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Athazg: The Four Rainy Hills

A1 - General Background
A2 - Technology
A3 - The Xetaratr
A4 - Wildlife
A5 - The Character Templates
A6 - The Four Rainy Hills and Portal Valley

Special Rules:
1. Technology here is fairly more advanced than modern tech
2. Magical Energy is incredibly rare, and there are no natural magicians on Athazg. Only 1 or 2 wizards could comfortably exist.

A2 - Technology

Any technology found on Modern Earth would have an equivalent on Athazg, as well as several innovations not normally encountered on Earth.

1. Hand Held Chain guns:
The standard weapon of the Xetaratr military. These guns are bulkier and much heavier than normal rifles, but fire a lot faster. Standard ammunition is armor piercing, and can go right through most armor and pierce the tough hide of the plane's inhabitants. It is fed by a wide belt, leading from the gun, almost touching the ground, then wrapping back up. The belt holds enough ammunition for nearly an entire minute of its high-speed firing, and Xetaratr Soldiers commonly carry two belts on their torso, and more folded in their packs.

2. Warsuits:
The Elite Corps of the Xetaratr are composed of the elderly and the injured who still wish to serve. However, instead of getting vanquished quickly due to their physical drawbacks, volunteers are surgically dissected by the incredible Medical Technology, and permanently integrated into robotic shells made of the most powerful alloys available. Thanks to their decentralized anatomy, the actual organic component of the suit can be fairly compact, leaving a lot of room for the servos and gadgets.

These suits are more than 10 times as strong as a normal Xetaratr, and more than twice as fast. They wield huge, bulky laser rifles, powered by the nuclear core of the suit. Not even the Chain guns can reliably pierce the armored suit, allowing these monsters to dominate the battlefield. However, these suits are incredibly expensive, and less than 200 of them exist. The suits themselves last much longer than the disabled Xetaratr within, and are often handed down after they die.

3. Warsuit Weaponry
The signature weapon of the Warsuit is the huge, bulky rifle. It fires a single blast of concentrated photons and electrons, frying electronics and burning flesh. It takes a few seconds to charge this monster of a weapon, and requires about 15 seconds to cool down. However, the beam can be sustained for up to 10 seconds.

In addition to the laser rifle, Warsuits have a retractable blade, forged from titanium alloys, capable of putting dents even in the tenacious armor of the Warsuits. It is used when targets are close enough to make their famous rifles unreliable.

Lastly, Warsuits have a small missile launcher, usually on the shoulder opposite the arm adapted to use the rifle. These missiles are the size of a forearm, and have a blast radius of 20 feet, and can blast through concrete walls. Their range is over 400 yards.

4. Medical Technology
Xetaratr, despite their incredible natural healing, have developed very advanced medical technology. They can remove metal shards from even the brain without noticeable injury to the victim, allowing them to naturally heal. Disease has become rare, and even the nasty poisons native to Athazg are of no concern anymore. It is even advanced to halt the limb-regrowing processes permanently, allowing Xetaratr to be inserted into the infamous Warsuits.

A4 - Wildlife

Grass is as common on Athazg as it is on Earth, and covers nearly the entirety of the plane. There are also trees, though they are thinner, have much tougher bark, and can reach heights reaching nearly 100ft tall, and usually have wide, complicated root systems connecting them to other trees. Several species of flowers also exist, with just a few species covering every color imaginable.

In addition to the plant life, there are also animals who make their home on Athazg, including deer-like creatures with fur tinted green, and highly intelligent cougars who see with infravision. There are also animals unique to Athazg:

1. Padnipien:
These creatures live in small families, usually of 7 to 12, about half male and half female, with 9-15 children. They are completely herbivores, and find tree leaves to be delicious.

Padnipiens are about the size of a sheep, and are covered in short, green-tinted fur, with darker green markings. Their hindlegs are much like a rabbit's, and their front legs are just as strong, adapted to grabbing and climbing. They usually leap as high as they can next to a tree and grab onto the bark or a branch, and graze on the leaves from there. They have rabbit-like heads, though their ears are much , much smaller. They commonly swallow pebbles to help grind up tough plantmatter in their stomachs.

2. Itopsudo:
This creature is the most common carnivorous species on Athazg, living and hunting alone. They are not mammals, and are actually advanced reptiles. Their skin color changes according to their mood, and are usually a camouflaging green, though they turn a brilliant red when angry. They are only as large as the average person's forearm.

They look somewhat like komodo dragons, though their legs are built more for speed, and are held closer to the body, and have lightly built bodies. They also have primitive wings, allowing them to glide between trees. Their claws are short and sharp, though they have a pair of long, hollow, snake-like fangs in their mouths, and, unsurprisingly, inject a fast-acting paralytic poison, which can stop a Padnipien just a few minutes after injection. However, the poison is not fatal to a healthy life form.

Itopsudo avoid anything larger than a Padnipien, which are its primary meal, though they occasionally hunt deer. They are no threat to Xetaratr, as their fangs cannot penetrate their skin. Their bones, like a bird's, are partially hollow, having a honeycomb like structure within them, keeping them both light and strong.

A6 - The Four Rainy Hills and Portal Valley

Nearly the entire plain, three out of four major sections, is covered by the vast, sprawling cities of the Xetaratr. The last section, dubbed “Treehaven” is covered mostly by woodlands, and are preserved in order to keep a healthy environment for the sagely Xetaratr. It is here where a few, small facilities are located, dedicated to studying the wildlife of the plane. A small coven of druids reside in Treehaven.

The remaining three sections each serve a different purpose, made obvious by their names. The first, Blackforge, is on the end opposite of Treehaven, and houses the industrial aspect of the Xetaratr. Here, there are great, dark factories, producing arms and armor. The Xetaratr, keenly aware of the small size of their plane, do not haphazardly burn what little coal they have to power their factories, and instead have resorted to mostly psionically-fueled fire to create nearly all material goods throughout Athazg.

The next, Mindhearth, is by far the largest of the four hills, adjacent to Treehaven and Blackforge. Most Xetaratr civilians live in this section, and it also houses most of the agriculture and universities, and is where the greatest advances in Psionic ability are discovered. The hills there gently roll across the landscape, accentuated by occasional trees, making for a beautiful place to live. Dwellings from cottages to colossal cities, with towers tall enough to peer into the clouds, dot the landscape. In the center is a truly titanic building, large enough to house hundreds of Xetaratr. Here is where the mighty councils meet, and is the abode of the Wise Stormking, oldest of all beings in Athazg, who serves to direct the Councils and call meetings, as well as handling public relations. There are three Councils that meet here, the Council of Agriculture (who oversee the vast farmlands and nutrition), the Council of Knowledge (who handle education, lore and Psionic affairs) and the Council of Residencies (who elect council members and oversee construction).

The last section is one of the smaller, but most packed sections, opposite of Mindhearth. It is called Steelkeep, and houses the military aspect of the Xetaratr Empire. It consists of mostly huge, beautifully crafted fortresses, full of Xetaratr soldiers patrolling and training. Only one council meets here, though it is the most powerful; the Council of Discipline, which decides upon the laws of Athazg, and collaborating with each other on affairs of war (both requiring approval of the Stormking). There are over one million Xetaratr troops in a state of constant awareness, with many more in reserve in all other sections. With the knowledge of other planes of existence, Steelkeep has become more and more important, where in the past it had started to fall into disuse, as the plane of Athazg had already become more or less united. All citizens, while not required to serve in the military, are given some military training.

The last section of note is the center of Athazg, which has no particular name. In the very center, there is one massive, shining and open portal, which is overseen by at least 400 watchmen at all times. However, accessing the portal is difficult, as the lands around it are saturated with water, filling the area with rivers, almost a lake, giving the bow and power-wielding watchmen in their towers a great advantage. The towers themselves are secure, with the doors having a variety of different locks.