The Men of Zaoth

"These men are not like the men of Earth, or any other place in the cosmos.  Grown from the vats of the ancient ones who traveled the planes, the humans of Zaoth became a much more dangerous breed.  The centuries of evolution of their kind here have proven that they illicit the most cruel and ambitious traits of their race.  With no sense of moral definition, the men of Zaoth spread like a plague on the land exploiting and destroying everything they touched."

- X'amphur Quiggoth, High Archon of L'menth, from "The Histories of Zaoth: Volume III"

 

Eons ago, when the Ancient Ones still ruled Zaoth, they created creatures similar to humans within magically cultured vats.  Initially their endeavors to create life failed, but after centuries of trial and error they were able to create sentient humans whom they used as servants and builders as well as subjects of other, more vile experiments.  Eventually they were able to create men who could procreate with the women they created allowing them to focus less on culturing vats, thus allowing them to divert their attention to other more malign purposes.  As centuries passed, these men developed their own intelligence and revolted against their masters.  Over a hundred years they fought the Ancient Ones, who were eventually driven to other worlds, or killed by their own creations.

 

The men and women of Zaoth are not like those of Earth in the fact that they have no moral compass.  In general they are the epitome of the worst traits of Earth men, and are driven by greed, corruption, exploitation, and their own selfish desires.  Many of the races developed their own cultures and cities, while some, such as the albino men of the Icy Flats, retracted into a primitive barbaric state.  Because of their genetic makeup, it is impossible for the races of men to interbreed and procreate with others not of their own race. 

 

The men of Zaoth worship no gods, and as such, have no temples or places of worship.  Many of the races have particular abilities which make them exceptional in certain "classes."  When creating a PC human from Zaoth, roll on the following table to determine the racial sub-type before determining class as each subtype has its own boons.

 

Roll 1d6

1   Athok - Greenish skin of varying hues, +1 to INT and WIS, -1 to STR and CON.  These men make for exceptional sorcerers giving them 1 extra spell per level

2   Rethtak -  Reddish skin, +1 to STR and CON, -1 to INT and CHR.  These men have one extra set of arms (for a total of 4) allowing them to gain an extra melee attack each round

3   Onyx -  Black and dark grey skin, +1 to DEX and INT, -1 STR and CHR.  Extremely agile, these men gain +10% to both hide in shadows and move silently.  They are known as the best assassins in Zaoth

4   Benax - Blueish hued skin, +1 to DEX and STR, -1 CON and WIS.  These men are exceptional with ranged weapons due to their keen eyesight.  +1 to hit with any ranged weapon

5   Krile -  Purple and violet hued skin, +1 DEX and WIS, -1 STR and INT.  These men make for fierce warriors and trackers.  They may use 2 weapons of the same size in melee without incurring any penalty.

6   Albino - White and pale hued skin, +1 STR and CON, -1 INT and WIS.  These men are savages of the Icy Flats.  They have a +1 to hit with any crude weapon (spear, stone axe, etc.) and use a d12 for hit dice regardless of class.  They lack the ability to be sorcerers.

 

Other notes on PC men of Zaoth:

 

Armor: Any or based on class

Classes: Fighter, Sorcerer, Thief, Assassin, Barbarian (only Albino men may be barbarians)

Starting Age: Per OSRIC by class

Starting Gold: Per OSRIC by class. Barbarians start with 2d4x10 gold