All of these backgrounds vary from the system as outlined in the Player’s Handbook (2 skills and 2 languages/kits/games/instruments/tools). They are slightly more powerful, but also have limitations in regards to origin kingdom and maybe negative features. The bonuses include an extra non-damaging cantrip, a bit more equipment, a single weapon or companion points. A DM running a game outside of the World of Everflow should take caution in adding these to their campaign, but they may be needed flavors within their world.

The backgrounds are: Street Mage, Glight’s Monitor, Keeper of Everflow, Tinker, Farmer/Rancher, Messenger Service, Villien

This post was updated on 5/24/2020

Street Mage

Performing on the streets earned you a few coin, and the feeling that you are constantly hunted by those that wish to limit magic. You’ve found a way to take the new magic and use it to entertain the common man. You can be a hustler, an entertain, and some even call you a charlatan, but you know that magic is real and there is potential for so much more to Kin than a few animals and stodgy rituals.

In most of the West street mages are welcomed in the ghettos while watched by the Guard when they visit good neighborhoods. In Qin they are often found dead in alleys, unless they are part of the Ashen Scarves.

Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Sleight of Hand
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: Two languages
Equipment: Gaming set, Fine clothes, 3 shells or similar, belt pouch containing 15 gold

Feature: Prestidigitation and Wanted
Word of your powerful magic (it’s not necessarily powerful) has spread. You heard you were being hunted and now know you cannot stay in one town too long as word will get out that you have learned to control magic. There are many who distrust magic, as the Awakening and magic lead to the fall of Sheljar and other cities around Kin.

Characteristics: Charlatan

 

Glight’s Monitor (Teacher)

Prerequisite: Must be a follower of Glight.

These itinerant teachers visit small villages on the Day of Glight. They encourage reading, study and a knowledge. In all villages they are a welcome distraction from day-to-day life. The Day of Glight ensures that everyone has a bit of an education in how the Kingdoms came to be and what the various faiths are. But none can explain the Awakening and these magics that are now real, rather than legend.

Glight has the second most followers in the West. These teachers are common throughout Kin, even in Azsel.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion, Arcana
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: Folding chalkboard, chalk, common clothes, history book, belt pouch with 10 gold

Feature: Pupil in power
A former student of yours is now in a place of influence. During your traveling and teaching you taught hundreds. One of those is now in a position that can help guide you towards finding the answer to a question or the merchant that sells the rare, but needed equipment.

Characteristics: Sage

 

Keeper of the Everflow

Prerequisite: Must be a follower of Quar.

The Church of Quar and Bishop Ollium lead the largest faith in the West, Kirtin and Daoud. Due to the Everflow’s powers Quarites are popular in the other Kingdoms as well. The Keeper of the Everflow is part merchant, part cleric. They heal and serve the people, for a price. You serve this powerful Church spreading the word and maintaining its influence in all the Kingdoms.

Shrines and churches to Quar dot the landscape throughout Kin. The Church’s historical control of the Font of the Everflow and Lake of Two Paths empowers them to limit all other faiths’ potency.

Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: Calligrapher’s Supplies
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: One vial of the Everflow, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, common clothes, belt pouch with 5 gold

Feature: Gift of Quar and First Aid (Spare the Dying if played outside of the World of the Everflow)
When you visit a temple of Quar you can ask the ruling deacon to give the gift of the Everflow. If they have the resources and find your needs worthy you will get one vial.

At non-Quarian temples you can still make this request but the chances of success are minimal. Most faiths will make an exchange for a lower price than typically asked.

Characteristics: Acolyte

 

Tinker

Tinker’s travel between farmsteads, hamlets and villages that lack most smiths. They use both natural and magical means to repair metal goods. In the evening they share news or stories from history and legend. You don’t have a home, and have long left your family. Now, wandering the world you discover new tales and new ways to fix the problems that keep people from doing the things they love.

They are particularly common in the less organized West as well as areas under sway of the Crinthian Confederation.

Skill Proficiencies: Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s Tools
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: donkey/mule/pony, Tinker’s Kit, 1 pound each tin, copper, iron, pack saddle, traveler’s clothes, pouch with 5 gold

Feature: Job Seeker and Mending
Whether fixing small metal objects or telling tales in the local inn, you find a way to survive at a modest level. This can be through a mix of both activities or just one. If fixing objects all of a morning or afternoon of most days is occupied. If at an inn every evening and some afternoons are occupied.

Characteristics: Folk Hero

Farmer/Rancher

You raise crops or animals for food. At some point your property, or that of your neighbors needed defense. Some of your friends and family were unable to survive the raid from the bandits, but you did. That’s when you discovered there’s more to life that a cock-a-doodle-do at dawn, milking goals, shearing sheep, weeding, swinging a scythe. Your people need protection. You are their hope of a simple, safe life.

Many farmsteads and ranches in Telse lose family members to quests, adventures and those that are searching for better lives. In Kirtin every man or woman must serve, some do not come back from service. Daoud, Azsel, Mehmd and Crinth all have portions of the populace that start as mere serfs and become greater.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling or Athletics, Nature
Tool Proficiencies: Farmer’s Tools, Vehicles (Land or Water)
Languages: None
Equipment: Farmer’s Tools, common clothes, a beast of burden (mule, donkey, dog, flightless bird), lantern, flask of oil, week’s rations, pouch with 1 gold and 17 silver.

Feature: Druidcraft and Foraging
In occupied lands you know how to take just enough food to live without most farmers/ranchers noticing, unless you do so for more than 2 days.

Characteristics: Folk Hero

 

Messenger

Prerequisite: Your bonded companion(s) must be a messenger bird/dog or a riding horse. You gain an extra companion point.

Messengers work throughout Kin and the Lands of the Everflow. Their birds, dogs and horses carry news, treaties, love letters and more between the cities and towns that remain in the post-Awakening world.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: Any three Languages
Equipment: Common clothes, map case, ink, quill, 5 pieces of paper, pouch with 15 gold

Feature: Service Connections
Past messages have been sent to two major cities as well as two small towns in the past. Your bonds know how to get to these places, to your home and to yourself.

Characteristics: Folk Hero

 

Villein

When a youth comes of age they or their family visit the local Villein. While some, particularly Crinthians, do not use a service, many Kin find their first companion through the services of those who know animals as well as any.

Most Villeins deal with mammals, though some in Daoud have experience with fish. Those in Mehmd deal with saurs and lizards.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling (Expertise), Nature
Tool Proficiencies: None
Languages: None
Equipment: 50 gp worth of non-bonded animals, common clothes, pouch with 5 gold

Feature: Domesticating beasts
You are able to calm the semi-wild beasts and prepare them for a bonding session. You also have two additional companion points but must have more than one companion.

Characteristics: Guild Artisan, your art is raising animals.