Materials

The lost find shelter in faith; the pure find traps in religion.

Walls that cannot break; warmth that should comfort. You are safe here, yet you have never felt more like an outsider.

The desert does not apologize for the heat, and a man born of hardship does not apologize for the blood on his hands.

Without laws, we are just beasts; with them, we are just livestock.

Spring is the first season for a reason: life must return simply so it can perish again.

In the shadow of the mountain and the silence of the abyss, humanity finds its natural state. Not awe, but fear.

The mind forgets its dreams for a reason. Waking up isn't a fresh start; it is a desperate flight from the truth.

Freedom is merely an excuse to overwhelm others with your strength. It is desire given teeth, and power stripped of its leash.

Choice is an illusion; the world decides for us. In this life, the only thing guaranteed is uncertainty.

Born from the first flickers of civilization, Intereon stands as the iron architect of law, authority, and the enforced balance of the world.

Born from the desperate prayers of a frozen world, Florentis first appeared as the quiet warmth that allowed humanity to endure the ice.

Born from the fundamental hungers for security and abundance, Evinor is the shifting mirror of Razenian desire.

Born from the heretical realization that belief can reshape reality, Oculyth is the god of the manifesting mind and the divine power of human will.

Born from the primal urge to shatter all restraint, Hedalis is the divine spark of unchained will and the pursuit of absolute self-satisfaction.

Born from fractured intent and discarded power, Vortherect is the abrupt anomaly that shattered Razenia's history, a chaotic amalgamation.

The hem of a Rosriconian robe, soaked in blood. In the eyes of most Rosriconians, heretics are cursed, unclean beings blinded by dark gods, no different from beasts.

A battered knife, its blade already splitting and warped. Most bandits of the Pale are displaced wanderers turned outlaw, so their gear tends to be everyday tools like sickles and brush knives.

A sharp canine tooth, crawling with bacteria and scraps of flesh. Most bandits worship Hedalis, believing the free will he grants maximizes their strength when committing atrocities. Because of this, the hounds they keep are largely left unrestrained, living much like strays.

A limb burned beyond recognition. When Windchime Village was invaded, followers of Florentis set it ablaze without restraint. The crackle of burning bone and flesh, and the screams of those burned alive, sounded to the faithful like celestial music rewarding their devotion.

A thick sinew that still twitches. Evinor presides over strength and amplification, and his blessing brings unimaginable changes to a follower's body. Most of the blessed find their bodily functions drastically affected afterward: tissue necrosis, disrupted blood flow, and similar afflictions.

A broken iron chain, covered in scratches. The hound master holds a special position within a bandit gang. Their chain is used not only to restrain hounds, but also to discipline members who grow too unruly. Such a member is bound to a tree with it and subjected to an unimaginable beating.

Foul-smelling, low-grade gunpowder. The mercenary company secretly buys its supplies from the black market beneath Denlitin Court, but with funds tight, it can only afford the defective stock no one else will take. A few members have sworn to develop a stronger powder themselves, though so far all they have to show for it is a handful of dead comrades.

A sturdy iron shield frame. In its early days, the company mostly took security jobs handed down by the kingdom, where a heavy shield was ideal for blunting attacks and holding back crowds. But years of nothing but taking hits have bred resentment among the shield-bearers, who now seem to be quietly plotting how to make their shields deadlier.

A tattered drawstring. Berserkers are the people of Belgard best suited to its harsh climate, the rage burning within them serving as armor against the cold. But when they leave Belgard to fight abroad, that surplus energy becomes a double-edged sword, leaving them more volatile and harder to control.

A sword hilt inlaid with thorn motifs. The divine order of the Rosriconian kingdom is a tangled one, and its three gods have long been woven into the life of every citizen. For that reason, military equipment is issued in several decorative variants, so that knights can choose according to their own tastes and faith.

An amulet carved in Evinor's likeness. Because Evinor's domains are so tangled, the god's appearance is a frequent point of dispute among the faithful. Two accounts dominate: a giant of rock as massive as a mountain, or a full-figured goddess.

A gleaming Rosriconian badge, awarded to Pluton as a token of his standing as the kingdom's representative in this campaign. Pluton was born into poverty, but his shrewd business mind quickly earned him a fortune. He went on to donate vast sums to the church, becoming a renowned priest of Evinor.

A Belgard emblem set with rare gemstones. Volva, a follower of both Hedalis and Oculyth, is regarded as a renowned figure who embodies both freedom and truth. Yet because she must satisfy the ritual demands of two gods at once, it was for money that she came to Windchime Village to take part in the war.

A sharp shard of stone riddled with cracks. Of those blessed by Evinor, only a few can petrify their own bodies. Yet this boon cannot be controlled at will: the recipient's skin and muscle turn to stone uncontrollably, causing unimaginable pain and torment along the way.

Bloodstained ashes. Ashbringers endure burning flames at every moment, and are regarded among Florentis's followers as the most exalted of the blessed. Their power does not come from immunity to flame, but from a supernatural regeneration that keeps pace with the fire.

An iron candle-lantern. Beyond its use for light, the candle's flame is believed to be a vessel through which Florentis dwells in the mortal world. Some of his followers believe that once the flame begins to dim, its life must be prolonged by any means necessary, even at the cost of becoming kindling themselves.

A heavily worn pair of leather handwraps. With its vast forests, the Pale is home to many hunters, for whom handwraps are a popular accessory, protecting and supporting the wrists during exertion. Naturally, in the hands of a bandit, they also greatly improve the odds of a successful crime.

A broken collar. Not every bandit gang is made up of Hedalis's followers, and members do not police one another's beliefs. Bandits who don't follow Hedalis mostly try to tame their hounds, but a beast that has tasted the sweetness of freedom can never again be kept quietly caged.

A swollen human eyeball. Followers of Oculyth from Belgard excel at inflicting visions and hallucinations on others, numbing or even paralyzing a target's sight. Victims' eyes swell in proportion to the effect, sometimes rupturing outright in their sockets.

Blackened blood, badly corrupted. Though those blessed by Evinor gain strength beyond ordinary reach, wielding it carries an irreversible price. Some followers even hope to be blessed in a way that lets them tear themselves apart and die while unleashing their full power.

An arrowhead coated in poison. So they can still fight even without their hounds, hound masters have taken up the habit of coating their arrows with a highly toxic tree sap. This tree grows throughout the Pale Lands, killing many humans and animals every year, and is regarded by villagers everywhere as a curse of Florentis.

A green cloak covered in patches. Green is the mercenary commander's favorite color, so the company has required everyone to wear a green uniform since its founding. Sadly, after years of campaigning, the veterans who never received replacement gear have been left to mend their own cloaks as best they can.

A doodle with a childlike touch, showing a burly man holding a child's hand. The company takes in people from all walks of life, including plenty of veterans with families. To make a living, these men carry out all manner of jobs coldly outside their doors, then step inside and warmly play the part of father.

A heart that keeps beating long after leaving the body, its surface covered in strange markings. Most berserkers have received a god's blessing, trading their sanity for immense power. After they die, the heart, steeped in divinity, will often keep beating for years.

A sturdy helmet forged from refined steel. The Rosriconian plains are not rich in ore, so the kingdom relies on imports mined in Belgard and shipped through the Pale. At the kingdom's behest, the Church of Significance, devoted to Evinor, is now researching ways to create metal.

A fine pouch heavy with gold coins. Churches devoted to Evinor, whatever their sect, agree that Evinor is the guardian of the family. Whether by strength that protects loved ones or by material plenty that provides for them, the god's grace is closely bound to the lives of the faithful.

A pure gold necklace Pluton never removes. Gold is a scarce metal in Razenia, most of it held by the wealthy Church of Evinor. This has occasionally caused rifts within the church, split over whether Evinor's "vastness" refers to physical strength or to wealth.

A glass bottle filled with murky liquid. It's said Volva was originally an ordinary follower of Oculyth, but after accidentally falling into water and miraculously surviving, she began to doubt whether Oculyth could truly foresee the future, and turned to Hedalis instead.

A core embedded within a Stoneborn Giant. Though there is no proof, most of the faithful believe the core is the source of a blessed one's power and life, since it only appears in the body after the blessing is received. The Church treats it as a priceless treasure and sometimes sells it for a high price at charity auctions.

A skull burned black. When an Ashbringer takes too much damage, the balance between regeneration and destruction breaks, and their life dies out along with the flames. The faithful believe that, at the moment of death, the flames can be passed on to another, extending this curse-like blessing.