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Sundered SkieS

© 2008-2012 Triple Ace Games. Sundered Skies and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Triple Ace Games, Smiling Jack, Savage Worlds are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Permission is granted to print this book for personal use only.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes

no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

Written by Dave bleWer

aDDitional Material by Kevin l anDerson,

Paul “Wiggy” WaDe-WilliaMs, anD siMon lucas

graPhic Design & tyPesetting by robin elliott

eDiteD by Jenny bleWer, Piotr Korys, anD siMon lucas

ProofreaDing by Jason young anD Paul “Wiggy” WaDe-WilliaMs

Interior Art By: by Nicola Cardiff, Julie Dillon, Simon Fella, Slawomir Maniak,

Daniel Rudnicki, Veronica Jones, Cheyenne Wright

Cover Art By: Daniel Rudnicki

Cover Design By: Robin Elliott

Cartography By: Cheyenne Wright

Playtesters: Kevin L. Anderson, Jenny Blewer, Brian French, Brad Guyer, Paul Keeble, Piotr Korys, Michal Kuzniacki, Lee Langston, Ross Lewis, Dave Lloyd, Radoslaw Miodek, Eli

Moreland, Colin Patworth, Marian Plaszczyca, Abraham Sadafi, Joe Sargent, Matthew Scott, Simon Scott, Snowy, Sarah Steward, Ian Sutton, Dan Tunbridge, Gavin Watts, Maggie Wade-Williams,

Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams, Maciej Ziebicki

Special thanks to: Dave Blewer (Snr.), Jenny Blewer, Steve Benton, Dave “Grubman” Bezio, Markus “Derfinsterling” Finster, Marc Hameleers, Bob Harding, Gerald Harding, Shane Hensley, Mauler, Rich Mitchell, Mike Montesa, Randy Mosiondz, Eric Nieudian, Skathros, Brent Wolke and

Dave Wood. Thanks Chaps!

Dedication: To my own three little wildlings, Rhiannon, Jordan, and Molly.

Special Dedication: This book wouldn’t have been half so much fun to write without the support and encouragement of my gaming group, Kevin Anderson, Paul Keeble, Dave Lloyd, Matthew Scott,

Simon Scott, Sarah Steward, Dan Tunbridge, and Gavin Watts.

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ContentSThe Sundered SkieS ...........................3CharaCTerS .........................................7Making Characters ....................................9Races ......................................................10Hindrances .............................................15Edges ......................................................16Gear .......................................................27Trading ...................................................28Skyships ..................................................34MaGiC & reliGion .............................39Religion in the Skies ...............................39Other Gods .............................................44New Spells ..............................................46SeTTinG ruleS ....................................51Glowmadness .........................................51Skyship Rules .........................................52Repairs ....................................................54Docking with Islands..............................54Crew .......................................................54Travel & Encounters ...............................55GazeTTeer...........................................57a World in hell ................................63iSlandS of The SkieS ........................67Aria .........................................................68Bridgeways .............................................68Dragon’s Spine .......................................69Heartland ...............................................70Freedom Isle ..........................................71Shadowhaven .........................................72Star Crater Isle........................................73The Ice Isles ...........................................73The Draining Sea ....................................73Canopy ...................................................74Meeting Place .........................................75The Lower Reaches ...............................76Deepsky Citadel .....................................76Mount Ore ..............................................77Plenty ......................................................77The Shattered City..................................77The Void .................................................78advenTureS .......................................79Adventure ...............................................80Employment ...........................................82Trade ......................................................84Crime ......................................................86

Salvage ....................................................88Complications ........................................92SavaGe TaleS .......................................93Scavenger Hunt ......................................93A Dragon’s Rage .....................................96Orcbane ..................................................99The Iron Citadel ...................................100The Mad God .......................................105The Damned Dwarf ..............................107Savior of the Elves ................................107A Call to Battle .....................................108The Heart .............................................110Within A Blood Red Sky .....................................114The Festival ..........................................114The Diseased Dead ..............................114The Phantom Isle .................................115Murder Most Foul ................................116The Bloody Temple ..............................118Requiem ...............................................119Bad Business ........................................119Weapon Run .........................................120The Ship Snare .....................................120The Unnamed ......................................121The Shepherd .......................................122The Dwarven Mother ...................................123Brotherly Love ......................................123Behemoths ...........................................124Haunted! ..............................................124The Bait ...............................................125The Treasure Horde ...................................126Fire Upon The Deep .....................................126Landfall .................................................127A Hero’s Wraith ....................................127The Courier ..........................................128The Hunger ..........................................128Gladiators .............................................130The Delivery .........................................131Dragon’s Sons ......................................131Doubles ................................................132Civil War ...............................................133Council Games .....................................134Festival’s Tear .......................................135CharaCTerS & CreaTureS ..........137Salvage ..................................................137Heroes and Villains ..............................168Character Sheet ....................................173Ship/Ally Sheet .....................................174Index ....................................................175

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The Sundered Skies began when another world died.

Millennia ago, a terrible cataclysm shattered a world. What remained was an unknown number of islands floating in a fathomless void. Millions perished in the Sundering, and hundreds of thousands more died during the chaos that followed. Despite the horrors of these times, the races of elf, dwarf, man, orc, and drakin—aided by mostly benevolent gods—survived and flourished in this strange new world.

Now, skyships fly between islands, allowing trade, travel, exploration, and the salvaging of artifacts and material from the pre-Sundering age. Skyship crews face dangerous weather, pirates, and more, while scavengers of ancient ruins often face the undead and other, darker creatures. The churches of the Skies bring together worshippers to pay homage to the gods. The powerful and bureaucratic Trade Council enforces a sky-wide peace, turning a blind eye to several small, clandestine wars continuing in the shadows. Meanwhile, mysterious and arcane secret societies hatch their baleful plans.

Sundered Skies is still a dangerous place.

The IslandsIslands range in size from those barely

large enough for a single tower to a size where they can support several cities. In the inland regions of larger islands, there is often no evidence you are standing on a lump of rock floating in an endless void.

Why the islands float and how they orbit one another—sometimes moving against the strong wind currents that whip between

them—is open to conjecture. Many put it down to the gods. Others claim there is a magically-active mineral within the islands that keeps them aloft. Most do not question the mysteries of their world and simply get on with their lives.

Very rarely, it has been known for an island to fall and either crash into a lower island or disappear into the depths of the void. This terrifying phenomenon is called “landfall.” Sometimes the inhabitants of an island get some warning, such as tremors or smaller landfalls, before the cataclysm. More often they do not.

Collisions with other islands can also happen. Seventy years ago, the city of Spire was destroyed in a catastrophic collision with a previously unknown isle, killing thousands. A group of sorcerers surviving the disaster founded a paranoid guild of astronomers, The Sons of Spire. Now they scour the void looking for rogue islands, anxious to prevent disaster.

The vast empty spaces between islands are plagued with winds that can blow at extraordinary speeds. The inhabited islands are those spared these destructive winds, but many an isle can be found that has been scoured clean, leaving nothing more than wind-eroded bedrock. A permanent twister, called a vortex, forms where predominant airstreams meet, creating a navigational hazard strong enough to tear islands apart.

Unknown forces prevent ships from flying over islands unless they travel at least a mile above it. A ship may approach an island’s edge, but for reasons not fully understood, they are unable to sail closer without also sailing higher.

the Sundered SkieS

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Sundered SkieS

The VoId & Glowmadness A vast void fills the spaces between the

islands. Wicked winds blow through the void, sometimes at hurricane strength, propelling sailed ships at incredible speeds. Even so, travelers often see nothing for days on end, such are the distances between islands.

The void is bathed in a constant glow of orange light, which comes straight down from above at every point and place. There is no night in the Skies. This glow has two alarming properties. Firstly, sentient human-oid creatures cast no shadows. Structures, trees, and even islands cast shadows as usual, but humans, dwarves, and members of other races do not.

Far worse, though, prolonged exposure to the glow—sometimes called voidlight—drives a humanoid “glowmad.” This creeping, degenerative affliction causes rage and uncontrollable aggression, and if unchecked changes the individual into a bestial, hate-filled savage. Though victims of glowmadness cannot be restored to normality by any known

method, for reasons unknown, animals and non-humanoid sentient creatures, such as dragons, are immune to glowmadness.

Each individual can withstand a different period of exposure before succumbing to glowmadness. Most spend their sleep cycles out of the direct voidglow, as any exposure carries a slight risk. Those unable to find shelter must seek alternate protection, and experienced travelers carry a piece of heavy canvas to avoid the glow’s maddening embraces.

Ship voyages are very hazardous, then, as crew members must expose themselves to the danger in order to complete their journey.

skyshIpsDifferent races favor skyships of different

designs. Dwarven ships are often metal clad steamers, loaded with cannon. Elvish ships have an organic look, and are grown rather than built, with sail-like canopies of leaves that catch the winds. Drakin ships are built to resemble and honor their dragon kin, and are often propelled by a pair of huge wings. Orcish ships are large galleys, rowed by goblin slaves. Humans build sailing ships for the most part, though some use steamers, galleys, or hybrid designs.

Skyships navigate their way through the void using mysterious scrying devices called wayspheres—heavy crystal globes filled with magically charged water with a flint-tipped arrow suspended at their center. Wayspheres are attuned to a ship as part of her launching ceremony.

A navigator must handle rock or dirt from the island to which he wishes to travel no more than thirteen hours before attuning the sphere. Then all he need do is concentrate on the chosen destination and the arrow points the way.

Navigator halls are found in every port and contain earth from all known islands. A nominal fee (typically 10 cogs) allows an hour’s access to the hall. Many captains keep samples from every island they have visited to reduce costs.

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The Sundered SkieSThe Trade CounCIl

Trade is the life-blood of the Sundered Skies. No island is self-sufficient and all rely on imported materials. Three hundred years ago, a series of wars raged across the void over resources and trade conflicts.

Slowly, after over 100 years, the wars finally stuttered to a close and truces were called as people tried to understand what had driven them to such madness. Powerful figures in the political, religious, and commercial arenas—led by the Battlelord’s warpriests—took steps to ensure a similar tragedy must never be allowed to happen again.

The Trade Council was born.

Island jealously guards their sovereignty. Each ruler is able to pass laws and edicts without input or intervention from other islands. The Trade Council does not get involved unless an island’s laws or actions affect trade or threaten the general peace. In such cases, the decrees of the Council take precedence—and it calls upon the militia of every island, as well as its own military might, to enforce its decisions.

Each island sends one representative to the Council meetings at its headquarters in Shadowhaven. In theory, this means rich islands, such as Heartland, have no more influence than any other isle. In reality, richer islands drive the Trade Council policies to their advantage. However, they have to tread carefully lest a coalition of smaller islands defeat them. The balance is delicate.

Much of the Trade Council’s work is in organizing food and water transports to remote islands, bankrolling wayfinders, who survey and map the void, and arbitrating trade disputes.

Many, mostly the rich, consider the Trade Council to be an overwhelming success. They point to hundreds of years of sky-wide peace—choosing to overlook the many “silent wars” and constant sabotage that continues unchecked—and so justify their endless bureaucratic debates and filibusters, all the while lining their own pockets.

Food & waTerThe void is teeming with life. Huge flocks

of bird-like creatures called skylers roam the Skies, seldom sighting land. Strange, edible, rootless plants, which draw sustenance from the air, are blown wherever the wind may take them. The Skies are vast, and even though life is present in abundance, finding and harvesting enough to feed an island requires constant effort.

Most islands maintain fleets of trawlers that constantly sail the Skies, nets deployed for miles behind them to collect food. Such trawling is dangerous—ships disappear into the void never to be seen again, the victims of pirates, predators, or other dangers—but their role is a vital part of life in the Skies.

Most ships traveling through the void deploy nets. These usually collect enough foodstuffs to feed the crew. Should such a ship collect a surplus, the crew can generally find a willing buyer at the next port.

Most islands support the trawlers’ catches by cultivating edible fungi on underisles—islets constantly in the shade of the main island—and harvesting whatever plants or animals their climate supports. Islanders are brutally pragmatic and underisles often also serve as burial grounds. Nothing goes to waste in the Sundered Skies.

Thirst is a constant problem in the Skies. Very few islands have any standing water and lakes are not fed by springs or underground streams, but only by rainfall. Arid islands are forced to bolster their meager rainfall with water imported from more fortunate islands.

Hundreds of leagues above the highest inhabited island floats the Draining Sea—the largest known landmass. Explorers have yet to map it all. The island is covered by a massive glacier, which constantly splinters, spilling ice into the void. The ice thaws as it descends through warmer bands, falling as snow or rain on the islands below. Strong air currents in the higher altitudes bring occasional rainfall to even the most remote islands.

Several orc tribes force slaves and convicts to mine ice from the Draining Sea, ferrying it away, and selling it to islands in need.

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Printer Friendly ONPrinter Friendly OFFFront CoverMap of the SkiesCredits PageContentsThe Sundered Skies CharactersMaking CharactersRacesHindrances Edges

GearGear NotesSkyships

Magic & ReligionReligion in the SkiesOther GodsEngineersSorcerersNew Spells

Setting RulesGlowmadnessSkyship RulesRepairsDocking with IslandsCrewTravel & Encounters

GazetteerA World in HellIslands of the SkiesAriaBridgeways Dragon's SpineHeartlandFreedom IsleShadowhavenStar Crater IsleThe Draining SeaCanopyMeeting PlaceThe Lower ReachesDeepsky CitadelMount OrePlenty The Shattered CityThe Void

AdventuresAdventureEmploymentTradeCrimeSalvageComplications

Savage TalesScavenger Hunt A Dragon's RageOrcbaneThe Iron CitadelThe Mad GodThe Damned DwarfSavior of the ElvesA Call to BattleThe Heart Within a Blood Red SkyThe FestivalThe Diseased DeadThe Phantom IsleA Murder Most FoulThe Bloody TempleRequiemBad BusinessWeapon RunThe Ship SnareThe UnnamedThe ShepherdThe Dwarven MotherBrotherly LoveBehemothsHaunted!The BaitThe Treasure HordeFire Upon The DeepLandfallA Hero's WraithThe CourierThe HungerGladiatorsThe DeliveryDragon's SonsDoublesCivil WarCouncil Games Festival's Tear

Characters & CreaturesSalvageHeroes and Villains

Character SheetShip SheetIndexMap of the SkiesBack Cover

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