Cirrhonian Serf
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land), one type of artisan’s tools
Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools, a farming implement, a set of common clothes, a belt pouch containing 10 gp
You’ve spent most of your life till now laboring away in the great fields of your local dukedom, harvesting grain or fruit for your lord and not for yourself. But that’s changed — you always have, of course, the freedom afforded to those with too little for the wealthy to care about, and you decided to exercise it. Why did you leave? Were you dissatisfied with a simple life, craving something more in the far-off lands of somewhere like Khyne or Theanill? Were you driven away, punished too harshly by a cruel lord or simple circumstance? Or was it something else entirely?
Lay of the Land: You’ve done much labor in the name of agriculture. Even though you live a different lifestyle now, you keep the knowledge you gained. Given a crop that you have experience with and sufficient farmland, you can supply yourself with a meager lifestyle indefinitely.
Cirrhonian Noble
Skill Proficiencies: Pick 2 of Deception, Persuasion, History
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set
Language Proficiencies: One language of your choice
Equipment: A set of fine clothes, an ornate brooch proving your lineage, a purse containing 25 gp
To those of more common birth, the life of a Cirrhonian noble is a gilded dream: indeed, you’ve never wanted for food or gone hungry, you’ve only had to exert yourself as part of training, and you quite likely received a fine education. But where a serf uses a hoe to till their field, Cirrhonian nobles are expected from a young age to wield their influence and charisma to earn power and wealth for their family in a muddled world of political intrigue. Why did you give up what seemed to be a life of luxury? Were you a fourth or fifth child, deprived of any influence and doomed to dependence or ineptitude if you didn’t make a name for yourself? Are you the eldest child, running away from your responsibilities? Was your house disgraced after a nasty scandal caused by your parent, a duke? Perhaps your duties still haunt you, far away as they seem to be…
A Noble’s Duties: More than inherited influence and wealth, the most critical quality of any Cirrhonian noble worth their salt is cunning, especially in mercantile matters. Your training, formal or otherwise, lets you ensure that you’re getting a fair deal. In business negotiations, you have advantage on Charisma checks to secure a fair price for you, as well as on Intelligence checks to determine if enchantment or illusion magic is being used to influence your business decisions.
Taguzen Soldier
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)
Equipment: Your service weapon, your seal weapon, a playing card set, a set of common clothes, a belt pouch containing 10 gp
As members of the premier standing army of Io, Taguzen soldiers enjoy a fairly stable lifestyle — being a soldier for the Shogunate is a well-respected profession, you (or your family) receive a stable income from the Shogunate, your employment is all but guaranteed as long as your loyalty is, and all you have to do is show up to training and follow your orders to the letter. You can even leave, as long as you follow the procedures (abandoning your post is punishable by death.) But once you’ve left Taguzen, you are forever a foreigner. So, why did you leave? Was the strict life of a soldier not for you? Did you receive an order you simply couldn’t obey?
Soldier’s Seal: In addition to their service weapon, every Taguzen soldier is issued a weapon of some kind that’s magically engraved with a unique seal that identifies them as a member of the Taguzen Imperial Army, current or former — perhaps a dagger or sword with the seal carved into the bottom of the handle, or a spear with the seal carved into the base of its head. Whatever its shape, as long as you have this weapon, it’s indisputable that you are or were a Taguzen Imperial Soldier. The value of the weapon itself depends on you — depending on your rank and notoriety, it could be priceless, or no more than a fancy dagger.
Theanillean Acolyte
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion
Language Proficiencies: Draconic and one of your choice
Equipment: A holy symbol of Kuyutha (a small platinum medallion in the shape of a dragon’s wing, or similar), a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp
You’ve spent a significant portion of your life in service to the Church of Kuyutha, learning the rituals, scripture, and practices of the dragon-goddess’s religion. Perhaps you were there from a young age, raised in a Brahm orphanage, and are now setting off on a new life. Perhaps you were inspired later in life by a demonstration of the divinity of Theanill, moved into a monastery as a monk, nun, or priest, and now move to spread her religion. What brought you to your belief? Is it easier or harder, do you think, to worship a goddess that lives in flesh as you do?
Minor Divine Intervention: The object of your faith is not some far-off god sequestered in their own plane — Kuyutha herself has deigned to incarnate in the Material Plane as Theanill, her own immortal avatar. You can even ask her questions or for help, if you’d like, although she’s quite busy.
Regardless of your proficiency with divine magic, once a day, you can send a small prayer to Theanill to ask for her guidance with some matter or to manifest her power in some small way, which she may or may not respond to. Manifestations of Theanill’s power may include bathing you in a beam of dazzling sunlight, a platinum aura surrounding your weapon for a moment, or a faint vision of draconic wings at your back. Questions for guidance must be short, and may result in only a vague sense of what Theanill’s desire would be.
Repeated use of this ability may decrease the odds that it will work, although Theanill is more likely to assist her devout followers in times of great need.
Khynean Engineer
Skill Proficiencies: Pick 2 of Arcana, Persuasion, Insight, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools
Language Proficiencies: One of your choice
Equipment: A stack of business cards displaying your former or current employer, a set of common clothes, a belt pouch containing 5 gp
You’ve spent time in the employ of a Khynean magic engineering firm, either as an apprentice to or artificer yourself, or in some other position, such as a clerk or salesperson. Regardless, you’ve gained intimate knowledge of how magic items are made, marketed, sold, and bought in the Khynean Technocracy and abroad. Magic engineering is a lucrative industry, and long as you’ve got the ability and the ambition, there’s loads of fame and wealth to be had. Are you a rising rookie, bubbling with new ideas, just waiting to revolutionize the field? Maybe you’re an old hat, laden with experience but tired of the corporate espionage and ruthless meritocracy, ready to retire?
Magic Item Requisition: As someone in the industry, you know the channels and regulations through which to requisition the creation or purchasing of certain magic items, especially in Khyne. You can request to purchase or have created certain magic items, as long as you can pay the price.
Additionally, while some items like floating diskettes or sending stones may be freely sold, others like portable holes or loadstones are highly regulated by Khynean law. Depending on your position and influence, you also may have the permits (or the ability to earn a permit) to requisition these rarer, potentially dangerous items.