Astalia
Long, long ago, the planet now known as Astalia existed in a wild and natural state. Pure magic flowed in turbulent, uncontrolled streams through the flora and fauna of the world, but no sapient minds existed to shape it to form.
Not until the arrival of the Ancients from beyond the stars.
Little is known about their civilization today, but, by settling on Astalia, the Ancients irreversibly altered the course of its history. Over generations, they built hyper-advanced cities and devices that harnessed and chained the magic of the planet, guiding and shaping it to power incredible feats of artifice. Foremost among their creations were the Starstones, seven huge and precious gems that channeled the vast majority of the world’s ambient magic for their use.
Even as they built these wonders, the Ancients failed to recognize their own oncoming downfall. Via Retribution, their 1000-year reign came to a sudden and dramatic end.
In the six thousand years that have passed since then, the few survivors of the Retribution gave rise to a modern society of sword and sorcery. The chains the Ancients imposed on Astalia’s magic eroded, freeing it in pieces to take wilder forms. Belief systems and cultures arose from the pantheon of gods, and the mortal races thrived under their guidance. The works of the Ancients are long overgrown.
Modern mortals originate from one of two regions: the Brights and the Gloom. Humans, light elves, halflings, orcs, leonin, and the like predominantly exist in the Brights—the aboveground biomes that stretch across the surface of the world. In contrast, drow, dwarves, gorgons, gith, and more populate the underdark region called the Gloom. Some intermingling occurs, but Overcommon and Undercommon are distinct languages, and tensions abound between denizens of both realms.
The Starstones still exist and continue to serve as the most powerful sources of magic on Astalia. Each one is controlled by a different one of the planet’s seven largest civilizations—four in the Brights, three in the Gloom. The runes, sigils, and architecture of each Starstone heavily influences the visual and practical function of magical scholarship in its corresponding culture. The great civilizations decorate their most prestigious buildings and apparel with the type of Starstone that symbolizes them. Some stones are even worshipped as divinities... but they are all weakening with time as the magic returns to its wildered state, increasingly accessible to anyone and everyone on the planet. There are factions in power who would like very much to prevent this redistribution of magic to the people, but this requires greater understanding of Ancient technology than anyone has achieved since the Retribution.
Many leaders in the Brights seek to expand their territories in the Gloom, as the Retribution buried most of the valuable traces of the Ancients in the deepest reaches of the caverns below. It is rare—but not unheard of—for modern adventurers to stumble upon remnants they’ve left behind. Still, the mere discovery of Ancient technology does not guarantee that it is functional... or safe.
It is into this world that the Mavros Guild is born in the year 6011 AR—a society of mercenaries, scholars, samaritans, and adventurers dedicated to serving the good of the world... and the good of their coin-purses. The guild was founded by the Archmage Wisteria in memory of their own days adventuring with a tight-knit group of friends and allies, and named for Mava and Ros—two of their closest companions from those days. Thanks to Wisteria’s magic, the guild is equipped with a well-warded hall and teleportation circles to carry them to most regions of the known world on quests—although the mage themself is rarely seen in the halls, often otherwise occupied by extraplanar magical business.
This is where you all come in...!