House Eldorin (Country: Eldorin)

“The days of kings have been long gone. But our
conviction is the future of humanity, and of all
other races. As of today we are ruled by no crown
or scepter, we instead rule ourselves. But one day,
a true king shall emerge, and guide the people along
the path of the rightous.”
—Captain Colson Mardris, Griffin Knight of House Eldorin






House Eldorin
From humble beginnings as loggers and merchants, the Eldorinians proved themselves survivors on a hard frontier. Even before they won their independence they were an impressive people. Brave explorers and canny merchants, they were the first to sail beyond The Outer Sea. They settled distant colonies, hewing a life from wild lands and an inhospitable coastline fraught with peril. The power of Old Taldor’s navy rested on the shoulders of capable Eldorinian commanders whose skill at arms, fiery tenacity, and naval puissance was unrivaled in the empire’s glory day.


Economy and politics
Today, House Eldorin owes its power to a consortium of political radicals, wealthy merchant lords, and sympathetic aristocrats. They seek to spread the political philosophy of Common Rule and open new markets throughout the world. Much of the House's impressive wealth comes from precious antiquities raided from distant, unmapped lands.

House Eldorin shrugged off the auspices of Old Taldor when House Eledar invaded the empire. Shortly thereafter they shattered Cheliax’s diabolic chains. Now House Eldorin holds the reins of its own destiny in the strong hands of its people. They are the first government of the Outer Sea to entrust its power to its own citizens instead of dolloping it upon the crowned brow of a king. But still the people of Eldorin wait for a worthy individual to be crowned king. Someone to lift up the Griffin banner once again, and restore the nation of Eldorin.

The weapons of house Eldorin are innovation, a stubborn dedication to idealism, and a firm belief in the potential of humanity. The Eldorins are a hard people, dedicated to freedom for all, and unable to sit by and watch as the world around them submits to savagery and tyranny.

Goals: Common Rule for All
House Eldorin would see the tyrannic empires who once ruled them brought down. They would see slavery abolished and those who would buy and sell people punished in the extreme. They would bring the torch of freedom to the world’s darkest places and banish mysticism, diabolism, and fear. The Eldorinian people seek not just to transform their homeland, but to export their cultural, philosophical, and mercantile beliefs to the world.



Methodology: Light the Fires of Freedom

“Our greatest weapon is the tyranny of our
enemies.”
—Captain Colson Maldris, Griffin Knight of House Eldorin

The Eldorin faction attacks its enemies from within. They find dissidents, freedom fighters, and revolutionaries among the populations of their foes and offer them covert aid, equipment, intelligence and the funds they need to topple the tyrants. Missions assigned to House Eldorin faction members tend toward helping dissident groups within the other factions, though anything that shakes these tyrants’ power is a worthy cause for an House Eldorin to lend himself to.

Years ago, the heroes of House Eldorin emptied the prisons of Siria, and freed all its slaves in an attempt to bolster the strength of the Revolt. Agents provocateurs dispatched from the capital city of Siria actively seek to undermine the Outer Sea slave trade and those nations that support it, which is nearly all of them. The world thus views Eldorinians as troublemakers and unwanted ideological imperialists.


Faction Leader: Captain Colson Maldris
The Griffin Knights of Eldorin are champions of freedom. Icons of their national pride, these brave warriors have given their lives in battle against devils and monsters for decades. Colson Maldris would much rather be out in the field, his greatsword drenched in the blood of tyrants and slavers, but his order has another use for him.

As a member of the mystery-shrouded Grey Corsairs, Maldris served bravely aboard the warship Trident, sending twenty three slaver ships to the bottom of the Outer Sea and slaying the mangy gnoll slavelord Pasha Palrathgra in personal combat upon the bloody deck of his pleasure frigate. Maldris was the youngest to wear the golden Griffin upon his shoulders. His lauds and victories far outshine many of his senior Griffin Knights, and this may be why he was reassigned to Siria. Rumors that his rising star has ruffled the feathers of fellow Griffins abound, and they have sent him into a den of knives to be torn to shreds by deadly adversaries. Whatever the reason, Maldris has been assigned as House Eldorin’s Special Attache to the Grand Council of Siria. His true duties in the city are to acquire assets and agents in the ongoing shadow war between the five greatest houses of the Outer Sea. Five men and women orchestrate a covert conflict over whose hand will guide Siria’s political and economic destiny in the coming age, and Maldris is House Eldorin’s chosen general. His courage and patriotism are without question, but more than a few wonder if this young commander isn’t a little out of his depth in a city whose murky politics can quickly drain an eager man’s soul.


Eldorin Pathfinders
Eldorinians are particularly suited to the life of a Pathfinder. Natural explorers, with the bravery to face ominous frontiers of mystery and danger, these sons and daughters of freedom are perfect candidates for membership in the world’s most elite adventuring society. Pathfinders not raised in Eldorin, yet still loyal to the Faction House Eldorin in Siria, typically support the fledgling democracy’s values of freedom and the destruction of tyranny. Regardless of where they came from, non-Eldorians in service to House Eldorin generally hold these ideals above all others.

The Classes

Barbarians: The freedom fighter tradition is a long and gloried one in House Eldorin. Past freedom fighters prowled hard stony hills and dense forests, striking out against Chelish oppressors in brutal, guerilla assaults. Freedom fighter tactics are a point of honor among the old revolutionary families, and training in these warrior traditions have passed from father to son over many generations. Also found among the Eldorinian ranks are former gladiatorial slaves, refugees from less enlightened regions of Middle-earth. These peerless warriors embrace the dogma of freedom and Common Rule, and lend their ferocious fighting skills to the defense of their new home.

Fighters: House Eldorin's military traditions are myriad. Before their independence, Eldorinians often served as the vanguard in the armies of Cheliax and Old Taldor. The finest naval captains and dragoons of Old Taldor's armada were also largely Eldorinian, and the tradition of excellence in combat on land and sea persists now that the nation's independence is won. Brave, intelligent, and tactically-minded warriors serve in House Eldorin's modern military, and the best among them eventually earn the mantle of the Griffin Knights. The threats against House Eldorin's fledgling democracy are very real, and only the best, most highly-trained military men and women can keep the armies of darkness at Eldorin's borders at bay.

Rogues: There is a saying among House Eldorin's thieves: "You can't eat freedom." While liberty is the right of every citizen, House Eldorin was forged by the mercantile class and is fueled by gold and silver. In the teeming cities of Augustana, Carpenden, and Oregent, the unwashed masses are slaves to poverty instead of a dictator's lash. The burning desire for freedom instilled in all Eldorinians may often manifests as a complete disregard for law and order resulting in outbreaks of larcenous behavior. A great number of the privateers in service of His Excellency are little more than pirates granted letters of marque to prey on the nation's many enemies and the host of slaver ships sailing the Outer Sea. Merchant consortiums and patriotic nobles maintain circles of spies to pry into the affairs of the nation's enemies as well as rival groups inside House Eldorin's borders.

Wizards: The musty tomes and old ways of wizardry are unpopular in House Eldorin, as the fledgling democracy is more concerned with the bright prospects of the future than they are the clouded secrets of the past. Wizards in Eldorin are confined mostly to large cities. A small order of mages called "The Enchanters" reside in Siria, led by Archmage Valerian the white. Some remote training academies exist in the wild frontiers where research into fel magics can be conducted without interference by Warlocks. Many wizards of House Eldorin focus their studies on breaking enchantments and liberating the minds and souls of those oppressed by evil magic. Necromancy and any magic that enslaves others are widely frowned upon, and the open practice of either can earn one a prison sentence. Beyond these taboos, magical research is fairly unrestricted. While it may be unpopular, the right of citizenship gives every wizard the freedom to delve into any studies they wish so long as they do not harm others.



CAPTAIN’S BLADE

You were born ship-board and learned to walk and fight
alongside the sailing men and women of the Eldorian
fleet.

Benefit: While on board a ship, you get a +2 bonus on
Balance and Climb skill checks. In addition, you receive
a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls made while
flanking on board a ship.


EXPLORER

A proud Eldorinian explorer heritage runs in your veins
and you are a natural wayfinder.

Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on Survival skill checks. In
addition, when traveling through the wilderness, you and
your allies can move faster through trackless land. When
calculating your overland movement rate, increase your
hourly and daily travel rates by 25%.


FREEDOM FIGHTER

Your family has long battled the foes of freedom and
you are skilled in waging guerilla campaigns against
oppressors.

Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on stealth skill checks. In
addition, you receive a +1 circumstance bonus on attack
rolls when you attack a flat-footed foe during the surprise
round.


HUNTER’S EYE

You are especially blessed by Erastil and are a prodigy
with a longbow or shortbow.

Benefit: You do not suffer a penalty for the first range
increment when using a longbow or shortbow. The
penalty for attacks made at targets within the second
range increment is –4 as normal. In addition, you can
draw a longbow or shortbow as a free action.
Normal: Drawing a weapon is a move action or (if your
base attack bonus is +1 or higher) as a free action as part
of movement.


INDOMITABLE

Your strong, self-determined swagger has made you more
resistant to domination and control.

Benefit: You get a +1 bonus on saves against enchantment
spells and effects. In addition, you receive a +4 bonus
on opposed level checks to avoid being affected by an
Intimidate skill check.


LIBERATOR
Your people have worn shackles and you swear to never
let it happen again.

Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on Escape Artist checks and
can attempt to escape from rope-binding, manacles, and
other nonmagical restraints as a standard action. You
also receive a +2 bonus on Strength checks made to break
bonds.

Normal: Using Escape Artist to attempt to escape from
rope bindings, manacles, and other nonmagical restraints
takes 1 minute.