The Moonfall Realm

Aethril is a world still healing from the death of most of its gods. Once a realm of divine order and harmony, it now lingers in the echo of that cataclysm—a time known as the Sundering. Magic, once tempered by divine will, has grown wild and untamed, shaping the land into something both wondrous and perilous. The moon was shattered during the fall of the High Gods, and its fragments still drift through the heavens like drifting embers. On occasion, a shard descends through the atmosphere, streaking across the night sky before striking the surface. Though the worst of the celestial fallout has long passed, each new impact leaves behind regions warped by lunashard radiation and unstable sorcery. The very fabric of life has changed. Flora and fauna have adapted—or been twisted—into strange, luminous, and dangerous forms, creating ecosystems unlike anything that came before. The seas glow faintly where moon-glass dust has fallen, forests breathe with phosphorescent spores, and even the stones hum with residual enchantment. Yet amid ruin, humanity and its kin endure. Across the broken continents, people rebuild, repurpose, and rediscover. They sail the flooded plains of the Sunken Lands, delve into drowned cities of the old world, and craft tools, art, and myths from the remnants of a fallen age. Despite hardship, Aethril’s people face life with humor, resilience, and creativity. The world has become stranger—but not hopeless. It is an age of craftsmen, explorers, and dreamers who find beauty in decay and meaning in survival. Tone & Themes: Reclamation and Adaptation: Civilization is reborn from ruins, fusing ingenuity with fragments of old magic. Mythic Echoes: Many of the gods may be gone, but their influence lingers in relics, mutated life, and half-remembered prayers. Wonder in the Wild: The world is dangerous, yes—but breathtakingly alive. Humor Amid Hardship: Aethril’s people endure through laughter, superstition, and the stubborn will to live.

Since the Sundering of the Moon most major cities and nations have not survived the fallout. 240 years later, the main source of civilization revolve around the edges of an inner sea. To the north of the inner see lies The Rim, a massive, thousands kms long cliff raised by the death of a Protector God during the Moonfall. The cliff drops 400 meters below sea level and prevents the wild and ruinous magic of The Sunken Lands from spreading further south and tainting the inner sea. "Stones Throw" is an isolated city at the lowest point of The Rim. It makes it's living preparing explorers and other adventurers for trips into The Sunken Lands to salvage, discover, and retrieve whatever they think is of value.

The Mulls Deep within the scarred earth dwell the Mulls, a race of mole-like humanoids born in the centuries following the Sundering. It’s unclear whether they were once human or were shaped directly by the earth’s awakened magic, but their societies prize endurance, craftsmanship, and quiet cooperation. Mulls dig sprawling subterranean cities beneath The Rim and along the borders of the Sunken Lands. Their tunnels double as trade routes, connecting the cliffside settlement of Stones Throw to distant enclaves hidden deep below the surface. They revere the bones of the world itself—treating ancient fossils, ores, and even veins of moon-glass as sacred relics. To them, mining is not extraction but communion. Mull craftsmanship is legendary; their tools are simple but indestructible, their alloys resistant to both rust and spellrot. Many of the Inner Sea’s explorers rely on Mull-forged gear before venturing north. Their greatest enemies are not the beasts of the surface, but the Verdant Dead—corpses and skeletons animated by colonies of sentient moss that creep through the ruins. The Verdant Dead In the humid mists of the Sunken Lands, the boundary between life and decay has eroded. The Verdant Dead are the result: skeletal remains of all species—beast, bird, or man—reanimated by a hive-like moss with its own alien intelligence. The moss feeds on the lingering divine essence that saturates the land, using bones as vessels to move, hunt, and spread. Over centuries, it has learned—slowly—mimicry and coordination. Entire ossified colonies have formed beneath the swamps, creating grotesque “hives” of bone and green fire. While mindless on their own, the Verdant Dead share a collective awareness through their moss network. Some explorers swear that they’ve seen a skeleton stop to watch, to learn. A few whisper that the moss remembers its hosts’ lives, or worse—dreams of being whole again. The Octopi Clans In the drowned marshes and flooded ruins dwell the Octopi, an amphibious people of cephalopod descent. Graceful and intelligent, they craft tools from coral, shell, and scavenged relics of the old world. Their ink can be infused with emotion or memory, allowing them to record experiences in fluid form—an art form known as inkdreaming. The Octopi live in loose clans bound by shared memories. They are explorers, traders, and poets, viewing land-dwellers with fascination and mild pity. Many see them as eerie but beautiful, moving through the world’s decay with serene acceptance. Though capable of great empathy, the Octopi are pragmatic; they understand that life in Aethril is fleeting, and that beauty often lies in what cannot last. The Gatormen Farther inland, in the steaming wetlands and broken river deltas, dwell the Gatormen—reptilian survivors of the Sundering. Brutal, proud, and cunning, they are apex predators turned chieftains, forming loose tribes bound by blood oaths and ritual combat. They respect strength above all but are not without honor. Gatormen see themselves as guardians of the wild balance—the final line between civilization and the unchecked chaos of the north. To outsiders, they appear savage; to those who know their ways, they are philosophers of survival. A few tribes have begun trading with Stones Throw, exchanging hides, relics, and moonstone beads for metalwork and fermented drink. It is said that if a Gatorman laughs with you, you are either a trusted friend—or already dead.

Stones Throw vs. the Sunken Lands: Many of Stones Throw’s merchants and adventurers push further into the Sunken Lands, sometimes angering Mull elders and Octopi clans who see outsiders as disrespecting sacred lands. Some explorers return with items of unknown origin that destabilize trade or local power—arcane artifacts, mutated beasts, or cursed moon-glass. Who controls these discoveries? Gatormen Tribal Politics: A new Gatorman chieftain is consolidating tribes to resist encroachment by human traders. This threatens existing trade routes and alliances with Stones Throw. Rival tribes may challenge the new leader, giving adventurers the chance to act as negotiators, champions, or saboteurs.

The Fall of the Gods Long ago, the High Gods resided in a luminous city upon Aethril’s moon, shaping the world below with their power. Then came the Cataclysm: an unknown event shattered the moon, scattering its fragments across the world in meteorite impacts known as Tears of the Gods. The shattering killed most High Gods and unleashed a dark, eternal force called the Hunger—a void-like entity that seeks to consume divinity, life, and magic itself. Those gods who survived found their domains weakened, fragmented, or fundamentally broken. Domains that depended on other gods’ existence—such as the God of Festivals, reliant on the deities of Joy, Bounty, and Wine—became incoherent or self-contradictory. Magic in the Shattered World With divine structure gone, magic became untethered and wild. Where once the laws of arcane craft were codified and runes carried predictable power, spells now respond to intuition, strength of will, and the chaos of the environment. Wild Magic: Most magic is now unpredictable. A simple enchantment might succeed, fail, or produce entirely unexpected effects depending on proximity to Tears of the Gods, lingering divine essence, or ambient Hunger-tainted energy. Runes and Glyphs: Ancient runic languages decay over time. Scrolls or inscriptions may only partially function, and even skilled mages struggle to recreate lost techniques. Magic Users: Anyone with sensitivity to magical currents can manipulate wild magic, though the level of control varies. Some are born naturally gifted, while others learn through trial, error, and careful observation. Most spellcasters develop personal styles, often tied to their survival needs or craft. Divine Vestiges & Worship Fragments of gods’ power remain in scattered Tears of the Gods, ancient relics, and residual magical phenomena. These vestiges can inspire reverence, madness, or power. The Forge Mother: Now a high god, she resides far from mortals in her orbiting workshop. While rarely interfering directly, her influence permeates creation, invention, and foundational stability. Craftsmen unknowingly echo her will when building durable structures or ingenious tools. The Seed Father: Responding to cataclysms rather than mortals, this god of life and change subtly accelerates adaptation, evolution, and growth. Survivors may interpret sudden mutations or wild flora as blessings—or curses—from his hand. Other Surviving Gods: Small, localized gods cling to fragments of their domains, often worshiped quietly to avoid attracting the Hunger. The Hunger: The Hunger is not a god, but an eternal, ravenous force born from the moon’s destruction. It taints magic, draws power from divine or mortal sources, and can manifest as wild magical zones, corrupted creatures, or sentient decay (like the Verdant Dead). Scholars debate whether it can be reasoned with—or only resisted. Themes & Implications for Aethril Unpredictability: Magic is powerful but dangerous; failure can have catastrophic consequences. Adaptation: Survivors must improvise, blending old knowledge with practical skill. Relics & Fragments: Unearthed Tears of the Gods or divine remnants can shift local power balances, attract adventurers, or awaken ancient threats. Philosophical Magic: Many now view magic as living, morally ambiguous, or part of nature itself rather than a tool to command.