Ventide

The Ventide is a world that the Morn Scholars claim is composed of pure luminosity. All that we can see and experience is mystically transmuted light. This is very much a high magic world with a mixture of medieval and steampunk tech. What makes it unique from other settings is that this world is flat and ever-expanding. The outermost edges of the Ventide are a sheer drop off into space (known as the Darkwash). Floating islands amidst the darkwash can be found there, and slowly over time the Ventide gathers more luminosity from distant stars to further expand its land, bridging out into the darkwash and creating more floating islands on the fringe. This mystical phenomenon of the world of Ventide is unique, and its drawing of luminosity from other stars has been (unknowingly to the population of the Ventide) causing cataclysmic stellar collapses in distant star systems. This has led distant civilizations in the stars to seek an end to the destruction of their worlds, drawing their eyes to the Ventide.... The Ventide is replete with hundreds of nations and city-states. Some of the largest ones are the Bremah Sultanate, which dominates the Kyorr Sandplains and its many oases. There is also the Kingdom of Partask, which alongside its rivals Quemlot, Gruviel, and Darmaria; is a major power on the verdant and geographically vibrant continent of Moorlak. The tropical metropolis of Abwa Diti in the princess-ruled Domain of the Heartspawn Archipelago, is the largest city in the world, a luscious and prosperous city known for its loving spirit and lax rules and laws. The reigning Arch-Princess is Vesta, and she loves to be among her people (but also has a penchant for lavish and intimate parties). The world of the Ventide can be divided into two major categories: the inner lands and the fringe. The inner lands are all the lands within the central portion of the plane that is Ventide. The fringe is the edge of the flat world around the circumference of the Ventide, which ends abruptly with a sheer drop into outerspace (i.e. the Darkwash). Beyond the edge are numerous floating islands in the near Darkwash. The inner lands have three continents, Embrudisia, Moorlak, and Calbor. Embrudisia is the largest continent by far, stretching from the northwestern quadrant of the inner lands down through the southwestern and southeastern quadrants. Moorlak is second largest, being entirely located within the northeastern quadrant of the inner lands. The smallest continent is Calbor, which lies south of Embrudisia in colder climes. Aside from these three continents, there is also a vast collection of islands and islets, large and small, known as the Bellmaker's Hierophant. This region lies in the southeastern quadrant of the world, beyond the southeasternmost tip of Embrudisia. The fringe is also divided into four distinct regions: the Fringedells, Oltaca, Selibrus, and Gleamwry. The Fringedells are the eastern fringe of the Ventide. The western edge of this landmass is considered distinct from the Fringedells and is more often called the Green Corridor. The Green Corridor is a narrow lush coastline on the western side of this landmass, home to colonies and outposts of kingdoms in Moorlak and occasionally even principalities of the Bellmaker's Hierophant. A tall and deadly mountain range known as the Scatterwall divides the Green Corridor from the Fringedells proper to the east, a barren and dead and gray land full of little life or hospitality. What few who still live there are mutated mortals and survivors of the Expanse War, living in warring tribes and nomadic shamanist caravans. The floating isles beyond the Fringedells are where most succubi, strix, and angels still reside to this day, even after the Expanse War. Thus, mortal mutants in the Fringedells often have to contend with strix skirmishers, angel crusades, or succubus lures. Oltaca is the northern fringe of the Ventide. The farther north in the ocean one travels, the hotter the waters get until the boil at the outskirts of Oltaca, a flaming volcanic hellscape that is fit for no mortal life. The oceans turn to lava, and magma geysers rain deadly burning rain on any who dare venture there. The hardened volcanic landscape is dotted with a few Null Forges from the Expanse War, when angels sought the intense heat of Oltaca to craft their war machines. Legends say that some sentient war machines still rest and lurk in the depths of some Null Forges that weren't completely obliterated in the war. Selibrus is the southern fringe of the Ventide. It is a frozen wasteland with scarce few people living there. Some adventurous Calboran merchants have proven stubborn enough to seek their fortune there, especially with the myths and legends of lost celestial treasures lying deep beneath the ice. But aside from these ill-considered exploratory camps, the only denizens of Selibrus are the primal yetis and the Whisper-men. The yetis rove in cannibalistic and brutal packs, their speech being reduced to shrieks of war. Some say the Expanse War drove them to insanity and animal natures, a mere shadow of their former imperial glory. They still like to roam in ancient yeti citadels frozen in the ice or "chase the mountainside" as it is called, wandering aimlessly for what, who knows? The Whisper-men are mysterious. Some say they are the ghosts of dead soldiers from the Expanse War. Others say they are glimpes of the spiritual realm. Regardless, they are very real, and they haunt the blinding blizzards of Selibrus, often luring out weary explorers in the night to slaughter them in the flurry of snow. The Morn Scholars have taken great interest in studying the Whisper-men, leading some to speculate that perhaps they are related to the celestial realm or some error in the transmutation of light that composes all matter in the Ventide. Gleamwry is the western fringe of the Ventide. It is sometimes called the Antithesis of the Darkwash, as it is a region that shines with vivid colors and uninhibited light. Gleaming spires rise up into the night starry sky, and rivers of pure luminosity flow in bewitching weaves and bends. The Singers reside here, celestial beings of pure light, said to be angels of purity, untouched by the horrors of war and strife. Few go to the Gleamwry and return, save for the Principle Masters of northern Embrudisia or traveling Morn Scholars. Current research suggests that Gleamwry is the primary point at which the Ventide absorbs new starlight into its mass, pushing outwards from the west to grow lands in the north, east, and south. Gleamwry is venerated and even worshipped in many Embrudisian religions. There are four oceans in the world. The Avrimic Ocean separates Moorlak from the Green Corridor and the Scatterwall. The Golsivir Ocean separates Calbor, the Bellmaker's Hierophant, and southern Embrudisia from Selibrus. The Krine Ocean separates Moorlak and northern Embrudisia from the Boiling Sea and Oltaca. Finally, the Great Western Ocean separates Embrudisia from Gleamwry in the west.

[Embrudisia] Sultanate of Bremah: the only human nation in the continent of Embrudisia, it sits largely within the Kyorr Sandplains, a sizable desert in southeastern Embrudisia near the Arched Shore. It is a land powered by the Straylung, an immense shard of arcane crystal that is partially buried in the deep sands of Kyorr. The oligarchic and pious leadership of Bremah siphons the shard for arcane magic that they use to rule the Sultanate with an iron fist. The reigning Sultan is Lacat III, although his youthful reign is rumored to be heavily influenced by local Morn Scholars and Priests of the Shard. Bandolfran: a vast central confederation of animalistic tribes and clans, most populated by lizardfolk, centaurs, minotaurs, fairies, fauns, satyrs, ratfolk, catfolk, dogfolk, kitsune, tengu, swanfolk, and the like. All the tribe leaders of Bandolfran meet together at the Joymeet every two years to discuss important matters and select a Supercedent to preside over the Joymeet. The few weeks of a Joymeet are the only time when Bandolfran has a singular "leader" of any kind. Halls of Vindication: This castle of roughly hewn limestone houses ancient fae lords and ladies who have been "at rest" since the first epoch. Their halls had been magically preserved and sealed for millennia, despite the best efforts of the Morn Scholars. However, the Battle of Dally Grove during the Expanse War shook the foundations of the continent such that the fae were awakened from their long slumber. They stepped forth from the halls and obliterated the warring armies in the grove in their entirety, both mortal and celestial alike. Since the end of the Expanse War, the fae have declared themselves a new power in the world and dubbed their keep the "Halls of Vindication," a memorial of sorts to their lost glory in ancient times, the nature of which no one knows but themselves. Thankfully, the fae have largely kept to themselves, but many worry about what plans the fae lords and ladies have for the rest of Embrudisia, or even all of the Ventide. [Moorlak] Kingdom of Partask: a kingdom primarily of dwarves and humans, Partask is easily the greatest military power in Moorlak. It is a highly martial society with a feudal system that makes all Partaskan land essentially the property of King Mobrus Half-Dwarf. Partask is seen warily by its neighbors, as it has a reputation for gobbling up smaller neighboring nations. Kingdom of Quemlot: another powerful nation in Moorlak that borders Partask to the east, Quemlot is a fanciful nation that is known for patronizing the arts and literature. Furthermore, Quemlot has numerous outposts and holdings along the shores of the Green Corridor, shipping scavenged fringe relics back to the homeland, as well as rare breeds of fish only found in the waters around the Scatterwall. Queen Taveau is considered kind-hearted but strategic, often seeking to solidify alliances with other Moorlakian nations to form a coalition against the aggressive Partaskans. The largest city and former capital of Quemlot is Nou Jhede. Gruviel: Gruviel is a wealthy city-state that sits right in the midst of Quemlot, surrounded on all sides by Quemlot territory. The city is located in the northwestern portion of Quemlot, in a geographic region known as the Pouly Lakes Region (or the PLR). It used to be a region of smaller principalities, marches, and vassal states that overtime were either conquered by Partask or peacefully annexed by Quemlot. Now Gruviel is the last remaining nation from the PLR that is still independent. Nonetheless, the nature of their being surrounded by Quemlot has necessitated a unique diplomatic stance. The Gruviel Charter, which was signed by both Queen Taveau and the Gruviel Merchants Guild just five years ago, gives Gruviel an odd dual status. It is simultaneously an independent city-state that has its own laws, passed by the Merchants Guild, and the capital city of the Kingdom of Quemlot, housing the new Gray Palace of the queen. The Merchants Guild pays monetary tribute to Quemlot annually, while Gruviel enjoys open borders and free trade with and through the lands of Quemlot, even granting them access to scavenging operations in the Scatterwall through Quemlish colonial holdings in the Green Corridor. Nonetheless, Gruviel retains its Coin Guard which serves as a military for the city-state. No Quemlish soldiers aside from the queen's private royal guard are allowed within the city. Gruviel also has a distinct dialect from the Quemlish language. The Gruvenban dialect has been tailored by the Guild to allow for significant nuance in negotiations and barter, making it a unique language in the Ventide. Grand Union of Darmaria: Darmaria is an elvish and human nation in southern Moorlak. It is the largest nation in area on the continent, although it has a smaller population than Partask or Quemlot.

All races one can possibly think of exist in the Ventide. Humans and elves are the most common by far, but dwarves, orcs, ogres, trolls, goblins, kobolds, halflings, gnomes, lizardfolk, catfolk, ratfolk, fauns, satyrs, minotaurs, centaurs, etc all exist as well. Nymphs are an emerging race this has been attempting to assert itself in the civilized world recently. On the fringes of the world by the Darkwash, there can be found flying races such as strix, angels, and succubi. Most of the major countries are human and/or elvish predominantly, with nations like the Heartspawn Archipelago boasting a diverse array of races living in harmony.

The continent of Moorlak constantly has geopolitical tensions and wars, perhaps because it is so full to the brim with natural resources and beautiful land. The major nations there often engage in proxy wars with each other through smaller duchies, city-states, and principalities. More broadly, the fringes by the Darkwash tend to be more dangerous, with warring bands of strix clashing with angelic crusaders that seek to defend the Ventide. There are also roaming succubi that seek to lure in travelers to increase their spawn and overcome the angelic hegemony over the expanding fringe. Beyond the Ventide, out in the vast blackness of the Darkwash, are innumerable star systems and planets with their own civilizations, some more advanced than others. Those alien peoples are wholly unknown to the people of the Ventide, but they likely view the Ventide with hostility, since it is siphoning away light and power from their own stars, spiraling their own civilizations into ruin.

Magic is something unique to the Ventide. It does not exist out in the Darkwash or on other planets. The Morn Scholars (an ancient institution of magical learning) define magic as "the manipulation of transmuted luminosity." In other words, since the Ventide is composed of transmuted luminosity, magic is the manipulation of that composition in a wide variety of ways. Anyone in the Ventide can use magic if they learn how, but if anyone goes beyond the Ventide into the Darkwash, then they lose magic. Magic is fairly common in the Ventide, but only those that dedicate themselves to learning its use can truly master it and cast powerful spells.

There are no other planes in this setting. There is only the Darkwash, which is essentially just the universe with galaxies, stars, planets, nebulae, etc. Amidst all of that, the flat world that is the Ventide is truly unique.

The history of the Ventide is divided up into epochs. The current one is the Epoch of Glastandia, a reference to the historic Glastandia Treaty that ended the Expanse War that dominated the entire Ventide. The Expanse War even drew in fringe peoples like angels, strix, and succubi to fight against the inner nations as a chaotic string of alliances brought the entire world to war with one another (similar to real-world World War I). Finally, the Glastandia was negotiated that cemented a World Council (basically a UN) to try and usher in a more peaceful epoch. The Glastandia marked the end of the Epoch of War. Before that were four others epochs. Before the Epoch of War was the Epoch of Empires - that epoch ended with the collapse of the twin empires of Rudilon (elvish) and Xere (human). Before that was the Epoch of Darkness, when a strange cosmic storm enveloped the Ventide (perhaps sent by cosmic forces to end the Ventide's siphoning of other stars) - the cosmic storm was eventually dispersed by the Morn Scholars, who were founded for that purpose and have existed ever since. Before that epoch was the Epoch of Enlightenment, an age that was defined by rapid progress in technological and arcane development. Finally, the first epoch on record was the Epoch of Time, which was a time of strange temporal abnormalities - as such, no one knows exactly how long that epoch lasted. Furthermore, it means the creation of the Ventide is undateable.

Adventurers are generally welcomed throughout the world, as they can be paid to do tasks that would otherwise be left undone.

The main threat is whatever lies in the vast expanse of the Darkwash, the various ruined civilizations that want vengeance against the Ventide.