Setting:Tabula Gloria

PLEASE NOTE: This wiki is very much a WORK IN PROGRESS and should not be considered the final product yet. More will be added as time goes on and collaboration continues. Thank you for your time. -JSC

Introduction

Tabula Gloria (butchered pseudo-Latin sort of meaning Glorious Slate or Slate of Glory; that and it bears the initials TG for obvious reasons) is a collaborated setting which started in a thread made by an El Falcatero on 28 Novermber 2011 called Bestiary in /tg/. The thread itself was simply created to be a thought exercise: the first person posted a picture of a monster; the next would fluff the monster and post another picture; so forth and so on. Somewhere along the line, people were starting to fluff the same picture, and in some instances, some of them combined the different descriptions into a more cohesive whole. This in turn encouraged some of the writers to make the fluff of later creatures go with previously established fluff, slowly building the setting merely from the lore about the bestiary.

Two threads later, and the setting was becoming more and more developed and the bestiary thought exercise expanded into landscapes, people, and phenomena. This wiki is an attempt at editing all of the fluff that was collected in these threads and beyond, to make them fit seamlessly into a playable setting which can be adapted into your system of choice. Heck, in one of the threads, someone suggested that it could make for a Magic: the Gathering block, which would be interesting in and of itself.

The original threads can be found here, here, here, and here.

The World

As it stands, the world of Tabula Gloria is an Earth-like place set in a high fantasy setting. Magic and technology stand side by side, sometimes intermingling. The Empire is surrounded by various peoples, both friendly and antagonistic. Great ruins from former empires and feel creatures to slay are plentiful. The world has a feel of high adventure and a bounty of opportunity for those who wish to reach out for it. It also contains a generous deal of political and social intrigue within, allowing for campaigns to range from classic dungeon raids to plots to take over the Empire.

The world itself is basically divided into two continents, the Western and Eastern Continents. The Empire of For’Channar, in which the capital of Tabula Gloria stands, is located on the Western Continent. It is located in the relative center of the Continent, serving as a hub of sorts for peoples coming from and going to other locales. To the north of the Empire is the Northern Sea, a dangerous place ruled by the god-like Lord of the Tempest. To the east are the Drakonid Highlands, the stronghold of a native people who have been driven out of the Empire’s lands. To the south is the Garvenus Steppe, a bastion of wildlife and savagery protected by the titanic Sky Devourer. To the west is the Phrennoack Forest, a wooded land of competing tribes harnessing the powers of life and death.

At the extremes of the Continent lie more places to explore. To the north are the Iotold Homelands, a rough and cursed place haunted with the memory of its former inhabitants. To the east are the Benalor Mountains and the Rustwater Delta, home to an old empire which excelled in technology. To the south, there are the Wastes of Weylos, a great desert which was the former home of a militaristic people. To the west are both the Wastes of Vashial and the Shiallan Mountains, a barren and dangerous land still rife with the magics of its former inhabitants. To the south of Vashial is the mysterious tribal land of Vosagar, a people seeking holy war against the civilized world.

There are great wonders to be found on the Eastern Continent as well. Along the western coast of the Continent lies the Nation of Animar, a long-standing place existing from the time of the old empires of the Western Continent. To the east of Animar is the Earth’s Cry, a tremendous mountain range effectively isolating the civilized west of the Continent from the pristine wilderness of the east. South of the mainland of the Eastern Continent lies the large island of Espartum, home to various native villages as well as the sea-faring civilization of Bythene.

For the purposes of the wiki, the lore is divided by the region in which the majority of the lore takes place in. Note that sometimes lore may take place in multiple regions, and the possible ramifications of the lore may be far-reaching, depending on the campaign and the person running it.

Cosmology

Memo from Worley Barlan, Master Researcher at the Imperial Library

There has been something that has been baffling me for quite a while now. The myriad of religions in this world are somewhat concurrent with each other, despite the different cultures they came from. At first, I passed this off as a possibility of cultural mixing over a period of time. However I have recently come across an ancient text dated before even the founding of Benalor which describes the world as part of a larger, self contained world. It took me some time to translate it, as the language was something before anything produced by the Old Empires, from a people we know as the Temratu.

We already know that the Temratu were the first to accurately figure out how time flows in our world by their model of the twenty-six hour day, as well as the fine tuning of the seasonal calendar. They managed to figure that out with primitive tools at the time, but what I didn't know until now was the extent of the research they did at their legendary observatory in present-day Vashial. In this text, the Study on the Nature of the Cycle, its author made a rather interesting theory about the world's place on a larger scale.

Cup your hands and hold them apart from each other. Think of these hands as two forms of existence, the physical and the ethereal. Both of these existences are boundless and, for the most part, dead without the other. Now put them together. Where your fingers meet and thumbs meet are two junctions of a loop originating from these two opposite existences. One of these junctions is our world, the greatly physical world with the inalienable influence of mana. Following this logic, the world of the other junction must be an abstract world made of mana, but with physical constraints upon it. But at these junctions, the opposite forces feed on each other, bringing forth life and activity.

This idea correlates well with much of the god-like beings that we have here. Beings like the Sky Devourer are summoned from an alternate plane of existence. The Lord of the Tempest rages against the people of the world for seemingly no good reason. Then there the stories of the fell creatures of the Depths Below which feed more on fear than physical meat as the Wight of the Heavens Above foretold a terrible fate upon Benalor. For purposes of this argument, we will call our world the World Itself. Both the Heavens and the Depths are the parts of the loop closest and most observable to us from the World Itself. The further out we go in the Heavens and the deeper in the Depths we go, the stranger the mechanics of gravity and physics, so it would make sense that things are being distilled into these pure forms of existence the further away from the World Itself one goes.

The theory can explain how mana seems to never be in short supply for all the magic that is cast in the world, as well as how some people can overcome their own barriers to perform great physical feats of strength and agility. The mana likely comes from the pure ethereal existence into our world as willpower may come from the pure physical existence on the other side.

Given how the theory is stated, it wouldn't be any surprise that there is also another world on the other end of the circle, quite possibly a world of gods and their ilk, beings of immense magical power who are somehow constrained by simple physical barriers in which the beings of the World Itself - beings such as ourselves - could manage with little effort. Perhaps this would explain how, as people, we find it difficult to cast as the complexity and mana required increases, but we can summon god-like beings here with relatively little effort, as in the case of the dreaded Obsidian Leviathan, which is summoned when such an act is botched. Also, if you ask a mage to describe how the process of summoning is done, the usual response begins with the mage having a "talk" with the creature in which is supposed to be summoned. So how can a channel of communication, much less a channel of travel, exist between two worlds separated by barriers which are more or less inpenetrable by the denizens of said worlds?

If you kept your hands cupped, you can see that there is a space inside the circle. The author couldn't quite describe what could lie in that space - perhaps nothing at all - but the idea is that creatures from both worlds can travel back and forth through this space to bypass the pure existences on either side of the circle. This is the basic principle of summoning according to the author, facilitated by the concentration of mana which serves both an amplifier for the summoner's thoughts through the Empty Space, as well as a beacon to the god-like creature on the Other World. Perhaps the principle can also work in reverse, with the god-like being collecting some of the physical components in the Other World, creating a concrete image in a person's mind in which he or she can see and communicate with.

Though these ideas could make sense, more research needs to be done. While my associates will continue poring through the Library in search for more on the subject, I will tackle this theory directly. I know of a summoner who can teach me the ropes. Perhaps I can experience this communication myself and get more information from the beings on the Other World. They might know more than even the Temratu did about our place in the greater scheme of things.

The Empire of For'Channar

A Brief History

Locations within the Empire

Located in approximately the center of the Eastern Continent, the lands in which the Empire of For’Channar exists have been historically coveted. For the majority of the recorded history of the world, the Central Lands have been a difficult place to gain, but with incredible strategic importance. Now-extinct tribes have lived on these lands for as long as anyone could remember, surprisingly resistant to the takeover attempts of the three Old Empires surrounding it. In due time though, one of the Empires managed to break the stalemate and take the Central Lands for themselves.

Though the story of exactly which of the Old Empires first took over the Central Lands depends on whichever source it is found in, what is agreed on is that the occupation of the Central Lands sparked the terrible Three-Way War. The War was fought over generations, weakening the Old Empires until they destroyed themselves. One gave up on the war and sought to conquer the heavens instead, with disastrous results. Another partook in mass ritual suicide out of shame until there was no one left. The third became divided, fighting each other until they dragged their realm down with them.

Despite all the bloodshed, what remained in their wake were the seeds of the next age in the history of the world. During the Three-Way War, people from the Old Empires migrated to the Central Lands, mingling with the few remaining tribal folk remaining. After the War ended with the destruction of the Empires, the Central Lands became peaceful once more. A new society was slowly brewing in the melting pot that ensued, eschewing the worship of the gods of the Old Empires and replacing it with a devotion to the survival of the people through service. Time marched on and the new society continued to develop until a man codified the goals of this new society.

This man came to be known as Margurim par’Channar, the honored Founder of what would come to be the Empire of For’Channar. He would rise to lead the new society with his code, later called the Founder’s Legacy, in hand. Slowly, the structure of the society came to resemble that of the Old Empires, departmentalizing the functions of government but still keeping the spirit of the Founder’s service-oriented philosophy. However, For’Channar would prove not to be the idyllic utopia Emperor Margurim I envisioned it to be from his lofty throne at the capital of Tabula Gloria. The Empire would inevitably expand. Wars would be fought. Alliances would be made. Obstacles would have to be overcome. But thus far, the Empire is largely successful. It still exists today.

The Emperor

Ever since Margurim founded the Empire, rule has been passed down through his bloodline. The heir to the throne is usually the eldest son of the current Emperor, then the next brother down if the eldest dies before ascension. If there is not a direct heir as such, then the first male next-of-kin proven to be of the par'Channar line will become the heir. If neither are possible, than the Emperor-appointed leader of the House of Servitude shall be the heir. In the extremely unlikely case that none of those are possible, then the Chancellor of the Imperial University would take the throne. Currently, only a number of Emperors have been detailed thus far. They are as follows, including the key events of their reigns.

• Margurim I: Founder of the Empire and creator of the Founder's Legacy; founded the Imperial House of Servitude to act as both lesser legislature and governmental archive for the people; founded the capital of Tabula Gloria as well as the village of Rausclef at the northern border of the Garvenus Steppe
• Margurim II: Founder of the Imperial University which serves as both a school as well as a research facility; also founded the Imperial House of Justice to keep order in the Empire into the future; peacefully made a treaty with the Eltyain of Phrennoack to expand westward to the forest's edge, founding the village of Twaunae on the banks of Crenskaw Creek as well as Fort Deeanday
• Margurim III: Sought eastward expansion and led the charge to the Benaloran ruins which are now Fort Minnamack, founding the Knights of the Goldenstar and driving back Drakonid occupiers; also founded the villages of Nechbaer and Kelebrae in the process; founded the College of Truthseekers at the Imperial University to bring accountability to the government and military; also founded the Ministry of Inquiry within the Imperial House of Justice in order to investigate serious crimes against the Empire; died without a direct heir and his brother took over the throne
• Alexius I: Brother of Margurim III; aggressive Emperor who initiated the Empire's second expansion eastwards to the Draknoid ancestral home of Drakonhelm; expanded south into the Garvenus Steppe, founding Fort Thagaisa on Stormlord territory as well as the Knights of the Southwind
• Alexius II: Sought peace with neighbors and willing to concede Thagaisa to the Stormlords; commissioned the Eternal Bridge at the mouth of the Eternal Flow in Phrennoack
• Margurim IV: Son of Alexius II; completed the Eternal Bridge; resumed the Empire's aggressive expansionist policies, but had to put them on hold in order to deal with the first coming of the Lord of the Tempest who sought to ravage the Empire
• Margurim V:
• Margurim VI: Successfully drove back the Lord of the Tempest a second time, though the battle was lengthy and ended up taking the Emperor's life in the process; thus the shortest reign of any of the Emperors thus far
• Margurim VII:
• Margurim VIII:
• Margurim IX: Handily drove back the Lord of the Tempest a third time; sent out an invasion force to decimate the Lord's allies, the Raptorlord people, only to fail miserably; put on trial by the College of Truthseekers for the failure and its casualties
• Margurim X: Reformed the Imperial House of Servitude to operate more efficiently; sought to build ties with recently-discovered Animar; voluntarily abdicated throne to pursue that goal
• Margurim XI: Continued Margurim X's diplomatic pursuits; commissioned the Embassy of Animar in Tabula Gloria; commissioned the Monument of the Tempest-Breakers to commemorate the three battles with the Lord of the Tempest
• Margurim XII: The current Emperor; too early in reign to have any notable events yet

The Imperial House of Servitude

Considered the cornerstone of the Imperial government, the Imperial House of Servitude was designed as a means for the government to "be in touch with the Imperial people both now and into the future." It serves as a council-type government, with the different areas of the Empire being represented by one person appointed to each post by its area's leader. It also houses an almost complete collection of older governmental documents, such as laws, tax records, judicial rulings, and the like.

The Chamber of Decree

This is the legislative component of the House of Servitude. Originally, the Chamber convened in one of the House's many rooms, back when there were only five representatives: one for the gentry, one for the commoners, one for the military, one for the merchants, and one for the village of Rausclef. With the growth of the Empire came more representatives, and it showed throughout the Chamber's history. Its meetings were moved from one room to the next, trying to find more and more space with more people discussing matters, as well as more of the public becoming involved in the meetings. Eventually, the growth of the Chamber, as well as the growth of the government's records, forced the Chamber's meetings to convene at the Imperial University while a team of Shapermages created underground space for the archives. Two years later and the Chamber moved back in, the entirety of the original building now their own, archive access now in the much more spacious basement levels.

The Archive of the Ages

Despite the brief interruption of archival during the creation of the Archive's current underground space, its collection of governmental records is unrivaled in the world, even among the older Nation of Animar. Even more wondrous than the Archive's holdings is the staff which maintains the records, able to recall where just about anything is at a moment's notice. Both of these features have made the Archive the first place anyone would want to go before embarking on an expedition or an adventure. Of course, the Archive itself is an adventure of its own. Labyrinthine in structure and guarded with a specialized combat force for protection, those seeking to unlawfully take information from the Archive has quite the task ahead.

The Imperial House of Justice

Founded by Margurim II in the middle of his reign, the Imperial House of Justice was set up to avoid an administrative mishap by his father, the Founder. As much as the Founder believed in service to the people, he had somehow forgotten to set up a system in which the people would be held accountable for deeds against the Empire. As such the Imperial House of Justice was formed to handle that aspect of the government.

The Royal Judiciary

The first order of business was to establish a body of arbitrators to decide on common disputes and non-serious criminal cases. The Royal Judiciary consists of men appointed by the leaders of each representational area, as is the process of appointees being put into the Chamber of Decree. At the Head of the Judiciary would stand the second-in-line to the throne, who would serve alongside the appointed members, but ultimately decide on particularly contentious cases which would have the appointed members divided in opinion. The Judiciary would also assume authority over the local law enforcement groups which vary in makeup and their mode of operation in the various parts of the Empire into the future.

The Ministry of Inquiry

A later addition to the House of Justice under the reign of Margurim III, the Ministry of Inquiry serves as a fact-finding and verifying body for a wide variety of cases. The Ministry is geared towards those wishing to enter the world as independent detectives and prosecutor, people who are skilled in finding information that cannot be found in either the Empire's libraries or even the Archive of the Ages. Investigators in the Ministry are known for intense and tenacious investigative work. However, the Ministry is not without controversy. It had once accused Emperor Margurim IX himself with responsibility for sending an Imperial invasion force to their doom when they were dispatched to eliminate the Raptorlords of the Northern Sea. Though the Emperor ended up avoiding conviction, the proceedings in the Royal Judiciary divided the people in the duration. Investigators today toe a very fine line between acceptance and controversy for the sake of justice as a result of that investigation, sometimes making them more feared than even the military within the Empire.

The Department of Detection

The Department serves as the first phase of an investigation. The Detectives of the Department use a variety of methods to scrounge up information, including detailed searches for physical evidence, interrogation of witnesses and other people of interest, and deductive reasoning to tie the two together. They also work with other institutions to accomplish this task. They have been known to request official findings from the policing forces to determine collusion of testimony, as well as bringing evidence to the College of Magical Arts to pick up magical signatures which may lead the Detectives to a suspect.

The Department of Prosecution

The Department serves as the liaison between the accuser and the Royal Judiciary. The Prosecutors of the Department compile the findings of the Detectives to present a case to the Judiciary. As the Detectives find information, it is up to the Prosecutors to find the truth in them. They do this by getting to know the people involved in the case, including the victims, the suspect, the witnesses, and experts if the case has precedent. They also have a mastery of the Imperial language, which they use to convey their case. Their job is a psychological one, trying to glean more information from the people involved and then trying to convince the Judiciary of their correctness in the matter.

The Imperial University

Also founded by Margurim II in the middle of his reign, the Imperial University was founded to be a public school for the Empire's people of all ages and levels of knowledge as well as a research facility for various disciplines. It soon became an integral institution of the Empire, eventually taking on the role as the center of Imperial foreign policy.

The Chancellor

The leader of the University is called the Chancellor. Traditionally, the Chancellor has not only directed the University under the Emperor's good graces, but also has served as the Emperor's personal adviser. The Chancellor is also fifth-in-line to the throne, behind the Emperor, his direct heirs, eligible heirs of the par'Channar bloodline, and the leader of the House of Servitude. As such, a Chancellor has yet to ascend to the throne thus far. However, there have been instances in Channarian history in which the Chancellor has taken on governmental duties during an Emperor's reign. For instance, Prifa Carbane, daughter of the famed explorer Ezel Carbane and an adept mage, served as Chancellor of the University under the reign of Alexius I. While she held the office, she led a military campaign against the Drakonid peoples to the east of the Empire. Though she ended up dying on the battlefield, the Empire drove them back and greatly expanded their territory.

The College of Antiquities

The University hosts expeditions into neighboring and faraway lands alike, a responsibility currently under the College of Antiquities. While the College has originally been created to archive and work with the many antiquities and ruins scattered about the Continent, it also has since opened up an official exploration arm in order to ensure that the relics found by the College is handled by the College's own standards. There has been grievous instances in the past in which independent adventurers the College has contracted would damage or even steal some of the more fragile and valuable relics they were supposed to study. In the current age, the College plays largely in assisting military units with the scouting of otherwise uncharted areas, oddly enough giving the College substantial political clout.

The current Master of Antiquities is Arrin Vola.

The Department of Exploration

This is the aforementioned exploration arm of the College. It runs in a standardized apprenticeship format, choosing eligible students studying at the University and inviting them into its apprenticeship program. After learning the basics of exploration, an apprentice becomes a journeyman, in which he or she will partake in an independent study of an area outside of the Empire's borders of his or her choice. Upon approval of the Head Explorer, the journeyman is graduated to become a master, in which he or she can either become an independent explorer or join the ranks of the University as an Assistant Explorer.

The current Head Explorer is P. Reig Corvinoth.

The College of Magical Arts

The University is also a growing power when it comes to the manipulation of mana, the effects of which are commonly referred to as magic. In this world, mages have identified many forms of mana, each having their own ranges of existence, properties, and possible magical effects. With the variety of mana and magic the world has to offer, the College was created as an effort to organize the findings of Imperial mages, as well as to instruct future generations about the detailed knowledge behind them. It also houses mages of different disciplines who can be commissioned for various functions of the Empire, be it a regiment of Battlemages into a conflict, or a crew of Shapermages to help construct or maintain a landmark.

The current Master of Magical Arts is unknown.

The Department of Battle Magic

The Department serves not only as the place to be instructed on offensive and defensive magics, but also trains them to be of use on a battlefield where there are non-magical combatants as well. As such, the products of the Department are considered some of the world's most elite soldiers, able to handle the chaos and constant change of the battlefield. They are called upon for a variety of tasks, be they soldiers in a war or simply a retinue to help protect a crew from the Department of Exploration.

The current Head Battlemage is unknown.

The Department of Shaper Magic

The Department serves in the capacity of a magical public works force as well as teaching the arts of constructive and destructive magic. Though most projects can stand to be without a shapermage, the larger ones will likely employ a number of them to avoid having to hire or conscript a larger number of people to work on it, as well as to save time in the long run.

The current Head Shapermage is unknown.

The Department of Mender Magic

The Department serves as a medical triage within the city, while sending many of their ranks out into the field during expeditions and wars to heal the wounded. Though most mendermages practice in a healing capacity, there are those who use its principles to limit or to extinguish one's life altogether, as well as reanimate that which has already died. Though such practitioners are important to the Empire, the ethics of doing so ride a fine line between a necessary evil and an abomination to the natural order.

The current Head Mendermage is unknown.

The College of Truthseekers

Amended into the University under Margurim III, this College is the only one within the University directly created and headed by the Emperor rather than the usual structure of heads, masters, and the Chancellor. The College teaches people wishing to investigate cases of the transmundane, cases of special interest which may alter the very path of the Empire if left unchecked. Known subjects that are classified as transmundane include the flesh magic of Vashialian mutants, the bio magic of some of the Stormlord dissidents, as well as unscrupulous study into Benaloran technology and Weylosian tactics and smithing techniques.

The current Master of Truthseekers is the Emperor himself, Margurim XII.

The Department of Curiosities

The Department acts as both a research and surveillance arm in all matters transmundane. Most students who graduate from the College's teaching program usually find themselves in this Department, honing their skills in identifying and building knowledge of the transmundane. They work in a multidisciplinary manner, working with other Colleges within the University as well as other archival and law institutions throughout the Empire and beyond. Active transmundane investigators tap into this Department to gain valuable intelligence about whatever case they are working on. Usually though, said investigators are usually within the College itself, as independent investigators are held up to intense scrutiny and possible prosecution from the Empire for meddling in such matters.

The Department of Inquaestors

The Department acts as the policing force, judiciary, and possibly the executioner in serious transmundane cases. Margurim III knew from the growing collection of history surrounding the Old Empires that the common bond between the different Empires and their eventual destruction was a case of unbridled ambition and unchecked progress. He was not willing to let For'Channar end in a similar way if he could help it. To stem both of those factors, the Ministry was created to look into matters such as forbidden magical and technological research, as well as the rise of public figures whose messages deviated too far from official Imperial policy. The members of the Ministry, the Inquaestors, act covertly and report directly to the Emperor and his immediate counsel until an investigation and subsequent resolution is complete. To retain the secrecy of the organization, the Inquaestors are hand-picked based on the case in which they are to be assigned. They are then given the opportunity to dismiss themselves from the Ministry afterwards to prevent any possibility of those holding a grudge against the Ministry from finding out more about them. Voluntary dismissal also allows the former Inquaestors to publicly announce their former position (at their own risk, of course), a position which may hold them in high regard if they wish to enter the Judiciary or the various law enforcement groups in the Empire later in their careers. Many Inquaestors however choose to stay in the Department, resuming their clandestine investigations into the deepest mysteries of the transmundane.

The Department does not appoint a Head Inquaestor, as they report directly to the Emperor.

The Imperial Library

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Places of Interest

The Imperial Capital of Tabula Gloria

Welcome to the glory of Tabula Gloria, the Imperial Capital of For'Channar, here you can find the wonders of the world...

Read the accounts of the wandering adventurer's of the Traveler's Guild, and all of the strange creatures, odd and terrible that they have encountered...

Or visit the great Bazaar and meet the teeming masses of the Imperial City, although you may wish to visit a more relaxed and refined repast. Perhaps, if you wish to see a display of might, visit Fort Kay, near the Mercantile District. Or if the mysteries of the east appeal to you, visit the Embassy of Animar.

See all that the Imperial City has to offer, and be welcome!

Pamphlet from the Merchant and Trader's Guild, advertising the attractions of the Imperial City.

The city of Tabula Gloria on the west bank of the Ripari Gloria serves as the seat of the Imperial government. It can be best described as a growing sprawl, with the highest buildings being in the north-center of the city, known as the Old City. Here you can find both the Imperial District, where the functions of government are housed, as well as the Historical District, which has a number of museums, many of the guilds, as well as homes of the city's elite. To the east and southeast of the Old City, along the Ripari Gloria, is the Mercantile District, housing both the quays of the Imperial Port as well as the crowded tents and booths of the Bazaar. Radiating to the west, southwest, and south of the Old city are the various quarters of the Residential District. In general, the homes closest to the Old City and the north end of the city tend to be those of the wealthier citizens. The entirety of the city is walled off with a variety of towers staffed with soldiers, looking on. The soldiers within the city, for the most part, are incredibly helpful to those who aren't acquainted with the city as they are, pointing lost tourists in the right direction.

The Imperial District

There is no question of where you are whenever you visit the Imperial District. Mighty stone and gilded buildings tower over you as you work your way closer to the Royal Palace. Along the main street leading to the tall spire which is the Palace lies both the House of Servitude and the Imperial University, incredible buildings of their own right. Between these two buildings and the Palace lies the Embassy of Animar, a markedly different building than the others given the colorful and unorthodox style of classical Animari architecture.

The Historical District

As you leave the lofty towers and mighty monuments of the Imperial District, you will find antique houses and palaces. The full array of early Imperial architecture and culture is on full display as you travel throughout the Historical District. Many of these old buildings have been renovated and turned into various museums, each one dedicated to a particular facet of Imperial history and life. There are still some of these buildings which still house the Imperial elite to this day, many of them opening their homes to the public during certain festivals in the city.

A relatively new addition to the Historical District are the guilds. Starting with the Traveler's Guild, which opened during the reign of Margurim IX, the guilds render their services to the public, as well as non-governmental training in their represented disciplines. However, the maximum levels of training in which the guilds can offer is limited, as per Imperial law. As such, guilds tend to be a great place for a novice to learn more about a discipline before applying to the Imperial University for formal schooling. Ever since the opening of the Traveler's Guild, many other have opened, including the Magician's Guild, the Merchant and Trader's Guild, and the Lawman's Guild.

The Traveler's Guild

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The Magician's Guild

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The Merchant and Trader's Guild

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The Lawman's Guild

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The Mercantile District

Perhaps you would be in the need of some fresh air after traveling through the Historical District. Go east and you'll run into the Mercantile District, which lies on the bank of the Ripari Gloria. The fresh, crisp air coming in from the Northern Sea is sure to clean out whatever stuffiness you may have had wandering through the museums and guilds. Immediately, you can see the tall ships pulling in and out of the Imperial Port, the masts and sails as towering as the spires of the Imperial District. Gulls and other critters swarm about the Port in hopes of a shipment of foodstuffs coming in, or perhaps a garbage ship waiting to sail out, so it's best to watch your step if you're wanting to go near the edge of the promenade.

Further south along the Ripari you will run into the legendary Bazaar. Rows upon rows of tents and booths, filled with people from the various Imperial villages, friendly tribes, and even those from faraway Animar. The atmosphere here is chaotic, at best, as barkers and merchants peddle their wares to the passing populace. Lacing their way through the tightly packed rows are bound to be pickpockets, rogues, and other such vagabonds looking for a quick coin, baubles, or worse. Fortunately though, there has been an increased military presence in the Bazaar, filtering out many of the less savory folks on the more busy market days.

The Residential District

Once you're done with the markets, the afternoon presents a great opportunity to stroll the various quarters of the city. With smaller buildings and more open air than the other Districts, the Residential District is a great way to wind down from the business of the early day. Though it is not officially mandated to be as such, the District is divided by the various ethnic groups which constitute the citizenry. Though they are all considered Imperials, the citizens will be quick to note their ancestries, finding a sense of something in between belonging and individuality in such identity. Despite the calamities which consumed the Old Empires, there are still those who claim them as their ancestry. Many of the residents also hail from tribal ancestry, including Eltyain, Alkhani, and even a few who claim Iotold ancestry. Then there is the rising population of the magic-less Triolites near the city wall, more than willing to tell a story or three to a passerby. There are even some who moved to the city permanently from Animar, brightening up the otherwise drab surroundings.

Fort Kay

Throughout it all, you will likely see a particularly unique landmark in the general direction of the Mercantile District. The main tower of the city's wall, Fort Kay, is said to have been one of the first forts built in the Empire, and the only of the originals which still stand to this day. Today it does not act as the mighty military fortification it once served as. Rather, it acts threefold. On the topmost level of the fort lies the headquarters of the City Guard, where a regiment still watches over the Port and the immediate surroundings. In the middle levels is the War Museum, exhibiting the great victories and heroes of the Empire. On the bottom level is the Imperial Arena, which is home to the various sports played for the people's entertainment - including gladiatorial blood sports, which seem to be a great hit with the populace.

Valdenar Cove

When you are done exploring the city proper, there are still other places nearby which may pique your interest. Exiting the Residential District through the Lunar Gate at the city's northwest, you can slowly climb a growing cliff to see some of the natural splendor preserved by the Empire. As you ascend the cliff, you can see Valdenar Cove to the west. Named after one of the first explorers in Imperial history, the cove is strictly off-limits to boats and other vessels, but open to the public to explore and to appreciate. The waters of the cove are some of the clearest this close to the capital, excellent for a quick excursion during the height of summer if you need a quick cooling off.

Also at the cove is another Imperial landmark. To the cove's northeast is a small, craggy island with what seems to be a lighthouse. Though it is not functional anymore and since been replaced, Watchguard Keep used to serve as both a navigational landmark for boats coming in and out of the city, as well as the first line of detection and defense for threats coming in from the sea. Be they raucous pirates, violent storms, or even one of the visits from the powerful Lord of the Tempest, the guards at the Keep kept a close eye on the seas and usually was the difference between a successful defense and a tragic defeat.

Northeclyff

Keep climbing and you'll eventually reach the top of the Northeclyff. At each end of the escarpment are two colossal statues, with another exactly between them. These are depictions of the three Emperors - Margurim IV, Margurim VI, and Margurim IX - who successfully drove the Lord of the Tempest back when he tried to wipe out the city in his stormy rage. Commissioned by Margurim XI and completed by sculptor Sharlonne Prekarion, the Monument of the Tempest-Breakers is a marvel of the Imperial world and a hit with Animari tourists to this day. More importantly, it has slowly become a place of worship among many of the Empire-faithful. As a matter of fact, the current Emperor, Margurim XII, was seen paying some sort of tribute to the Monument, perhaps starting a tradition which will continue into the future.

Fort Deeanday

To the west of Valdenar Cove on the coast, right at the treeline of the Phrennoack Forest lies the first of the Empire's three current-day forts, Deeanday. The forces stationed there are mostly trained to deal with the errant wildlife escaping out of the Forest and into Imperial lands, their patrols ranging from the fort itself at the north and the village of Twaunae on the Crenskaw Creek at the south. Early in the fort's existence, it was locally ruled over by a Duke of the par'Channar bloodline. Legend has it that a terrible plague struck the fort in its early days, reaching the Duke despite his attempts to isolate himself from it. Not wishing to die from the debilitating disease, he cast himself off of the balcony of the garrison into the Northern Sea instead. He survived though, and with the plague cured from himself. Professing the waters to be the cause of the cure, he led those who were still living into the waters and, surprisingly enough, his claims were true, ridding the infirm of the disease with the powers of the morning tide.

Though the Duke's name is lost to history and even to the meticulous Archives, what is known is that after his experience he founded the Knights of the Morningtide. Originally formed with the ranks of those destined to become physicians, the Knights soon took in people of multiple disciplines. All of those wishing to become a Knight are trained in both combat and medicine, bringing aid to those in need and wrath to their enemies. Once they graduate, they enter the illustrious and enigmatic ranks of the Morningtide, donning coats and hoods of black and the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Though effective, their practices are strange. They clean themselves with running water every morning and night to purify themselves. As for their healing practices, they employ a mixture of conventional medicine and faith healing, sometimes striking the wrong tone with some of the more skeptical among those living in their area of influence.

It is even said that if you stick around long enough during their cleansing ritual, you may even hear the name of the founding Duke muttered in their litany of blessings under the roar of the running water. Though if you stick around that long, they will likely eliminate you for ruining their purification.

But not all the soldiers of Deeanday aspire to ascend to the enigmatic Knighthood. There are also those who are simply there to defend the Empire. Though not a Knight order of its own, the Watch as it is simply called consists of hardy men from very rough backgrounds, especially the farmers of Rausclef and the foresters of Twaunae. A good way to see the difference between the Knights and the Watch is to see its drill sergeant in action. Berthold Maertz of the Second Watch Regiment is a very no-nonsense guy who brings that attitude and confidence to the forefront when training new recruits. His armor is clunky, his language is salty, and his gaze is downright crushing, but Maertz is a man who not only commands respect, but a man who earns it. Members of the Watch are tough as nails, but are taught the virtues of brotherhood, helping each other and those they serve. They are also knowledgeable in their own right, many of them augmenting their armors with enchantments of various magics as well as mutagens which more naturally strengthen their shells.

Suffice it to say, it is assumed that there is an application for Knighthood floating somewhere in the Chamber of Decree to make the Watch a formal order.

Fort Minnamack

To the far east of the Empire at the foothills of the Drakonid Highlands stands an old Benaloran ruin which served as a fort in their day. During the first eastward expansion of Margurim III, his forces overwhelmed the Drakonid occupiers there, taking over the ruin for themselves and eventually renovated it enough to function as a fort to maintain forces in that area of the Empire. Soon enough, a town grew around the ruin, the soldiers at the fort strong enough to secure the area to spawn a fishing village to the west of the fort as well. But the Empire found not only security and a strategic position in taking Minnamack. They also found a stockpile of unused Benaloran weaponry and relics, attracting the military's top brass as well as researchers from the capital.

One type of relic in particular caught the eyes of Duke Toreas, who ruled over the fort. Shimmering suits of golden and brass armor graced one of the inner halls of the fort. They seemed to be constructed of not only unnatural materials, but also of small machines built right into the suits themselves. Experts in Benaloran technology were soon summoned to the fort, slowly decoding the mystery of the armors. Each mana-powered machine was discovered to have a purpose in enhancing the wearer's natural abilities, able to make a super-soldier out of an ordinary man. Once study was complete, a regiment of soldiers were trained to operate these complex suits, soon forming the Knights of the Goldenstar. They have become a special forces of sorts, dispatched to particularly troublesome areas to eliminate targets of great value and to help turn the tide of a desperate battle in the favor of the Empire.

Fort Thagaisa

To the south of the Imperial lands, pushing into the lands of the Garvenus Steppe beyond the village of Rausclef, lies Fort Thagaisa. Unlike the other forts, Thagaisa started as a mere outpost and grew from there. Also unlike the other forts, Thagaisa came with a group of knights, the Knights of the Southwind, which served as a force to keep the Steppe's wildlife in check as well as a reserve force for expeditionary retinues in peacetime, and as a swift and savage infantry in wartime. As the town grew, more people claiming to be of Weylosian descent appeared in the town, a rich heritage which would soon be incorporated into the ranks of the Knights, for better or for worse.

Also during that time, one particular man of such descent known as Carpalos of Steelheart emerged from his beginnings as a blacksmith, as was his father and the father of his father. Back then, the Stormlords of the Steppe were far less peaceful as they are now, having united under the banner of the god-like Sky Devourer for the first time in Imperial history, threatening the well-being of Thagaisa. They would ride into the outpost town, raiding and murdering what they could before they rode back out into the night. On one such raid, Carpalos' wife became a casualty, leaving Carpalos to raise their new son alone. This triggered the otherwise humble blacksmith to harbor a need for revenge. Putting his skills to use, he forged the finest armors and weapons since the days of Weylos itself, forming a civilian army of his own, as the Knights would not traverse deeper into Stormlord territory. Soon enough, they marched deep into the Steppe with Carpalos' own child in tow, slaughtering through the Stormlords as if they were warm butter. They would only return to Thagaisa to resupply and rest before resuming their bloody campaign.

In due time though, the campaign came to an end and an aging Carpalos had come to forgive the Stormlord elder as his lust for revenge finally waned. Ashamed of his savagery and seeing himself as unneeded in Thagaisa any longer, Carpalos finished raising his son until he could hold his own. The blacksmith then donned his armor and sword one last time and wandered into the wilderness, reportedly to find a foe worth ending his life. Since then, a tradition began among the Steelheart clan. Once a son of Carpalos finishes raising his next son, he would take into the wilderness to never be seen again. Perhaps it would be to find a foe worthy of killing him, as was the case of Carpalos himself. Perhaps it would be to seek greater wisdom in the lands of Carpalos' original enemy. This tradition continues to this day, in which Margurim XI officially created the Knights of the Steelheart to serve as an elite fighting force for the Empire against invaders.

Suffice it to say, there is tension between the Imperial Stormwinds and the Weylosian-descended Steelhearts, a feud which is still known in Thagaisa today.

The Village of Rausclef

Located on the former southern border of the Empire, along the northern edge of the Garvenus Steppe, the village of Rausclef was the first founded in the Empire. It serves today as it served upon its inception as a center of agriculture. The sprawling farms of the village provide the Empire the food it needs to survive, as well as a great place for people to study about agriculture and the wilderness in general. To this day, it is still the only village dedicated to farming, which may endanger it soon given the Empire's rapid expansion - and thus more mouths to feed over greater distances. Regardless, the innovations in agriculture created at Rausclef will possibly spurn other villages to invest in agriculture of their own whilst maintaining their current economies, allowing for a more diverse economic and sustenance profile for the Empire as a whole.

The Village of Twaunae

Later in his reign, Margurim II had wanted to know about the neighboring forest of Phrennoack. If the Empire would have to expand, it would very likely have to take resources from the nearby forest. Fortunately, the Emperor knew of the Eltyain peoples living in the forest through folk lore and historical accounts from before the Founding of the Empire. He sent out a diplomatic expedition within to seek contact with the tribal people. The expedition lasted many years, given both the language and cultural barriers which separated Imperial and Eltyain. But it turned out to be time well spent. The head of the expedition Hobarth Twaun had reached an agreement with the Eltyain elders. The Eltyain would recognize the Empire's right to exist and would not harass them if they were to enter the forest. However, they would not be subject to Imperial law and there would be yearly limits of resources which the Empire can take from the forest's rim and surrounding areas.

Soon after the expedition returned, work got underway for building the foresting village of Twaunae in the Empire's southwest, along the Crenskaw Creek. It started as a sleepy little village and then grew as its workers started to work through the younger wood at the forest's rim, as per the agreement. Steadily, the town grew and grew, all until that limit threatened to be reached. Though the blessing of the Eltyain was important to the Empire as a whole, there were people who were settling in the new village who were concerned about the economic downturn which would almost inevitably happen were they to reach their treaty-bound limit. Many resigned to that fact, as the military was willing to enforce it, but there were some with stronger ambitions than that, sneaking into the forest to seek better wood before the limit was reached. Others even waited until the limit was reached and then went in to get their share without any competiton.

It just so happens that the Eltyain were also keeping tabs on the consumption themselves, as well as those who were transgressing the treaty, especially those who overconsume the forest's resources and those who push further than the approved zone of the treaty. Not subject to Imperial laws, the Eltyain (who had learned enough Imperial by now to get by) made it clear to the earlier trespassers that they would take their lives if they would not respect the stipulations of the treaty. And true to their word, certain people have gone missing from the village when they would not heed the first warning, never to be seen again.

Life in Twaunae has become a tense, but profitable life, the treaty keeping consumption at a limit to where the forest can regrow it without the assistance of Eltya, a fact that still keeps the Eltyain-Imperial alliance strong to this day.

The Village of Nechbaer

Situated on the west bank of Nechbaer's Tears is the village of the same name. Founded during Margurim III's reign, Nechbaer is a fishing town with what many would consider some of the bravest men outside of the Imperial military and the Knight orders. It is not because of accolades in combat or public service, but rather a sometimes foolish disregard for one's own safety, if it means the survival of the village. Rather than the armored vessels of the Imperial Fleet, villagers cast out on dinghies, right into the incredibly dangerous Northern Sea in hopes of coming up with a sizable catch. Not only do they have to contend with the often churning waves and sudden storms which appear on the waters, but also the various servants of the Lord of the Tempest, including the dreadful stormrays and members of the Raptorlord people, both of which seemingly bent on the fishermen's destruction. Though casualties have been had, many among their ranks come back alive, though sometimes missing a limb or their vessel afterwards.

Their success with dealing with the terrors of the Northern Sea have recently prompted the Admiral of the Imperial Fleet Ridoor Wrendash to study both the fishermen's vessels as well as sailing techniques, data which may be useful to developing new vessels of the Fleet's own which may be able to better survive the wrath of the denizens of the Sea.

The Village of Kelebrae

The trading village of Kelebrae is an interesting one, the only place actually within the Empire's lands which has the legal right to its own sovereignty. Granted, their independence is only contained within the village's walls, but it is something that is cherished by its people. Instead of the Imperial government, an oligarchy made up of various noble houses rules over the village, only paying tribute to the Empire for protection from threats in which the town itself cannot handle. Situated on Lake Goldenstar, Kelebrae serves as a very successful regional trading hub for the surrounding areas of Nechbaer to the north, Fort Minnamack to the east, Fort Thagaisa to the south, and Rausclef to the west. Perhaps it is this success in which the oligarchy wishes to keep their independence from the Imperial government in place - no need to lose much of their riches to the Empire in the form of taxes, after all.

The oligarchy itself is made up of noble houses which have something of importance to offer to the community at large. At least, that is the theory as the number of houses represented in the oligarchy fluctuate with every passing year. There are three mainstays though: the merchants of House Gordan; the craftsmen of House Brellan; and the scholars of House Shierl. It is said that these three houses make the true decisions for the village, the other houses appearing in the oligarchy for show to the villagers, for the illusion that their government is working for them. If that is indeed true, than the illusion doesn't hold up well, as many of them will very openly - and sometimes very fondly - make assertions of the corruption in their government as well as the militia which watches over the village's interior. It's something that they have come to accept and even incorporate into the feel and flavor of their village, slowly becoming an accepted part of their culture. If nothing else, it gives people a reason to strive for membership into those houses, as well as the lesser houses which strive to become a mainstay in the Kelebrean oligarchy as well.

The Temple of Passing

Despite the sharp and almost perfect enforcement of the treaty of the Eltyain people which allowed the establishment of Fort Deeanday and the village of Twaunae, there were still ambitious Imperials who wished to tame the deep woods for their own. One such attempt was by one of Tabula Gloria's elite, a certain Lord Credault, who wished to make a summer home along the wild beauty of Alboniset Lake, deep within the forest. He gathered himself a retinue of battlemages and shapermages and proceeded to venture into the forest, making it all the way to the lake, where they started to clear a lot along the lake and then start work on building a mansion that would make even the richest noble in the capital blush. Instead of delivering swift justice upon the trespassers, the Eltyain just watched the foolhardy nobleman from a safe distance. The reason for their distance was soon founded after construction was complete. The dreaded aquatic creatures, the echoes struck them with their devastating sonic weaponry, killing everyone in the surprise assault and causing much damage to the mansion.

Considered as one of the few areas in which the Eltyain do not openly war with the echoes, the mansion now known to the Eltyain as the Temple of Passing is used for a variety of rituals, especially those in which they hand the dead over to the Phrennoack Stags to deliver their souls into the next life.

Rennington Manor

Though the history of Rennington Manor, at the northern tip of the Phrennoack Forest along the coast of the Northern Sea, has it originally built as a fort in the style of Deeanday and Thagaisa, the records found in the Archive has had the Emperor for which it was built redacted. Given the tale of the Rennington clan, the redaction is rather justified. In its days as a fort, Rennington was of great strategic importance in the combat of pirates and mutants from the Wastes of Vashial, as well as serving as an advance guard against the hordes of Raptorlords which would come the Empire's way. It worked well though, as the pirates and mutants took their aggression elsewhere and the Raptorlords changed their strategy and attack vectors. As such, Rennington was decommissioned and turned over to its owner, Lord Rennington to serve as his home away from Tabula Gloria. With him he brought his wife Lady Rennington as well as their seven children soon after the decommissioning to enjoy a lovely spring vacation on the relatively peaceful waters of their part of the Northern Sea.

Or so they thought. Soon after their arrival, a plague struck the family, as well as the northern reaches of neighboring Phrennoack. Fortunately for the Lady, a retinue of Morningtides were dispatched from Deeanday quick enough to help heal her, though the rest of her family were unable to overcome the illness. It was bad enough that the Lady became a widow in what seemed like the blink of an eye, but things were going to get much worse. Be it due to a woeful overlook by the Morningtides, a magical occurrence which took advantage of the plague, or the purported study into forbidden magics to revive her departed family, the Lady took on a terrible parasite unto her spirit. It harbored an awful hunger of human flesh, for which it bartered to preserve her soul from being devoured itself. She would fulfill her part of the deal by going into the towns and using her stunning good looks to seduce unwitting men into her trap.

To this day, Rennington Manor is officially off-limits to the public and the travelers of the world are oft warned about the dangers of the the Lady in Red.

The Eternal Bridge

During the apologetic reign of Alexius II, the Emperor became known for two things. On one hand, he was loathed as seeking appeasement with the various peoples who wished to see the Empire's demise. The Drakonids to the east were given a well-timed reprieve from the constant war set against them. There was rumor that he was secretly working with the Stormlords in order to cede their old lands back, including Thagaisa and the rest of the lands south of Rausclef. There were even wild speculations that he was willing to negotiate a treaty with the dreaded Raptorlords of the north. On the other hand, perhaps as a result of the Emperor's candid belief that the Empire was entering a period of contraction and decline, he began to build a variety of monuments to the existence of the Empire for future peoples to discover were the Empire to end altogether. Despite the awful reasoning behind it, some of the people found a sense of pride in the Empire having monuments outside the walls of Tabula Gloria.

It was the latter half of the Emperor's personality which spawned an ambitious project at the mouth of the Eternal Flow, the river which pours forth from Alboniset Lake within the Phrennoack Forest, all the way to the northern cliffs of the area to pour in a mighty waterfall off of the edge. The Emperor commissioned the greatest civil works project of the time there - a bridge which would connect the Empire to the western Phrennoack Forest and beyond into the Wastes of Vashial. Beforehand, the best route was to take a boat from Twaunae and travel down Crenskaw Creek and through Alboniset Lake to the western bank, then trek through the dangerous western Phrennoack and then into the Wastes around the Ruins at Elbornet along the forest's edge, which was also home to the titanic Forest Harvester. With the greatest team of manual laborers and shapermages ever to be assembled at the time, the bridge would be built over a span of seventy years.

Unfortunately for the Emperor though, he would not live to see the bridge to completion, that honor going to his son Margurim IV who would have it completed if only for strategic reasons. At the center of the bridge also stands a building of its own, the Flame Cathedral, a testament to the long-lasting alliance between the Empire and the Eltyain, to serve as both a house of worship for the tribal folk of the forest as well as an outpost for researchers and armies seeking to go further west into Vashial.

Port Endeavor

Named after the launch of the New Endeavor, the Empire's first and terribly ill-fated attempt to reach the Nation of Animar, Port Endeavor has grown from very humble beginnings. Immediately west of the Rustwater Delta, the Port straddles the Eastern and Southern Seas, an incredibly dangerous place given the wildlife from both Weylos and Benalor, as well as threads from the Seas and beyond. At the same time though, it is a great position in a relatively comfortable part of the continent, with a comfortable climate and predictable weather. Given its remote location though, the people who choose to live at the Port tend to harbor an independent spirit, something that usually benefits the Empire with their hard work, though there has been whispers of an uprising against the authority of the faraway capital.

They are only whispers given the sheer volume of traffic that goes through the otherwise sleepy Port. Primarily, the traffic is between incoming Imperial shipments coming through the Emperor's Road along the foothills of the Benalor Mountains and through the forest between the Wastes of Weylos and the Delta, and incoming ships coming from the Nation of Animar across the dangerous Eastern Sea. However, there are other uses for the Port, especially for those wishing to travel throughout the Southern Sea and into the Eastern Continent at places other than Animar, including the city of Bythene on Espartum as well as those seeking advice from the hermit Kadast of the continent's untamed east.

The Wilderness of the Western Continent

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Phrennoack Forest

Locations in the Phrennoack and Uralaya Forests

The Iotold Homelands

Locations in the Iotold Homelands and the Drakonid Highlands

The Old Empires

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The world of Tabula Gloria is rife with remnants from old civilizations which thrived before the formation of the Empire of For'Channar. In some of the places, semblances of civilization still exist, making these places still relevant to the Imperial way of life.

Benalor

Locations in the former Empire of Benalor

It is said that the first King of Benalor was forged in the mighty metals of the mountains in which the Empire called home. While that is certainly not the case, the greatest contribution of the Benaloran people was their mechanical creations. The mountains made for an extremely difficult place for people to live, but they have always were one step ahead throughout their history. They are theorized to be the first people to learn how to make and use tools, as well as learning how to improve upon them. This rich history of ingenuity eventually became ingrained into their very culture. With this tradition, it wouldn’t be too much to assume that they were the first of the Old Empires to form.

The first King of Benalor, Copal, was known to be an ever-busy man, always looking for new ways to solve problems. He came to power as the people had to band together under duress, fell creatures overflowing from the steppe to the east and the forests of the north and south were making their way into their precious mountains. Their rock and bone weapons could not last against the incessant waves of the monstrous horde besieged upon them. It was Copal who figured out how to forge weapons in the metals of the mountain, formerly relegated only as a decorative material. With these new, longer lasting arms, the Benalorans were able to drive the creatures back to the foothills of the mountains.

From there, the advances were rapid. The metals were also used to fortify homes and buildings upon the mountains. Further advances were made into making these metal weapons and constructs more durable. Then there was crude, man-powered machinery, the lever and pulley. Once that happened, the machinery only got more complex and more efficient. By this time, many Benalorans were starting to understand the mysteries of mana and using it to create magical effects. This was unsurprisingly applied to the machinery, advancing it into mind-boggling creations run without man or beast of burden. They soon became a feared power, holding sway over the developing Weylosians to the southwest and becoming a powerhouse in trade, able to retain that position for a while due to their distance from the powerful Vashialian people to the far west.

But things would not go in the Benalorans’ favor. First there was the Weylosian betrayal, in which the former ally sent spies to learn about their higher technologies so they could make them their own. Now at war with the Weylosians, they sought entry into the Central Lands to increase their holdings and to gain a strategic advantage. In due time, this dragged Benalor into the dreaded Three-Way War. After suffering insurmountable losses in the Central Lands, Benalor became the first of the Old Empires to back out of the war, the pride of the Empire in shambles. During this recession of power, there were attempts to bring Benalor back into prominence. The largest of these attempts was the World Engine of Bjalfi, animated by Nytherio Siev to become a walking mountain. It however went rogue and was eventually reprogrammed to wander in an unpopulated part of the Empire.

In a last ditch effort to rekindle their status as the first and the best Empire, Benalor launched the Heavenrider Program under King Esteg III to seek possibly greater gains in the Heavens Above. They built magnificent technology to accomplish this task, the likes of which never seen or imagined even by the technologically savvy laymen of the Empire. The launch of the Heavenriders towards the sky was successful, that in and of itself sending the Empire into a delirious celebration. Over time though, the gifted Heavenriders would never return, bringing immense political pressure unto the Benaloran government. But then one of them came back, falling to the ground like a shooting star blazing through the night sky. Though it was indeed the body of a Heavenrider, even in its signature uniform, the voice was of a denizen of the Heavens Above foretelling the Empire’s doom for trying to escape their place on the world.

The stories of Benalor’s end vary only in what the creature, the Wight, told the witnesses of his fall to the mountains. Though the words conveyed by the creature could be interpreted differently, the meaning is all the same. A brilliant bolt of light shot down from the Heavens Above, piercing through the Imperial Seat, causing a fireball that shot back towards the Heavens as if in protest. All of this was followed by a deafening boom which rang through the ancient mountains, the sonic blast followed by a maelstrom of debris and fire in every direction.

The only survivors of the catastrophe were those who had evacuated to the Gate, a shelter and escape ship they had built during the development of the Heavenrider Program for the slight possibility that something like this would happen. However, the refugees had only locked themselves inside the massive machine, unable to go back out after the dust settled. They too would die, but with a whimper. Dehydration, starvation, and madness gripped those unfortunate enough to have escaped the blast, leaving them inside their massive coffin. And such was the end of the First Empire. First to exist. First to fade away.

Vashial

Locations in the former Empire of Vashial

While Benalor was rapidly growing in the east of the Continent, a consortium of mystics were convening in the western Shiallan Mountains. A war had just been fought among various tribes, an event which had almost spilled into the entire Continent. A truce had been made as those who could commune with the flowing mana came together upon one of the northern peaks of the mountains, a neutral place in which its ancestral name has been forgotten to history. The Congress of the Magi as it would be called had the task of permanently ending the strife which was going to tear not only themselves apart, but the world around them as well.

It was during these meetings that the Congress formed the Realm of Vashial, a place which would include all of the tribes of the war, both the winners and the losers. The slate would be wiped clean and the people, Shialar and Anshial, Elborn and Alhamuur, would have a chance to start over, absolved of their crimes. Though in this configuration, the oligarchy of the Congress put itself into a tremendous position of power. Their collective mystic power concentrated, they would be very much able to demand just about anything with the threat of imminent destruction if they had wished. Fortunately for those beneath them, that would not be the case.

Under the charter the Congress had drawn up, the gift of magic was to be taught to each and every Vashialian, to never allow one to become more powerful than the rest. The proliferation of magic made what was once a potent tool of war into a commonplace tool of peace. Of course, there were to be cases in which this ideal would not come to pass, as some were simply incapable of communing with the mana, and others were exceptionally gifted at it. That problem would eventually work itself out over time and life would go on, the majority of the Vashialian population adept at performing magic to some degree. This was important because by the time this was achieved, the last of the oligarchs had died upon the Vashialian peak two hundred years after the formation of the Realm.

The final clause of the charter was put into place for this eventuality. It had put the Realm of Vashial into the people’s hands, now that they had spent time with each other, learning the ways of magic and becoming a generally more cohesive people because of it. At this point, the people would have to figure out the fate of the young nation amongst themselves, now that all their wise men were gone. A mother of three would soon come into the spotlight during this debate.

Tarekh al-Anshial was a middle-aged woman, unassuming in stature but spoke in a compelling way, reminiscent of the departed oligarchs. She would come to convince her fellow Vashialians that the ultimate gift of the oligarchs was not that of the magical arts, but rather the unification of the people, the chosen people. The ability overcome rivalries and wars spanning beyond their memory has certainly made them a cut above the others out there waiting to be taken into the Vashialian fold. Under her banner of assimilation, Tarekh would become the first ruler of the renamed Empire of Vashial.

The Vashialians would campaign to the west, all the way to the coast. They then conquered the lands as far south as the marsh of Narsum Cas’shren and as far east as Alboniset Lake and the Eternal Flow. After securing their natural borders, they then began to march their magical armies to the southeast, towards a fledgling nation of tribes known as Weylos. They believed that the Weylosians were very much like them in their infancy – a collection of warring peoples forced to unite under difficult times. But unlike the Vashialians, these savages knew not of the power of magic. This led them to assume that conquest was inevitable. However, they ran first into a martial prowess unheard of, and then into the mechanical wonders of the Benaloran reinforcements.

With the failure at Weylos, the slowly aging Queen Tarekh would bring her forces eastwards, towards the Central Lands beyond Phrennoack to gain an advantage over their worthy Weylosian foes. However, they would be stymied by Eltya and his Stags, powerful spiritual forces which greatly hindered their advance. By the time they had ended up taking the sea route into the north of the Central Lands, Queen Tarekh had died despite her efforts to extend her life further at 322 years of age. Her daughter and successor Jentha would vow to continue upon her mother’s campaign into the Central Lands.

Though the story of who made it to the Central Lands first varies from source to source, there are a number of sources which seem to agree that Vashial got there first. However, there is record that their stay there wasn’t without hardship, especially given the Stormlords’ dislike of their presence in the wild lands. Though the Stormlords couldn’t hold them off themselves, they did have an ally of their own – a stronger, more unified Weylos, free of Benaloran influence, as well as the mighty Sky Devourer at their disposal. Regardless of the Weylosian situation, Benalor still entered the fray, also seeking retribution against Weylos. Vashial and Benalor could have allied with each other to decimate Weylos if they had wished. Unfortunately for them, the glory-seeking Jentha did not even consider it.

The Three-Way War would ensue, with Vashial pushing Benalor back through sheer attrition. But their weakened mage warriors could not stand up to the combined forces of Weylos and the Stormlords, forcing their retreat back to the north of the Central Lands and back to Vashial in defeat. Back home, the defeat ate at the hearts and minds of the Vashialians, splitting them into three camps. The first was those loyal to Jentha, advocating that they lick their wounds and try to retake the Central Lands later. Another was an angry mob seeking to remove Jentha from the throne and install a better leader there. The third however saw the gift of magic as a curse and relocated themselves into the mana-thin western coast, becoming the Triolites.

Civil war broke out, skirmishes across the land splitting communities apart, devouring the very Empire into its own war with each other. Magic was turned against each other, the clashing of mana building up as the combatants tried to one-up each other. This was all until Jentha, who had become known as the Progenitor due to the large family she had spawned, unleashed the most hellish magic imaginable. The very life force of the Empire was drawn into her. Flora, fauna, and people alike suffered her wrath, no matter the association they had. The Empire of Vashial became Jentha’s in its entirety, a surge of power which drove her dead with madness. The residual magical radiation said to be coming from her corpse still taints the Wastes they left behind to this day.

Weylos

Very much like Vashial, Weylos was originally a group of tribes. Unlike Vashial however, the tribes were generally at peace, for they had more to worry about than each other. Their land was one with some of the most dangerous wildlife imaginable, a land they shared with the Stormlords. Back in the ages in which the fauna was the only threat they had to contend with, the tribes worked well as they were. But then came two foes in which they had never experienced before. First was Benalor, a mechanical powerhouse to the east. Then came Vashial to the west, a magical juggernaut. To the tribes, having lived out the law of natural selection for so long, had to unite in the case that the new powers would try to take them over.

It was natural that the tribes headed south to Askanderre, the territory of the tribe with whom they held in the highest regard. The tribes’ collective concerns were brought to attention and they allied under the banner of Weylos, the Askanderian tortoise god of survival and the wild. From here, they had set along a path of combining the best qualities of each tribe into a unified combat force. The Ponbans of the western forests brought their skills of guerilla warfare. The Falmars of the central plains contributed their expertise of ranged weaponry. The Sedhors of the eastern highlands showed how to cultivate their many herbs. And finally the Askands applied their leadership to the myriad of disciplines in this new united force.

For generations, the Weylosians honed their skills and formed a bond with each other which was truly special. They were determined to keep their world under the natural order, to ward off those with ambitions so lofty as to bring the world to any other order. In the meantime, they took all the resources it could from the land in order to accomplish this task. Under the providence of the Great Tortoise, the Weylosians would come out victorious and they could restore the wilds afterwards. If Weylos is to be damned however, then they will give their lives before it is pulled under the thrall of an unnatural order, leaving the victors without spoils. They knew a war was coming, though they would not know of its outcome. And a war they got, a war which would end up beyond even their lengthy preparations, preparations which included entering an alliance with the less-aggressive Benalorans.

The opening salvo came from the magi of Vashial, marching across the cut-down Forests of Ponbanair. In the thick stumps of the former forests was where the Weylosians made their first stand, slowing down an overconfident Vashialian advance. However, their magic would easily wipe them about before advancing towards the dying grasses of the Falmarch Plains. It was there where the Benaloran allies had installed the mighty machines of the Ansal Corps, decimating their magical abilities with the mysterious devices on the Ansals. Together , the alliance was able to push the Vashialians back to their lands and the two nations celebrated heartily at Askanderre for days to come.

However, the Weylosian elders knew of Benalor’s threat still. Though the Ansals were instrumental in defeating the Vashialians at Falmarch, they were sure that Benalor was a host to even more advanced technology which could wipe them out more easily. By now, the elders were led by the master tactician Tremaine Laurense of Sedhorane, a man who suggested the use of espionage against the Benalorans while they still officially were allied. The Weylosians who were taught how to operate the Ansals were becoming more and more mechanically adept in the process, and Laurense knew that if they had information as to how to build their own battle machines, that this new breed of warrior would ensure a Weylosian victory across the board.

Unfortunately for Laurense though, the spies were caught at the College of Shapers at the Ebony Tower, looking in places in which they had no clearance. It was only a matter of time until the Benalorans would figure out the Weylosian ruse. Also by now, Vashialian forces were gathering to the far north in the Central Lands and the Stormlords have sent an emissary of their own to Askanderre. They would have to shift alliances now, quietly letting Benalor execute the spies without formally accepting responsibility for the matter, a political move which was intended to buy them enough time to fend off the second Vashialian offensive before they can refocus on Benalor.

What Laurense would never have guessed was that Benalor had also remotely deactivated the Ansals, rendering them inoperable. They would have to fight the Vashialians without this advantage, something the Stormlords were very unhappy with. They had heard of their might with the battle machines they had learned to master. Suffice it to say, the fight claimed the lives of many Weylosians and Stormlords alike, forcing the Garvenite natives to summon forth their powerful guardian, the Sky Devourer for the first time in their history. While the Sky Devourer ultimately ravaged the steppe irreparably, it clenched the victory for the new alliance, driving the Vashialians back home for the last time.

Though it was a victory, it was an expensive one, a fact which infuriated the Stormlord commander, Crenskaw of the Rushing River. In his rage, he commanded the remainder of his retinue to eliminate the Weylosian troops, the warriors massacring the exhausted warriors. Soon enough, Weylos would be invaded from the north by Crenskaw and a furious Stormlord army, with the Sky Devourer amidst them. Weylos’ doom was to be handed to them not by their unnatural enemies to the east and west, but to their primal brethren of the north. Unable to accept this fate, the vast majority of the Weylosian people kept true to the last part of their vow to the Great Tortoise, to give their lives as one last act of defiance. People dropped left and right as they dealt their own final blows to themselves, the last of which was Laurense, the man who brought all this to pass.

The blood of the Weylosians soak into the dead land around them, the transformation to the Wastes they are now already having started. From the parched land rose a mighty beast rivaling the might of even the Sky Devourer. Other than the rise of the Great Tortoise, recorded by one of the few Weylosians not to kill themselves, there is no other surviving record of the battle that must have ensued. But the result was just as the Weylosians planned – there would be no spoils for the victors. Whether the Stormlords and the Sky Devourer won or not is up for debate, but there are no Stormlords in the Weylosian Wastes today, so one can simply assume.

The Eastern Continent

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The Nation of Animar

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Long has the Nation of Animar stood on the western coast of the Eastern Continent, said to have existed from the time of the Old Empires on the Western Continent. From its turbulent beginnings as a collection of fiercely independent Kingdoms to the relatively harmonious political and economic cooperative it is today, Animar has become the epitome of civilization on the Eastern Continent. Despite its long and powerful standing, they have kept their success to themselves, only ever acting in the capacity of an observer of Western affairs during the time of the Old Empires.

As such, Animar has built up an impressive collection of history from a relatively unbiased third-person perspective, something that was found to be immensely valuable to the Imperial College of Antiquities when an expedition team of theirs made For’Channar’s first contact with the Nation. In turn, this attracted the attention of the Emperor at the time, Margurim X, who funded expedition after expedition, almost bringing his government to financial ruin in the process. Under public and internal pressure, the Emperor became the only one to voluntarily abdicate his throne, going to Animar himself to learn more about them until the end of his life. His son and successor, Margurim XI, would commission and open the Embassy of Animar in Tabula Gloria in the meanwhile.

Since Animar became more of an active world power due to the opening of the Embassy, the people of the Western Continent have come to learn more about the Animari people and their way of life. At the root of all this is their federalized form of government. During the formation of the Nation, the many Kingdoms were in heated debate about maintaining their identity. Sure, the political and economic situation would certainly improve upon the Nation’s founding, but the Kingdoms were worried that they would be absorbed into a single culture based on the dominant Kingdom at the time, Paserna.

To alleviate these fears, the committee in charge of structuring the new National government decided to keep the Kingdoms the way they were, including their own individual governmental systems. This preserved the royal lines of the Kingdoms instead of abolishing their authority. However, the rulers of the Kingdoms would in turn elect a King and Queen to rule over a new entity, the Grand House, which would rule over the Kingdoms in major matters of political disputes, economic troubles, and matters of security. Of course, the Grand House would be located in Paserna per the charter that was drawn up, but it would be strictly forbidden to meddle in affairs of a Kingdom which are not expected to directly affect other Kingdoms in the Nation.

For the most part, the system worked better than expected to this point. They managed to subdue and even drive back the ever-present threat of the Chaktari natives to their south, forcing them to close themselves off to the southwestern peninsula of the Continent. When the Kingdoms weren’t united, they all had different methods of dealing with the tribal folk, all with varying degrees of success. If one Kingdom proved to be less effective than a neighbor, the Chaktari would go there instead. But with a unified approach to the Kingdoms’ collective security, they could all utilize the best strategy and utterly overwhelm the natives back to the peninsula.

On the other side of the coin however, there are some difficulties of seeking a majority opinion on other matters. It is common knowledge now that the Earth’s Cry, the massive mountain range to the east of Animar which spans through the center of the Continent, is indescribably dangerous to travel over. The seas to the north and south of the Continent are equally as difficult to traverse. These geographic obstacles have long prevented the Animari from expanding east into new territories and to gain new resources. Figuring out how to tackle this task has been debated for a long time with one point becoming downright impossible to overcome – the costs of the endeavor to the different Kingdoms. While by now trade has been simplified by the creation of a common currency, some Kingdoms which weren’t interested in eastward expansion feared they would have to unnecessarily pay into the project. In this case, a private explorer by the name of Zannawa Rosen undertook the task and recently completed the underground Rosen Passage which connects Animar to the southeastern part of the Continent.

The Animari experiment is still a work in progress, however long it has taken thus far. But their long road is still a point of pride among the Animari people, as well as a point of admiration among the Imperial people of For’Channar.

Other Civilizations

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