The Concord of Fortune Some call them an alliance. Some call them a brotherhood. Others prefer the term 'cartel'. Whatever you call them, The Concord of Fortune is by far the most succesful army of hirelings coin can buy. Thanks to less than fair business practices, it's probably also the only one. It wasn't half a century ago when mercenaries would risk their lives for meager pay, barely enough to feed them and their families. Bidding wars ensured rock-bottom prices for all but the most dangerous of contracts. One dayhowever, some of the bigger mercenary companies devised a plan. They sought out every other company they could find and formed an alliance, promising fair pay and equal opportunity for all who joined them. And thus The Concord was established, a conglomerate of hirelings, bounty hunters, and monster slayers, as a united front against exploitation of its members. Dividing the territory they control amongst their ranks fairly, its customers have no choice but to pay a living wage. Any hireling or mercenary band is free to join The Concord and benefit from the boons its members receive, for a small percentage of their revenue. Those that choose to not join them however, are politely asked to seek greener pastures beyond Behlem, as The Concord's ultimate aim is total market control, and that means there is no place for competition. The Spokes of Fortune To ensure fair treatment of all its members, the founders of The Concord abandoned their previous companies to form a leading council called the Wheels of Fortune. Whenever trouble arises that threathens The Concord's power or influence, they send out their personal band of mercenaries who, like them, abandoned their former companies in service of The Concord as a whole. Called The Spokes of Fortune, these warriors fervently believe in The Concord's vision, and will do whatever it takes to protect it. Skills and Proficiencies: History and Persuasion

History and Persuasion Equipment: A uniform of The Concord (fine clothes in quality), an insignia of membership, and a belt pouch containing 50 gp Feature: Elite Training As the personal army of The Concord's leadership, The Spokes receive generous funding to ensure they are able to carry out The Concord's will, and have received training with various weapons and armor. You gain one of the following feats, for which you meet the requirements: Lightly Armored

Medium Armor Master

Heavy Armor Master

Weapon Master If this feature causes you to become proficient in armor you are usually not proficient in, you may start with the cheapest type of that armor. If you already start with armor, your regular starting armor is replaced by the armor granted by this feature. The Embers With the power and influence The Concord attained, it didn't take long before others saw potential. Many craftsmen and artisans foresaw a steady flow of gold in befriending such an oganization, and approached The Concord with some lucrative business deals. Jointly referred to as The Embers, these Blacksmiths, Ferriers, Armorers, Tanners, Farmers, Cooks, and the like are the support crew that allow the members of The Concord to spend their downtime enjoying life, for their next job is always just around the corner. Skills and Proficiencies: History, and 2 Artisan's Tools of your Choice

History, and 2 Artisan's Tools of your Choice Equipment: An insignia signifying your membership of The Embers, a set of traveler's clothes, two sets of Artisan's Tools of your choice, and a belt pouch containing 30 gp Feature: Expert's Touch During a short rest, you can use your craftsmanship to temporarily improve one item, giving it a bonus effect when worn. This does not count as enchanting the item, and if the item was nonmagical, it remains nonmagical. You need the proficiencies and tools related to the item to improve it. The improvement lasts until the next long rest. effects item effect weapon +1d4 to damage rolls gloves / gauntlets advantage on grapple checks armor -1d4 to damage received boots / sabatons +10 feet of movement potion or scroll consuming takes bonus action To enhance magical items, exept for consumables, you need to pass a DC 16 ability check using the related tools. Concord Member Over the years, many have filled the ranks of The Concord. Easily numbering in the thousand, and getting new members every week, The Concord can number itself among some of the biggest organizations in all of Behlem. Its ranks are mostly made up of smaller mercenary companies, for whom the security of fair prices, and the peace of mind that The Embers bring with them easily outweigh the membership fee. Wether they are general hirelings, bounty hunters, or monster slayers, all members of the concord enjoy a lifestyle thought impossible for mercenaries only a few decades ago. Skills and Proficiencies: History and Athletics, one type of gaming set

History and Athletics, one type of gaming set Equipment: A uniform of your company (traveler's clothes in quality), an insignia of membership, a gaming set of your choice, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp Feature: Trained for Battle Membership of The Concord provides plenty of boons, not the least of them being the better training that many of the members enjoy. As such, you gain the Martial Adept feat. In addition, you gain an additional superiority die, and an additional maneuver to choose.

The Seven-Pointed Star While there are many organizations calling themselves mage guilds or hall of the arcane, all of them combined can't hold a candle to the expansive power and influence held by The Seven-Pointed Star. The Star started as a passion project for seven of the greatest arcanist across Behlem, who wanted to share their knowledge of the various schools of magic with the younger generations. They traveled the lands and shared their knowledge with whomever they came across and cared to listen. Eventually they saved up enough money to set up lecture halls in many of the big cities of Behlem, but their ambition started growing. Being the only academy to teach seven different schools of magic, they quickly became invaluable, and slowly but surely the other arcane schools started disappearing from the cities, making The Star the unrivaled top dog in the business. Nowadays The Star acts as somehwat of a governing body in the cities of Behlem, governing the use of magic, the research of magic and magical topics, and nearly all education in the arcane. The Lyceum of The Star Requirement: Wizard (except school of Necromancy) , Sorcerer, Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Knowledge or Arcana domain Cleric With faculties in nearly every corner of Behlem, and hundreds of students roaming their lecture halls and libraries every day, the Lyceum of The Star is by far the biggest place of education in all of Behlem. Students come from far and wide, even other continents, to attend the lessons and study the tomes found in the bookshelves of its libraries. For many of the students, graduation requires them to go out in the world and explore magical occurences in person to get licensed, and therefore, the Lyceum's students can be found everywhere, even when no faculty is anywhere nearby. Skills and Proficiencies: Arcana and one of History, Nature, or Religion

Arcana and one of History, Nature, or Religion Languages: Draconic

Draconic Equipment: Student attire from The Lyceum (common clothes in quality), a bottle of black ink, a quill, a letter opener, a carrying bag for books, two emtpy journals, and a coin purse containing 10 gp Feature: Lyceum Library Access While the Arcane Arts are definitely the prime focus within the walls of the Lyceum, the libraries hold tomes about nearly every topic imaginable. As a student, you are marked with library access, and you can borrow a couple of these books to help you in your travels. Choose two from: "Mordenkainen's Magnifique Manual of Magic" (Arcana)

"Bardic Tales of Behlem and Beyond" (History)

"The Chronicles of Cernunnos, Volume I" (Nature)

"Flash-guide to the Faith of the Five" (Religion) These books are added to your starting equipment. They are illegible to someone without library access. During a short rest, while you have one of these books on your person, you can consult it to grant yourself a +10 bonus to an intelligence check with the associated skill about a topic you've heard of. The Philosophers Requirement: Wizard (except school of Necromancy) , Sorcerer, Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Knowledge or Arcana domain Cleric While the pursuit of knowledge is a noble goal in and of itself, not all knowledge is available in books or from teachers. Most knowledge has not yet been uncovered at all. It is this precise fact that birthed The Pholosophers. Driven by the pursuit of new knowledge, always on the cusp of a breakthrough, the life of a Philosopher is never a dull one. Wether they are experimenting with spells in laboratories, seeking out ancient ruins for the magical artefacts hidden inside, or studying arcane constructs from a safe distance, all Philosophers share one common trait: they are never satisfied until the knowledge they uncovered fills every shelf of the libraries of Behlem and beyond. Generously funded by The Seven-Pointed Star, and often conducting research within the walls of the Lyceum, many, even some Philosophers themselves, consider The Philosophers to be an integral part of The Star, and both The Star and The Philosophers would like to keep it that way. Skills and Proficiencies: Arcana and Perception

Arcana and Perception Languages: Draconic

Draconic Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a writing kit (a small pouch with a quill, ink, folded parchment, and a small penknife), an emtpy journal, and a belt pouch containing 25 gp Feature: Arcane Mind Hours upon hours of research into the way spells work have granted you the uncanny ability to understand their working and subsequently improve their effects. When you cast a spell that does either acid, cold, fire, force, or lightning damage, you can empower the spell to have an additional effect on any target it hits (for a spell requiring an attack roll) or fails its saving throw (if the spell requires one). You choose to use this feature after knowing which targets the spell hits or which targets fail their saving throw. These effects can only affect a given creature once per casting of a spell, and the effects do not stack with themselves. damage type effect Acid -2 AC if wearing armor or natural armor Cold movement becomes 0 until the start of your next turn Fire 1d4 fire damage at the start of their next 3 turns Force target is pushed back 10 feet, and knocked prone if medium or smaller Lightning target cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn Radiant target is blinded until the start of your next turn Necrotic target cannot regain hitpoints until the start of your next turn You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier, and regain all spent uses when you finish a long rest.

The Tribunal While The Star educates its students in seven schools of magic, anyone with even the slightest bit of arcane knowledge knows there are actually eight schools of magic. Necromancy however, is despised by The Star, and practitioners are actively hunter by them. Responsible for trialing necromancers, rogue mages, and undocumented sorcerers is The Tribunal, a secret order within The Star, who send out their Mage-Hunter to bring these deviants in for Justice. These Mage-Hunters are especially trained to combat and neutralize magic-users, and while no one outside the Tribunal knows for sure that they exist, whispers and gossip circulates, speaking of some sort of boogie-man stealing people away at night, never to be seen again. Skills and Proficiencies: Arcana and Survival

Arcana and Survival Equipment: A set of dark common clothes including a hood, a burglar's pack, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp Feature: Mage-Hunter Training Your training as a Mage-Hunter has made you exceptionally good at resisting magic effects and disrupting magic-users. You can grant yourself advantage on a saving throw against a spell effect and impose disadvantage on a concentration check an enemy has to make caused by damage you dealt to that enemy. In addition, starting at fifth level, You can cast Dispel Magic using this feature. Your highest from constitution, intelligence, wisdom, or charisma is your spellcasting modifier for Dispel Magic. You can use any combination of these abilities a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. The Emporeum Known across Behlem for, among other things, a series of high-end auctions houses, a chain of highly secure and exclusive banks, and some of the biggest trading companies on the continent, The Emporeum is a true household brand among the rich and powerful of Behlem. Birthed almost two centuries ago as a humble trading company, their high profits allowed The Emporeum to expand fast and drive most of their competitors out of business. After a series of mergers with somewhat unsuccessful businesses in both the banking and mercantile sectors, they managed to get their foot in the door in these sectors as well. With a steady flow of revenue from their position as the only real trading company left in Behlem, they also worked other banks and auctioneers out of business, building an empire that none can hope to topple anywhere in the near future. However, under their public image as a giant of industry lies a seedy underbelly of smuggling rings, black markets, and thieves' guilds that help to explain the impressive profits that The Emporeum manages to make. Even though in recent years, these illegal activities have become more and more apparent, The Emporeum's management is not concerned, for the cities of Behlem know damn well that by now, much of their economy is dependant on the Services The Emporeum provides. The Black Hand Despite the relative immunity from the law that The Emporeum's management enjoys, they cannot risk being directly involved with illegal business. when they need a problems fixed or other personal affairs taken care of, they turn to The Black Hand, a loyal group of thieves, infiltrators, and assassins that will take any job from them and fulfill it discretely, no matter what. Being highly specialized, the agents of The Black hand are some of the best at their respective jobs money can hire. One thing they are all exceptionally good at however is secrecy, for when they tell anyone who they work for, the entire rest of The Emporeum will make sure it's the last thing they'll ever tell anyone. Skills and Proficiencies: Investigation and Sleight of Hand

Investigation and Sleight of Hand Languages: Thieves' Cant

Thieves' Cant Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a hooded cloak, and a coin purse and belt pouch containing 25 gp each Feature: Maestro As an agent of the black hand, you are the very best of your field. You gain proficiency in two of Stealth, Deception, Poisoner's Kits, Thieves' Tools, or Disquise Kits. if you are already have proficiency, you gain expertise instead, allowing you to add double your proficiency modifier. When you choose a tool proficiency with this feature, you also add those tools to your starting equipment if they are not already included.

The League of Acquisition Seeking a way to legitimize both a large stream of revenue and their throughput of expensive artefacts through their auction houses, The Emporeum founded The League of Acquisition: a company specializing in the discovery, acquisition, and appraisal of expensive artefacts and art objects from the various temples, ruins, and tombs around Behlem and the other continents. intended mostly as a sham operation to distract law enforcement, The Emporeum's management didn't expect the high amount of legitimately distinguished archeologists, researchers, and historians that were very much interested in joining The League. Pleasantly surprised by a string of successes delivered by these men and women of science shortly after the League's founding, The Emporeum decided to double down on the plan and continued to fund The League and its various endaevors, which includes museums and expositions all across Behlem. Interestingly, this netted them a hefty amount of goodwill in the eyes of the common folk, for whom the various exploits of The League have become important sources of both education and entertainment. Skills and Proficiencies: whips, Investigation, and History

whips, Investigation, and History Languages: three of your choice

three of your choice Equipment: A set of clothing showing your membership of The League (fine clothes in quality), a Pouch of Many Things, a leather whip, a healer's kit, and a belt pouch containing 50 gp Pouch of Many Things Wondrous item, Uncommon The pouch of Many Things, quite an impressive piece of equipment, is standard issue for explorers of The League, and is therefore added to your starting gear. Specially ordered from The Seven-Pointed Star's enchanters, this belt Pouch is enchanted with conjuration magic. It allows the user to, once per long rest, to produce any 3 pieces of adventuring gear (Player's Handbook, page 150) from the pouch, that have a combined value of less than 25 gp. These items disappear at the next dawn. They have a semi-translucent appearance and a DC10 insight check will reveal that these items are merely temporary. Other than their appearance, these items work exactly like real versions of these items. Feature: Expert Dungeoneer The many hours spent searching through ancient tombs and far-away ruins have steeled your mind and reflexes to deal with the dangers within. As such, you gain the Dungeon Delver feat. The Revelry The many illegal businesses that The Emporeum operates are, by themselves, colocquially referred to as The Revelry. Amongst their ranks they count the various thieves, smugglers, thugs, burglars, hired killers, and swindlers that work to keep the money rolling for The Emporeum and make a pretty penny doing so. Despite not being officially tied to The Emporeum, The Revelry manages to uphold a reputation on its own that helps keep the law at bay and competition low. Skills and Proficiencies: Stealth and Intimidation, one gaming set or musical instrument of your choice

Stealth and Intimidation, one gaming set or musical instrument of your choice Languages: Thieves' Cant

Thieves' Cant Equipment: A set of dark common clothes including a hood, a burglar's pack, a gaming set or musical instrument of your choice, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp Feature: Unprincipled Living As a member of The Revelry, you've spent a hefty amount of time stalking through backalleys and frequenting seedy dive bars. because of this, you can choose one of the following perks: You've gotten very good at hiding, and therefore gain the Skulker feat.

You never back down from some good ol' fisticuffs, and therefore gain the Tavern Brawler feat.

The Treasured Five When a great evil in the form of the wind-serpent Yaocoatl threatened to destroy the world as we know it a thousand years ago, it was five brave heroes who stood up to the beast and its followers, five champions of good who amassed an army to stop the darkness, five unbridling beacons of hope that perished in the process. In their final moment however, the Elder Gods of this world rewarded the heroes for their sacrifice by embracing them into their domains, and bestowing upon them sainthood. From the heroes' legacy, the Church of the Treasured Five was founded, to commemorate the heroes' virtues and strive to mirror them. The five original saints revered by the church are Aldar, Paragon of Valor, Chimala, Bastion of Knowledge, Finnley, The Storyteller, Temzin, Conduit of Elements, and Morrig, Protector of the Cycle. While long ago only the five heroes were revered by the church, many since have represented the virtues of the heroes to such a degree that they too are nowadays worshipped and, while not to the same degree as the five original saints, they have become integral parts of the ways and customs of the church. Despite The Elder Gods being an integral part of their scripture, many within the church today mistrust these Prime Deities for , in their eyes, abandoning the world when Yaocoatl threatened to destroy it, and some even despise those still worshipping these 'false gods' instead of the Saints of the Church, who gave their lives to protect the world and its inhabitants. In recent years, The Church has grown into the largest and most influential religion across Behlem and many of the other parts of the world. Despite this, the current head of the church, Archon Ailva Ashur, vehemently attempts to spread the religion even further and prevent anything that could cause The Church to lose influence or power wherever he can. The Mission of The Five Under Ailva Ashur's rule The Church has stepped up in its attempts to convert people over to their beliefs. Out of this effort The Mission of the Five was established, missionaries that are sent out across Behlem and beyond to help those in need and spread the word of The Five. Many of The Faith spend time as missionaries, although for most of them it is a mere excuse to travel the world. That said, there are those loyal believers actively seeking to spread The Church's belief and in turn, its influence. Some are even sent with specific orders from the Archon himself, to further the cause of The Church in ways that the public should not know about. Skills and Proficiencies: Religion and Persuasion

Religion and Persuasion Languages: Celestial

Celestial Equipment: Vestments of The Mission (traveller's clothes in quality), a holy symbol, a prayer book, a coin purse containing 15 gp Feature: Saints' Favor In carrying out the will of The Church and its saints, you never truly walk alone. Wether it is luck or some sort of intervention from above, you seem to always come out on top when it really counts. You gain one luck point, which works in the same fashion as, and can stack with, those gained through the Lucky feat. Stalwart of Aldar While The Church doesn't have an army or police, The Stalwart of Aldar serve as a peacekeeping force in and around the buildings, parishes, and communities that house The Church. Working together with official law enforcements they are often welcome in towns and cities, saving the local governments money and resources, in turn indirectly giving The Church influence and power. The Stalwart themselves however are usually not interested in power themselves. For them, the importance of their work is protecting their fellow men and women and thereby honoring their forebear, the Paragon of Valor, Aldar. Aspiring to one day be worthy of his honor, or, for those with the highest of aspirations, be worthy of joining their hero in the Halls of the Ascended, where those granted sainthood are said to spend eternity in bliss. Skills and Proficiencies: Religion and Athletics

Religion and Athletics Languages: Celestial

Celestial Equipment: A tabard of The Stalwart, a holy symbol, a horn, a set of manacles, a belt pouch containing 20 gp Feature: Courageous Defender None last long among The Stalwart if they aren't brave enough to defend those in need. As a reaction to you or an ally being hit by an attack, you can grant all allies within 30 feet of you a +1 bonus to their Armor Class, increased to +2 if you are holding a shield, until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier and regain all spent uses at the end of a long rest. The Morrigan Dusk Following in the footsteps of saint Morrig, Protector of the Cycle, The Dusk serve his legacy by preserving the sometimes fragile veil between life and death. On one hand, The Dusk will stop at nothing to save the living from an early grave, but once death has made its claim, only the saints may release you from its grasp. The Dusk travel the land to heal those in need, and crush undeath and those perpetuating it wherever it arises, stopping at nothing to keep the cycle intact. Hoping to one day join their patron saint in the Halls of the Ascended, only the death they surround themselves with can terminate their journey Skills and Proficiencies: Religion and Insight

Religion and Insight Languages: Celestial

Celestial Equipment: Black or grey vestments denoting your devotion to Morrig (traveller's clothes in quality), a holy symbol, a prayer wheel, a coin purse containing 5 gp Feature: Spirit Shepherd As a devout follower of Morrig, nothing is more important to you than the cycle. Starting at first level, you know the Word of Radiance cantrip, and undead have disadvantage on the saving throw. Also starting at first level, you can cast the Protection From Evil And Good spell on yourself once with this feature. when you cast it, you can choose to limit its effect to undead creatures and forgo the need for concentration. Additionally, at third level, you can cast the Gentle Repose spell once with this feature. You regain the ability to cast both of these spells in this way at the end of a long rest.