Etharai

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Hills roll gently across the land, pushing plants, houses, and animals. A boat drifts in the sky overhead, floating on the energy that the land provides. In the oceans not too far away, people emerge from the water, venturing out to find flowers to pick for their spouses.
In the north, a biting cold is staved off as communities buried beneath the snow provide each other warmth. In sealed-off dens they comfort one another, celebrating their lives and all its trials and tribulations.
In biomes overflowing with magic, enough to kill most life on the planet, species still thrive, finding a way to survive in the lands that should have been dead. Others guide their faithful companions around the outskirts of the region, trusting them not to lead them astray.

And deep beneath the surface, guarded by its Keepers, lies the beating heart of the planet, providing life to those above.

Welcome to Etharai

What is Etharai?

And so Etharai slept, in the hopes that she would wake to a better world.
Etharai is a living planet inhabited by dogmatically peaceful people. It is a planet of magic and science, where the magic of the land goes hand in hand with with the technology that its people develop. Scientific advancement is restricted, however, by the cultural beliefs of those who see it as an affront to the universe, and an act against the worldmothers.

How did Etharai come to be?

According to the world's most common creation myth, Etharai was a world created when the daughter of two celestial beings began to fall ill. As she did, these worldmothers encased her in a rocky and lifeless planet. However, in this planet, Etharai began to thrive, bringing life to the world around her, nurturing species and cultures and a thriving environment.
But long ago, the world was plunged into a war that wreaked havoc and death onto the lands. The War of World's End shook the very planet to its core, and her people were almost entirely wiped out. To those who did remain, violence was a surefire way to lead to the full distruction of the the planet, and thus began its current age of peace.

What is the geography of Etharai?

Spanning the planet of Etharai are a number of different biomes, ranging from magical wastes left after the war, where life persists despite the odds, to the lively megaforests, filled with gigiantic flora and fauna that makes visitors feel tiny in comparison.
The planet is 60% water, and the oceans are filled with their own unique geography as well. The submerged caverns venture deep beneath the ocean floors, while the kelp forests provide some cover and protection to the species living within them.

Who lives in Etharai?

Etharai is filled to the brim with many different sapient species, and ethnicities along with them. While the kuuyikar and peiktari are the most prominent water and land species across the planet, many more isolated and local species such as the norrith, the flamekin, or the angels live in their own unique environments and cultures.
Deep beneath Etharai's surface, through tunnels and caves and much danger, the Keepers live, with a mission of collecting knowledge of the planet and guarding her heart.

Conflict in a Peaceful Land

While Etharai's people remain peaceful, under the lingering threat of extinction, their cultures clash and their ideas vary. While no one will go far enough to be the first to take up arms against one another, progress is blocked due to a stubborn lack of cooperation between species and cultures that disagree fundamentally with each others' beliefs.
The planet may not have war, but the clashing ideologies and an inability to compromise has caused hiccups and incidents that the people of Etharai believe are best left not forgotten, grudges held between decades and sometimes even centuries.

The Magic of Etharai

Etharai is a world filled to the brim with magic. This magic can be split into Amyth and Thyic, or passive and active magic. These forms of magic share root words with the two worldmothers, but Thyic is often looked down upon and seen as an affront to the gods. While many do not share this belief, it is a large source of contention and a driving force for the world.

People of Etharai

Angels
Species | Dec 30, 2023

Small winged humanoids living in the clouds - both figuratively and literally

Apollan
Species | Jan 8, 2024

A species born with mild prophetic ability

Arkhe
Species | Apr 7, 2024

A translucent species connected to nature and magic

Atramentarian
Species | Mar 12, 2024

An individualistic society living isolated in the mycelium forests

Eaiel
Species | May 27, 2024

A tiny species of sapients living deep in the tunnels and caverns of Etharai's oceans

Flamekin
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A fire-resistant species native to the emberpeaks

Fthast
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A moth-like humanoid with a high sensitivity to magic

Jylar
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A feline sapient species who live in the megaforests of Etharai

Keeper
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A sapient species residing at the heart of Etharai

Kuuyik
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A semi-aquatic species with incredible hearing and a culture surrounding flowers

Moonfallow
Species | Jan 11, 2024

A species that gains form in moonlight

Muscarian
Species | Feb 27, 2024

Small, kind, mushroom folk native to the mycelium forests

Norrith
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A species living mostly isolated in the ice caps of Etharai

Peiktar
Species | Dec 30, 2023

Green-skinned humanoids with branch-like decorations and dark vine-like patterns

Qelk
Species | Dec 30, 2023

A large avian party-going species with interesting ideas on magic

Sophan
Species | Feb 11, 2024

A resilient species with little sensitivity to magic

Suncursed
Species | Apr 7, 2024

A burnt and cracked species living in the shadow of the sins of their ancestors

Xsenda
Species | Dec 12, 2023

A sapient species living in the abyssal depths

Geography of Etharai

Abyssal Depths
Geographic Location | Feb 5, 2024

The deepest trenches of Etharai's oceans

Dewdrop Peaks
Geographic Location | Mar 10, 2024

A biome drifting high above the clouds

Emberpeaks
Geographic Location | Feb 23, 2024

A biome of active volcanoes as though in a mountain range, inhabited by flora and fauna alike

Fogswept Forest
Geographic Location | Dec 30, 2023

Forests constantly covered in a thick later of fog

Ice Caps
Geographic Location | Mar 25, 2024

The pseudo-landmasses of ice on the northern and southern poles of Etharai

Kelp Forests
Geographic Location | Mar 3, 2024

An underwater biome filled with kelp, seaweed, and cities

Magical Wastes
Geographic Location | Dec 30, 2023

Lands overwhelmed with magical energy, making them potentially dangerous to visitors without proper protections.

Megaforest
Geographic Location | Jan 6, 2024

Rainforests with giant flora and trees reaching to unimaginable heights

Mycelium Forests
Geographic Location | Dec 30, 2023

Forests filled with giant mushrooms and two differing peoples

Rolling Hills
Geographic Location | Jan 29, 2024

A biome where hills roll like waves

Submerged Caverns
Geographic Location | Feb 10, 2024

Sprawling and twisting caverns deep below the ocean's surface

The Fog
Geographic Location | Dec 30, 2023

A barren landscape covered in fog

The Heart of Etharai
Geographic Location | Jan 4, 2024

The beating heart that sustains the planet

Wandering Tunnels
Geographic Location | Jan 26, 2024

A collection of tunnel networks stretching between Etharai's surface and heart

Whirlpool Reefs
Geographic Location | Mar 26, 2024

A coral reef subject to constant whirlpools



Cover image: Etharai Cover by notahumanhand

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