Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Tanu as a Race

Description

Chapter 2: Your Life as a Tanu

Tanu Culture

Loyalties

Family Structure

Societal Structure

World View

Tanu Glass

Architecture

Magic

Attitudes Toward Other Races

Psionic Guilds

The Void Legion

The Art of War

Cultural History for the Player

Spacially Concordant Locations 

Chapter 3: Character Creation

Ability Score Modifiers

Other Characteristics

Psionic Powers Generation

Chapter 4: Proficiencies

Acquiring Proficiencies

Weapon Proficiencies and Specialization

Nonweapon Proficiency Groups

Nonweapon Proficiencies

Chapter 5: Tanu Kits

The Composition of the Kits

Warrior Kits

Priest Kits

Thief Kits

Wizard Kits

 Chapter 6: Equipment

Vulcaforge

New Weapons

Close Combat Weapons

War Machines

The Tanu, the native race of the planet Arkaela, are an ancient race, only recently appearing in the lands of the Known Spheres. Their history is steeped in slavery, suffering, and mad gods, whose yoke has only recently been lifted. But their return has been heralded by ground-shaking war cries and world-altering conquests.

Tanu resemble high elves, having beautiful, sculpted features, but on closer inspection they are much taller than elves, with most being 5'7" to 7' tall, and many are taller than the average Human. Another typical native feature is their natural tanned skin, due to the harsh ecology of their world, and they are typically blond or light haired, with black hair being rare; it is seen as a sign of divine favor. Tanu who have grown up in one of the offworld colonies still exhibit the racial bronze skin, though it may be far less pronounced.

The irises of their eyes change color according to their moods, from golden {at ease} through to shining black {rage}. In addition, the points of their ears are more pronounced than those of elves or gnomes, and some Tanu exhibit points on their lower earlobes as well. Tanu live to be as old as High Elves as well {maximum age at around 1200 years}, which may partially explain their low birth rate {see below}. In reality, though, few Tanu ever live to be nearly this old, for the harsh natures of their world and culture offer many events that threaten to cut their lives short.

Tanu may interbreed with humans. However, such cross-breeds will strongly exhibit the traits of either one or the other parent, never both. Due to the nebulous properties of Tanu genetics, either one or the other gene pool will dominate [straight 50/50% chance]. However, human-favoring offspring will possess double the chances to manifest psionic power, while Tanu-favoring cross-breeds will have the normal Tanu psionic essay. Intermingling with Humans cannot alter the Tanu inability to cast wizardly magic, and "Human"-seeming half-breeds will be unable to commence such training, and retain the -1 to saves vs. magic that his parent has.

Tanu are an aggressive race, their love of combat exploding from them after centuries of cruel oppression by the Cthulan gods. Always eager to prove themselves, Tanu have fanatic morale, especially in mass-combat situations, and frown upon those who flee battle, believing no odds are bad odds; and that if one must die, let it be in battle.

The typical outsider will view the Tanu as a rigid, militaristic culture. After the arrival of the Doomgiver and the breaking of ancient clerical holds on society, the Tanu populace vowed to never again remain under the yoke of a small class. To avoid this, the blossoming society strives to mimic the rough structure of a military organization, where power of command is held by many, and where every citizen has his place, and what that place is is easy to discern for him or her. They are proud, and boastful when they have a personal history to boast of, and easily take insult if their accomplishments are belittled or their place in the power heirarchy is held as suspect. Those in command find their authority both respected, and tested with equal frequency. In fact, ascension by combat is acceptable in both the Tanu military and in common social guilds.

Tanu have a strong desire to maintain racial security, and an insult to one Tanu {or an "adopted" outsider; see below} is an insult to all. Such an incident will be seen by all Tanu who overhear as an excuse to call out the offender, and show him what a near-death experience is.

As is mentioned elsewhere, the Tanu birth cycle is very slow compared to all other sentient races. The harsh evolution of the species, a lifespan that can exceed a millenium, deific eugenic meddling, and a world full of gigantic predators have all had a profound effect on how the Tanu treat breeding and family life.

Tanu females go through a 3-month "heat", a period of intense fertility, just once every 40 years. The approach of the event is a source of anticipation, much humor, and occasional trepidation for all her comrades. The effect on the female's bodily systems is so intense, that a Tanu woman who is ready to mate will often become a ravening machine, with nothing on her mind but finding a suitable mate and initiating breeding activities. Her comrades around her had best not get in her way, either, for the natural Tanu bloodthirstiness comes to the fore at this time with more fervor than it rarely does otherwise. Tanu women define "suitable" in this case as a male who both possesses desireable traits, and can best her, either in non-lethal battle or psionic contest. The female will goad, taunt, and otherwise force potential Tanu males into engaging her in such contests, until either they force her submission {and by doing so, begin the final phase of the Tanu mating rite}, or are clobbered themselves by the near-berserk woman. During her heat, any time a Tanu female is within visual range of a male Tanu {or, for those less concerned with racial purity, a Human male as well}, her Strength, Constitution and Dexterity scores rise by +1, while her Intelligence and Wisdom drop by -1. Her psionic scores are affected by this mating berserk.

Once a male bests her, the female's psychic heat intensifies manyfold by the feelings of submission, and then begins the time known as blochs bhochdain, or "warm mischief", where the new mates remain sequestered until the couple conceives. The statistics which were affected by the heat remain in such a state until the pregnancy ends. A Tanu female's gestation period is 14 months, after which time, typically, the male abandons the female and returns to his former responsibilities. The female raises the child by herself in most cases, at least when the mate was chosen at random and the 14-month period of cohabitation did not result in a bonding [which is not seen as a negative outcome].

Since a nuclear family is a rare thing in Tanu society, it is a treasure to be defended from outsiders. When a pair of Tanu choose to remain together beyond the time of mating and birth of a child, there will develop a powerful, nearly xenophobic sense of the family unit. One of the two parents will emerge as the dominant partner, generally by being the one with the greater psionic ability. If the two parents are roughly similar in this armament, then the one who excels in their profession {read: the one with the higher PC class level} will take up the position as 'head' of the household. This person will then leave the majority of childrearing duties and education of the offspring to the subordinant member of the pair; the duties of the house's 'head' shift to monetary support, provision of necessities, and martial defense, of the family unit.

The term "martial" here is literal; the head-of-house considers it the utmost of their duties to keep outsiders away from the new child, and keep the homestead itself free from invaders of any sort. This is a throwback to the days when the clerics ruled, and home invasion and enslavement of loved-ones occurred on a daily basis. A mated Tanu will meet most visitors at his door with weapons bared and psionic power flaring around him, ready to repel anyone who even appears to pose a threat to his or her loved ones. Lone mothers can be expected to be twice as viscious.

Most Tanu children are home-schooled by either the second-of-house, or the single mother exclusively, and do not have playmates of their own age group until they are nearly ready to leave home. Their parent{s} instills in them the lessons of racial history and gathered knowledge, teach them language and literacy skills, nurse their growing psionic power, and let them know what is expected of them {and what things they may expect} of the wide world. At age 15, the young Tanu is considered to be a fully-functioning individual, for life in a world so full of predators necessitates very rapid mental development. At this point the youngster usually either is ejected from the home to begin an apprenticeship of some sort, or choose to leave themselves. Such independence is expected and encouraged, and it is a proud parent that watches the young one stride off into the world.

Such youngsters will seek out life as an apprentice in some trade, for their bodies are still that of a young adult, and are ill-suited to life in the wild unless it is bolstered by great psionic power. It is not unheard of, though, for a young Tanu to strike out into the wild vastness of their world, to survive by their wits and power among the beasts of the forests, returning years later when they have exerted themselves and feel an inner satisfaction with their accomplishments. The outflow of young, homeless people into the job market is a given in Tanu society, and artisans seek such people out to pass on their skills {and of course, to secure basically cost-free assistants}. Of course, the Void Legionnaires are also seeking new spelljammer recruits all the time, and most Tanu seek out at least one period of military service in their early lives.

Outside of a home environment, structure still rules. There is a complex hierarchy among the Tanu which ranks the importance and status of occupations, and within each occupation there are further hierarchies among the members and apprentices. Each city or outpost will have its own quirks, but in general, the more importance a trade holds will depend on its importance to the Tanu military machine and racial plans for expansion. However, great psionic power, past glory in combat, or relation {however distant} to the God will goose an individual upward among his peers.

At the social pinnacle are the people closest to the God, his immediate family and cadre of servants among the common citizen. This does not mean the priesthood per se; it does include anyone who, at some time in their life, was either directly or indirectly commanded by the Doomgiver in their actions. The Tanu term of reverance for such a person is ter'stoirmeacha, "touched by the storm".

Next comes the upper echelon of the priesthood. This is an aspect of the Tanu past that dies hard; those with priestly magic are still revered [or feared] because of the magic they may wield. And nearly everyone recalls how things were before. The Pontifex T'andrax heads Andraxas' church and is considered in the previous grouping; but here would stand the high priest of any specific Tanu temple, whatever its location; then, the command structure each high priest assembles for himself to serve under him or her. Please note however, those who serve the Old Ones are considered lower in this apsect of the societal heirarchy, at least by those around them, who witnessed their deserved fall from power. While the Old Ones' priests attempt to maintain power and control in those areas where they rule, they receive much contempt and are openly defied by even the lowest citizen should the commoner feel they can escape retruibution.

Then, there is the uppermost command ranks of the Void Legion. Grand Admiral Kane is actually considered ter'stoirmeacha, but the leaders whom he commands stand high in the rank of society as well. Command over a fleet, or even a single ship, raises one upward in the eyes of the people.

Next comes a nebulous grouping, a kind of conglomerate of individuals, both native Tanu as well as members of other races "adopted" by their Tanu comrades, who have taken part in the battles which have allowed the Tanu Expansion. Veterans of the Greyhawk campaigns; those who helped settle Mount Bluetop; warriors who faced the Vodoni; explorers who were on the maiden Tanu voyages into alien spheres; even a common footsoldier who has at least one such notch on their scabbard can expect to be looked up to by other Tanu.

At last we come to the ladder of Tanu tradesmen. While each city will evince a certain amount of shuffling of this listing, based mostly on the resources or the region and the size & importance of the city itself, below is a good rough look at such professional rankings. As in the case of the preceeding group, racial differences are ignored here, for it is the work of the person and not their race [as far as Tanu are concerned] which shows their power and skill. Naturally, any such designation for a tradesman assumes that the individual practitioner is, in fact, a productive worker for Tanu society itself, and not merely a member of an alien race seeking to further his own species among the Tanu.

· Glassmakers

· Military specialists [mages, priests, outlanders, navigators, shipwrights, etc.] in active service; then, such specialists who have retired to civilian practice.

· Non-military magic-wielders otherwise active in society

· Common military [of any rank below ship command]

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The Tanu are expansionist surface-dwellers. Whatever their individual alignment, there is a great ingrained urge to contend against one's own race and one's neighbors to prove the individual's place in the multiverse. A dreadfully slow birth-rate fuels one's desire to locate more territory, so that, when the time comes to create offspring and enlarge the population, the resources are already there to be had. In other words, the Tanu do not expand their numbers, and them spread into more territory secondarily; they go and claim land, then increase their numbers to fill it. They are extremely phobic of bodies of water, and evidence no desire whatsoever to expand into island areas unless there are spelljamming vessels to act as transportation. In addition, they show confusion at races who dwell underground exclusively, for although they do not fear the underdark, living without wide-open expanses is not desireable to them. The racial history of slavery has been entirely reversed in recent years, and has given rise to an intense dislike of the practice now; the animosity harbored against those who own slaves may lead to violence.

Once you have found your spot in the heirarchy of existance, though, what stamp will you leave behind to show you were here? This is a deep question that plagues all Tanu, for the new racial culture which is rising from the ashes of the old is still nebulous, without a great declaration and unique style, or so its members fear. A Tanu must look about himself at the other, well-established races and ask: what are the truly unique characteristics of my culture? A great feeling of cultural vacuum haunts the first generation of Tanu freed from the tyranny of the Old Ones, and the entire race now strives to nurture a unique racial identity to offer to the outside world. In practice, many bits and pieces of other cultures are, occasionally, quietly enfolded into the Tanu lifestyle as a whole. Those which work well are embraced; while those which either have failed for others, or are seen as an identifier of a racial enemy, are shunned and ridiculed, or act as antithetical models for the Tanu.

"All things come from the sand" is a solemn Tanu saying, of many subtle meanings. Often it is spoken to a foolish youngster, who has missed the value of some superficially trivial thing. It also means that even an outwardly inconsequential article can overcome seemingly impossible odds. The blue silicate soil of Arkaela is indeed many things to its people. Any visitor to Arkaela will be struck by the harsh majesty of the landscape. Much of the planet is covered by the thick, light blue soil unique to Arkaela. This airy, ashy substance is a major commodity in Tanu culture. It will support multiple harvests without needing to lay fallow; in addition, it creates remarkably strong building material for the construction of the Tanu's unique architecture. But most remarkable of all is its use as material for the making of arms and armor.

Tanu blacksmiths are able to use their psionic powers to construct items normally made of steel or similar substances from Arkaelic sand. Through processes passed down from father to son, Tanu smiths melt and psionically manipulate Arkaelic sand in forges utilizing volcanic heat, resulting in a malleable, near-translucent material they call, simply, `glass'. This material is then shaped as desired, cooling to yield a crystal-like element with the strength and characteristics of glassteel. Similar to Drow metals, the glass can be further hardened {with great mental and physical effort}, yielding the equivalent of +1 to +5 enchantment. If used as armor alone, it is equal to AC 1, and is always forged as plate of some sort, and is a badge of style for the Tanu warrior, often shaped or detailed ornately specifically for the tastes of the wearer. Weapons are typically bladed, and adorned as in no other culture with spikes, fangs, fearsome creatures, et al. As final touches during forging, Tanu glass can be tinted to any color of the spectrum by adding specific compounds. The glass-metal also will glow when touched physically by a psionic individual, a soft glow equal to torch light.

Finally, for their taller structures, Tanu architects utilize giant blocks of solid glass as building material, the seams joined flawlessly by psionic welding.

Tanu building styles are bizarre in the extreme, and have been known to give visiting dignitaries headaches. Influenced for centuries by the mad Cthulan gods, Tanu structures reflect a chaotic mix of non-Euclidean shapes fused together to form a baffling whole, displaying the arrogant declarations of Tanu style, while retaining the desire for interior privacy and without sacrificing the fortified strength to maintain it.

The Tanu build artistically, with more high walkways and balconies than the elves, more structural potency than the dwarves, more added stylistic extras than the gnomes, and to greater heights than human structures {and they like it that way}. All manner of seemingly incompatible shapes find their way into Tanu edifices, and pyramids, buttresses, domes, and irregular polyhedrons share walls with gothic towers and things which might be more at home under water. All things are reconciled, however; Tanu architects take great pains to psionically melt all the intersecting angles, so that the warring shapes take on a smooth, cohesive appearance.

Due to the scarcity of magic-users, any Human mage who has come across Arkaela has become a sought-after member of society there, although many of these magi have been unable to return to whence they came. Whether by accident or design, non-Tanu magic users who appear in Arkaelan society {at least, those who make their abilities known} are either seen as people of great learning and due much respect for their unique power, or as villains of incredible danger, wielding abilities no Tanu possesses. Many figures of myth and legend were mages who allied themselves with one faction or the other, and burned a mark in history. Indeed, the cultures on Negranel and Llywellen Isles were created by two mage brothers who, weary of battling Tanu factions on the mainland, flew across the sea to settle on pieces of land too far across the dreaded oceans for their foes to follow.

Since their expansion into other worlds, the Tanu have made many allies and enemies among the varied races which inhabit these places. Of course, a certain species from one world may not react the same as an identical race from somewhere else, so these differences will be noted, where appropriate. A Player's Tanu Character need not, of course, follow these guidelines at all if their own experiences warrant it. These are merely examples of how a Tanu might consider another race in your games. In general, or in a pinch, Tanu will gauge another by how well such a race would stand in battle against them. Additionally, specific members of other races who display what the Tanu consider as their life-ethic, are "adopted" by their comrades; ever after, such individuals will be considered as native Tanu to any such persons who learn of their adopted status. Psionic dwarves in particular are frequently "made into blood-relatives", but all such people will undergo a kind of roudy, group ritual involving many displays of strength, tests of nerve, and blood-sharing with whatever gathering of Tanu have taken the alien person into their hearts.

Being perhaps the most capably {and frequently} war-like of the humanoid races, Tanu view humans neutrally in many cases. Tanu reaction really depends entirely on the human's own attitude, since Man himself varies so greatly from individual to individual. While a typical Human possesses no psionic power, the race's ability to use magic seems to fill a gap that would otherwise lead to Tanu scorn.

Humans from Greyhawk tend to view Tanu as vile conquerors in many cases, and react negatively. While Tanu rule there is not overly harsh {having affected mostly the power bases of individual nobles & rulers, attempting to incorporate & uplift the common man to stave off rebellion}, there are still spots of trouble among the populace. Those from Ginsel, though, are strong Tanu allies, particularly the barbarian clans, and Tanu see these doughty warriors as equals. Arkaela Humans are merely another part of the populace, and little distinction is made there. Krynnish Humans treat Tanu neutrally, as the small Tanu nation there attempts to blend in and grow peacefully. Since the colonist populace is actually more Gnome and Dwarf than Tanu, outsiders react depending mostly on their nationality. Thessalyans under the flag of House Shambrath view Tanu as their saviours from a vampiric apocalypse; other local nations see them as invaders. Those from Humans from elsewhere would be judged neutrally until some trait for good or ill is demonstrated first.

The Elves are perhaps the one true race the Tanu view as a threat. Their great space-borne fleets, interplanetary ties among nations and racial ability with magic set them above the other races in the eyes of the Tanu as the one race that could supplant their plans for expansion. The Tanu do not, however, make this feeling known in public; Andraxas counsels his people to smile for one's foes until the time is ripe. In fact, often the Tanu attempt to emulate the elvish organization in order to expand their own power, and the Tanu Legion and the EIN often cooperate in practice against common threats. By observation from within, the Tanu can learn the true strength of the Elves, and decide when and what course is best. Tanu see little difference between the various elven subraces {infuriating many such peoples}, except the Drow; it's hard for most Tanu to understand why one would wish to live underground {and who, of course, make liberal use of slaves & are thus enemies}. One needs to again mention, of course, that Tanu hate being mistaken for Elf, due to their outward physical similarities.

Greyhawk Elves are the staunchest protesters of Tanu occupation, and the Tanu grant many concessions to these rulers to keep them quiet, if not happy. The Tanu military want to make sure no unrest is fomented by the Elvish Queens & Kings there. Besides, the Tanu argue, their invasion has completely quelled the need for border wars with the elves' frequently greedy neighbors, the Humans. Spacebased elvish people are seen as equals and rivals for the same areas & resources, and Tanu spacers take great glee in any event that precipitates an actual fight against Elves. There are many spies from both sides among the military ranks, as each race attempts to see what the other is really up to.

The Dwarvish people are seen universally by the Tanu as allies. Their resilient combat ability and typical weak racial magic-use use allow the Tanu to see them as kindred creatures. Often, throughout the worlds, dwarves are used as slave-material by others, a condition the Tanu despise. Dwarves are an integral part of the Tanu military, and many liberated dwarven slaves from far and wide have expanded the homeworld populace. The reputation of their weapon-forging make dwarven-made weapons a treasure for a Tanu located where his native glass cannot be found. Since typical Tanu do not come into contact with the deep-dwelling subraces and gully dwarves, the Tanu have no real experience with or attitude toward such peoples.

Dwarves view the Tanu similarly. Joined with their hatred of slavery, and the quiet rivalry with the Elves, Dwarvish people take very well to the Tanu in their midst. Couple all this with the fact that the vast difference in height is completely invisible to the Tanu {make 'short' jokes around a Legion Dwarf, and his Tanu buddies will probably chop off your legs}, and that psionic-aware Dwarves are often adopted into Tanu family units as blood-relatives, and you have the making for a strong allegience between these two races. Of course, the haughty Dwarf Kings of Greyhawk grumble over their loss of status, but there is a grudging respect for the conquerors, and since a Tanu dwelling underground is like a fish out of water, the Dwarf nations there go on today practically untouched. Krynnish Dwarves think similarly, seeing the Tanu/Dwarf colony at Bluetop as another settlement of hard-working, hard-playing people. Dwarves from elsewhere are surprised at their energetic acceptance by the foreign tallfolk.

This other diminuitive race is eagerly accepted by the Tanu. There is a large populace of Gnomoi in the Tanu military machine, and for once, the Gnomes' constant tinkering and construction are actively encouraged and, yes, accepted! Their innovative designs are a large factor in Tanu spelljamming technology. This alone has all but assured that the Tanu are eager allies for the Gnomes. Although very few Gnomes can accept the rather violent and bloody Tanu religion, and both magic-use and psionics are rare among the Gnomoi, the Tanu accept these diminuitive people as brethren.

Gnomes, for the most part, happily work beside these tall allies. Where others would scoff, the Tanu encourage. Once the shock wears off, Gnomes will happily expound at length on their latest theories with any Tanu willing to listen. Add to this that Gnomes find Tanu architecture fascinating, and things degenerate into a mutual-admiration party.

The Tanu view most goblinoids as others do, a nuisance race who never really got the final leg up in the evolution department. Althought the Scro seem to be an exception, they are merely another space-monster that discovered spelljamming and now make spacelane raids another worry for the Tanu Void Legion. The Tanu happily swipe smokepowder technology from the Scro for their own use, but ultimately the Tanu are simply waiting for another Unhuman War to break out, so they can interviene and show the Elves how it should have been done the first time. Actually, the continued existance of the Scro is another reason why the Tanu believe they will ultimately replace the EIN as the supreme spacefaring military power: what, you can't squash a bunch of gobins? As for what the Scro think of them, the Tanu could care less.

This is the one diminuitive demihuman race the Tanu dislike. They pay too much attention to hedonistic things for the common Tanu to ever approve of, and their forces stood no chance during the war on Greyhawk. They are weak mages, and psionics are infrequent among their people, so, they are no threat, and therefore, unworthy of respect or alliance. Alas, since the Tanu make no effort to hide this sentiment, the Halflings feel negatively toward them as well.

Despite a shakey alliance during the Vodoni Wars {Prince Villithandra is really a nice guy}, the Tanu universally view the brain-eating, slave-taking Mind Flayer as a chaotic critter that should be erradicated. Physically weak, and as racial psionicists, the illithids are a natural target for Tanu aggression, either in a simple social environment or in full-scal battle in space. Tanu make no effort to avoid conflict with the 'flayers if any opportunity or excuse presents itself. Their great abilty with magic and vast space fleets make them a powerful threat, and thus, worthy enemies. Frequently, after battle, Tanu warriors behead slain Mind Flayers as an answer to the vile habit of brain consumption. Add to all this the fact that Cthulu has introduced them to the Home sphere, and you can imagine what happens when the two races meet.

For their part, the Illithids can't figure out why the Tanu hate them so much. Despite Villithandra's idea that the two races should ally, subsequent events quashed that idea once and for all. They even go out of their way to free the 'Flayers' slaves! Illithids enjoy using magic against the mage-weak Tanu, seeing it as their edge, and Tanu brains are secretly sold as a delicacy in all-Illitid bars. However, the Tanu's superior psionic developement is a source of awe among the 'Flayers, and stories of the hapless colony on Gozan are frequently used as ghost tales around the brainpools.

The hardy Giff are readily accepted among the militaristic Tanu. Likewise, the Giff see Tanu military society as a great place to be all you can be. Smokepowder is readily handed out, your fellow crewman just loves combat, and another friendly brawl is yours for the asking. Reactions among the two races are definitely positive.

Another race in frequent contact with the Tanu in space, the Neogi are another slave-taking race the Tanu despise. After the honorless betrayal of the Free Space Alliance at the climax of the Vodoni Wars, the 'bug herders', as they are now refered to, have become simply another spelljamming critter whose ships are used for target practice by the Legion. Any word of Neogi settlements or slaving activity are likely to bring all nearby Tanu ships at full speed. While the mediocre magic talents of the Neogi do not deter Tanu aggression much, the presence of their Umber Hulk servants force the Arkaelans to be more circumspect in their battle tactics. It is then that the full psionic potential of a Tanu battalion can be seen, with mental powers lighting up the inside of any enemy Deathspider.

The Neogi now go to great lengths via diplomatic channels to slander the Tanu. They will harangue any who will listen that they should immediately cease contact with those "murderous psychopaths who plundered Greyhawk", and work in the background to thwart Tanu supply lines and spread further rumors.

Any "Elite" Tanu {one with psionic-level ability scores in Int, Wis & Cha} will be a member of the appropriate psionic `guild', as non-members are viewed as low-lives at best. Membership is gained by demonstration of his or her abilities, and is sought after age 30. Acceptance entitles the guild member to access the facilities of his guild house, and these are located in all major Tanu cities. Services include inexpensive room and board {though usually with a fellow-member's family rather than in the guildhall itself}, use of labs and libraries, and low-cost healing.

Guild members are subject to the laws and tariffs of the Guild imposed by their respective Guildmaster, one Tanu of exceptional talents who must prove himself once every five years at the Grand Combat. The main headquarters of all four Guilds are located in a single fortress in the Tanu city of Doom's Gate, where Andraxas often speaks with the Guildmasters in person.

A recent addition to Tanu society, the Void Fleet is the Wildspace navy of the God of Doom, and the Legionnaires are his soldiers. Most Tanu will wish to spend some time on the Void Legion, either guarding their homeworld from invaders and Cthulan creatures, or travelling to other worlds where the Tanu have conquered or made allies.

Though containing a score of captured ships of standard designs, the majority of the fleet is made up by the glass-built ships of Tanu design. Although one model is fashioned after a sighting of the great ship Spelljammer, the basic shape of Tanu space ships follow the lines of mighty sea creatures. This is natural for the Tanu, for the seas of Arkaela are a great source of superstition and fear for the entire race. Due to the presence of fearsome voracious, retro-evolved sea monsters on their homeworld, and Cthulu's fish-men minions, the oceans of Arkaela are all but impassable, and sailing is an art which died there millennia ago. The Tanu strive to make their ships both stylish and fearsome, and so they turn to the creatures of the sea, which inspire fear and awe in themselves, to better terrorize their enemies.

Tanu are an aggressive race, their love of combat exploding from them after centuries of cruel oppression by the Cthulan gods. Always eager to prove themselves, Tanu have fanatic morale, especially in mass-combat situations, and frown upon those who flee battle, believing no odds are bad odds; and that if one must die, let it be in battle.

Warcraft permeates Tanu society. Since their liberation, the Tanu have learned that they love to make war. This is reflected in their religion, in their social structure, and in their family life. Therefore, since pride is such a motivating part of the Tanu mind, then they needs must excell in this vital skill.

A Tanu will seek to learn skill at arms from a young age. It is most likely that the father or mother of a youngster will allow them to witness their parent while in martial practice; it is a given that the child will show interest in what is being done, and seek to be taught. This will continue until the child is old enough to depart the home, for the young adult will now find further instruction in the wide world, either from the artisan under whom he takes tutilage, through enlistment in the Tanu Legion, or by necessity in the wilds of the land. Since military service is the surest way to learn technique of arms, most young Tanu will serve in the Legionnaires very early in their lives. Often their assignment will take them to a new world; there, they will seek to learn local weapon styles in order to gain an edge over their fellows with alien tactics. In addition, in the Legion a Tanu will find many psionic masters who can instill in them the most cunning methods by which they can harness the disciplines they know. One's mental weapons are as important as the glass one in your hand.

The development is psionic skill in a child is also very important. Tanu in the final months of gestation develop an intense mental bond with their offspring, and any female with telepathy or similar talent will likely begin educating the fetus in rudimentary form months before it is born. The parent will strive, where possible, to learn all it can about the newborn’s psionic abilities immediately, and will seek out trusted assistance if the Tanu cannot descry the infant’s mental essay on their own. Youngsters can expect much drilling, discipline and hard work.

Much of this is in preparation for future attendance at the high Tanu holiday, the Grand Combat. Here the Tanu display their ability in all its glory for the eyes of the gods, and seek to gain notoriety within the great arena of the Battle Plain. Also, since the staged war held here every five years frequently holds great consequence for the religion itself and the God's plans, loyal Tanu strive to succeed here. Even if one is mortally wounded at the Grand Combat, at least one can expect an honored place among the valiant dead in Valhalla.

In the murky dawn of Arkaelic history, the chaotic Cthulan gods, led by Cthulu himself, formed the Tanu world in their rough, inhuman appendages. The first Tanu arose from the mists of that early age, large, misshapen brutes with little guiding their actions but hunger and bloodthirst. Over the span of years, the Cthulan gods shaped the young Tanu, gradually encouraging them to greater intelligence and an emerging beauty {after all, who wants ugly, idiot slaves?}.

As the ages passed, however, and the chaotic gods made war upon each other, they vied to create the most adaptable, mentally superior, war-like minions to assist them. They twisted them with foul magics, or even bred them with extraplanar creatures {especially the horrid Yog-Sothoth and his insane brother Azeroth}, slowly developing more powerful Tanu with controlled eugenics. At some point, the Tanu learned magic; but after Cthulu's magicians managed to entomb Haster's physical manifestation in his temple on Lake Hali, the mighty Cthulu himself, realizing that his people might one day turn this magic upon him, rewarded his magicians by slaughtering all magic-wielding Tanu on the planet, and forbidding the use of sorcerous magic to any but the gods themselves. Within a generation, any Tanu born with the talent to cast magic had been killed, by horrid curses or the attack of the gods' bizarre servants. While clerics were still allowed to exercise some power, magicians disappeared from Arkaela.

Millennia passed, and the war among the gods did not end. Some Tanu discovered that exposure to the psionic power of the gods had awakened similar power in their own bodies; using the forbidden eugenic methods of their gods, these Tanu secretly bred the ability into their children. Eventually, psionically active Tanu became the norm, and those without it were sacrificed to the foul deities, to placate their terrible hungers and allow the survivors to keep their mind powers.

The god wars wrought their effects upon the land and gods as well: the shape of the continents changed; the great Inland Sea on the northern continent dried up in a matter of days; the beasts of the world began evolving rapidly backwards, and soon the land and seas were teeming with voracious prehistoric creatures; Cthulu chose the island city-state of R'lyeh as his final seat of power, and promptly sank it beneath the sea; the mad god Azeroth, an orbiting being the size of a small moon, collected his clerics bodily from the world in one horrible night and fled for deep space, never to be seen again. The Tanu, arrogant, mentally powerful and bred to survive, began mimicking the gods' methods of slavery; soon, the clerics of the major deities, with their monopoly on magical spells, held all others under their tyrannical sway, assisted by unearthly minions.

Then in the current time, the world was rocked by the arrival on the scene of a new god: Andraxas. A god of Law and War, he made good his claim to the title `God of Doom'. Starting with a single cleric, he rallied the downtrodden of Tanu society, proving his power by slaying Cthuga the fire-god forever and usurping his control over that element. In a brief period of time he isolated and slew the majority of worshippers of the non-humanoid Old Ones, slaughtering them en masse by luring them to a tourney in the dry sea and overwhelming them with strange new methods, taking the field himself to deal death to those who opposed him. The Cthulan gods, one by one, were driven into hiding or slain outright, and the Tanu who survived worshipped the Lord of Doom.

Andraxas next established a planar gate to the world called Greyhawk, and brought the Tanu across, where they celebrated their newfound freedom by conquering the alien world with the help of Andraxas' two allies, Drax the Lord of Hells and Dorgon the king of Hades. The triumphant Tanu settled the vanquished alien lands, and their numbers increased.

Next came an event which rocked many worlds: Ragnaroc. Convinced that he was the one prophesied to begin the apocalyptic war with the Aesir, Andraxas gathered his people and allies and marched across the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost, bent on conquering Valhalla. The Norse gods, betrayed from within their own ranks, fell before a combined army of Tanu, devils, hoardlings and giants. At the last, Andraxas, with the souls of the other Aesir trapped as hostages within a gem, faced down Thor in the skies above Asgard, and forced the God of Thunder to surrender his hammer, girdle and gauntlet to the victor. In anger, Thor freed his family, and Asgard was split down the center by a 100-mile wide rift, leaving Andraxas to create Dursgard {Dark Asgard}, the fabled land where the faithful slain can spend their afterlife in combat and adventure with other Tanu heroes, rather than with the common Tanu in the eternal battlefields of Archeron.

As can be gathered by this history, the current Tanu religion {the `Doomgiver' faith} states that one's life determines which afterlife the Tanu soul achieves. Those who live average or unproductive lives must spend an afterlife of equal span in the battlefields of Acheron, fighting ceaselessly against the eternal forces of orcs, humans, daemons, et al, which inhabit that plane, and under the harsh command of the four Witch Kings {the Dreadlords}. The Tanu who proves himself worthy of the Doom God's attention, or who dies in battle, will instead go to Dursgard, to spend an afterlife of equal years traveling the mighty landscape of the conquered Gladsheim, doing battle with mythical beasts, jousting against other great heroes, and partying with the gods.

Whichever reward is achieved, the Tanu soul finally must travel to the Well of Rebirth {there is one in each afterlife}, where the soul is cleansed of memory before being reincarnated. In the hopes of achieving a glorious afterlife, most Tanu avidly attend the Grand Combat, the great tourney Andraxas holds every five years. This event is the highest of Tanu holy days.

There are several locations on Arkaela which, due to arcane magic worked by the Cthulan gods, are spatially concordant with other worlds, and travelers in such locations may find themselves arriving in the corresponding world. There is a 5% chance of such a transition taking place, and this goes up 5% for each level of any spell cast in the location. Travelers will probably not notice anything has happened, as there will only be differences in some vegetation, or star patterns if it is night.

A partial list of concordant locations follows:

Tanu may be warriors, priests, thieves, or multi-class warrior/priests. If you choose a multi-class character, familiarize yourself with their benefits and limitations in the Player's Handbook.

The most distinguishing feature of their race is that all Tanus are natural psionics, even though low ability scores might preclude possessing the Talent. They possess all attack and defense modes, and a low-attribute Tanu will possess 1/2 xd100 psionic strength points {other methods may be used}. A Tanu with high psionic related scores will have normal Wild Talent disciplines, but a full 30% {70-100 on d%}of such Tanu will be in one of the four distinct psionic "classes" of Tanu culture: Creators, Coercers, Telekinetics, and Redactors.

This mental boon does have its drawbacks: due to their natural psionic skills, the Tanu are unable to adapt to the study of magic, as their physiology hampers spell-energy control necessary in such arts. All Tanu characters, Elite or otherwise, suffer a -1 to saves against any magic-related attack, be it spell, wand, item effect, etc. They are not immune to fear or charm spells, and do not receive combat bonuses with sword or bow. However, the Tanu are otherwise equal to Humans in terms of varied classes which they can have. Only the Magic-User and its subclasses/kits are closed to them.

To determine a Tanu's psionic disciplines, roll on the following charts; all will be of a certain type of related discipline. All Tanu are considered at the start to be Wild talents, and will also possess the 5 psionic attack modes and the 5 psionic defense modes. Use whatever option you wish to determine the number of PSPs the character has, but if the Tanu is not of the Elite upper 30% of his race, he will never possess more than 100 PSPs. Tanu of this stripe roll on the chart below to determine their Wild Talent abilities:

Table 83: Wild Talents {non-Elite}

Absorb disease

ESP	

Telekinesis

Elite Tanu will possess a higher number of psionic powers, but most will fall into a certain class of related disciplines. Only one power will manifest itself for each level the character gains, but he may choose which {keep in mind that prerequisits for more powerful disciplines must be followed in order. Also, Devotions within a Discipline must be manifested before any Science can be chosen}

Several nonstandard powers are mentioned in this work below and elsewhere; if they are not hotlinked to specific individual description-pages, they may be perused HERE.

After much pondering, I feel the best way to create Tanu characters with the AD&D CR2 CDs, is to either allow such PCs to always succeed in Wild Talent rolls, or to add multiclass options mating whatever class/kit the player wishes to use with the Psionicist. This second may seem a bit overbalancing, though, resulting in either PCs who advance too slowly if experience is split between the two, or overpowering them if you allow both classes to advance a level simultaneously. Another option, is to create a shadow character sheet, using the same stats for the character in question, and making them either a Wild talent or a full Psionicist. Then, print up only the pertanent psionic info and marry the sheets.

This is a work in progress, and individual DMs will likely alter these methods to suit their taste for player-power in their games. I am striving to create a CR2 file for the Tanu, and hope to have the full thing completed... some day. For now, I have added the few custom psionic powers and racial abilities as best I can, and will link it HERE as soon as I feel it's usable.

Otherwise, the dice-roll tables with limited 1^st Ed. Powers are given below:

Creators have powers which deal with energy and manipulation of matter, as well as a phantasm-like ability. They also have the most Disciplines to choose from:

Coercer's powers deal with overcoming an opponent's mind by willpower:

* If a Coercer-class Tanu develops both Domination and Mass Domination, the two combine to form the Major discipline Coerce . This is one of the most powerful brute-force disciplines known. Only Tanu develop Coerce naturally.

Telekinetics develop movement by mind-power to a high degree, generally greater than most Human psionics achieve:

.

* Multiplied Telekinesis indicates the psionic can lift that much more weight at normal costs. For example, a first level Tanu with Doubled Telekinesis can lift 60 GP's.

Readactors have healing abilities, and are considered as healers in Tanu society. Their Guild is the cultural equivalent to a hospital. Note however, that a Readactor with aggressive powers is a formidable foe:

 Height and Weight

slots

New proficiencies are described here, with additional information about Tanu proficiencies. Those not described are unchanged from the descriptions in the Player's Handbook.