The World of Valerick

A World Divided by Darkness....

The world of Valerick, one of many in the material universe, is a strange and esoteric place. A place divided by nightmare, assaulted by darkness, yet so vibrant and full of life. A place not fifteen hundred years ago that was engulfed in ruinous catacylsm, the Abyssal Sundering, whence it was almost consumed by the Void. A world where reality is rent open, the north and south poles of the planet anchoring it in its orbit with vicious gashed wounds in reality, portals to the Void, the Realm of Nightmares. It is a place where magick, though practiced, is done in spite of its known source, not because of it. Where the manna that those whom would wield the arcane arts use comes from the Void, polluted by its corrupting influence. It is a place where only those select few under the ever watchful eye of the Magisterium, may be allowed to exist and train in such arts. All others whom are born or dare to wield such powers? Heretics, sought out and destroyed, for the risk of letting them exist and practice these arts without technique, discipline, and strict legal limitations, upon pain of death, as to how they use those powers, is simply too great. It is a place where one stumbled phrase, one misspoken word in the midst of an arcane incantation can, in the worst circumstance, rend open reality, and create a Void Gate, letting lose the Beasts of Black.

It is a world of darkness and persecution for most whom practice the magickal arts. Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Witches, they are few and far between, staying secretive, being forcibly re-educated and becoming magisters of the Magisterium, or being shot, stabbed, burned or drowned, or executed in some other fashion for heresy. A world where beyond the areas of complete control, areas of high populations, out in rural and frontier areas, and especially beyond, their is the ever present real threat of death. From the wildlife to strange magickal phenomenom, and everything in between. Yet that is the more pure danger. In civilized regions, the threats don't end, they are merely insidious. The Ruined Gods ever try to influence the sapient races, to infect society. Cults whisper in the dark, an ever present danger, and sometimes they end up being led by truly heinous figures, attempting evil and dangerous rituals. There are many creatures and denizens, aberrations tainted by the Void, capable of hiding among civilized folk as well. All in all, it is a dangerous place to live indeed. But yet...

Yet Unified in a Light

Across the three major continents, though borders and nationality may also seem to divide, and do to some level, there is a shared faith across the continents that make up the core of what is Valerick. This is the worship of the Ascended, nine heroes from the Great Draconic Wars, and the beginning of the First Sundering. They get their name because they were mere mortals, beings of flesh and blood, but their heroics and leadership saw them remembered in a fashion of faith, of divine belief, during and after the Sundering. With the fall of the Primordials, the true gods of Valerick, with their disappearance or destruction a great amount of Divine Power was left behind. We know very little about those first dieties, just their hated enemies, the Ruined Gods. Not a great deal is known now about the Ascended, for much of fact has been blurred by faith, myth and legend. However across the continents, anywhere civilization touches, you will find worship of these divine beings. They are the light in amongst the darkness for most, and their most ferverant and faithful servants become such quite literally, able to pray and call forth miracles of great power in time of need.

A World of Lost Knowledge.....

Valerick was once a world of marvel, magick and architectural. Under the guidance of the Primordials, the Sapient races came to be, each taught and raised by one of them. They were given great knowledge, understanding, and with that, tamed and mastered their wild world. However so much was lost in the destructive force and sheer scale of death that came with the Draconic Wars, and then the Sundering, and the very world itself was broken apart, entire realms sinking into the sea, or simply dissolving into pure Void Essence, pulled into the darkness of the Void forever. In today's age, those times are referred to almost as myth and legend, so long were they that knowledge has been lost or forgotten almost completely. Only very select few temples of the Ascended, subsets of the those Orders whom safeguard knowledge and understanding, their highest ranking and elite subsets, still have any such scraps in their libraries. But these are but the barest scraps, whispers from a past long forgotten and destroyed.

Yet a World of Invention and Science

However despite all of this, Valerick now is a rather innovative and advanced place. In the midst of an industrial revolution, their interconnectivity between cities, nations, even continents, is stronger and more readily available than it has ever been. This is not to say it is exceedingly easy or cheap. But with modern marvels like the Steam Engine, Manna-Sails, the Magne-tech Core, and of course Smokepowder, travel over land and sea has become far more doable, though quite dangerous or expensive still. The more you pay, the less danger to life and limb you shall have, though there is never any guarantees of total safety.

It is a world that even now, midswing into an industrialization, weapons and armor of bygone eras, like plate and chain, swords and shields, still see ready and plentiful use even in militaries. Because the foes they have to face demand a variety of tools. Orks do not fear bullets, and eventually they will close the distance, and eventually you will run out of smokepowder and bullets. It is also a place that seems to speak to the adventurous side of the sapient spirit. Exemplari, as it is called all across the continent. Those whom choose the road and the tales over stability. Those whom choose quality over quanitity when it comes to their life experiences. Those whom will not settle for a simple life, but seek more purpose, more meaning, more risk, more reward. Those whom seek adventure.

Geography

Valerick's Geography is widely diverse and to detail it all here would be but a bore, and a waste of one's time and not begin to do it proper justice. However, with that said, there are some key things worth noting;

Oceans and Seas

The known world of Valerick, the three continents of Durol, Gavis-Lune, and Wyriel, are seperated by the Sea of Sails, the oceanic body around which any world map is oft centered. These, rather warm temperate to sub-tropic waters are some of the busiest trade waters in the known world. It is also the most well documented and charted oceanic body in the world, as one might expect.

To the north, surrounding the northern regions of the continent of Durol, the Nor'Westor Sea is one of the most treachorous and dangerous oceans to sail upon, and is one of the least well charted as well. Those vessels that do brave her waters do their best to stay within half a days distance of land whenever possible, charting their courses as such, in case of a squall. Of course even that level of caution does not a lick of good if your caught in a Nor'Westor, one of the legendary storms that give the sea its name. These massive hurricane are sheer forces of power and nature, beyond even that of the divine will of Talia or Boran. They are nature given fury and raw elemental power. They do not last very long, the worst of it pops up and lasts but half an hour, an hour at the most. But that time frame will reap complete and utter devastation to anything in its path. Thankfully, though named for them such storms only occur five to six times a year, mostly in the winter, though when they do they tear all along Durol's northern waters, the systems seeming to strike against the very continent itself with a vengeful fury.

To the East, along Durol and Gavis-Lune's coasts, lies the Shimmering Sea. This ocean gets its name, lovely as it sounds, for its known presence out in deeper waters, of sea serpents and other scaled leviathans of the deep. Such creatures means again, more than coast hopping is not done often, though like whaling crews up north, there are some brave or foolhardy groups and crews whom actually go out looking for such beasts. The scales and many other anatomical parts of such a creature have a high monetary value to the right markets, not to mention the sheer volume of meat that can be harvested from one, so it is a profitable, if highly reckless and dangerous venture.

To the South, all along Gavis Lune's more southern coasts, the waters extend out into the Spiral Ocean. This ocean gets its name simply for shellfish, a resource harvested in abundance off its coasts. Shrimps, crabs, Ammonites and more, it is a very vibrant and healthy ocean, the reefs here teeming with life.

Finally to the West, all along Durol's and Wyriel's coasts lies the Ocean of Chains. This gets its unfortunate name as it is the preferred and common approach for Naelfis Raiders, those whom live in the blasted and long forgotten lands of Naelfian to the north and west, easily five to six weeks journey away. They are mostly north, much closer to the hole in the world than the rest of Valerick, and therefore, suffer a much heavier exposure to the Void's taint. The people there are all Faellen, but twisted shells, mutated mockeries of what once were kindred to the Sapient Children of the Ascended. They raid for food, treasure and most importantly, slaves and prisoners to use, abuse and sacrifice to their dark and hateful Ruined Gods. These raids are most often ill organized however and generally those on Valerick fare pretty well. But not a year goes by without at least a few coastal villages or towns getting sacked and razed mostly to the ground by these brutal raiders.

Localized Phenomena

Tol'amiris cursed under his breath, seeing the dust cloud about a mile behind them, his sharp elven eyes and Aether-Sight picking out the flesh stripping flashes in the Aether hiding admist the winds howling in that sandstorm. Grabbing his wife, he answered her glance with but two words that had fear rising in her chest, and had her rousing immediately, acting swiftly and unquestioningly. "Void Storm"

Void Storms are one of two things that one should be aware of no matter where they are in Valerick. They can take many forms, a monsoon in a jungle, a raging ice storm in the tundra, or a sandstorm in the desert, but regardless they always are heralded by three things. No matter if it makes sense or not, they are heralded by a vicious almost bone breaking north to south or south to north wind. Even if this should not be possible, between two mountains, it doesn't matter. Secondly they are oddly localized, never larger than perhaps ten miles in diameter, and able to be as small as but a mile. Thirdly, to those with Aether-Sight, those whom can see the flows of Manna, the Veil of magickal energy that makes up the world and all things? They will see amongst those winds a cacophony of color, a rainbow of madness and terror, with twisted nightmarish faces within in the worst cases.

Void Storms kick up almost at random. There are many theories as to what causes them too. Some among the Magisterium believes it is when too much manna, of too many currents, pool together in one place. Others think they likely start in places where the taint of the Void still clings to the land. Others still even believe it is the Ruined Gods themselves, the only bit of direct influence they can pierce through the Veil with, just lashing out in frustration. Whatever the cause, or causes, these storms are exceedingly dangerous to regular people and magisters alike. They will tear flesh, break bones, assault your mind and psyche, burn you, bite at you, and even in some extreme cases, try and mutate you. They will give you visions, driving you mad. The air will choke and drown you, poison you and in some cases rot your skin. They move fast, and can be survived, but it is far safer to try and avoid them. For magisters, they are subject to all the above as well, however they cannot safely call upon their magick. The sheer volume of manna all about them basically guarantees that they will not be able to control what they draw in, that they will draw in far to much power to swiftly, and lose complete control. In the most powerful of these sorts of storms a magister has another danger to consider. Possession.

The other thing one should be aware of and try to avoid is of course Void Scars. These are remnants of the Sundering, areas of land still blasted, tainted and twisted by the taint of the Void, from sheer over exposure to the realm of nightmares. All manner of dangers lie within such places. Wildlife one would understand it may still exist, as might some plant life. But most will be twisted. Mutated, or utterly changed into things heinous, malevolent and evil. The land itself is minorly corrupting as well. Most regions such as this are thankfully only minor, dangerous but manageable, and though their is slightly heightened risks to use of the Arcane Arts, and the Ascended may struggle a little more to hear the prayers of their faithful, such areas are not so dangerous as to be intraversiable. However there are a select few regions where it is confirmed or suspected that a Void Portal, though unstable, still exists. In the lands close to these, the difficulties become near as bad as a Void Storm, with the added difficulty of Horrors and Terrors, and in the worst case perhaps even Nightmares stalking the region that have used the portal to traverse into our reality. These few places, according to the best guesses, are likely keyed to one of the Ruined Gods directly, which will impact how the area effects people and the sorts of...strange beasts and beings one might expect if one is foolish enough to travel such a region.

Maps

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  Continent of Durol

  The northern most continent of the three that are considered the 'Lands of Ascension', the land of Durol is a land of thick temperate woodlands, marshes, hilly fens that transition into heavy and massive mountain ranges and boreal forests sprawling out into tundra lowlands. Like all the continents, a great many regions remain places of darkness and forgotten dangers. Even with the age of steam and sky-ship, the push of civilization to re-expand, resettle and take back what they lost in the Sundering of the world is a slow one.
  
  The great mountain ranges of Suranth, mineral and ore rich as they are, are but barely tapped into, because those highlands are exceedingly dangerous, filled to the brim with all manner of beast or monster, greenskins, joten and far worse. Some of those lands are still void tainted. The same is true of some of the deepest and thickest parts of the forests and marshes as well. Those kingdoms that hold sway here have the means to cleanse such evils, but are cautious by nature, for such endeavors are exceedingly expensive in coin, people, resources, time, and are exceedingly risky. So without being absolutely sure there will be value to be had, they aren't inclined to do so directly.
  
  Three of the nine nations that make up these 'Lands of Ascension' are upon the Continent of Durol. They are;
  
  Suranth, the Tundra Realms
  
  Depenwood, the Endless Boreal
  
  Raechin, the Wylde Frontier

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Death Hunt by Andeavenor

A Slaughter-Seeker commanding two Skull-Shatter Hounds, Artist Rendering of something likely all to common during the Sundering.

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Planet