The Gamnod humans inhabit the far-northern stretches of Narrigh, in a region known for its rugged terrain and star-swept skies. Their identity is built upon an unwavering faith in cosmic forces and the prophecies passed down through omens. Every texture of their lifestyle—from how they construct shrines to how they craft garments—reflects a synergy between practical skill and profound belief. Through solemn rites, careful artistry, and an endless curiosity about fate, the Gamnod uphold the delicate balance between the mortal and the divine.
Faction
The Gamnod Humans unite with the Darque Goblins and Drone Elves under the Furnace banner, an alliance forged in the aftermath of bitter conflicts and ancestral grievances. Their shared struggle for survival—and a mutual distrust of those in the south—binds these northern races together. Yet among the Gamnod, this bond is not without spiritual weight: they interpret their alliance with the Furnace as an omen-laden necessity, a path the Sphere Gods have carved out for them to reclaim dignity and autonomy.
Religion
At the heart of Gamnod society lies the Book of Uom, a sacred tome that preserves their legends, philosophies, and prophecies. Inked in ancient script, each page references cosmic truths, offering guidance on moral dilemmas, seasonal shifts, and communal rituals. The Book of Uom is ever-growing; each generation’s spiritual leaders add passages of new wisdom gleaned from omens or revelations.
Mythic celestial entities, known as the Sphere Gods, orbit the universe in endless cycles. Each Sphere God symbolizes a facet of life—Fortune, Growth, Destruction, Renewal, and more. Gamnod devotion involves offerings at dawn or dusk to align themselves with these gods’ influences. They believe the Sphere Gods orchestrate cosmic rhythms, from the trajectory of comets to the outcomes of everyday toils.
Crafts
Tailoring
- Starweave Cloth: Combining fine linen or wool with shimmering threads, Starweave Cloth is said to be woven under starlight, capturing the faint luminescence of the night sky. Elaborate robes and capes made of Starweave often carry embroidered cosmic symbols.
- Astral Sails: A specialized offshoot of tailoring, these sails are used on northern fishing or war vessels. Rumored to “catch the wind of fate,” they’re adorned with the runes of the Sphere Gods for protection on the water.
Sculpting
- Spirit-Chiseled Statues: Using basalt or marble from the frosty northern quarries, Gamnod sculptors etch motifs of swirling constellations or dancing flames. Statues of revered ancestors frequently stand at city gates or temple steps.
- Celestial Totems: These carved totems often depict swirling spheres, stylized comets, or hybrid beast-shapes said to exist in the far corners of Narrigh. Each totem is typically blessed by a Priest, ensuring cosmic favor for the site where it is erected.
Forbidden Materials
By choice (and law within their society), Gamnod crafters avoid craybine and any derivatives of it. They believe craybine’s mystical infusion can disrupt the cosmic balance or “taint” a craftsman’s purity of purpose.
Classes Available
- Warrior: A front-liner who brandishes cosmic sigils on their armor, trusting the Sphere Gods to steer them to victory.
- Ranger: Expert trackers in the shadowy pine forests of the north. Their hunts are part survival, part spiritual communion with nature’s signs (e.g., seeking omens in a predator’s footprints).
- Mage: A cosmic scholar attuned to arcane phenomena, layering star-runic spells into illusions or raw elemental blasts. They frequently consult the Book of Uom for lost incantations.
- Hunter: A more down-to-earth traveler reliant on stealth and cunning, though never above pausing a pursuit if they see an ill omen in a passing raven’s flight.
- Elementalist: Masters of harnessing wind, fire, and occasionally ice, drawing out the swirling energies of the Sphere Gods with each cast.
- Priest: Mediators between mortal and cosmic realms, presiding over ceremonies to interpret omens that can shape entire communities’ destinies.
Racial Abilities
Increased Jump Speed: Allows humans to leap over obstacles or cover distances faster, making them agile and hard to predict in movement-based strategies.
Restore: Can recover the health of their own kind, but not if they have been mortality wounded.
Fire Enchantment: Can throw a fire enchantment to create fires, but are not protected from the fire themselves. If used unwisely they can harm themselves or one of their own. Increases as level goes up.
Special Items
- Fate-Spinner Threads: High-grade sewing strands said to hold trace elements of meteorite dust. When used in garment creation, Fate-Spinner Threads supposedly heighten a wearer’s intuition, helping them “thread through” a dangerous destiny.
- Eye of Uom: A small obsidian orb set in a pendant. It is inscribed with the Book of Uom’s earliest passages. Some Elementalists use it as a focus item; others simply treat it as a familial heirloom.
- Star-Ember Carving Tools: Rare chisels and hammers forged from star-metal ore. They glow with a subtle ember, rumored to help carve stone with preternatural precision—excellent for shaping swirling cosmic motifs that are otherwise next to impossible to replicate.
- Astral Compass: A navigational device reminiscent of a simple compass, but its needle aligns with cosmic energies instead of magnetic fields. Often used by Gamnod Rangers or Hunters venturing into unknown terrain.