Aethyra

Premise: Aethyra is a medium-magic, late-medieval world where magic exists but is controlled, feared, and politicized. Magic is not rare—but access to it is. Most nations regulate spellcasting through bloodlines, licenses, or religious authority. What sets it apart: Magic has sources, not just spell slots: bloodlines, artifacts, pacts, faith, or nature. Large regions of the world are magic-scarred from an ancient catastrophe called The Sundering. History is partially wrong—records were altered by those in power. Adventurers matter because institutions are brittle and failing. Technology Level: Late medieval / early renaissance Steel weapons, plate armor, windmills, printing presses (rare), no firearms (yet)

The Central Continent: Valecross 1. The Arcanum Dominion A magocracy pretending to be a kingdom Capital: Cindervale Ruled by a council of Archmages Magic is legal only if sanctioned by the state Sorcerers and wild mages are hunted or conscripted Largest libraries, strongest spell infrastructure Publicly stable. Privately terrified of losing control. 2. The Ironbound Concord A militarized human–dwarven alliance Mountain cities carved into the Ashen Spine Rune-forged weapons, anti-magic armor Distrust spellcasters but tolerate clerics and artificers The world’s best engineers and siege experts 3. The Verdant Expanse Untamed lands ruled by nature and tradition Home to elves, druids, beastfolk Cities grown from living trees and stone Magic is natural, instinctual, and sacred Actively resists outside “civilization” 4. The Shattered Coast A lawless chain of city-states and ruins Pirate lords, merchant princes, ancient flooded cities Relics of pre-Sundering magic lie beneath the waves Warlocks and forbidden cults thrive here 5. The Glass Wastes A dead land Once the heart of a forgotten empire Magic storms, crystallized corpses, time distortion No nation controls it Everyone wants what’s buried there

Common Races Humans – Adaptable, politically dominant Elves – Long-lived, tied to ley lines and natural magic Dwarves – Rune-casters, engineers, anti-magic specialists Halflings – Trade networks, spies, messengers Gnomes – Illusionists, scholars, artificers Less Common Tieflings – Descendants of ancient pacts; distrusted Dragonborn – Rare, often tied to ancient bloodlines Orcs – Honor-based clans, excellent warriors; misunderstood Beastfolk – Common in wild regions, rarely in cities Aarakocra Aasimar (1. dmg, 2. fallen, 3. protector, 4. scourge) Bugbear Centaur Changeling Duergar Custom Lineage Fairy Firbolg Genasi (1. air, 2. earth, 3. fire, 4, water) Gith (1. githyanki, 2. githzerai) Goblin Goliath Grung Harengon Hobgoblin Kalashtar Kenku Kobold Leonin Lizardfolk Lokathah Loxodon Minotaur Owlin Satyr Shifter (1. beasthide, 2. longtooth, 3. swiftstride, 4. wildhunt) Simic Hybrid Tabaxi Tortle Triton Vedalken Verdan Warforged Yuan-ti Cultural Tension: Magic-born races are often regulated, segregated, or weaponized.

The Arcanum Crackdown Increased arrests of unsanctioned magic users Resistance cells forming underground Runic Arms Race The Ironbound Concord developing weapons that can kill archmages The Dominion knows—and is panicking The Glass Wastes Stir Something ancient is awakening Expeditions go in, few return Religious Fracture Clerics are receiving contradictory visions Some gods may be silent… or dead

Magic comes from five sources: Innate – Sorcerers, magical races Learned – Wizards, artificers Bestowed – Clerics, paladins Borrowed – Warlocks Primal – Druids, rangers Magic always has a cost: Physical strain Social consequences Corruption Divine obligation

The planes are not sealed—they press against the Material Plane like tectonic plates. The Veil A metaphysical barrier separating planes. Thin in some places. Torn in others. Planar Bleed Zones exist where: Magic behaves unpredictably Creatures slip through unintentionally Time, memory, or gravity distort Major Planes & Their Influence 🌠 The Astral Expanse Used for long-distance magical travel Dreamwalkers and soul-mages draw power from it Ancient ruins drift here—entire cities frozen mid-destruction Influence: Psychic magic, prophetic dreams, lost souls 🔥 The Infernal Courts Devils are bureaucrats, not monsters Contracts are magically binding across planes Tiefling bloodlines trace back to a single mass pact Influence: Political corruption, ambition, legalism 🌿 The Verdant Deep (Fey/Nature Plane) Time flows oddly Nature spirits cross freely in deep forests Some forests walk at night Influence: Fey bargains, druidic power, cursed beauty ⚙️ The Clockwork Beyond A plane of order, inevitability, and mechanisms Modrons occasionally “correct” reality Some believe it created the gods—not the other way around Influence: Law magic, fate, prophecy, constructs ☠️ The Umbral Sea Plane of death, decay, and memory Souls linger if unfinished business remains Necromancy draws from here, legally or not Influence: Undead, grave clerics, hauntings

🕰️ HISTORICAL AGES 1. The Age of First Light Gods walked openly Races were created or uplifted Magic was effortless and limitless Remains: Divine relics, mythic beasts, god-forged weapons 2. The Age of Empires Mortal civilizations rivaled the gods Massive spellworks reshaped continents Interplanar travel was common Remains: Floating ruins, buried megacities, living spells 3. The Sundering A planar catastrophe The Veil was torn One god was slain or imprisoned The Glass Wastes were created No one agrees who caused it. 4. The Age of Ash Collapse and dark ages Monsters flourished Knowledge was hoarded or lost Remains: Broken fortresses, cursed bloodlines 5. The Current Age — The Fractured Crown Nations rebuilt Magic is regulated Old powers are stirring again

💰 ECONOMY & TRADE Currency Crowns (gold) – Used for large trade Marks (silver) – Common coin Bits (copper) – Daily use Some regions use arcane chits—coins etched with minor magic, traceable by the Arcanum Dominion. Trade Routes 🛤️ The Gilded Spine Overland route through the Ironbound Concord Heavily guarded Carries steel, runes, grain 🌊 Sapphire Current Sea trade between the Shattered Coast and central ports Pirates, smugglers, sea monsters 🌲 The Greenpaths Fey-touched forest routes Shift daily Only druids and rangers navigate safely Major Trade Goods Spell components (regulated) Rune-forged arms Alchemical reagents Relics (illegal but common)

⚖️ LAW & SOCIETY Justice Systems Arcanum Dominion Magical surveillance Trial by divination Unauthorized spellcasting = treason Ironbound Concord Trial by tribunal Clear laws, harsh punishments Magic crimes judged severely Verdant Expanse Restorative justice Exile is worse than death Adventurers in Society Adventurers are: Necessary Feared Expendable Most nations: License adventuring parties Use them for deniable actions Blame them when things go wrong Common phrase: “If you need a hero, hire a monster.”

🐉 MONSTERS & VILLAINS Ancient Evils 🕳️ The Hollow Sovereign A god-fragment from the Sundering Exists between planes Seeks to reclaim its name Signs: Reality fractures, people forget loved ones Cult Threats 🔺 The Veiled Ascendancy Believe mortals should replace gods Experiment with forced apotheosis Responsible for recent planar tears Unique Creatures Glassborn Crystallized beings from the Wastes Reflect spells back at casters Gloom-Tithe Beasts Feed on fear and memory Leave survivors hollow Clockbound Wardens Enforcers from the Clockwork Beyond Appear when history deviates “too far” Political Villains A living Archmage who has outlived three ages A pirate queen possessed by an ocean god A saint who faked divine ascension