Introduction
Welcome to the Ashúnian Archipelago. A wild, untamed, and dangerous series of large islands and intermixing isles. The legend of how this archipelago has formed is only told in hushed whispers around campfires and tables, and there are many different tales of the same story. Generally, however, the scholars roughly agree on the basis of the concept. Rough 1 and a half thousand years ago, an incredibly expansive and destructive war occurred that rocked the very foundation of the multiverse. During this multi-century-long war, gods were slain, planes were shattered, worlds destroyed, and races obliterated. During the final stages of the war, Zycore became the final location and final stand for The Light, and it is said that what is now the archipelago was a massive continent that was once linked onto the Supercontinent of Uulek’Dorr. Today, it is a region torn apart by wars and unnatural rifts, by supernatural monstrosities and raging pirates. However, it is also a place of growing opportunity, and those that survive may find that fortune has favored them. Will fortune favor you? Or will you fall into open jaws of suffering and woe?
General
Neverhelm, The Capital of the Pravalon Empire, has been known as the “center of civilization” for many generations. Since its founding around 550 years ago by a powerful master of the Arcane and lead experimenter of the Rift of Arcanum, the city has drawn ALL manner of individuals from across all of Zycore. As far as its history, the city was founded around one singular massive tower, and at the top of this tower is a sphere of solid light that radiates continuously like the sun, always emanating out in rays of light that fluctuates but is ever shining. This kind of magic is extremely rare and was only completed by the founder of the city, Arathis Highborn, with the use of the power from the Rift of Arcanum on the main continent of Uulek’Dorr. So, with this incredible feat completed, many from the Zebetian Empire came to settle in this newly found region. With this continuous influx of individuals from the Zebetian Empire, the natives of the region, the Lythari saw this increase in strangers as a potential danger to their society. So, without going too deep into the history, there were 2 regional wars that erupted, instigated by the natives of the Archipelago in an attempt to force the Zebetians out of their land and sea. However, the strength of this new extension of the Zebetian Empire, known as the Pravalon Empire today, was too much for the other side, and many other aspects of these two wars helped sway the favour of the war to those of the Pravalon Empire. These two wars shifted the balance of power in the area, and there are now many independent cities, nations, factions, and city-states in the archipelago. As the Pravalon Empire expanded, so did other nations and factions that could think of gaining a foothold in this region. Today, The Pravalon Empire rules over the Zahuan Isle, The Eastfall Isle, Estora Island, and the Summerset Isle. Though its rule is rather tenuous when it comes to the outer islands within the Pravalon Empire’s borders, they remain the most powerful nation on the Archipelago when it comes to influence and military
The Isle of Zahuan is the most densely populated island on the archipelago, and other towns erupted shortly after the 2 regional wars. Major amount of mining takes place in the Ringdel Mountains, and other opportunities have arisen which have led to the creation of those other cities.
The current opposition to the Pravalon Empire surprisingly has nothing to do with the native races of the region. Rather the existence of a growing Dynasty that came to being when a powerful family from the Eadrera Republic arrived during the height of the first war. This family is said to have been of royal blood and the incredible ancient power that they bring with them has helped with their expansion. This family is known as The Myrvans, who have come to create the Myrvan Dynasty. Surprisingly, while this civilization had not grown nearly as quickly in comparison to the Pravalon Empire, they rapidly became a dangerous threat to the opposing side. During the first war, known as the War of the Vile, and the second war, which was known as Ashúnian’s Hope, The Myrvan Dynasty attempted to increase their position by supposedly siding with the natives and supporting their efforts. Because of this, the Lythari supplied this family with a major island that could support their cause. This island is known as Lochmond isle, and is now the seat of power for the Myrvan Dynasty. During the war, treachery had amounted to the near destruction of the Lythari and the dynasty took not just the Lochmond Isle, but also The Brendival Isles, and The Gracemere Atoll. The two major powers of this region now vie for control over the islands and being that the Lochmond Isle and Zahuan lie relatively close to one another, there are always tensions brewing.
· To the Northwest, there are no major governmental entities that control the islands. Many of the cities that exist on Ikera, The Everlit Isles, Lorewood Isle, and the many other smaller islands in the mix are all independent city-states, townships, or controlled by smaller factions. The Everlit isles are, at this moment, “controlled” by a faction known as The Twisted Cutlasses, which the best definition to describe them is that they are the sole concentration of “pirates'' in the region, and the cities and townships on the islands are controlled by them. These cities and isles are the places to go if you wish to evade the governmental agencies, or if you wish to disappear altogether. Thanks to the two wars that surmounted, many people both native and nonnative, wished to get away from the conflict as much as possible, and went to the Everlit Isles and the Twisted Cutlasses for assistance. Over the course of only a few decades, the strength of this Faction has grown considerably, not because of its military might, but because of its diversity. The lengths that this faction have gone to in order to spread chaos amongst the “civilized” nations have greatly increased their threat to those said nations, and the Pravalon Empire, specifically, has sought to eradicate them, no matter the cost.
The World Rift
· Now, to discuss what the World Rift is. The World Rift is a massive area where, when observed from the outside, looks like a massive, expansive storm that rages continuously with other-worldly power. The storm itself encompasses a gigantic area, and sages suggest that there was once a massive island (the largest in the archipelago) that was torn apart by some kind of cataclysmic event. Some suggest that this storm is the byproduct of the events that transpired during the largest calamity of the Ancient Aeon, known as the War of the Damned. No one can say for sure what truly happened there, because no one has been successful in navigating the hellish storms and dangerous waters. This storm, which has been called the Storm of Incarnum, never grows past a certain point, but continues to rage, and any ships, airship or otherwise, that enter never return. Some explorers try to send out expeditions into the Storm of Incarnum, supplying themselves with the best gear, the most durable and reliable ships, and the most powerful practitioners of the arcane arts or guides of the natural world, yet nothing has fully succeeded. Worse yet are the monstrosities that continuously crawl, swim, or fly out of the World Rift. These creatures range from those from the Elemental Plane of Water to the Shadowfell, and while they do not swarm out to encompass all of the Archipelago, sailing the seas closest to the World Rift has been increasingly dangerous. So, the immediate response to this has been direct military force from the Pravalon Empire, and cities such as Darklan and Al-Adwan have become bastions of war, heavily reinforced with navy and Magtech. The Okonigan Ocean has now become a battleground of Galleons and Airships, oceanic and airain monstrosities, and is a prime location for any pirate looking to loot any amount of the remains of the continuous battles that hold off the coming doom.
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