The Stygians

The Stygians are an ancient, decadent people, born of a culture more than fifteen hundred years older than any of their neighboring kingdoms to the north.

Dominated by a ruthless theocracy dedicated to the worship of the serpent-god Set, the Stygians are masters of occult secrets and diabolic lore. The scholarship is legendary and their mastery of the magical arts is without equal anywhere in the known world. Unlike the Hyborian kingdoms the Stygians care little for what goes on beyond their borders; while the Aquilonians and the Nemedians measure their worth in castles and glittering armies, the scholar-priests of Stygia care nothing for such trifles. They learned long ago that true power lies in knowledge and in pacts with dark powers older than the cosmos itself.

Players in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will find that the Stygians can be a joy to role-play. Their mysterious and magically aligned nature makes them perfect for those who want to play an intelligent and wise character who holds great power behind his or her dark eyes, yet they might also choose to play the role of a Stygian rogue whose main goal is to grab the riches that might be found in the estates of those in the upper castes. The Stygians are a diverse people who follow many paths of life, and players will find a wealth of opportunities if they choose to enter Hyboria as one of them.

Stygian society is divided into three rigid hereditary castes: the nobility, the aristocracy or middle caste, and the peasant caste. The noble caste is much diminished in the modern age. Unlike the lower castes, whose blood has been increasingly intermingled with Kothian, Shemite and Kushite stock, the Stygian noble caste is tall and dark-haired, with fair, ivory-colored skin. They are rarely seen even in the largest Stygian cities, and are never known to travel abroad, preferring to spend lives of indolence and contemplation in their lotus-perfumed estates.

The middle caste comprises the Stygian aristocracy, and is the true ruling power of the realm. Tall but dusky-skinned, black-haired and hawk-nosed, the aristocracy provides the scholars and priests that run the kingdom’s many temples and maintain its fabled libraries. Beneath their heel lies the peasant caste, marked by their shorter stature, swarthier skin and heavier build. The aristocrats rule the peasant caste with an iron grip, steeping them in a culture of absolute subservience and fear. The peasant caste exist to serve the aristocracy and to feed the appetites of their god Set, and even the merest hint of disobedience is enough to merit an agonizing death in the torture chambers of the city temples.

Stygians as a people favor cunning, intelligence and agility over brute strength. Swords and axes are the hallmarks of a barbarian, not a civilized person. For this reason, most Stygians found outside the borders of their kingdom are typically scholars or seekers of knowledge. This quest for knowledge can come in many forms, whether through the practice of sorcery, the study of the body and the healing arts, or the stealthy practice of assassination or thievery. Each pursuit is equally valid in a Stygian’s eyes, because they require intellect, education and discipline; qualities they believe to be lacking in the lesser kingdoms of the age.

In Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the affinity Stygians have for magic is particularly evident. Their ability to master this ancient art has led them to become the only one of the three races who can specialize in the Mage archetype. Also, for Stygians who decide to follow the archetype of the Priest, they hold exclusive sway over the powerful path of the Tempest of Set. Stygian Mages can become Necromancers, Heralds of Xotli and Demonologists. For those who choose to follow the ways of the Rogue or Priest, they can also become Assassins and Rangers. Their superiority in magic has its price, however, as Stygians can never become Soldiers.

The classes a Stygian can play are:
Mage: Demonologist, Herald of Xotli, Necromancer
Priest: Tempest of Set
Rogue: Assassin, Ranger

The Cimmerians

"You laugh greatly, drink deep and bellow good songs; though I never saw another Cimmerian who drank aught but water, or who ever laughed, or ever sang save to chant dismal dirges."

"Perhaps it's the land they live in," answered the king. "A gloomier land never was— all of hills, darkly wooded, under skies nearly always gray, with winds moaning drearily down the valleys."

"Little wonder men grow moody there," quoth Prospero with a shrug of his shoulders, thinking of the smiling sun-washed plains and blue lazy rivers of Poitain, Aquilonia's southernmost province."

"They have no hope here or hereafter," answered Conan. "Their gods are Crom and his dark race, who rule over a sunless place of everlasting mist, which is the world of the dead. Mitra! The ways of the Æsir were more to my liking."

—The Phoenix on the Sword, Robert E. Howard

A shroud hangs over the people of Cimmeria. While one might assume it is the pall of the dark weather overhead, eternally threatening grim days and violent storms, the truth is that the Cimmerians live under a shroud of impending doom. As the Hyborian Age enters its final centuries, few people feel it as acutely as the northern barbarian clans. It is a subconscious sensation—more a subtle, ever-present melancholy than any true emotion. But it is there, in the blood and bones of every Cimmerian. They all feel it. They each sense, deep within, the end is coming.

In Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, players will find that playing the Cimmerians can be a very varied experience. Their barbaric nature, their stout posture and their willingness to charge into a battle where the odds are against them, should appeal to those players who would solve a dispute with the blade rather than with words. Still, Cimmerians are a people with an interesting culture that often runs deeper than the roots of mountains, and exploring this society as a player will yield many surprises. They are certainly barbaric, but they have hearts – hearts that beat for the land that surrounds them and for their bloodline. Weaving an interesting story for your Cimmerian should pose no challenge.

King Conan I of Aquilonia is Hyboria’s most renowned Cimmerian, though he is not a typical example of his people. He treasures life while his people struggle through and endure it. He burned with a curiosity to see the world’s wonders, while his kinfolk even now stay within the mountainous boundaries of their homeland and care nothing for what occurs outside their clan territories. Life is hard in Cimmeria, and no greater evidence for this fact exists than the dour Cimmerians themselves.

The Cimmerians are a barbarous people, with a culture shaped by their harsh and dreary land to the point where foreigners look askance at the tribes of the north and wonder if they ever laugh or sing any songs beyond dismal dirges. To the world beyond Cimmeria, the barbarians of this cold and rugged region are locked in the misery of internal wars between feuding tribes and surviving through the efforts of dedicated hunters that provide for each community. The Cimmerians live hand to mouth in a hostile realm. It earns them the pity of the other nations, but it gives them a strength no training can ever teach.

While the Cimmerians acknowledge Crom as their god, they do not worship him as the Aquilonians revere Mitra and the Stygians fear Set. Crom watches and broods from his mountain throne, but he cares nothing for the lives of mortals. The Cimmerians believe that Crom gives them strength at birth—the strength they will need to meet the trials of life. After that, they are on their own, as it should be.

The barbarians have little in the way of writing or book-learning, instead passing their lore verbally in fireside tales or whispered legends. They value martial prowess over their enemies, physical strength, and the ability to provide for oneself over all else. While they have their seers and shamans, the supernatural holds terror for most barbarians, not any wonder or tempting appeal. They pride themselves on working through life with their strength, skill and cunning, and never relying on the arcane mysteries that blacken the souls of the men in other nations.

It should come as no surprise to you that the path Cimmerians usually choose in life involves weapons, blood and a lot of hard work. As a player you will have the option of choosing between three of the four archetypes, namely Rogues, Soldiers and Priests. The path of the Mage is closed to Cimmerians, but most of their people have little interest in delving into the deep mysteries of magic, anyway. Those who do have an affinity for the otherworldly will rather dedicate their life to becoming a Priest and later join the ranks of the Bear Shamans. Those who choose to go the way of the Rogue may explore classes such as the Ranger and the Barbarian, while Soldiers may become Guardians, Conquerors or Dark Templars. Regardless of your choice, playing a Cimmerian will be a challenge!

The classes a Cimmerian can play are:
Soldier: Conqueror, Dark Templar, Guardian
Priest: Bear Shaman
Rogue: Barbarian, Ranger

The Aquilonians

The Aquilonians are a people divided behind a front of unity, and threatened behind a show of dominance. Their kingdom, the so-called Flower of the West, is the unrivalled jewel of Hyboria.

“I found Aquilonia in the grip of a pig like you – one who traced his genealogy for a thousand years. The land was torn with the wars of the barons, and the people cried out under suppression and taxation. Today no Aquilonian noble dares maltreat the humblest of my subjects, and the taxes of the people are lighter than anywhere else in the world.”

– The Scarlet Citadel, Robert E. Howard

The Aquilonians are a people divided behind a front of unity, and threatened behind a show of dominance. Their kingdom, the so-called Flower of the West, is the unrivalled jewel of Hyboria. It is a land of prosperous cities, great wealth, enlightened culture, with a king-sanctioned order of religious freedom, where no faith shall be oppressed. Yet for all the kingdom’s vaunted glories and despite the actions of its popular monarch, King Conan I, it is a land where culture clashes and the chaos of unrest always threaten the populace.

In Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, playing an Aquilonian will ensure a varied and diverse gaming experience. Landing somewhere in the middle of the Cimmerians and the Stygians on many different levels, the Aquilonian is a perfect choice for anyone wanting to role-play a character that has not got as many stereotypical features pinned to him or her as the other races often have. It is easy to draw parallels between the Aquilonians and the Romans, mostly because both people are known for their highly cultured society where structure is held in high regard. Perhaps that is why it can be even more exciting to take an Aquilonian and bring him or her into the extremes of life. It may be easy to role-play a battle-savvy Cimmerian or a cunning Stygian, but doing the same with an Aquilonian may open up fresh and fascinating ways of shaping your character.

Aquilonians know now, just as they always have, that their borders are neither safe nor sealed. Conflict with other nations scars Aquilonia’s history, with Pictish raids increasing in number year by year and enmity between Aquilonians and Nemedians reaching back for many decades. With the kingdom comprised of so many conquered, submissive or allied nations, Aquilonians also expect a degree of tension within their own lands. In the past, pretenders to the throne have raised armies and marched on the capital Tarantia, plunging the people of the nation into periods of civil war. While the nation is ostensibly peaceful, all Aquilonians have come to expect a degree of bloodshed around their throne and over issues of sovereignty.

or all these epic troubles, the people of the world’s greatest kingdom are cultured and educated, more so than any other nation can claim of its citizens. Scholars are respected as much as soldiers, and slavery – where it is practiced – is nothing like as harsh as the servitude found in other nations. Quality of life is important to the Aquilonians.

Aquilonian fighters are disciplined and tough, often more soldier than warrior. The people value martial skill and admire any who stand against the nation’s many enemies, especially the hated Picts. Aquilonians also value free-thinking and independence, so those who can make a living off the backs of their own self-reliance often gathers respect. Sorcery is shunned as the pursuit of evil men, but Mitran priests practice their own magic and earn great respect among the populace for their perceived favor in the light of the true god’s grace.

Because of their toughness combined with great their discipline, Aquilonians make great Soldiers, and these can pursue the path of the Guardian, the Dark Templar or the Conqueror. While the Aquilonians can’t become Mages, many of them still chooses to tap into the higher powers by following the way of the Priest to later become Priests of Mitra. Aquilonians are also known to be great Rogues, advancing into the roles of the Assassin, the Barbarian or the Ranger. In short, an Aquilonian will give you plenty of choices as you progress through Hyboria.

The classes an Aquilonian can play are:
Soldier: Conqueror, Dark Templar, Guardian
Priest: Priest of Mitra
Rogue: Assassin, Barbarian, Ranger

Tempest of Set

Tempest of Set
These priests wield the awesome destructive might of Set, the snake god of Stygia.
This elder god, ancient when man was young, rewards his most faithful disciplies with mighty powers; lightning strikes that can tear the tops from mountains or lay waste to entire regions.
These followers of Set are renowned for the obliteration and ruin that follows in their wake, but like other priests, they have the power to heal en masse and restore life. As well as a variety of martial weapons, light armor, and shields, they can also wield magical talismans in the form of ancient tomes or the hearts of slain monsters.
Archetype: Priest
Permitted Races: Stygian
Weapons: One-handed blunts, one-handed edged, polearms, daggers, bows, crossbows, and thrown weapons.
Armor: Cloth armor, light armor, and shields.

Ranger

Ranger
Rangers are the finest marksmen in Hyboria, capable of stalking an enemy and delivering devastating shots with pinpoint accuracy.
From the skilled woodsmen of the Bossonian Marches to the shortbow wielding horsemen of the Stygian desert, their skills with a bow set them apart from other warriors.
With an arsenal of specialist shots that can pin an enemy down, start bleeding wounds or pierce an enemy’s heart, they are difficult opponents. Knights fall to their fletched shafts and all the magic in hell cannot save a sorcerer with an arrow in their throat. They can fight in melee with swords and maces and wear medium armor, but their strengths lay with the bow.
Archetype: Rogue
Permitted Races: Cimmerian, Stygian, Aquilonian
Weapons: One-handed blunts, one-handed edged, daggers, bows, crossbows, and dual-wield
Armor: Cloth armor, light armor, medium armor, and shields

Priest of Mitra

Priest of Mitra
Priests of Mitra wield divine power that can aid, heal, and even bring the dead to life.
Their god is one of justice, security, and liberty, and their followers are ready to fight to ensure these freedoms and to battle against oppression, tyranny, and villainy. Priests of Mitra also have the strongest healing powers. They also have the ability to bombard the enemy with holy damage.
Priests of Mitra wear light armor and use martial weapons. Their powers to augment those around, heal wounds, and impair enemies make them indispensable to any party exploring Hyboria.
Archetype: Priest
Permitted races: Aquilonian
Weapons: One-handed blunts, one-handed edged, daggers, crossbows, and thrown weapons
Armor: Cloth armor, light armor, and shields

Necromancer

Necromancer
Necromancers summon and command the undead, and they are legion. Their ghoulish minions are capable of tearing men apart or casting their own death magic.
The rotten corpses of the dead follow wherever the necromancer leads.
The dark magic wielded by necromancers ranges from the unholy to pestilent corruption and the freezing touch of death. Through careful study they can develop the ability to call corpses from the earth to rise up and surround a foe or even attain lichdom, turning themselves into terrifying undead archmages.
Archetype: Mage
Permitted races: Stygian
Weapons: Daggers, crossbows, and thrown weapons
Armor: Cloth and silk armor