Imprisoned for countless centuries, the upside is only now a myth, whispered about in cavern drinking halls, or told as stories to children desperate for a hint of hope. Abandoned, alone, and capable you've come to dismiss the tales of the upside and come to thrive as another soul, Born Below.
Beneath the Realm of Tyronia, is a thriving network of underground ruins. Ruled over ruthlessly by the God Dragon, Yauraiunni. It is said that if you can find the right treasure that the God Dragon seeks, that you'll be returned to the upside, and free of the below, forever. Maybe you believe the promise, maybe you don't. There's enough below who do however, and you must be on constant guard from anything thinking you may have what the God Dragon wants.
Freedom isn't an option, only survival, when you're born below.
The Below is sprawling, endless series of caverns, ruins and underground cities. Before the arrival of man, it was a refuge for the Aes Sidhe, who had fled to the below to hide from the desires of men above wanting to own the magic that Aes Sidhe possess.
Six thousand years past, the God Dragon first brought man to the caverns below, and set them about the task of discovering treasure. Over the years, more slaves were captured or sold to the God Dragon and put to service creating a culture unto itself of refugees, slaves and adventurers.
The Aes Sidhe at first, kept hidden, but with no where to hide from the wandering men, their secret presence couldn't be contained. The first encounters were bloody, with the treasure seekers thinking that perhaps the Aes Sidhe held the treasure Yauraiunni, sought. Many died, and the God Dragon still wasn't satisfied with the spoils of the Aes Sidhe.
As the enslaved peoples started to accept life below, a few gifted men made the startling discovery of how to harness the little magic they could control, by using the essence of 'components' collected from the Aes Sidhe themselves.
The first 'Wizards' refined their magic, and many Aes Sidhe suffered and died to supply the power for the wizards spells. The hatred the Aes Sidhe harbor for wizards still burns hot.
Especially for the Blood Mages. Not content with having to continue 'harvest' what they needed for their spells from the Aes Sidhe, the Blood Mages infused the very blood of the Aes Sidhe into an ink, which they then tattoo themselves with. These blood markings, empower the magic wielded by Blood Mages. Aes Sidhe hatred of Blood Mages is the strongest, with dark dreams of vengence reserved for the first Blood Mage, Winslon the Blood Dust Lord.
Life below, is almost routine now, after 6,000 years. Old animosities still exist, and the God Dragon still seeks his treasure, but man has settled into small pockets of civilization and even made a tenuous peace with the Aes Sidhe.
Settlements Below
Even life below has it's rays of sunshine, literally. There are pockets of civilization that have grown around the hollowed cores of sink holes, that allow for light, rain and the hope of freedom from the upside.
Though the rims are guarded by demons and half drakes, there are stories of those who have made it out of the Below, and even rumors of one who made it back in. - But that's for another time -
Around these sink holes you'll find supplies, farms and the basics for survival. Even a little peace. But each settlement is controlled by one of the God Dragons Captains, always keeping a watchful eye on things to make sure the people stay in line, and continue searching for the God Dragon's treasure.
Settlements:
Rock Side: the largest and deepest of the sink holes, with structures extending nearly the the surface along it's perilous walls. It also receives the most rain and sunshine, allowing Rock Side to grow the richest crops for those below. Rock Side is almost exclusively populated by valemen.
Browton: the most entertaining settlement, due to it's citizens being very adapt at brewing different concoctions of spirits. Browton, is also the most diverse population, including all members of humans, and the occasional presence of Aes Sidhe.
Magic:
Man has almost no magic. Sure, some mages existed before encountering the Aes Sidhe, but they were simply charlatons throwing around the most simple of spells. Until man learned to harness the essence of the Aes Sidhe.
Arcane Background - there are two types that Arcane Background is used in Born Below. Humans use it very differently from Aes Sidhe.
Humans - those who take Arcane Background are only capable of learning novice powers, and of casting powers that only need 1 power point.
By infusing their powers with 'essence' collected from Aes Sidhe, humans may cast more powerful spells. Mages must collect and keep stock of their components with each type granting them the ability to cast powers greater than novice rank, or with more power points.
| Components/Essence | Effect |
| hair, finger, toe | 1 Power Point |
| strip of flesh, eye | 2 Power Points; Seasoned Power |
| kidney, liver, entrails | 3 Power Points; Veteran Power; Spell is cast with a raise |
| heart, brain | 4 Power Points; Heroic Power; Spell Duration is doubled |
| body | 5 Power Points; Legendary Power; Spell Duration is multiplied by 10 |
| living soul | 6 Power Points; Spell can used at will for 24 hours |
The mage may only one effect may be chosen when a component is used. Once an effect is chosen, the component disappears forever.
Blood Mages, have infused Aes Sidhe blood into tattoos that cover their bodies. By tracing, or combining their tattos, they are able to cast powers of any rank, or power point amount.
Blood Mages however can still gain bonus effects for their spells by using Aes Sidhe components.
Aes Sidhe - are the essence of magic. They are able to empower any spells known as follows
| Power Point Cost | Effect |
| +3 Power Points | Spell is cast with a raise |
| +4 Power Points | Spell Duration is doubled |
| +5 Power Points | Spell Duration is multiplied by 10 |
| +6 Power Points | Spell can used at will for 24 hours |
Playable races.
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