, you forfeit 1,000XP as well as any experience gained from defeating this foe.
• Untrained: Possible; your Diplomacy check is made at a -5 penalty. Knowledge (Local) to learn.
• Failure: You may demand Truth Born of Mercy of the same foe only twice in the same day. A failure wastes one attempt.
• Removal: GD, LW, MW.

Prerequisites
This line specifies whether the character needs to be of a specific class level, a particular race, a specific alignment, or a particular gender to learn & employ the ritual. Prerequisites only apply to trained attempts, & limit whether or not a ritual can be selected for Ritual Lore.

Key Skills
This line denotes the skill or skills required to attempt the ritual. A character must have at minimum 4 ranks in each skill to make a trained attempt.

Time
This can range from 1 standard action to upwards of a week.

Ritual
This section this section broadly describes the details of the ritual, as well as the DCs of necessary skill checks, the material components & foci needed, any situations which specifically alter the DC of the ritual or its properties, & the results of the ritual’s success. Rituals rarely have a set range; they will usually work on their intended target from any distance, so long as the target is on the same plane as the performer.

Untrained
This line can have five possible outcomes: Simple, Possible, Dangerous, Deadly, or Impossible. “Simple” means that there is neither penalty nor consequence for an untrained check, & is very uncommon. “Possible” is the most common category, & will have a listing of associated risks or penalties. “Dangerous” means that in addition to penalties to the check, there will also be a direct consequence for even making the attempt. “Deadly” means that the attempt will have a serious consequence & cannot be performed untrained. “Impossible” simply means that the ritual cannot be performed untrained; all untrained attempt merely fail.

This is also where one can find out what field of study is required for the Knowledge check needed to learn of the ritual’s existence. Remember, the DM is responsible for setting the DC of this Knowledge check (see How to Use a Ritual, above). Even rituals which are Impossible to perform untrained have a Knowledge check to learn of their existence.

Failure
This section details the consequences of failing the check, if any, & normally explains consequences for a Deadly untrained attempt as well.

Removal
This line denotes what measures need to be taken to end a ritual’s effects. Many rituals have permanent or semi-permanent consequences, & in order to make them stop, or end prematurely, some actions need to be taken. Casting certain spells on the target is often required; if a spell is listed in a ritual’s entry, then casting that spell on the target will dispel that ritual’s effects. Below is a list of the common abbreviations, & what they mean:

• BE – break enchantment
• DM – dispel magic
• GD – greater dispel magic
• GR – greater remove curse
• LW – limited wish
• MW – miracle or wish
• NA – not applicable/none
• RC – remove curse

Cost
This line details costs for expensive material components & foci, as well as any XP costs associated with performing the ritual. Not all rituals have a material/XP cost, & those that have an XP cost can never be performed accidently.

Categorizing Rituals
Rituals have descriptors similar to ordinary spells. The descriptors are acid, air, arcane, chaotic, cold, darkness, death, divine, earth, electricity, evil, fear, fire, force, good, language-dependent, lawful, light, martial, mind-affecting, natural, serene, sonic, & water.

Specific Rules
The elemental descriptors (Air, Earth, Fire & Water) restrict members of the half-djinn & sabi races when selecting rituals. A half-djinn or sabi taking Ritual Lore cannot select a ritual with an elemental descriptor other than their own.

The alignment descriptors (Chaotic, Evil, Good & Lawful) restrict characters when selecting rituals. A character taking Ritual Lore cannot select a ritual with an alignment descriptor opposed to their own alignment. Should their alignment change at a later time, they may still make trained attempts provided they still meet the prerequisites of the ritual.

The Arcane descriptor means that the ritual can be selected for a Wizard’s bonus feats. Rituals with the Arcane descriptor are considered spell-like, not supernatural, & are powered by arcane magic.

Rituals with the Divine descriptor are considered supernatural & are powered by divine magic. A character that grossly violates the tenets of his or her deity without another divine backer cannot use Divine rituals.

The Martial descriptor means that the ritual can be selected for a fighter’s bonus feats. Rituals with the Martial descriptor are considered extraordinary, not supernatural.

The Natural descriptor means that the ritual is powered by nature. Constructs & undead cannot perform Natural rituals.

The Serene descriptor means that the ritual can be selected for a monk’s bonus feats. Rituals with the Serene descriptor are powered by the atman, or spirit, of the character.

Disrupting & Ending Rituals
Disrupting a ritual is no easy thing, & few know how to recognize one & deal with it appropriately. Performing a ritual always provokes an attack of opportunity, but if a ritual is interrupted before it is completed, the performer of the ritual may get a saving throw to continue it. The type of saving throw depends on the ability modifier used for the skill check: Strength/Constitution-based skills grant Fortitude saves, Dexterity-based skills grant Reflex saves, & Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma-based skills grant Will saves. The DC for the saving throw is rather dependent on circumstances, but a good rule-of-thumb is that it equals 10 + the amount of damage sustained in the last round. If a ritual is interrupted for 1 round, the skill check for the ritual increases by +10. If a ritual is disrupted for longer than 1 round, then it fails. Rituals cannot be interrupted more than once without automatic failure.

Specific Rituals (35)

• A Change in Perspective
• Armament of Last Resort
• Bane of the Broken Blade
• Barren Womb
• Bound to the Relic
• Depths of Despair
• Doom of Time
• Entreaty to Sidaru
• Eternal Slumber
• Eye of Arcane Blood
• Fate of Daq
• Fertility Ward
• Fortune of Adimas
• Foul Tongue
• Freedom of the Mind
• Gates of Night
• Golden Gleam
• Honeyed Words
• Hyaenthropy
• Liberation of the Masses
• Lost Talent
• Mask of the Ghul
• Mind of the Beast
• Mouth of Madness
• Plague of Dire Fate
• Prayer of Pashati
• Sacrament of Qirus
• Sacrifice to Maqur
• Scar of the Earth
• Shattered Shell
• Shutting the Eyes of the World
• Spawn of the Blackened Blood
• Thunder Lure
• Trial of Limalia
• Unending Agony
• Veneration

[Zeta Kai]

A Change in Perspective [Mind-Affecting]

• Key Skill: Diplomacy.
• Time: 1 minute.
• Ritual: The worlds of the Kamala are deeply tied to cosmic balance of all things. If this balance is upset, then strange & terrible things can happen. This simple rite is but one small example of what can go awry when such balance is disturbed. To perform this ritual, you must convince a creature to do something totally & completely against their moral &/or ethical code. This requires a Diplomacy check (DC30); if successful, then the intended target must make a Will save (DC15).
• Effects: A creature that fails this saving throw goes through a massive personality shift; its alignment becomes the polar opposite of what it normally is: a LG creature becomes CE, a CN creature becomes LN, etc. A truly neutral creature (N) becomes an extreme alignment of your choice (LG, CG, LE, or CE).
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Diplomacy check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Arcana) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time & the materials. But if your target makes their Will save, then the ritual affects you instead (no save), & you are shaken for 1 hour.
• Removal: BE, GR, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Armament of Last Resort [Martial]

• Prerequisites: Must not be able to cast spells.
• Key Skill: Craft (weaponsmithing).
• Time: 1 standard action.
• Ritual: A warrior without his weapon is often at a tremendous disadvantage, like a caster caught in an anti-magic field. But there is a way that a warrior who has lost his weapon can craft another instantly & continue the fight. To do this, you must call upon your weapon of choice, yelling it aloud & reaching up for it. This must be a weapon that you are proficient in using, & you must be capable of speech & reaching upward. This requires a successful Craft (weaponsmithing) check (DC10 + the desired weapon’s maximum non-critical damage + its critical multiplier).
• Effects: If successful, then you conjure the weapon from thin air, in a swirl of orange & blue flame. The weapon will immediately form (safely) in your hands, ready to be brandished. The weapon has a +1 enhancement bonus & the Diurnal special ability when conjured on Siraaj; on Najmah, the weapon has the Nocturnal special ability instead. Holding the weapon burns you, dealing you 1 point of damage per round. The weapon lasts for a number of rounds equal to your HD × 5, or until it is put down, after which it will fade away. It can only be used by you; handing the weapon to another creature causes it to fade away, as if discarded.
• Untrained: Simple. Knowledge (The Planes) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time.
• Special: Reaching upward is done on Siraaj, but on Najmah, you must reach downward. Also, on Najmah, you must add the weapon’s threat range to the Craft check’s DC, instead of its critical multiplier. Lastly, this ritual automatically fails if you have another weapon on your person, or are capable of using a natural weapon.
• Removal: NA.

[Zeta Kai]

Bane of the Broken Blade [Death]

• Key Skill: Spellcraft.
• Time: 1 standard action.
• Ritual: Magic is a potent force, one that can be used for great good or terrible evil. One of the most dangerous acts of magic involves the breaking of a magical item. The arcane energies unleashed by a magical item’s destruction can wreak havoc upon an area. To take advantage of this devastation, you must damage a magic item until it destroyed. You must then make a Spellcraft check (DC25) within 1 round after the item’s sundering.
• Effects: If successful, an explosion of negative energy fills a radius equal to the item’s caster level times 10’. All creatures within the area (except you) must make a Fortitude save (DC20) or gain 1 negative level; sentient creatures killed by this rise again the next night as zombies & sometimes wights (5% chance, Humanoid type only). Undead creatures gain 6 temporary hit points, which last no more than 24 hours.
• Untrained: Possible; all creatures affected by this gain a +5 circumstance bonus on their Fortitude saves, & your Spellcraft check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Arcana) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then you suffer 1 negative level, & are stunned for 1d4 rounds.
• Removal: GR, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Barren Womb [Death, Evil]

• Prerequisites: Female only; any evil alignment.
• Key Skill: Craft (woodcarving).
• Time: 4 hours.
• Ritual: Fertility is a fickle & risky part of life, & with little more than time & spite, you can ruin a creature’s reproductive capabilities, rendering them infertile. With hatred in your heart, carve a tiny wooden effigy of the intended target. This requires four hours, a sharp knife, a block of wood weighing one pound, & a successful Craft (woodcarving) check (DC25). The intended target must be a specific creature that you have personally met before. If successful, the resulting carving is of sufficient quality that you may use it for this ritual. Once the figure is finished, all that is needed to complete the ritual is to whisper your hatred of the target into the effigy’s ear, & then cast it into a fire. Once the carving burns, the intended target much make a successful Fortitude save (DC25)
• Effects: Upon a failed save, the target becomes sterile for one full year, completely unable to reproduce. If the target is pregnant at the time of this effect becoming active, then the mother can make a second Fortitude save (DC25) to keep her child; otherwise, it is lost in a miscarriage.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gets a +5 bonus on their Fortitude save, & your Craft check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Nature) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the carving, then all that is lost is time & the wooden block. But if your target makes their Will save, then you take 1d4+2 points of Wisdom damage.
• Special: The carving could be made by a person other than yourself, but the less-intimate connection between you & the figure grants the intended target a +5 bonus on their Fortitude save.
• Removal: GR, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Bound to the Relic [Arcane]

• Prerequisites: Race must be a non-genie.
• Key Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) & Use Magic Device.
• Time: 5 minutes.
• Ritual: Ever since the fall of the Admajai, legends of powerful genies trapped in fabled objects have spread across Siraaj. These legends are not only true, but in fact can be replicated using powerful binding magic. First, the genie must be trapped in as powerful a manner as a spirit creature can, with a location bind spell intensified to its smallest possible area. Secondly, its physical & spiritual being must be sealed into an item via relic bind. While wearing or bearing the item, you must make a Knowledge (Arcana) check (DC 10 + genie’s HD + genie’s Will modifier) & place an arcane mark upon it to script your unspoken will upon the magic implement. Lastly, you must have the relic bound with permanency & make a Use Magic Device check (DC 10 + genie’s HD + genie’s Will modifier) to attune yourself to the relic.
• Effects: If you succeed in all of this, then you have crafted yourself a powerful relic & bound yourself a slave who can never free himself from your clutches. You can convoke the bound genie once per day without offering him a Will save to break free. In addition, the bound genie must obey any order you give, provided it is neither perceptively suicidal nor is an order to grant you a wish. Unlike a normal relic bind, the bound essence responds to you & you alone. You may place additional enchantments on the relic, & no form of magic can undo the binding.
• Untrained: Dangerous. Once you begin this ritual untrained, you lose any possible defense against the genie you are attempting to bind, as well as any attack or effect it procures against you. This includes abjurations, spell resistance, damage reduction & energy resistance.
• Failure: If you fail the Knowledge (Arcana) check, then the genie is merely bound as by relic bind. Should it render three services under convocation, it is irrevocably freed for all time from your binding magics, & knows your name. Additionally, it can find you regardless of any protections short of soul blank. If you fail the Use Magic Device check, then the genie is bound but does not need to follow your orders & can render service to any being who can convoke it. Should a spell fail, you can attempt to repeat that part of the process.
• Removal: MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Depths of Despair [Arcane, Mind-Affecting]

• Key Skill: Concentration.
• Time: 1 minute.
• Ritual: The world is full of horrors, both large & small. With just a minute of meditation, you can make your target realize what an awful world we live in, which drives them nearly mad with depression. You must concentrate for one full minute (DC15), envisioning your target in your mind & imagining every unfortunate thing that can possibly happen to them.
• Effects: Your intended target must make a Will save (DC20) or succumb to suicidal-depression for the next 24 hours, suffering a -5 morale penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, & skill checks. In addition, the depressed target must roll 1d20 each hour for the next 24 hours (sleeping doesn’t count for this); on a roll of 1, the target tries to kill themselves, attacking themselves (a character attacking themselves have an AC of 0) until they are dead or stopped in some way.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Concentration check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Arcana) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the meditation, then all that is lost is time; you may try again, each attempt against the same person permanently raises the Concentration DC by +2. But if your target makes their Will save, then you suffering a -2 morale penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, & skill checks for the next 24 hours.
• Removal: BE, GR, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Doom of Time [Death]

• Key Skill: Balance.
• Time: 1 hour.
• Ritual: Every mortal being will die someday, & you have discovered a way to force a creature to face their impending death. By acting as a living sundial, you indirectly unravel a creature’s life force, hastening them to their eventually fate. You must stand upon a Tiny or smaller stone in the noonday sun on your left foot for 1 full hour, reciting your intended target’s full name; this requires a Balance check (DC10 + 1 for every previous check) every 5 minutes. The stone must be less than 30 pounds, & it must have been under the target’s bed for one full night. If successful, then your target must make a Will save (DC20).
• Effects: If the target fails their save, then they are inflicted with a -2 luck penalty on all saving throws & skill checks until the curse is lifted or expires. Also, the target will die exactly 40 days after the ritual is completed, & they will be fully aware of how much time is left remaining.
• Untrained: Simple. Knowledge (Nature) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the balancing act, or if the target makes their Will save, then all that is lost is time. However, you can only attempt this ritual against a particular target once, so if you fail, then you cannot retry against the same target.
• Special: You can further hasten the target’s death by standing on the rock longer. For every additional 5 minutes you spend balancing on the stone, your intended target will die 1 full day sooner, down to the minimum 8 days. The Balance check’s DC continues to increase.
• Removal: MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Entreaty to Sidaru [Divine, Law]

• Prerequisites: Cleric only, Ritual Lore (Veneration), must worship Sidaru.
• Key Skill: Knowledge (Religion).
• Time: 10 minutes.
• Ritual: The Sultan of Night is a serene deity, a proponent of calm, deliberate means of achieving one’s goals. Despite the upheaval of life & death, Sidaru espouses tranquility in all situations. With this rite, you can uphold the tenets of the Questioner of Souls. To do this, you must lay prone on the ground (face up) with a white rose in each hand. You must then chant the Hymn of Harmony (Duraqai Selash), a long mantra listing the consequences of peace (few) & war (many). To perform this mantra correctly requires a successful Knowledge (Religion) check (DC25).
• Effects: If you succeed, then the roses crumble to ash, & you fill the area with a calming effect. This extends from the spot where you performed the hymn, & fills a sphere with a radius of 10’ per caster level. All creatures within this area must make a Will save (DC25) each time they wish to make an attack, either with a weapon, a spell, or one’s bare hands. Failing this saving throw means that the creature is unable to attack. This effect lasts until sunrise the next morning. Followers of Sidaru sometimes perform this ritual in secret on a site that is planned to be the battlefield for an upcoming skirmish.
• Untrained: Impossible. Knowledge (Religion) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time & materials. If any creatures within the zone make their Will save, then they are free to act as they wish.
• Removal: NA.

[Zeta Kai]

Eternal Slumber [Mind-Affecting]

• Key Skill: Perform (dance).
• Time: 2 minutes.
• Ritual: Nearly lost in the forgotten mists of time is an ancient dance which celebrates the never-ending night of Najmah, a realm of dreams & wonders. This dance, most commonly known as the Dance of the Endless Dream, has the power to bind a creature into an everlasting sleep, from which there is no waking. You must write down the name of your intended target onto a small piece of parchment, & then eat the paper. Then you must immediately & correctly perform the Dance of the Endless Dream (DC25), a difficult & exhausting dance. If you perform the dance properly, then you channel your weariness into your target, magnifying it tenfold.
• Effects: Your intended target must make a Fortitude save (DC25) or fall into a magically-bound dreamless sleep. The target is unconscious (IE helpless), & cannot be awoken via any ordinary means, such as slapping, wounding, or loud noises. The entire dance must be performed within sight of your target, the dance provokes attacks or opportunity, & you can only take a 5’ step each round during the dance.
• Untrained: Impossible. Knowledge (Local) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the Dance of the Endless Dream, then you become exhausted, as well as suffer a -5 penalty to your Charisma for 1 full day.
• Special: You can prolong the dance, adding +1 to your target’s Fortitude save DC for every round that you continue the dance after two minutes. Doing this also increases the DC of the Perform check by +1.
• Removal: LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Eye of Arcane Blood [Arcane]

• Prerequisites: Ghul only.
• Key Skill: Spellcraft.
• Time: 1 hour.
• Ritual: This wicked rite uses your own blood to create a little lump of magical coagulate. This creeping mass is able to act as a spy for you, watching, tracking, & even poisoning creatures. Known as a hemoculus, the mindless creature obeys you to the best of its ability. To create one, you must cut yourself with a blade, dealing at least 3 points of damage. You must then let the wound bleed out, collecting the blood into a bowl; bleeding out the wound deals 1 point of Constitution damage to you. Using another creature’s blood to make a hemoculus will result in the creature being uncontrollable by anyone; an uncontrollable hemoculus cannot use its Sanguine Sight. A Spellcraft check (DC20) must be made immediately after collecting the blood.
• Effects: If successful, then a standard hemoculus is formed within the bowl; see the Hemoculus monster entry for details on the creature itself.
• Untrained: Deadly; the Constitution damage remains, regardless of the success of the check. Also, the Spellcraft check’s DC goes up by +10. Knowledge (Arcana) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail the Spellcraft check, then the blood is wasted.
• Special: You can make an advanced hemoculus, by putting more of your blood into the bowl. If you bleed out the wound further, you deal more points of Constitution damage to yourself. A hemoculus made with 2 point’s worth of blood will have 1 full hit die, & every additional point’s worth of blood will raise the HD by 1, up to the maximum (8HD). Every additional point’s worth of blood will also raise the Spellcraft check’s DC by +4, due to the fact that you are being distracted by losing more blood.
• Removal: NA; once a hemoculus is created, spells that normally dispel rituals cannot undo the creature (although a well-worded limited wish could slay the creature outright).

[Zeta Kai]

Fate of Daq [Divine]

• Prerequisites: Cleric only, Ritual Lore (Veneration), must worship Daq.
• Key Skill: Wisdom (see Effects).
• Time: 5 minutes.
• Ritual: The God of Destiny teaches the Good & Evil, in their purest forms, are dangerous extremes that lead only to divisiveness & destruction. To curtail these acute excesses, the priesthood of Daq urges adherence to the True Path, a middle road paved with neutrality & balance. You can participate in a silent group ritual which shows the virtues of the Third Way. To do this, the ritual’s leader (usually a cleric of Daq) holds up a holy staff vertically in front of a pool of clear water, while the other participants (mostly worshipers of Daq; minimum 3) concentrate on a gray pebble that they each hold. The leader must repeat the following chant for 5 full minutes: Zabul beqi dui aq-gazila hebaq mashaz idai geju aq-harash duaz falaj tal ua mal (“Only by walking the narrow path between darkness & light can one find the true destiny.”). At the end of the chant, each supplicant takes their pebble & throws it into the pool while thinking of a single Yes or No decision they might make within the next three days.
• Effects: The petitioner with the highest Wisdom check causes the staff to tilt to either the left or the right, thus answering his question. In a formal temple of Daq, there are stone columns to either side of the altar where the leader stands, one black (No) & the other white (Yes). The congregation doesn’t know whose question was answered. However, when the answer is given, each of the pebbles in the font is polished, turning either white from cleaning or black from being blasted with the grit of the others; this part of the ritual is not common knowledge. Although it’s hard to tell which pebble was yours, it is possible with a successful Spot check (DC5 + 1 per participant), so you might get your answer anyway. The answers given often have a profound effect upon the requesters; this ritual can open their eyes to a new destiny, or at least a means of changing their current fate.
• Untrained: Impossible. Knowledge (Religion) to learn.
• Failure: Not applicable; there are no consequences for failing to get the best Wisdom check.
• Removal: NA.

[Zeta Kai]

Fertility Ward [Good]

• Prerequisites: Female only; any good alignment.
• Key Skill: Perform (any instrument or singing).
• Time: 5 minutes.
• Ritual: Since time immemorial, people have wanted to ensure that they can have healthy children. One potent way of doing this is for someone is the play the Ballad of the Wandering Moon (Ashizai aq-Qamar), an Admajai song idolizing the moon Qamar & its role in delivering souls from one world to the next in an endless cycle of harmony & rebirth. Reciting this song correctly requires a Perform check (any instrument or singing, DC20) after dedicating it in the name of the intended target.
• Effects: If successful, the ritual’s magic ensures that the target will be fertile for one full year, as well protecting any unborn children of the target from magical attacks/corruption during that period. The intended target must have heard the performance of the song, & it permitted a Fortitude save (DC10, harmless) to negate the effects, if they wish to do so.
• Untrained: Dangerous; your Perform check’s DC goes up by +10, & even attempting this ritual deals 1d4 points of Strength damage, leaving you fatigued. Knowledge (Nature) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the Ballad of the Wandering Moon, then all that is lost is time (although you still suffer 1d4 points of Strength damage for the attempt, if using untrained).
• Removal: GD, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Fortune of Adimas [Chaotic, Divine]

• Prerequisites: Cleric only, Ritual Lore (Veneration), must worship Adimas.
• Key Skill: Knowledge (Religion).
• Time: 5 minutes.
• Ritual: The Lord of Finery is a generous-yet-selfish god; one who delights in the results of his benevolence. Adimas teaches that opportunity & fortune lead to success & fulfillment. To encourage this, the Church of the Gilded Eye have a ceremony in which they bestow a magical aura of good luck upon those privileged enough to receive it. To do this, you must first paint the eyelids of your intended target with gold dust (10gp), using a homa’s feather as a brush. Then, you must praise the God of the Falling Feather for his greatness & guile. The end of this tribute culminates with a Knowledge (Religion) check (DC30).
• Effects: If you succeed, then your intended target gains a 1d4 luck bonus on any attack roll, skill check, or saving throw that day, up to 5 times. The target creature can choose when they employ this bonus. The target can opt to make a successful Will save (DC20) to resist this effect, although it is harmless. A temple of Adimas usually performs this ceremony on one member of its congregation each morning. The church expects the blessed to use their good fortune to spread Adimas’s word, preferably in a sly & subtle manner.
• Untrained: Impossible. Knowledge (Religion) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then the gold dust is wasted, but the homa’s feather can be used for other rituals. If the target makes their Will save, then nothing happens.
• Removal: NA.

[Zeta Kai]

Foul Tongue [Language-Dependent]

• Key Skill: Intimidate.
• Time: 1 standard action.
• Ritual: A few cruel words can wound a person more deeply than any mere sword. To prove this to your intended target, you can perform a small rite that will compel them to say only unkind things. You must bully them into insulting you, & then bully them into recanting that insult. This requires a successful Intimidate check. These checks opposed by the target’s modified level check (1d20 + character level or Hit Dice + target’s Wisdom bonus (if any) + target’s modifiers on saves against fear), as normal.
• Effects: If successful, your target must make a Will save (DC20) or be compelled to only utter unpleasant words & phrases. If affected by this ritual, then everything that they say is negative & cruel, regardless of intent. The target automatically fails all Diplomacy checks, & can never say anything positive. All attempts to speak kind words come out changed to invective against their will.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Intimidate check suffers a -5 penalty. Knowledge (Nature) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time & the materials. But if your target makes their Will save, then the ritual affects you instead (no save).
• Removal: BE, GR, LW, MW, RC.

[Zeta Kai]

Freedom of the Mind [Martial, Mind-Affecting]

• Key Skill: Intimidate.
• Time: 1 round.
• Ritual: Enchanting magic is very subtle, often leaving no trace of its use afterward. & it can be quite potent, enabling those who have mastered it to control the minds & hearts of those around them. For some, this usurpation of one’s will is anathema, leading them to find some way to free the victims of such spells. With an obscure yet simple rite, you can break the arcane bindings that coerce others to act as others would wish them to. To do this, you must place your left hand on an enchanted creature’s body, stare into their eyes, & scream. This requires a successful Intimidate check (DC10 + the caster’s level + the enchantment spell’s level).
• Effects: The target must then make an involuntary Will save (DC25) or all effects related to spells of the Enchantment school are suppressed for 1 hour.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Intimidate check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Arcana) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the Intimidate check, then you suffer a -2 morale penalty on all attack rolls, skill checks, & saving throws for 1d4+1 minutes, due to your impotence.
• Removal: LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Gates of Night [Darkness]

• Key Skill: Listen.
• Time: 1 round.
• Ritual: The worlds of the Kamala are normally separated by a planar divide that is difficult to cross. However, certain magics exist that can bridge the gap, creating a portal between the two planes. Among the easiest (& most unreliable) means of doing so is a simple ritual that could even be performed by accident, given the right circumstances. In the depths of the night, a window can be opened between the two worlds by merely drawing a circle with a piece of chalk. The circle must be closed, & must be between 2’-7’ in diameter (1d6+1); it can be drawn on any vertical surface large enough to hold the complete circle. If the circle is drawn correctly, a faint whispered chant can be heard for a few moments near the circle (within 10’). If you make a successful Listen check (DC30), then you hear the chant.
• Effects: If you then repeat the chant aloud, the circle of chalk becomes an open portal to the other plane until the sun rises on Siraaj, allowing passage in both directions for any creature than can fit through. The portal looks like a disk of silvery smoke, through which the moonlit world of the other plane can be seen. This cannot be performed on the night of the full moon or the new moon, & can only be performed once per night.
• Untrained: Simple. Knowledge (The Planes) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the Listen check, then nothing happens, but you cannot try again for 1 hour.
• Removal: GD, LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Golden Gleam [Mind-Affecting]

• Key Skill: Handle Animal.
• Time: Varies, but no longer than 1 week.
• Ritual: Greed is a powerful force, one that drives many to either glory or ruin. You can fan the golden flames of greed within a person’s soul, making them consumed with an insatiable greediness. To begin the ritual, you must take a Fine item that your intended target would covet (like a comb, a coin, a piece of jewelry, a fork, etc.) & force-feed this object to an animal; this requires a successful Handle Animal check (DC25). The item’s minimum cost is 1gp. If successful, then your target must make a Will save (DC25) the next time they eat any meat (known to the superstitious as “eating the golden lamb” or some variant).
• Effects: If the target fails their saving throw, then they fall victim to a ravenous greed, coveting ever-greater wealth & becoming ever more brazen & crazed about acquiring it. Their alignment also becomes one step closer to Neutral Evil.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Handle Animal check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Local) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time. However, the item is destroyed by the ritual, so another item must be procured.
• Removal: LW, MW.

[Zeta Kai]

Honeyed Words [Language-Dependent]

• Key Skill: Bluff.
• Time: 1 standard action.
• Ritual: A few kind words can open doors that swords cannot breach. To prove this to your intended target, you can perform a small rite that will compel them to say only good things. You must knowingly tell a lie to the target, such as convincing them that you are fond of them & that you wish them well. This requires a successful Bluff check (DC25), & only works in the hours of sunrise or sunset.
• Effects: If successful, your target must make a Will save (DC20) or be compelled to only utter pleasant words & phrases. Everything that they say is positive & nice, regardless of intent. The target gains a +5 bonus on all Diplomacy checks, but can never say anything negative; they also automatically fail all Intimidate checks. All attempts to speak unkind words come out changed to pleasantries against their will.
• Untrained: Possible; your target gains a +5 circumstance bonus on their Will save, & your Bluff check’s DC goes up by +5. Knowledge (Nature) to learn.
• Failure: If you fail during the ritual, then all that is lost is time & the materials. But if your target makes their Will save, then the ritual affects you instead (no save).
• Removal: BE, DM, GD, LW, MW.