The Archive
Every entry you can see — search, filter, and sort.
A Concordance of StoneA heavy quarto thick with measured drawings and rubbings, its boards scuffed from years on a scholar's desk; read in the reference rooms, under supervision.A Geography of the Vale & the FingersA broad, well-thumbed folio with fold-out leaves, its margins soft from handling — the sort kept on the open shelves for any traveller or clerk.Accounts of the Great Calamity, and the Silence AfterAn old, much-corrected compilation in several hands, some pages markedly older than others, gathered and rebound more than once.AdûnDomains: Creation, Life, Love, ProtectionAdûn is the god of creation, life, honest labour, and steadfast protection. His teaching holds that truth reveals itselAlaraAlara is a Wode Elf who watches the world from its edges. Nomadic and solitary, she keeps to the forests near settled places, drawn not to the wilderness itselfAlaric StormhavenAlaric Stormhaven led the band of adventurers who came to Greyhart's aid in its last nights, when corruption-driven monsters pressed the village harder each timBarney (Barnebus)Barney — Barnebus — is a High Elf who has become something his people would not recognise. He likely comes out of Valmir and its surrounding High Elf culture, wBongoshusto ("Bongo")Bongoshusto — Bongo to everyone — is a friend of Squam's from Port Maren, the busier of Caelond's two great ports, a sea-trade town crowded with comers and goerCaelondCaelond lies along the western edge of the Vale of Fingers, where settled land meets the Everfall Sea. The region is defined by exposure: to wind, rain, and theCathrynna VenerescCathrynna Veneresc is an official in the office of the Concordate, posted within the bone-pale Age-of-Song complex that rings the Great Library. Hers is the firCavallDomains: Life, Love, Protection, WarCavall is the god of life, protection, justice, and the lawful order that keeps communities whole. His teaching holds that mCensorSummary:A relentless holy warrior who marks a foe with Judgment, gaining Wrath to punish and debuff them. Can heal allies with personal vitality. Subclasses: ExCivic history: the Rebellion, the Crown Concordia, and the Sealed CrownA sturdy public volume in the Concordate's plain boards, stamped with the civic seal; copies sit in every reading-room of the Library.ConduitSummary:A divine channel who fuels magic with Piety, gained each turn or through risky prayer. A powerful healer-support who blends two chosen domains, shaping Creation MythsA book held in the Great Library — a recent copy, cheaply bound and much handled, lettered in a plain common hand. One of many such volumes left out on the openCrownholdCrownhold is the capital of the Vale of Fingers. It stands on the southern shore of Hallowglass Lake, at the northernmost edge of Midvale, where lake traffic, rCyrvisDomains: Death, Fate, Knowledge, TrickeryCyrvis is the enemy of fate itself: god of death, twisted destiny, forbidden knowledge, and treachery shaped into powerDag StiffpintDag Stiffpint owns the Foaming Head, the dockside tavern set into a cut of stone below the cliffs where the Crownhold harbour meets the dwarf quarter. He is a bDalfonDalfon presents as a tall figure in a white overcoat, his manner courteous and unhurried, his speech carrying the quiet authority of one long accustomed to beinDarian FenbladeDarian Fenblade is a Polder woodsman and hunter who became an adventurer through loss. He lived in Greyhart, a small village near Dunhallow in Northvale, close DevilDevils originate from the Seven Cities of Hell. They are humanoid in form, most commonly bearing red or blue skin ranging from dull crimson to deep violet. EachDragonkinDragonkin are a rare ancestry, found in small enclaves scattered across Chane. They are distinguished by scaled skin, most commonly in tones of bronze, coal-blaDwarfDwarves are a compact and powerfully built ancestry, with flesh and bone notably dense and resistant to injury. Their physical resilience is commonly attributedEastrynEastryn occupies the eastern reaches of the Vale of Fingers, where lowland rivers and wetlands give way to extensive forest. The region is defined by water and ElementalistSummary:The mage or wizard class who shapes the elements through Essence, gained each turn and from nearby elemental damage. Controls persistent spells and battFounding of the ConcordateFollowing the Crown Concordia, the Concordate was formally established as the governing body of the Vale. Authority was distributed among representatives ratherFurySummary:A brutal frontline warrior who builds Ferocity by taking hits and staying in the fray. Unspent Ferocity unlocks stronger throws, leaps, and smash-througGeraldGerald was the mage who raised Squamderfold, the nearest thing Squam had to both parent and teacher. Almost everything known of him comes through his student: aGoblinNote; Goblin does not exist in Draw Steel rules- we’ll be homebrewing this only if someone chooses to be it. Their abilities are TBD.Goblins are quick-witted, sHakaanHakaan are widely known for an open manner and an ease with strangers, which makes their departures stand out all the more. When a hakaan sets out on a long jouHigh ElfMany high elves hold that they were shaped in the earliest ages by the Aetherim, formed to tend knowledge, preserve craft, and give ordered shape to a world stiHumanHumans belong to the world in a way the other speaking peoples do not. They sense the presence of the supernatural instinctively — that oily smell in the air, aKarzhal AshbornKarzhal Ashborn is a name the heroes were given at the Foaming Head, not yet a face they have met. By Dag Stiffpint's account he is an orc who takes his AshlandKrojek of the AshlandsA massive humanoid of ogre-like proportions, Krojek stands as an imposing figure even among his warthog-folk kin. His thick hide bears the scars of countless baKulDomains: Knowledge, Life, Sun, Trickery, WarKul, the Father of Flames, is the god of fire, creation, destruction, and the decisive will to act. His fire is bothLeaves in the Temple HandHardly a book at all: a set of stone leaves, thin as slate, carved rather than inked, in writing of the kind found in the old temples. Kept apart in the Great LMagmaw the MeltmeisterMagmaw the Meltmeister is a goblin elementalist who answers nearly every question with fire. A rarity in the Vale of Fingers, where goblins are seldom seen, he Map of the Vale of FingersMattis HolfastMattis Holfast is the captain of the guardhouse responsible for the guard in Crownhold's eastern perimeter, the district where the road enters the city's old stMemonekMemonek traditions speak of a purpose long forgotten. Their oldest accounts claim their ancestors were fashioned for a singular task now erased from history. ThMidvaleMidvale occupies the worked centre of the Vale of Fingers. It is not distinguished by dramatic terrain or singular landmarks, but by continuity of use. The landMirella SedgewickMirella Sedgewick kept the tavern at Greyhart, the warm room at the centre of a small village living in the shadow of the Fingers. She poured for hunters and faNebularDomains: Creation, Life, Love, SunNebular, the Star Mother, is the goddess of creation, life, love, and the sun's sustaining radiance. She is revered as the greNikkitNikkit is a goblin trader, which makes him a rarity in the Vale, where goblins are seldom seen — most keep to the remote places beyond the settled world. He deaNikrosDomains: Death, Fate, Storm, WarNikros, the Tyrant, is the god of death, fate, storm, and the brutal right of strength. He teaches that power is the only true vNorthvaleNorthvale occupies the northern edge of the Vale of Fingers, where the land rises toward the mountains known as the Fingers and the climate grows colder and lesNullSummary:Unarmed psionic warriors who control the battlefield through rapid movement and a disruptive null field. They gain Discipline from motion and hostility,Of the Six Houses and the Faculties They KeepAn old, austere volume bound in dark boards, kept in the restricted collection near the crown-vault; it is signed out, not browsed.On Dreamstones, and the Door That WakesA slender old book, its binding unfamiliar and its pages an unusually pale stock; held among the restricted shelves.On the Descent of Words, from Drakon-aught to DragonA dense treatise annotated in at least three hands, its pages crowded with crossed-out lines; kept among the supervised references.On Two LightsAn old natural-philosophy folio, its diagrams inked in two colours, the vellum old enough to predate much of the rest of the collection. Restricted.OrcOrcs value distance, quiet, and control over their own ground. They favour settled routines, familiar people, and places where expectations remain clear. OutsidOrdDomains: Creation, Knowledge, Protection, Sun, WarOrd, the Maker and Engineer, is the god of creation, knowledge, protection, sunlit clarity, and honourable warOvanorDomains: Fate, Knowledge, Storm, SunOvanor, the Stormrider, is the god of fate, knowledge, storms, and the guiding light upon open water. Sailors say he walks tPemberforth Brandal'vhenPemberforth Brandal'vhen is a dragonkin smith of Crownhold, keeper of a forge that runs hotter than most and a maker with a restless, experimental streak. He haPolderOften called halflings or gnomes by outsiders, names some find charming and others quietly resent, polders are a small, adaptable people found throughout the toRevenantThe dead sometimes walk among the living. Revenants do not rise through necromancy, but through a union of injustice and unyielding will. When a soul a soul refRiftbornRiftborn are marked from birth by a persistent distortion linked to an ancient rupture in space and time. This vast, unknowable event survives only as fragmentaSalornaDomains: Life, Nature, Storm, SunSalorna is the goddess of life, nature, storms, and the sunlit balance that binds them. She teaches that nature is a moral forcShadowSummary:A cunning rogue who mixes stealth and magic. Gains Insight each turn and discounts abilities when attacking with advantage. Strikes from hiding, repositShrines Raised After the CalamityA surveyor's folio of loose, refoldable sheets — sketches, plans, and marginal notes — tied between worn boards.Sister QuessarineSister Quessarine keeps a small temple of Nikros in the old quarter of Crownhold, in one of the poorer districts where the god of death, war, and knowledge drawSquamderfold "Squam" Drazil'fwenSquamderfold 'Squam' Drazil'fwen is a Dragonkin who grew up knowing almost nothing of where he came from. Orphaned young, he was taken in by a reclusive mage naSummonerSummary:Battlefield controllers who overwhelm encounters by commanding squads of summoned minions. They trade personal action economy for spatial control, attriTacticianSummary:A battlefield commander who marks enemies and empowers allies. Gains Focus from ally actions, then uses it to grant advantages and coordinated attacks. TalentSummary:A psionic caster who bends minds, motion, and moments through sheer will. Gains Clarity each turn and can overspend it, taking strain for powerful effecTar AzalTar Azal — Tar to the few he trusts — is a devil shaped by betrayal. He had no settled name or place until a mage called Master Oryn, the Ashen Hand, drew him iTemple of the MindThe Temple of the Mind is, by every account the heroes hold, a name and very little more. From his teacher Gerald, Squamderfold carries the knowledge that six tThat Which Is Opened Is Not Thereby EndedA thin tract, barely a few leaves, set down in a careful private hand — more warning than book. Kept with the closely-held things.The AetherimThe Aetherim are the radiant host of the world's first age — luminous, winged beings said to have walked Chane before the Sundering, and to have left it when thThe AshlandsThe Ashlands lie south of the Vale of Fingers, beyond the Vaelmark, and form the southernmost region known to its inhabitants. Settlement diminishes steadily acThe Calamity Was Chosen: A HeresyA slim volume marked with a censor's brand and a crossed seal, shelved apart where the Concordate keeps what it will neither destroy nor lend.The Calendar of ChaneThe calendar of Chane: the year, the months, the week, and the holy days of the Vale. The year is exactly 360 days — twelve months of thirty days, four seasons The ConcordateThe Concordate is the governing body of Crownhold and, through it, of the Vale of Fingers. It was established by the Crown Concordia, the accord struck after thThe Crown ConcordiaThe founding agreement that ended monarchical rule and established the Concordate. Year zero of the common calendar, and the division between Discordis and ConcThe CrucibleThe Crucible is among the most enduring beliefs held across Chane. It is said to be the place where every soul goes after death, the first stage of the journey The Divine Rolls, with the Discrepancy NotedNot a book but a long official roll on worn spindles, with a later hand's note pinned in the margin. Kept under lock.The FingersThe Fingers are the four great peaks that stand across the northern edge of the Vale, narrow and impossibly tall, set close together like the fingers of a singlThe Foaming HeadA dockside tavern in Crownhold, set in a forgotten cut of stone below the cliffs where the harbour meets the dwarf quarter. Loud, well-lit despite its setting, The Great LibraryThe great archive of Crownhold, administered by the Concordate and housed within the older heart of the city. Its open shelves are free to any sponsored reader;The Green RingThe green ring is known to the heroes from a single source: the vision granted them in the Crucible, and the words of the figure who calls himself Dalfon. In thThe Lands BeyondThe Lands Beyond is the general name used in the Vale for the territories that lie across the mountain ranges to the northeast of the Vale of Fingers. What is uThe Nikros-Marked RaidersA coordinated raiding force has been moving through the Vale, and the heroes were the first to take its measure. Those they met at Aelamir were no common banditThe Obelisk at AelamirAelamir was a small settlement of the Age of Song, a fishing village set a few hundred metres back from the southern shore of Lake Hallowglass. It was abandonedThe RebellionA widespread uprising against the monarchy, driven by grievances that had deepened over generations. The conflict lasted approximately three years and ended witThe Shifting KingdomsNorthwest of the Vale of Fingers lies a region commonly referred to within the Vale as the Shifting Kingdoms. The term reflects a long record of unstable borderThe SunderingThe cataclysm that fractured and broke the world. Great chasms split the land, mountains collapsed, and entire regions were rendered impassable. The precise datThe Ten Gods, the Saints, and the ThreadlightA handsome devotional volume, gilt a little at the edges and often re-copied; several sit side by side on the open shelves.The Tenday and Its God-NamesA slim almanac, cheaply made and widely owned, its pages ruled for a calendar's use.The Timeline of ChaneThe history of Chane is measured in two directions from the Crown Concordia, the founding agreement that established the Concordate. Years after the agreement aThe Unwritten AgeA scholar's bound monograph, its long preface and apparatus suggesting more labour than length; shelved with the supervised references.The VaelmarkThe Vaelmark forms the southern edge of the Vale of Fingers, where settled land gives way to the Ashlands. It is the region most visibly shaped by past war. ConThe Vale of FingersThe Vale of Fingers is the centre of life as most people understand it. It is a broad, temperate basin of farmland, rivers, forests, and roads, enclosed by barrThe WithdrawnA large illustrated volume, its plates given over to rubbings and copies of old carvings; the colours faded, the vellum gone soft with age.TroubadorSummary:A dramatic hero who fuels abilities with Drama, gained from bold moments and emotional swings. Supports allies with inspiring routines and risky appealsValDomains: Creation, Knowledge, Life, Nature, ProtectionVal, the Noble Lord and First Among Equals, is the god of creation, knowledge, life, nature, and protectioVesarinVesarin is a memonek who keeps the door to the office of the Concordate, at the threshold of the bone-pale Age-of-Song complex that surrounds the Great Library.Vornathex Aldra'vhenA name, only. Vornathex Aldra'vhen was plucked from the mind of Squamderfold in a desperate attempt to win swifter passage into the Great Library — and, to his VossardVossard keeps an office in the merchant quarter of Crownhold, at the marketplace called the Three Roads. Halen Vossard is a human in their late forties, non-binWode ElfMany wode elves trace their lineage to ancient sylvan spirits, bound to the deep forests known as wodes. This belief is not held uniformly, though a shared sens