TEXT: Scarab
  by Gregor Hutton∗
  Version 1.06 · For use with ERP†
  November 2, 2002
  Ancient Adventure
  Music
  For background music I recom-
  mend that you check out Peter
  Gabriel’s ‘Passion’ and ‘Passion:
  Sources’. The former was used
  as the soundtrack to ‘The Last
  Temptation of Christ’ a ﬁlm by
  Martin Scorsese, while the latter
  is traditional music that helped
  inspire Gabriel.
  Scarab is a role-playing game setting of high adventure, of swords and
  sorcery, and of deserts and dust. The world is magickal, with more than
  a hint of Egypt, Sinbad and Conan. For use with Elegant Role-Playing
  (ERP).
  Contents
  • Introduction
  • Tales of the Desert
  • Creatures of Courage
  • Archetypes
  • Arms and Armour
  • Spells and Spellcasting
  • Lands of High Adventure
  Introduction
  Scarab is a land of diverse cultures and characters.
  ∗Email: gregor@gregorhutton.com
  †ERP is c⃝2002 Gregor Hutton. Website: http://gregorhutton.com/
  
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  Elegant Role-Playing
  Geography
  Language
  Scripts, Hieroglyphs and Runes
  History
  Gods
  Anubis
  Jackal-headed deity, the most powerful God of the Underworld.
  Jhavun
  A former Felmar Emperor who was elevated to lesser deity status when
  he died. He is worshipped widely across the Felmar empire, and is the
  God of public buildings and learning.
  Maulkrot
  Orcish deity, who the Orcs believe is the only real God.
  Magick
  Glory
  Tales of the Desert
  Creatures of Courage
  Humans
  Humans are the most common adventuring race on Scarab. They range
  widely in height and weight. Skin colour varies from pale white in the
  far north to dark brown in the far south of the Felmar empire.
  Outlanders
  Outlanders are barbarians organized in tribes worshipping a variety
  of Gods, mostly animal and nature totems. The tribes often war with
  one another but generally band together when faced with a common
  enemy (such as the Panzian Empire to the west of the Outlands). How-
  ever, the Outlanders have been known to attempt unprovoked assaults
  on Panzia themselves, and the Panzians have constructed an impres-
  sive stone wall along the entire border between the two cultures. Some
  Outlanders are of Panzian stock, stolen from slaughtered parents and
  raised on hatred for their former families. That is not to say that Out-
  landers are uncaring or callous. While they are a barbarian culture they
  do also have deep family ties and they record their history in moving
  songs and dances. A typical Outlander adventurer is a Barbarian or
  Reaver, carrying an Outlander Axe and Warhorn.
  Freelanders
  Freelanders are physically similar to Outlanders, which is not surpris-
  ing since they are direct descendants. Captured Outlanders were made
  slaves by the Felmar to the east many centuries ago. They were used
  to build the great temples and pyramids that characterize the Felmar
  empire. As a result of this there were many slaves in the Felmar lands
  and they were highly valued by their feline masters. It was in the reign
  of the Third Dynasty of the Emperor Jhavun that all slaves were given
  
  Scarab
  3
  their freedom and became known as Freelanders. Felmar history states
  this was a reward for the slaves who had fought in the defence of the
  Felmar empire from the fourth and last incursion by the Orks. In reality,
  the reason was more pragmatic. If the slaves had chosen to revolt, the
  depleted Felmar armies would have been in no position to stop them,
  so heavy had their losses to the Orks been. Since then the Freelanders
  have been staunch supporters of the monarchy of the Felmar and while
  many Freelanders tend the arable lands and provide crops for the em-
  pire, many other Freelanders take up arms or work in the many libraries
  and buildings of government. There is no such thing as a typical Free-
  lander adventurer as the Felmar empire offers a wealth of opportunities
  to its peoples.
  Panzians
  Panzia is an empire of humans to the very west of the Outlands. The
  boundary of the empire is marked by a massive stone wall that stretches
  from the frozen north to the tropical south. On the Panzian side of the
  wall there are deep forests that stretch for many weeks of travel on foot.
  In the interior of the empire they have fabulously jewelled temples and
  cities constructed of stone, cloth and paper. Meeting a Panzian outside
  of their empire is a very rare act. If any are to be found they are probably
  outcasts from the strict social heirarchy of the Panzian empire. They
  wear fabulous silk garments and their weapons are ornate as they are
  deadly.
  Orcs
  Orcs are second only to humans in number of all the civilized peoples of
  Scarab. Orcs are widely mistrusted in the Felmar empire and the Out-
  lands, and adventuring Orcs are trusted far less than that when they re-
  turn to their own homelands. The Panzians have never warred against
  Orcs and are unfamiliar with them.
  There has not been a major war between the Felmar and the Orcs for
  many centuries and so Orcs can be found in small numbers across the
  whole empire. However, Orcs occupy vast swathes of land to the north
  and east of the Felmar lands where they live in relative isolation.
  Desert Orcs
  Desert Orcs are the most common Orcs encountered by non-Orcs. They
  alternately raid merchant routes and trade with humans and Felmar
  depending on the whim of their tribal leader. Desert Orcs have a rep-
  utation for determination and grim humour. They inhabit a harsh en-
  vironment and the life of a Desert Orc is often short and painful. They
  breed rapidly and only the high mortality rate ensures that there is not a
  population explosion. Still, they are excellent craftsmen and hard work-
  ers. Orcs are said to inhabit vast dungeon-cities in the deepest reaches
  of the eastern deserts.
  Rumours that they cannot swim are mostly untrue, although they
  commonly have a fear of the open sea. They are well adapted to life
  in the desert. Desert Orcs worship their God Maulkrot, although they
  disagree with Mountain Orcs on many facets of their God.
  Mountain Orcs
  Mountain Orcs are more misunderstood than their Desert cousins. Moun-
  tain Orcs have long lives and a highly complicated society of warriors,
  shamans, artists and philosophers. However, all Mountain Orcs are for-
  bidden from talking of their society to outsiders, including Desert Orcs.
  Any Mountain Orc trying to do so is said to be struck down dead by
  
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  Elegant Role-Playing
  Maulkrot. Recently the Mountain Orcs have united under a common
  leader for the ﬁrst time since the Fourth Incursion. The new leader Fer-
  ros, meaning Orc of Steel, is unknown to all but the Mountain Orcs. His
  name is written as the symbol for iron with a crown atop. The Moun-
  tain Orcs sometimes trade and often war with the Mountain Dwarves
  but these contacts and conﬂicts have all but ceased since Ferros came to
  power.
  In the distant past Mountain Orcs ruled over their Desert cousins,
  who they view as generally ill-disciplined and less cerebral than them-
  selves. Mountain Orcs are devoutly religious.
  Spirit Peoples
  Elves
  Nymphs and The Fae
  Mountain Dwarves
  Felmar
  A race of cat-people descended from an ancient civilization that van-
  ished long ago leaving a legacy of mystery behind.
  Dogmar
  A race descended from the God Anubis, mostly embalmers and priests
  to his cult. These creatures are jackal- or dog-headed with long faces
  and sharp pointed ears. Their bodies are humanoid and covered in
  pallid skin but their heads are coated in a short black fur. They are
  found wherever there are temples for the dead in the Felmar empire.
  However, you could count the number of Dogmar in any given city
  on your ﬁngers. Silent and secretive they know more than they will
  divulge. The dead speak to them.
  Archetypes
  Fighter, Warrior, Soldier, Barbarian, Mercenary
  A typical Fighter has no trouble ﬁnding work, whether it is as a soldier
  of the Emperor or protecting a trade caravan from bandits. The job is
  hard but the rewards can be great, for the lucky ones who survive a
  long life as a warrior that is.
  Typical Skills: Armed Combat, Unarmed Combat, Riding, Survival,
  World Lore, Missile Combat, Gambling, Marching, Chariot, Naviga-
  tion, Singing, Tactics, Bravado.
  Typical Outﬁt: Ring Mail, backpack, dagger, sword, rope, water-
  skins, food, blanket, bone dice, a poor-quality horse, a bow, some ar-
  rows.
  Suggested Gifts: Favoured (you are a particular favourite of a God
  and they watch over your adventures), Herculean Strength (you can
  perform extraordinary feats of Strength such as lifting boulders in ex-
  change for Wounds of exertion, it has no combat effect), Eyes of a Hawk
  (you can see far farther than normal), Rapid Healer (you can heal quicker
  than normal), Runner (you are able to run faster and for far longer than
  other characters and creatures).
  Social status: Trusted across Scarab, ﬁghters are a vital part of all
  cultures. Most follow some code of honour and many townspeople and
  farmers were ﬁghters at one point in their life. A brave ﬁghter is never
  short of a meal or somewhere to stay the night. People may not like you
  personally, but they respect you and your job.
  
  Scarab
  5
  Thief, Rogue, Burglar, Cut-throat, Charlatan
  A Thief is someone that makes their living by taking from others, whether
  by skill or deception.
  Still, this does not necessarily make the thief
  unpopular. Spreading the stolen wealth around their compatriots cer-
  tainly helps their friends turn a blind eye to their less-than-lawful ways.
  Typical Skills: Lockpicking, Tracking, Climbing, Stealth, Streetwise,
  Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Pickpocket, Armed Combat, Unarmed
  Combat, Forgery, Mimicry.
  Typical Outﬁt: Ordinary clothes, satchel, dagger, short sword or
  club, rope, padded leather armour, a cloak, several sacks, some cheap
  stolen jewellery.
  Suggested Gifts: Light Fingered (you are supernaturally talented at
  picking pockets and purses without getting caught), Cat’s Feet (handy
  for a burglar, you are able to fall large distances and land relatively
  safely), Magickal Specialist: Thief (you are adept at ‘thief’s magick’,
  which is useful for hiding and acting silently), Connected (you are con-
  nected to a large guild of thieves and can call on fellow thieves for help),
  Stolen Magickal Item (you possess a magickal item that is reasonably
  powerful, say a ring of invisibility; the downside is that it is very much
  sought after by others. . .)
  Social status: Tolerated in most of the empire, thieves are often very
  popular in large cities (as long as the crime rate isn’t too high). Charis-
  matic robbers can even be wildly popular in some areas, at long as they
  don’t get convicted and exiled to the Salt Desert. There are licensed
  thieves guilds that exist in all the major cities. Mountain Orcs forbid
  thievery and so thieves are punished by mutilation and if they persist
  in their profession, death.
  Reaver, Raider, Corsair, Pirate, Assassin
  Adept at ﬁghting and thievery, Reavers and their ilk travel along the
  trade routes seeking gold and adventure. Wherever there are thrills
  to be found they will not be far away. Their life is glamourous and
  dangerous.
  Typical Skills: Armed Combat, Unarmed Combat, Stealth, Climb,
  Riding, Boating, Survival, Swim, Evaluate, Poison, Intimidation, World
  Lore
  Typical Outﬁt: Loose clothes, backpack, dagger, short sword, rope,
  part of a treasure map, waterskin and some food, scarf, hood.
  Suggested Gifts: Ambidextrous (you can ﬁght with either hand
  which is useful for mounted combat and ﬁghting on the high seas),
  Social status: Untrusted in towns and rural areas, raiders and the
  like are more tolerated in large cities and ports, where they may even
  be members of a licensed guild. Some outlying islands are inhabited
  almost entirely by pirates and corsairs, while large areas of the Outlands
  are populated mainly by reavers. So in these areas they have a much
  higher status. Assassins tend not to admit their true profession.
  Cleric, Priest, Shaman, Druid, Warlock
  Religion and talk of Gods dominate the lives of the ordinary peoples
  of Scarab. The many Clerics spread the word of their deities and their
  magick too.
  Typical Skills:
  Typical Outﬁt:
  Suggested Gifts: Magickal Ability (very poweful clerics and priests
  can casts spells, enchantments and so on just like sorcerers; however,
  should the magick user fall out of favour with their God then their
  abilities may temporarily stop or act in mysterious ways), Magickal
  Specialist (you are adept at a particular type of magick, such as Forest
  
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  Elegant Role-Playing
  Magick, Blessings/Enchantments, or your God’s magick), Connected
  (you are an excellent organizer and popular in your sect; you have the
  priestly equivalent of a thief’s ‘Connected’ ability), Martyr (your suffer-
  ing draws plenty of followers and great tales will be told of your many
  trials and tribulations).
  Social status:
  Sorcerer, Wizard, Enchanter, Witch, Mage
  Scarab is innately magickal, and spell-casters can be found all across the
  land.
  Typical Skills:
  Typical Outﬁt:
  Suggested Gifts: Magickal Ability
  Social status:
  Noble, Trader, Academic, Scribe, Servant
  Wherever there are people there is trade. The trade routes also foster a
  thriving society of historians, academics, playwrights, servants, scribes
  and so on.
  Typical Skills:
  Typical Outﬁt:
  Suggested Gifts:
  Social status:
  Arms and Armour
  Type of Armour
  Shield
  Leather Armour
  Padded Armour
  Studded Leather
  Desert Ring Mail
  Orc Scale Mail
  Panzian Lamellar Armour
  Chain Mail
  Dwarven Plate Mail
  Weapon, DM, cost
  Blunt Weapons
  Wooden Club, −1
  2H Metal Stave, 0
  2H Freelander Haft, +1
  Edged Weapons
  City Dagger, −2, 1 J
  Dogmar Blade, 0
  Desert Short Sword, 0, 5 J
  Freelander Sword, 0/+1
  Orc Sword, +1
  Giant Sword, +2
  Outlander Weapons
  Outlander Axe
  Outlander War Axe
  Outlander Flail
  Outlander War Flail
  Outlander Sword
  Outlander Knife
  
  Scarab
  7
  Missile Weapons
  Bow
  Crossbow
  Sling
  Spear
  Spells and Spellcasting
  Clerical Magic
  Sorcerous Magic
  Lands of High Adventure
  The Felmar Empire and tales of the ancients.
  Sample Characters
  A’Chulain, Outlander Barbarian
  Mastery: 6 (0: strong), Wisdom: 3, Power: 6
  Skills: Armed Combat (0), Riding (1), Healing (2)
  Gifts: Herculean Strength (10)
  Glory: 2
  Shem, Felmar Scribe
  Mastery: 4, Wisdom: 7 (0: educated, 4: reasoned), Power: 4 (2: persua-
  sive)
  Skills: Literacy (0), Languages (1), History (2), Cultures (3)
  Gifts:
  Glory: 3
  Carrie, Elven Reaver
  Mastery: , Wisdom: , Power:
  Skills:
  Gifts:
  Tupar, Dogmar Sorcerer
  Mastery: , Wisdom: , Power:
  Skills:
  Gifts:
  Voron, Freelander Mercenary
  Mastery: , Wisdom: , Power:
  Skills:
  Gifts:
  Mummat, Freelander Pathﬁnder
  Mastery: , Wisdom: , Power:
  Skills:
  Gifts:
  Notes
  Written in LATEX2ε (book class)
  and typeset in Palatino font.
  c⃝2002 Gregor Hutton.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Elegant/Elegant Scarab.pdf