Table of Contents Opening Fiction Rebirth ......................................................................................................... 2 Introduction Worthy of Song ................................................................................................. 9 Before Time… .................................................................................................................................... 9 Rebellion ......................................................................................................................................... 10 The Age of the Worthy .................................................................................................................... 11 The First and Final Wars of Sunder .................................................................................................. 11 Time of Malice ................................................................................................................................ 13 What Is This Setting? ............................................................................................................. 14 Theme: Tropical Baroque/Oriental Noir .......................................................................................... 14 Inspirations ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Lexicon ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter One: Setting ............................................................................................................. 17 The Karanduun ...................................................................................................................... 17 Where They Arose ........................................................................................................................... 17 Why They Disappeared ................................................................................................................... 17 Now They Are Reborn ..................................................................................................................... 17 Sinag ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Usbong ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Budding Power ................................................................................................................................ 18 Tungkulin ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Hiwaga ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Born, not Chosen ............................................................................................................................. 19 Awakening ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Nature of the Tapiserya ......................................................................................................... 20 Below .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Abyss .................................................................................................................................................... 21 The Waters .......................................................................................................................................... 21 The Underworld, or Sulad .................................................................................................................... 21 The Middle ...................................................................................................................................... 21 The Midworld, or Sanlibutan. .............................................................................................................. 21 Above ............................................................................................................................................. 21 The Skies .............................................................................................................................................. 21 The Skyworld, or Maka ........................................................................................................................ 22 The Throne ........................................................................................................................................... 22 Diwa ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Espiritu and Gadlum ........................................................................................................................ 24 The Spirit World, or Espiritu ................................................................................................................ 24 Dambanas ............................................................................................................................................ 24 The Near Shores ................................................................................................................................... 24 The Middle Shores ............................................................................................................................... 25 1 The Far Shores ..................................................................................................................................... 25 The Farthest Reaches ........................................................................................................................... 25 Beyond ................................................................................................................................................. 25 Gadlum ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Time of Malice ...................................................................................................................... 26 Character Creation ................................................................................................................ 28 Attributes ........................................................................................................................................ 28 Skills ................................................................................................................................................ 29 The Skill List .................................................................................................................................... 29 Saving Throws ................................................................................................................................. 30 Armors ............................................................................................................................................ 30 Weapons ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Rules ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Skill Checks ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Combat ........................................................................................................................................... 31 Labors ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Advancement .................................................................................................................................. 34 Benefits of Gaining a Level ................................................................................................................... 34 Words ................................................................................................................................... 35 Word Changes ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Moon or Buwan .............................................................................................................................. 35 Tala or Star ...................................................................................................................................... 37 Opening Fiction Rebirth In the 1107th year of the Masked Moon, otherwise the 987th Year of Yavum’s Slumber, a girl awoke to the sound of crowing roosters. In a far-off farming barangay, nestled at the end of a waterfall, framed by a singular mountain that cuts it off from the rest of the southern country, a young girl awoke. Just the night before, the Al-Kaigian Regiments pulled back their troops from the barangay. They had announced it for all of the barangay to hear -- they would become unprotected