Newt Social Notes

1. Newt Society
2. The Newt Alchemy Guild
3. Newt Potions
4. Newt Science
5. Newt Military
6. Newt Perspective of Newt Society
7. Non-Newt Perspective of Newt Society

Newt = Serpent People but like the Dark Crystal . One point skin
Lizards = ki skills, reincarnation, strange gods who provide a different, divine-like kind of magic. Opposing barbarians and goblins. Magic is close to hero magic, runic connections, one point skin

1. Newt Society
Three major trading cities (like Naples, Genoa, Venice). Newts have firearms and cannon. The saltpeter comes from mines around their trading cities and only one other, known spot (an island fortified by the newts.) The other spot is a fortified mine island manned by the most loyal mercenaries. The extraction process for the saltpeter is a newt secret anyway. The newts abandoned divine worship after the Hun arrival and they now use sorcery.

Newt bureaucrats take tests to gain position and must R/W and have Admin both at 18+ to pass. This is one reason that newt cities and economy are so successful. This creates a meritocracy that prevent the power of old elites corrupting the success of the city-state.

2. The Newt Alchemy Guild
Each newt city has an Alchemy Guild headed by the High Master Alchemist. The guilds in each city cooperate with each other, but will not teach their special alchemy to guild members from another city. Below each High Master Alchemist is a set of Master Alchemists each with a specialty. Newt Alchemy is a magic by potion, similar to D&D, new specific rules.

3. Newt Potions
Rage=berserk, Sleep Powder, Poisonsm, Blade Venom

Explosives "Potions"
Flares (with and without rocket), Rockets, Grenades, Fuses, Flash Powder

4. Newt Science
The newts make machines and devices of many sorts, far beyond the abilities of other craftsmen. Trades are organized into guilds and each one oversees the practitioners of the trade. An example is the Locksmithing Guild, whose members have the locksmith skill. Locksmith includes picking locks and the manufacture and repair of locks. The higher the skill, the faster the construction and/or the more complicated the construction. One third of the locksmith skill is equal to the lock quality (the subtraction when trying to pick it.)

Newt Guilds and Machines

Format-guild name: (required skills) areas of manufacturing

Lock and Box Guild: (Locksmith, Craft Wood, Craft Bronze) Make all manner of locks and boxes.

The Secret of Black Powder and the Ward Powder Spell

Ward Powder is never written down and passed down by the newt Guild Master Powder Alchemist to a new Newt Full Powder Alchemist. Salt Peter is the rare element of gunpowder manufacture. The Newts act like all Salt Peter is taken from various swamps. Actually it comes from a few secret cave mining operations.

Once manufactured by Newt alchemists all Black Powder is seeded with invisible (microscopic) bugs. When active, these bugs make the Powder inert within an hour and consume the powder within a day. The Ward Powder spell makes the bugs dormant for the duration of the spell (like a sleep spell.)

Each separate unit of powder needs the spell cast on it and if the powder is removed from the container the ward was cast on, the removed powder needs a spell cast on it too. Typically, the larger the amount of powder, the shorter duration of Ward Powder cast on it. Usual times are a week for a keg and 8-12 weeks for a gun cartridge. Expiration dates are written on containers, so a new spell can be cast before it is consumed.

Note: Only a few people in the world know that the ignition heat of the powder is a little higher than the heat required to kill the powder bugs. This heating process is known by several gods and many of their followers have died trying to clean captured powder. Authorities in the Papal States have forbidden experimentation with Black Powder because of the danger.

5. Newt Military

The newt military relies on a large proportion of mercenary troops and high technology weapons like crossbows and guns. Mercenaries are recruited individually by newt officers assigned to the region. A career with the newt military is popular because of the high wages, especially compared with the hardship of their homelands. Newt units are organized into regional regiments, special regiments, and special-purpose units.

Non-newts are not allowed to use guns, a restriction only enforced in the newt military. Allies will use crossbows. One race is considered to be so loyal as to have the legal rights and citizenship of newts and are allowed to use guns.

All newt units have wyvern-mounted scouts and messengers.

Mobile Fort: wagons equipped with light cannon and heavy infantry with halberd and firearms. A Mobile Fort Unit (MFU) has not been beaten by the feudal kingdom armies of knight cavalry and levied infantry. Historical model wagon berg of the Hussites.

Musket and Pike Rgts: One-half allied pikemen, one-half newt musketeers. Referred to as MP regiments.

# Special Fusiliers: ex. First Special and Third Fusiliers (commando units of musketeer/swordsmen) Pursed by the military of nearby lands. Used to counter evolving units of other lands. Members are draw for special missions (action missions.) Note: Second Special Fusiliers disbanded after corruption and many members implicated in selling their muskets.

Wyvern Cavalry: Newts mounted on domesticated wyverns. [No Wyverns]

Blunderbussiers: blunderbuss and halberd-armed heavy shock troops.

The Newts have a large number of bronze cannon in heavily fortified settlements and in warships which patrol the coasts, including the dragon mouth cannons (huge cannon with city towers built around them.)

6. Newt Perspective of Newt Society
[Reword this in the newt perspective and not using scientific words]

Newts have three sexes: Male, Female, and Drone. The males and females mate with the drone, who carries the egg placenta and the egg. The egg is laid and cared for communally by any of the sexes.

7. Non-Newt Perspective of Newt Society