The System and Power-Stone.

The System

Life in Reptiliad is relatively peaceful and the various tribes get on well with each other most of the time. They are all united by the common enemy; Dragons. Populations tend to be small and wide-spread so as to make them easy to defend and also not big enough to encourage Dragons to ‘investigate’. As a result, fighting amongst each other is deemed far too dangerous and likely to lead to the destruction of a settlement. When there is trouble that could lead to warfare amongst the tribes, a tribal court is assembled (with elders from each of the tribes) to hear the charges and come up with a peaceful solution to the problem. If all else fails, the wisdom of the sport is used to settle scores. The sport is a mix of skill and luck and is deemed a worthy instrument for the gods to send a legally binding message to the disgruntled parties. It is also a good opportunity to drink, gamble and make merry in a multi-cultural environment. The sport is nine-pin bowling; chosen for the luck and skill involved but also for the fact that there is no likelihood of any injuries occurring.

One thing that the sport does is to level out the players so that there are no advantages. For example; if a Dwarf was to fight a Goblin, the Dwarf is likely to win because of his size, strength and likelihood of being good in a brawl. A Dhurni is very strong and could easily best any human in a fight so it is plain to see that physical differences make a fair fight impossible.

Power-Stone

Power-stone is mined by Goblins, prepared by Mhurni alchemists and used by Dwarfs who insert it into mechanical armour and various other mechanical devices. The stone produces a powerful static charge that can be used as a heat source for steam-power without the need for flames or fire. It can also be used to electrify weaponry. The stone needs to be compressed to produce power and has a finite life-span that depends on the quality and preparation of the stones. Power-stone is readily available and relatively cheap but the preparation is dangerous and manufacturing the machinery it will power can also be expensive. Dragons are immune to the electrical charge generated by the stone so any electrical weapons are not as effective against dragons as they are against other creatures. All of the tribes make use of Power-stone for various purposes from lighting to weapons but the Dwarfs are the main consumers.