Setting Guide

Aemalon

The First Kingdoms

As new life explored and diverged into the unknown, the first settlements were created. Each of these were holy domains that flourished beneath the watchful eye of their progenitor gods.

The Emberfall Royals

The royal family was at first uncompromising in their responsibilities without encroaching into harshness. But power, as it often does, invariably corrupts. Adyont as a warden was satisfied with observing without intervention to the chagrin of his siblings.

Thasur Emberfall I commanded his constituents to expand the city underground as refuge from the elements from those whose skills warranted protection. The royal family all but abandoned their castle above ground, relegating it to ritual or ceremonial purposes while true governance occured beneath the soil.

The city stretched deep into the earth in a series of discs that were further distinguished by a service provided by those who lived on a specific layer. The royals occupied the lowest disc, while the more disposable an individual's skill set was determined how close to the surface they would live. Such harsh stratification of social castes inevitably led to class disparity.

Upward momentum was indeed possible, even early on in the royalty's existence, but grew increasingly more challenging with the passage of time. Those who were condemned to life on the surface could improve their social standing through enlistment engaging in a task simply known as the Proving, the specifics of which were individually determined. Later in the country's history, enlistment would also qualify.

Thilia Broza's Castes

Isyeth Thémar

The Glass Kingdom shared a similarly complex political landscape with its sylvan cousins in the western nation of Aynydd Karr but possessed an unfathomably deep connection with their faerie roots. To enter the Glass Kingdom was to witness the ethereal beauty of an existence reflected within the ice and sleet.

Despite their reticence, the denizens of Isyeth Thémar took a certain pride in their connection with the rippling other side of reality. To visit this 'other side' of reality was a technique closely guarded and would be nigh impossible by even the most prodigiously skilled allotheurgist for many years but those rare few who came to this kingdom afar could feel the presence of something powerful permeating the air around them.

Bhin Khaldur

Where the citizens of Thilia Broza were cool-headed pragmatists, the city state of Bhin Khaldur was home to the ambitious with lofty ideals. These two foremost dwarven civilizations paralleled each other in many ways but chiefly in their governing philosophy. Bhin Khaldur was a place of meritocracy first and foremost, fervently holding that any and all possessed the ability to pursue any desired station. Life here was simple and most knew what to expect of their time here.

Smiths and miners often found themselves practicing here in the shadow of the Merostaas volcano. Despite the inherent danger of living near an active volcano, the mines of Bhin Khaldur were teeming with precious metals and gems well worth the risks.

Brerassi

Beyond the Carcacirya Valley were the sand-swept dunes of the Erumemiuë, which harbored the vivacious kingdom of beastfolk. Even in the far reaches of Aemalon, people knew of the extraordinary poets and artists who traveled with Saatvika's blessing. Though mostly beastfolk called the Erumemiuë home, dwarves and orcish heritages also saw the unique value of the glittering desert.

Those who lived in the deserts roamed rarely settled in one place for long, with three notable exceptions. Two settlements were erected along the bordering mountain lines as preparatory borders to ensure those who entered were fully aware of the desert's unforgiving nature.

Brerassi was an oasis in many ways, having been built around an eternal spring that bubbled in the epicenter of the colorful city. In addition to the life that had already gathered in the Erumemiuë, it was a concentrated playground for corporeal elementals.

The Age of Splintering

Her will newly made manifest distorted the still roiling energy of the newly created world, rupturing it into disparate planes of existence and twisted forms of life.

Until now, Aemalon did not know death.
But in doing so, Jaithrana had drafted the thought of impermanence; whispering the idea of final endings into infinite paradise.

The Turning Tide and the Rose Regiment

Aerosvaali was reluctant to slay his sister and desperately believed that he might change her mind. They waged war in the skies for 50 years as Nydiecien's forces were reduced to a shell of what they once were. As tooth, claw, and scale plummeted from the Warden Gods' wounds, Fersacré was inspired. He would forge a weapon from these pieces but could not detach himself from his duty to reinforce the crumbling walls of the Godthrone, lest it come crashing down the moment his back was turned.

Five brave mortals who were among the last of a platoon called the Rose Regiment, comprised of two beastfolk, two fae-blooded, and one gnome, volunteered to venture into the bloodsoaked Songmeadows to gather the components that Fersacré required.

Deep within the Taur-i-Melegyrn, in the ruins of a temple once dedicated to Saatvika, this platoon lost two of their own to a monstrosity, intent on protecting the pieces of its master, that lurked within. Despite the cost at which this victory came, the Rose Regiment was able to secure the piece of Jaithrana and return it to Fersacré's forge and as such were instrumental.

This blade, a seamless and symbolic integration of Aerosvaali and Jaithrana, sharp enough to sunder logic itself, was unsuited for mortal hands. It was demonstrative of an endless vow between two siblings who had lost sight of one another and acquired a number of titles through its mythology. Fersacré himself was particularly fond of sylvan words and named his magnum opus Aon'thyr. While Jaithrana could not be slain by any other than her brethren, the Scourge was a different matter for he was not yet a god.

Dreaming Soldiers

Fersacré's ingenuity did not end with the creation of Aon'thyr. In his sleep, he conceptualized a tireless soldier: one that would never be susceptible to earthly needs. Manufactured from divine scales and nigh unbreakable metals, Fersacré's iron mannequins could not claim the spark of will for their own; thusly, the god brokered a deal with the Sovereign Reverie. Its denizens could occupy the waking world by inhabiting these soldiers in return for activating and directing them.

These soldiers embodied the myriad qualities of countless dreamers and were nearly indistinguishable from those of flesh and blood. This agreement was so successful that the Sovereign Reverie furtively began broadening its scope and appealing to the dreamers themselves, while cautiously avoiding the watchful eye of the Warden Gods.

The Origin of Miasma

Corelia took up Aon'thyr and met the Scourge in the mountains surrounding Nydiecien, narrowly overtaking him after a quick but merciless battle outside the first temple to Aerosvaali. She took this opportunity to summon her brethren to capture an incapacitated Scourge but each of the Ascendant Gods quickly found that the Scourge would not be so easily slain. The man assumed a form reminiscent of his tutor, sacrificing his corporeal flesh to a viscous and coalescing darkness in a draconic shape that consumed all in its path.

Though the Scourge had not ascended in the structured manner outlined by the other Warden Gods, he realized that he had already achieved something similar by becoming Jaithrana's disciple. With what remained of his waning strength, his final ploy was to juxtapose himself against the Ascendant Gods and become antithetical to life itself. This transformation was called miasma; not even Jaithrana herself desired such wanton destruction for without a world to shape, her endeavors would be meaningless.

But the Scourge was arrogant, for he exhausted what remained of his strength as he dug rapidly grown claws into the earth beneath him. Though his desperate evolution was fulfilled, he was powerless in the face of the Ascendant Pantheon and sealed in the depths of the mountains beneath Aerosvaali's temple.

Jaithrana and Aerosvaali had been locked in a stalemate for decades. Two titans clashing in the sky was as routine as day turning to night. But such monumental power was difficult to control; extensive swathes of land were destroyed between their clash and the Scourge's miasmatic blood. Nearly the whole of the Erumemiuë sank into the earth as boundless chasms now tore through Aemalon, separating its kingdoms.

Ultimately defeated at the end of an apocalyptic war that decimated Aemalon, Jaithrana disavowed her consort and fled, leaving the Scourge alone to face retribution. The Scourge, however, had grown significantly more powerful than any of the Warden Gods could have anticipated and was impervious to Death. Much like he and his tutor splintered Aemalon, the Scourge was rent asunder into seven aspects that were bound in the depths of the earth and oceans.

The Abdication of the Wardens

With the Scourge's aspects imprisoned, Aerosvaali came to a somber realization. Now that mortal beings could achieve Ascendancy, his mother's creation would never truly be safe. He and his siblings bid one another farewell as they became a wall that would forever separate the divine from the material by offering the last of their potential. Aerosvaali was the last of them, but could not bear to witness a similar catastrophe befall Aemalon and be powerless to stop it.

Before the benevolent son of Ausgoryant could fully unravel into the threads that constituted the celestial veil, he passed through it instead; he would never exert the same might as he once did nor see his siblings ever again. With the Ascendant champions alongside him, they established their domains in the farthest reaches of the Silver Sea. Though these gods came to be known by a plurality of names and represent myriad concepts to different cultures, they would continue exert their influence on Aemalon through boons granted to their mortal followers.

Eodora

The material plane to which most other planes are connected and where most humanoids live their entire lives, Eodora (pronounced eɪəʊdɔːrrɒ) is a world of vast and deep oceans with three continents and two island nations that are host to a variety of colorful lives.

• The Age of Primordials is considered to be the origin of Eodora; its progenitor gods willing themselves and their kingdom into existence. This land was known as Aemalon. These gods are spoken of in Eodora as the Old Mother and her Forgotten Children. Some legends refer to the Old Mother as Worldshaper.

• The Age of Splintering is the briefest and most destructive era of Eodora's history and is comprised of the apocalyptic war that occurred between the Old Mother, her children, and their chosen champions that would be the first to ascend to godhood. During this conflict between titan primordials, the holy land of Aemalon was fragmented.

• The Age of Restoration is hallmarked by both the concerted effort to rebuild and the construction of the Celestial Veil, a protective barrier created by the Ausgoryant's children that prevented any divine entity from passing through or exerting their influence in any way beyond that which their mortal adherents could achieve through boons granted to them. Time passed with newfound hesitation as creatures navigated a world where Death had become a malleable but persistent rule. Ruling bodies desperate to cling to the old ways of reincarnation stoked the fires of war, and an ambitious family that rose from nothing to prominence decided to capitalize on this.

• The Age of Benediction is the period in which Eodora has mostly recovered from the catastrophic damage it suffered and its people are generally united in compassion. But with the spark of free will that inhabits each person, so too does the potential for great heroism or terrible villainy.

The Continents of Eodora

Edelt

The smallest of the island continents, Edelt is pastoral wilderness as far as the eye can see. Its governance is loosely performed by the Wildwalk Confederacy in the most centralized settlement of Karwell, with the exception of the Berestos Shallows in the northeast. The fertile lands are reminiscent of the country's origins as a faerie kingdom; primeval power dwells in Edelt, and it is considered a threshold through which people pass to paradise.

Testrai

Closely bound to its monarchical past, Testrai is a frigid tundra with bone chilling winters. To all but the most resilient, life in Testrai is exceptionally difficult. The country is divided between four kingdoms, many of which have preserved their historical roots.

• Brozath is the contemporary name of Thilia Broza, still ruled by the Emberfall family after Kraaiguida departed following the Splintering. The old kingdom was quietly rebuilt where it stood so long ago. Much of its culture has persisted through the centuries; aristocrats are the lawmakers while the royal family has become more symbolic.
• Isyeth Thémar, now surrounded by a nearly impenetrable field of jagged ice, is often mythologized. Those who wish to enter the Glass Kingdom must be guided through its naturally labyrinthine defenses. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the elves of Isyeth Thémar strove for progress in the face of cataclysmic destruction without sacrificing their peculiar zeal.
• Bhin Khaldur shares more in common with Aevrelan cities than any of its Testraian counterparts. The territory eagerly and openly welcomes inventors of all stripes past its gates, though the city itself has fallen into a unending and complex civil war sparked by its most powerful families.
• Getroa, the Exiled Kingdom, just beyond the Felrast Alps, is scarcely visited. It was founded shortly after the Splintering, where certain scalefolk were banished from their homes on prejudiced reasoning. None who venture past the alps return to tell what they found there, nor can contemporary alleotheurgy breach whatever barrier surrounds it. Getroa is a melancholic, quiet, and nearly monastical place.

Changing Powers

Each nation interpreted the implication of divinity's absence differently. At crumbling remnants of the Godthrone, those who remained out of a sense of honor attempted to preserve the memory of the Warden Gods as best they could in hopes of avoiding a similar catastrophe in the future. But tried as they might, the impression of the Warden Gods slowly faded away.

The Age of Benediction

Calender

A year on Eodora is 309 days contained in 10 months. Seasons generally last for two and a half months. Various holidays are observed with more frequency depending on location and culture. Daylight in the summer can be overly abundant, while moonlight in the winter can be pervasive.

Celestial Phenomena

Eodora and Ausgora have two moons: Aostri and Valta. While mythologized as the eyes of Ausgoryant, Valta is a younger and smaller heavenly body that is a fragment of the Splintering's destructive influence on Aemalon. It is a hazy blue that is occasionally enveloped with a faint orange mist. Aostri is a crystallization of early allotheurgy.

Aostri, in comparison, is generally white with mottled spots of pale blue. Its size is a leading contributor to Eodora's turbulent seas. Valta completes its orbit around Aostri in 16 days, while Aostri's orbit around Eodora takes 33 days. As a result, daylight tends to last well into the night. Lunar eclipses, while not mundane events, are more common than solar eclipses.

When Aostri and Valta are both full visible in the, the world experiences a torrential surge of magical energy. It is possible to unwillingly slip between planar reflections. This period is referred to as Apotheosis and its effects are present for a week afterwards.

Conversely, when both Aostri and Valta are simultaneously cast in shadow as new moons, the world experiences Renascence. Where Apotheosis leads to unpredictably powerful expressions of magic, Renascence dulls its edge.

Ausgora

Cyr Anthala

A sprawling metropolis nestled into a mountain range that stretches upwards along Ausgoryant's nape, Cyr Anthala was founded some decades after the ascension but was not fully established for centuries. As the first settlement, Cyr Anthala's growth outpaced other smaller villages on the frontier. The city stands atop especially rugged and mountainous terrain, with a gentle grade along its sides leading into commercial and residential districts. Structures, some of which are naturally occurring, are large enough to support a growing populace. Though the vast majority live within the territorial lines drawn by the mountain range, some agriculturalists prefer more distance from the raucous city. Governed by the theocratic Doxologia Caeli, this massive and diverse city is host to a suite of technological marvels. Commuting through the city is made simpler with the introduction of a railway system called the Borealis Line, which is powered by air elementals and supported by a series of small floating islands dotting the sky above the city. Transit by carriage or on foot is common.

With a population of roughly 600,000, Cyr Anthala is the product of dauntless dedication. With the Scourge's defeat at the hands of the Crows of Neywithe, the dialectic that they offered was one of preservation. Were it not for their sacrifice, Ausgoryant's reformation would have been consumed by the miasma and heralded the destruction of all life. Refusing to let their bravery and sacrifice go to waste, those nearest to the Worldshaper's neck built the foundation of the city. Some structures were built into the stone while other dwellings were more traditional constructions. Remarkable azure crystals sprout from the ground and grow like trees, emitting a phosphorescent glow in the light of Valta.

Cyr Anthala's Stewardship

Figures of the Malichyana live respectable, comfortable lifestyles appropriate to their role in society. Fundamental elements of the city are taken care of competently, but there is still room for improvement. Leadership is on the same wavelength in terms of leadership and anticipating needs. As the years pass by, the government has grown bolder in terms of expansion and exploration. Enlightenment and innovation are the guiding principles of Cyr Anthalan government. Hostile entities beyond the mountains are extremely scarce, but the population has faith in their government to approach tenuous situations with grace and agreeableness.

While their lifestyle is seemingly at odds with their luxurious estates and surroundings, they maintain them in the belief that such an appearance is positive and inspiring.

There are few rules that would prevent social mobility; nobility is openly disdainful of the Malichyana and an ambivalence is shared between themselves and the common folk. The ascension proved catastrophic for many and those hardships transcended class. Those with means do actively work towards easing the burden on those without.

City Districts

Cyr Anthala contains six distinct districts, though smaller cultural pockets are scattered around.

Fairview Place

Cyr Anthala's industrial district has two distinct tiers. Lower Fairview Place is somewhat dilapidated but there is a recognizable effort to make the facilities here more aesthetically appealing. Upper Fairview Place requires climbing the nearby karsts, the ascent of which is closely guarded. Crime is, to a degree, more commonly experienced in Lower Fairview. Regardless of tier, Cyr Anthala's large-scale productions are created here. Smithies, foundries, and carpenters are located here.

Mundane weapons, armor, and other alloyed goods are produced here. Individuals looking to hire mercenaries or additional muscle for their operations can find them here, offering such services for low prices.

The Godbrands

All living creatures on Ausgora possess a Godbrand, though their origin and purpose is uncertain. They are an accepted facet of life and some believe that living on Ausgoryant has rendered a certain degree of sanctity unto her people. These marks manifest on the flesh at birth or otherwise early on in a creature's lifespan and remain until the creature dies. There are 10 known Godbrands, each of which influences its bearer differently.

It is important to note that possessing a particular Godbrand does not compel a person towards a specific destiny nor does it determine core traits of their personality or predilections. While best chosen at random, selecting a particular one and forgoing certain proficiencies is perfectly fine.

Corsair's Brand

Beyond their boastful and bombastic reputation, those who bear the Corsair's Brand are often precise and artful in battle as well as adept at navigating the Ocean Cloud. To encounter someone with this brand and for them to not have a tale or three to share would be rare, indeed. Its shape is varied, but has been recorded as a griffin or a dagger.

• Your Dexterity score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in Acrobatics, Performance, and Sky or Water Vehicles.
• You gain a pool of Flourish Dice, which are d4s, and can be used to perform a maneuver from those listed below once per turn. The number of dice is equal to your proficiency bonus and is replenished upon completing a long rest.
  • Riposting Flourish. When a creature makes a melee attack against you, you can expend a Flourish Die as part of your reaction and potentially turn the hit into a miss. If you successfully do, half of whatever the damage the attack would have dealt is suffered by the attacking creature instead.
  • Boasting Flourish. When making a melee attack against a creature, you can expend a flourish die to improve chance to hit. If the attack hits, you can deal additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of 1) plus your proficiency bonus in the attack.
  • Protective Flourish. When an attack that you can see targets a creature friendly to you, you can use your reaction and expend a Flourish Die to bolster the friendly creature's AC if you are within their reach or are wielding a ranged weapon and the targeted creature falls within that weapon's reach.

Disciple's Brand

Those who carry the Disciple's Brand are often gentle and intuitive, able to coax out the hidden and unspoken behavioral nuances that might otherwise go unnoticed. It manifests as a slim and slender dragon.

• Your Wisdom or Intelligence score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You are proficient in the Insight and Perception skills.
• You know the Mending, Shape Water, and Mold Earth cantrips. For a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you can clearly convey a message to a creature ordinarily incapable of understanding speech, though the creature does not automatically become friendly to your or your companions, nor can it respond unless it possesses a means of doing so. You can also use this feature to give yourself advantage on any Wisdom skill check that you make. Uses of this feature are restored after completing a long rest.

Erudite's Brand

Amongst the oldest of the Godbrands, those who possess the Erudite's Brand are often studious and curious and make for exceptional practitioners of the arcane. It resembles a book and opens as the bearer wields magic.

• Your Intelligence score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in the Arcana and History skills. You also learn 4 languages of your choice.
• When making an Intelligence check, if you roll a 1, you can reroll the die and must take the new result.
• You learn the Guidance cantrip, in addition to the spells Identify and Locate Object. You can cast these spells a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus or by using spell slots.

Gladiator's Brand

Those who bear the Gladiator's Brand are typically gifted in the martial arts and often possess an internal wellspring of seemingly boundless vitality, represented by a lion's visage.

• Your Strength score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in either the athletics or acrobatics skill.
• You can grant yourself temporary hit points equal to your character level plus your proficiency bonus as a bonus action. This feature can be used a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once). Uses of this feature are restored are completing a long rest.
• You can channel the Gladiator's Brand and provoke one creature you can see within 30 feet. When you do so, the target creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. The DC of this saving throw can be calculated by using your Strength or Charisma score, if you do not have a spell save DC otherwise. A provoked creature attacks targets other than you at disadvantage and must make the Wisdom saving throw at the start of its turns. On a failure, the creature must move towards you with half of its available movement speed in a way that would not endanger it, such as through a cloud of poison gas or lava. If you attack another creature or move 30 feet away from the provoked creature, the provocation is broken. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Uses of this feature are restored after completing a long rest.

Mendicant's Brand

The Mendicant's Brand is amongst the oldest Godbrands; it harkens to a time before the ascension. It manifests on those who would nurture and protect those they care for, manifesting in the shape of a crescent moon.

• Your Wisdom score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You are proficient in the Medicine and Nature skills, as well as with an herbalism kit.
• Any magical healing performed by you receives one additional die. For an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you can double your proficiency bonus when adding to magical healing you perform. Uses of this feature are restored after taking a long rest.
• You learn the Healing Word spell. At 5th level, you learn the Divine Favor spell.

Pioneer's Brand

Those who possess the Pioneer's Brand have an unslakable thirst for adventure and rarely stay in one place for long. They make for excellent scouts and cartographers charting the vast sky of Ausgora. The brand looks similar to a compass or occasionally a hendecagram.

• Your Strength or Wisdom score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Your movement speed increases by 5 feet and you are proficient with all vehicles, in addition to cartographer's supplies and navigator's tools.
• You know the Longstrider and Jump spells, which can be cast a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. Uses are restored after completing a long rest.
• You have advantage on Athletics checks made to climb or swim.

Stalwart's Brand

Bearers of the Stalwart's brand are stouthearted and unshakably loyal. Many who go on to be knights or sentinels of another name often carry this brand, which appears as a wolf's visage.

• Your Constitution score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You become proficient with shields and can use them as an improvised weapon, dealing 1d4 + your Strength modifier of bludgeoning damage.
• For a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you can steel yourself or an adjacent allied creature against oncoming attacks by taking an action to reduce your movement speed to 0 until the end of your next turn. In doing so, you can raise yours or an allied creature's AC by 2 and grant them resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. While in this state, you cannot be moved by effects that would force you to move, such as the Thunderwave spell or being shoved. Uses of this feature are restored after completing a long rest.

Trickster's Brand

Nearly synonymous with rogues and charlatans, but truthfully the Trickster's Brand is the mark of astounding cleverness. The brand's appearance is reminiscent of a spider.

• Your Dexterity or Charisma score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain proficiency in the Sleight of Hand and Deception skills.
• When making a check with either of the above skills, you can give yourself advantage a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. This must be done prior to making the roll. Uses of this feature are restored after completing a long rest.
• You can cast the Minor Illusion cantrip, in addition to the spells Illusory Script and Disguise Self. You can cast the leveled spells a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum of 1), after which the uses are restored after completing a long rest.

Chronicler of the Concord

You are an initiate in a prestigious order of lorekeepers, anthropologists, and historians dedicated to the preservation of wisdom and knowledge across antiquity. With Ausgoryant's ascension, much of it is lost beneath the clouds... or so it is believed. Your role, as a chronicler, is to venture out into the unknown and discover what, if anything, remains of the world below.

The archive of Cyr Anthala eagerly accepts volunteers as workers and attendants, many of whom are tasked with additional responsibilities and climb through the organization's ranks. Some tend to the security of these vaulted libraries, while others are trusted with information that might only be exchanged orally.

Perhaps you were one such volunteer with a profound curiosity of the world that came before yours, and now you seek to increase your knowledge and to make yourself available to help those in other places who seek your expertise. You might instead have been born into this organization and have a familial obligation to the libraries.

• Skill Proficiencies: History, plus your choice of Arcana, Nature, or Religion
• Language: Two of your choice
• Equipment: A set of common clothes, robes, a writing kit, an ancient text related to your studies, and a pouch containing 10 gold coins