| Making a Character | |
| Created: | 8/27/24 |
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| Section: | Character Creation
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| Summary: | Rules related to making your first character. |
Perhaps the most exciting part of coming to Novitas is coming up with a character to play. This page has all of the basic information you will need to do that.
Introduction
Once you feel ready to create your first new character, you really get to see the world of the Kingdoms of Novitas. For some players this will be their very first game. Others might wait months or even years before they decide they are ready to jump into their own player character; this is very much a case of personal comfort levels and interests, and no one answer is right for everyone.
This page is intended to give a brief overview of how gaining experience works, background guidelines, the player species available, general naming conventions, a very generalized overview of the different nations, and garb inspiration.
The Kingdoms of Novitas has a rich and engaging history that cannot be covered in one brief page. It is recommended that you read the worldbook for further detail on the different countries, conflicts, Gods, and species that make up our world.
PCing at Novitas
A player character, or PC for short, is any character created and role-played by their creator.
Players are allowed to play a PC for up to 2 shifts per event as long as they NPC at least the same number of shifts that event.
Players can play a character on one shift for each shift they play a non-player character.
New players are expected to play a NPC on their first and generally second shifts and may play a PC for the remaining shifts if they wish. It is highly recommended that new players NPC their entire first event). Afterwards, players should contact Logistics to be assigned shifts to play on a regular basis. This is to maintain 'Shift Balance', ensuring we don't have too many PCs or NPCs on any given shift.
Groups are given special preference for 'Shift Balance' to ensure they can play together on their shifts. Each year in the winter 'Shift Balance' is redone to allow players to interact with different people and to make sure no one is stuck on one particular combination if they don't want to be.
2nd and 3rd shifts are the two shifts that have daylight and as such, each player who wishes to have a daylight shift will get at least one of those shifts.
Volunteers who want double night shifts (1st and 4th) are greatly appreciated and help us stagger assignments so that not everyone is assigned to 1&2 or 3&4. 2&4 is an unpopular combination, which makes giving out 1&3 difficult as well, so most players are assigned to either 1&2, 3&4, 1&4, or 2&3. Because 2&3 are double day shifts that are back-to-back (and thus require less changing) it is exceedingly popular and incredibly hard to give to players, it generally only gets assigned to one person for each person who volunteers for 1&4. Characters with intense makeup requirements (Snow Goblins, Drakes, and Verdurans) will get preferential treatment when deciding back-to-back shifts. |
Leveling Up
Characters in Kingdoms of Novitas do not earn experience, players earn it. Experience in Kingdoms of Novitas is awarded for actions that help improve the game.
Whenever players donate money to the game or pay for things like event entry fees they get 1 experience point for every $10 donated or spent.
While money is one way to help the game, there are many others as well.
- Each shift a player NPCs earns them 1 experience point. Players who NPC 3 or more shifts get an extra experience point for the third and fourth shift they NPC.
- Helping with setting up and breaking down each event also earns experience, 1 point for every hour spent.
- Work groups have a variety of positions that need to be filled every event, such as the make-up desk, game masters, and innkeepers. These typically get 2 experience for a shift.
- Item donations to the game will earn experience when they are requested. Not every donation is acceptable, the Marshals will periodically post lists of the things they are currently looking for at that time.
- Several times a year, the Boy Scouts host "Work Days" where volunteers work on improving the camp site for everyone's benefit. We award experience to players who participate and help at these work days.
- Finally, Marshals will from time to time have special projects for improving the game, or maintaining our supplies. These include things like laundering the NPC garb, building new costuming, technical projects (such as working on this Wiki or the Web Portal), going to conventions to recruit new players, and writing projects.
Players can check how many experience points they have by going to the online experience look-up located here.
To get your player ID number or character ID numbers speak to the Logistics Marshal or Second (Frank Tamburrino and Taylor Dean).
Players then take the experience points they earn and assign them to their characters. All experience points go to one character until you speak to the Logistics Marshal or Second (Frank Tamburrino and Taylor Dean) to change who they are going to. The total number of experience points assigned will determine what level a character has.
Characters begin at level 0 with 10 skill points. Each level after that earns a character 2 skill points. The first 20 levels require 5 experience points each. Every level after that requires 10 experience points.
You can use the online character sheet to calculate your level, how many skill points you have, and assign skills without having to do any of the actual math.
If you like math and want to do it anyway, you can calculate how many skill points a character has with these two formulas:
- For characters under 100 experience points, they have: (Experience Points/ 5) = Level
- For characters with over 100 experience points, they have: ((Experience Points - 100)/ 10) + 20 = Level.
Then use this formula to determine skill points: (Level * 2 + 10).
- Example 1: Your character has 39 experience points. 39/5 = 7th level with 4 extra xp. This character would have 24 skill points.
- Example 2: Your character has 168 experience points. ((168-100)/10) + 20 = 26th level with 8 extra xp. This character would have 62 skill points.
Choosing Skills
Characters can spend skill points to learn new skills. Each skill has a cost listed to learn it, and many have prerequisites of other skills that must be learned before you can learn that one. Other than role-playing skills and rare language skills, you do not need permission to learn skills. Role-playing skills and rare language skills require permission from the Plot Marshal or Second (Ryan Green and Donald Tyson) to learn.
When you learn a skill simply mark them down on your character sheet to note that you've learned them. The online character sheet located at http://portal.kingdomsofnovitas.org/ can be used to track how you have spent your skill points or you can use the most current paper version of the character sheet. The online character sheet is preferred.
Once you've entered play with a character sheet the skill points spent should remain spent the same way (unless a player is using the character amnesty rule). An exception to this is that when rules updates take place; they can cause a character sheet to cease to be accurate, legal, or it can cause a character to have skill points not spent as previously intended. If this happens, the rules update will generally come with instructions on how to handle the situation. In the event that still leaves issues, speak to a 1st Marshal (Christina Mevec, James Vertucci, and Ryan Green) to figure out how to remedy the situation.
Players should have their most up to date character sheet on them when playing their player character at an event. The character creation portal does not give members of staff access to any information you put into it, so you'll need to be sure to print out a copy of the sheet and have that on hand. You can also keep your most current copy downloaded to your phone and forgo having to have the paper entirely.
Basic Character Rules
Creating a player character is relatively simple.
First, characters must select one of the game's playable species to be.
Second, the character needs a name.
Third, a background can be submitted for approval, but is are not required. Players may simply bring a character into play with no background (and optionally writing one later).
Finally, each character begins at level 0 assuming they haven't been assigned any experience points yet. This gives 10 skill points to spend. If you use the online character portal it will confirm you are spending those skill points according to the rules. You can print or save the character sheet generated by the portal to your phone and you're all set. Using a pen and paper character sheet is also allowed, but the portal is preferred by logistics.
At your next event, show the paper sheet when you check-in if you have it, and it will get approved at that time. If you have the character sheet downloaded to your phone, you do not need to have it approved at check-in.
Character names should only be serious names, never silly or insulting, and never deliberately taken from pop culture, history, or literature.
There is also a strong preference whenever possible to not use the same names as existing player characters. It happens sometimes, particularly with more common names, but if you know it is going to happen you should choose a different name. Please do not use your real-life name as the name for a character, as that makes things confusing for everyone else.
Staff have the authority to require you to change your character's name if they deem it unfit.
When a player brings a new character into game for the first time, there are often unexpected surprises. Maybe part of the character's concept doesn't quite work out as expected, you learn the accent you wanted to have is a pain to keep doing for 10 hours in one weekend, the species you chose is not working for you, or any number of other possible problems. We understand that completely.
Every new character gets an amnesty after the first event they are brought into play, before the second event they are played. A player may do this once for each character they make. This can be used to rewrite the character's background, their character sheet, any make-up or costuming choices, their species and other considerations.
In the unusual event that a brand new character dies their first time out, the player is even allowed to bring the character back from death (generally with some help from the game masters to have it make sense with the story).
Character Background
A good character background should be more than 500 words long and should contain "hooks" that can be used to give the Game Masters ideas to write interesting stories for you to experience in play. Submitting a background should be done by the Friday prior to the first event you wish to play a character at, or before the character has earned level 2. Doing so will net you 5 experience points.
To submit a background use this form.
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Players are responsible for having a reason for their character to be in Maplewood, the current setting of the game. It is hard to play a character who doesn't want to be part of the setting, and this can be disruptive to the game. |
Some things to keep in mind when writing a backstory:
- New characters should talk to the Plot Marshals (Ryan Green and Donald Tyson) about being part of existing in-game social organizations, as some require a character to have an appropriate role-playing skill. This also applies to organizations created by Game Masters for ongoing plots.
- Organizations run by other PCs in-game such as merchanting ventures, mercenary companies, or publishing companies require that you speak to those PCs.
- Players are allowed to create their own organizations if they wish by trying to establish those organizations in game through role-playing.
- While there is inter-species bias present in Novitas and PCs can have questionable beliefs about other species or people from specific nations, characters should never have a burning hatred of another player character species or nationality.
- You are allowed and encouraged to create your own hometown or village within one of the established parts of the world, but you are not allowed to create new nations. If you wish to know more about the different nations, you can consult Chapter 5 of the worldbook for more information.
- When creating your own content, such as a hometown, phrasing matters. You should avoid saying that everyone from your hometown thinks or behaves a certain way, but you can say that it is common for people from there to think or behave a certain way.
- When making your first character a common mistake is to attempt to try to use everything provided in the worldbook to build your character’s backstory. This is known as the 'world tour' and it actually makes your character less interesting, not more.
- Pick a place or two and really ground your character in that background. The resulting backstory will be more interesting for the character, and you will have new experiences during the game when you play them.
- Avoid conflict with other established facts, especially blatant conflict.
- A town who openly worships the evil gods in the middle of a “good” nation would not make sense. However, a town that is riddled with evil cultists who have secretly gained a great deal of influence in a town that resides in a “good” nation makes more sense.
Character Species
While most of the population of Novitas is human, other species also exist in significant numbers. Four of the nations of Novitas are dominantly non-human. Players may create characters from any of these species as long as they are willing to meet the costuming requirements. Costuming requirements range from relatively easy (such as for elves) to quite complex (for drakes and snow goblins).
A common question from new players is, 'Are there characters that are half one species and half another?'. The answer is that, with one single exception, there are not. There are a couple of reasons for this, but most notably is that we want every species in Novitas to have distinct costuming, and it would be nearly impossible to meaningfully separate a half-elf from an elf (for example). |
While there is a small benefit to playing a different species in the form of an additional free starting language, there are no other mechanical benefits to playing a character from another species.
It is highly recommended (but not required) that your first PC be a human to ease your way into the world. They have no costuming requirements.
Elves and Terrans have minimal make-up requirements and have only slightly more complex cultures than humans, making them the next best starting choices.
Faekin are fairly easy to do the costuming for, but they also tend to be expensive due to needing to buy new contacts semi-annually in addition to buying wigs when they wear out/ coloring your hair before every game. Their culture, however, is only as complex as their non-fae lineage.
Snow Goblins, Drakes and Verdurans are all both difficult to role-play and expensive to costume. It is recommended you seek the help of the Props and Atmosphere marshals, Christina Mevec and Liska Gutierrez, and speak with other players who PC those species before committing to one of them.
This page contains a broad overview of the species that you can play in order to get you started. For further details about each of them, see Chapter 4 of the worldbook.
Humans
Humans are the dominant species on Novitas, easily the most populous and controlling the most total land mass. Residing primarily in Civen, the Dell, the Freelands and Vlean, they can also be found in limited numbers in Gersh, Evenandra, the Great Forest and Terra. The people of Vargainen also include large numbers of humans.
There is no one culture that defines humans. Of all the species they are the most likely to adapt and create a different culture in each community based on their circumstances. As such, each of the three dominantly human nations (Civen, the Dell, and Vlean) as well as the Freelands are very different places.
Humans, on average, can expect to live to roughly 60 years of age. The longest living ones make it to age 90 or, in some rare cases, even 100. They live shorter lives than a modern human because even with access to magic, humanity doesn’t have the quality of diet and lifestyle we presently enjoy. Life expectancy is also lower with more people being permanently killed through conflict and the dangers of the world.
Humans have no special costuming requirements.
With a culture that varies from place-to-place human names also vary heavily based on location. There is no single naming convention that applies to how humans name their children.
Elves
A classic of the fantasy genre, elves are an important part of Novitas. Elves are the next most populous species after humans. With their incredibly long lifespans, elves are prone to react to everything slowly and deliberately. They are often divided into the High Elves of Evenandra and the Wood Elves of the Great Forest. The Wood Elves and the High Elves often refer to one another as “cousins”, a tradition to remind themselves that they were all once one people.
High Elves are very civilized and orderly. As far as they are concerned, they have created the perfect society in Evenandra and this society functions by everyone behaving to the standards they have set. Punishment is rarely necessary (the threat of exile is all that is needed), and most High Elves spend their days excelling at whatever task they have set out to do. The High Elves have a harmony with their territory that other species often don’t understand. Their homes are vibrant places full of lush greenery, which is carefully and immaculately controlled to grow exactly the way they want it to.
Wood Elves are almost wild by comparison. They build only what they need to and farm only what is required. To the Wood Elves, harmony is not disturbing natural life except when truly necessary.
Vargainen Elves live amongst the other species in the twin cities. They share many cultural traits with the rest of the denizens of Vargainen. One thing unique to them is a certain longing for the nomadic lifestyle they had to abandon centuries ago, when the oases’ there could no longer sustain their travels.
Elves have an average life expectancy of roughly 270 years in Evenandra, and 245 years in the Great Forest. The eldest of all elves in Evenandra is roughly 304 years of age, while in the Great Forest it is around 298 years. The differences between the two are not genetic and are solely based on lifestyle and nutritional factors.
Elves gain the Elven language for free.
All elves must wear ear tip prosthetics. These must be affixed with prosthetic adhesive and blended with the surrounding skin using make-up or covered with ear clips. "Clip-on" elf ears are not acceptable. |
See here for an explanation of elf naming conventions.
Earthkin
There are no dwarves in Novitas. Though dwarves are a staple of the fantasy genre, players can't meaningfully alter their height without getting into caricature. So instead, there are earthkin.
The earthkin were once humans and elves, transformed long ago while living deep under the earth working with the Craftsman on Vargainen. What exactly resulted in the transformation isn’t known. Since traveling to Novitas, most of them have once more established lives underground beneath the Thunderguard Mountains in western Novitas, mostly in the Kingdom of Terra. The earthkin have a strong affinity for the underground, crafting, and drinking- the cultural elements commonly associated with dwarven themes.
On Vargainen, earthkin are known for being highly focused on efficiency and teamwork, living alongside their fellow citizens in Kash’Allum or Munta’Saf. In the city of Kash’Allum, earthkin are often the ones coordinating resource distribution, planning celebrations and social gatherings, and work heavily with those convicted of crimes to rebuild community trust. In the city of Munta’Saf, the earthkin are highly loyal within their families. Each earthkin family from Munta’Saf are expected to be self-sufficient, with every member playing a vital role towards this goal.
Earthkin on average live to the age of 130 but are capable of living as long as roughly 209 years of age. The low average life expectancy is at least in part due to their hard drinking habits and the strenuous lifestyle; many of them live working themselves almost literally to death.
Earthkin gain the Terran language for free.
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All earthkin have stones growing out of their skin. For simplicity's sake the stones molt periodically and grow in different locations, allowing earthkin characters to avoid needing to memorize exactly where their stones are (and to account for when they accidentally fall of during play). |
Earthkin are generally in the form of <first name>, <clan name> with family name not presented unless requested. First names are typically stones or precious gems. Clan names are generally two words put together that reference an important deed or trait in that clan. Family names, when present, are generally profession based.
Faekin
Faekin are the descendants (either directly or through multiple generations) of Fae and mortal parentage. This means that all faekin are also a second species as well. Frequently this is human, but it can also include elves and earthkin. There are no faekin who are drakes, snow goblins, or verdurans. A faekin who has a child may or may not produce another faekin. The genetic traits, however, will carry on through the child who may end up having a faekin child of their own. This can even take multiple generations to the point where the parents have no idea they have fae ancestry.
In childhood, a faekin appears just like any other child of the non-fae parentage. There is absolutely no indication that they are faekin, and no way to test for it. At some point during adolescence, they will spontaneously begin to transform. This is often a terrifying experience for both the child and everyone around them, particularly when no one expects it to happen. When this occurs, they pick up the physical traits of a faekin with their hair and eye color changing based on the fae ancestor they are taking after. These hair and eye colors are always the same but can be of any color imaginable. Often the colors are associated with the personality of the faekin in question; one with red colors might be fiery and passionate, a blue colored faekin may be calm and serene, while a green faekin might be earthy and wise. Whether this is fact or just extrapolation is unknown.
The change to faekin always takes place before a character enters the game. Characters who do not start as faekin at character creation will never change to a faekin during play.
Faekin are capable of living to about the same maximum lifespan as their non-fae ancestry. There are some rumors that they might live a bit longer or shorter than others of the same species; there hasn’t been much documentation on the subject. As for average life expectancy, most faekin can expect a considerably shorter average than their non-fae peers. Intolerance runs deep and is sometimes very hard to avoid.
Faekin gain one of four possible free languages at character creation.
- If their lineage comes from Light Fae, they may learn the Sylvan language.
- Those with Dark Fae lineage may learn the Diabolic language.
- Should the character be an earthkin or an elf, they may elect to take Terran or Elvish instead.
The languages that are not taken at character creation can be obtained using skill points (in the case of Terran and Elvish) or the scholar roleplay skill (in the case of Sylvan and Diabolic).
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Faekin characters must wear unnatural colored contact lens that match their hair color, using either a wig or colored hair. Any facial hair (including eyebrows) must also be colored to match the contacts. Natural hair colors are not acceptable for this, nor is being bald. Once chosen, faekin characters cannot change their in-game hair color through any means (hair dye or alchemicals will not work on faekin hair). This is to maintain costuming requirements, though there is nothing stopping someone from covering up their hair with a cowl or scarf. |
Faekin have no unusual naming conventions of their own. Generally, they are named based on the non-fae parent’s social customs.
Snow Goblins
Twisted by Darkness long ago, snow goblins were once elves that have now been transformed into their present state. The snow goblins have significantly higher intelligence and agency than their orc and other goblinoid counterparts. Snow goblins are also known for always developing mutations. Most of them live in the Kingdom of Gersh; though they are able to live elsewhere they are rarely welcome and so most who leave will eventually find their way back.
Might makes right to a snow goblin, and the strong are destined to rule the weak. Failing that, the devious will rule the trusting and stupid. Snow goblins possess a fierce sense of honor and personal reputation, and insults or slights are often settled by elaborate duels. Most snow goblins follow their laws precisely and technically. Lawbreakers are punished severely.
Despite what was done to their kind by Darkness, snow goblins not only maintain the longevity of their elven heritage but are capable of living significantly longer. However this is incredibly rare due to the harsh conditions of life in Gersh, the society snow goblins have formed, and the general hostility they experience elsewhere. The average life expectancy of a snow goblin is a paltry 160 years, which is tragic when you consider that the eldest snow goblins can live as long as 399 years.
All snow goblins learn the Gershan language for free.
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Snow goblins all share two distinct traits: they have bright white skin and stark white hair reminiscent of snow. |
See here for an idea of how Snow Goblins style their names.
Drakes
Drakes are the offspring of ancient, long missing dragons. While Draconus has been gone for millennia the once-powerful dragons have suffered and have atrophied into their present state: that of the humanoid bipedal drakes. Lacking fearsome claws, fangs, or wings, the drakes have turned to magical pursuits to offset their loss of physical power. They are now the foremost practitioners of magic in Novitas. Drakes have no homeland but live together in monasteries and enclaves throughout Novitas.
There are 6 varieties of drakes: Red, Black, White, Green, Blue, and Brown. Each descend from different dragons and live in different parts of Novitas.
- Red Drakes are descended from the Red Dragons that made their home near Nalbendel when it stood. They tend to be very scholarly and pragmatic. These drakes are often friendly with academics but will typically be very aloof towards the uneducated. A red drake’s hoard is often filled with ancient texts and magical tomes.
- Black Drakes are descended from the Black Dragons that made their home far beneath the Daggertop Mountains on the border between Evenandra and the Tribelands. They rarely come out of their subterranean conclaves and when they do, they are typically very prejudiced against non-drakes. A black drake’s hoard is often full of rituals and ancient artifacts.
- White Drakes are descended from the White Dragons who made their homes in the northern wastes. They tend to be aloof and cold towards non-drakes. Generally, they show either friendship or hatred towards snow goblins based on their experiences with them but will judge other species on a case-by-case basis. A white drake’s hoard is typically filled with well-made weapons, particularly those with magical properties.
- Green Drakes are descended from the Green Dragons who lived in what is now the Great Forest and the western portion of the Freelands. They are the most friendly and fun-loving of all the drakes. Past interactions have led them to be somewhat biased against snow goblins and earthkin, but they typically have good relationships with the Wood Elves and Light Fae. Green drakes are fond of magical knickknacks and unusual items to fill their hoards.
- Brown Drakes are descended from the mountain Dragons who once ruled the Thunderguard Mountains above Terra. They tend to be taciturn and quiet. They long ago made peace with the Terrans and have a tendency to get along well with brownies. They do not typically get along as well with elves, snow goblins and humans. A brown dragon’s hoard is often full of metals and precious gemstones.
- Blue Drakes are descended from the aquatic dragons that lived along the secluded southern coastlines. They can be quite warm and friendly towards others, almost treating them as equals (especially if the person in question has magical skills). They found the elves of Evenandra particularly friendly, and many have moved to settle in the coastal regions of that country. A blue drake's hoard is typically full of magical jewelry.
No two drakes follow the exact same pattern of aging and death. When they were born matters, which dragon they descend from matters, how much magic that Dragon had lost by the time they were born matters. Thankfully, there is some consistency from each familial line. The longest living drakes are capable of living up to roughly 500 years, but most die of old age well before that; this makes the average life expectancy of drakes a difficult statistic to give. 200 to 300 years is probably where the average falls, but you’d be hard pressed to prove that.
All drakes learn the Draconic language for free at character creation.
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The single most expensive and complicated species to play is also the rarest. |
Drakes tend to name themselves in Draconic, a guttural language with a lot of “s” sounds that can easily be mistaken for hissing. Drakes are so spread out across the continent, however, that this isn’t always the case.
Verdurans
The newest playable species of Novitas is also a complex one to costume. Verdurans are a plant people native to Novitas and Vargainen. They draw nutrients and moisture from the soil, and do not require nourishment like others.
Novitas verdurans originate from and primarily live in the city of Verdur’kash on the southern side of the Great Forest. They are exquisite woodworkers who trade regularly with their neighbors, and as a people they are cheerful and happy. Capable of gathering nutrients from the ground, they have no need of hunting. Their houses tend to be open, airy affairs, as they do not feel heat or cold as other humanoids do. When they grow extremely cold, they do tend to voluntarily enter a state of near hibernation. Many of these verdurans worship the Elemental, who is believed to be their creator; they do not typically worship the rest of the Sept. The recent discovery of their cousins from Vargainen has started to awaken a sense of wonder in the youngest verdurans, and more are looking to travel than in previous generations.
The verdurans from Vargainen are very different, having evolved into a nomadic lifestyle. They primarily gather nutrients from the sun and require only water for survival, so they travel in search of it. Drifting from oasis to oasis, they search the hidden treasures in the desert and trade for provisions when they periodically return to the major cities. A single oasis can sustain a tribe for weeks if maintained carefully. No records exist of these verdurans prior to the War of the Gods, they were first encountered after the Sundering.
One unusual trait shared by the Verdurans on both continents is what others refer to as their “ancestral memory”. Each verduran retains some amount of memory from their ancestors, with the quality of these memories varying greatly from individual to individual. Some can recall smells, images, or even feelings. These are common among the population and tend to be the clearest the more recently the memory was created. Culturally, these memories are considered to be a part of the individual.
Verdurans don’t age as others do. The average life expectancy for a Verduran is 25, with the eldest of them living to be roughly 29 years.
Verdurans from Novitas begin play knowing the Apian language, while the ones from Vargainen begin knowing Andaranian.
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All verduran characters must have all exposed skin painted green or covered at all times, including hands. They have natural colored hair, which should have vines woven into it. |
On Vargainen verdurans follow the normal naming conventions of other species there. Verdurans from Verdur’kash often mix descriptive common words with plant names, such as Tulip Mapleborn or Oak Longstem.
Nation Overview
While your character can be from anywhere in the known world no matter the species, some nations are more likely to have certain inhabitants than others and their naming conventions are slightly different from the standard species ones. This section is intended to give a brief overview of those differences and help you decide where your character is most likely to come from. For a more in-depth look at the different nations, their history, and culture, see Chapters 5 and 6 of the worldbook.
The Freelands
Maplewood, the town in which the game takes place, is located in the Freelands.
In the year 1371 NL, the Treaty of Ghage was signed on the shores of the Eldirloch (the lake where Nalbendel was) by all of the rulers of Novitas. This treaty demarcated all of the lands once held by Nalbendel to be free lands, creating a buffer between the nations that was immune to both tariffs and conquest. With the signing of this treaty, the Freelands were born. The Freelands serve an important purpose for all countries as a free trade zone, neutral meeting ground, and buffer between countries.
Anyone can become a Freelander. With no central government, there is no one to oppose someone living there. This leads to the unwanted of other nations often finding their way to the Freelands quickly, and it also means that the Freelands can be a dangerous place where the toughest thrive. Every species in Novitas can be found in the Freelands, in roughly the same distributions they can be found across the continent. Humans are the most populous species followed by elves, orcs, earthkin, skaven, faekin, snow goblins, verdurans and finally drakes.
Because the Freelands are an amalgamation of many different cultures, there is no one normal naming convention there. Freelanders will follow the names of any of the other nations or make up their own.
The Civen Republic
Often referred to as the Civen Empire and the first human kingdom to be founded after the breaking of Vargainen by the War of the Gods, Civen is grounded in democracy, industry, free trade, and the rule of law. While in the past century the goals of Civenites have become largely economic, the country was founded by a military unit and grew steadily through uncontested military expansion for its first thousand years. Their culture is heavily influenced by Greco-Roman traditions.
In 1480 NL a group of Septons in what is now known as Vlean started a rebellion that grew and was well organized enough to expel the army and any Civenites who had settled there. The civil war lasted for over 100 years until Civen acknowledged defeat in 1585 NL, more recently than many people care to think about. Characters who come into play from either of these countries will have been alive for the end of this conflict.
Humans are far and away the dominant species of Civen. They do accept immigrants, particularly those who prove themselves in the military. As a result, there are a small number of elves and earthkin who for a variety of reasons have resettled there. Snow Goblins living in Civen are almost unheard of, culturally they don’t fit in and few snow goblins like the temperate weather Civen enjoys. Drakes can sometimes be found living in the wilds of Civen, but almost never in the cities. Faekin are generally safe from persecution there and live normal lives. Few Verdurans have reason to travel there, but they would be welcome if they did.
Civen names traditionally have 2 or 3 parts depending on the individual.
- The first name is a familiar name used by close friends and family members. It can also be used as part of a full name for formal situations.
- The second name is an individual’s common name used informally with the public.
- Patricians and their families will have a third family name at the end to indicate their status.
- Plebians who have pledged themselves to a patrician will also use this third name with a signifier (such as “de” “e” or “ec”) before it to indicate they are not directly part of the patrician's family, but have pledged themselves to them.
So a name for most plebians would be: <Familiar Name> <Common Name>. If they have sworn themselves to a patrician their name would be: <Familiar Name> <Common Name> e <Family Name>.
A patrician would be: <Familiar Name> <Common Name> <Family Name>.
Those close to a Civenite would call them by “<Familiar Name>”, in public they would be called “<Common Name>” or “<Common Name> <Family Name>”. A full name would only be used in formal situations.
The Dellin Tribelands
Sometimes referred to erroneously as "The Dell", The Dellin Tribelands are lined with harsh mountains — some so cold that they never shed their snow. There are no cities in the Tribelands, only nomadic villages that move periodically to follow the sources of food necessary at the time. Differences between the tribes have kept the Tribelands from ever uniting into a proper nation, even during those rare occasions where the tribes have rallied together for a common cause.
Most Dellins are human. Those that aren’t are typically slaves taken in battle, most commonly snow goblins but also some elves as well. It is unheard of for there to be any Earthkin among the Dellin tribes. Drakes are often hunted there so while there are drakes from the region, there are no drakes who belong to any tribes.
There is no established naming convention for its inhabitants. The Dellin Tribelands draw their influence from the Norse, Roman interpretations of Barbarians, the Gaul, and other ancient “uncivilized” cultures.
Evenandra and Fionn A’ilean
The Realms of Evenandra
The High Elves of Evenandra see themselves as the people who most embody the will of the Sept and consider it their sacred duty to live up to that expectation. Everything must be made perfect, and that perfection must exist in harmony with everything else. They set themselves incredibly high standards and once they’ve met those standards they find new, higher standards to meet.
Citizens of Evenandra are all elves, others are treated as somewhat respected guests (though they are often also watched with a sense of sideshow curiosity). Non-elven visitors cannot stay forever. After 7 days in Evenandra they are expected to be actively on business of some kind, or they are expected to be on their way.
Any elf, regardless of birthplace, is considered a citizen of Evenandra and can be given a role in their perfect society if they wish it. Those who maintain loyalties elsewhere are still welcome but will not be given positions of authority. The one exception to this rule are Dellins- any individual who openly displays membership in a Dellin Tribe is not welcome in Evenandra.
Fionn A’ilean
In the northwest of Novitas lies an enormous temperate rain forest that stretches for hundreds of miles. This is the Great Forest. known as Fionn A’ilean (fee-own eye-lean) in the Elvish tongue. and is home of the Wood Elves (or as they call themselves, “The People”). The Elves here live a nomadic, seemingly carefree, existence. They are hunter-gatherers who routinely move through the forest in large familial clans, uprooting themselves with regularity so as to not strain the resources of one patch of forest for too long. To outsiders, they are perceived as chaotic and loosely organized.
The majority of the inhabitants of Fionn A’ilean are elves. There are some humans who live there as well, but they aren’t nearly as common and mostly live in villages on the outskirts of the forest. Reavers from Terra will sometimes wind up in these villages with the humans as well.
Snow goblins are rarely welcome, most are there for purely hostile reasons. Faekin are welcome in Fionn A’ilean society, and the term “Fae-Touched” is generally used with a positive inflection when referring to them. Verdurans are present in great quantities, but they rarely leave their home of Verdur’kash. Drake enclaves exist inside of the Great Forest as well, though they mostly keep to themselves.
Elven Naming Conventions
On Novitas the most common full elven names take the form of: <highest title> <first name> <last name/ clan name>, <more specific titles>. Some elves use both a last name and a clan name, and others do not use titles at all.
Elven first, last, and clan names are generally in Elvish and not common (but some elves will use the common version when speaking to other species). Especially large clans might use the name of the settlement they are from instead of the clan name.
As most elven societies are Matriarchies, wives do not take their husband’s last/ clan names when they marry, but many husbands will take their wives’ names.
Vargainen elves use the same naming conventions as the other species they live with, but they do have a tradition of naming one member of each generation with the name Dunestrider. That individual is responsible for ensuring traditions are upheld and they pass on martial and magic training following each new child of the family’s education. Due to the longevity of elves the title sometimes skips a generation. This also allows the elder one to train their one-day replacement.
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To create a name in Elvish we recommend borrowing from the original by using the stylings of Tolkien. You can find various English to Tengwar or Sindarin translators online. Adding letters to the finished product can help to make a more original name (and make it more easily pronounced as well). |
The Snow Kingdom of Gersh
Gersh is a very different place than the rest of Novitas. The Gershan people have suffered many hardships, and these collective traumas have deeply embedded themselves in the collective psyche. On the international stage Gersh often stands alone and they would want it no other way. Gersh is the home of the Snow Goblin people – weaponized Elves from another era - and these people are driven by a cultural spite towards the “warmlanders” to the south. Everything is extravagant in Gersh: The wars, the wealth, the dress, the titles, the tortures, the celebrations, the monsters, the narcotics, the honors, and the schemes.
Gersh is populated by many different species- which is to say the snow goblins there make no distinction as to what species makes a worthwhile slave. Sometimes non-snow goblins earn enough respect to be treated as full citizens of Gersh but even then, they are at best second-class citizens. Snow goblins are rarely given much access to the rest of Novitas; they are stuck in Gersh, and they have no intention of sharing that space with others.
In Gersh, names are used to show respect. Each citizen is born with a name and perhaps a house they are associated with. Names are frequently listed by house first and proper name second. If the individual is part of a clan and that clan is the same as their house, nothing further is needed. Those who are part of a house that is not the same name as their clan will then state which clan they belong to afterwards.
As they accomplish deeds of renown, new titles are added, creating a growing list of glory earned. Titles are only taken away from an office the individual no longer holds. Those titles derived from deeds stay with the individual for life- and snow goblins are capable of living quite long lives.
A Gershan title will grow progressively longer as their bearer grows more and more accomplished. To not know a formal title is to not know a snow goblin. When a distinguished guest visits, it is assumed that the host and guest will each properly recite each other's titles from memory. Failure to do so is a grave insult, indicating that the individual does not respect their counterpart. Many conflicts have arisen from such circumstances.
When traveling abroad, some Gershan individuals have learned that this practice is not common elsewhere and they will decide to use nicknames instead of their full title. In doing so they think of it as a quiet insult to the barbarism of elsewhere that they can’t be trusted to respect a full title, but it is better to give them a name they will successfully use than to watch outsiders fail to respect a proper title. Giving a nickname to a Gershan that they did not tell you to use is a grave insult.
Titles aside, snow goblins names can draw inspiration from any Asian culture (because we don’t want to exclude potential sources of real-world influence) but are most often of Japanese styling (because we don’t want to lump all Asian culture together as one unit).
The Kingdom of Terra
The Kingdom of Terra is the home of the earthkin, considered some of the greatest craftsmen in all of Novitas. Seeing earthkin is rare on the surface, as all of their cities are subterranean. Terrans on the surface are likely to be trading, and those who are not are either disgraced or unique. The Terrans are a proud people, known for attention to detail and taking great pride in their work.
Terran society is split up into three distinct sections: Family, Clan, and Province. To outsiders, the difference between Family and Clan can be confusing, especially because a lot of Clans are just one Family. A Family is the same as it would be anywhere – a group of people with blood relations.
Nearly all Terrans are earthkin. Visitors from the surface are allowed in for a limited amount of time, and they stand out immediately. Non-earthkin who wish to be called a Terran must get approval from the King. It’s certainly possible, but it’s only ever happened a handful of times in the entire history of Terra. More reavers have been restored to full status than immigrants approved to become Terrans; few want it, and even fewer are considered worthy of it. To earn the honor requires a clear demonstration of willingness to work to the benefit of all Terrans and assurances that the individual’s presence would not harm the community.
Earthkin names are generally in the form of <first name> <clan name> with family name not presented unless requested. First names are typically stones or precious gems. Clan names are generally two words put together that reference an important deed or trait in that clan. Family names when they are present are generally profession based.
Terrans, when making the most formal of introductions, always go from largest community to smallest. To a Terran the idea of community always comes first. They will start by listing being part of Terra, then they will name their province, their community, their clan, their family and finally their own name, in that order. When traveling outside of Terra they will generally alter their names to best fit in with the new community they belong to using the form of individual name followed by clan name. It is not uncommon for Terrans new to the surface to struggle with which name is most appropriate and to do something somewhere in between the two extremes.
The Theocracy of Vlean
Vlean was once the nation of Adecia, which was conquered by Civen in 1184 NL. Though Civen did everything in their power to integrate rather than simply occupy, the Adecian people would not be annexed quietly. A group of Septons started a rebellion that grew and was well organized enough to expel the army and any Civenites who had settled there. Naming their new nation Vlean, they went to war with Civen. The bloody conflict lasted for over 100 years until Civen was finally willing to accept defeat in 1585 NL, more recently than many people care to think about. Characters who come into play from either of these countries will have been alive for the end of this conflict.
Vlean has known war for most of its life, and it colors everything about the country. They are strict to an extreme, xenophobic, and utterly dedicated to their precise interpretation of Sept worship.
According to Vlean the only citizens of the Theocracy are human, but this isn’t completely true. Non-humans do exist inside of Vlean but they are persecuted at all times. Faekin are hunted by the Inquisition. Other non-human species are not welcome there.
Vlean has no official established naming convention for its citizens. Vlean takes its inspiration from the Italian Renaissance and Spanish Inquisition; this is also the influence for Vleanoan names and titles.
Varganien
The continent of Vargainen was long thought to be destroyed, but in 1600NL (2022 in real time) it was found to have survived the Sundering and player characters can now come from the continent of Vargainen.
To play a character from Vargainen you'll need to learn about a culture that is very different from the cultures of Novitas. Also, your garb will have to meet specific standards as we attempt to define exactly how the people of Vargainen look and appear. You can find more information about Vargainen garb standards here.
There are some very noteworthy differences between the species of Novitas and those of Vargainen.
Of the more civilized species there are humans, elves, earthkin and verdurans. The humans, earthkin and elves have much more in common on Vargainen than they do on Novitas. Verdurans are the primary members of the nomadic tribes, but some do choose to remain in the cities. Characters from Vargainen can be Human, Elven, Earthkin or Verduran.
There are no goblins (including snow goblins) of any type on Vargainen, nor are there any faekin there; the fae left Vargainen at the same time as the Sundering and have never returned. As there were never any dragons on Vargainen, there are no drakes either. Snow Goblins, Drakes and Faekin cannot come from Vargainen.
Regardless of the species, characters from Vargainen gain the Andaranian language as a free starting language. These characters gain no other free language skills.
One of the cultural differences is that characters from Vargainen have only very recently learned common. While these characters still gain the common language for free (for simplicity's sake) it is advised that they attempt to role-play inexperience and learning a second language, while at the same time avoiding a "foreigner speaking English badly" stereotype.
The Twin Cities
Humans, elves, earthkin and verdurans are the only residents of the twin cities Kash’Allum and Munta’Saf. Though there are verdurans present there they are few in number, most prefering to remain among the nomadic tribes. The remaining species are dominantly humans, followed by elves with earthkin being the smallest portion of the population. This likely reflects the distribution of those species in the time before the Sundering.
The Nomadic Tribes
The tribes are nearly completely composed of Verdurans at this time as few others can survive the routes they travel. However, from time to time a tribe will take along an outsider to help them with some tasks outside of the cities such as pilgrimages, hunting for relics, chasing down idrecchi, or other such feats. Those who commit crimes in the twin cities of enough severity are also sometimes banished and if they are very lucky, will find they can earn a place among the nomad tribes.
Naming Conventions
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Garb Inspiration
KoN is a fantasy game and not set in a specific historical period, so the variety of acceptable garb is wide. Players portraying non-human characters are especially encouraged to flavor their garb with fantasy elements. The game takes place in the city of Maplewood in the Freelands.
Characters don't have to wear garb based on where they are from; they could wear anything appropriate for any number of different reasons. These guidelines are so that if you want to represent being from a particular culture you know how to.
The real-world time period Novitas samples for historical garb ends roughly around 1500 AD.
General Garb guidelines:
- Civen characters should draw influence from the Roman Empire between 27 BCE – 610 CE.
- Vleanoan and Evenandran characters should draw influence from medieval western Europe between 1066 – 1500.
- Great Forest and Dellin Tribelands characters should draw influence from central and northern Europe between the prehistoric era – 106 CE.
- Gershan characters draw influence from China between 1500 BCE – 1644 CE or Japan between 250 BCE – 186 CE.
- Terran characters should draw influence from the "dark ages" of European history, between 610 CE – 1066 CE.
- This guide covers the look for characters from Vargainen.
- Freelands characters wear anything found in any other kingdom.
The Shattering
While this isn't important to creating a character, your character will inevitably come into contact with others who have been in-game for a long time.
As a game nearing twenty years of age, we’ve created a lot of backstory players can’t possibly have learned. Our world is one created by the players, and sometimes they create things that conflict with already established facts. Sometimes these conflicts take months or even years to get noticed. The Shattering is an in-world story, intended as an explanation for why elements of our game’s history don’t always make sense.
The primary purpose was to fix those issues while still leaving existing characters remembering everything they experienced. Now if something they remember doesn’t line up perfectly with the worldbook, they can blame the memory on the Shattering.
All of this is to say that characters that have been around for a long time are going to have memories of events that couldn't have possibly happened per the current iteration of the worldbook. If someone says something that directly conflicts with the information in the worldbook or your character's memory of something, the Shattering is an in-game tool to explain why the recollections are so different.
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