Alterra Fate of the Star Children
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“Sit child and listen! Here, busy your hands with this weaving and listen to my story.”
Alterra is our world, but is not our home world. All the peoples of Alterra are descended from the refugees of the great cosmic battle that raged eons ago. These refugees were escaping like lambs running between the legs of two battling dragons. Gifted a great vessel to flee this battle, our ancestors washed up on the shores of this world. This our myths tell us; every star in the night sky is a sun with world around them, one of those far off stars is our people’s home. Every kind of people weather the strange speaking Kenku or the riotous Bugbear is from one of those distant stars. We were chosen to flee, to build a new world. What happened after our brave forebearers set foot on this world, Alterra, is also myth, handed down by each people, and we became scattered on this world. And our forebearers came with powerful machines and instruments, but over time knowledge was lost how to repair or make ones to replace them. They were not their tools, but gifts from our protectors, the Star Walkers. Our ancestors were clever and learned to adapt, but knowledge stored on these tools, could not be copied. These wonderous tools are sometimes immune to the ravages of time, rust and mold, and can be found just as the ancients left them!
The Numeria, ancient technology can with clever hands use them today. The simple but powerful Cyphers are good for a single use most of the time, Relics are functional tools and weapons with still enough life in them to be of use, at least for a time. A Numeriamancer is a wise sage who can usually tinker with numeria and figure out what it is good for, or how to modify our tools and equipment to use it. But a Numeriamancer has a saying “Power of 3 is good, 4 is bad luck”. Holding too many of these devices near you curses you, curses your greed! You might get sick, you might go POOF! Disappear and never come back!
Over the centuries we have colonized and spread, but much of this world is unknown and mysterious. We are not even sure how some peoples came to be where they are today! But we are not completely ignorant, our forbearers discovered how to manipulate a new power, magic. Maybe the Star Walkers were magical, maybe their technology was so powerful it was magic? The Elves developed Sorcery harnessing the innate magic in all creatures. The humans developed wizardry from long research and study. Philosophers have unlocked the power of pure thought to channel magic. Warlocks have unlocked paths to communicate with powerful entities and learn dark secrets. Over the many centuries this knowledge has spread and mingled. You be careful with magic too! It’s not all thaumaturgy and rainbows. Be careful what you learn, can learn things you should not know.
In the last several decades the tinkerers and mechanics have made new inventions, from toys for nobles to weapons of war that makes war more terrible! When I was a little girl like you I remember the first blunderbuss I ever saw in the hands of a cavalier in the retinue of the prince. Now it seems every knave with two ducats has a brace of pistols. Mind you, a gun is not as reliable as a well swung mourning star or as precise as a war pick in the skull. And not as subtle as a dagger in the ribs….Sorry children I was just thinking of my younger days…
