In the realm of Uld,. blood is all that matters. For better or ill, ones blood and the uses to which it is put make you who and what you are. For game purposes, the family a PC is from also gives some power as well as prestige in the last of the High Realms.
The families are ranked in a tiered structure, with family trees and descent based on the mothers side and actual ranking on the fathers. If there is some doubt as to who the father is, the child is placed one rank below the mother generally. Bastards are unranked and, no matter how powerful their blood, an outcast.
| Tiers | |||||
| Guon | |||||
| Altyrn | Munin | Eltar | |||
| Belis | Tril | Quado | Oboros | Lind | Pyrik |
Strength among tiers goes from left to right, so Belis is higher than Tril and so on. Each house also has one attribute generally linked with it.
These are some of the more powerful Lines of Uld, and the powers they gain.
The first line of blood, and the oldest. Members of house Guon tend to be under extreme pressure to live up to their standards, to never fail or shame thier line. Most of the males lead cloistered lives breeding new heirs to the line while the females look for spouses whose line they can improve. Due to this preoccupation iwth breeding and maintaining the line, many feel (though few say it openly) that the line of guon is suffering from this.
Often calling themselves the "line of Bred," those of this family take great pride in what they -- or rather, their ancestor -- has done for the world and the price paid for it. It says much about this line that they see AS not as After Sacrifice but the Altryn Sacrifice. Many members of this house spend their time devising ways to equal the (in)famous Bred, preferably without dying, or charting their family line to find out how closely they are related to him.
Higher than the altryn line before Bred's sacrifice, this line had schemed to regain the status they lose for over four hundred years. Consumate politicians and intricate plotters, this line produces more assassins and killers than the rest of the first and second tiers combined. They tend to be the most ruthless of the upper tiers and, next to Pyrik, perhaps the most dangerous line to cross.
The line of eltar are famed for their skills with nature and animals. They have retained ranking as a second tier line by virtue of being good judges of character and knowing how to use animals and communicate with them. As well, animals tend to be mroe willing to be sacrificed for this line than any other, which gives them a decided edge in using Blood. Unlike other lines, they do not devote any great expenditure of time to planning breeding and the like and most members of this line tend to be loners who wander the lands for the sake of wandering.
Many scholars find Belis to be one of the most unique lines. Founded by a halfling, this line has maintained a strong non-human Blood grouping among its number and even devised a way to give the Blood to other non-humans. While their power in Uld isn't strong, they have a strong voice in many of the low realms and are the only house to be not only respected but admired in the Outlands.
The line of Tril is considered a lesser line by many due to a strong prevalence of half-Blood among its members. Part of this lines success has been because they count half-Bloods as full for line politics and policies and are also willing to learn from half-bloods. This is also the reason they will never advance past the third tier, but strategic uses of non-Blood allies and a firm belief that no one is a pawn have kept this line firmly in power.
The secret line, those of Quado tend to travel where they are not invited and end up in placed the are seldom welcomed. They tend to specialise in darker acts and nightrunning but seldom participate in assassination. This line is very secretive about their numbers, practises and often disguise themselves as members of other lines to further their own end. Even the Oboros line finds that despicable.
If the people of the lands of blood knew about 'R'Us ideas, they'd call this line Seuctions'R'Us. The line of Oborus tends to carve its way into power and secrets by virtue of good taste and/or acting skills and a willingness to seduce anything that gets in their way. There are even stories about members of this house seduces a favoured animal of the Eltar line. Other stories tend to be even darker and hint as perversions used to break people and destroy them.
The line of Lind is unique among the third tier - actually, unique among any tier - in that they tend to be non agressive and polite without having ulterior motives. Honest. No other line has been abloe to fathom precisely why they've been able to maintain their standing in the third tier, but stories claim those of this line can sense (and possibly even change) the emotions of others.
This line was broken during the demon war and has never recovered. Once first among the third tier, their numbers were demolished by the demons for their anti-demonic abilities that have been lost to time. They tend to be sullen, secretive folk with a cold streak in them and a daredevil tendancy. Only a fool tries to kill one.
| Guon | +3 hp / level; +2 Listen, Search, Sense Motive; Vision (future) |
| Altryn | +2 hp / level; +2 Gather Information, Knowledge(lines); Double Sacrifice effects |
| Munin | +2 hp / level; +2 Hide, Move Silently; Weapons Feat (1 level above the one they have) |
| Eltar | +2 hp / level; Animal Empathy (or +2 if already have it); +2 Handle Animal, Tracking Feat (or +2 for rangers) |
| Belis | +1 hp / level; +1 to all speak language; 1 bonus language |
| Tril | +1 hp / level; +2 knowledge(streetwise), +1 cha. with half-Bloods |
| Quado | +1 Move Silently, Hide; Invisibility 1/day |
| Oboros | +1 hp / level; +6 bluff (seduction), |
| Lind | +1 Diplomacy, Bluff; Empathy (dc 10+ Cha. mod - sense mood of others; 20+ Cha. mod - change them) |
| Pyrik | +1 Con; Sacrifice of self is 3 times as effective as normal |
Half-Bloods gain the first and second ability for their line (if they are 3) and just 1 if they are two abilities, denoted by a ; seperating them. Those of the line of Tril get all the abilities.
Other tiers (up to 7) do exist, but tend to be minor versions of the ones above and are inconsequential in Uld politics and Blood matters.
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