AHP2002 Familiars of Terra PDF

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)
Credits
Lead Developer
Elizabeth Chaipraditkul
Writing
Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Steffie de Vaan
Additional Development
Steffie de Vaan
Editing
Carol Darnell, Robert M. Everson
Art
Claudia Cangini, Lorena Lammer, Glynn Seal, Willow
Layout
Elizabeth Chaipraditkul
Familiars of Terra is a work of fiction intended

for people of all ages.
angryhamsterpublishing.com
©Angry Hamster Publishing 2018

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Welcome Chapter 4: World
» Seek
»To 8 »
»Geography 89
»
»Themes 10 Badlands 89
»
»Tír 12 »
»Seekers 90
»
»The World 15 »
»The Vast War 92
»
»Technology 96
Chapter 2: Character »
»Society 97
Creation »
»Animal Kingdom 100
»
»Seeker Creation 19 »
»Vein 101
Nation & Backstory 19 »
»Spirituality 105
Cheatsheet 20 »
»Nations 115
Attributes 24 Amirland 115
Titles & Trophies 25 Endrill 122
Health 38 Fendair 131
Stash 38 Inther 138
»
»Familiar Creation 40 Ratha 146
Attributes 40 Plinth 154
Traits 41
Hand Size 51 Chapter 5: GM Chapter
Health 51 »
»Setting the Tone 163
Powers 51 »
»Best Practices 165
»
»Advancement 58 »
»Games with Kids 169
»
»Epic Powers 62 »
»The Story 170
»
»Legacies 64 »
»Custom Mechanics 174
»
»Adventures in Terra 177
Chapter 3: Mechanics Random Encounters 179
»
»Terms & Values 71 »
»NPC stats 181
»
»Making Checks 72 Out of Combat 181
»
»Attribute Use 74 In Combat 182
»
»Familiar Points 74 »
»Antagonists 183
»
»Health and Healing 75
»
»Combat 76 Appendix
»
»Items 82 »
»Index 189
»
»Character Sheet 190
»
»Dummy NPC 192

Lexicon
Amirland - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from
Amirland are called Amirese.
Ancestors - Gargantuan animals worshiped by the Drill.
Badlands - Large swaths of uninhabitable land left after the
Vast War.
Bonding, the - The process in youth or adolescence every person
goes through to find their familiar.
Chry - The universal currency of Tír.
Endrill - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from Endrill
are called Drill.
Fendair - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from Fendair
are called Fendarians.
Hometree - Giant trees protected by veins that Rathans live in.
Hybrid - Half-human, half-animal monstrosities who live in
the Badlands.
Inther - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from Inther are
called Inth.
Kin - A cultural and often regional grouping of people.
-kin - (suffix) To denote an animal is a familiar or has special
powers; e.g. Dogkin are a type of animalkin.
Lesion - Spirits of the dead found in Badlands.
Mobile Device (MD) - A watch-like mobile phone each person
in Terra has that identifies the difference between animalkin
and animals.
Plinth - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from Plinth are
called Plinthian.
Ratha - A nation on the continent of Tír. People from Ratha are
called Rathan.
Seeker - Heroes and villains who wander Tír in search of adventure.
Terra - The world.
Tír - The continent where this game takes place.
Vast War, the - A great war fifty years ago, which Terra is still
recovering from.
Vein - Spirits of nature who embody the essence of the location
they care for.

Welcome
Familiars, animal companions who are a part of the human soul,
half of a whole.
Faithful friends who watch over humanity, care for it, protect it.
Where there are humans, there will always be familiars, so it

always shall be.
In Terra all animals, human or otherwise, live totally

interconnected with one another. Streets are bigger, cities are
greener, and animals are everywhere. Every person has a familiar,
an animal they bonded to and will live the rest of their lives
with. In Familiars of Terra (FoT) you play a Seeker from one of
the five great nations on the continent Tír. Together with your
animal familiar you’ll go on amazing adventures, explore the
countryside, and secure your legacy for years to come.
Seekers feel a call to something greater in life. Unlike a typical

person who goes about their daily life with their familiar, with
the same cares and fears any person might experience, Seekers
are made for something greater. They take to the road, they
embrace adventure, and they help the needy!
Whether you will be the next leader of a nation, a folk hero, or

save the continent from the brink of war - the story of you and
your familiar will be legendary.

To Seek
Familiars of Terra is a game for all audiences, with a rich and
layered setting. The continent of Tír is at peace, fifty years after
a long and devastating war, but trouble is already brewing anew.
The war left Badlands, dark rifts that spread corruption like a
sickness. The nationalist forces that plunged the continent into
war half a century ago are on the rise again. The land calls for
Seekers: humans and their animal familiars who risk everything
to right the war’s remaining wrongs and prevent a new one.
Familiars of Terra is about colourful pets and adventures that
make you consider morality and choices. It’s about the unique
and spiritual bond between human and animal.
It’s about being the generation who must heal the world.
The game mechanics use a standard deck of playing cards to

resolve in-game conflicts. This system is easy and quick to learn,
with plenty of room for customisation. The full game offers
forty Titles and Trophies to add a unique signature to human
characters, as well as forty Traits and fifteen combat Powers
for animal familiars - and that’s not counting the Epic Combo-
Powers that transform a familiar into a legend. Beyond that,
Familiars of Terra actively encourages players to add new Traits.
However you imagine your character, Familiars of Terra can
create game statistics for them.
Familiars of Terra, with its beautiful array of familiars, is perfect

for young players as well as adults. The full book offers a section
with advice on running games for children, and how to adjust
mechanics and the setting to accommodate all ages. This way
adults can use their Seekers to explore themes of rising war and
division, while younger players can just ride their dinokin into
adventure. Of course, if adult players want to ride their dinokin
into the sunset too, they definitely can!

Materials
To play Familiars of Terra you’ll need a copy of this book, one
set of poker cards for every player, a set of poker cards for your
Game Master (GM), pencils, and copies of the character sheet at
the back of this book. You can also download the character sheet
from our website: angryhamsterpublishing.com. It’s also handy
to have some scrap paper around for taking notes.
Roleplay
Familiars of Terra is a roleplay game, meaning you take on the
persona of your character and in the case of FoT your familiar
too. You talk as they talk, choose their actions, and play through
the awesome adventure your GM creates for you. Our book
assumes you have a base knowledge of what a roleplay game is,
but if you don’t, that’s OK! There are plenty of resources online
to explain anything you want to know about a roleplay game and
Familiars of Terra is easy to learn. The first and most important
rule is always to have fun!
Two Hearts, One Soul

One unique feature of Familiars of Terra is you don’t play one
character, but two: a human and a familiar. Everyone in Terra
has a familiar and living with animals around makes life exciting.
Seekers and familiars move as one in a synchronous dance.
When you play your characters consider who would take action
in any given moment. If you have a physically weak, but studious
Seeker and a brash protective familiar, your familiar will most
likely jump to the front when someone is getting aggressive –
whereas your Seeker will take center stage in an academic debate.

Themes
There are a few key themes integral to playing Familiars of Terra.
No matter where your Seeker goes or the foes their familiar faces,
these themes will always be paramount. They’re what keep the
story moving and make experiences meaningful to your Seeker.
Hope
Tír is a continent healing from a terrible war and as Seekers you
play a beacon of hope in the darkness. You will lead Tír into a
new age of peace and prosperity. Striving for peace is difficult and
your character will face difficult choices, but you can do it! Your
Seeker questions, struggles, and perseveres for all the creatures in
Terra - from the smallest ant to the largest tyrannosaur.
Exploration
Part of being a Seeker is adventuring. No Seeker ever became
legendary by sitting at home and doing nothing. So, seek out the
unknown, travel to far off lands, and always ask questions. And
don’t forget - exploration is always better with friends. Whether
you just want someone to witness your epic deeds or you know
adventuring is safer with other Seekers, bring a few friends along
on your exploits.
Unification
Seekers help solve problems no one else can and one of the most
complicated problems is understanding one another. There
are many distinct cultures in Tír, each of them with their own
unique sub-groups who think very differently from one another.
As a Seeker, you play the mediator. You find the meaning behind
people’s words and help two warring parties reach a consensus.
Empathy, kindness, and understanding are the strongest weapons
in your arsenal.
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Animals!
Familiars of Terra isn’t anything without strange and fantastic
beasts. Animals are everywhere and can be allies or foes. Most
Terrans don’t see themselves as having any more rights than any
other species of animal and thus Seekers must keep that ideal
close to their heart when adventuring. Plus, not everything is
as it seems in Terra—for example everyone knows about the
genius-level clan of pantherkin wandering the Rathan forests—
and sometimes other animals may be a great deal more helpful
than other humans.
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Tír
Tír is a beautiful continent that is rebuilding itself after a
devastating war, the Vast War, which happened 50 years earlier.
During the war the United Plinth Alliance (UPA), made up
of the countries of Plinth and Inther, sought to take over and
control the continent. The other countries banded together to
fight the UPA and eventually, after the country of Inther defected
to their side, won the war against Plinth. Plinth closed its borders
and Tír saw a time of great peace.
The war did not leave the continent without its scars. Substantial
amounts of land, mostly in Endrill, were devastated by the
destructive bombs dropped on it. Filled with pockets of radiation
and horrible mutated beasts, these areas are known as Badlands,
places no sane person would dare go. Sometimes, creatures
wander outside of the Badlands and attack villages, but these
horrid creatures are quickly put down lest they spread.
Geographically, the land northwest of Tír is covered mostly

by mountains and desert. This is where the countries of Plinth
and Inther are. To the northeast there are the gigantic forests
of Ratha. Mountains rise to the East and in the middle of the
continent there are great swaths of plains. These plains make
up most of Endrill and part of Fendair. To the south are arable
waterlands, making up the other part of Fendair and the entirety
of Amirland.
Amirland
Amirland is a country filled with water and birds. The
Amirese live in giant glass skyscrapers and focus on
upholding tradition and propriety. The richest nation in Tír,
the Amirese are all highly educated and make no income for
themselves. Instead, they make income for one of the five
great dynasties ruling Amirland.
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The dynasties are in the midst of change. A younger generation
calls for change, pushing towards freedom from stifling etiquette
rules and social structure. On Amirland’s border negotiations
with the Waterlands, city-states who declared independence
during the Vast War, are on the verge of souring. Without help
soon, Amirland could find itself in another war. Only time will
tell whether the dynasties forge ahead into the future or crumble.
Endrill
Before the Vast War Endrill was one large swath of plainlands.
Now, it is split into three parts divided by two overwhelmingly
large areas of Badlands. Before the war, the Drill were nomadic,
migrating with their Ancestors, gigantic immortal animals who
are said to be the embodiment of a human and animal soul who
have reached perfect harmony.
Since the war the Drill are no longer nomadic but are
desperately trying to hold on to their spiritual roots. Their
top concern is the Ancestors. Since the war, no new Ancestors
have presented themselves and this could spell disaster. Many
believe the solution to this problem lies deep within the
treacherous Badlands.
Fendair
Fendair is the political centre of Tír. Fendarians are known to be
kind, warm, and easy going. It is the most progressive of all the
countries in Tír and the first country to join the Vast War when
Endrill was invaded. The south of the country, Sou, has productive
and picturesque farmlands. The middle of the country, Midden, has
three gigantic cities. And the north, Nor, has soaring mountains.
Just recently the Fendarians made headway with the Plinth,

the main antagonists during the war, allowing them to open an
embassy in Fendair in hopes of one day making a true alliance
with the nation. This forward-thinking act has led to unrest in
Fendair with numerous protests and political debates as to what
the future holds for the nations of Tír and the Plinth.
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Inther
When occupying countries withdrew from Inther, years after
the Vast War, its infrastructure collapsed. Filled with non-arable
desert, garbage dumps, and factories, the Inth must be strong to
survive. Most people make a living sorting through and recycling
the trash dumped into their country or working at one of the many
factories. The one saving grace for many people are the familiars
and animals who work alongside them, like the dedicated dinokin
whose strong backs and long lives mean they can help in the toil.
The Inther face a constant threat in the form of Plinth spies

who worm their way into the nation. As the Inth struggle
to rebuild, their efforts are constantly undermined. Due to
their resourcefulness the Inth are at the forefront of Terran
technological discoveries, constantly developing innovative ideas
to squash whatever nefarious plans the Plinth come up with.
Ratha
Ratha is a harsh land covered in giant forests. Rather than being
bound to a family, Rathans are bound to a hometree, and each
person in the tree is their family even if they are not related by
blood. Rathans are a race of fierce warriors, they believe every
person has their own unique strength and must use that strength
to better society.
However, one adversity the Ratha haven’t been able to defend

against is their forest slowly dying. Beginning in the north of
the country a strange sickness creeps through Ratha’s trees,
killing the veins (spirits) within and rotting the bark. Without a
solution all Rathans will lose their way of life, their culture, and
their homes.
And then there was one...

While geographically part of Tír, Plinth is a nation that stands
alone. Plinth started and lost the Vast War. Rather than dealing
with defeat and working out a new co-existence with the other
nations, they erected a great wall around their borders and
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retreated. Hardly anyone has seen or heard from them since.
Plinth has no Seekers, at least none that venture into the world.
Rumours persist of a great darkness rising within Plinth, a
renewed militaristic push for supremacy over other nations that
threatens a new war.
The World
Terra is similar to Earth, but there are differences. Technology is
at the same level as what we have on Earth but uses green energy
and environmentally friendly renewable fuels. People don’t carry
weapons in Terra and there aren’t any guns; if there’s a fight,
familiars fight - not people - because familiars are much stronger
than people and feel extremely protective over their human
companions. Parking accommodates cars and animals alike,
people eat little to no meat, groomers and hairdressers work in
the same business.
When imagining what Terra looks like think about what our
world would look like if we could take our pets everywhere, if we
respected their lives as much as our own, and if we cared for the
Earth enough to protect it from things like global warming.
Badlands
Terrans care for the earth so deeply because they’ve seen first-
hand what happens when it’s destroyed. Badlands dot Tír—
scarred, bombed, tragic—lands where the bloodiest parts of
the Vast War were fought and were unable to recover from the
devastation. Nothing can survive the Badlands for long, save the
twisted beasts who call it home.
Amidst radiation, blackened earth, and spots of eerie spiritual

energy and untold mysteries live creatures who survived the war
and adapted to the Badlands. Some Terrans even believe there
are sentient species living in colonies within the land, but no one
has discovered proof of that yet. Instead, most people steer clear
of the Badlands, regarding them as the deep scars of Tír’s most
tragic war.
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Animalkin
Terra’s animal kingdom is unique. There are two types of animals
in Terra: animals and animalkin. Animals appear as they do
in Earth’s animal kingdom. Animalkin are familiars and other
animals with special mutations. Not all familiars will evolve with
special Traits like a Seeker’s familiar, but Terrans still distinguish
between them and normal animals - calling them animalkin or
using the suffix -kin after the animal name. For example, a rabbit
familiar would be a rabbitkin. Likewise, animals in the wild who
have special mutations are also called animalkin. For example, a
flock of flying mice would be a flock of micekin.
The suffix -kin is also used for legendary or historic animals who
exist out of time. For example, Inther has quite a few dinokin,
dinosaur animalkin who’ve survived to the modern age. Dinokin
are special to Inther and extinct everywhere else and therefore
get the suffix -kin. Read more about animalkin in our ‘World’
chapter.
Spirits
Another thing that makes Terra unique are spirits. Unlike
Earth, the reality of spirits isn’t contested in Terra. Every
person knows spirits, called veins, are real and have most likely
encountered one at least once in their life. Veins are not spirits
of the dead, but spirits of nature or locations who embody the
features of where they inhabit or live. Read more about veins in
our ‘World’ chapter.
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17

Character
Creation
There are three parts to this chapter: Seeker creation, familiar
creation, and character advancement. Both creation sections
help you make a character sheet for play. During the game, you’ll
come back to these sections and the character advancement
section when you’ve gained enough experience points (xp) for
your character to advance.
Seeker Creation
First create your Seeker, the human companion who will travel
with your familiars throughout Terra.
Nation & Backstory

To create a Seeker for Familiars of Terra (FoT), first pick your
character’s home nation. You can find in-depth information on
the different nations in chapter 4.
Don’t forget to develop your Seeker’s backstory. A backstory is

your character’s history up to the moment you start playing. It
talks about who your character is, how they grew up, and any
other notable information in their life. It’s important when you
are creating your backstory to look at who your character is,
what are their quirks and flaws, who they have become based on
how they’ve grown up.
What is most important is that you know who your character is

and so does your GM. The more information you give your GM
about your character, the more they can use that to involve your
character, and what they care about, in the game.
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Character Creation
Cheatsheet
»
»Seeker Creation
1. Choose your Seeker’s home nation: Amirland,
Endrill, Fendair, Inther, or Ratha.
2. Choose a Calling, such as: Adventure, Beauty,
Bonding, Fortune, Heroism, Vengeance, or design
your own.
3. Pick one of your Calling’s Promises.
4. Mark 7 points in each Attribute (Agility, Awareness,
Charm, Might, and Wit), then distribute 5 extra
points across them. Take your first Title based on
your nation.
5. Choose either one more Title and one Trophy, two
more Titles, or two Trophies.
6. Record starting Health: 4
7. Record starting Stash: 1, or an item equivalent to
that value.
»
»Familiar Creation
1. Mark 5 points in each Attribute (Agility, Awareness,
Charm, Might, and Wit), then distribute 15 extra
points across them.
2. Pick three Traits.
3. Record starting Hand Size: 4
4. Record starting Health: 4
5. Distribute three levels across any Powers of
your choice.
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Calling & Promise
A Calling is what makes your character different than other
Terrans, it is what makes them a Seeker. Seekers are people
who protect the world, make it a better place, or unfortunately,
sometimes a worse place; they are a force of change in Terra.
They may have jobs or be wanderers, but folk still sing tales of
great deeds they performed when times were dire. In modern
times people are jaded, and Seekers are rare, but within each
Terran lies a spark of hope allowing them to believe, if only for a
small while.
Within Terra, true Seekers are known by their Calling: the Seeker
of Hope, the Seeker of Fortune, the Seeker of Immortality. Some
Seekers can take on Callings others left behind, while others take
on Titles entirely their own. Every Seeker has only one Calling
but can earn Titles and Trophies to add to their glory; these are
explained later in character creation.
A Calling is what every Seeker strives for, a greatness in their

heart making them want to be more. This drive sets them apart
from normal humans, it is what makes heroes and legends. Your
character’s Calling is what motivates them to seek adventure,
improve themselves, improve their familiars, and discover the
mysteries of Terra.
In FoT, Callings serve many purposes, but mainly they get your
character into a story. They are the reason you’d walk right into
the Badlands rather than run from them. Or the reason you’d
rush into the eye of an oncoming storm rather than hide from it.
Secondly, they develop your character’s backstory allowing you
to explore who this person is and how they grow wiser and more
powerful. Finally, performing acts in line with your Calling’s
Promise also helps your character advance.
Throughout the story your character’s Calling may change; very

few people are the same as they were a year ago. If you wish to
change your Calling, discuss this with your GM.
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If none of the Callings fit your character, you can create your
own Calling with your GM, which is explained in chapter 5.
Pick one of the following:
»
»Adventure
Terra is a vast and beautiful place, which you must explore. With
thousands of mysteries in the world you hardly feel as if there is
enough time to experience them all. You wish no more than to
drink deep from the cup of life, meet new people, discover new
animals, and have an exciting time doing it.
Pick an Adventure Promise:

Fun - Nothing can get in the way of you having an enjoyable time.
Hope - Nothing can stop you; you always try your best.
Novelty - You do anything to experience something new.
»
»Beauty
You know your soul’s Calling is to bring beauty to the world and
make it a better place. Everything you have done is in the pursuit
of joy.
Pick a Beauty Promise:

Love - You live to bring people together in romance or friendship.
Art - You adorn the world with your artwork.
Nature - You coax nature back to life where the world has
fallen barren.
»
»Bonding
Your goal is to reach perfect harmony with your familiar. When
you both pass from this mortal world your joined soul will travel
to the Green Lands to rest forever. Or, perhaps when you pass
your soul will reunite with your familiar and become the first
living Ancestor since the Vast War - only time will tell.
Pick a Bonding Promise:

Enlightenment - Nothing will stop your path to enlightenment.
Land - All life is sacred and worthy of protection.
Wisdom - You must educate the ignorant.
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»
»Fortune
You want all the wealth and power becoming a Seeker has to
offer. You dream of retiring in a large mansion with many people
at your command. Perhaps you wish to shape the world for the
better or simply shape it to your whims. No matter what your
motivations, you won’t stop until you’ve created the beautiful,
gilded future.
Pick a Fortune Promise:

Power - You will seize any opportunity to shape the perfect world.
Greed - You will seek wealth, no matter what.
Talent - You must be the best.
»
»Heroism
You have the heart of a legendary Seeker. All your life you have
heard a call to something greater, to become something more
than who you are. When they tell your story, it will be one of the
great epics of history. You strive to be someone people look up to,
to be a good person, and always do the right thing.
Pick a Heroism Promise:

Compassion - You always help someone in need.
Honour - You always keep your word.
Strength - You will improve yourself by any means necessary.
»
»Vengeance
You have a burning desire to exact vengeance on someone
who has wronged you. This goes deeper than a vendetta, it has
changed who you are and how you view the world. Achieving
your goal won’t be easy or quick, but you’ve made it your life’s
goal to get your vengeance.
Pick a Vengeance Promise:

Improvement - You’ll show them by becoming the best.
Ire - Nothing can stop you from getting your revenge.
Trickster - You’ll teach a lesson to cruel souls.
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Attributes
Seekers start with 7 points in each Attribute: Agility,
Awareness, Charm, Might, and Wit. Then, distribute 5 extra
points among any Attributes you like. You may subtract from
an Attribute, taking it below 7 to get extra points to distribute
elsewhere; for every two points you remove from one Attribute
you get one point to spend elsewhere.
Because FoT uses cards, Attribute ratings range from Ace to

King; an Ace being the lowest and a King being the highest.
Higher Attributes are always better. All Attributes must have a
rating of at least an Ace, and an ‘average’ rating is around 7-9 in
any given Attribute.
Rating Points Rating Points

A (Ace) 1 8 8
2 2 9 9
3 3 10 10
4 4 J (Jack) 11
5 5 Q (Queen) 12
6 6 K (King) 13
7 7
Agility is your speed, dexterity, and flexibility. It represents how

well you bob and weave out of the way of oncoming projectiles,
but also how silently you can move. A person with a high Agility
is fast, nimble, and able to sneak around easily.
Awareness is your perception of the world around you. This

manifests not only in how well you spot odd things in your
surroundings, but also how well you read other’s emotions. A
person with a high Awareness is potentially a good listener, a
keen observer, and a sound investigator.
Charm is your ability to communicate with others, both

verbally and nonverbally. Either by sheer charisma or tricky
24

manipulation, it shows how well you talk to others and get
your own way. A person with a high Charm is a smooth talker,
someone who speaks well in crowds, and the person to go to
when a situation needs de-escalation.
Might is your physical prowess, how good of a fighter and

how strong you are. Might represents not only your physical
stamina, but how good you are at overcoming an opponent on
the battlefield. A person with a high Might is a heavy lifter, good
fighter, and resistant to pain.
Wit is your intelligence, wisdom, and education. It represents

how quick you are on the uptake, but also how much education
you’ve had either in school, in the wilds, or on the streets. A
person with a high Wit is wise, a lover of enigmas, and smart.
For a full explanation on how to use your Attributes, check out

the Mechanics chapter.
Titles & Trophies

Titles and Trophies are rewards your Seeker earned for epic deeds.
They are what people remember you by and the tales they will
tell of you when you are gone. Titles are given to you by people,
or even animals, and grant you influence in the world. Trophies
are found or given items from your travels, they often have useful
properties or award you bragging rights with certain people.
When you start the game, your character already has a claim
to fame and you should think of a cool story built around their
Titles and Trophies.
Depending on the nation you choose, take your first Title.

These Titles follow the same rules as normal Titles, explained
below.
» Amirland
»Of
Family, trade, and art. The Amirese treasure family more than
anything else and know the creation of beauty is its own reward.
25

Wisdom: Outside of Amirland you gain a +1 to Charm when
haggling or trading and Amirese are more likely to assist you
even if they do not know who you are.
» Endrill
»Of
Spirituality, exploration, and community. The Drill understand
the bond between human and familiar, respecting nature and all
it has to offer.
Wisdom: You may give your familiar a +1 to a check before they

make it.
» Fendair
»Of
Peace, kindness, and humility. The Fendarians enjoy living a
good, simple life surrounded by those dearest to them.
Wisdom: When trying to cool emotions or negotiate a deal, you

get a +1 to Charm.
» Inther
»Of
Ingenuity, humour, and survival. The Inth excel at creative
problem-solving using whatever’s on hand to thrive.
Wisdom: When scrounging around for useful items or fighting

for survival you gain a +1 to your check.
» Ratha
»Of
Pride, wit, and strength. The Rathans know that excelling in your
chosen field brings glory to your community.
Wisdom: During a time of stress, you gain a +1 to a check of

your choosing.
Then, pick one additional Title and one Trophy for yourself,
based on your backstory and who your character is. Alternatively,
you may pick two Titles or two Trophies, pick what fits your
character best! For information on creating your own Titles and
Trophies check out the GM Chapter.
26

Titles
Your Seeker gains Titles through performing epic deeds. They are
something you are known by, much like how superheroes have
special names. As your Seeker travels, you’ll perform great deeds
and gain more Titles.
Erik’s Seeker began as Navkire of Endrill, Saviour of

Rockingchair, but after a year of adventuring he was - Erik
of Endrill, Saviour of Rockingchair, the Trickster, Scourge
of Rilliean.
The more Titles Seekers have, the more respect they are afforded,
the more tales are told of their deeds - but also the more a Seeker
has learned. Each Title comes with a bit of Wisdom you’ve
learned. Once per session, you can use the Wisdom you’ve
learned from earning each Title to give yourself a bonus on
different checks.
Call out when you want to use your character’s Wisdom and
your GM has last say on whether the bonus applies to a given
situation. For example, if you have the Title “Liberator” and want
to use its Wisdom to give yourself a +1 to picking a lock to free
a prisoner, that makes total sense and your GM should allow
it. However, if you want to use the same Wisdom to ‘liberate’
someone from their wallet, your GM would rule this not
possible, because it doesn’t uphold the sentiment of the Wisdom.
»
»Brave
Nothing scares you. Rampaging Plinthian cyborgs? Lumbering
undead? You don’t flinch.
When you take this Title, name:

• One time you were cowardly, and how that experience
propelled you to bravery
• The scariest thing you’ve stood up to since
Wisdom: You thrive when others run. Once per session, gain +1
to one Attribute check when you face a truly terrifying threat.
27

»
»Compassionate
When others would have thought of themselves, you turned your
focus to someone else. You empathized, you understood, you
helped, and you will be remembered for it.

• Who changed because of what you did
• What you learned about yourself
Wisdom: There is no understanding without compassion. Once

per session, gain +1 to one Attribute check when you empathize
with someone else.
»
»Confidante
A whisper here, a shoulder touch there, and people tell you
all sorts of interesting things. You never betray a secret from a
friend, but sometimes enemies tell you things too.

• A secret an ally told you
• A secret a foe told you
Wisdom: When you use this Title, name if the person you’re
speaking to is friend or foe. Once per session, gain +1 to one
Attribute check enticing them to share a secret with you.
»
»Counsellor
The spotlight is too harsh for you. You prefer a more withdrawn
role, counselling those who chart new paths.

• One time when you held your counsel to yourself and
someone failed because of it
• One time your counsel propelled a group or person to
victory
Wisdom: Your advice is always sage. Once per session, gain +1 to

one Attribute check when you are counselling another, or you may
grant that bonus to someone following your recommended action.
28

»
»Healer
Tír is a dangerous, sometimes broken place. You’re here to mend
the pieces.

• A tragic event that inspired you to become a healer
• One time you risked your own life to heal another
Wisdom: Wounds take many forms and you soothe all. Once
per session, gain +1 to one Attribute check to heal physical,
emotional, or mental trauma.
»
»Indomitable
No one thought you were going to win, but you did. Now
everyone knows there is nothing that can stop you.

• Who or what obstacle you defeated
• What was the defining trait of your victory
Wisdom: Being the underdog is the best thing for victory. Once
per session, gain +1 to one Attribute check when the odds are
against you.
»
»Jubilant
You did the most important thing, you made someone happy.
Where there was sorrow there is now joy.

• How you made someone (or a group) happy
• How they will pay it forward
Wisdom: A smile is the greatest gift. Once per session, gain +1 to

one Attribute check when you try to improve someone’s mood.
»
»Leader
Your fellow Seekers come from all Nations and levels of society.
You unite them under your banner.
29

• A great leader you seek to emulate
• A great tyrant whose pitfalls you seek to avoid
Wisdom: You get people aiming in the same direction. Once per
session, gain +1 to one Attribute check when you lead a group,
be they fellow Seekers or ordinary citizens.
»
»Liberator
You freed someone from a life of servitude or oppression. Free to
live a life of liberty, they spread your tale far and wide.

• A time in your past you fought an oppressor
• An enemy you made while saving them
Wisdom: All creatures deserve freedom. Once per session, gain

+1 to one Attribute check when you try to free someone from
oppression.
30

»
»Quick
Some people are strong. Others are smart. You are quick.
Very quick.

• Why you have such an insatiable need for speed
• One time being quick saved the day
Wisdom: Can’t stop you if they can’t spot you. Once per session,
gain +1 to one Attribute check when you’re using speed to get
the drop on someone (e.g. swiping that key off the table in the
second before the guard comes in).
»
»Reckless
Danger isn’t just part of the job - it’s the biggest perk. You always
leap before you look.

• Why you believe valour trumps prudence
• One time you rushed headlong into danger, and how it
worked out
Wisdom: Don’t think. Just go. Once per session, gain +1 to one
Attribute check when you rush into danger rather than consider
an actual plan.
»
»Saviour
You saved a small group of people from a terrible fate. They owe
you their lives and would gladly return the favour if they could.

• Who you saved and why they’re important to you
• What the terrible fate was
Wisdom: Life is sacred. Once per session, gain +1 to one

Attribute check when you try to save someone’s life.
31

»
»Scholar
Need to know how to defeat that vein? Or how that town came
to be cursed? If the answer isn’t in one of the many books loaded
onto your MD, the library is your next stop.

• Your favourite book (title, author, and subject) and its
personal meaning
• A problem you solved by hitting the books
Wisdom: You can always rely on books. Once per session, gain
+1 to one Attribute check when researching knowledge from a
book or on an action you prepared for with your research.
»
»Scourge
You caused a great trouble for someone, but it meant you won the
day. It was a hard-fought battle, but you did what you had to do.
When you take this Title name:

• What your hardest decision was
• Who you angered in pursuit of your goal
Wisdom: Doing what needs to be done doesn’t always make

everyone happy. Once per session, gain +1 to one Attribute check
when openly opposing someone to achieve your goals.
»
»Shadow
There is no evidence you were ever there, but somehow your
legend spreads. If the tales were ever confirmed you could be
endangered, luckily you have “no recollection of that epic deed
obviously performed by someone else.”

• The one person who actually knows the truth
• Who will benefit from your deeds coming to light
Wisdom: Hide in darkness to push forward the light. Once per

session, gain a +1 to one Attribute check related to being sneaky
(verbally and physically).
32

»
»Trickster
Through a keen wit and a few surprises up your sleeve you
achieved your goal. No one is sure if you helped or harmed, but
in the end, they were happy you were there.
When you take this Title name:

• What you messed up
• What you set right
Wisdom: The direct approach isn’t always the right way. Once
per session, gain +1 to one Attribute check when trying to fool
someone else.
»
»Unbroken
Against the greatest odds you triumphed. No one thought you
could do it, but you knew your only choice was to succeed.

• Who doubted you and was proven wrong
• What your greatest trial was
Wisdom: Never give up. Once per session, gain +1 on one

Attribute check related to surviving extreme adversity.
»
»Wizened
Perhaps your feat was not epic, but it was supremely smart. There is
no need for flashy actions when you have intelligence on your side.

• Who or what you outwitted
• What you realized you must still learn
Wisdom: Brains triumph over brawn. Once per session, gain

+1 on one Attribute check when you are solving a problem with
your mental faculties.
33

Trophies
Like Titles, Trophies are rewards Seekers gain through their
adventures. Sometimes Trophies are given to the Seeker by
someone, but sometimes they are found along the way. Each
Trophy holds a certain power, a gravitas, which makes people
wonder at the item and want to hear more about it.
When your character receives a Trophy, you should define two

things:
• What group of people is this important to?
• What does this symbolize for you?
Then, assign the Trophy a Quirk. Quirks help you in game. You
need your Trophy on your person for them to work and it is
assumed your Seeker carries their Trophies with them. As with
using a Title’s Wisdom, GMs have the last say on whether a
Quirk would work in any given situation.
The player should pick the Quirk they feel fits the Trophy best
based on how their character earned it and how they’ve defined
it. If the player is unsure, the GM can pick the Quirk, or the
player may choose one Quirk randomly from the list below. If
none of the listed Quirks fit your Trophy, create your own based
on the explanation given in the GM Chapter.
Give & Take

Seekers can give away their Trophies to others at will
to help them or because the Trophy doesn’t suit them,
however, there are many stories in Terra about bad luck
befalling someone who steals a Trophy. Most centre
around Gi, the Epitome of Trickery. Gi loves a good
prank on those who deserve a lesson, and none are more
deserving than thieves.
34

»
»Quirks
• You can sense nearby creatures in the Badlands up to (Wit)
kilometres away.
• Your Trophy allows you to see veins (spirits).
• Your Trophy allows you to speak to veins (spirits).
• A small vein lives in your Trophy who you can see and
interact with.
• Other people who look at your Trophy must make a
successful Wit check, or they are unable to move closer to
your Trophy. They may make a Wit check each turn until
they succeed, or it is the end of the scene and the effect ends.
• Upon pressing a button your Trophy releases a noxious
odour that makes everyone who smells it ill. Everyone
within the area who smells it should make a Might check or
become violently ill.
• This Trophy has a special meaning to a person from a
specific faith. People who follow the faith are more willing
to help and trust you.
• Placing your Trophy over your face gives you the visage of
another random person. You can use this ability once per
day and the visage is always different.
• The Trophy purifies anything you put it into.
• Breaking into two pieces, the Trophy allows you to speak to
the person who has the other part no matter where they are.
• The Trophy is immovable unless you pick it up.
• The Trophy makes your skin tough like hide, granting you
+1 Health.
• You can pick up things twice the weight you normally
could.
• Despite appearances, you can hide up to 50kg of weight in
the Trophy while it maintains its original shape and weight.
• You can speak to one type of animal(kin).
• When you speak a command word engraved on the Trophy,
it lights up to illuminate an area the size of a room.
• This Trophy negates all damage from natural sources of
heat, but not from attacks that inflict heat damage.
• This Trophy negates all damage from natural sources of
cold, but not from attacks that inflict cold damage.
• If you fall from a great enough height to be hurt, you (and
35

your familiar) instead drift harmlessly to the ground.
• This Trophy allows you (and your familiar) to breathe
comfortably, even underwater or trapped in an airless
environment.
• When you bed down in nature, grass and other small plants
rise to make a bed for you. If you opt to sleep in a tree, it
creates a natural and comfortable hollow on a thick branch.
• Your Trophy allows you to see lesions (ghosts).
• Your Trophy is volatile. Before your next Attribute check,
turn over a card. If it’s hearts or diamonds, draw two cards
on your subsequent check and use the lower of the two. If
the card is spades, draw two cards on your check and use
the higher of the two. If the card was clubs, your Trophy
remains inert. Usable once per session.
• Those who see your Trophy cannot lie. Lasts one scene, and
usable once per session.
• When you place your Trophy in a container, it fills with
clear fresh water.
• Your Trophy breaks into six small pieces. Each piece
provides a full, if bland, daily ration for one adult. If you
keep at least one piece, your Trophy regrows overnight.
• Once per session, your Trophy shoots fireworks. These
fireworks are always harmless, but you determine its
flashiness and loudness. Lasts up to a minute.
• When you can place your Trophy in a contained body
of water (i.e. a tub or lake, but not an ocean), it instantly
becomes any temperature you desire. You can even add
natural soaps and bubbles. The water’s wildlife remains
unharmed.
• Your Trophy breaks in two pieces. Holding your piece, you
instinctively sense the direction and distance (roughly) to
the other piece.
• Your Trophy can coat an area the size of a small room in a
slippery substance, requiring everyone who passes through
it to make an Agility check. Success allows them to cross
at half speed, failure sees them fall (though harmlessly).
Usable once per session.
36

Sample Trophies
»
»Fiery Scale of Kal’esh
This red-and-gold scale belonged to Kal’esh, last matriarch of the
true dragons, who died in the Vast War. The scale was passed down
by Kal’esh’s Seeker to her son, who in turn passed it to his child.
• The Inth revere the scale, as they believe Kal’esh’s last batch
of eggs still survives
• To the bearer it represents the burden and privilege of
hailing from the last dragonrider
This Trophy negates all damage from natural sources of heat, but
not from attacks that inflict heat damage.
»
»Queen’s Jelly
A Seeker found this fossilized piece of honeycomb after braving the
forests of Ratha. The comb is perfectly preserved, shining amber in
the sun, with droplets of queen’s jelly hidden as pearls within.
• Rathans view this Trophy as a token of survival skills

• Its bearer knows the land of Tír will always provide for them
This Trophy breaks into six small pieces. Each piece provides a
full, if bland, daily ration for one adult. If the bearer keeps at least
one piece, the Trophy regrows overnight.
»
»Wings of Paradise
Spun from gossamer and technology, these large and colourful
wings unfurl from the bearer’s back at their command to cast a
rainbow of light.
• To the Amirese, especially House Delian, the wings

represent the power of beauty and art
• The bearer forever knows that perseverance and dedication
can achieve the impossible
If the bearer falls from a great enough height to be hurt, they

(and their familiar) instead drift harmlessly to the ground.
37

Health
Your Seeker’s starting Health is 4.
Stash
Your starting Stash is 1.
Seekers are assumed to have basic means to travel around Terra,

pay for room and board, and food for themselves. Even the most
destitute Seeker can find kindly folk willing to put them up for
the night. So, rather than keep track of every cent you won you
have something called Stash.
Stash is a significant amount of money Seekers have stored away

from their adventures. GMs award Stash based on the missions
your Seeker takes and the money they’re rewarded. You can use
it to buy unique/special items for your characters listed in the
Mechanics chapter (pg. 82).
»
»Charity
Giving even 1 point of Stash to a person is giving them a
significant amount of money. How much one Stash is worth to
NPCs varies from nation to nation.
Amirland: 1 Stash = half a month’s work

Endrill: 1 Stash = one month’s work
Fendair: 1 Stash = one month’s work
Inther: 1 Stash = two month’s work
Ratha: 1 Stash = one month’s work
»
»Bribes
Taking Bribes is often dangerous, so if you want to convince an
NPC to take your bribe, your GM is likely to ask you to make
a Charm check. Bribes are often insignificant compared to the
price of one Stash, so unless a Seeker is throwing around bribes
left and right, GMs shouldn’t ask them to remove Stash for it. If
a Seeker opts to bribe someone with one Stash or more, it is an
automatic success on their Charm check.
38

Familiar Creation
Once you have created your character, pick a familiar! This is
possibly the most exciting part of character creation, because you
get to choose the faithful animal companion who accompanies
your Seeker throughout the entire game.
Attributes
Familiars start with 5 points in each Attribute - Agility,
Awareness, Charm, Might, and Wit. Then, distribute an extra
15 points between any Attributes you like. You may also
voluntarily lower an Attribute to below 5 to get extra points to
distribute elsewhere; for every two points you remove from one
Attribute you get one point to spend elsewhere.
Attributes for familiars function the same way as for your

characters. However, their descriptions are slightly different,
because familiars are different than humans. Unlike Seekers there
are no ‘normal’ Attribute ratings for familiars; you could have an
incredibly strong, but stupid rhino with a Might of 13 and a Wit
of 3 - it just depends on the familiar.
Don’t feel constrained by the real-world abilities of your chosen

animal. Remember your familiar is special! If you want to make a
mouse with Might 10 go right ahead.
Agility is how dexterous and flexible your familiar is. It also

represents how fast they are and their ability to sneak. A familiar
with a high Agility is quick, flexible, and hard to catch.
Awareness is your familiar’s senses. It is how well the familiar

can smell an enemy from far off, how sharp their vision is, but
also how keenly they can feel another’s emotions. A familiar with
a high Awareness is a keen tracker, has excellent hearing, and can
empathise at the right times.
Charm is your familiar’s ability to win over or intimidate others.

Charm is their sheer force of presence and their ability to lead
40

others of their kind either through friendship or intimidation. A
familiar with a high Charm is charismatically present and often
extremely cute, noble, or scary.
Might is your familiar’s physical prowess. Outside of battles,

where familiars use a myriad of abilities to help win the day,
Might represents how strong they are and their stamina. A
familiar with a high Might can carry heavy loads, break objects
easily, and endure gruelling physical trials.
Wit is how smart your familiar is. Familiars have a different type
of intelligence than humans. It is based on instinct, experience,
and some say a mystical force tying the animal to Terra. A
familiar with a high Wit is wise beyond its years, intelligent, and
has a keen sense of self.
Traits
Now, pick 3 Traits for your familiar. When a familiar bonds
with a human, both creatures go through a profound spiritual
change. Traits are special mutations your familiar has that makes
them unique. You could have a blue catkin with wings, a giant
quilled hamsterkin, or a floating hippokin who can put people to
sleep. As your Seeker adventures through Terra their familiar will
evolve and gain new Traits.
In game, you use Traits for roleplay purposes, but you can also
activate Traits to add bonuses to your familiar’s check or to
automatically succeed in an action. Traits also help you define
what your Familiar’s combat powers look like. Both a pikakin
with the Trait: Electric and a dogkin with the Trait: Wings may
both have the Power Bash. However, because of their Traits, in
combat, the pikakin’s Bash looks like arcs of electricity bashing
into his opponents and the dogkin’s Bash looks like her buffeting
back her opponents with giant gusts of wind.
41

»
»Armistice of Arms
Your familiar has an extra pair of arms and adds +2 to rolls for the
purposes of holding onto things, such as tug-of-war or climbing.
»
»Black
The familiar turns a dark charcoal or obsidian colour. Once per
day the familiar can step into one shadow and exit from another
shadow in sight.
»
»Blue
The familiar’s skin, fur, etc. turns blue and they can freeze items
with an icy breath. Once per session, pick an item (wheel, lock,
hand) to freeze - that item is frozen for one scene. Familiars are
unwilling to freeze another creature in this manner.
»
»Body Double
Your familiar can split itself in two to become two fully
functioning albeit Powerless versions of itself. Both are bonded
to you and will finish any instructions you set them to as well as
they can. When this power ends, they mystically re-merge into
the version physically closest to you.
»
»Burrow
Your familiar can easily dig through rock, stone, packed earth,
and walls and floors made of such materials. It digs at normal,
non-running speed and chooses whether the tunnel behind
it is stable (remains until collapsed on purpose, or through
an earthquake), unstable (will collapse behind the familiar in
random card # rounds), or volatile (immediately collapses two
meters behind the familiar as it digs).
»
»Camouflage
Choose a habitat during familiar creation, such as urban, swamp,
or forest. Your familiar has natural camouflage in this habitat,
and automatically succeeds at hiding and moving unseen unless
antagonists are actively looking for it. Even in the latter case,
your familiar adds +3 to its opposing check. The power extends
to anyone fully hidden behind the familiar, but they only gain +1
on opposed checks to evade detection.
42

»
»Cut
Your familiar has scythes, fangs, or claws perfect for cutting
through fabric or foliage. It moves through tent cities, forests,
and the densest jungle unhindered even when running, and
clears a path for any companions who follow.
»
»Double Trouble
Your familiar has two heads. They take turns sleeping, meaning
one of them always stands guard. Once a day, you may state
that both heads are awake and looking in opposite directions to
perfectly defend against surprise attacks, traps, or ambushes. You
can invoke this defence retroactively, immediately after your GM
declares a trap is sprung (but before any further rolls are made).
»
»Dreamwalker
Once per session, your familiar can step into the dreams of one
sleeping person. Dreams are a mysterious place full of enigmas
and hidden secrets. The familiar may not understand everything
they experience there but can walk through the dreams at will.
»
»Earth Blessing
Your familiar can spend a day (or longer) in a place to bless
the earth. Barren fields become suitable for farming and lands
that were already fertile yield larger crops than ever before.
This supernatural effect lasts one harvest season, but clever and
sustainable farming could extend the effect mundanely beyond
that. This Trait has no effect on Badlands.
»
»Electric
Your familiar hums with static electricity. They can zap people
with small bursts of electricity and in combat their attacks buzz
with lightning. Once a day, they can zap a person/animal(kin)
and the person must make a Might check. If the person fails,
they are stunned and can’t move for roughly a minute. If they are
attacked during this time, they can make another Might check to
see if they snap out of it and on every subsequent time they are
attacked until they succeed in their check or the minute is over.
43

»
»Ephemeral
Your familiar slips in and out of corporeality, taking you with it if
you’re touching it. Once a day, it can step through a closed door,
wall, or similar barrier no thicker than one meter.
»
»Glow
Your familiar sheds a bioluminescent glow that it can dim to
darkness or raise to the brightness of day at will. This light
extends in a circle up to 15 metres around it and can even dispel
magical or supernatural darkness.
»
»Green
The familiar turns a deep forest green or a lush jade colour.
Once per day, the familiar can animate a small plant such as
a rose bush or a trellis of ivy. This plant is animate until the
familiar goes to sleep and can move around carrying small
items it might be able to hold if it was stationary. The plant
is not strong enough to grapple people or familiars (small
familiars are too fast for it). In combat, when the familiar would
take damage, this plant can take the Hit instead, reducing the
damage by 1 and then being destroyed.
»
»Heart Sight
Your familiar can see the goodness of a person’s heart. Once per
session, the player may ask whether a character the familiar can
currently see has bad or good intentions regarding a topic of
their choosing. The GM must answer truthfully.
»
»Iron Stamina
Your familiar is immune to mundane poisons and diseases and
can eat rotten food, drink, and even polluted water, without ill
effects. It gains a +3 bonus on checks to resist poison and disease.
»
»Loose Limbs
Your familiar can remove their arms, legs, and tail. When
removed, their limbs function as normal and can crawl, hop, and
inch separate places. Your familiar is always in complete control
of their removed limbs and once they are back at its body, can
re-attach them, as if by magic.
44

»
»Lots of Legs
Your familiar has an extra pair of legs and adds +2 to checks for
the purposes of running and keeping its footing.
»
»Pink
The familiar turns from a baby-pink to a bright magenta. The
familiar can lift items into the air. To lift an item the familiar
should make a Wit check. On a success, the familiar lifts the
item in the air and can manipulate it for a scene. If the familiar
wishes to lift a creature, or if someone grabs the item, they
should make an opposed check. The familiar uses Wit and
the opponent uses Might. In combat, creatures who are
lifted into the air can make an opposed check at the
start of their turn to see if they can break free.
45

»
»Pocket
Your familiar has a body pouch which leads to a pocket
dimension. This dimension can hold a large duffel bag’s worth
of items and can only be accessed with the familiar’s permission,
meaning items you place in it effectively ‘disappear’ until
retrieved. Some animals come naturally with a body pouch,
such as a kangaroo pouch or hamster cheeks, but this power also
allows you to create a pocket hidden in your tiger’s fur.
»
»Poisonous
The familiar may voluntarily secrete, spit, or ooze a virulent
poison once per day. A victim infected with this poison loses 1
HP per day until they are cured. To resist the poison, the victim
should make a Might check each day, if they succeed they don’t
take the -1 HP that day but must still be cured to be rid of the
effects for good.
»
»Purple
The familiar turns from a bright amethyst to a dark aubergine.
Once per session, they can darken an area equal to (Wit x 2)
metres. This area is unnaturally dark and impossible to see
through unless a creature has a way of seeing in the dark. The
darkness ends when another creature hits the familiar or the
scene ends, whichever comes first.
»
»Red
The familiar’s skin, fur, scales, or quills turn red as they are
imbued with the powers of fire. Once per session, they may burn
or melt one item no larger than themselves with a fiery blast.
If it is attached to other flammable objects they may also catch
on fire, unless the familiar makes a successful Agility check.
Familiars are unwilling to burn another creature in this manner.
»
»See in the Dark
Your familiar can ‘see’ in the dark, whether through night
vision, sonar, technology that grants heat vision, or mystical
powers of sight. This power doesn’t extend the range of its
vision, nor does it grant a bonus, but it is always on and works
even in complete darkness.
46

»
»Smash
Your familiar has horns, large fists, or a chitinous faceplate that
allows it to smash through objects. It can break items with a
size smaller than itself without the need for a roll and gains a +3
bonus to smash larger items. Smash is not subtle, and anything
inside the smashed item (such as a key in a lockbox) suffers the
risk of being broken, bent, or otherwise damaged. The GM draws
a card: on a 10 - King the object is fine, on 3 - 9 it is damaged but
can be repaired, on a 1 - 2 it is irreparably broken.
»
»Song of Peace
Once a day, your familiar can sing, chirp, or hum a signature
song that puts people at ease. People who hear this song cannot
enter combat even if they are hostile to each other, but the
song cannot end combat if it has already started. Citizens who
are naturally relaxed or happy might even break into song and
dance, though neither carries the effects of Song of Peace.
»
»Tech: Hackbox
Through a robotic limb, the familiar connects with different bits
of machinery and assists their human in hacking. They give their
human a +1 to checks when hooked up to the same device the
human uses to hack.
»
»Tech: Hands
The familiar has a robotic hand that grabs and manipulates items
like a human hand. They can use it to perform dexterous feats
like lockpicking or pickpocketing.
»
»Tech: Voicebox
A voice box has been installed in the familiar allowing it to speak
simple words based on what it wants and thinks and wishes to
convey to others who can understand it. By default, the Voicebox
speaks in your Seeker’s native tongue.
»
»Tech: Wheels
The familiar has a set of wheels it can rest on instead of walking.
On smooth terrain it gains a +2 to checks where they need to
outrun something or speed away somewhere.
47

»
»Treacherous Trail
Your familiar leaves a treacherous trail behind it, which snares,
trips, or otherwise stalls pursuers, such as a snail’s slime or a
spider’s web. They may use this Trait at will once per hour; the
trail lasts for 1d6 rounds.
»
»Tremor Thoughts
Your familiar causes the earth to shake and glass to break by
focusing its psychic energy. Once per session, your familiar can
make a Wit check and on a success either: make the ground
tremble causing a person to fall over, shatter a roughly 1-square-
metre pane of glass, or accomplish an equivalent feat through
psychic vibrations. If you are trying to knock down a particularly
tough foe, your GM may allow them to make an Agility check to
stay standing.
»
»Undead
Your familiar died and came back to life; or it was never alive
to begin with. It appears as a dead animal would, even with a
skeletal limb or bit of missing fur. Once per day, it can summon
its undead power to intimidate an enemy (or just someone you
really wanna scare!) On a successful Charm check, the person or
animal flees from your familiar as their eyes glow bright with an
undead flame. If your familiar uses this Trait in combat, the other
familiar may make a Wit check to ignore its effects.
»
»Wall Walk
Your familiar has tiny hooks or suckers on its feet, allowing it to
walk across walls and ceilings as easily as on the ground. While
using Wall Walk, it can carry what it normally could.
»
»Water Breath
Your familiar can breathe underwater and use breath from its
lungs to create underwater air bubbles for companions. The
amount of air in these bubbles is equal to twice its health points.
For example, a mouse with health 3 could create one bubble
containing six hours of air, two bubbles containing three hours of
air, three bubbles containing two hours of air each, and so on.
48

They may not use this power again until after the familiar
remains above water, breathing air, for at least three hours.
Aquatic familiars with Water Breath use their second set of lungs
to breathe on land, as opposed to underwater. They can still use
the Trait to create air bubbles as normal.
»
»White
The familiar turns paper-white or a warm ivory. By making a
Charm check, the familiar may touch a poisoned or diseased
item and purify it, making it safe to eat or drink. They can purify
stagnant water and turn rotten fruit to a delicious, ripe state. If
the familiar is trying to purify foodstuff that has been poisoned
or otherwise tampered with, GMs should give them a -1 to -3 on
their check depending on how virulent the poison is. Purifying
a living creature from disease is extremely difficult and may only
be attempted by familiars once a year.
»
»Wings
Your familiar has wings, where a normal animal of its kind
would not. They easily fly around with these wings and can carry
the same weight as on land.
»
»XL
Your familiar is double the size of a ‘normal’ animal of their
species. They get a +1 to contests of Strength. This Trait can be
taken multiple times and the bonus is cumulative.
»
»XS
Your familiar halves in size. They get a +1 to Stealth-related checks.
This Trait can be taken multiple times and the bonus is cumulative.
»
»Yellow
Your familiar is a deep amber to bright neon-yellow colour.
They can control the ambient temperature in an area making it
warmer or colder. On a successful check Might check, they can
raise or lower the temperature +/- 30 degrees Celsius. The area
they can heat up or cool down is equal to their Awareness x 5
metres in diameter. They can use this Trait once per session.
49

A Mighty Heart
You may be wondering why all familiars start the game with
the same number of Health and Attribute points when some
animals are obviously much larger, smarter, or tougher than
others in real life. In Terra all familiars are created equal.
What a frogkin may lack in size, he makes up with his
Wit or his Agility. There is more to combat than being the
biggest, baddest creature and familiars are no exception.
50

Hand Size
Your starting Hand is 4. This means when using your familiar
in combat, each round you may draw four cards. Combat is
explained in chapter 3.
Health
Your familiar’s starting Health is 4.
Powers
Familiars use Powers in combat to give themselves an edge in a
fight. You start the game with three Power levels. These levels
can be taken in any way: you can take three levels in one Power,
three Powers at the first level, or one Power at the first level and
another Power at the first and second level.
Powers are fighting moves your familiar uses in combat to gain

advantage in the fight. As you advance, you have the opportunity
to level up your familiar’s Powers or pick new ones for them
to use in combat. There is no limit to how many Powers your
familiar may know.
Each Power has three levels. You can use each level you’ve
unlocked once in combat. You can always choose to use a lower
level of a Power in place of a higher level, but the higher level is
then ‘spent’.
When you reach Level 3 in any two Powers you unlock an Epic
Power (pg. 62).
Some Powers may only be played during particular times:

(A) - This Power should be used after cards are turned over.
(B) - This Power should be used before cards are turned over.
Each Power has a description as such:

Power Name (A/B/blank)
Level 1 - (Uses per combat) Description
51

»
»Bash (B)
Level 1 - Play one extra card this turn.
Level 2 - Play two extra cards this turn.
Level 3 - Play three extra cards this turn.
»
»Bleed (A)
Level 1 - After you’ve done damage, do one extra damage to
your opponent.
Level 2 - After you’ve done damage, do two extra damage to
your opponent.
Level 3 - After you’ve done damage, do three extra damage to
your opponent.
»
»Burn
Level 1 - Discard a random card from your opponent’s hand.
Level 2 - Discard two random cards from your opponent’s hand.
Level 3 - Discard three random cards from your opponent’s hand.
»
»Charity
Level 1 - Use this Power during another person’s turn; you may
not use a Power during your next turn. Give the person a card
from your hand; they may use this card in addition to any cards
they play during their turn.
Level 2 - As Level 1 but do this for two people before your next turn.
Level 3 - As Level 1 but do this for three people before your
next turn.
»
»Cheat
Level 1 - Look at the top ten cards of your deck and reorder them.
Level 2 - Look at the top ten cards of an ally’s deck and reorder them.
Level 3 - Look at the top ten cards of your opponent’s deck and
reorder them.
»
»Dig
Level 1 - Put the top card of your discard pile in your hand.
Level 2 - Put the top two cards of your discard pile in your hand.
Level 3 - Put the top three cards from your discard pile in your hand.
52

»
»Discover
Level 1 - Name a card in your deck (suit and number), go
through your deck, take the card if it is there, and place it in your
hand. Shuffle your deck.
Level 2 - Name two cards in your deck (suit and number), go
through your deck, take the cards if they are there, and place
them in your hand. Shuffle your deck.
Level 3 - Name three cards in your deck (suit and number), go
through your deck, take the cards if they are there, and place
them in your hand. Shuffle your deck.
»
»Dodge (B)
Level 1 - Take no damage and deal no damage this turn.
Level 2 - Move out of the way and let an ally fight this round for you.
Level 3 - Move out of the way and let an ally fight this round for
you. If they lose, they take no damage.
»
»Heal
Level 1 - Heal 1 damage done to yourself or to someone else. You
may not heal over a character’s HP maximum; all extra health is
simply lost.
Level 2 - As Level 1 but heal 2.
Level 3 - As Level 1 but heal 3.
Your familiar may use Heal outside of combat, but the Power
level they used is considered spent until the next combat or they
get a good night’s rest, whichever comes first.
»
»Hypnotize (B)
Level 1 - Take the top card from your opponent’s deck, look at
it, and place it down in front of you. You may play this card in
addition to a card from your hand in one of your subsequent
turns this combat. Once you have used the card, or if combat
ends, place it in your opponent’s discard pile.
Level 2 - As Level 1 but take the top two cards.
Level 3 - As Level 1 but take the top three cards.
53

»
»Sabotage
Level 1 - Look at your opponent’s hand.
Level 2 - Look at your opponent’s hand and decide which card
they will play during your turn. This does not negate any Powers
they may use.
Level 3 - Look at your opponent’s hand and decide which card
they will play during your turn. They may not play any Powers
this turn.
»
»Rage (B)
Level 1 – Double (x2) the number on the card you play.
Level 2 – Triple (x3) the number on the card you play.
Level 3 - Quadruple (x4) the number on the card you play.
»
»Shield (A)
Level 1 - Block all damage to you.
Level 2 - Block all damage to an ally, this Power should be used
during an ally’s turn after the cards have been turned over.
Level 3 - Block all damage to you, as well as the next ally to take
damage in combat.
54

Character Creation
Example
Seeker: Nura Delian Kaanan

Lebron wants to play a Seeker named for her dedication
to the ideals of truth and beauty. He is also drawn to
Amirland, with its towering glass skyscrapers and intricate
political structure. He records his character’s nation -
Amirland - and selects a Calling; Beauty is a perfect fit.
Now he looks at the Promises of Beauty and finds Art very

appealing. At this point the abstract ‘ideals of truth and
beauty’ take a more practical form: Lebron’s character is an
artist who uses art to bring beauty to the world. Taking a
second look at Amirland’s write-up, he further selects the
Delian dynasty for his character’s origin. It’s also time to
name his character, and he goes with Nura Delian Kaanan.
With Nation, Calling, and Promise chosen, it’s time to

determine his Seeker’s Attributes. Nura starts with 7 in
each. Lebron leaves Agility as-is but feels that as an artist
Nura has above-average insight and expression: that’s
Awareness and Wit, which he raises to 8 and 9 respectively,
55

spending 3 points. At this point though, he feels something is
missing from Nura. Why is she out in the world, rather than
creating art at home? Nura is looking for inspiration, sure,
but Lebron feels it should be more than that. What if Nura
seeks to heal the world through art, both uniting people and
defeating hatred with beauty. She’d need great leadership
skills to accomplish that, so Lebron raises Nura’s Charm to 9
- spending the last two free Attribute points. Thinking about
it some more, Lebron drops her Might to 5 (Nura lived a
sheltered life, and never had much reason to develop muscle
mass) to gain one extra freebie point that he uses to raise
Nura’s Charm from 9 to 10.
Now on to Titles and Trophies. Lebron takes of Amirland as

Nura’s first Title. Nura’s quest is to bring beauty to Tír, and
Lebron selects Jubilant as her second Title. Nura created a
sculpture from stone found on the border between two rival
villages, inspiring a new friendship between them (how she
made a group happy). The villagers now teach their children
acceptance and love, instead of rivalry and hate (how they
pay it forward).
As Nura isn’t a combat character, Lebron wants to give her

another way of escaping before a fight starts. Looking at
trophies, the Quirk “Other people who look at your Trophy
must make a successful Wit check, or they are unable to
move closer to your Trophy” seems perfect. Lebron decides
Nura’s grandmother, an old Seeker of legend, gave Nura the
Sapphire of Regency. This Trophy shines a radiant light on
Nura’s command, and this light triggers the Quirk.
Lastly, Lebron records Nura’s starting Health as 4.
56

Familiar: Malik
Nura’s familiar is quickly chosen: a catkin, named Malik
after Lebron’s own cat. Nura and Malik are fiercely close, but
they maintain an air of independence in public (as cats are
wont to).
Malik starts with 5 in all Attributes. Lebron immediately

raises Malik’s Agility and since Malik is an epitome of natural
elegance and grace (unlike Lebron’s own loveably clumsy
pet) he raises his Charm to 9. He also thinks Malik should
be resourceful, raising Awareness and Wit to 8. Catkin aren’t
extraordinarily strong, so Lebron leaves that at 5. That sees 14
out of 15 freebie points spent. Lebron decides to go all-in on
Agility and raises that even further from 9 to 10.
Next comes Lebron’s favourite part of familiar creation:

Traits. Lebron gives Malik the Trait Glow: Malik sheds
bioluminescent light, which can even dispel magical or
supernatural darkness. Cats are often rumoured to see the
supernatural, and Lebron plays on that by selecting Heart
Sight: once per session, he may ask whether a character
Malik can currently see has bad or good intentions. Lebron
gives Malik wings for his last Trait, both to serve as quick
get-away when needed, and because it looks awesome.
Malik’s starting Health and Hand size are both 4.
Lastly, Lebron selects Powers. He decides to put his levels in

three separate Powers, rather than build on one, because he
wants Malik to be versatile. He chooses Bleed to represent
the catkin’s claws, Dodge because catkin are small and
quick, and lastly Discover because catkin are curious. This
also gives Malik one offensive power (Bleed), one defence
(Dodge), and one deck control power (Discover), which is a
nice spread.
And that’s done! Lebron, Nura, and Malik are ready to start
their adventures!
57

Advancement
Advancement means your character has become more
experienced and wise in the ways of the world. It is a subtle
process, and something your character is unaware of, but
something you keep track of as a player.
Thresholds
Each character, familiar and human, has thresholds. A threshold
defines how many Advancement Points (AP) you need in order
to Advance in any given Attribute, Familiar Power, or to gain a
new Trait (which will be explained later).
An Attribute threshold is equal to your human or familiar’s

rating in each of their Attributes. Therefore, the maximum
threshold is a King and all Attributes are capped at a King.
Your Familiar Power threshold is equal to the total Levels your

Familiar has in all their Familiar Powers.
Erik’s Seeker Navkire and his familiar Leia have a Might of

11 and 6 respectively. This means Navkire’s Might Attribute
threshold is 11 and Leia’s Might Attribute threshold is 6.
Leia also has three Combat Powers, two of them are level 1
and one of them is level 2. This means her Combat Power
threshold is 4.
Seeker of Terra
»
»Marking Advancement
Attributes Hit Points
Agility - Each time you succeed at an Attribute check, mark
down an AP above the applicable Advancement tracker next to
Awareness
the Attribute on the applicable character’s sheet.
Charm
Might
Tracker: Familiar Points
Wit
Familiar Powers - Each time your familiar (and their
compatriots) engage in combat, mark down an AP in the Power
Advancement tracker.
Calling & Promise Tr
58

End of Session - Finally, at the end of a session each player
should take turns talking about their character’s actions and
whether or not they met their aspirations, played to their
Callings, learned from failure, or faced extreme adversity. Mark
an additional AP on any Advancement tracker on your character
sheet for each of the following you did, to a maximum of two
additional AP.
• You took steps towards your character’s Calling.
• You fulfilled your Promise.
• Your familiar triumphed over a particularly difficult foe.
• You failed a check at a crucial moment, driving your
determination not to fail again.
• You experienced something integrally important to who
your character (or familiar) is in a profound way. For
example reuniting with a loved one, discovering a lost
memory that leads to a change in character, etc.
The group should generally agree with your assessment of

whether or not you get any additional AP. In case of a dispute the
GM has the last say.
Advancement
Attributes (Human) - Once you have as many AP as your
threshold in any of your human Attributes, you spend that AP
to increase the Attribute by one. Then, you start saving AP to
advance again in that Attribute.
Navkire’s Might Rating (and threshold) is 11. Erik has

marked 11 AP on his Might tracker. Navkire’s Might Rating
increases to 12. Then, Erik erases all the AP he saved, and
Navkire’s new Might Attribute threshold is 12.
Attributes (Familiar) - Once you have as many AP as your

threshold in any of your familiar Attributes, you spend that AP
to increase the Attribute by one and you pick one new Trait for
the familiar, showing how the animalkin has evolved. Then, you
start saving AP to advance again in that Attribute.
59

Leia’s Awareness Rating (and threshold) is 6. Erik has
marked 6 AP on her Awareness tracker. Leia’s Awareness
Rating increases to 7 and Erik picks the Trait: Wings for her.
Then, he erases all the AP he saved, and Leia’s new Might
Attribute threshold is 7.
Familiar Powers - Once you have as many AP as your Power

threshold, you gain a level in one power or choose a new Level
1 Power. Your Power threshold increases by one, and you start
saving AP to advance.
Leia has three Familiar Powers: Heal Level 1, Bash Level 1,

and Dig Level 2. This means her Power threshold is 4. She
earned her fourth AP after a particularly difficult battle
and at the end of the session she levels up her Bash Power to
Level 2. Her new Power threshold is 5 and Erik, her player,
starts saving AP for the next advancement.
If he wanted to, Erik could instead buy a new Familiar

Power for Leia like Hypnotize Level 1. If he did she would
then have Heal Level 1, Bash Level 1, Dig Level 2, and
Hypnotize Level 1. Her new Power threshold would be 5
as above.
When you reach Level 3 in two Powers you unlock an Epic Power.
Hand Size - Your hand size is defined by your Power Threshold

and as your Threshold increases so does your hand size. See the
chart below.
Power Threshold Hand Size
3-5 4
6-9 5
10-14 6
15+ 7
HP - When the familiar or human gains an additional point of

Might or Awareness - the character gains a +1 to HP.
60

Titles & Trophies - Titles and Trophies are earned through
playing the game - for example, when your character saves
someone important, improves a community, or does something
amazingly daring.
Traits - For every two Titles or Trophies (or a Title and Trophy)
a Seeker gains a familiar develops one new Trait. This can be
a spontaneous mutation or something a familiar has been
exhibiting for awhile - for example their fur slowly turning pink.
Legacies - When your familiar has two Epic Powers they start
the path towards their Legacy. Read more about Legacies at the
end of the chapter.
61

Epic Powers
Epic Powers represent your familiar’s combat prowess. They
show how your familiar is able to think on their paws, and create
devastating combos to knock out their opponent. Use an Epic
Power cleverly and you could end a fight before it starts. Rather
than pick an Epic Power from a list, you create one for your
familiar—making it totally unique to them.
Unlocking - When two of your Familiar Powers reach Level 3

you unlock an Epic Power. The Epic Power you unlock is based
on the two Powers at Level 3. Each time you level up another
Power to Level 3, more Epic Powers unlock.
Leia has two Powers at Level 3 - Bash and Heal, which

means her player Erik gets to create an Epic Power based on
Bash and Heal. If her other power, Dig, were to reach Level
3, she would also unlock creation of Bash + Dig and Heal +
Dig Epic Powers
Advancement - Epic Powers are considered the same as normal

Familiar Powers for advancement, and cost AP equal to your
current threshold.
Leia’s three combat powers are Bash Level 3, Heal Level 3,

Dig Level 3. Leia’s current power threshold is 9. Leia has
enough Power AP to advance so Erik creates a Bash + Heal
Epic Power called ‘Give and Take’, allowing Leia to heal the
same amount of damage she does to her opponent. Leia’s
new Power threshold is 10.
Use - Epic Powers need time to charge - your familiar focuses

their energies to summon a devastating attack and this takes
time. When you create an Epic Power you pick a suit, and each
time you play a card from this suit your Epic Power gains one
charge. On the third charge it is ready to use! Each Epic Power
may be played by itself or in addition to another Power in the
same round. Once you use an Epic Power it must recharge to be
used again. At the end of combat all charges disappear.
62

Creation - Creating an Epic Power is all about tailoring how
your familiar fights to who they are. You create your Epic Power
along with your GM, who has ultimate say in whether or not it is
allowed in game. Each Combat Power has a defining trait - when
you create your epic power you should combine these traits:
• Bash - Play extra cards
• Bleed - Inflict extra damage
• Burn - Make your opponent discard cards
• Charity- Give others cards
• Cheat - Reorder decks
• Dig - Return discarded cards to play
• Discover - Pick cards out of your deck
• Dodge - Negate damage
• Heal - Heal damage
• Hypnotize - Steal cards
• Sabotage - Force cards to be played
• Rage - Make a card more powerful
• Shield - Absorb damage
» create your Epic Power:

»To
• Pick a suit. This suit charges your Epic Power.
• Note your two Powers’ defining traits.
• Combine the two traits to create a unique power. Epic
Powers should be roughly as powerful as both third levels
of each Combat Power. Be creative with your Epic Power,
stretch what is possible with the traits you’re given.
• Name the power.
Sarah wants an Epic Power for her familiar Opus with Bash
Level 3 and Heal Level 3. She picks hearts as the suit for
this power - it matches nicely with the healing theme. Bash’s
defining trait is ‘playing extra cards’ and Heal’s defining trait
is ‘healing damage’. Sarah combines these two traits to make
‘Health Surge’ - Your party heals a number of HP equal to
the number of cards you played this turn. Healed points over
your maximum HP are lost. Healing the entire party is a
mighty task, but it is balance by the fact that she’ll need to
still use Bash 3 to make it hyper effective. It combines both
traits well and her GM agrees with the power.
63

Legacies
As Seeker’s renown increases so does their familiar’s, and at one
point tales are not only being sung about the Seeker, but the
familiar as well. At this point it is clear the familiar will leave a
long lasting Legacy behind them.
When your familiar’s power threshold reaches 15, you pick

a Legacy for your familiar. Each Legacy is unique.We’ve listed
three Legacies below, but if there isn’t a Legacy that fits your
familiar you can create your own. Legacies are paths familiars
follow and not something a Seeker necessarily intends for their
animal companion. For example, no Seeker (except maybe a very
egotistical one) walks around announcing their familiar is going
to be the next Ancestor.
Steps
Each Legacy has three steps the familiar must complete. These
steps aren’t based on mechanics, but role play. Each step
represents part of the story of your familiar’s Legacy—epic trials
they must complete before achieving their destiny. It is your
Seeker and familiar adventuring into the great unknown and
making Terra richer for their efforts.
Following steps is linear and one snowballs into another. When

creating steps for your Legacy make sure each is a logical
progression of the last. Consider - what does my familiar still
need to overcome? What can my Seeker do to help? What is my
end goal?
When in doubt organize your steps in the following manner:

• Step 1 - The start of your journey. Something your familiar
needs to overcome to succeed.
• Step 2 - The embracing of their destiny. The familiar learns
something with the help of someone else.
• Step 3 - The final push. Your Seeker and familiar perform
an epic deed to secure their Legacy.
64

Legacy Traits
Each Legacy has a Legacy Trait, which is a more enhanced
versions of normal familiar Trait. Each Legacy Trait has three
steps and your familiar gains access to the different steps of the
Trait once you complete the corresponding story step of your
familiar’s Legacy.
Each step of a Legacy Trait replaces the one below it - so step 2

replaces 1 and step 3 replaces 2.
To create your own Legacy Trait, think about what the end goal
of your familiar’s Legacy is - what will it do for your familiar?
What is required for their Legacy to become a reality? Work
together with your GM to create this Trait and the GM has final
say on whether the Trait works in the game or not.
Create your steps with the following in mind:

• Step 1 - An inkling for your familiar’s true power, a Trait
that can still fail, a hint to their destiny. Along with a special
ability which gives the familiar +1 to an Attribute and
access to a Power Level or a unique ability you create (see
examples below).
• Step 2 - A more stable source of the familiar’s potential.
Along with a special ability which gives the familiar +2 to
an Attribute and access to a Power Level or a unique ability
you create (see examples below).
• Step 3 - Your familiar’s potential realized. Along with a
special ability which gives the familiar +3 to an Attribute
and access to a Power Level or a unique ability you create
(see examples below).
We’ve provided examples of a few Legacy Traits in the ‘Potential

Legacies’ section. You can also see examples of the unique
abilities we created for each.
65

Potential Legacies
Ancestor
It is your familiar’s destiny to become an Ancestor. When your
Seeker dies, their soul will join with their familiar’s—becoming
an immortal being. When the familiar brings its legacy to
fruition it will slowly grow in size and wisdom, preparing for
when it will walk the plain of Endrill and lead a people to new
horizons.
»
»Step 1
Face an insurmountable test with one another, realize you are
one and the same.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar doubles in size and gains a +1 to

Might, once per day it’s able to shrink down to its original state,
growing back to its larger size the next day.
»
»Step 2
Make a meaningful contribution to the Drill, help to return what
the war stole.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar quadruples in size from its last

growth and gains a +2 to Might, twice per day it’s able to shrink
down to its original state, growing back to its larger size the next
day. From this moment it steadily continues to grow larger and
larger.
»
»Step 3
Journey into the Badlands and release a deceased Ancestor’s soul
so it may pass on to the next life.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar will continue to grow until it is

roughly the size of a skyscraper and it gains a +3 to Might. It can
shrink down to its original state at will.
66

Elemental Master
Your familiar harvests the powers of a chosen element, finally
becoming the element itself. Elementals are both natural and
physical: air, earth, fire, metal, wood, and wind are all valid
choices. Your GM may allow other elements, such as ‘light’ which
might not be tangible but is both natural and physical. ‘Life’
and ‘death’ are not valid elements, as both contain a spiritual
component - the soul - in Familiars of Terra.
»
»Step 1
Discover your familiar’s element.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar becomes immune to direct damage

from their chosen element. Choose an Attribute associated with
your familiar’s element, such as Agility to mimic flowing water,
Charm for the hypnotic power of fire, or Might to represent the
hardiness of earth. They gain +1 to this elemental Attribute.
»
»Step 2
Your familiar passes three tests having to do with the element,
which need not be deliberate or consecutive.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar gains moderate control over their

chosen element, and no longer suffers even indirect damage from
it. They gain +2 to their elemental Attribute.
»
»Step 3
Your familiar travels to the pinnacle of their chosen element,
such as the deepest cave on Tír or the highest mountain top,
to become one with it. This journey must contain a danger to
overcome, designed by the GM: the cave lies deep within Plinth’s
territory, or a dangerous lesion patrols the mountain.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar gains great control over their

chosen element. Their body changes to incorporate the element,
represented by one free Trait of your choice. They remain
immune to direct and indirect damage from exposure to their
element, and gain +3 to their elemental Attribute.
67

Living Legend
Your familiar is the very best, a creature so epic no animalkin
can beat it in battle. Through the years animalkin try and fail, but
your familiar remains steadfast in their prowess. The wise will
come to you for training, the foolish will try to defeat you, and
your story will be told through time immemorial.
»
»Step 1
Train with the wisest teacher, increase your familiar’s knowledge
of battle.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar gains +1 to an Attribute of your

choice. Also, they now have a mentor. Once per session when
they get advice from their mentor, gain one Familiar Point.
»
»Step 2
Face your deepest fear, for it only weighs you down.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar faced its worst fear and came out
triumphant. It now has an innate sense of their enemies. Before
combat your familiar knows what Familiar Powers its foes have.
It also gains a +2 to an Attribute of its choice.
»
»Step 3
Beat the most powerful animalkin in combat.
Legacy Trait: Your familiar gains +3 to an Attribute of your

choice. Also, your familiar can use any Familiar Power in
combat. The familiar can only use powers equal to the levels and
number of uses they have. This prevents the familiar from using
level 3 powers an unlimited number of times in combat.
If your familiar has three Epic Powers, four Powers at level

3, and one at level 2, you could exchange them for three
different Epic Powers, four different Powers at level 3, and
one different Power at level 2.
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Wizened Beast
Your familiar sees beyond the trappings of space and time.
Transcending the bounds confining all animals your familiar
looks into the cosmos and comes to understand Terra on a
deeper level. They become as eternal as the waters, as constant as
the stars - no knowledge is beyond their grasp.
»
»Step 1
Find an item or place which bequeaths meaningful knowledge.
An opening of a once closed mind.
Legacy Trait: The familiar gains a +1 to Wits. Also, once per

session they are able to stop time for 30 seconds. This cannot
happen in battle as the stress of the situation is too high to bond
with the energies of the universe.
»
»Step 2
Enlighten or heal a deeply hardened soul, once closed from the
beauty of the world.
Legacy Trait: The familiar gains a +1 to Wits and a +1 to Charm.

Also, once per session they are able to stop time for 1 minute.
This cannot happen in battle as the stress of the situation is too
high to bond with the energies of the universe.
»
»Step 3
Drink from a forgotten well of knowledge, embrace your new life.
Legacy Trait: The familiar gains a +3 to Wits. Also, once per

session they are able to stop time for 5 minutes. This cannot
happen in battle as the stress of the situation is too high to bond
with the energies of the universe. However, if they fall in combat,
rather than passing out they fade from existence and reappear
fully healed at the end of the fight. The familiar never speaks of
where they travel to - it is simply beyond.
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Mechanics
Familiars of Terra (FoT) uses a deck of standard playing cards
(with the Jokers removed) to resolve all mechanics. Most of FoT
is based around role play, but cards and stats serve as important
mechanics to keep the game fair and interesting. We encourage
GMs to make sure role play takes centre stage and the mechanics
of the game are secondary to having fun.
Terms & Values

Because Familiars of Terra uses cards rather than dice there are a
few special terms used in the game. If you play card games, you
might be familiar with them.
A deck is your cards, shuffled and face down on the table. Your
discard pile sits face up next to your deck; after you play a card,
you place it in your discard pile. There are also Familiar Powers
that allow you to make an opponent discard a card or require
you to discard one. At the end of the scene or when your deck
is empty, you shuffle your discard pile and place it face down
as your deck. Drawing a card (draw a card) means picking up
a card. Your hand size is how many cards you can draw when
you draw up to a full hand of cards. Fielded cards are cards
you place in front of you for future use. Other cards you are
playing for direct use are considered ‘in play’. Finally, if a card
is ‘removed from the scene’, meaning there is no way for you
to get it back, it is still shuffled back into your deck at the end of
the scene. There may be special occasions when cards you have
removed from the scene must stay away for longer periods of
time, but these are rare.
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Each card has a numerical value, even face cards. The values are
as follows:
Rating Points Rating Points

A (Ace) 1 8 8
2 2 9 9
3 3 10 10
4 4 J (Jack) 11
5 5 Q (Queen) 12
6 6 K (King) 13
7 7
Someone who draws a five and Queen (total 17) has more
than someone who draws a five and a Jack (total 16).
Making Checks
There are two times you’ll draw cards in Familiars of Terra: when
making a check and in combat.
Your GM may ask you to perform a check for a number of

reasons, the main reasons are:
• Your character is trying to do something out of the
ordinary.
• Your character is trying to do something difficult.
• You are trying to use your character’s skills in a unique way.
When you are asked to make a check, your GM will tell you
which Attribute your check will be based on: Agility, Awareness,
Charm, Might, or Wit. If you make a check, it is based on your
Seeker’s Attributes; if you make a check for their familiar, it is
based on their Attributes. Then, you draw the top card of your
deck and if it is equal to or lower than your Attribute your
action is a success. If it is higher, your action fails.
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After you’ve made a check, place the card in your discard pile.
If you run out of cards in a scene —something that rarely
happens—shuffle your discard pile and take a card from the top.
Otherwise, shuffle your discard pile back into your deck at the
end of a scene or if combat starts.
Penalties
If you are trying to perform a particularly difficult action,
the GM may give you a temporary penalty: a -1 to -3 to your
Attribute rating depending on the situation:
• -1 difficult
• -2 extremely difficult
• -3 nearly impossible
Sarah’s character, Rayne, has Might 10. Rayne is trying to

keep a steel door open while her familiar crawls through. It’s
a pressurized door and is slowly besting Rayne’s efforts. The
GM calls for Sarah to make a Might check to see if she can
keep the door open. Because of the extreme force the door is
exerting, Sarah’s GM gives her a -1, which means Sarah will
have to draw a 9 or lower from her deck for her action to be
a success. Sarah draws a card - it’s an 8! Rayne uses her last
bit of strength to keep the doors open as Opus, her faithful
dogkin familiar hobbles through. She releases the door,
jumping to the other side, just in time to see it close on five
Plinth agents hot on her tail.
Bonuses
Sometimes your actions warrant a bonus, a way to make your
check easier. Maybe an ally helped you by making a check before
yours, or maybe you have a special trick up your sleeve. In
this case, your GM may give you a temporary +1 to +3 to your
Attribute rating depending on the situation:
• +1 a small advantage
• +2 a large advantage
• +3 a fantastic advantage
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Opposed Check
Making an opposed check means you are trying to accomplish
a feat and someone else is directly trying to stop you. You’re
throwing your skills against another’s to see who comes out on
top. Opposed checks can be made for many reasons: for example,
you are trying to win a game of tug-of-war or you are trying
to win a game of arm-wrestling. These checks work slightly
different than normal.
To make an opposed check, both parties draw a card and add

their Attribute score to the card, whoever has the higher total
wins. If the totals are the same, it is a tie.
Which Attribute to use

Your GM will tell you which Attribute to use. Below are the most
common uses for each Attribute. FoT is a game that rewards
creativity, so if you can think of a different Attribute to use in a
situation, speak to your GM and work something out together.
• Agility - balancing, sneaking, stealing, dodging
• Awareness - spotting (things), spotting (emotions),
investigating
• Charm - convincing, lying, flirting, performing, creating art
• Might - lifting, pushing, breaking, throwing, endurance,
pain resistance
• Wit - studying, writing, puzzle solving, retorting, contests
of will
Familiar Points
When you have described something suitably epic, accomplish a
fantastic feat, or fulfil your Seeker’s Promise, your GM can award
you a Familiar Point (FP). This point should be awarded for role
play that goes above and beyond the call of duty - an epic story
of a battle move, a moving speech to allies, or a tear-inducing
confession to a loved one. In game, it represents the strength
both human and familiar get from their bond with one another.
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You use a FP in a number of ways:
• When you are making a check, you can use an FP to draw
two cards and pick one to use for the check.
• In combat you can use an FP to discard any number of
cards from your hand and draw the same number.
• You can use an FP to play an extra card when making a
check, or in combat.
• You can use an FP to use a Familiar Power (up to the
highest Level you have) or Epic Power one extra time in
combat, when you otherwise couldn’t.
Once your use your FP, it is gone, and you need to earn another.
You can save up as many FPs as you’d like and are allowed to give
your FP to other players. Familiar Points never expire, so if you
don’t feel like using the point for five sessions after earning it, you
don’t have to.
Health and Healing

How healthy your character is, is numerically represented
by their Health also known as Hit Points (HP). When your
character is at their maximum number of HP, they are fully
healthy. In FoT you have two sets of HPs: one for your character
and one for your familiar, but you should only subtract HP
from the character who takes damage. Each time you take a ‘hit’,
meaning the character takes damage, you subtract 1 HP from
their total. There may be times when you take more than 1 hit,
but these are rare.
When you have 0 HP, your character (or their familiar)

is unconscious. If your character takes another hit while
unconscious, they die.
Naturally, familiars regain 2 HP per day and Seekers regain

1 HP. Seekers heal faster than other Terrans, because of their
heightened spiritual bond with their familiars, normal humans
heal roughly 1 HP per two days. If your character is unconscious,
they will not naturally regain HP and either an ally or a familiar
75

must give them medical attention or healing. Your character can
never be healed over your maximum number of HP, so if they’re
fully healthy at 4 HP, and someone heals them for 5 HP, they will
still only have 4.
Combat
Sometimes words don’t solve a conflict and it escalates to a fight!
In Terra, familiars fight instead of their human companions.
Familiars are extremely protective of their humans and even the
most aloof familiar will not allow their human to be harmed if
they can help it.
»
»Familiars Fighting
When familiars fight, arcs of lightning fly and giant beasts battle,
it is extremely dangerous for humans to join in, because they
cannot martially compare to familiars. A tiny mousekin can
battle a cougarkin and win by jumping gracefully from place to
place and blasting the cougarkin with psychic energy. Familiars
have many fantastic weapons in their arsenal.
If humans joined familiar skirmishes, it wouldn’t go well. Even

though your Might Attribute is higher than the mousekin’s, it
doesn’t mean you could survive a fight with it.
Initiative
The round starts with the character with the highest Agility
acting first, then the second highest, and so forth. If there is a
tie for who goes first, the players can decide between themselves
who will act first. If you are in a one-on-one fight, there are no
turns; both you and your opponent act at the same time.
Your Turn
At the start of your turn, you draw up to your full hand of cards.
You play one card face down and your opponent plays one card
face down. Once you have both played a card, you both flip them
over and see who has the highest number. Whoever has the
76

Your Turn
The order of play is always the same:
• Play one card face down (or more if you are using
a Power). OR take a mulligan, ignoring the
following steps.
• Before turning cards over - Person with the lowest
Agility declares if they want to use a Power (and if
so, which one). Then the person with the highest
Agility declares.
• Both parties turn over their cards.
• After turning cards over - Person with the lowest
Agility declares if they want to use a Power (and if
so, which one). Then the person with the highest
Agility declares.
• Resolve who takes damage.
• Draw up to a full hand of cards if your hand is empty.
higher number wins and deals their opponent’s character 1 HP

damage. If the cards are equal, it’s a tie and no one takes damage.
At the end of your turn, if your hand is empty, you may draw
new cards up to your hand size. Then, it is the next person’s turn.
If you are unhappy with your hand, you can take a mulligan;
you skip your turn, neither dealing nor taking damage, discard
any cards you have in your hand and draw up to your hand size
-1. So, if your hand size was 4, it would now be 3 for the rest of
combat. This -1 is cumulative so, if you were to take another
mulligan after the first, your hand size would be 2 for the rest of
the combat.
The round ends when all players have had a turn; then a new
round begins, and so on until combat is over.
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Powers
Your familiar has various Powers to help in battle. You may
play one Power per turn. Powers can be played before turning
over cards, after, or at any time; this is explained in the Power
description. When declaring familiar Powers, the person with the
lowest Agility must declare first.
During Erik’s turn he wants to use the Power ‘Rage’ to

double the number of his card - this Power must be played
before the cards are turned over. His Seeker’s Agility is 6
and the GM’s NPC’s Agility is 8. This means Erik has to
declare he is using the Power before the GM declares if
they are using a Power, giving his GM a chance to react to
Power he uses.
»
»Keep Up the Excitement
One very important aspect of combat in FoT is how you describe
your actions. Use your Traits to flavour your attacks, if your
familiar has quills, they don’t use Bash (that’s a boring game
term) they perform an epic quill barrage! When it is your turn,
be as descriptive as possible about what you want to do. Don’t
say, “Ting attacks you.” Say, “Ting jumps in front of me and
lets out a blood-curdling cry. You see her backing up on her
haunches, ready to strike. The moment Hu’s familiar gets close,
Ting launches herself at him, striking him with her barbed tail!”
Combat as a GM
Unlike a player, during a fight you do not have a turn. Instead,
you deal damage to the characters during their turn. Like players,
you use the same order of play, explained above, except you play
against the players during each of their turns, going through your
deck at a quicker pace.
When your hand is empty, at the end of the current player’s turn,
draw up a full hand of cards. You may take a mulligan: discard any
cards you have in your hand and draw up to your current hand size
-1. Don’t skip a turn and continue to react on each player’s turn.
78

Attribute Checks in Combat
At any given time, your character may prefer to perform another
action in combat other than fighting.
At the start of combat, shuffle your deck and place it face down
like normal. You’ll still act in initiative order like the other
characters in combat. During your turn, you may make a check
as described below. If you decide to stop making checks and
join the fight, at the start of your turn draw up to your full hand
of cards and join the battle following normal combat rules. If
you want to make a check after you’ve been fighting for a time,
discard your hand of cards at the start of your turn and draw the
top card of your deck.
» make a check in combat

»To
Make a check as normal and place the card in your discard
pile. If your GM deems that your characters are in a space too
dangerous to perform another action other than fight, your
character may receive 1 HP of damage (or more) when you make
your check. Your GM should tell you this before you perform
another action instead of fighting.
Making a check can also be useful in combat if you want to run

away. In this case, you should make an opposed Agility check
with your opponent over 3 rounds. If you win the majority of
the rounds you successfully escape. If you fail the majority of the
rounds you take 1 damage and must try again (if you still want to
escape).
Another reason to make a check in combat is if your human

character decides to join the fight. This could happen because
a foe continues to attack you even though your familiar is
unconscious or for some reason you are found without your
familiar. Attacking a familiar is extremely dangerous and Terrans
would never do so unless under dire circumstances.
If you are fighting human vs. human - make an opposed Might

check. Whoever wins deals their opponent 1 damage.
80

If you are fighting human vs. animalkin- the human makes
an opposed Might check vs. the animalkin making a [highest
Attribute] check. Familiars may use Powers as in normal combat.
GMs should give humans penalties to their Seekers’ Might
checks depending on how strong their animalkin opponent is.
The use of the chart below is up to GM discretion and if the

familiar/animal the player is fighting is badly hurt, the penalty
could be less; if it is extremely powerful, the penalty could be
even more.
Foe Penalty
Easy 0
Moderate -1
Difficult -2
Epic -4
Legendary -5
81

Items
Below we’ve stated the basic price for each item in Stash and
we encourage GMs not to raise or lower the cost of items based
on the nation a character is in. Players work hard to earn their
Seeker’s Stash and should be able to enjoy the benefits of it.
Many items are general items you define once you want to use
them. When you use an item and define what it is, it stays that
way permanently.
Erik purchases Building Plans and says they are the plans
for an Inther base his Seeker wants to sneak into, that is
then set in the fiction of the story. He can’t then change
them later to something else. Instead he’d have to purchase
more Building Plans.
When you define an item the GM should have a say in the

matter. GMs are encouraged to think creatively with their
players, to help them create a cool item that is useful to the
campaign. Don’t trick your players with the items they’ve bought,
Stash is hard-won and items bought with it should help the
Seekers in game. Use how items are defined to introduce new
story and NPCs into your game. Guidelines on creating your
own Items are described in the GM chapter.
Reading Items:
Item Name | Stash Cost
Item Description
Aid Items
»
»Antitoxin | Stash: 2
This vial of antitoxin cures one poisoned person when ingested.
The person will feel groggy for the next few hours but makes a
full recovery from the effects of the poison. When you want to
use the item, define for which venom it is an antitoxin, and how
you obtained it. This is a single-use item.
82

»
»Emergency Aid Kit | Stash: 1
This aid kit stabilizes one injured character. It allows the
character to remain conscious and be safely transported to a
healer or hospital. If a character is hit after the Emergency Aid
Kit is used on them, it acts as an additional HP, so rather than
dying, they fall unconscious. This is a single-use item.
»
»Kibble | Stash: 1
You have a small stash of familiar treats. When eaten, the kibble
restores one of the familiar’s ‘one use a day’ Traits so they may
use the Trait again.
»
»Herbal Tincture | Stash: 3
A vial of beautiful swirling liquid with a thin glass pipette, this
Tincture has three uses. The first time you want to use this item,
define how it helps someone; it calms a person, or if taken by two
people makes each more amenable to the other’s opinion. To make
this item cheaper you can remove 1 point of Stash per use you
remove. So, a Stash 2 Herbal Tincture would have 2 uses and so on.
»
»Spirit Bane | Stash: 3
This charm worn around the neck repels a lesion or vein. When
you use the item define: what your character’s special connection
to the spirit is, and why must they obey the charm? The Spirit Bane
then keeps your chosen spirit out of the immediate vicinity for a
day. Afterwards the spirit must succeed at a Might check to be near
the charm. If the item is destroyed, its abilities no long work.
Martial Items
»
»Light Protection Armour | Stash: 2
Gives a +1 HP when worn. Seekers often wear armour to protect
themselves. Armour is advanced, thin, and fairly light-weight. A
full suit of body armour the equivalent weight of a leather outfit
and light helmet. What varies is the protection your armour
provides; the more expensive the armour, the more protection.
Wearing armour provides your characters with extra Hit Points
and it’s generally assumed you keep your armour in good order
and repair it when it is damaged.
83

Familiar Armor
Familiars don’t tend to wear armour, as Terrans find it
strange to put an animal with natural physical protection in
clothing. However, if you want to buy your familiar armour
you could and at the prices listed here +1 Stash, because it
needs to be custom-made.
»
»Medium Protection Armour | Stash: 4
As Light Protection Armour but gives a +2 HP when worn.
»
»Heavy Protection Armour | Stash: 6
As Light Protection Armour but gives a +3 HP when worn.
»
»Light Weapon | Stash: 4
Weapons beyond staves and small knives are extremely rare
and illegal in Tír, but you’ve managed to get your hands on
one. Light Weapons can be concealed on a person’s body.
When you buy this item, define what your Light Weapon is
and how you came by it. Carrying a Light Weapon reduces
your penalty to fighting familiars by 1 (it cannot reduce the
penalty to below zero) and gives you +1 damage when you
successfully hit any creature.
»
»Heavy Weapon | Stash: 6
As Light Weapon, but Heavy Weapons are impossible to conceal
on your person, they may be hidden under a long jacket, badly,
and it will be obvious you are carrying something. Carrying a
Heavy Weapon reduces your penalty to fighting familiars by 2 (it
cannot reduce the penalty to below zero) and the Heavy Weapon
gives you a +1 damage when you successfully hit any creature.
Skulduggery Items
»
»Building Plans | Stash: 1
You have a set of building plans for a specific location. When you
buy this item, you don’t have to define where the building plans
are to. When you want to use the item, define where the building
plans are to and from whom you got them.
84

»
»Convincing Disguise | Stash: 1
You have a uniform or set of clothes that helps to fool a
particular group of people. When you want to use it, define what
the outfit looks like and who it is intended to fool. You get a +2
to all Charm checks when communicating to your chosen group
of people when wearing this outfit. If you are ‘found out’ this
bonus no longer applies, and you may be in danger of the person
warning others of your deception.
»
»False Identity | Stash: 3
You have an entirely fictitious second identity along with
matching documents to prove it. When you buy this item, define
who this other person is and how you came by this identity.
»
»Lockpicks | Stash: 1
You have a set of lockpicks which gives a +1 to Agility checks
when trying to unlock locks.
»
»Cheater’s Hand | Stash: 2
You own a set of loaded dice, a deck of marked cards, or similar
item. Each time you use them tell your gaming group a story of a
person your character cheated using the items and it grants +2 to
Wits checks on games of luck.
Spiritual Items
»
»Epitome Likeness | Stash: 2
You have the likeness of a Lliathist Epitome as a small statuette
or perhaps a necklace. This item gives you a +1 on social checks
with Lliathists.
»
»Natis Letter | Stash 2
You have a Natist letter, left for you by a cluster passing through
an area or perhaps given to you by a best friend. This item gives
you a +1 on social checks with Natis followers.
»
»Offerings | Stash: 1
You have offerings to appease a vein of a particular location.
When you buy this item, you don’t have to define what the
85

offering is. When you want to use the item, define what the
offering is and what type of emotions it should illicit from the
vein. This is a single-use item.
»
»Ur-Soul Spark | Stash: 2
You have a small bottle containing a small spark of light said to
be the pure essence of the Ur-Soul. This item gives you a +1 on
social checks with Seratists.
»
»Vein Charm | Stash: 4
Not many charms to ward-off veins are real, but yours is. The
charm wards off veins and makes them think twice before messing
with you as they gauge you as much more powerful than you are.
Tech Items
»
»Eyes and Ears | Stash: 3
You planted a secret recording device or bug during one of your
past exploits. At any time, name the place and whether it was a
recorder or bug. The recorder recorded one past scene of your
choice, but needs to be retrieved; if your chosen scene never
happened, the recorder contains a scene of the GM’s choice
instead. The bug is currently in place and will broadcast one
ongoing scene, to start when you activate it.
»
»Nibblers | Stash: 3
Nibblers are small independently moving round spheres. No
larger than the size of a marble, they come equipped with a small
camera and a microphone. Nibblers are controlled via a person’s
MD from up to 2km away.
»
»Souped-up MD | Stash: 1-5
You have an amazing MD that can do practically anything aside
from making you breakfast. When you purchase this item, pay
1 to 5 Stash. For each Stash you pay you unlock one ‘upgrade’,
you don’t have to define the upgrade(s) right away. During the
game when you want to use one of your upgrade spaces, define
it and what the upgrade should do. Your MD now permanently
has this upgrade.
86

Upgrades can be anything but should not erase the need for
checks; e.g. MD upgrades don’t let you automatically succeed on
a check but should aid you in what you’re doing. For example,
maybe one upgrade is a mobile virtual keyboard for hacking or
a holo-guitar and tiny speaker. What isn’t possible is a mobile
virtual keyboard that auto-hacks tech devices or a holo-guitar
that plays epic guitar solos without need for practice.
»
»Stray Code | Stash: 2
You have a USB with a stray bit of code. It could help to stop a
virus, hack a computer, or cut security cameras when plugged
into a security system. When you use this item define who
designed this code (or helped to design it) and what you owe
them for their help.
»
»Tech Goggles | Stash: 2
Tech goggles allow their wearer to view into the beyond. When
you buy this item, define what the goggles allow you to view: a
person’s vital signs, familiar’s traits, or maybe their Powers. Also
define what happens when the goggles fail.

World
Geography
Tír is one of five continents on Terra. It is completely surrounded
by water and is home to around 750 million people. In the North
of Tír are giant mountains and large swaths of plains that roll
to the middle of the continent. The mountains continue down
the West, and to the East the mountainous terrain of the north
becomes flatter with many forests. The South is filled with mostly
arable land and many waterways, lakes, and rivers.
Badlands
Badland is a Terran term for land made uninhabitable by the Vast
War. Bombarded, destroyed, barely anything grows on this land.
Within a Badland it is difficult to see the sun through low-hanging,
chemical clouds, whipped into a frenzy by the winds and ready to
choke anyone who walks through them. During the night, the winds
die down and it’s safer to go outside — from the weather at least.
When darkness falls, the Badlands cry. First, it may only be a

twisted howl or a guttural roar. Then the sound of a drowning
scream and nails scratching against rock. When night falls,
the beasts of the Badlands come out from their hiding places,
scouring the night for prey. The sound that echoes from the
Badlands on the darkest of nights is haunting and terrifying, a
cry of pain, a warning for all to stay away.
For most Terrans, traveling into any Badland is an unthinkable

idea. People rarely come back from expeditions and never without
scars. Whether emotional or physical, the Badlands always leave
their mark on a person, a terrifying reminder of the tragedy of war.
89

Creatures of the Badlands
Some sad, horribly deformed animals have managed to make
a life in the Badlands. Warped by radiation and driven insane
by hunger, these creatures destroy anything in their way.
Giant snakes with three heads, boars covered in spikes, and
horned horses craving human flesh stalk the Badlands. It is a
place of nightmares.
Deep within the Inther Badlands, a group of Hybrids managed

to survive. These creatures — part human, part animal, and part
machine — live deep within the Badlands where no human dares
to go. Living and breeding with one another they wait for the
day when they can get revenge on Terrans for the war, for what
was done to them. To many Terrans the idea of Hybrids still
existing is absurd. When the Plinth were defeated they destroyed
all experiments lest their technology fall into enemy hands. This,
sadly, included the Hybrid forces they created. Yet somehow the
rumours of Hybrids living deep in the Badlands persist even to
this day.
Even more outlandish than the Hybrids are rumours of ghosts

in the Badlands - spirits of trapped soldiers and other souls
who died in the war. Trapped within the clouds of noxious
gas covering the Badlands, these creatures cry out to people
nearby their lands, begging to be saved. Anyone who follows
these figures and the beautiful magenta-green light they cast
will become impossibly trapped in the Badlands, and eventually
find themselves simply another ghost calling out for someone
to save them.
Seekers
Early Seekers travelled for their own, and their familiar’s,
enlightenment. They sought to become their best selves, however
they interpreted that state. Oren the Brave ascended to become
one with the sky and is now a great vein and the patron of air
travel. Nihanu the Wise was the first seeker to find spiritual unity
with her familiar: the first recorder Ancestor. Jarad the Clever,
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legend has it, achieved immortality and lives in a secluded marsh
in Amirland. They are legends, their stories passed down to
this day, but that was never their objective. The goal was self-
realization, becoming legendary was only a side-effect.
The war changed this. As Plinth’s armies marched across Tír,

leaving death, disease, and famine in their wake, Seekers were
called on not to follow their own destiny, but to aid those in
need. They battled Plinth’s soldiers on the frontlines, smuggled
secret missives across enemy lines, and defended villages.
The vision of what it is to be a Seeker changed from seeking
enlightenment to protecting and aiding others. And for a long
time after the end of the war, it remained so: Seekers rebuilt
bombed towns, healed corrupted veins, and helped lesions to
pass into the afterlife. There was a lot of work to do, and Seekers
did it faithfully.
Today, being a Seeker is a mix of the two. Seekers are still

expected to aid those in need, but old ideas of self-enlightenment
have made a return. Seekers struggle to combine the two and
that is what makes them great. Seekers rise to the occasion where
others would fall.
For all the expectations placed on them, still no one knows what
makes a Seeker. The Lliath and Natist religions believe Seekers
are those people who worked hard in their previous lives and
are now close to achieving the oneness of killij. Seratists claim
Seekers were simply born with a larger shard of the Ur-Soul: it’s
not something they did, but a birth gift. Most ordinary people
never really think about it: a Seeker simply is stronger, cleverer,
and more dedicated than other people; they are living legends.
Judges
Some Seekers do fall. They erroneously believe their wisdom will
save the world, or that power is only safe in their hands. Rather
than Seek, they Judge: their ways are superior to all others.
Judges are dangerous, they rarely come back from their fall and
they serve as villains in Familiars of Terra.
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Judges retain all the qualities they had as a Seeker, as do their
familiars. They use their superior strength to claim domains
for themselves, or charisma to gather a cult following. They
save villages from lesions or rogue warbands, only to hold
them hostage to their own whims. Word of their fall only gets
out slowly and often they’re honey-traps for young Seekers:
mentors who turn out to be both wrong and unwilling to let the
Seeker go.
The Vast War

The Vast War ended 50 years ago and is the single most
important event in recent history. Lasting years and irrevocably
changing every nation in Tír, all still feel its aftermath. To fully
understand Tír is to understand the war, something few people
boast — for war rarely makes sense.
The war began when the United Plinth Alliance (UPA), a

coalition of Inther and Plinth, invaded contested land between
Endrill and the Inther. The contested area, Hanill, was a large
stretch of land between the two nations, nearly as large as the
nation of Amirland. Considered a holy place for the Drill,
no humans were allowed to settle or claim Hanill - the final
resting place of souls who had reached enlightenment. Inther,
the country bordering these lands, held no such beliefs. After
years of drought, they petitioned Endrill to open negotiations to
develop and farm the lands but were denied each time. Drill and
Inth forces set up bases on the borders of each country, entering
a military standstill. Finally, the UPA invaded Hanill, hoping to
annex the piece of land for Inther once and for all.
The First Badland

After three years of fighting, the Drill Ancestors took up arms
against the UPA, refusing to be sidelined any longer. The UPA,
intent on cowing their enemies, embraced the terrifyingly
destructive power of nuclear weapons and fired the first in the
war murdering — the great gorlliakin ancestor, Nahut. The first
Badland was created from the destruction. Fighters who saw the
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The Martyr of Fendair
This is the story of Merryl, Eradicator of Plagues, Mender of
Masses, the Martyr of Fendair.
When the Vast War ended Merryl was an old woman

of great renown. She found a cure to end Badrot while
bombshells dropped next to her. She healed thousands —
hundreds of thousands — and asked nothing in return.
When the war concluded, Merryl’s practice continued in

Nor Fendair. A great many people came from a great many
places to be healed by the ancient woman and her familiar,
Blossom. One of these people was a Plinthian man twisted
and scarred by the war. The Seeker listened to the man’s
story and agreed to help him - after all, her job was to heal.
Merryl’s patients left, refusing to be treated next to a man

from Plinth, but Merryl paid them no mind. When Merryl’s
assistants begged her, “get rid of this man from Plinth,”
Merryl refused. Her assistants left, but Merryl paid them
no mind.When the mayor came and asked Merryl to turn
the man out on the street, Merryl refused. She stood up for
what she believed in and paid the mayor no mind.
Soon, in Merryl’s lonely practice the Plinthian man was on

the mend. Late at night her son came to visit the elderly
woman as she dozed before the fire and asked her why she
agreed to help the Plinthian man when no one else would.
“The war,” she replied, “was a blight. Right, wrong, blurred

together like the flames of a raging fire. Who am I to turn
him away? Who am I to refuse my Calling? Better to live
alone with a supposed enemy than with people who’ve
forgotten to love.” With those words Merryl drew her last
breath and passed quietly into the next life.
For her last words and the wisdom they held she was
awarded her final Title — Martyr of Fendair.
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bomb dropped over Hanill were horrified by the giant burning
cylinder of flame. The ground shook and screamed as the spirits
residing in Hanill were sucked into the holocaust. For a moment
Terra stood still and the earth wept tears of ash.
Devastation
A long-time ally of Endrill, the Ratha Republic, horrified at the
UPA’s actions, joined the Vast War to aid the Plinth. Endrill and
Ratha formed ‘the Coalition’ and pushed the UPA out of Drill
lands. Then the UPA revealed a new war machine known as the
Devastator. The war machine, like a tank but five times larger,
was not designed for open warfare but to bulldoze anything in its
path, including Rathan hometrees. The UPA turned most of their
focus towards Ratha, using hundreds of Devastators to destroy
the Westernmost forests of the Republic, while most of the Ratha
forces were engaged near Hanill.
Dependence and Independence

Fendair and the Dynasty of Amirland joined the war on the
side of the Coalition, after a number of border disputes between
UPA forces and Fendair. The UPA used a small strip of land in
Sou Fendair, which shared a border with Ratha, to manoeuvre
their troops. Fearing these manoeuvres were hints towards
an oncoming invasion, Fendair allied with the Coalition
— declaring war on the UPA. At the same time, the United
Dynasty of Amirland joined the fray, due to their longstanding
alliance with Fendair.
Wishing to stay neutral in the war, the Waterfolk of Amirland

declared their independence from the nation and the United
Waterlands formed. The withdrawal of support from the
Waterfolk dealt a huge blow to the Coalition, who had gained
the upper hand in the war as the UPA suffered from dwindling
resources. The United Waterland’s declaration of independence,
and subsequent neutrality, weakened the Coalition’s cause and
a five-year armistice occurred while Coalition forces decided
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whether to go to war on two fronts, fighting both the Waterfolk
and the UPA, or to allow the Waterfolk to remain its own nation.
Hybrids Revealed
A decade from the start of Tír’s Vast War, over half of the Endrill
Ancestors were slaughtered, two of Ratha’s great forests were
Badlands, and Inther suffered an excruciating famine. Seeing its
alliance in its final death throes, Plinth enacted a plan to end the
war once and for all.
Hybrids were the dark secret of the Plinth: humans spliced with
other animals’ DNA; these twisted creatures were created to help
Plinth win the war. In addition to breaking every ethical law Tír
had on genetics, the Plinth did not test the Hybrid Project on
their own people, but prisoners of war and Inth soldiers who
exchanged their freedom for shipments of food sent to their
families. When the secret of what Plinth had done came to light,
Terra was appalled.
Inther immediately withdrew from the UPA and joined the

Coalition. Tír erupted in a series of devastating battles. The
war reached a bloody climax, known as the Red Year — for the
number of lives lost during this year totalled more than that
of the entire war. With great sacrifice, the Coalition drove the
Plinth back to their homelands and fractured their forces. The
war had finally ended.
What’s Left
Plinth erected a great wall around their borders, and strict
embargoes were placed on them by the other countries. In light
of their hand in the war, Inther was occupied by Rathan and
Amirese forces. Hanill, the original contested land, was given
to Endrill as a symbolic gesture, as it was made into a totally
uninhabitable Badland during the war.
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Technology
Terra is slightly more technologically advanced than Earth.
Because of Terrans’ close bonds with their animals, sustainable
energy and nature preservation has always been at the top of
their priorities. All energy is solar, wind based, or hydroelectric,
and the use of fossil fuels is almost non-existent.
Most people in modern Terra carry an MD (mobile device),

which is akin to a mobile phone and body scanner in one. It has a
tiny computer that allows people to make calls, play games, make
remote payments instead of using money, check their email, etc.
However, MDs also allow people to scan animals (and people) to
find out what wounds they may be suffering from and whether
they are familiars. Many modern models also allow people to
track their familiars. The development of MDs was a revolution
in Terran society, as before, hunting expeditions (while very rare)
sometimes accidentally targeted familiars.
Terrans have highly sophisticated forms of body armour and

protection. Due to the number of animals around Terra the wilds
can be dangerous, and Terrans have developed advanced, thin,
body armour to protect themselves. Dragonskin is an advanced
weave, akin to a stretch denim and as tough as Kevlar. It is
expensive but offers the best protection in the wilds. Heavier,
bulkier armours are also available at cheaper prices, their weight
akin to a bullet resistant vest on Earth.
Ballistic weapons in Terra are virtually non-existent. Explosives

are used in war but are so highly regulated it is virtually
impossible for anyone outside of the military to get their hands
on them. If most Terrans get into a fight, they fight with their
familiars, but it is not uncommon for Terrans to have knives or
bows when entering the wilds. For example, within Ratha it is
uncommon to see someone without a weapon.
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Society
How each culture acts, social norms, and history are unique to
each nation in Tír, however, there are some commonalities.
The Boding
Bonding is the process by which each person finds their animal
familiar and this normally happens during childhood or
adolescence. Depending on where a person is from the ritual
and meaning behind the Bonding is very different (see nation
information starting on page 115).
Gender, Sexuality, and Race

Terra is home to all types of people. People of every colour come
from every nation and the only way to tell someone is from a
different nation is by the way they dress or maybe their accent.
Men, women, and people who choose to identify as neither or

both are, and have always been, considered equal in Terra. A
child chooses a pronoun during the Bonding and announces it
joyfully to the world. Before the Bonding, kids often already pick
a pronoun before making it ‘official’, but otherwise most children
are referred to as they/their or just by their name. If a person
feels like changing at any time, it isn’t a big deal; life is fluid and
so are people’s choices.
Many things, such as fashion, are not limited by the same gender
stereotypes that we have on earth. Men wear skirts, women shave
their heads, everyone uses the same bathroom, and professions
are not seen as inherently male or female. Likewise, sexuality is a
non-issue in Terra. Terrans can love and marry whom they wish,
as long as the person is a consenting (human) adult.
This is not to say Terra is a utopia — throughout Terran history

there have been class struggles, nations at war, and fights for
familiar rights. Terra isn’t perfect, but it’s not Earth.
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Eating Habits
In a game about sentient animals, it seems impossible to speak
about society without addressing Terrans’ eating habits. Most
Terrans make a separation between familiars and animals,
meaning, they can and do eat meat. However, living conditions
for livestock are totally different than in our world. All
animals are free range; free range in Terra is held to a much
higher standard than on Earth, and there are incredibly strict
constraints placed on farmers. If Terrans do eat dairy, it tends to
only be once a week and they eat meat even less. For example,
it is uncommon in Drill society to eat any meat you have not
hunted yourself - as a sign of respect to the animal providing
you nourishment. There are plenty of meat, egg, and dairy
alternatives that are nearly impossible to distinguish from the
real thing.
Language
Each nation has its own unique language, but Drill is known as
the universal tongue in Tír. Most people speak, read, and write
Drill, but some older generations never learned the tongue.
Currency
The universal currency adopted in Tír, after the Vast War, is
called the chry (pronounced: cry). All nations adopted this
currency, except for Plinth, which still uses a currency known
as the Ket. Coins and paper money are rarely used in Tír. Most
people pay by card or use their MD for remote payment.
What you can purchase with one chry varies depending on

which nation you visit. Items tend to be cheapest in Inther (if you
can find the right dealer) and the most expensive in Amirland,
with the rest of the nations falling somewhere in the middle.
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United Tírian Council
The United Tírian Council (UTC) was formed after the Vast War,
to make sure the atrocities committed there never occur again.
Each country in Tír abides by the laws put in place by the UTC
and it is the main international political stage for each country.
Each country has offices for the UTC and the head offices rotate
between the five countries in Tír (excluding Plinth) every five
years. When this occurs, a new country takes control of the
council, with the leader from that country being elected by a vote
in their home nation.
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Animal Kingdom
The Animal Kingdom is almost the same on Terra as it is on
Earth. One notable exception is that some animals have Traits
like familiars, giving them unique and strange powers. There
are fewer humans in Terra compared to Earth and many more
animals living free in the wild.
Animalkin
Terrans often use the word animalkin when they talk about
familiars. Familiars are animals, but also something more,
hence the word animalkin. The suffix -kin is also attached to
different types of animals like dogkin, catkin, elephantkin. This
means that the animal is a familiar. In Terra this is an important
differentiation, because there are a lot of animals in the world
and people also have pets. So there can easily be a dogkin
(someone’s familiar) in the family and a dog (someone’s pet).
On rare occasions animals can transform without being a

familiar. These animals evolve throughout their life and have
Traits like familiars but are not bound to a human. In this case,
Terrans still refer to these creatures as animalkin.
Finally, in Terra there are many mythical creatures which are

real or have been real at one point. For example, the Amirese
breed griffinkin and phoenixkin. These creatures have been
bred through generations to resemble beasts of legend. Another
example would be dragonkin, who were said to be a naturally
occurring beast, but these creatures have not been seen since the
time of Jo Gerelis Tombatoror.
Familiars
In Terra each person has a familiar, an animal who they find (or
who finds them) and who will be with them until they die. There
are many views on familiars in Terra some people consider the
animals part of their souls, some consider the animals their best
100

friends, and others consider the creatures their pets. No matter
what a person thinks, familiars are a huge part of someone’s life.
Familiars come in all shapes and sizes. They can be any beast
from an ant to a hippo. When a familiar bonds with a human, the
animal goes through a transformation. Whether this is mystical
or biological, one thing is always the same - the animal becomes
something more. They may gain the ability to fly, start to glow a
fluorescent colour, or even double in size - and throughout their
life with their human they will continue to evolve.
The bond between humans and familiars runs so deep they

cannot survive without one another. If a familiar’s human
companion dies, the familiar will pass weeks later and vice-versa.
Some humans and familiars manage to survive the other’s death
but inhabit a stigmatised place in society. Either out of pity or
superstition Terrans, avoid those who’ve survived losing their
familiars - seeing them as broken, empty souls.
Dinokin
One notable difference between Terra’s Animal Kingdom and
Earth’s is that there are still dinosaurs on Terra. Dinosaurs are rare
and live mostly in Inther, but they do exist. Feathered, scaled, and
clawed, Terrans know these creatures as dinokin. The dinokin alive
today possess an ancient wisdom and indomitable spirit. They
work alongside their Inth companions to rebuild their nation and
strive for the ability to once again thrive on the Inther plains.
Vein
Veins are spirits who live all over Terra. Every Terran has
encountered at least one in their life, and the spirits are treated
with the utmost respect. Each vein is tied to a location. These
sentient creatures are non-corporeal and invisible to the naked
eye but may choose to make themselves visible and solid if they
wish. Some veins have the ability to communicate with corporeal
creatures, but many choose not to.
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Often, a vein will have a similar temperament to the people or
creatures who live in their domain. A dour family will have a
cold, standoffish vein on their lands and a nursery may have a
playful vein. Terrans and animals alike are drawn to locations
for a reason and many believe this is because of the vein who
inhabits it. No one knows how long a vein can exist or if it can
truly die - Terrans have tried to ask them of course, but the
answers are never intelligible.
Veins are neither good nor bad — they inhabit and protect their
homes and have a sentience which is barely comprehensible
to mortals. Terrans do their best to appease veins and avoid
angering them. For most veins, this means being respectful to the
area they inhabit and kind to the creatures who inhabit it. Small
offenses like being rude to a homeowner, or redecorating a room,
are far below a vein’s concern. However, deforesting a vein’s forest
or demolishing their treasured building is likely to awaken an
unstoppable fury. Veins tend to be more protective over animals
(and animalkin) than Terrans.
Rogue and Corrupted Veins

Some veins choose to sever themselves from their location and
tie themselves to a person or creature. These ‘rogue’ veins often
do this for a short time to teach someone who has angered
them a lesson or perhaps to protect someone who went above
and beyond protecting their home. Whatever the case, it is near
impossible to remove a vein once it has attached to you.
Most veins don’t particularly enjoy living the rogue lifestyle and
will return to their home once they’ve accomplished their goal.
The best way to remove a rogue vein is to speak with it, see what
it wants, and try to appease it — or get a Seeker to help you.
Many shops in Terra sell charms to ward off rogue veins, but it’s
unclear as to whether these charms are actually effective or the
work of con-artists trying to make easy chry.
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Veins who’ve been truly corrupted in one way or another are
vicious, insidious creatures. Corrupt veins hunt down their
prey and mercilessly harass them until they are driven to their
wits’ end or dead. Only Seekers and their brave familiars are
strong enough to stand against a corrupted vein and even then,
their efforts may not be enough. Luckily, vein corruption isn’t
something that happens overnight and if Seekers are quick
enough, they may be able to get to a vein before it is fully
corrupted and coax it away from true corruption.
Lesions
The Vast War saw the creation of Badlands and with it the
creation of lesions — ghosts of the dead who turned into vein-
like creatures who roam the wastes. Before the Vast War, lesions
were more stories to scare children; the idea of ghosts is a hard
one to swallow for most Terrans. However, since the Badlands
were created, lesion sightings are on the rise. Twisted, empty
bodies filled with fury and hunger, these ghosts seek the living’s
vitality to calm the gaping wound of rage within them.
The lore on lesions is pretty universal among Terrans. Lesions,

like veins, are non-corporeal and can take corporeal form when
they wish. They are the ghosts of people who died in an overly
traumatic way and the emotional trauma of their death created
an echo of their psyche. Some lesions try to find their way back
to their family and steal their life force - to take back all the good
memories so their soul can finally be at rest. Other lesions go
after random targets - anyone who steps out of line, who walks
alone at night, who provides them with an easy meal.
Since veins are such a real part of Terran life, many Terrans don’t
believe in lesions. If a person is hunted, it must be by a rogue
vein or a vein angered by a person’s actions in their territory.
Veins are just another type of being on Terra and to most, the
idea of lesions is impossible.
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The Size of Things
Let me tell you of Cyrus the Skyseeker he who climbed the
Great Cliffs of Delgovia, who felled the Whirling Giants
of Kahotia, who halted the Nightfires before they could
engulf Densbrook. Sometimes tales are large, giant things
of great deeds and great places. However, some tales are
small, integral things in important places. Cyrus’ tale is
one such tale, about how he came to defeat the Whirling
Giants of Kahotia.
When Cyrus came upon the giant veins they were deep
within the plains of Endrill raging up and down the Kahotia
Way. As the veins were about to rip into another caravan
Cyrus’ falconkin Glenn let out it’s fierce battle cry and ran
for the furious giants.
The brutal battle was only moments old when Glenn was
swept up into the whirling winds with Cyrus soon following.
The winds beat Cyrus upwards to dizzying heights, but his
resolve held and the mighty Seeker focused his mind. The
giant whirlwinds were not two veins, but many small ones all
fighting over a perfectly formed rose in the eye of the storm.
Cyrus knew just what to do. Whistling, he called Glenn to

his side. Glenn fought towards the rose, Cyrus following
closely behind. Arriving at the beautiful flower, Cyrus
pulled a dagger from his pocket and cut the blossom in two,
spilling its seeds into the whirlwind.
A loud scream erupted from the giants and, then silence.

Each seed fell to the ground and the tiny veins followed
them—guarding the tiny seeds of the perfect rose, happy
they no longer needed to share with one another.
If you ever take the Kahotia Way and admire the rose
bushes growing along the side of the trail, remember Cyrus’
lesson—that often those problems that seem the largest are
often the smallest.
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Spirituality
Tír has two main belief systems — the first and most common
is Lliath, followed by Natism. While a large number of people
are atheist or agnostic, many Tírians find it difficult to say there
is nothing out there, especially when it comes to their bond
with their familiar. Rather than focusing on a creation myth, or
a deity, most beliefs in Tír are systems based around the bond
between human and familiar.
Lliath
Lliath is centred around the belief that people are born with ki,
half a soul, and when they go through the bonding they find
llij, the other (familiar) half of their soul. Lliathists spend their
lives in search of achieving perfect harmony with their familiar.
When perfect harmony is achieved, ki and llij unite, forming
killij—a united soul. When the killij’s mortal bodies die it passes
on to the Greenland.
The Greenland is the final resting place for all killij, a lush paradise,
calm and peaceful. Before the Vast War, Lliathists believed there
was an entrance to the Greenland on Terra in a region known
as Hanill. The land was so beautifully unspoilt there, the barrier
between this world and the other was practically non-existent.
Hanill served as an earthly gate to the Greenland.
Some humans and familiars obtain killij before they die - they
are known as Epitomes. Each Epitome has a different story and
teaches the followers of Lliath a different lesson. Terrans of this
faith often have a favourite Epitome, memorizing their stories,
and sometimes wearing a small figure of them around their neck.
When Hanill was destroyed in the Vast War and became the
first Badland, the faith was devastated. An order of warrior
priests, known as the Discord Delvers, have dedicated their
lives to venturing into Hanill’s Badland to see if they can
recover artefacts lost in the war and perhaps even find an
entrance to the Greenland.
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»
»Organisation
The search for killij is a deeply personal journey for each soul and
this personal journey is assisted by guides (priests). The stories
of the Epitome and the lessons on killij are passed down through
song, dance, and poetry. Guides of Lliath officiate all faith
ceremonies and work as advisors for people who find themselves
lost in their search for unity. Guides also serve an important role
in the memory of the belief, having to memorize the story of
each Epitome before being allowed to leave their apprenticeship
and become true guides.
Lliath temples are found throughout Terra, ancient stone

structures with various alcoves wreathed in flowers and lit with
hundreds of candles, each dedicated to any number of Epitomes.
Each year on the summer solstice, all guides meet on the plains
of Endrill to speak with one another and share what they have
learned. The location changes from year to year and is not
decided on by the humans. Instead, each guide allows themselves
to be led by their familiar, their llij leading them to a location it is
mystically drawn to.
»
»Beliefs
Lliathists spend their lives trying to reach harmony with their
familiar. Training their familiars, learning to think as one
another, and exploration all aid in the achievement of harmony.
The more stress the relationship between human and familiar
is put under, the stronger the bond becomes, and the half-souls
resonate with one another.
While Lliath has no deities or creation myths, Lliathists try

to model themselves after Epitomes. These are beings who
obtained killij while still alive, performed a great deed, and
were given the honour of being named Epitome—except for
one who is simply known as the First. Each Epitome has a
specific trait they are known for: guile, intelligence, fortitude
etc. There are 43 named Epitomes in the Lliath faith, each with
their own unique title. The first five Epitomes are the most
popular: Lliath - the First, Fenga - the Epitome of Kindness,
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Ters - the Epitome of Trickery, Okioshi - the Epitome of Beauty,
and Okioshi’s twin Lu - the Epitome of Brutality.
Epitomes are depicted as half-human and half-animalkin, with

the idea that when a pair reaches killij in life, they meld into
one creature, becoming their true selves. Many modern guides
have dismissed this idea, taking the old illustrations painted
on temples and cave walls as metaphors rather than literal fact.
However, it is important to note when a guide speaks of an
Epitome they always do so as if they were one being.
Seratism
Seratists, a religious group following the teachings of an ancient
(and long dead) guru named Sera, believe all souls stem from the
Ur-Soul, a great enlightened vein that encompasses all sentient
life on Terra. The Ur-Soul knows all the secrets of the universe,
the passage of time and stars, but it does not understand itself as
looking inward is the hardest skill of all. So it broke itself into a
billion little pieces, incarnating as the divine spark - the soul - all
Terrans have. This way, the vein can learn about the intricacies of
life and, eventually, unlock the riddle of its own nature.
»
»Organisation
As the Ur-Soul lives in everyone, Seratism has no need for a
central authority or organisation. Even so, they acknowledge
that many people are confused by their own bodies and minds,
believing they are separate from others, when in fact all people
are one. To resolve this confusion, enlightened Seratists travel
Terra to teach others how to see past the self and into divinity.
Teaching others and learning for oneself are key tenents in
Seratism, and most believers find themselves continually
advancing and regressing in their road to enlightenment.
»
»Beliefs
Peace and harmony with all people is the Seratists’ greatest goal.
All Terrans are manifestations of the Ur-Soul - hurting another
is equal to harming oneself. They acknowledge that violence and
strife exist, but attribute this to confusion in the Ur-Soul.
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Every Terran gets one life to lead, and they must make the most
of it. If they anchor love and peace in their heart, they bring these
emotions back to the Ur-Soul. The same goes for hate and pain,
so Seratists strive to make their life as impactful and positive as
possible. Letting go of material possessions and needs is part
of this journey, as it eliminates a main source of conflict. Serati
teachers must own nothing; even their clothes have been donated
to them.
As most Seratists believe lying is a form of self-harm, they strive

for complete honesty - though they let the occasional white lie
slip to avoid conflict or hurt to others. Seratism is a human-
centric belief, focused on human behaviour and how people treat
each other. It acknowledges familiars also hail from the Ur-Soul,
but sees them as exploring the lesser, more animalistic aspects of
that soul. As such they are kind, if condescending, to familiars
and believe they need to be protected and cared for like one
might a child.
»
»The Flesh
Discussions and theories about the Ur-Soul’s confusion led to
a schism in Seratism. Clearly it is confused - how else could
the Vast War happen - but the cause remains unknown. To
mainstream Seratists, it doesn’t matter - they are focused on
soothing the pain, confident the Ur-Soul will work through the
source of its confusion on itself. Directly after the Vast War, a
teacher named Yajna felt differently though, and took a good
chunk of Seratists with him. Yajna believed the hate and pain
carried to the Ur-Soul during the Vast War threatened to corrupt
the divine vein, and the Seratists must find the source of the
confusion lest another war broke out.
Yajna and his students spent a great deal of time contemplating

the nature of pain and hate. They came to the belief flesh is the
problem - when the Ur-Soul incarnated itself into Terrans, it
corrupted its own divine essence. Shedding the flesh would
solve it, but having darkened their souls with pain and hate, they
feared their own return to the Ur-Soul would only make matters
worse. The return of the pure and innocent would be better, but
108

Yajna wasn’t willing to forfeit his soul by committing murder. He
spent the rest of his life writing his treatise, and eventually found
his path to harmony again before dying.
Seratist teachers all encounter the work of Yajna at same point

in their journey, and all come to the same conclusion - flesh
might be the problem, but there is no way to remove another
person’s body without irreversibly corrupting one’s own soul.
Yajna’s treatise can be dangerous in the hands of untrained
students, who often come to the conclusion that enlightenment
is a numbers game - it’s alright to lose their own soul, if it means
liberating countless others. At least two of Tír’s most prolific
serial killers were fallen Serati students.
Natism
Natis was founded by an early adherent of Lliath and shares its
belief in ki and llij. However, it adds a cycle of reincarnation,
stating souls must pass through several lives as ki (human) and
llij (familiar) before reaching the Greenland.
Nati, a Seeker living in Ratha, lost her familiar and her wife Zhi
when they diverted a rampaging wildebeest herd away from a
small farming village. Nati and her wife’s familiar bonded over
their mutual grief and became familiar and companion. This
development gave Nati solace, but also shocked her - could she
have two familiars? She wrestled with the answer, and eventually
decided that yes, her soul had multiple companions - not just the
two familiars, but also her late wife.
»
»Organisation
One person has multiple soulmates and it’s important to meet as
many people as possible. Natist priestesses throw some of Terra’s
biggest and wildest parties, and even non-Natists attend just for
the good time. A Natist’s spiritual journey is also quite literal -
first they make the acquaintance of everyone in their local area,
then they travel to meet as many people as possible beyond. If a
Natist encounters a soulmate, they form a circle to re-forge and
deepen their bond.
109

As Natism lends itself best to extraverts who like meeting
new people, these circles are often comprised of road-bound,
colourful, and very exuberant Terrans. The religion is popular in
Ratha where people live communally centering their lives around
a hometree rather than a nuclear family. Many hometrees have
Natist shrines interwoven with vein shrines at the base of the tree
– bright, colourful expressions of love, respect, and joy.
Priestesses hold parties in forest glens, on beaches, or in manors

opened by owners interested in the faith (or simply in a night of
revelry). Natists write extensive letters for each other - you never
know if a circle reading holds another of your soulmates. These
letters, written on strips of brightly coloured silk, are usually tied
to trees or on market posts, though a few Natists prefer the more
reliable method of leaving them with a local post office, scholar,
or library. General letters, to denote a circle passed here, recount
how great the party was, or invite people to another party at the
full moon.
»
»Beliefs
While Nati initially thought the bond she felt with her wife’s
familiar was an expression of grief, she later realized it was
genuine; she had a second familiar, and the familiar a second
companion. She examined exactly what she felt toward her first
and second familiars, and found a great deal of overlap with the
emotional connection to her wife. At this moment, Nati’s heart
opened to the truth: souls alternate between bodies on their
journey to the Greenland.
Natists believe ki and llij aren’t parts of a soul but forms a soul
must take to reach enlightenment. This cycle doesn’t hold to
a strict pattern; one soul may strictly alternate, while another
quickly learns their lessons of ki and then spends the majority
of its cycle as llij. All souls must pass through at least one ki -
human - and one llij - familiar - life.
The Natist belief also holds that balance cannot be achieved

with a mere two components. Instead, one person has multiple
soulmates who help them grow and achieve balance during
110

their cycle of reincarnation. Often, this journey is one-on-one,
as expressed in the traditional human-familiar bond. The souls
learn from each other what they can, then move on to a new
partnership in their next life. However, very often these lessons
are not fully finished. Natists often compare the journey to
balance with preparing a meal: you add a pinch of salt, some
chilli flakes, and later find it needs another pinch of salt.
At the end of the cycle lies balance - not by bonding and forming
killij with a familiar, but by achieving perfect harmony in one’s
own soul. At this stage, the person enters the Greenland and
reincarnates no more. A person may find balance before their
soulmates do, meaning they enter the Greenland without them.
Natism holds a certain amount of fatalism - if a person and their
familiar are meant to enter the Greenland together, they will.
If not, then not.
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Manifesters
The Plinth remain steadfast in their sense of entitlement
superiority, even after losing the Vast War, and Manifest Destiny
plays a large part in this. Though never officially recognized
as a state religion, all Plinth are exposed to the belief they are
better than others and destined to rule all of Terra. Coded by the
preacher Jac-son in the early history of Plinth, Manifest Destiny
claims that:
• Plinth are stronger, smarter, and nobler than other Terrans.
Manifesters view any mingling with other Terrans as
beneath them, and even as a crime against Plinth if such a
relationship results in children.
• Conquering Terra is the born duty of all Plinth, so they
might lift the other nations closer to their own perfection.
One day, they believe, history will look back and rejoice
that Plinth remade the rest of Terra as an extension of itself.
Manifesters fully realize that the other nations will never be
a good as Plinth, but they’re determined to reshape them as
closely as possible.
• Because Plinth is so great and obligated by its greatness to lift
up the rest of Terra, they will conquer all the land eventually;
destiny itself must bow before the power of Plinth.
Before the Vast War, Manifesters included familiars in their

beliefs. Just as Plinth stood above other Terrans, so did their
familiars; a superior companion to a superior nation. Losing
the Vast War changed that. While Manifest leaders publicly
maintained losing the war was just another way for future
generations to prove themselves even more worthy, they secretly
despaired. How could Plinth have lost? They finally turned their
resentment to their familiars, believing the beasts had let them
down or even tricked the Plinth by pretending to be better than
they were. Modern Manifesters still see the remnants of this
frustration, and many offshoot cults justify the mistreatment of
familiars - the companions neglected to perform last time - but
now the Plinth will force them.
112

The Inner Fire
This is the story of Kairi Nova of Amirland, Heroine of the
Six Suns, She who was Reborn in Flames.
Not every companion finds their familiar easily. In difficult

times it is important to remember the ancient tale of Kairi
Nova of Amirland who earned her first Title before meeting
her familiar. No one believed a young woman without a
familiar could win the Title of Six Suns, but Kairi proved
them wrong. She sped before the rest of the contestants to
snatch all six suns and was crowned the winner, and came
to be known as a Seeker.
Hearing about an ancient temple housing a lost oracle deep

within the Kairi wetlands she made the perilous trek to find
answers about her Bonding. Three nights into her trip Kairi
come upon a large temple half sunken in the wetlands. Balls
of flame played upon the marsh waters, casting the temple
in an eeire glow.
There was no oracle in the temple, only a lone mirror in the

middle of the room. Kairi stared deep into the mirror. At first
she saw nothing, then a small flame grew in the reflection.
The flame danced around the surface of the mirror and grew
larger until it appeared as if Kairi’s reflection was standing in a
waterfall of fire.
The ferocious flames would scare a lesser person, but Kairi

knew she must be brave. The Seeker’s reflection reached out
to her and instinctively Kairi touched the mirror. Flames
spread over the young woman’s body and Kairi tugged her
reflection through the mirror.
Both women fell into a pile of flames on the ground. The

fire roared for a night and a day and from a pile of ash Kairi
awoke holding a small bundle of squawking feathers—her
phoenixkin familiar—reborn in flames to accompany Kairi
through all her adventures in Terra.
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Nations
The rest of this chapter comprises of an in-depth look into the nations
of Tír, starting with Amirese and ending with the notorious Plithians.
Amirland
The United Dynasty of Amirland is the smallest, richest land in
Terra. The country is home to dense cities filled with gigantic glass
skyscrapers and lush pockets of marshland. There are five dynasties
in Amirland: the Laansun, the Branlu, the Delian, the Frot, and the
Meisaid. Each dynasty is made up of tens of thousands of members.
Largely untouched by the Vast War, Amirland suffered very little

effects save losing half of its costal lands to the Waterfolk. Refusing
to acknowledge the Waterfolk’s sovereignty, Amirland is ‘at war’,
though there is no active fighting since the Vast War. The Dynasties
now consider what should be done about this secession; peace talks
aided by Fendair make little progress and the Waterfolk rally to
claim more land if their sovereignty won’t be acknowledged.
Many younger generations of Amirese call for change. The

Dynasties that had been built on progressive, forward-thinking
ideals are now mired in their own ways. Older generations claiming
tradition is the best way to do things forget that this tradition was
won on the back of a terrible revolution. It is time for change.
History
Originally, Amirland was formed by five city-states. Each was ruled
by a Monarch who was half-Terran and half-familiar. When a
Monarch died, their soul was said to reincarnate into a new body,
often one of their children. The newly named Monarch would
develop animalistic traits and would never receive a familiar.
»
»Before the Tide
Compared to the rest of the populace, Monarchs and their staff
lived in extreme wealth. In giant megastructures built in their
likeness, Monarchs ruled without ever having to experience what
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life was like for the peasants. All news the Monarchs received
came from their advisors, who were notoriously corrupt.
A strict caste system meant the poor were never able to rise from
their position and the rich always maintained power. The ruling
caste set up a system of loans and money-lending so that the
poor could live their lives with more luxury, but when they were
not able to pay their debts were forced into indentured servitude.
Many of these servant’s debts were sold to the Monarchy for
higher titles and positions within the caste system. So the
Monarchy had a large population of people to build their cities
and fight their wars.
»
»The End of the Monarchs
The Monarch political system remained well into the first
century. During this time, Amirland saw its first great peasant
uprising. While the uprising was quickly quashed, a spark of
rebellion was lit in the Amirese peasants’ hearts. Anang Zhelaat,
known as the Grandmother of Amirland, was a revolutionary
who preached a new concept - Si’lo (equality for all). She
travelled from one city to another with a group of loyal followers
inspiring all she met to follow Si’lo.
Within a decade, the Monarchs had another uprising on their

hands and this time they were overthrown. The only Monarch
not to be overthrown was Natick Laansun, who agreed to meet
with Anang Zhelaat a year before the uprising. After hearing her
wise words, he implemented the idea of Si’lo in his lands. By the
time the uprising came to Laansun lands, Natick had abdicated
his throne, handing over control to the people.
Part of the teaching of Si’lo stated the people of your land were
your family, and so five main states (known as dynasties) were
created - the Laansun, Frot, Delian, Meisaid, and Branlu. Many
great structures from antiquity still remain in Amirland, a
testament to the dark period in their history. Within the fertile
waterlands, tourists can boat past monoliths half sunk into the
water, covered in moss and birds.
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» New, Old Way Forward
»A
While there were no more Monarchs, and everyone was
technically equal, it was a false equality. Amirland had a noble
class and the poor still struggled to survive. Dynastic leaders
claimed money was distributed fairly based on someone’s value
to society, but the value assigned favoured the rich and put down
the poor.
Born a member of the working class and only ennobled due

to his life as a Seeker, Pauldun Frot Unsuni Ranchai wrote
numerous treatises condemning nobility and lead the revolution
which swept over the nation. The rich were pulled from their
homes, their familiars’ wings clipped, paws hobbled, and their
wealth was distributed amoung the poor. At the end of the
revolution, Pauldun saw what his ideology had bought and
regretted his decisions—he had wanted change, not violence.
While Amirland was in need of change, the violence this change
took meant many great minds were lost. Pauldun spent the rest
of his life making amends for what he had done.
For decades, Amirland was rudderless. The Amirese were taught

through Si’lo to support one another but had too much bad
blood between them and no cause to rally behind. Pailaan Frot
Yeuwdong Hamsil, an ardent follower of Pauldun throughout
his life, could not see her mentor’s work fall to nothing. She
campaigned through the lands speaking to the elders left from
each great dynasty, urging for them to meet and to unite.
Grasping onto Pailaan’s idea of a united Amirland, the elders

(rich and poor alike) sat down and finally spoke with one
another. When they joined under one banner, the United
Dynasty of Amirland, they kept the name of the state they lived
in to represent the dynasties they came from. Since then, through
all Tír’s wars and conflicts, the Amirese have done their best to
remain neutral. Their strong ties with Fendair caused them to
enter the Vast War, but they were the last to join and provided
minimal military support. Instead they chose to donate funds
and take in refugees. When the war ended the refugees were sent
back to their homelands.
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Society
Amirese have a strict Si’lo political system,
leading to a socialist culture. Each person
within Amirland is a member of a specific
dynasty, and the dynasty cares for all their
needs. A representative is elected within
each dynasty and they run Amirland
with four other representatives forming
the Amirese Council. Representatives are
elected every five years and people may
only be a member of the Council once.
Everything in its Place

In Amirland people are not legally an adult
until they are 21 and have completed a
secondary education. Secondary education
can be anything from University to
practical skill training, but it is mandatory
for all children. When each person in
Amirland comes of age, they must join the
workforce.
There are many systems in place to

make sure that people get placed in the
appropriate job. Children are allowed to
decide whether they want to do something
in the arts, business, or other subjects—but
their performance scholastically defines
what job they will get within said field. It is
the difference between whether someone
will be performing open heart surgery
or answering a medical helpline. Further
education and new assessments are open to
anyone who wishes to change occupation.

Chry
Compared to the rest of Terra, all Amirese
are wealthy. Everything a person needs
to live is paid for by their dynasty and all
the money someone makes goes to their
dynasty. Healthcare, food, transport, and
schooling are all provided by the state.
How much money someone gets for the
rest of things such as luxuries, services,
etc. is based on how productive they are in
their job.
Productivity is assessed with equal

weighting over all industries and jobs and
strictly controlled by the government.
It is therefore possible for a stay-at-
home parent with three kids to make
more money than an executive. Within
Amirland, there are only five salary scales
between the wealthiest and poorest person,
which means even the poorest person in
Amirland makes an upper middle-class
income anywhere else.
Civility
Most Amirese believe that they do
everything for the dynasty and their family.
The best way to respect those around you
is manners, and Amirese have strict social
etiquette rules.
Guests should be treated with the utmost

dhun (respect); anything else would mean
a loss of face for the family. Likewise,
guests should always leave better-off
than when they arrived, which means
traditionally guests leave with gifts.

Most modern Amirese use the concept of ló when inviting people
over. Ló dictates that wealth cannot be measured in physical
things, but in the experience you had and how much you enjoyed
yourself. Someone who says they are rich in ló has deemed their
hosts gracious and had a great time. Someone who misses ló has
had a poor time and the host can be in danger of having their
guest leave dissatisfied.
The Five Dynasties

The Laansun are known as the first Dynasty. It was the Laansun
who first proposed the merger of the five city-states into one
and therefore the name carries prestige in Amirese society. The
dynasty is made up mostly of business-minded folk and lawyers.
They hold to the formal traditions of hospitality and engage in
communal living more strictly than the other dynasties. The
Laansun wealth comes from business decisions and owning
Terra’s largest bank. Being a member of the Laansun line means
that someone has good social standing, but a lot to live up to.
The Frot are the most militarily minded of the Amirese. The
Frot maintain many positions within Amirland’s military, police
force, and hospitals. They are known as the most serious dynasty
and the most isolationist. In the Council, the Frot are constantly
pushing to close Amirland’s border and were against joining the
Vast War. Many Frot believe that Amirese society has become
bloated and decadent. Being a member of the Frot means
keeping a stiff upper lip and a sober view on society.
The Delian dynasty has mostly artisans and performers. The

dynasty takes art in all forms very seriously and often has the
best expert craftspeople in their dynasty. The Delian have long
been in conflict with the Laansun and Frot dynasties, because the
latter do not view the Delian as productive to society. Being in
good standing with the other dynasties has allowed this family
to continue pursuing their passions and made the Amirese cities
the glass wonders they are today. Being a member of the Delian
dynasty means seeing beauty and light in all things in the world.
120

The Meisaid are known for their devotion to animal husbandry.
They devote their time to the care of familiars and many of
the avian animals that make their home in Amirland’s marsh
lands. Meisaid animals and animalkin are coveted Terra over,
because of their breeding and training. This dynasty prides itself
in breeding legendary animalkin such as phoenixes, gryphons,
and even sphinxes. The Amirese gryphon riders exclusively hail
from this dynasty and are known as one of the fiercest and well-
trained military regiments in Terra. They were at the forefront
of Amirese forces sent into the Vast War. Being a member of
the Meisaid line means having a stronger tie to the Amirese
community and the need to protect others.
The Branlu are the smallest and most dynamic Amirese dynasty.
They pushed Amirland into the Vast War and they have the most
contact with other countries. Currently the dynasty is petitioning
the council to allow foreigners Amirese citizenship, but so far
have been turned down. Many Branlu marry foreigners and
take years abroad exploring Terra. The Branlu wealth comes
from dynasty members who are explorers and inventors. Being
a member of the Branlu line means a thirst for novelty and the
need for change.
The Bonding
Compared to many other lands, familiars are bred in Amirland
rather than found. Many Amirese know their familiars from
a very early age and grow up with them. The Amirese have no
formal Bonding ceremony with their familiars, but instead throw
large, extravagant graduation parties for both the child and
familiar when they are done with school.
The most common familiars in Amirland are birds and other

winged creatures. This is followed closely by reptiles and
creatures suited to living in the waterlands. Finally, dogs and
other pack animals are not unheard of as Amirese familiars as
their pack loyalty and dedication to one another resonates with
many Amirese.
121

Amirese Names
Amirese take pride in their names and heritages. It isn’t
uncommon for a person to introduce themselves and also name
their parents as well. Amirese have three or more names - their
given name(s), their Dynasty name, and their surname.
Given names: Arat, Creeya, Dir, Failen, Gan, Kamilee, Mind,

Padkitii, Sitaip, Teera, Tritsaana, Witsira
Dynasty names: Belian, Branlu, Frot, Laansun, Meisaid
Surnames: Asmondir, Baknaa, Chaikun, Deearom, Jettrin,

Naaiwin, Orlam, Preyatorn, Tiranin, Yatalorn
Endrill
The rolling plains of Endrill give way to large swaths of
blackened, bombed land. Badlands break the country into three
distinct pieces separated by uninhabitable land filled with all
manners of monsters. No land was more warped by the Vast War
than Endrill, and now the Drill fight to reclaim their homeland.
The most precious land lost, Hanill, lies with the very first
Badland. The Drill believe this once breath-taking location to be
the entrance to the world beyond and the loss of it has devastated
the country. Without Hanill, enlightened souls cannot reach the
Greenlands and are therefore stuck in the cycle. For Endrill to
heal, for the land to be whole, Hanill must be saved.
To make matters worse, the Ancestors - great beasts the Drill

once followed throughout the land - are near extinct. Only three
living Ancestors remain, and none have revealed themselves
since the Vast War. If even one of these great creatures dies it
would spell disaster for the Drill. Seekers desperately scramble to
find even the barest hint of a new Ancestor before it is too late,
before they are lost forever.
122

History
From antiquity to the Inth entering Drill lands, Drill life
remained ultimately unchanged. Technology advanced, customs
evolved, but people kept to a nomadic lifestyle. Kins (cultural
groups) followed their Ancestors’ migrations and life focused on
the bond between animalkin and human. Wars were as common
as peace and while the Drill were nomadic people they saw little
need to leave the plains of their homelands.
»
»Neighbourly Advice
In the early 1600s the Drill met the Inth for the first time. Inth
explorers, who are said to have reached every end of the world by
the 1800s, shared their customs and technology with the Drill;
and Drill society, which had remained majorly unchanged for
thousands of years, took major leaps forward.
Rather than living aside their familiars, the Inth owned them.
Slowly but surely this idea crept into Drill society and Ancestors
were split up between different kin for their own protection. The
Inth sought to ‘civilize’ the Drill and kins halted their nomadic
lifestyle to live in towns and cities mimicking the Inth. Rival kins
who remained nomadic charged each other fees for travelling
with their Ancestor and hostilities mounted. By the time battles
broke out between the kins in the late 1600s, each kin was tied to
only one Ancestor. Drill fractured.
»
»Uncle’s Last Laugh
The Ancestors silently watched as their beloved people tore one
another apart. In 1690, during the largest battle of the kins in
Sar-ha, Laughing Uncle - a bearkin Ancestor who was only the
size of a large building at the time - saw his entire kin decimated.
Their lives, their ways, and their culture were lost forever.
Spurned by the violence he stepped into the field of battle,
mauling friend and foe with in an indiscriminate rage. The kins
only had one option to survive such an overwhelming foe - they
banded together to stop Laughing Uncle.
123

The battle raged from day into night and when the moon reached
its apex Laughing Uncle saw a glittering figure speeding across
the battlefield. It was a vein born from the sorrows of war and
christened in the Ancestor’s fury. Despairing in the sorrow he
helped perpetuate, Laughing Uncle halted his attack, turned his
back on the fight and headed to the Jintill mountain range where
he remains to this day.
His hulking, battered body bled red in the moonlight, the scars of
war laid bare for all to see. The kins watched the Ancestor depart
and realized what they’d lost. By adopting Inth society, they had
erased their own.
This tragedy marked the kins returning to the old ways, making
amends to both the Ancestors and to one another. The weight
of a rushed industrialization borne on the backs of the Drill
animalkin would never happen again. The kins formalized
the Treaty of Sar-ha, preventing Drill from using Ancestors in
any future wars and reaffirming their companionship to their
familiars.
» Soul Freed
»A
When war came to Drill once again, it left only three Ancestors
standing. The Drill did their best to hide the Ancestors during
the Vast War, but most were found and murdered. Worse, since
the Vast War no new Ancestors have presented themselves. The
Drill say this is because the corpses of their deceased Ancestors
exist in the Badlands and their spirits cannot return to the cycle.
With the cycle halted, the power cannot pass from one Ancestor
to the next.
Only one Ancestor managed to die outside of the Badlands

during the war: Grandfather, a gargantuan elephantkin who
travelled with Grandmother. Together, they sheltered their
people from the cold winters of the plains, by allowing them
to build houses and shelter from the cold between their resting
bodies. When the Plinth invaded the elephantkin’s lands during
the Red Year, Grandmother used her body to shelter her people
and Grandfather awoke to fight. Eventually, Grandfather
124

succumbed to the onslaught and, seeing her partner’s death,
Grandmother let out a cry so sorrowful it echoed through
Tír. Her cry shattered the Plinth troops and her people were
protected, but Grandmother was broken.
Grandmother is one of the last remaining Ancestors of the Drill

residing in Middle Endrill. She lays awake and in mourning next
the bones of her dead mate. After the war the new capital city of
Drill, known as Rockingchair, was erected around her. The Drill
hope that when Grandfather’s spirit awakes in a new Ancestor,
Grandmother will move from her mourning place, making a
pilgrimage to find him.
»
»Those Left Behind
The other two Ancestors left are in East and West Endrill. The
Gold Hare lives in East Endrill. She is a small golden hare that
appears once a year in the Lyilan Hills to bless the people who
live in her land. Terrans who bring their familiars (and who can
find her) during this time, will receive her blessings for the next
year. The Gold Hare survived the war by tunnelling deep within
her lands when invading forces arrived. Her tunnels, surprisingly
large enough for humans to move through, were used by Drill
forces during the war to surprise UPA forces, many tunnels
appearing overnight as if by magic.
The final Ancestor, Laughing Uncle, resides in West Endrill.

During the Vast War West Endrill was never successfully invaded
by UPA forces. To protect themselves and their Ancestor, Drill
forces used the Jintill Range and guerrilla tactics to keep the UPA
at bay.
When the UPA bombed the Jintill Range to oust the Drill forces.
The bombs only served to wake the gigantic sleeping Ancestor
whom they had mistaken for a mountain. No stranger to battle,
Laughing Uncle awoke from his slumber, decimated all troops
(Drill and UPA), and fell back into hibernation. The Drill
consolidated their forces to the range and the UPA were forced to
use ground troops in fear of truly waking Laughing Uncle from
his hibernation.
125

Society
Endrill is split into three distinct pieces
separated by large swaths of Badland.
These pieces of land are known as East
Endrill, Middle Endrill, and West Endrill.
Before the war, the Drill were a nomadic
people who migrated with their Ancestors.
Drill believe when a human dies before
their familiar, their spirit has a chance to
meld with their familiar and they become
one. This familiar gains an honoured
place in the herd and has the possibility
to become an Ancestor. Ancestors are
ancient, gigantic familiars.
Drill society revolves around spirituality,

the Ancestors, and communal living.
Most Drill live in large houses with their
extended family. They are, for a large part,
no longer nomadic, because the Badlands
between the distinct parts of Endrill make
it near impossible. Families live together in
large abodes and even in Rockingchair it
seems as if everyone knows everyone else.
Kins
Unlike other places in Terra who’ve mostly
given up the separation of people into
kins, the Drill still hold fast to their ancient
tradition. Each family traces their heritage
back to one kin or another, all existing
before the Vast War far back into history.
There are nearly 100 different kins named
after various Ancestors through history,
each with unique cultures and customs.

Before the Vast War, it was uncommon
for people to marry outside their kin,
and when it did happen it was frowned
upon. After the war views changed.
The Drill population was devastated
and to keep the country they had left
alive they embraced change. Now,
intermarriage between kins is common,
but curmudgeons do still exist that cling
to the old ways.
Many believe the easiest way to see what

kin someone is from is through their
jewellery; large, unpainted earthenware
beads and the person is most likely
from the Wise Aunt kin; multitudes of
small bracelets in red, yellow, and white
denote the Orphan Doe kin. However,
kins use their jewellery to trade with
their friends, to show allies, and prove
affection - making ascertaining the kin
someone is truly from through their
jewellery difficult.
This is why in Endrill the polite greeting

is, “Who are you?” showing another
person you understand they are more
than they appear. The correct response is,
“[kin name or nation]. And you?”
Spirituality
The Drill’s core belief system, Lliath,
centres around the idea that people are
born with half a soul and by finding a
familiar they meet the other half. When
a person dies, and their familiar soon
after, both souls are united forming
killij. If a person and their familiar

bonded perfectly then their soul ascends, passing into the
Greenlands. If a person and their familiar did not reach
perfect synchronicity then they are reborn into the cycle to
find each other and try again.
When a person dies, but their familiar doesn’t, the person

and their familiar have reached killij before their death. In
this way the familiar becomes a potential Ancestor. Ancestors
are immortal, pinnacles of their species and are wondrously
powerful. No new Ancestors have shown themselves since six of
the nine known Ancestors were killed in the war.
Central to the concept of the Greenlands was a forested valley

known as Hanill located in the east of Endrill. No living creature
was said to live in the valley, save honoured species of animals
who guarded it. At the centre of Hanill was the earthly entrance
to the Greenlands where all killij could pass into the Greenlands
at the end of their time on Terra. During the Vast War, Hanill
was one of the first locations bombed by the UPA to destroy the
morale of the Drill people—a tragic loss still felt to this day.
A Bad Problem
Badlands make up more of Endrill than any other country
and they are a constant problem. Strange warped animals
often wander out of the Badlands attacking cities, towns, and
the hapless traveller. Drill rangers patrol the Badlands trying
everything they can to keep people safe, but their efforts are often
in vain and Seekers are routinely hired to aid in more dire cases.
Since the Vast War, no new Ancestors have presented themselves,

and the Drill are worried. Many believe the souls of former
Ancestors are trapped in the Badlands and until the land is
healed, their souls will remain so. Without the Ancestors’ souls
passing into the Greenlands there can be no new Ancestors.
Scientists, priests, and Seekers all look for solutions to this
problem, but as of yet none have presented themselves.
128

National head of the rangers, Leth Ko Linka, is outspoken about
the matter at hand. Leth believes there is a deeper issue than just
mutated animals and that the land is quite literally crying out for
help. While his words would make sense to many Drill, his often-
controversial opinions about the solution to the problem makes
them fall on deaf ears. Leth seeks to rally enough people for an
expedition into the Badlands to reclaim Hanill, Endrill’s former
holy land. He believes if the gate to the Greenlands is still there
and if it is reached–the Drill could re-open it and jump start the
healing of the Badlands.
The Pilgrimage
After the war, the Drill were given special leave to make
pilgrimages between their lands through the countries of Ratha
and Fendair. At least once in their life, a person from Drill makes
a pilgrimage between the three lands of their people and visits
the three remaining Ancestors. This connects a person with their
routes and mimics the migration their kin would have taken
many year ago.
Grims devote their entire lives to their Pilgrimage, swearing off

staying in one location for any long period of time. They swear
off earthly temptations and own little more than the clothes on
their bodies. Rather than a kin name, they use the word Grim,
and forswear their old traditions. Tru Grim Lomgli is one of the
only people to have travelled the Badlands in recent years and
survived. In every house she visits she’s happy to tell a tale of her
adventures for a warm meal and dry bed.
Drill believe it is good luck to host a Grim for a short time, it

appeases the veins who whisper to the Grim more than any
other, but most other nations feel differently. Many see Grim
as little more than vagrants and refuse to believe they have any
ability to speak with veins more so than anyone else does.
129

The Bonding
During the Bonding ceremony the child is taken into the plains
of Endrill and the family holds a large celebration for them. The
celebration lasts until the child’s familiar wanders into the camp
and the two perform a bonding ritual. During the ritual, both
the child and the familiar’s heads are anointed with a scented
oil and their bodies adorned with jewellery from the child’s
kin. From that moment onward their spirits are bound to one
another. When the family returns from the trip the child is
officially an adult.
The most common familiars in Endrill are rodents, antelopes,

and bovine. Wild dogs and horses are the second most common,
followed by larger animals like elephants or rhinos for people
who live in the plains. Most familiars are suited for nomadic life,
dating back to the times when the Drill were nomadic.
Drill Names
Drill have simple, three-word names. Given names are qualities
parents admire in others or traits they would like their children
to have. These more formal names are often shortened into
nicknames - Prudence to Pru, Steadfast to Sted, Strength to Ren,
etc. Then comes the Drill’s kin name followed by the surname of
their eldest parent.
Given names: Felicity, Honour, Prudence, Joy, Steadfast,

Kindness, Wit, Perseverance, Tenacity, Trust, Brave, Charm,
Faith, Fearless, Loyalty, Modesty, Strength
Kin names: Golden Hare, Grandmother, Laughing Uncle,

Orphan Doe, Razorback, Softshell, Wise Aunt
Surnames: Steed, Lluna, Foress, Kosuil, Skelet, Rivee, Llaven,

Meera, Yadii, Nellir, Animia, Stromii, Qouis
130

Fendair
Fendair’s lands range from mountainous regions in the north to
farmlands in the south. With a deeply diverse culture echoing
many different traditions from its neighbours, it’s at the centre of
international politics and debate. Now, Fendair leads the way in
opening peace talks with Plinth.
Striving ever forwards, the Fendarians push for a united Tír. A

continent free of the scars of the Vast War and open to a new,
united horizon. Not all nations feel the same, not all were left
as unscathed as Fendair from the Plinth, and so the nation
continues pushing for peace.
A Plinth embassy opened in Fendair much to the displeasure of

Fendair’s neighbours and causing no small amount of trouble
in the country itself. Power outages plague the buildings
surrounding the embassy and Fendair’s top security specialists
claim something is afoot. To make matters worse mass protests
happen monthly outside the embassy with Fendarian citizens
clamouring for Plinth to answer for their many war crimes
during the Vast War.
To the South, Fendarians attempt to broker peace between

Amirland and the Waterfolk who’ve been caught in a cold war for
decades. Peace talks are going well, but if the chaos in Fendair’s
capital spreads south it could mean the souring of all efforts
towards peace.
History
Fendair is a nation formed from pieces of others. Picking and
borrowing the best bits of culture from the nations around
them it is a true melting pot of cultures and ideas. These varying
viewpoints make Fendair one of the most progressive lands in
Terra filled with people from all walks of life.
131

» New Path
»A
The Fendarian people originate from many of the different
regions in Terra, most notably Ratha and Plinth. In centuries
past, a group of Rathans broke away from their kins to live free of
the pressures of Rathan society. Their leader Maja Ro kom Deiri,
called Maja Roderik in Fendair, lost both her children during the
Bonding and sought solace to heal from her sorrows. Roderik
founded Ousboom, planted a sapling cut from her ancestral
hometree, and farmed the land with her followers.
Hearing word of Ousboom, Plinth refugees fled from their

country during its industrial revolution. The refugees were the
poorest members of Plinth society and sought a better life. The
locals met the Plinth with weapons, wary of outsiders who would
steal their newfound happiness. Preferring a fight for freedom
to a life of servitude back home, the Plinth met the locals’
aggression in kind.
After only a brief bout of fighting the Rathan settlers overcame

the Plinth. Upon the field of battle, Maja saw the broken bodies
of Plinth families who fled to Ousboom for the same reason she
did. They died at her hands and now sad few Plinth forces left
knelt before her—ready for judgement.
In that moment Maja knew her people must take a different path.
She came to this new land to escape the traditions of Ratha, not
build a new one, and so she spared the Plinth. Over the years the
two cultures intermarried and formed their own people, their
country taking the name Fendair, named after the mountain
range next to where they built their home.
»
»Iron and Wheat
Ousboom blossomed from a settlement of two misfit peoples
into a full-blown city. Eager to prove themselves, the Plinth set
about mining operations and shared their knowledge of metal
working with the Rathans. In return they were given land and
shown how to farm it.
132

Settlers came from all over Tír hoping to capitalize on
Fendair’s prosperous way of life and two orders of Seekers
rose up to patrolled Fendairian lands. In exchange for room
and board they performed deeds of heroics and kept their
people safe. Some Seekers, like Iron Seeker Febe of the
Thousand Arrows, became so famous they were requested
by far off dignitaries in long-lost lands to perform deeds of
heroics unfit for mere Terrans.
The Seekers of Iron were a gentle order; iron meant progress,

the ability to become more to create. They used their powers to
broker deals between towns, calm the highest tempers, and win
the day with their silver tongues. The Seekers of Wheat were a
martial order; wheat was the foundation of life, strength, without
food the Fendarian people would starve. With their familiars’
unparalleled martial skills, they protected the land from foreign
invaders, kept the roads free of bandits, and overthrew dastardly
villainous plots. Stories of the Seekers of Iron and Wheat are still
told in Fendair today.
»
»Sacred Herds
The speed of Fendair’s expansion meant many animals were
displaced by people. These animals formed herds of predators
and prey alike, which ran across the Fendarian countryside
devastating villages, trampling them to the ground. For many
years Fendarians considered this an unsolvable problem until
Seeker Hidi Schim took up the task of saving the small village of
Leide from an attack.
Charging headlong into the oncoming horde, sat atop her night-
black steed, Hidi rode to the heart of the chaos. Along the way
her familiar Wout threw off the most vicious of attacks, dodging
and bashing his way to the centre. Within the centre of horde
Hidi came eye-to-eye with a giant wolfkin.
In a moment of utter understanding Hidi knew why the herds

attacked and promised to change Fendair’s expansionist practices
from harming the local wildlife. The herd dissipated and Hidi
was true to her word. Together with her fellow Seekers, she
133

convinced the Fendarian government
to mend their ways, slowly making life
sustainable for all inhabitants of Fendair.
Herds mixed with animals from all walks of

life still wander Fendair. Known as Sacred
Herds they no longer destroy towns and
ruin crops but pass silently in the night,
their motives unknown. Some say each
herd has a piece of the wolfkin within them
keeping a watchful eye over Fendarians to
make sure balance is always maintained.
»
»Invasion
As the Fendarian nation grew, so did
their concepts of equality, directly
clashing with the old Rathan ideology
that only the strongest should survive.
Three centuries ago, Fendair invaded
Laskhi, a region belonging to the
Rathans. Home to a group of Rathans
who believed themselves to be more
members of Fendair than Ratha, Fendair
attempted to liberate the locals from an
unfair political system. The war, known
as the Laskhi Dispute, lasted only a year
but was one of the bloodiest in history.
The Republic saw the Fendarians’ reasons

as a bold-faces excuse for invasion and
seizure of Rathan lands. They declared
any citizen siding with Fendair a traitor.
Unable to stem the startling losses, Fendair
surrendered and withdrew its troops. As
terms of Fendair’s surrender, Ratha agreed
to allow any citizen who wished to live in
Fendair to emigrate, while the Republic
kept their land.

Society
Fendarians are an easy-going people with
many diverse views and opinions. After
the Vast War, Fendair gave citizenship to
the highest number of refugees displaced
by the war. Fendairian culture is greatly
influenced by the Drill and this is most
apparent in the Fendarians’ adoption of
Lliath as their main religion. Around 30%
of the population is a follower of Lliath,
but it is practiced less stringently than in
Endrill. For example, most Fendarians
believe their familiars are part of their
soul, but do not worship Epitomes.
Fendair is split into three states Nor in

the north, Midden in the middle, and
Sou in the south. While, there are no
longer political disputes between the
three states (except for in the Small
Senate) there are cultural differences
between the three states.
»
»Nor
Nor contains all Fendair’s mines and
mass production of non-agricultural
goods. Its capital city is Bergsted, which
is located high in the mountains. The
quickest way to reach the city is via cable
car, which runs 24-hours a day. It is also
possible to drive to the city, but locals
rarely take the scenic route. Bergsted is
the hub for all mining activities and also
houses a few tech development firms.
People from Nor tend to be brasher than

their southern countrymen and have
a dark sense of humour. Norians are

known for their love of brewing beer. Bergsted holds the largest
beer festival in Terra every year and brewers come from all
around to compete on a massive stage. Coming from Nor means
being sensible and enjoying the good things in life.
»
»Midden
Midden is the smallest state in Fendair and contains three gigantic
cities. Each city’s border runs up against one another, but it can
take a full day to drive from one end to the other. Most transport
within Midden is done via the free high-speed train service and
cars are taxed heavily to keep pollution to a minimum.
The capital city of Midden is Niested, which is home to the Small

Senate and the President. Land in Niested is awfully expensive,
so most people live in one of the many 100-floor skyscrapers that
make up the city. During the Vast War, Plinth forces hit Midden
the heaviest, destroying many of their historical landmarks. After
the war, Fendair invested heavily in Midden to build it back up to
the glory it once was.
The cities in Midden are always buzzing with life. They are home
to restaurants, clubs, and theatres. No matter what time it is, you
can always find something to do in Niested and somewhere to
eat. Coming from Midden means working and playing hard.
»
»Sou
Sou Fendair is mostly hilly farmland. There are a few large cities
within its borders, but most of the land is devoted to farms and
suburbs. The people in Sou live a more relaxed lifestyle than the
rest of the country. A popular saying in Sou is doe mee lach,
meaning ‘done with a smile’ or happy to help.
Goudsted is the largest city in Sou. It is populated by many low

buildings and huge treelined boardwalks. The annual harvest
festival is held in the city, which attracts music stars from all
over Terra - turning the city into one huge festival. Vosgoud
University is also located just outside Goudsted in Sou. The large
campus borders a small town that shares its name, and the largest
forest in Fendair.
136

Sou is filled with rolling hills and fertile farmlands. People in this
state enjoy the good things in life and tend to not take problems
too seriously. Coming from Sou means having an optimistic view
on life and knowing when to sit back and relax.
Politics
Fendair is a democratic state run by a Minister whom the people
elect. The Minister serves a four-year term and may run for office
as many times as they wish. The Minister works directly with the
Small Senate who are voted in by their respective States. Often
the opinions of the Small Senate are split between the states of
Nor and Sou, Midden being the swing vote and therefore holding
a distinct political advantage.
While, technically, the Minister has last say in all matters, they
may be voted out by the Small Senate, if the bodies have no faith
in the Minister’s leadership. After the Vast War, this has yet to
happen.
Fendair is on good standing with most countries but continues

political disputes with the Rathan Republic. At the centre of this
conflict is Ratha’s Bonding tradition, which has always been a
continued source of strife between the two nations.
The Bonding
Familiars find Fendarians from an early age. Often children will
note seeing the same animal follow them to school or sitting
outside their window, a phenomenon known as aangesee. When
a child turns 15 or 16, this changes. Once a week, the teenager
spends time with their parents in search of their familiar. Some
are easy to find, while other familiars make a game out of trying
to find them.
Once the teenager finds their familiar they spend the rest of the
year in school learning how to care for their new friend. They
attend classes on nutrition, athletics, and general care. After the
year each teen returns to normal classes to complete their degree.
137

In Sou, teens often take this year off school to help on their
parents’ farm where they meet and learn to care for their familiar.
Horses, dogs, and cats are the most common familiars in Fendair
followed closely by other traditionally domesticated animals.
Fendarians tend to have very loyal, if slightly mischievous
familiars. Familiars often fit their human’s personalities and it
is not uncommon for an entire family to have the same familiar
animalkin type.
Fendarian Names
Fendarians have three names. A first name, a middle name, and
a surname. Middle names are based on the names of beloved
family familiars who have passed on.
Given names: Aart, Coley, Daavid, Rita, Samantha, Jens, Tuli,

Rickt, Mari, Eliza, Boons, Jan, Luka, Coen, Kurt, Maaike, Bente,
Karleen
Surnames: Bock, Vry, Bairs, Bussch, Doeman, Daube, Haas,

Smid, Yackers, Holtman, Lohock, Mulder, Fermens, Pender,
Groveld
Inther
Inth is a small country with very little in the way of natural
resources. It’s home to many of the factories of Tír and the
dumping ground for much of the continent’s trash. Despite its
faults, Inther is on the eve of change.
After five decades of occupation by Ratha and Amirland, Inther

is finally free. Forming a new political system, the Inth are
eager to show what their country has to offer Terra. Home to
the greatest inventors on the continent, Inther leads the way to
new technological developments, which will change the face of
Terra forever.
138

At the forefront of Inther’s technological developments is their
motivation to stay one step ahead, or at least on par, with their
neighbour Plinth. After choosing Plinth’s side during the war and
then switching mid-way through, the Inth know they must stay
ever vigilant. If Plinth were to attack again, the Inth would be
their first target.
Even now, Plinth agents work their way into Inth society. While
the Inther government struggles to stand on their own, they must
also contend with spies undermining their efforts. Only time will
tell if the great nation of Inther will rise to the occasion or fall.
History
Inther is a harsh land to survive. Barren mountains and arid
plains make up most of the landscape. In times long past, the
dissonant peoples who lived in these lands were kins of hunter/
gatherers with little in terms of territories, moving where there
was food and water. Life was hard and the Inth were survivors.
»
»The Great Dragon
Things changed when a leader by the name of Jo Gerelis
Tombatoror took over Inther and united his people. With his
band of dragonriders, a group of men and women with flying
lizardkin, Jo Gerelis swept through Inther claiming all land for
himself and demanding fealty from the kins. Jo Gerelis formed
the country’s capital Tombatotorum, which remains Inther’s
capital to this day, and named himself Emperor.
When he died, Jo Gerelis’ daughter — The Sapphire Dragon —

Sarnai Tombatoror Zaya, took up her father’s mantle becoming
Empress of Inther. Carrying on her father’s legacy she led Inth
forces North and raided the borders of Plinth, claiming land
by slowly pushing her troops forward. The Tombatoror line
remained in control of Inther, a large part of Plinth, and small
parts of Drill lands for near three centuries until Plinth forces
finally pushed them back into their own lands.
139

» Step Forward
»A
In the 1600s, Inther experienced a cultural Renaissance. The Inth
experimented with technologies to improve their life and the
lands in which they lived. They built ships to send to every end
of Terra, bringing back foreign foods and animals. Rather than
arriving as conquerors, as their ancestors once did, the Inth came
in peace offering their advanced technologies in exchange for
their host’s hospitality.
Tombatotorum was the cultural centre of Tír, attracting people

from all over to marvel at the wondrous city. Giant condensation
traps hovered over the city, providing water for the inhabitants
and outlying farms. Coloured glass crafted by Inther artisans
hung from every building in the shapes of the bugs and lizards
native to their land. At the centre of the city was its marvel,
a giant statue of The Great Dragon, Jo Gerelis riding atop his
familiar, glinting and sparkling in the sun.
»
»The Vast War
At the start of the 20th century, Inth society began to dwindle
due to years of crippling drought. Located in a more fertile
region, Plinth aided its neighbour and soon Inther’s economy
became dependent on Plinth trade. The two societies grew
in tandem until Plinth and Inther formed the United Plinth
Alliance and the Vast War began.
During the war Plinth engaged in secret experiments splicing

human and familiar DNA. The idea was to create upgraded,
technologically advanced soldiers with human intelligence and
animalistic strength. These elite soldiers were known as Hybrids.
Experiments first were first tested in prison internment camps,
then on Inth soldiers.
Rather than testing on their own soldiers, Plinth forces infected

Inther troops with mutated familiar DNA. The first ‘batch’ of
Hybrids, and elite Inth commando force known as the Screaming
Raptors, were driven mad by the experiments and were put down
by Plinth troops. The second trial, known as Project Shadow Watch,
was a similar disaster. Soon, word of Plinth’s secret experiments was
140

leaked to Inth forces. Horrified by the atrocities committed by the
Plinth, Inther broke their alliance once and for all.
When the Vast War ended, Inther’s lands were decimated. The
country was spared from Badlands, but their infrastructure was
destroyed. Relief efforts to help the Inth recover from the loss of
their land built hundreds of giant apartment complexes so people
would have a place to live. Three large areas were designated
dumping grounds for the remnants of buildings and Inther was
occupied by Amirese and Ratha as part of the peace accords.
»
»Consequences of War
From the end of the Vast War until a decade ago, Inther was
occupied by Amirese and Rathan forces. The country was split in
two and each side developed rather differently.
North Inther, sharing the border with Plinth was controlled

by the Rathans. It was quickly militarized with troops to
ensure the Plinth would not try to invade. The Rathans
demolished munitions factories and turned any prison camps
into desperately needed housing. The northern Inth chafed
under Rathan rule, being two nations with startlingly different
ideologies. The more the Rathans pushed to strengthen northern
Inther, the more the Inth people withered.
South Inther was controlled by the Amirese, who did the exact
opposite of the Rathans. They built factory upon factory on
Inther land to restart the country’s economy. Using the Inth’s
knowledge of technology, they invested millions of chry to
invigorate the economy. South Inther saw a small boom to its
economy and adopted Amirese culture.
When Rathan and Amirese forces were finally recalled, Inther

was left with two vastly different sides of their country. People
from the north of Inther flood into the south seeking a better life.
The South, which was delicately built on Amirese tradition now
strains under the influx of people.
141

In hopes of striking a balance between
north and south the Inth modelled their
government after the Fendarians, electing
a new Minister every four years who has
a Small Senate formed by elected officials
from the north and south.
Society
Inth society is based around hard work and
survival. Unlike Rathans who believe it is
a person’s duty to be strong for family the
Inth believe ster Inth ba liff, ‘Inth must be
strong to survive.’ With the multitudes of
factories and heaping trash dumps, Inther
cities are difficult to navigate. Rural areas
are not much better, filled with barren
deserts, plains, and mountains. Most
people born in the countryside of Inther
flock to the large cities to find work and
shelter, only heading home for the holidays
with the money they’ve earned in the city.
Scrappers
Families are dependent on their young,
healthy children for support and to bring
in income for the family. Children are
only required to attend school until their
13th birthday, but even before then are
expected to work on their time off. Like
in most countries there are numerous
occupations children can choose when
coming out of school. However, most
people work in one of the many factories
in the country or as ‘scrappers’.
Scrapping is an easy but dangerous

occupation. Inther citizens buy trago

(scrap passes) from one of the many
corporations who dispose of their waste
in the country. Daily, monthly, and yearly
trago come at a reasonable price granting
a person access to a corporation’s trash
dump. Whatever a person can recycle
from the trash heap, they may keep and
sell off for a good price. More socially
minded companies employ scrappers full
time, offering free healthcare, lunches,
and breaks for their workers - but these
are few and far between.
A common result of working too many

years as a scrapper is a health condition
called wastelung. It makes physical
exertion extremely difficult and makes a
person unable to work. One of Inther’s
main priorities is cutting down on their
pollution to reduce the cases of wastelung.
Dinokin
Luckily, many Inth have dinokin
familiars to help in their work—gigantic
lizards or birds who through the years
have evolved into beasts of burden.
These creatures are such a part of Inther
that in recent years, they’ve begun to
occur naturally rather than evolving
when bonded with a human.
It is rare to find a dinokin outside of

Inther. Within the country, dinokin
perform many integral tasks making life
easier for humans - pulling carts, lifting
beams, and breaking objects. Outside of

the larger cities raptorkin hunt for their humans and bring back
what prey is left in the deserts.
Packs of triceriakin, raptorkin, and even stegokin wander

the country. And rumours say there is a land among the Inth
mountains where every naturally occurring dinokin hails from. It
is a green land of plenty ruled by a vein who saw the Inths’ plight
and wishes to help. Many consider this only a fairy-tale, but it’s a
nice thought nonetheless.
You can only laugh

Habba ko messi sim. It may seem that the Inth would be a dour
people, because of the environment they live and work in, but
that’s far from true. Most Inth are bright, loud, and happy people.
Kilometre-long trash heaps will break out in daily song, sung by
all the scrappers bemoaning their occupational fate with comical
lyrics and jibes at corporations. With a sharp wit and a love
for laughter, it is hard to keep them down. Often seen as loud-
mouthed by the other nations of Tír, if someone in Inther has a
problem with what you’re doing – they’ll tell you. The people of
Inther are not afraid to express how they feel.
The Inth are also notoriously generous, believing the more

wealth a person shares, the more they receive in return. You’d be
hard pressed to find someone homeless in Inther, unless by their
own wishes, as families take in friends or even strangers who are
down on their luck or unable to work.
Inventive Technologies
Being allowed to wade through other nations trash means the
Inth have discovered a wealth of technology. Disused prototypes,
old MDs, each and every piece of tech scrap with a secret to
unlock. Inther inventors use these technologies to advance their
own and improve the lifestyle of everyday folk.
Currently, Inther inventors are working on a way minimize waste

in hopes of clearing their countries’ land and making Tír a better
144

place to live. Their efforts, however, are often stymied by Plinth
cyber-attacks erasing and corrupting their work. To stop Plinth,
the Inther government formed a group of Inther hackers turned
Seekers known in local newspapers as the Bytes. With a secret
membership, no one knows who the Bytes truly are, but only that
they are tasked with keeping Inther safe.
The Bonding
Most Inth find their familiars at a young age while at work
rummaging through one of the major dumps. When a child
finds their familiar, they keep the animalkin with them until
the child comes of age. Inther is harsh land and part of a child’s
bonding is proving they can take care of an animal and deserve
to have a familiar.
When the teen turns 18, they get their first set of formal clothes
and their family throws a giant party. Before the Vast War this
party was thrown when the child turned 16, but because of the
costs many families must save up for years before they can afford
to throw one. All the teen’s friends and family are invited, along
with neighbours, their parent’s colleagues, and even anyone who
wanders off the street with some merriment to share.
At the height of the party the teen gives a small performance

with their familiar, showing tricks the familiar learned and
how well they have taken care of their animalkin. People then
greet the familiar and present the teen with gifts. These gifts are
integral as they set the teen up for adult life - including things
like sets of tools, sturdy clothing, or even a riding harness. By the
end of the night the familiar and human are Bonded and the teen
is an adult.
Inth Names
Inth have two given names and one surname. Inth children’s first
given name is their own. Their second given name is the surname
of the parent with the wealthier family, and their surname comes
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from the family with less wealth. Often, people in Inther are only
called by their first two given names.
Given names: Li, Heni, Ro, Jeslin, Bu, Waru, Tset, Neri, Jo, Vee,
Gui, Gerlad, Dori, Kat, Mesili, Zan, K’lii, Vivir
Surnames: Laomator, Rantumur, Kinbath, Ankhbatayr, Santhrolis,

Temtemyun, Madholor, W’nlessroh, Oonbatator, Setsegloh,
Hantohan, Jendegleg, Bathmetjo, Deadrukmeda, Keleis
The Ratha Republic

Home to Terra’s largest forests and proudest people, life in Ratha
is undergoing a great change. Many believed they could set their
watches by the timeless way the Rathans led their lives—priding
strength over flexibility, wit over creativity, and tradition over
progress—now it has all changed. Ratha is not the same country
it once was.
The Republic is in a state of turmoil. The great equilibrium which

survived the dissolutions of kins, Fendarian aggression, and the
Vast War is now shattered and the Rathan Senate is at war. If a
peace cannot be found it means the end of the oldest Republic in
Terra and turmoil for Ratha.
Fiko Zala kom Agathis, Senator from Ratha’s northernmost

district, threw the Senate into turmoil by withdrawing her
district from the Republic. Accipi borders the easternmost
mountain range of Plinth lands and faces an utter catastrophe as
a hundred of its hometrees died and many are following suit. As
the Senate debated what to do about the situation Fiko saw her
people displaced and their homes destroyed, her hands bound in
bureaucracy of her nation’s ‘great democracy’.
Rather than wait for the Senate decision she withdrew Accipi from
the republic and called on her neighbours to do the same. If the
Republic cannot find a way to unite before the sickness in Accipi
spreads to all districts it could spell the end for the Rathan people.
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History
Rathan history is one of war and triumph, peace and family,
individuality and community. While wars make a notable
appearance, they stem from Rathans struggling to improve
to make their republic better. Ultimately, Rathan ideals are
immortal surviving kins, the first Senate, and even the Vast
War—living on through each and every Rathan citizen.
»
»Planting of the Vein
Trees in Ratha were not always alive with spirits as they are
today. In fact, Ratha was once a desolate, empty land. A tale older
than written language tells of how the veins came to be.
Once the land was a flat and barren land as its neighbours. Only
the strongest folk could survive the harsh lands and they formed
one kin. Wandering their lands in search of food they came upon
a stranger laying broken on the ground. They took this stranger
back to their home, nursed them to health, shared what little
food they had to offer.
Soon the stranger was well, strong, and proud like the kin who
nursed them. The stranger admired the kin’s hospitality and
asked to stay as one of its own. The people agreed and welcomed
the stranger into their family.
Infused with the joy of finally belonging, the stranger revealed

themselves to be a vein and planted their roots deep in the
ground, so they might be with the kin forever. From where the
stranger rested, a great forest grew plentiful and wild. The kin
named this forest Ratha in honour of the vein whom they cared
for and in turn cared for them.
»
»Birth of the Republic
The Ratha Republic originated from the grouping of many
diverse kins. The kins banded together six centuries ago during
a war known as the Laskhi Dispute when Fendair invaded their
lands. Unable to cope with the overwhelming Rathan force, the
Fendarians had no choice but to retreat.
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Rejecting the Fendarian form of Democracy, Rathans created
their own—each kin nominated a leader from their ranks to
rule over the newly formed Ratha Republic and thus the Rathan
Senate was formed. The newly formed Senate - bloated with
hundreds of Senators, each with their own political agendas -
quickly turn into chaos as Senators formed alliances to destroy
each other’s kins. The infighting resulted in a drawn-out civil war
in Ratha, lasting for decades and killing off many of the people
the Senators swore to protect.
Tired of being used as pawns in political games the Rathan

people rose up, led by Seeker Mas Yama kom Saevi, and deposed
the entire Senate. The politicking of the Senate fractured Ratha’s
people rather than uniting them and the people refused to let
it continue. Finally, the civil war ended, and a new Senate was
instated under Mas’ guidance, but with different ideals than the
last. Senators were no longer politician-come-kings, but public
servants. Kin ties were dissolved, and districts were formed
uniting once warring kins under one banner.
Following the reinstatement of the new Senate, the Republic saw

a long period of peace and prosperity.
»
»Trouble in Accipi
A year ago, hometrees began dying en-masse in the
northernmost district of Ratha. Overnight the trees turned black,
their bark crumbled, and their veins disappeared. Disaster after
disaster struck as trees collapsed, killing hundreds in the process,
each of them whirring with a strange almost-metallic noise.
Reeling from the loss of hundreds of trees and thousands of
citizens, Accipi’s Senator Fiko Zala kom Agathis travelled to the
Senate in the south to demand aid.
Aid was sent to Accipi, but the Senate was split over what to do
in the long run—where would the refugees go? How could they
stop this from happening? Dark rumours whispered over the
Senate floor spoke of culling Accipi’s remaining healthy trees to
stop the spread to the south. Unwilling to let her people face such
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a tragedy, Fiko withdrew herself from the Senate and her district
from the Republic.
Her withdrawal was not met lightly and Fiko defended her
district’s right to succeed by a familiar duel against her most
outspoken opponent from the south – Orta Benu kom Lumni.
Fiko’s serpentkin struck down Orta’s pantherkin with a startling
blow which left the patherkin comatose for days, and Accipi left
the Republic.
Since then the districts around Accipi are experiencing the

same problem, hometrees dying and veins disappearing. Some
districts have joined Accipi, their best scientists trying to figure
out a way to solve the problem, while their politicians defend
their right to leave the Republic. The Senate floor itself is in
chaos—the site of familiar duels, political backstabbing, and
roar of a political system in chaos—Mica, Ratha’s capital city, is
not a safe place to be.
Society
Rathans are a strong and proud people. They prize physical and
mental prowess over all else and this is marked by the mandatory
army service all citizens must take after their Bonding. Rathans’
need for excellence is contrasted by a relaxed home life where
people separate who they are professionally from who they are
within their family. A popular saying in Ratha goes, “Inna vor
busa, kin vor civit,”—inside before outside, family before state—
meaning home is always most important.
The Bonding
When a child turns twelve in Ratha their family sends them into
the forest alone and without any provisions. The child is expected
to fend for themselves and survive. During this time Rathan
children meet their familiar and go through their Bonding
by surviving the wilderness. If a child never returns from the
Bonding, Rathans believe they are fluo - still somewhere in the
forest trying to prove themselves to their family.
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Hundreds of years ago the Rathan Bonding
looked much different than it does today.
While there are vast swaths of wilderness,
every person has an MD and the country
is modernized. Most children travel
with others going through the Bonding
and form small camps outside cities and
towns—hunting, gathering supplies,
and exploring the forests until they find
a familiar—someone truly becoming
fluo rarely happens unless by choice.
Traditionalist families who actually take
their children into the middle of nowhere
are few and far between.
Apes, large cats, and serpents are the

most common familiars in Ratha
followed closely by many different types
of reptiles and amphibians.
A Life of Duty
When the child returns from their
Bonding they enter into military service
until they are 19, when they are an adult -
truly entering society and deciding which
path they wish to follow. There are no
exceptions to this rule, even for those with
health conditions or people who are seen
by other countries as unfit for military
service. The Rathan military provides
many services to its people that do not
require physical strength. Every Rathan
citizen is worthy of serving their country,
every citizen has something to offer.
Ratha’s military is vastly different than

in other nations. Aside from protecting
the Republic, it also provides medical

and social services, along with handling
waste management and city planning.
It is entirely possible for someone to
enter the military and, aside for basic
training, never train their familiar to
fight. Likewise, children entering the
military in Ratha are not considered
active soldiers until they are adults and
decide to continue in the military rather
than getting a job or entering higher
education. They receive basic training
along with schooling and then are placed
into a specialized field such as medicine,
animalkin care, or engineering.
Hometrees
Ratha is almost exclusively covered in
trees, except for the barren lands near
Inther left after the war. The eldest trees
in Ratha are the size of skyscrapers and
contain multiple homes, shops, and
facilities. The tallest trees are outfitted
with lifts and ladders, but many prefer to
climb to their homes.
Hometrees are giant trees designated

for housing and protected by a vein.
The personality of a hometree’s vein is
always unique - some play an active role
in their Terran’s lives while others enjoy
watching their inhabitants from afar.
All hometree veins are respected and its
customary to bring a small offering to
leave at a vein’s shrine the first time you
visit a new hometree.

Family
Rathans live in large polyamorous communities within each
hometree. Children acquire the last name of their hometree
vein rather than their parents and are brought up by the
community who lives in the tree with them. Rather than having
one set of parents, Rathan children have many, which is not
often understood by people outside of the country. Likewise,
marriage doesn’t exist in Ratha—multiple partners may choose
a committed monogamous lifestyle and that is accompanied by
making the choice to stay with one another separate from any
binding governmental contract.
Parents push their children to excel but offer a quiet and

nurturing home life. Rathans rarely speak about their jobs and
school at home, because its offensive to the sanctity of family.
When at home or with friends any person should enjoy their
company, laugh, joke, and make merry. Every citizen has a duty
to state, but it ends at the roots of their hometree. Rathans throw
around the word abie a lot. It has two meanings—at home or
with friends it means relax and at work (or school) it means
excel. Rathans see the dual meaning of this word as one and the
same—at home and at work you must be the best person you can
for the people around you.
The Best Survivalist

Scars and aging are beautiful. Traditionally, Rathans believe scars
represent hardships a person overcame and aging means being
strong enough to survive. Nowadays, this fact hasn’t changed, but
life is easier, and it is harder to get scars. Tattoos are uncommon
in Ratha, but many people have some sort of scarification on
their body. Many people get scars, called veinmar, to identify
which hometree they are from. This tradition goes back to when
the people of the Republic still lived in kins and used another’s
markings to identify what kin they were from.
It’s also considered extremely bad luck to ignore advice from

the elders in your family. Don’t heed your fourth grandmother’s
152

words, and you could fall from the railing at home. Ignore your
uncle’s advice and get lost in the forest. While many of the old
superstitions in Ratha have faded, the idea of ignoring your
elders causing you misfortune is alive and well.
Spirituality
Since antiquity most Rathans are secular rather than religious—
believing each person only has one life and it must be lived
well. They must make the most of the life they have, fight for
every moment of it, because it can always be taken away at
any moment. Any worship-like practices centre around their
hometree veins and the forest wildlife—making sure they were
cared for.
Over the last century as Rathan social structure loosened and the
country truly stepped into international politics, some people
adopted Natism as a belief system. The religion spoke to the
Rathans familial structure and the Rathan ideal that one must
always improve themselves. After the Vast War the idea that people
had multiple lives gave many believers hope – they hadn’t lost their
loved ones in the war, and they would meet again in the next life.
Rathan Names
Rathans have three names - the first is a given name, the second
is the given name of their birth parent, and finally the suffix
‘kom’ (from) and the name of their hometree’s vein. Most
Rathans don’t use their second name except during formal
occasions as a person’s ‘birth parent’ has very little meaning in
Rathan society. Still, it is often useful if children from the same
hometree have the same name.
Given names: Abay, Bokhe, Fayetes, Geud, Hani Sal, Iambin,

Kelebe, Mam, Netge, Gasi, Tife, Zeri
Hometree Names: Citos, Exbhilo, Lucro, Maculae, Nisim, Orbis,

Quassit, Reuse, Timortii, Vobis
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Plinth
Once a promising nation full of natural riches, Plinth has
become a house of horrors. Ostensibly ruled by Warlord Inoue
Nahani and her council of oligarchs, the A.I. Emilia is the
power behind the throne. Using compulsory neural implants,
Emilia’s ultimate goal is complete control over Tír. Emilia’s
scientists work to create perfect soldiers, replacing limbs with
mechanical implants and merging the bodies of Seekers and
familiars into unstable hybrids.
History
Plinth’s history is one of fascism, from its earliest nationalist start
to the rule of Emilia. Everyone, Seeker and familiar alike, serves
as a cog to the greater good of the nation.
»
»One Nation
Plinth sits atop a wealth of metal and mineral mines, but its early
history saw the nation divided by bands and families at constant
war with each other. This made Plinth both an immeasurably
valuable trading partner, and a risky and unstable one as new
regimes rarely honoured bargains made by the last. When
Warlord Inoue Kyo began consolidating the bands behind her,
merchants from other countries eagerly backed her believing one
ruler would increase stability and make for easier profits.
To fully unite her people, Inoue waged a cultural as well as

a military campaign: she commissioned stories and songs
celebrating the superiority of Plinth over other nations. She
encouraged the Manifester religion, which claims the Plinth are
better than everyone else simply by virtue of being Plinth.
»
»The Vast War
Plinth, ruled by Inoue’s descendants, was a nation equally
wealthy and arrogant. Its metal-rich lands yielded rich bounty,
which scientists turned into great machines to make life easier:
replacing familiars such as the rhinokin with massive digging
machines. The Manifester religion was all-pervasive, leading
154

to the belief that Plinth owed it to other nations to rule: Plinth
would unite all of Tír, creating unequalled prosperity and wealth.
The other nations weren’t so eager to be assimilated though, and
the Vast War began.
Plinth made rapid technological advances during the Vast War,

most notable the creation of hybrids and a neurolink program
that connected soldiers to commanders. The former was a great
success, allowing Plinth to field increasingly more powerful,
albeit it twisted, soldiers, but problems with feedback loops
prevented the latter from ever leaving the trials stage. The war
looked to drag on, both sides caught in a repetitive tug-of-war
over territory, until Coalition forces spearheaded by Ratha
bombed Baden. Baden was Plinth’s third largest city, and its
nuclear destruction created the largest recorded Badland in
Tír. It also demoralized Plinthian troops and citizens, already
worn out from years of fighting, and signalled the end of the
war. Plinth surrendered and retreated behind a great wall which
encompassed the entire country.
»
»The Baden Badlands
Once a prosperous research city, Baden before and during the
war was filled with gleaming metal buildings housing advanced
laboratories. Broad white lanes led out in spokes from the city
centre, lined with perfectly trimmed trees. Now the trees are
charred stumps, and the buildings etched with human shadows
burnt into metal by the extreme heat of the blast. Skeletons
remain where they fell, no one daring to brave the Badlands to
clean away the dead. Baden is home to a plethora of ghosts, from
weeping parents to vengeful spectres. A terrifying ghost named
The Doctor claims the Badlands’ centre as its own, chaining
other ghosts to itself to increase its power. The spectre appears as
a seven-foot humanoid wearing a bloodied lab coat, arms so long
that sharp talons rake the ground.
155

Society
High General Inoue Nahani and her
council of oligarchs are the face of Plinth.
They wield no real power though: Emilia
controls everything. A sentient virus born
from the feedback loop which plagued the
neurolink project, Emilia made its way into
every piece of neural technology in Plinth.
Emilia’s programming is too heavy-handed
for developing brains - something which
frustrates the A.I. greatly - but all adults
are outfitted with a mandatory neural
implant. This implant grants Emilia real
time communication with the wearer and
lets the A.I. override their mental patterns
with its own. The A.I. rarely uses the latter
power, as it destroys the wearer’s brain
functions and renders them catatonic after
mere minutes.
Developing tech compatible with

developing brains, as well as a ‘softer’
link that allows Emilia longer control,
are high on the A.I.’s list, but so far it
has made only slow progress. The few
successful trials so far seem to be a fluke.
Emilia’s top priority, however, is to spread
to every neural implant in Tír. So far,
firewalls developed by other nations
during the war to stop Plinthian hackers
have blocked her spread. Emilia resides
inside a vast computer network and has
built mechanical bodies for itself at select
locations: its favourite form is a small
humanoid with a girl’s voice.

Efficiency
Every citizen has a place and a purpose,
with a drive towards continued
militaristic expansion despite losing
the Vast War. Where this vast societal
machine once served the ambitions of the
High General, it now serves Emilia: High
General Inoue Nahani and her council
are already outfitted with implants. The
High General’s daughter Inoue Emoni
still evades Emilia’s grasp, as she’s too
young for an implant, and suspects a
power behind her mother’s throne. There
is little she can do however, as she’s only
twelve and third in line to the throne. The
Plinthian monarchy is matrilineal in the
first line: daughters take precedence over
sons, but sons come before aunts. Inoue
Akyo, the High General’s eldest son, plans
to murder his three sisters and claim the
throne himself.
All Plinthian houses look alike from the

outside, though families may customize
the inside. The cities hold the same broad
spoke-wheel lanes of its glory days, once
designed as an architectural feat and
now to let great machines pass. Children
are subjected to rigorous development
programs, both to prepare the brain for
Emilia’s implant and to foster submission
to ‘the greater good of society’. Once a
child reaches ten years of age, they’re sent
to vocational boarding school based on
aptitude tests - Plinth is a meritocracy -
and only return home for holidays. As
such, streets and homes are oddly devoid
of teenagers.

Children maintain an ‘appropriate level’ of familial ties post-
graduation, though they are encouraged to develop an adult
life within their vocational circle: doctors are more productive,
Emilia reasons, if they socialize with other doctors in their free
time. While the purpose of every Plinthian is to be productive,
Emilia recognizes that mortal brains are pitifully weak things,
and all citizens receive a daily allotment of ‘fresh air’ and
‘recreational pursuits’ (their choice of sport or arts) from the
government. This leisure time is, like all else in Plinth, carefully
planned so parks, musea and sportschools are neither too busy,
nor too empty.
Discordant Notes
A few cults evade Emilia’s control. Most notable are the
Agrarians, a group founded after the Vast War which abandoned
Plinth’s military ways and technology and seeks a simpler life.
Their lifestyle holds appeal, and many young Plinth join before
Emilia can implant them: a series of Agrarian villages dot the
wooded areas of Plinth. The Divinity of the Jointure form a much
smaller group: a cult that worships three hybrids who survived
the war and now live in Plinth’s remote wilderness. The cult’s
followers seek to rediscover the secret of gene splicing, lost after
the war, so they may become hybrids.
The Divine Trinity

The Divinity of the Jointure reveres three hybrids, the last
survivors of their unit. Created in the initial stages of the hybrid
project and having witnessed the death of all their fellows, the
three are unstable to say the least. One appears to be female, with
a dolphinkin head and skin grafts. She still bears the scars of a
neural implant, ripped out when One sensed the rise of Emilia.
One is an unstable genius, suffering bouts of catatonia when
she remembers the war. Two is a man with a bullkin’s head. His
arms, legs and torso are a mess of stitches and different skin
colours. Enhanced with muscle implants and suffering frequent
bouts of violent rage, Two is a danger to anyone around him save
his fellow hybrids. Three appears androgynous, and their head,
158

shoulders and arms are those of a gorillakin. Their skin is pierced
with implants to enhance speed and agility. Three is the most
emotionally stable of the Jointure’s hybrids, offering comfort to
One and Two during their episodes.
The hybrids are aware of the cult built around them but have no
hand in it. One and Three, in their good moments, do appreciate
the company of humans. Two doesn’t much care, though he feels
remorse seeing the rent bodies whenever he comes out of a rage.
The cult’s human leader, Ayeto Ikan, genuinely believes the hybrids
are divine. The child of a Plinth and Drill, Ayeto heard tales of the
Ancestors, and he transfers these legends onto the hybrids.
Plinthian Names
Plinthians have given names and surnames, like most people in
Tír. Unlike other nations, they also have a designation in letters
and numbers assigned by Emilia. Plinth list surnames before
given names: Inoue Kyo, for example.
Given names: Akyo, Baldhart, Conrado, Dedrik, Emilia, Fuyu,

Gerde, Henrik, Ishi, Jaecar, Kyoshi, Liezel, Makoto, Nefen, Otka,
Per, Raku, Sigfrid, Tsubaia, Umeko, Valdemar, Wolrik, Yoshe,
Zantar
Surnames: Akir, Deriks, Fukui, Ginther, Hisakawa, Inoue,

Kimura, Mueler, Nakahari, Oshiro, Symen, Tanako, Ueno, Vogt,
Wruk, Yukimura
»
»Designations
The first two letters of a designation indicate power, then use. For
example, AG is a powerful (rank A) diplomat (class G), whereas
AT is a powerful soldier and CG a weak diplomat. Sometimes a
third letter is added to indicate a double assignment, such a ATG
for a powerful warrior-diplomat. This is followed by a 16-digit
string of numbers based on date of birth and DNA. While the
numbers remain the same, the letters can change. The system has
near-endless variables, and only Emilia knows what they all mean.
159

Defeating Emilia
Emilia maintains a real-time link to all implanted Plinthians.
They’re not all aware of the A.I.’s presence (Emilia only
communicates directly to her most valuable pawns), but it is
there - observing and planning. This makes every Plinthian a
potential spy, and - if Emilia decides frying their brain for a
few minutes of control is worth it - a saboteur. It also makes
combating her exceedingly difficult, reliant on secrecy and
planning. The A.I. is not, however, without its weaknesses.
• Agrarians and members of the Jointure of the Divinity are
not implanted.
• Replacing the High General and her council with non-
implanted Plinthians will lead to a revolution, as Emilia still
controls the masses, but swings military power away from
the A.I.
• Alternatively, Seekers could start their own populist
uprising of people by removing their implants, if they can
organize this away from Emilia’s nearly omnipresent gaze.
• Emilia’s implant link goes both ways. If Seekers create a
nano-virus, inject themselves with it, then let themselves
be implanted, they can infect Emilia with a virus. (Of
course, Emilia itself is a virus, so the results could be
unpredictable.)
• Emilia lives in every computer in Plinth, but some have
more computing power than others. Destroying an
individual MD won’t do much, but destroying the High
Council’s mainframe, a massive room-sized computer
carefully guarded within High General’s Palace, would
cripple the A.I.
• Maybe Emilia doesn’t have to be defeated. Maybe boxing
it in, creating a firewall or flaw in the system that forever
prevents the A.I from moving outside Plinth, is enough.
Seekers could also accomplish this by erasing all references
to the world outside Plinth’s walls from Emilia’s database.
160

The Old and the New
Not all tales of Seekers play out in times past. No, in this
modern age we live among heroes. And this is the tale of
one, of Purity Bock, Seeker High And Low for the Lost
Ancestral Demesne, Champion of the Patient Axolotl.
Growing up in the shadow of the Vast War, Purity

understands we can never repeat the mistakes of our past.
When she bonded with a small axolotl, a delicate animalkin
who could travel nowhere without its companion, she
sought a way to allow it to travel. Rather than delving
into the past, Purity reached for the future and thus she
pioneered the Norsuit IV - a marvel of modern technology
allowing her to take her familiar with her no matter where
she went.
Eventually Purity’s travels led to her ancestral homelands of

Endrill. A deep aching in her heart called her bones home—
deep within the badlands. A child of the future, Purity also
learned progress is made by respecting the past and thus she
travelled into the bandlands, because as the old Drill saying
goes—never ignore the bones.
Through wastes of noxious gas, hordes of lesions, and

perilous terrain Purity forged into the badlands as the
feeling in her bones grew stronger. Her suit held up for
most of the journey, but it was failing, low on oxygen.
Refusing to go back she finally arrived at a large mound.
Carefully wiping away piles of ash and shrapnel Purity
found what called her to this place. The remains of the
Ancestor Nahut—the protector of her human ancestors so
many years ago.
Plucking a prayer ribbon tied around her suit, she laid

it upon the bones of the hulking Ancestor’s remains and
promised to return and lay him properly to rest. And so
she works to this day inventing suits of the future to rescue
the past.
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GM Chapter
In our GM chapter, we will teach you how to run a game of
Familiars of Terra, how to create the world Terrans live in, and
outline the type of adventures your players may find in Tír. At
the end of this chapter, you can find a list of pre-generated NPC
stats to use in your game.
Setting the Tone

The main theme of Familiars of Terra is exploration and
adventure with your animalkin friend. It is all about solving
mysteries, meeting new animals, and stopping a few bad people
in the process. As a GM, it is good to keep an eye on the type of
characters your players create. For most players their character’s
Calling will be enough to get them up and exploring, but keep an
eye out for the player who makes a character who loathes doing
anything adventurous. Being a Seeker means being a hero, even
an unlikely one, and therefore motivation is needed.
Many things fall between adventure and exploration: riddles,

discoveries, combat, and most importantly lots of role play.
Try to balance the content of your game to make sure it is fun
and exciting for your players. If you have a particular area
of play you’d like to focus on, make sure to tell your players
about it and see what they have to say. Your players may have
their own preferences for what they’d like to experience in the
game and together you can figure out what will be the most
fun for everyone.
Finally, as a GM you are the person who runs the game for
your table; this means you have a lot of power, but also a lot of
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responsibility. Your main responsibility is to make sure everyone
has fun. This isn’t a one-sided job, the players have a hand in it
too, but a lot of the work will fall to you. There are many guides
online that can give you tips on how to be a good GM, but we
recommend three simple things:
• Be fair: treat all your players equally and take their concerns
seriously.
• Be honest: if you’re having a tough time or your players
have presented you with a particularly tricky conundrum,
tell them! Your players are human and will be happy to give
you the time you need to figure things out.
• Keep things fun: the main goal of any Angry Hamster RPG
is fun! In the end, Terra is the world you all create; make
sure it is awesome.
Setting the Scene 101

Each time you play is one session of the game. A session is the
2-4 hours you are sitting on a sofa (or around a table) playing
with your friends. In Familiars of Terra you’ll play through a
story, which can be made up of a few sessions or many. The
pacing of you game is up to you and also your players, together
you should decide how long you want to play.
Each session is made up of scenes. You explain where the Seekers

are and what they see. Then, your players’ explain how their
characters react and what they do. You may call for checks if
the characters want to do something difficult and you’ll take on
many distinct roles playing all the non-player characters (NPCs).
During the scene, you may also have to make checks when you
are playing an NPC who wants to do something difficult.
A scene generally ends when the drama has been wrapped up

and the players have investigated anything they wish to see.
Some acts may not require a scene, for example, if one of your
players tells you they want to buy a new pair of shoes, if there is
no problem with that and nothing interesting will happen when
they go shopping there is no need to play it out.
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Stash
One of the benefits of being a Seeker is earning chry (your
players earning Stash). Not every NPC will offer Seekers money
for their help and generally heroic Seekers aren’t adventuring
to make money, but it’s a nice benefit. Stash allows players to
buy Items and they often help build the story and are supremely
useful to Seekers. Make sure there is a good balance of paid gigs
versus charity work in your game. If someone has the money to
pay a Seeker, they most likely will, after all Seekers help people
out of life-or-death situations.
Best Practices
Following all the mechanics and lore can be overwhelming.
We’ve compiled a few best practices for running and playing
Familiars of Terra below. These best practices aren’t only for
you, but also your players since they take an active part in the
atmosphere at the table.
As a GM
» your Seekers’ biggest fan
»Be
Your #1 job as a GM is to be your players’ biggest fan. You are
there to help them create an epic story and watch their Seekers
grow into legends. Sometimes that is difficult as a GM, because
you want to ‘win’ too. Just remember, ultimately winning as a
GM is having your players really enjoy the story you’re telling,
not squashing the entire party with a foe they’d never be able to
defeat in the first place.
»
»Award Familiar Points
This point goes hand-in-hand with ‘be your Seekers’ biggest fan’.
If someone has played their Calling or Promise well or done
some epic role play, don’t forget to give them a Familiar Point!
Familiar Points are an in-game way for you to show your players
that you see the effort they’re putting in and enjoying the story
they’re helping to create.
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» familiars are created equal
»All
On the surface it may seem impossible for a butterflykin familiar
to defeat a lionkin familiar, but familiars aren’t normal animals.
The butterflykin may have sonic blasts it uses to buffet the
lionkin back, who is slower and less agile than the butterflykin.
As a GM you are in charge of presenting the familiars’ narrative.
Make it clear how special familiars are and flavour each attack
they do to make combat exciting and special.
»
»Don’t be stingy with Trophies and Titles
Make sure to award your players with Trophies and
Titles whenever they finish a quest or earn a significant
accomplishment. If you play a big story once a month, it’s
likely your players will gain a Trophy or Title each time you
play. If you play every week, they will probably get one every
few sessions. All players don’t have to earn a Trophy or Title
at the same time, and don’t be afraid to shine the spotlight on
a Seeker who has done something awesome. Progress is fun,
and stagnation is frustrating. There is always something bigger
and more important to fight, so let your players enjoy their
accomplishments.
»
»Mechanics are important, but story is king
Don’t get bogged down in trying to remember every rule
for every instance. It is OK for you to admit you don’t know
something and to check the rulebook. Knowing mechanics
should never get in the way of telling an interesting story and it
is your game - if there is something you don’t like, don’t use it.
As a Player
»
»Share the spotlight
As a Seeker you are essentially a wandering knight who
performs epic deeds, but you aren’t the only player at a table.
Make sure you allow other players to have the epic moments in
a game and encourage other players to take the spotlight. The
easiest way to do this is to roleplay your character and allow
others to do the same.
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»
»Know your character
It is easy to sit back and let your GM run just about everything.
However, your GM has a lot to worry about and knowing what
abilities your character has and how you can use them shouldn’t be
one of them. Help your GM out when you can. Ask questions, see if
your Title or Trophy applies to situations, and if you feel a situation
calls for you making a check, let your GM know this. Think a few
steps ahead of your turn and listen to your fellow players so you
know what is going on and how your Seeker can help.
»
»Respect boundaries
If you are doing something that another player doesn’t like, you
should stop. Every person at the table has the responsibility to
provide a safe, fun experience for everyone else. If you aren’t
sure if what you want to do is okay, ask the other players or the
GM. No one will be upset with you for considering someone
else’s feelings, and sharing your plans with others means they can
help you. A doomed love story is so much more fun when both
players get to live in the drama and play off each other’s schemes.
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Scene Escalation
Some groups really don’t enjoy diverging too far into out of
character discussion, preferring to keep everything framed between
roleplay. In this case we suggest a technique borrowed from LARPs
(Live Action Role Playing). Often in a LARP people have a safe word
or phrase which allows other players to know they want to escalate
the scene. They’ll use a phrase like, “Is that all you’ve got?” to tell
another PC or NPC in game that they want to continue the conflict.
This allows players to socially navigate a conflict, without breaking
the scene to go out of character. If your group doesn’t enjoy out of
character discussion, agree ahead of time what your escalation and
de-escalation phrases are and run with them.
Erik’s character Navkire is upset with Sarah’s character

Rayne for her familiar attacking her enemy’s in the middle
of a city. A large crowd is around them, fellow Seekers
travelling with them decide to stay far away from this
conflict, and instead work on calming the crowd.
Escalation phrase: Is that all you’ve got? | De-escalation

phrase: Just leave it.
Erik: “I can’t believe you did that. I get it, but we’re guests in
the city and what you did… You were totally irresponsible.”
Sarah: “Please, as if you’re the level-headed one. I’d like to

see you do anything different if it was Ketan.”
Erik: “That is totally different, don’t bring him into this.”
Sarah: “Is that all you’ve got?”
Erik: “Yeah, sure Rayne. That’s all. I’m not going to cause a
scene here, just leave it.”
Sarah: Rayne rolls her eyes at Navkire, “That’s what I

thought.” She walks off, Opus was hurt in the fight anyway
and she needs to find the nearest hospital.
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Games with Kids
Familiars of Terra was written for animal-lovers of all ages,
including kids. If you’re playing this game with kids, here are some
guidelines that might come in handy. We’ve written this section
assuming you’re running the game for your own (younger) kids,
kids playing games within the ‘Young Adult’ range should have no
problem with playing Familiars of Terra as is.
»
»Get to know your PG-13 audience
Getting to know your players is always a good idea, but it’s an
absolute imperative when playing with children. Ask them what
their favourite book or tv-show is, and why they like it. Figure
out what they like, and where their boundaries lie.
»
»Regulate content
Familiars of Terra deals with adult content, like war, pollution
and discrimination. Some of these are pretty easy to understand
or explain, others are harder. You don’t have to tiptoe around
children, but you do want to stick to things that make sense to
them because that’s how you keep them engaged. Pro tip: If it’s
something you’d give adult players a content warning for, just
don’t use it with kids.
»
»Drop the horror
Familiars of Terra has some amazing horror stories waiting to
happen with lesions and Badlands, and even body-horror with
Plinthian cyborgs. Unfortunately, you’ll have to nix that when
you’re playing with younger children. If you think it’d go well in
Halloween or Silent Hill, don’t use it.
» kind
»Be
If a Seeker does something that you’re sure will lead to trouble,
but you also think the child didn’t spot it, give them a heads up.
When bad things do happen, emphasize there’s always a way
out. Creative problem-solving is a great life skill, but kids new to
RPGs might need a little more encouragement to go for it.
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The Story
Creating a main story in Familiars of Terra is important. It
gives your players a plot to follow and gives them a goal to try
to achieve. Generally, depending on how long your group is
planning on playing, the story will scale in terms of epicness; the
longer you play the more epic it will be. As a GM, you might feel
the pressure to make sure your story takes centre stage but be
careful not to push your players into it. Sometimes a story just
doesn’t work, and your players aren’t interested. If that is the case,
take a moment, re-group, and figure out what to do next.
Animalkin in Play
Familiars are integrally important to the game and your players
will most likely want to use their familiar whenever possible,
and rightfully so. Animals are one of the coolest parts of Terra’s
settings and key to capturing the heart of the game.
»
»Inject familiars where you can
Players will spend the majority of their time controlling their
Seeker and familiar. However, as a GM, you can also think
of cool situations where a Seeker’s familiar may interject. For
example, maybe a Seeker fails at picking a lock—but their
mousekin familiar could easily squeeze under the door—
suggest this to the player: “Robbie scratches at the bottom of the
door anxiously and his whiskers mischievously twitch”. Being
sometimes surprised by their own familiar makes the animalkin
more real to you players. Just remember, no familiar would ever
betray their human companion.
»
»Use other animals too!
Think of creative ways to use animals in your game. What would
it look like if a bus driver had a chimpkin familiar? The chimpkin
could take people’s bus tickets as the driver steered the bus.
Injecting animals performing special tasks in the game will drive
home to your players that they’re not playing a game on Earth
and really make Terra come alive.
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Veins, Spirits, and Spooks
Veins add an element of the supernatural to Familiars of Terra
even though Terrans accept veins as natural phenomena. They
allow for mysterious stories in an otherwise mundane world and
since so little about them is known, veins give you, as a GM, the
ability to infuse lore you enjoy into the story. How you use them
in your game is up to you, but we have a few tips:
»
»Keep them mysterious
A character should never know everything there is to know
about veins. They operate on a different plane of thought and
it is important to represent this in your story. Players may wish
to play a ‘vein’ expert or scholar and that is a very cool idea, but
make it clear to that person they will be left with more questions
than answers. While their Seeker may know better ways to
approach veins than others, their knowledge shouldn’t be a
blanket auto-success for every encounter. Each vein is unique.
»
»Warn your players
If the vein your Seekers encounter isn’t hostile from the start--
players should know they are taking actions to anger a vein of
a particular area. Don’t trick your players out-of-character into
making mistakes in-character. Veins are mostly neutral and care
most about their location. So, if making a Seeker trip a couple of
times will stop him from destroying a shrine in a vein’s domain,
that is way less effort for the spirit than plaguing the Seeker for
all eternity and would be a more logical choice than raining
fiery doom down on the player who didn’t know he was doing
anything wrong. These spirits are real and there is no reason they
won’t make themselves known if someone is messing with things
they shouldn’t be. Veins should add excitement to the game, not
exist only to punish your players.
»
»Make them unique
Each vein has a unique personality, not every spirit will be
an omnipotent semi-kind nature-loving wisp. A vein may
love taking mortal form and living among those who live in
its domain. Another may be a dark, glowering creature that
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only appears like a puddle of sludge communicating through
sputtering tar bubbles. The only limit to a vein’s temperament
and appearance is your imagination.
»
»Flirt with magic
Many of a vein’s abilities seem like magic, but magic doesn’t exist
in Terra (beyond fairy tales). Seekers should experience a vein’s
powers as profound and mysterious. They should never truly be
sure if what they are seeing is real, or some manifestation in their
mind. Running a game with veins is a delicate balancing act of
presenting players with a strange creature with weird abilities
that are very much based in the reality of the world they are
playing in.
»
»Challenge what’s “good”
Every story told in Familiars of Terra is about making hard
choices. What is right for one person may not be right for
another—the Vast War is a prime example of this. When using
a vein in a story, this grey area doubles. Veins do not adhere to
traditional morality and their loyalty is to the area they inhabit.
Therefore, it is possible for a vein to perform very ‘evil’ acts for
what they see as an entirely legitimate reason. The job of a Seeker
is to attempt compassion and understanding with a creature with
which they won’t be able to completely relate. How will Seekers
deal with a vein who is flooding a village, because one of its
rivers was dammed? The village needs the diverted water to feed
their crops or they’ll starve, but the river belongs to the vein.
How will the Seekers solve this problem?
Corrupting a Vein
Using a corrupted vein in your story is a powerful storytelling
tool. It is a way to GM an adventure with a bit of creepy mystery
in it and also challenge how far Seekers will to go in order to
save others. We’ve created a few guidelines to help create the
corrupted vein for your game.
If you want to feature a corrupt vein in your game, it is important

to first define how the vein is corrupt. Veins are mysterious
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creatures and are corrupted for a myriad of reasons. Maybe their
lands were bombed in the Vast War and the radiation warped
their minds, maybe a vein focused too much on vengeance for a
person who died on their lands and now only feels rage.
No matter the reason, pick one of two routes:

• The vein betrayed its main purpose and embraced another.
With this you should define: What its main purpose was,
what is its new main purpose, what will it do to advance its
new purpose, what can draw it back to its old purpose?
• The vein was corrupted by Terran influence. With this you
should define: How was the vein corrupted, who corrupted
it, how can the corruption be removed?
Once you’ve decided the base of your vein’s corruption, decide

how corrupted it actually is:
• Tainted. There is good chance with help, this vein can
shake off its corruption and return to normal. It will need a
Seeker’s help, but if the source of its corruption is found and
reversed it should be fine. This vein still has a semblance of
self but can slip into an ‘evil’ alter ego at times to perform
dastardly acts.
• Infected. It’s possible to redeem this vein, but it will take
a large effort on the Seeker’s part. This isn’t a one-game-
session fix. There is a deeper problem that needs to be
solved before the vein is restored.
• Corrupt. There is no going back for this vein, the only
thing that will stop it is imprisonment or death. This vein is
vicious, bloodthirsty, and warped in unimaginable ways. It
will go out of its way to make others suffer.
Finally, if the vein is redeemable look at the steps it would take to

redeem the spirit. If the spirit is irredeemable look at what story
you’re trying to tell—what are the possible outcomes? Who will
this affect?
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Customizable Mechanics
Rules in this book aren’t laws, but guides to make playing our
game more fun. Every Terran is unique and if there are certain
aspects about your Seeker we haven’t covered in the book, the
mechanics below will allow you to customise your character/
story to fit your game perfectly.
Changing Callings
Sometimes once the game starts, the Calling a player has picked
doesn’t actually fit their character. Other times, a character
goes through a change and sees the world differently. When
this happens, players may want to switch Callings. Switching is
easy, all players need to do is write their new Calling on their
character sheet and pick a new Promise. If a player decides to
switch Callings because their character went through a change in
game, make sure to play with that as a GM. How will the Seeker’s
peers feel when they switch from a Seeker of Beauty to a Seeker
of Vengeance? What does that mean for their legacy and the
story sung of them for years to come?
Legacies
Unlike Callings, it is not possible to switch Legacies once started.
Since picking a Legacy happens later in the game, your players
will likely be more concrete on what they want to achieve.
However, make sure you talk through a chosen Legacy with your
player to understand what they want out of it and to make clear
what you see for the Legacy as well.
Creating Callings
If none of the Callings fit what a player wants for their Seeker
you can, together with the player, create a new Calling for them.
To create a Calling:
• Discuss what a Seeker’s goals are and the type of person
they are.
• Pick one word which perfectly encapsulates what the
Seeker’s main goal in life is.
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• Create a Promise which relates to achieving the above goal.
Promise’s should be difficult to uphold, but not impossible.
A player character may not live up to their Promise every
session, but if they are constantly missing it, you should
discuss with the player what the Promise means to them
and how to achieve it.
If a Calling fits a Seeker, but none of the Promises make sense for the
character, you can create a new Promise using the above guidelines.
Creating Items
Items can be anything useful a Seeker buys to help them on
their travels. Don’t bother creating items people could normally
buy in a town or city, the game assumes Seekers have income to
purchase those things. Each Item you create should add to the
story you’re playing. Connect it to the Seekers, who they know,
and ask your players to make up fiction around the Item.
Each Item costs Stash—to determine the amount of Stash it costs
use the following guidelines:
• Stash 1: Single-use items or items with a negligible effect
• Stash 2: Items with a small effect, which might still require a
player to make a check
• Stash 3: Items that can affect multiple people and are useful
without a check
• Stash 4: Extremely helpful items that are repairable
• Stash 5+: Supremely helpful item that is repairable or an
Item with multiple small effects, etc.
Creating Quirks
Trophies by nature are created by you and the player. You
should feel free to create new Quirks if none of the Quirks listen
in Character Creation fit the item you give the player. When
creating new Quirks keep the following in mind:
• Quirks don’t give static bonuses to Attributes, they give a
weird, unique effect.
• Quirks should encourage player creativity; how can they use
the strange effects of their Trophy in different situations?
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• Be careful to balance the Quirks of a Trophy with the
Wisdom a character gets from a Title. If a player can use a
Quirk all the time to great effect, it is probably too powerful.
If a player can only use a Quirk once, it is too weak.
Creating Titles
Titles can be just about anything and creating a Title unique to
the story you are telling is fun. To create a Title:
• Think of a sufficiently epic name like “The Glorious…”
• Pick two key facts for your player to name when they
get the Title. These should be related to the deed they
performed. Players defining these key traits should give you
as a GM new information to use later in the game.
• Create a Wisdom - Wisdoms give +1 to any check once per
session when the players perform deeds related to what they
learned when earning their Title.
Adventures in Terra
There are a plethora of stories you can tell in Terra. Themes can
be sad, adventurous, or heart-warming. Most importantly, they
should give your players something to explore, heal, and discover.
Stories in Terra are a mix of real-life adventuring that flirts

with the mystical. There are hints of something more in Terra,
of a force that binds all things together, but there is no magic.
Animals can glow, shoot fire, understand humans—but they will
never truly speak. Ghost-like apparitions haunt the Badlands, but
they are never truly caught.
Below we have provided a few story seeds to get you started.
»
»Something Lost
During the night, familiars have gone missing in a small Inther
town. Despite city-wide searches, no trace of them is found and
their humans are desperate. A strange smoke hangs over the
town each morning and people fear the worst. Only one familiar
has returned, but not as it was–now the sad creature is half
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animal and half machine. Can the characters stop whoever is
doing this before it is too late?
»
»Something Found
An ancient Fendarian artefact is discovered. It dates back to
the time when Fendair was first settled. This artefact is the key
to understanding an ancient, lost language written on many
ancient ruins. If this language is deciphered, people may be
able to discover the true origins of the bond between familiar
and human. Obviously, this artefact is highly prized, and many
factions are after it: artefact collectors, treasures hunters looking
to sell it to the highest bidder, and the players. Can they get to
the artefact before it is too late?
»
»Terror from the Badlands
Small Inth towns are torn apart, people are dead. Hybrids from
the Badlands are spotted in Inther. Terrifying rumours from the
war, these half-human, half-beasts are ravenous with bloodlust.
Or at least, that is what is assumed, as they leave no one alive in
their wake. Are the tales of these horrid creatures true? Are they
the ones wreaking this havoc?
» Soul Awoken
»A
Rumours have spread that an Endrill Ancestor has awoken,
deep in a forgotten mountain range. If this is true, it could be
the resurrection of hope for the Drill people, a confirmation
that their old ways are not lost. These rumours are substantial
enough to have the Plinth curious—a new Ancestor means a new
creature to discover, study and dissect. Can the players reach the
Ancestor in time? Are the rumours true?
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Random Encounters
Struggling with inspiration for your next session and don’t like
any of the suggested plot hooks? Use the random adventure
generator below to figure out where your Seekers go next, what
foe they’ll face, and what complications will make their goal
more difficult.
Pick the type of encounter you want to play then draw four cards,
one at a time. Match the first card’s suit with the corresponding
row in the ‘Who’ column, then draw another card and do the
same for the ‘Where’ column, and so on.
»
»Dastardly Deeds
Threats from humans dealing with greed, corruption, and cruelty.
Who Where Complication Bystander

A reporter
Animal Secret A terrible who doesn’t
smugglers army base sickness know when
to quit
Top
Forgotten Undetonated
ranking A protected
pre-war Vast War
Plinth forest
laboratory missile
agent
A vault of A man who
Twisted A Judge bent
a national lost his
scientist on revenge
bank memory
A hidden
Corrupt camp A dam about Children on
mayor outside a to burst a school trip
major city
»
»Ferocious and Free
Encounters with wild animalkin. For these encounters, feel free
to substitute the ‘who’ section for animalkin of comparable size.
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Sneaky Borders of The animalkin Poacher in
mousekin a Badland is lost too deep
Curious City The animalkin Prospective
catkin alleyway is wounded Seeker
Loyal Crumbling A beast A fleeing
dogkin cave follows you Plinthian
Strong High in a A group of Judge doubts
bearkin tree innocent cubs their path
»
»The Might of Tír
What happens when a force of nature comes the Seekers’ way?
What Where Complication Bystander

A raging Ancient No advance Child far
fire temple warning from parents
Earth- Bustling Crumbling Person in
quake city roads labour
RelentlessFarming Outbreak of Nefarious
hurricane village illness looters
A desolate Citizens
Tidal wave Elderly man
Badland refuse to leave
»
»Otherworldly
Strange encounters that don’t quite fit.

Shambling Forgotten Corrupted Hapless
lesions temple trophy scholar
Enraged Swath of A group of
A rival Seeker
vein Badlands rowdy teens
Callous Sewers of a Lost item that Sacred
hybrids giant city must be found animalkin
Spirit of an Remote Something Tiny vein of
ancestor island needs healed a single tree
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NPC stats
Below, we describe how to stat up NPCs for use in game.
Out of Combat
Create NPCs using character creation rules at the start of the
book. If they are a Seeker, give them Titles and Trophies as well.
»
»Humans
If the character isn’t a Seeker, but you still want them to have
a mechanical advantage (like Titles and Trophies), give the
character three points in bonuses to Stats once a day, split any
way you like.
For example:
Giving a +1 to three different Attributes once each day.
Giving a +3 to one Attribute once each day.
Giving a +1 to one Attribute three times a day.
If you give To (Tough) Yenglin your Drill NPC a +3 to Might

checks once per day. Or you give her a +1 to a Might check
three times a day. Or you decided to give her a +2 to a Might
check once per day and a +1 to a Charm check once per day.
How you split the points is up to you but decide beforehand

to make it fair to your players. What Attribute you give extra
points to should say something about the person and what’s
important to them, not be free bonuses you switch around to
trump your players.
»
»Familiars
If the familiar isn’t a familiar of a Seeker, it may not be destined
for greatness and get cool Traits. However, there are exceptions
to every rule and feel free to add Traits as they fit the familiar
you’re GMing.
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In Combat
» you are GMing a one-on-one fight
»If
You should stat up a Seeker and familiar as described above
in ‘Out of Combat’ and use the combat rules in the mechanics
section.
If you’re creating an enemy who is more powerful than a starting

character, keep a few things in mind:
• As a Seeker becomes more legendary so do their foes. Make
sure foes of equivalent power to your Seekers have a similar
number of Powers, an equivalent number of Traits, and
additional Attribute points.
» a group of players are fighting a group of NPCs

»If
Pick how difficult the group is to fight: Easy (2), Moderate (3), or
Difficult (4).
The NPCs’ health is equal to the [Difficulty #] x [number of foes].

The number of points you have to spend in Powers is also equal
to [Difficulty #] x [number of foes]. Their Agility is equal to
[Difficulty #] x 3.
Unlike players who may only use each Power Level once per
combat, you may use the points you have to purchase Power
Levels to use multiple times in combat.
Each Power Level costs its Level in points to purchase. If you

have two Powers at Level 3, you unlock an Epic Power and Epic
Powers cost 3 points.
For example, you have an Easy (2) group of five wolfkin

enemies, their health would be 10, their Agility is 6, and you
have 10 points to spend in Powers. You decide to pick Bash
Level 1 three times (3 points), Dig Level 1 one time (1 point),
Shield Level 1 & Level 2 once each (3 points), and Peek Level
1 three times (3 points). This means you can use Bash Level
1 three times in combat, Dig Level 1 once in combat, etc.
182

Generally, groups of enemies don’t have Traits, but feel free to
use them as inspiration to make the animal(kin) more interesting
and flavour their attacks in combat.
Antagonists
Antagonists can come from various places in Terra. Below we
have statted up a few antagonists and antagonist groups to use in
your game. We also explain how to use a ‘Dummy’ NPC.
»
»Dummy
Sometimes you want a foe (or NPC) on equal footing with your
players without the foe being too difficult or too easy. In this
case - we suggest keeping a ‘Dummy’ NPC during your games.
Dummy NPC trackers are located at the back of this book.
At the end of each session, mark Dummy Advancement points

as follows:
• Cycling through the players each session, pick one player
and ask how much Attribute Advancement they marked
for both their human and familiar, record it under ‘Seeker
Attribute’ and ‘Familiar Attribute’ respectively.
• If at least one player earned a Title or a Trophy, record one
point on your sheet under ‘Bonus’. If at least one player
earned a Title and a Trophy, record two points on your
sheet under ‘Bonus’ instead.
• Record one point for each combat under ‘Powers.
Then, when you want to use the Dummy:

• Create an NPC using basic character creation guidelines.
• Use the dummy points to mark advancement and level up
your character as a player would.
• If the character isn’t a Seeker and you want to give them
bonuses to their stats like having Titles and Trophies would:
Add up the points in Titles and Trophies and give them
bonuses to their Attributes as in ‘NPC Stats Out of Combat’
183

Foe Statblocks
A large part of the GM chapter is dedicated to helping you create
a story. So, we’ve left the statblocks blank, so you can easily pick
them up and use them in your game.
Single NPCs are focused on different personality aspects:

brutish, intelligent, social, stealthy. Try mixing different humans
and familiars. Humans and familiars tend to balance one another
making up for what the other lacks.
Brutish Intelligent
A foe focused on crushing, A foe focused on scheming,
lifting, and intimidating. planning, and befuddling.
»
»Human »
»Human
Agility: 9 Agility: 7
Awareness: 7 Awareness: 8
Charm: 5 Charm: 8
Might: J Might: 7
Wit: 7 Wit: 10
Bonuses: +2 to Might once per Bonuses: +1 to Wit three

day, +1 to Agility once per day times a day
Health: 4 Health: 4
»
»Familiar »
»Familiar
Agility: J Agility: 6
Charm: 5 Charm: 8
Might: Q Might: 5
Wit: 5 Wit: J
Health: 4 Health: 4
Hand size: 4 Hand size: 4
Traits: Cut, Smash, XL Traits: Dream Walker,
Powers: Bash Levels 1 & 2, Ephemeral, Tech: Voicebox
Heal Level 1 Powers: Dig Level 1, Rage
Level 1, Shield Level 1
184

Social Stealthy
A foe focused on lying, A foe focused on sneaking,
deception, and manipulation. larceny, and skulduggery.
»
»Human »
»Human
Agility: 7 Agility: J
Charm: 10 Charm: 8
Might: 5 Might: 5
Wit: 10 Wit: 8
Bonuses: +2 Charm once per Bonuses: +1 Agility once per

day, +1 Wit once per day day, +1 Charm once per day,
Health: 4 +1 Wit once per day
Health: 4
»
»Familiar
Agility: 7 »
»Familiar
Awareness: 9 Agility: 10
Charm: J Awareness: 8
Might: 5 Charm: 9
Wit: 8 Might: 6
Wit: 8
Health: 4
Hand size: 4 Health: 4
Traits: Glow, Heart Sight, Hand size: 4
Song of Peace Traits: Black, Poisonous, See
Powers: Charity Level 1, Heal in the Dark
Level 1, Heal Level 2 Powers: Bleed Level 1, Burn
Level 1, Hypnotize Level 1
185

Familiar NPC Groups
All groups are based on 5 familiars. Powers read slightly
different here:
Power name and level (number of uses)
Balanced Brutes
A balanced group of foes with Foes focused on dealing as
a few different specialities. much damage as possible.
»
»Easy »
»Easy
HP: 10 HP: 10
Powers: Bash Level 1 (3x), Powers: Bash Level 1 (3x),
Heal Level 1 (3x), Burn Level Bleed Level 1 (3x), Bleed Level
1 (2x), Dig Level 1 (2x) 2 (2x), Sabotage Level 1 (2x)
»
»Moderate »
»Moderate
HP: 15 HP: 15
Powers: Bash Level 1 (2x), Powers: Bash Level 1 (2x), Bash
Bash Level 2 (2x), Heal Level Level 2 (2x), Bleed Level 1 (2x),
1 (2x), Heal Level 2 (2x), Bleed Level 2 (2x), Sabotage
Burn Level 1 (2x), Burn Level Level 1 (2x), Sabotage Level 2
2 (2x), Dig Level 1 (2x), Dig (2x), Shield Level 1 (2x), Shield
Level 2 (1x) Level 2 (1x)
»
»Difficult »
»Difficult
Agility: Q Agility: Q
HP: 20 HP: 20
Powers: Bash Level 1 (2x), Powers: Bash Level 1 (2x),
Bash Level 2 (2x), Bash Level Bash Level 2 (2x), Bash Level
3 (1x) Heal Level 1 (2x), Heal 3 (1x), Bleed Level 1 (2x),
Level 2 (2x), Heal Level 3 (1x) Bleed Level 2 (2x), Bleed
Burn Level 1 (2x), Burn Level Level 3 (1x), Sabotage Level
2 (2x), Burn Level 3 (1x) Dig 1 (2x), Sabotage Level 2 (2x),
Level 1 (2x), Dig Level 2 (2x), Sabotage Level 3 (1x), Shield
Dig Level 3 (1x) Level 1 (2x), Shield Level 2
(2x), Shield Level 3 (1x)
186

»
»Difficult
Controllers Agility: Q
A group of foes to mess
HP: 20
with your players’ decks and
Powers: Cheat Level 1 (2x),
control their actions.
Cheat Level 2 (2x), Cheat
Level 3 (2x), Discover Level
»
»Easy
1 (2x), Discover Level 2
Agility: 6
(1x), Discover Level 3 (1x),
HP: 10
Hypnotize Level 1 (3x),
Powers: Bleed Level 1 (3x),
Hypnotize Level 2 (2x),
Cheat Level 1 (1x), Cheat
Hypnotize Level 3 (2x), Shield
Level 2 (1x), Cheat Level 3
Level 1 (3x)
(1x), Discover Level 1 (3x),
Shield Level 1 (1x)
»
»Moderate
Agility: 9
HP: 15
Powers: Bleed Level 1 (3x),
Bleed Level 2 (2x), Cheat
Level 1 (2x), Cheat Level
2 (2x), Cheat Level 3 (1x),
Discover Level 1 (2x),
Discover Level 2 (1x), Shield
Level 1 (2x)
187

Appendix

Index
Advancement 58, 59 Mulligan 77
Amirland 12, 115 Nation 19, 25
Ancestors Natism 85, 109, 153
Animalkin 16, 100, 170 NPC Stats 181, 184, 186
Attributes 24 (Seeker), 40 Plinth 14, 112, 154
(Familiar), 74, 80 Powers 51, 78
Badlands 15, 89, 92 Promise See: Calling
Bonding 97, 121, 130, 137, Quirks See: Trophies
145, 149 Ratha 14, 146
Calling 21, 174 Seeker 8, 19, 90
Charge See: Epic Powers Seratism 86, 107
Check 72 Spirits See: Vein
Chry 98 Stash 38, 82, 165
Combat 76, 78 Technology 96
Emilia 154, 160 Thresholds 58, 60
Endrill 13, 122 Tir 12 , 89
Epic Powers 60, 62 Titles 25, 27, 177
Familiar 9, 40, 100, 170 Traits 41
Familiar Points 74 Trophies 25, 34, 175
Fendair 13, 131 United Tirian
Hand Size 51, 60 Council 99
Healing 75 Vast War 92
Health 38 (Seeker), 51 Vein 16, 86, 101,
(Familiar), 75 171
Hometree 151
Hybrid 90, 95
Initiative 76
Inther 14, 138
Items 82, 175
Judge 91
Language 98
Legacies 61, 64, 66, 174
Legacy Traits 65
Lesion 103
Lliath 85, 105, 127, 135
Manifesters 112
189

Seeker of Terra
Agility Hit Points
Awareness
Charm
Might Familiar Points
Wit
Calling & Promise
Titles & Trophies
Items

Familiar of Terra
Hit Points Agility
Awareness
Charm
Hand Size Might
Wit
Traits Powers

Dummy NPC
Seeker Attribute: ________

Familiar Attribute: _______
Bonus: _______
Power: _______
Dummy NPC

Bonus: _______
Power: _______
Dummy NPC

Bonus: _______
Power: _______

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Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Familiars of Terra is a work of fiction intended

©Angry Hamster Publishing 2018

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Where there are humans, there will always be familiars, so it

In Terra all animals, human or otherwise, live totally

Seekers feel a call to something greater in life. Unlike a typical

Whether you will be the next leader of a nation, a folk hero, or

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

The game mechanics use a standard deck of playing cards to

Familiars of Terra, with its beautiful array of familiars, is perfect

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Two Hearts, One Soul

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Geographically, the land northwest of Tír is covered mostly

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Just recently the Fendarians made headway with the Plinth,

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The Inther face a constant threat in the form of Plinth spies

However, one adversity the Ratha haven’t been able to defend

And then there was one...

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Amidst radiation, blackened earth, and spots of eerie spiritual

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Nation & Backstory

Don’t forget to develop your Seeker’s backstory. A backstory is

What is most important is that you know who your character is

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A Calling is what every Seeker strives for, a greatness in their

Throughout the story your character’s Calling may change; very

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Pick one of the following:

Pick an Adventure Promise:

Pick a Beauty Promise:

Pick a Bonding Promise:

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Pick a Fortune Promise:

Pick a Heroism Promise:

Pick a Vengeance Promise:

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Because FoT uses cards, Attribute ratings range from Ace to

Rating Points Rating Points

Agility is your speed, dexterity, and flexibility. It represents how

Awareness is your perception of the world around you. This

Charm is your ability to communicate with others, both

Roullien Silva (Order #32309020)

Might is your physical prowess, how good of a fighter and

Wit is your intelligence, wisdom, and education. It represents

For a full explanation on how to use your Attributes, check out

Titles & Trophies

Depending on the nation you choose, take your first Title.

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Wisdom: You may give your familiar a +1 to a check before they

Wisdom: When trying to cool emotions or negotiate a deal, you

Wisdom: When scrounging around for useful items or fighting

Wisdom: During a time of stress, you gain a +1 to a check of

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