Fantasy Gates of Tirath - Sword & Planet Adventure [CS & Characters]

[Morgaine Kri Chya]

Peoples and Population Distribution​

The source material has all the intelligent populations of the planets of these stories as human/humanoid in general, however variety is the spice of life, and the universe of novels this is set in has an array of peoples. I think the same can be had here!

Humans​

• Description: Humans are the most populous species on Tirath, divided into various cultures and kingdoms. They inhabit regions ranging from medieval societies to those with access to cobbled-together Qhal/Human technology. Humans are adaptable and resilient, having survived the temporal distortions caused by the Qhal collapse.
• Appearance: Varies by region, from nomadic tribes of the Vaegir Plains to the technologically advanced inhabitants of Aether’s Rest. Humans can be of any build or appearance, depending on their ancestry and environment.
• Traits: Humans are versatile and have no inherent connection to Qhal "sorcery", but they often study and attempt to harness Qhal relics - so far without any luck without hybridizing the technology with their own or enlisting assistance from those of Qhal descent. They are driven by ambition, survival, and curiosity, often seeking to control the power of the Gates.

Qhalesh ​

• Description: The Qhalesh are the descendants of Qhal and humans (or other compatible races), as the now long-vanished Qhal were a doomed race in the natural genetic propagation department. They possess some of the Qhal’s traits, such as their slow-to-age appearance and gray eyes, but often experience internal conflict between their human nature and the cold detachment of the Qhal bloodline. In more superstitious societies, Qhalesh are feared or distrusted due to their connection to the Qhal’s destructive legacy.
• Appearance: They resemble humans but are usually taller, with pale skin and sharp features. Their gray or extremely pale blue eyes often mark them as different. None of the hybrids that exist inherited the white hair, and those that wish to embrace that side of their heritage have been known bleach out their hair to accomplish the striking appearance.
• Traits: Some Qhalesh inherit abilities to interact with pure Qhal technology (any technological advancement you want to conjure for improved quality of life in keeping with a sci-fi/fantasy setting, have fun with it and think outside the box of what you know irl – only thing off limits is anything similar in function to the Gates and spaceships). They age slowly, average is 50% longer than human lifespan, and possess an aura of mystery and danger pending personal perspective.

Anu-Khai ​

• Description: A catch-all for intelligent species descended from beings that were either transplanted hundreds of years ago, or among the genetically modified experiments of the Qhal. Population seeding of peoples from other planets and times were among the hobbies of the Qhal, as well as genetic splicing and tinkering. Over the centuries they have developed their own names for their peoples, cultures, philosophies, and technologies varying from small isolated communities to full villages and towns.
• Appearance: Highly Varied – you can get creative here.
• Traits: Versatile and have no inherent connection to Qhal "sorcery" and varied pending branch of species/racial origins. The largest of settlements for these would be towns, while the individuals or families in the population itself may be branched out anywhere even to the larger cities.

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Character Types​

*These are just suggestions to act as inspiring templates, you can use them or jump off of any of the information here. Happy to soundboard and discuss options!

1. The Wanderer​

• Summary: Born to a nomadic tribe or a displaced survivor, you’ve spent your life navigating the unstable world. You’ve traveled across regions where time flows inconsistently, learning to adapt and survive in this fractured reality.
• Role: Guide, scout, or resourceful survivor with knowledge of the land’s dangers and secrets.

2. The Scholar of Ivrel​

• Summary: A member of a secretive order, you dedicate your life to studying the Qhal and their lost technology. The recent reactivation of a Gate has rekindled your quest for understanding the powers that once shaped the world.
• Role: Researcher or academic, seeking Qhal relics and forbidden knowledge.

3. The Knight of the Iron Holds​

• Summary: A loyal soldier of one of the feudal lords in the Shattered Highlands, you are sworn to protect your region’s interests, balancing medieval values with salvaged technology from the Qhal ruins.
• Role: Skilled fighter and tactician, defending your land while navigating the political intrigue of your lord's ambitions.

4. The Tribal Seer​

• Summary: Born with a deep connection to the land’s temporal anomalies, you are part of a tribe that lives in the Vaegir Plains. Your visions and strange abilities, shaped by these distortions, have given you insight into the past and future.
• Role: Mystical guide or spiritual leader, interpreting the shifting flows of time and warning of coming dangers.

5. The Mercenary​

• Summary: As a hired blade in a world of chaos, you’ve made a living by offering your skills to the highest bidder—be it protecting scholars on expeditions, scavenging relics, or battling creatures warped by time.
• Role: Versatile combatant or bodyguard, loyal to coin but increasingly drawn into the mysteries of the world.

6. The Displaced Heir​

• Summary: A noble from a medieval kingdom or futuristic city, your family’s lands or fortunes were lost to the world’s shifting timelines. Now, you seek to reclaim your birthright and restore your legacy amidst the chaos.
• Role: Diplomat or leader, maneuvering through alliances and rivalries to rebuild your family's power.

Primarily knowing the Compressed Character Sheet is the minimum I'd ask to have posted for us all to reference as we get familiar, and helps me as the world keeper/gm in creating story/interaction fodder if necessary to keep things rolling . If you'd like to dig deeper, feel free to use the Expanded Character Sheet.

Compressed Character Sheet: The Gates of Tirath​

Basic Information​ Name: Age: Gender: Appearance: (Brief physical description) Background​ Origin: (Region or town/city of origin) Background Role: (Wanderer, Scholar, Mercenary, etc.) Brief History: (A few sentences summarizing their past and current situation) Skills and Abilities​ Combat Skills: (Main fighting ability, if any) Special Skills: (Non-combat expertise or talents) Weaknesses: (At least one flaw or challenge they face) Equipment​ Weapons: (List any weapons they carry) Other Gear: (Any notable items or tools) Motivation​ Goals: (What drives them in the current story) Fears: (One or two core fears)

Basic Information​ Name: Temira Darron Age: 32 Gender: Female Appearance: Lean, sun-tanned, short black hair, gray eyes, dressed in scavenged armor. Background​ Origin: Ryndorra Wastes Background Role: Mercenary Brief History: A skilled scavenger and fighter, Temira lost her father to a temporal storm and now works alone, earning a living through dangerous jobs in the Wastes. Skills and Abilities​ Combat Skills: Dual daggers, hand-to-hand combat Special Skills: Scavenging, stealth, navigation Weaknesses: Trust issues, reckless in high-risk situations Equipment​ Weapons: Dual daggers, a small blaster Other Gear: Toolkit for scavenging, a pendant from her father Motivation​ Goals: Discover the fate of her father, explore Qhal relics Fears: Becoming lost in time, relying on others

(Alternative Option) Expanded Character Sheet​

Basic Information​ Name: (Your character’s full name) Alias/Nicknames: (Any other names your character is known by) Age: (Character’s age) Gender: (Male, female, non-binary, etc.) Appearance: (A brief description of your character's appearance: height, build, eye color, notable features, clothing, etc.) Background​ Origin: (Describe where your character is from—Vaegir Plains, Ryndorra Wastes, Tarnaal Woodlands, Shattered Highlands, Eidria Expanse, or another location) Family: (Optional—include details on any family members, significant figures, or connections in your character’s life) Background Role: (Choose one or create your own: Wanderer, Scholar of Ivrel, Knight of the Iron Holds, Tribal Seer, Mercenary, Displaced Heir, etc.) Personal History: (A few paragraphs about your character’s backstory—how they came to be who they are, any important events that shaped them, and what brings them into the current story) Skills and Abilities​ Combat Proficiency: (List any combat-related skills your character possesses: swordsmanship, archery, firearms, martial arts, etc.) Special Skills: (Include non-combat skills such as navigation, stealth, engineering, scavenging, healing, etc.) Mystical/Tactical Abilities: (If applicable—any abilities connected to the temporal anomalies or Qhal relics, such as visions, crafting, manipulating Qhal technology, or interpreting ancient runes) Weaknesses: (Every character should have a few flaws or weaknesses that challenge them: poor health, impulsiveness, fear of certain places, etc.) Equipment​ Weapons: (List any weapons your character carries, whether traditional or technologically advanced) Armor/Clothing: (Describe the type of armor or attire they typically wear—medieval, tribal, or futuristic styles) Other Items: (Any personal belongings or special items of note, such as Qhal relics, survival gear, books, etc.) Treasured Possession: (Optional—an item that has deep meaning to your character) Personality and Motivation​ Personality: (Describe your character’s personality traits: are they brave, cautious, curious, secretive, loyal, etc.?) Fears: (What is your character afraid of? This could be anything from certain places or enemies to broader fears of failure or losing loved ones.) Goals and Motivations: (What drives your character? Revenge, wealth, knowledge, redemption, or something else?) Affiliations and Connections​ Faction/Allegiance: (Is your character loyal to a lord, a tribe, a mercenary group, or are they unaffiliated? Do they follow any particular ideology or goal?) Significant Relationships: (Any key people in your character’s life—family, friends, mentors, enemies) Quirks and Traits​ Notable Quirk: (A unique or interesting trait—perhaps your character has a nervous habit, an unusual skill, or a distinct way of interacting with others) Reputation: (How is your character perceived by others? Are they respected, feared, distrusted, or unknown?)

Basic Information​ Name: Temira "Tem" Darron Alias/Nicknames: "The Ghost of Flintbarrow" Age: 32 Gender: Female Appearance: A lean, athletic build with sun-kissed skin and short, messy black hair. Her gray eyes, a mark of her Qhal heritage, often draw unwanted attention. She dresses in scavenged leather armor, patched with bits of tech gear salvaged from Qhal ruins. Background​ Origin: Ryndorra Wastes Family: Temira was raised by her father, a former scavenger, until he vanished in a temporal storm. She now lives alone, though she suspects her father may still be out there somewhere, displaced by time. Background Role: Mercenary Personal History: Temira grew up learning the dangerous trade of scavenging from her father, searching the wreckage of ancient Qhal technology in the Wastes. After her father disappeared, she took up mercenary work, using her knowledge of the region’s temporal shifts to survive and make a living. Known for her agility and quick thinking, she’s earned the nickname "The Ghost of Flintbarrow" for her ability to vanish into the ruins when things get too dangerous. Skills and Abilities​ Combat Proficiency: Skilled with light blades and improvised weapons, expert in hand-to-hand combat, quick reflexes Special Skills: Scavenging, stealth, navigation through temporal rifts, basic tech salvaging Mystical/Tactical Abilities: Slightly resistant to temporal anomalies due to her Qhal bloodline, though she has no direct control over this ability Weaknesses: Struggles with trust, haunted by the loss of her father, prone to reckless behavior in dangerous situations Equipment​ Weapons: Dual daggers, a small concealed blaster (damaged Qhal tech), and a makeshift bow for ranged attacks Armor/Clothing: Worn leather armor patched with bits of scavenged tech for added protection, goggles to shield her from desert storms Other Items: A pocket-sized toolkit for salvaging, an old map of the Ryndorra Wastes, and a small pendant that belonged to her father Treasured Possession: The pendant, an heirloom from her father, rumored to contain a fragment of Qhal crystal Personality and Motivation​ Personality: Cautious but resourceful, quick-witted, and fiercely independent. Temira has a dry sense of humor but often keeps others at arm’s length. Fears: Fears becoming lost in time, like her father; deeply afraid of relying on others, preferring self-reliance. Goals and Motivations: Temira wants to find out what happened to her father, but she’s also drawn to the mystery of the Qhal relics, hoping to unlock the secrets they hold to prevent others from making the same mistakes. Affiliations and Connections​ Faction/Allegiance: None—Temira works alone, though she occasionally teams up with other mercenaries or scavengers when necessary. Significant Relationships: Her father, Darron, remains the most significant figure in her life, despite his disappearance. Quirks and Traits​ Notable Quirk: Temira often hums softly when nervous, especially when she’s scavenging dangerous ruins. Reputation: Known as a skilled scavenger and fighter, but also as someone who keeps her distance from others, preferring to live on the fringes of society.

 

[jokeater]

Basic Information​

• Name: Kee, the Warbler
• Age: Refuses to disclose, looks to be a young adult, but is prone to changing their form
• Gender: Male? (He/They/It)
• Appearance: Has unevenly cut and brittle black hair that falls over their face, casting their face in shadow. White skin with olive undertones. Usually wears comfortable clothes like rags, ponchos and scarves, if he can find them.

Background​

• Origin: Tarnaal Woodlands/Outskirts of Tal'korun
• Background Role: A mix of the wanderer and the tribal seer; if it were up to me, I'd label him a solitary bard, a hermit, or a thief
• Brief History: Ever antisocial, Kee was a troubled kid, always running away to be alone in the woods. He struggles to form emotional bonds, believing items of value to be only gilded or bejeweled, and that relationships can only be formed with animals or items - he struggles to understand human to human connection. It is used to stealing the valuables of others to gain a reaction out of them, to maybe try to see just what is so special about these things that it just can't grasp. He got in trouble after stealing something valuable from one of the heads of Tal'korun, and is now towing the line between punishment and full-on exile. (More content TBA once draft is approved, perhaps)

Skills and Abilities​

• Combat Skills: Largely lacking, prefers to run away
• Special Skills: Deft hands (excellent sleight of hand abilities), good at distracting, fast runner
• Weaknesses: Being told that they are wrong, being challenged to an actual fight, being trapped, forming bonds

Equipment​

• Weapons: A handful of spores to blind enemies
• Other Gear: Magical lute and pan flute

Motivation​

• Goals: To steal the most valuable trinket of all (he is unsure what it is, but he wants to find it to understand why people have a strong reaction when he says that and just what about it is so special)
• Fears: He fears that nature which he has always been so fond of isn't concerned with him whatsoever, and that he has no bonds at all.

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All of this is prone to changing if something doesn't quite fit with what the GM has in mind, and ofc clarifications will be made and more in-depth info will be posted later

 

[Morgaine Kri Chya]

Basic Information​

• Name: Morgaine
• Age: Unknown (appears ageless)
• Gender: Female
• Appearance: Tall, with tanned olive skin and silver hair, white fur cloak for cold weather/winter, black fine mail armor, over leather breeches and linen shirt. Her gray eyes are sharp and cold, reflecting both her Qujalin heritage and centuries of experience.

Background​

• Origin: Of Qujalin descent, from the ancient Qhal world.
• Background Role: Wielder of the sword, Changling, tasked with closing the Gates.
• Brief History: Sent by the Union Science Bureau (unknown to denizens) to close every single Gate in existence along with of 100 of her kinsman. As they progressed through various gates, many were killed until they were reduced to 5 that undertook an assault on a gate and was betrayed by the locals. Morgaine, the only survivor - fled through a Gate, closing it behind her. Morgaine has been traveling through unpredictable time jumps for centuries, and for her, only an instant has passed. She now returns to a world drastically changed, still bound to her mission.

Skills and Abilities​

• Combat Skills: Expert swordswoman, Changling has a unique ability as it was built to disrupt and break the gates. And bears a small hand-held laser pistol.
• Special Skills: Knowledge of Qhal "sorcery"/Technology, Gate sealing.
• Weaknesses: Isolated, burdened by her duty, emotionally distant.

Equipment​

• Weapons: Changeling, a sword crafted with a silver dragon hilt, and seemingly clear blade "enchanted"/enhanced by Qhal techniques to perform its task.
• Other Gear: Qhal artifacts, travel gear, a worn map with locations of Gates.

Motivation​

• Goals: Close the remaining Gates to prevent reality from collapsing.
• Fears: Failing her mission and witnessing the destruction of all worlds.

 

[RaiAthar]

Basic Information​

• Name: Kashim min-al'Mubarizun
• Alias/Nicknames: n/a
• Age: 21
• Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Appearance:
  
  • Height: 5' 8"
  • Build: Athletic/muscular
  • Eye colour: Dark brown
  • Hair colour: Black
  • Hair Style: Sides of head are shaved; the top half is a mop of dishevelled, thick/heavy hair.
  • Notable features: He wears a matte black metallic sleeve over his left arm with a 12" rod of similar coloration attached along the back of the forearm. Typically cannot be seen underneath his cloak, however.

Background

• Origin: Kashim is of the Mubarizun, a nomadic tribe of people who live deep within the the deserts of the Ryndorra Wastes. The Mubarizun lead their lives according to The Criterion. The Criterion is a large tablet of unknown composition that has 10 inscriptions carved into its surface.
• Family:
  
  • Wife: Mihra min-al'Mubarizun
  • Son: Faris min-al'Mubarizun
  • Daughter: Jannah min-al'Mubarizun
• Background Role: Wanderer
• Personal History: Kashim lived an ordinary life among the Mubarizun, whatever ordinary is for people who live in the Ryndorra Wastes.

Skills and Abilities

• Combat Proficiency/Special Skills: Expert Survivalist, Expert Climber, Good fighter (hand-to-hand and stick-fighting), Superb Physique (sprinter's build), a Good Hunter.
• Mystical Abilities: Perhaps more resilient to temporal phenomena due to growing up within the Ryndorra wastes.
• Weaknesses: Very trusting. Perhaps too trusting. Kashim is not a fool, he simply believes in giving everyone the benefit of the doubt unless they give him a reason not to. Too altruistic. He is a stranger to customs/culture outside his tribe.

Equipment

• Weapons: Force Staff, Survival Knife, Crossbow w/ scope.
• Armor/Clothing: Kashim wears a full body suit that is designed to preserve the body's moisture. It consists of various layers that absorb the body's moisture through sweating and urination, and then filters the impurities so that drinkable water can be circulated to catch-pockets. The individual can then drink the reclaimed water from a tube attached to the neck. This suit, kept in working order and maintained properly, permits the wearer to survive for weeks in the open desert. Over-top everything, Kashim wears a cloak, tattered at its edges, that is a sandy, earthen colour.
• Other Items: The matte black baton that Kashim carries on his left arm is a Qhal relic known as a Force Staff. It can shorten to 12" long and can extend to 6' long. In addition, upon striking a target, it can unlease a wave of gravitational force than can knock-back or knock down the target. Backpack with rations (Dungeoneer's Pack).
• Treasured Possession: n/a

Personality and Motivation​

• Personality: Kashim has a balanced personality. He seldom goes to the emotional extremes without just cause or excessive provocation. He enjoys that which is good and righteous, and he eschews that which degrades the development of the personality, essentially anything that is immoral and unjust. He is a firm believer in The Criterion and the Law of Requital as are most if not all Mubarizun. In short, the Law of Requital is somewhat similar to the concept of karma, that men will reap what they sow.
• Fears: Every Mubarizun knows that times will come when his or her faith will truly be tested. Like many Mubarizun, Kashim's greatest fear is failing those tests which would mean the deterioration or destruction of the personailty, therefore making it exceedingly difficult or impossible to reach the next stage of human evolution.
• Goals and Motivations: To adhere to the Criterion; to protect his tribe; to grow his tribe.

Affiliations and Connections​

• Faction/Allegiance: Kashim is loyal to The Criterion.
• Significant Relationships: Kashim has a wife and children, parents (Hashim & Saminah) and grandparents.

Quirks and Traits​

• Notable Quirk: Kashim blinks one eye at a time.
• Reputation: Among the Mubarizun, Kashim is known for being brave, honest, compassionate, trustworthy, a servant of the Mubarizun, even-tempered, a good hunter, a good fighter, a good father, a good husband, a good son, a good man, a hard worker, loyal to the Criterion.