The Lineages
Every one of them is a child of the first man and woman. Every one of them has wandered far from the garden.
There is one race of men in this age, and it has scattered into many peoples. Some kept to the altars and the old names. Some built cities. Some followed the herds into the open country, or climbed into the gold mountains, or went to live beside the boiling springs where the great deep breaks the surface. And some, in the distant past, mingled their blood with the giants.
Your lineage is your descent and your culture. Each lineage has its own look among the people you meet in the world, but your own hero may wear any face, any shade of skin and any color of hair. Any lineage may walk either road, faithful or fallen, and no lineage is locked to any calling.
The Plain, around the city of cedar
Sethites
Keepers of the old names. The long-lived line of the altar.
Nod, around the gilded city
City-born
Heirs of the first city, the forge and the harp.
The Northern Steppe
Tent-folk
Herders of the open country. They carry all they own and fear nothing on four legs.
The Heights
Giant-blood
Distant children of the mighty men of old. Feared wherever they walk.
Havilah, the gold country
Havilites
Climbers, miners and gem-cutters of the gold country.
The Eastern Wilds
Mist-runners
Hunters of the eastern wilds, who move while the mist still lies on the ground.
The Great Rift
Deep-spring folk
Swimmers, divers and healers of the springs, where the waters of the great deep break the surface.
The Eden Basin
Eastgate folk
The watchers at the garden's gate. Scholars of the first days.
What your lineage gives you
- Starting attributes. Every lineage begins with 100 points spread across the five attributes in its own way. These matter most in your first adventures; later, arms and armor supply far more.
- Two innate resistances, small protections against two kinds of harm that grow stronger with every level.
- Two innate gifts, abilities every member of the lineage is born with.
- Traditions. At levels 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 you choose one tradition from your lineage's twelve: a lasting boost to an attribute, a resistance or a skill, or a gift found nowhere else. No two characters of a lineage need ever end up alike, and a tradition-keeper in your home city can change a choice for a fee.
The eight lineages at a glance
| Lineage | Strength | Agility | Stamina | Intelligence | Wisdom | Innate resistances | Innate gifts | Homeland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sethites | 16 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 26 | Disease, Mind | Long-lived, Old Names | The Plain, around the city of cedar |
| City-born | 18 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 18 | Fire, Sorcery | Trade Tongue, Keen Ear | Nod, around the gilded city |
| Tent-folk | 24 | 20 | 22 | 16 | 18 | Cold, Poison | Beast-wise, Long Stride | The Northern Steppe |
| Giant-blood | 26 | 16 | 26 | 14 | 18 | Unholy, Sorcery | Towering, Dread | The Heights |
| Havilites | 16 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 24 | Poison, Fire | Sure Grip, Eye for Gold | Havilah, the gold country |
| Mist-runners | 22 | 26 | 20 | 14 | 18 | Cold, Mind | Mist-veiled, Far Sight | The Eastern Wilds |
| Deep-spring folk | 16 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 24 | Fire, Disease | Deep Breath, Healing Waters | The Great Rift |
| Eastgate folk | 14 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 22 | Fire, Sorcery | Garden Memory, Quick Study | The Eden Basin |
Every calling has at least two lineages that start near the top in its main attribute, and at least three whose traditions can raise it. By level 50, a small gap at the start makes less than one part in a hundred of difference. Choose the people whose story you love.
Natural callings
- Defenders (Strength): Giant-blood and Tent-folk start strongest, with the Mist-runners close behind.
- Hunters (Agility): Mist-runners, with the Havilites close behind.
- Wielders of signs and voices of the company (Intelligence): City-born and Eastgate folk, with the Sethites close behind.
- Healers (Wisdom): Sethites start strongest, then Havilites and Deep-spring folk, with the Eastgate folk close behind.
What each attribute does → Attributes page