World Overview

The world is based on our own in the year 900 AD. I’ve tried to keep the flavour of the different nations as best as I can whilst aiming for inclusivity and interest. This has meant significant differences to the major religions – there are no monotheistic religions in this world. *If I have failed to be inclusive, or if I have written something offensive, PLEASE tell me!*

There are several major points of difference with our own world:

* Magic exists.
* There is a common tongue.
* The years are numbered from the founding of Namor, and the current year is therefore NY 1653.
* There are sentient, non-human races.
* Many legends are true.
* Portals have been discovered.

There are of course many, many smaller differences. In some places for which there is little archaeological and no written evidence I have completely made things up – things there tend to be a bit more fantastical.

The world is currently limited to those people in contact with those who invented the portals. This doesn’t include the Americas or Australia – even the Vikings didn’t reach Canada until long after 900 AD, and as far as we know contact with Australia had been lost thousands of years earlier.

### Magic exists.

              The magic of this world is elemental, spiritual, and totemic, following the rules of the Cuckoo’s Nest. The strange thing is, elemental magic seems to have been becoming very slowly stronger over the past two millennia at least. In a lifetime, it isn’t noticeable (or is put down to practice and increasing skill), but looking back a thousand years or more, modern mages can do things that would have been far beyond the ancients. Perhaps that is why they haven’t shaped history until very recently. It’s difficult to tell if the same is true of spiritual magic, as the shifting kaleidoscope of gods have different priorities and so the prayers and rituals that are preeminent change over time. Totemic magic is often more private, an individual drawing power from the natural world, so again it is difficult to tell.

### There is a common tongue.

              Some areas and religions also have local languages, but everybody can speak a mutually comprehensible language.

### There are sentient, non-human races.

              The otter-like Dowran of the cooler areas, the bardic feathered Herri from Nevecia, and the powerful Pasitaurs from Nisi in the Arranean Sea are all an integrated and in some places integral part of society. They are all playable races, with skill trees available within the rules.

### Many legends are true.

              You will find fox-demons in Anhia, ice giants in Skaldinavia, and kelpies in Piktavi. Beware of singing trees, and carry cold iron when you travel.

### Portals exist.

              About fifteen years ago, a group of research mages finally came up with a far-travel system. It was definitely not perfect - it was extremely risky, as well as needing expensive components, and relied on several mages being present at the starting location, at least one of whom must have been to the destination.

Obviously very few people felt comfortable using this system, but the partial success spurred new interest in the subject. About eight years ago the same group, with additional members, announced a less flexible but much safer system. It relied on stablilising magics being cast on the starting and destination locations, and the presence of appropriate people at both ends. Setting up these stabilising magics was enormously expensive, requiring Artificers, mages, and costly ingredients. It is no wonder that anywhere that set one up once would pay the extra costs to have it made permanent, and take a fee for its use.

In order to set up a new travel hub, first the site has to be prepared, the stabilising magics cast into Artificed foundations. Then a group of mages who have been to another hub need to be present, and cast a number of complicated, multi-school spells. As well as the preparations at the new hub, a group of mages at the old hub must be involved as well - and they must have travelled to the new one at some point. Once the hub is connected to the network, people can be sent to any existing hub, and far fewer mages are needed - it is possible for only one highly specialised mage at each end to be all that is needed.

Given how new the technique is, only a limited number of such highly specialised mages are in existence, and few entities have set up portals - they are mostly governments or large trading consortiums. More are in the process of construction.

It is not possible to send things through the network without their being carried - self-awareness and intent are needed on the part of the transported.