Ten Facts

**A World of Intrigue**

Full-scale war looms on the horizon like a black thundercloud, coming ever closer and borne of the winds of fate and greed. Ancient threats linger however, and the world desperately needs heroes to take up the cause. Kings, nations, warlords and tribes compete on many levels, each looking to maintain or improve their current status by any means necessary. Espionage and sabotage create big business in certain circles. Centuries after the War of Ruin many of those who once understood what made the world great are all but forgotten. The prosperous times are nothing more than stories told by old men and children. Tymarel teems with conflict and intrigue and stands on the brink of disaster should the wrong faction tip the balance of power in the world.

**Magic is Real, Ancient and Dangerous**

Our current age is one where the awesome magical might of the ancients exists as a mere shadow of itself. Mortals can -- and often do -- wield impressive power; arcane spells and prayers to the gods are very real, as are those who call on ancient spirits of the untamed world. Just as real, however, is the dark side of magic: spirits, powerful fey and far darker entities from outside the Material plane whisper and tempt those who would bend reality to their will; only those who have the strength of will and character to resist the constant temptation retain their sanity for long. Those who do not are lost to the darkness for eternity. Magic is not understood by the average peasant or city-dweller; they are aware of its existence, but rightly fear a power that can, literally, do almost anything.

**Dark Temptation of Magic**

Messing with the fabric of reality is not to be taken lightly. Even the most fanciful of fairy tales usually have some reference or obscure story that shows the hubris of magic users coming back to bite them. Tymarel is no different. All forms of magic come with strings attached, and it is these strings that make the common folk, uncertain of the motivations of those who wield magic with impunity, wary or even fearful of magic in all its forms. Those who gain their magic from the gods are beholden to the whims and goals of those unfathomable beings. The wielders of primal magic commune with capricious and sometimes vengeful nature spirits and the ghosts of long-dead ancestors. Most dangerous of all are those who harness arcane magic, for they are toying with the very fabric of the reality around them with barely any heed for the consequences. Creatures from the Otherworld constantly seeking to invade the mind of all wielders of arcane magic, offering more power, knowledge, and items of tremendous power. Some arcanists remain strong against these tempting breaths, but those who succumb begin a long, gradual slide into darkness. Many do not even realize what is happening and have no idea of the shadowy path they are wandering down. Eventually, they become dark and twisted slaves to their whispering masters with no care for others. Every single arcanist must fight this battle of wills, and many do not win.

**Prophecy is Real; Prophecy is Everywhere**

The goddess Decima is the divine sponsor of fate and prophecy, and Tymarelian legend and myth are full of tales of her influence upon heroes and villains alike. Her words whisper and ripple throughout the fabric of Tymarel, carved on the stones and written on parchments ancient and crumbling. Scholars and arcanists murmur that all of Decima’s prophecies are part of a single, unified whole that foretells the future of Tymarel, but no one can agree on whether the prophecy foretells great deeds or catastrophic doom...

**A World In Need of Heroes**

From the deep, primal forests of Atropia to the colossal ruins of the Arkhosia; from the endless labyrinths of the Deep Roads to the desolate lands of the Frozen Wastes, Tymarel is a world of action and adventure. Adventures can and should draw heroes from one exotic location to another across nations, and encountering the various cultures that inhabit the land. The quest for the Blade of the Warrior King might take the heroes from a hidden desert shrine beneath the shifting sands of ancient Shumaria to the ruins of a deceased empire in the Blasted Lands and finally to the castle slowly sinking into the Blood Marsh.

**Birth Matters, but So Does Merit**

In many cases, the Tymarelian legends tell the story of a fallen ruler and detail and the struggle occurring between the remaining family and their coming to power. All is not always as it seems, as there are also disputed bloodlines, illegitimate births, and those who are just strong of will and heart, all battling for a chance to rule a land, and earn their way up into the ranks of the nobility of Tymarel. Often times, putting a crown on your head is the same as putting a target on your back—in a realm filled with dark magic and monsters, this is especially true.

**Feudalism Rules Tymarel**

Oaths of fealty are the fabric that binds society together in these darkening times--and in the realms of Tymarel, those Oaths carry real power. Princes and Kings have dominion over the Lords of their lands, who in turn govern the lands granted to them by their ruler. Each kingdom, duchy, province or tribal land is divided into the control of various lords or chiefs, and these lesser rulers pass their power on to the knights and warriors under their command. Commoners owe allegiance to a knight or Lord and support his efforts and he repays their service by protecting and managing their lands as well. Merchants typically owe fealty to a Noble House which has invested money in the merchant’s business, and even criminals are typically overseen by a guild or gang who rules the criminal element. Mercenaries hire on to a noble house to fight in proxy war. Heroes, more often than not, work under a banner, even if indirectly. When doing so the heroes actions will reflect upon the house, and the house’s enemies become the heroes’ enemies.

**A Game of Houses**

Since the time of the Precursor Empire, mighty noble dynasties have machinated, married, warred, schemed and manipulated each other. They wield tremendous power in Tymarel. Some are powerful economically, others carry political influence or military might over their peers, and some even base their status in powers arcane, but each House, minor or major, works to better itself. The Royal Houses and the banner houses sworn to them, temples both pure and corrupt, crime lords, spies, royal orders of knights and arcanists, secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions jockey for position in the shadow of the oncoming war. Some choose to work for the betterment of the bannermen and fiefs they hold sway over while others choose to bleed their common folk dry for their own benefit, but all hold power over those in their lands. As years pass, some Houses rise while others fall or are obliterated completely. Each has their allies and enemies, and each strives to outwit and outfight the others to be the last standing in the end.

**Monsters Have Returned**

When the Precursors ruled Tymarel, great roads crisscrossed the region, connecting settlements and allowing the legions to move with surprising, sometimes terrible speed and efficiency. In the years leading up to the Great Convergence, the legions successfully patrolled, sought out, and eliminated many of the threats that prowled the wilderness attacking settlers and villagers. Without the legions to keep them in check, however, now more terrible beasts and monsters have returned to prey on travelers with regularity. Villages on the frontier disappear with a terrible frequency, swept clean by horrible, demon-tainted monsters or devoured by the hungry dead. Though still more common the farther away from “civilized lands” one gets, ever-growing reports of giants, wyverns and worse creep into tavern tales as commoner and noble alike huddle inside the safety of thick, sturdy walls. Creatures once thought extinct are now the stuff of travelers’ tales. Even the mighty dragons are said to have been sighted taking wing and atop lonely mountaintops.

**No Guaranteed Happy Endings**

Every character in mythology has a code of beliefs, even if it is not recognized as such overtly. The characters who stay true to their convictions are those of whom the greatest tales are told. Many tales tell of a knight in a “no-win” situation, who must choose between his beloved and his honor, or the lives of two innocents, etc. The greatest tales often show the knight making the best decision possible, then working to right the wrong he was forced into. The knight may eventually end up in a happy place, but not before he has worked tirelessly to secure his dream. Even the great dream of Camelot comes crashing down—depending on the version you read, any one of a dozen things could cause that downfall, but eventually Camelot does fall, and it’s the failure of people—not monsters, not dark gods or demons—who cause it to weaken from within and come tumbling down.