The first born journeyed away from the others as a shining light in the darkness. When she was alone, she shaped a piece of herself into a material form. She shaped the mountains and seas and rivers and valleys. When she was satisfied with her creation, she returned to the others and exclaimed, "Come and see! I have created something to fill the Void!" Mother and the rest of the theras followed the first born back to the material world. Upon seeing it, Mother saw that it was good and came to reside in that place along with the other theras.
The Known World
Kos
Our home, and easily the most populated continent in the entire world. Many people live here of all varieties. Humans are the most numerous if you don't count the dwarves who live under the mountains. The desert in the center of the continent is a sour reminder of our sins. But, the forests and plains are teeming with life, and the surrounding waters are full of fish and whales.
Akea
The beastlands lie south of Kos and were once ruled by dragons.
Evirs
From whence we came and to where we can never return,
Evirs bears the everlasting punishment of our hubris. We fled and abandoned the continent to the east to escape our own demise. The land has been consumed by desert, and only the hardest of species can survive in the
eastern plains before those too are consumed by red sand. Life still thrives to the north in the
Fenveikuria Archipelago.
Flying Islands
If you see a shadowed area on a cloudless day, that's probably the shadow of a
flying island. Somehow, life manages to survive all the way up there above the clouds where rain can't fall. There are tales of
sky pirates and whales that swim from island to island.
Deeplands
Far beneath the ground, life somehow manages to survive. The underground is known for its portals to the godly realms and all sorts of strange and myserious creatures who can't survive on the surface. Few know what's down there, and even fewer who descend ever return to the surface.The Ocean
The Unknown
Northern Wastes
Far to the north past the Twin Spires lies an impenetrable land of snow and ice. Many have tried to pass the ring of mountains, but none have succeeded and survived. Legend says that the Winter Wind resides there in his palace in a glacier. Others believe that there are colonies of people who have lived for generations unaware of what happens further south.
Heart of the World
Somewhere beyond the horizon lies an island, and on that island is a volcano. This is the
Heart of the World where
Fate resides. She lives deep inside the boiling chamber and welcomes all who succeed in the perilous journey. Even more fail to find this mysterious and unmarked place.
Uncharted Islands
The vast ocean beyond our eastern shores is filled with unknown and uncharted islands. Ships sometimes come to and from the islands with fantastic tales of what can be found beyond. The Isle of the Lost and Bliss Caye are the most well known islands. Many brave captains seek fame and fortune in those islands, but the waters are also home to many monsters.Guardians
Durgurath
Dragon - dead, wise
Bere Gal
Whale - sea
Kantjeka
Bison - land
Eagle - sky
Tree - life
Mushroom - death
Flower - growth
Viper - swift
Lion - sure
An Abridged History
In the Beginning
The story of our land begins eons before any of our ancestors were born. Deep in the Void, the first and biggest shard of the broken Essence ventured forth to seek refuge from the inevitable return of Chaos. But the Void was endless and empty. Too tired to continue on, she wept into the darkness. Her tears pooled at her feet until they became a swirling sphere of water. She reached out to touch it, and where ever she touched, the waters parted. This became land, but it was grey and barren. She plucked her hair and covered the barren land with grass. From the grass she made trees, and the light of her spirit nourished them and illuminated the whole world.
Seeing this miracle, she returned to her grieving mother and siblings. "Come, come! See that your daughter lives on! See that all you have promised is true!" She returned to her creation still suspended in the Void. In her absence, the land was covered in darkness, and the trees and grass withered. At first, her siblings scoffed at her efforts for it was but a shadow of what was promised.
But one small spirit came forward and focused all his energy on producing light. And when the trees and grass felt the light again, they sprang back to life. But it took a great deal of energy, and he couldn't hold it for long. So his sisters came forward and took over shining a duller light each, but combined they could light the land again. Fate saw this and smiled.
"Child of my daughter, I name you Ivtna meaning world for all you have created it good." Then Fate turned to the three little spirits. "Brave child of my daughter, I name you Aga meaning sun for your light shines brightest of all. Little child of my daughter, I name you Ilu meaning little moon for you shall shine while your brother rests. And good child of my daughter, I name you Magura meaning big moon, and you shall join your sister in lighting the world while your brother rests."
The remaining spirits saw this and sought their eternal mother's praise, too. They raised more land from the seas and created mountains and valleys. They filled the land with wonder and magic. And so were named each for their contributions. Silina meaning blue, Adagan meaning mountain, Atus meaning wind, and Dunia meaning favor.
They lived for a time on the world creating beasts to fill it. Of the many gods, thirteen created beings in their image and brought them to Fate wondering why they only had the intelligence of common animals. She bestowed upon the creations the breath of wisdom, and thus, the first sapient beings were made. The gods became known as the Gods of Creation and were raised above the rest.
The gods returned to the surface and taught their creations speech and worship. For generations, all was well. Great guardians created by Ivtna protected the land, seas, and sky and were ever watchful for Chaos' return.
The Great Flood
But all good things couldn't last. In time, corruption seeped into the world, and strange shadowy monsters poisoned the land. Once fertile meadows became shriveled, and all across the world, people began to know suffering. The gods turned to Fate who told them about Chaos and his desire to dominate and destroy all that was good. And so, they devised a plan to rid the world of these monsters and restore it to its former bounty. The gods led their people to the hills and mountains, and the dwarves sealed themselves away. When all were safe, the rains began. The deluge lasted for forty-five days and nights.
When the rains stopped and the sun shone once again, the land was washed anew. Green forests and verdant plains covered the world once again. What no one realized was that some of the corruption escaped for a tiny piece of it lives in the hearts of everyone. The gods then left the world to forge their own realms. They were connected but distant. They made a promise that they would never abandon the people, and thus, the first Speakers were born to honor that promise.
Empires Rise
With the gods gone, there was no one to stop the rise of empires. Across the world, the humanoids ruled. In Evirs, the great human empire of Intawenshevis conquered most of the continent except for the lands claimed by the dragon guardian Durgurath. In Kos, the elves took every advantage afforded to them by their long lifetimes to bring the shorter lived races to their knees. And in Akea, the dwarves built impenetrable halls of stone and crafted armor that no arrow nor spell could pierce. They ruled the continent above and below ground. And so it lasted for thousands of years until the people forgot what it was life before them.
The Exiles
Not everyone was satisfied to be ruled. The elves who refused to submit to the rule of the Vranian elves were cast out, and their seeds were taken from them. They were forced deep underground, but not even the dwarves would accept them. So they continued deeper still until they found the Deeplands and made their home worshipping the Lord of Stone. The dwarves once rallied behind the Sun King, but when he was slain by a priestess of Hathchan who claimed the throne for her own clan, the first degree was to banish those who settled outside of the mountains forever. Never could they return to the mountain halls. And so, they traveled north across the sea into Kos. Among the humans, many groups splintered off and found whatever shelter they could to escape the incredible might of the empire. Some fled across the ocean in search of better lands that didn't exist while others settled on the far reaches of the empire praying that the mighty army wouldn't march across barren hills.
The Death of Durgurath
Now the guardians were great beasts created by Valtena to protect the world that was her creation. They existing in perfect harmony with nature, and they were known to be benevolent to those who sought their wisdom. Many pilgrims journeyed just to bask in their presence and meditate. They were immortal, or so everyone believed. The great dragon Durgurath decreed that his hunting grounds would be free from imperial conquest. But as the millennia wore on and the empire grew, farmers began settling at the borders of his domain. He tolerated them at first so long as they didn't encroach further than the border and minded their prey.
The Great Migration
Era of the Dragon Kings
First Dragon War
Second Dragon War
Age of Peace
Third Dragon War
Recent History
Necromancy War
The New Empire
Present Day
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