Alabhastar

Alabhastar as it appears on the Io World Map

**Alabhastar** is a continent on the planet of Io. Once joined with the Qethos Ark, the Shattering split Qethos in twain, with its northern half being renamed Alabhastar. A land of rich history intrinsically tied to gods old and new, Alabhastar has seen much conflict and faced peril many times, but has nevertheless endured to the modern day. A wild and mostly untamed land, most of the north is rugged and mountainous, though some greenery exists in the south. The people of Alabhastar are tough and learn martial skills from childhood to survive the harshness of their home.

## Appearance

In the past, Alabhastar used to have a temperate climate and possessed plains in the south and abundant forests to the north. Several settlements were scattered across the continent, usually nestled on the outskirts of forests or near bodies of water. The continent also possessed multiple mountain ranges, which further isolated civilizations from one another. After the Shattering of Io and its subsequent separation from Qethos, the climate of Alabhastar appears to have changed, with the Ark appearing more arid and possessing less vegetation. Only some of its southern islands appear to have retained the greenery of days gone.

## History

### Early History

Alabhastar likely came into being as part of the terraforming process undertaken during the Auroran Repopulation Project. When first created Qethos and **Alabhastar** were connected as one continent, going by the name Qethos. The two were superficially separated by an enormous wall that ran east to west across the center of the continent, simply called the Great Wall. When the new inhabitants of Io were released onto Qethos, they began to create their own civilizations, with the kingdoms of Llwendolyn and Alabhastar emerging as the most prominent. Under the guidance of the gods DIV and VOID, the civilizations created religions and cultural traditions based on the whims of their deity.

### The Crusades

Eventually, the friction between DIV and VOID came to a head, and open war was declared between the two. The resulting conflict became known as the Crusades, which engulfed all of Io. DIV and VOID gathered Radiant and Void-Touched individuals to their cause and each elected a person to serve as their Champion, Muralia Shurto representing DIV and Kas Dominius representing VOID. Under these champions, Qethos was plunged into war in which many were killed or displaced in the name of the gods. A notable casualty was the entire Kingdom of Alabhastar, which was left in utter ruin as a result of the fighting and its surviving people lost to time.

Eventually, the conflict came to a stalemate, with neither side able to overcome the other. While life returned to normal, the feud between the gods did not abate and the two continued to vie for supremacy through more subtle means. In addition, many of the old grudges between Radiant and Void-Touched remained, with both being subjected to varying levels of discrimination from the other side.

### The Reign of the All King

Some time after the Crusades, the kingdom of Llwendolyn in Southern Qethos, which officially proclaimed itself as devotees of DIV's Radiance, came into powers as the dominant political force in all of Qethos. To represent this, the King of Llwendolyn began to expand the influence of the kingdom northwards into the lawless lands left in the destruction of Alabhastar. He demanded the fealty of independent settlements by using his military to threaten them. The Holy City of Atlas was one such vassal, submitting itself to Llwendolyn's rule in exchange for protection and some measure of self-governance. With order forced upon these lands, the monarch then proclaimed himself the All King of Qethos, effectively ruling the entire continent.

The first All King eventually died and was interred in a grandiose mausoleum with his most prized treasures, such as his personal maul and the Ruby Eyed Scepter. In the subsequent centuries, Llwendolyn's hold over the rest of Qethos waxed and waned, with several rulers declaring themselves All King to reclaimed the northern territories only for another generation to lose them again. In the decades preluding the death of the gods, Llwendolyn had lost these territories and its current ruler, King Tenebraum, sought to ascend to the status of All King once again. A fervent supporter of DIV, he enforced worship of the Radiance and suppressed all things VOID related. This resulted in DIV becoming more powerful and influential than VOID, disrupting their precarious equilibrium.

### The Voidstar Incident

The disruption in this equilibrium drew the ire of Ghaspar, one of the Three Wise Ones that dedicated themselves to maintaining the balance between the gods. In order to bring back this balance, Ghaspar hatched a plot to summon forth a Voidstar, one of the eight fragments of the god VOID, and unleash it on Northern Qethos. To perform the ritual necessary, he required an intersection of three leylines infused with VOID energies, and a host for the Voidstar. The host came in the form of a man named Gail, who agreed to aid Ghaspar for his own purposes. As for the VOID Sites, three locations were decided upon; the town of Gullwater, the Radiant Forest and the Hallowed Tower.

To manifest these sites from their dormant state, Gail and Ghaspar manipulated two separate parties of adventurers to unwittingly upset the balance and make these areas fall to VOID. Their deceptions proved fruitful, as the two parties both created VOID sites out of Gullwater and the Radiant Forest. However, Ghaspar's plans were threatened by his old nemesis Varri'mathes, the guardian of the Hallowed Tower. To kill two birds with one stone, both groups were sent to deal with the VOID Lord under the assumption he would summon forth the Voidstar. One party managed to succeed in felling Varri'mathes, being provoked by Gail to do so. With his death, the Hallowed Tower and the town at its base succumbed to the corruption of the VOID. Before he expired, Varri'mathes told his killers of Ghaspar's true plan and urged them to stop him, granting them the last remnants of his power to aid their quest. Outside the tower, they were met with their counterparts. With the following exchange of information, both parties resolved to defeat Ghaspar and save Qethos from destruction.

The leylines intersected at the ruins of Alabhastar, where the ten adventurers confronted Gail and Ghaspar. They were too late to prevent the ritual from taking place and through the sacrifice of Gail, the Voidstar materialized. Before it could begin its rampage across Qethos, the adventurers engaged it in battle. After a fierce combat, the Voidstar was slain. However, its death throes cause an intense imbalance in VOID energies across Northern Qethos, resulting in the deaths of many Void-Touched. After the Incident, the adventurers all went their separate ways, not knowing they would be reunited sooner than they could have anticipated.

### The Dragon War

Three months after the Voidstar Incident, the two parties were reunited at the town of Haven, south of the Radiant Forest. One of their number, Weyzi Uk'tah, had joined a band of dragon hunters called the Dragonhearts, and had aided them in their fight in exchange for gold. However, this brought the ire of the dragons down on her head, especially that of a green dragon named Brundin. A flock of his brethren discovered Weyzi's location and attacked Haven mercilessly. The town was destroyed and its survivors scattered. Outraged by the attack, the two adventuring parties began to war with the green dragons of Northern Qethos. This eventually resulted in the death of Brundin and several other dragons. Weyzi and her allies emerged victorious, though the razing and death caused as a result of their conflict could not be so easily repaired.

### The Death of the Gods

Some time after the conclusion of the Dragon War, the Fallen Heroes, as they would come to be known, turned their attention to the gods themselves, viewing them as the ultimate source of all the world's woes. With aid from the High Pope of Atlas, they lured the gods to the Holy City and simultaneously destroyed them. The Fallen Heroes were then pulled away by a mysterious light, with all but one disappearing from Io. The city itself then ascended into the sky and disappeared in a flash of light.

Across the rest of Qethos, all sentient life went into a dormant state, deprived of the energies of the gods that made up their essence. Eventually, the people of Qethos adjusted to this new paradigm and began to restructure their societies anew. Through flashes of memory, they were able to piece together what happened to the gods and move on, though some were reluctant and clung to the old ways. The north of Qethos remained wild and untamed, with no real sovereign nations to govern it. Cities like Haven and Gubwater were not reclaimed or rebuilt and any settlements that did exist kept mostly to themselves.

There was one notable exception to this however. Some centuries later, the ruins of Alabhastar became occupied by a tribe of warriors, who began to rebuild the once great city. This tribe were skilled masons and were able to quarry the nearby mountain and shape it into dwellings, tools, weapons and armor. This nascent state began to call itself Nue-Alabahastar, with their chieftains adopting the name as their own surnames. From the inside out, Nue-Alabhastar became a functional society, though there was a significant dearth in trade and the wilds of Northern Qethos were difficult to farm. The Nue-Alabhastarians also adopted a new law to ensure that the horrors of the Crusades would not befall them again; open religious worship was prohibited under threat of banishment.

## Phase 2 Story

### Discovery at Gubwater Keep

Seeking to empower themselves to defeat a spectral warlord, the crew of the Miss Demeanor arrived at the legendary home of the Fallen Heroes at the suggestion of Laurence Sidsworth. They found Gubwater Keep to be locked up and abandoned, with no sign of any recent activity. Unlocking the door, the pirate crew began to explore the keep. Within, they chanced upon some relics of the heroes, a set of armor, a rapier, a pair of gauntlets and an amulet which they split amongst themselves. Perhaps most intriguing of all was a statue of a man upon a makeshift stage. Reading the poem beside the man, they deduced it was in fact not a statue, but the petrified form of a living man. The poem expressed a desire to awaken through the use of Greater Restoration, which the crew decided to honor once they defeated the Warmaster.

However, as they were leaving the keep, the ground shook and shifted as a massive pit opened up near the keep. From all around this sinkhole could be seen the corruptive energies of VOID, slowly eating away at the earth. Though the sinkhole's progress had slowed, the pirates decided its was not safe to leave the statue, and Layton Beardthrone rushed back to the keep to retrieve it. With these treasures in hand, the pirates returned to their ship to travel to the sunken city of Kraqesque and face off against the Warmaster.

### Reemergence of VOID

The sinkhole at Gubwater Keep was not an isolated incident. In fact, much of Northern Qethos was beginning to see the resurgence of the VOID across the land, a worrisome phenomenon that was even noted in the south of the continent. As the corruption spread, it began to infect several areas, opening pits of energy, tainting the surrounding land. Creatures were also not immune to this corruption, with recorded instances of wildlife such as bears falling under the effects of VOID Corruption. Perhaps the most dangerous instance of the corruption was the raising of an undead dragon once slain by the Fallen Heroes. Now infused with VOID energies, the dracolich began to roam Northern Qethos, further spreading the corruption. It eventually made its lair southeast of the ruins of Haven, corrupting the surrounding lands. All the while, the VOID began to spread further and further south, eventually being sighted south of the Ruined Wall and manifesting in Southern Qethos. As it festered, the whole continent came under risk of being overrun by the corruption.

### Confrontation in the Crater

Some months after, a group of warriors from Southern Qethos arrived in the Crater of Atlas. Their mission was to intercept and stop the VOID Reborn, a resurrected memory of a Voidstar possessing the djinn Terasolum, the guardian of one of their party, Petra. This Avatar of VOID sought a powerful source of its own energy beneath the crater, which would spell disaster for Qethos if allowed to pass. From a two-way portal in Southern Qethos, the warriors managed to arrive a whole week ahead of the VOID Reborn and began to prepare for its inevitable arrival. This first involved clearing out the crater's occupant, a gigantic frog that was constantly reborn with every defeat. The warriors were successful in this task and moved to the second phase. Over the next few days, the old storyteller Sogu Madur began to create a compound Glyph of Warding, which would detonate into a cataclysmic explosion of magical energy if a creature of VOID, elemental or amphibian nature stepped upon it. Though Sogu intended to end the VOID Reborn this way, new developments caused this plan to be waylaid.

Firstly was Nissa Wanderlust's discovery of a vast metal facility beneath the earth, in which a monitor described the incubation of DIV and VOID seeds, authorized by an administrator called Layton. This revelation was of great interest to Sachi Ko, who wished to master the energies of DIV and VOID for the betterment of mankind. These seeds, she theorized, could be the key to doing just that. Secondly was the communication between the VOID Reborn and another in their party, Leask Laell. The young man expressed his desire to hosting the Voidstar instead of Terasolum. Though taken aback, the VOID Reborn expressed an interest to talk further, and agreed to meet him at the crater. It arrived not long afterwards and sought out Leask in the midst of a tense stand-off. Using Terasolum as its mouthpiece, it announced its acceptance of Leask's proposal. Though this surprised his comrades, Leask reassured them VOID just wanted to live and this was for the best. Terasolum reminded him that the entity he was hosting still wished to seek the power of VOID within the crater, and he must still pursue that goal if he did so.

With this proclamation, Sachi Ko revealed the existence of the seeds below in the facility below Atlas, and used her research into the first emissaries of DIV and VOID as proof that herself and Leask could control the god's power and work in harmony unlike their predecessors. Terasolum vouched for Sachi's honest intentions, and the VOID Reborn agreed to allow this ambition to come to fruition, so long as there would be peace. Satisfied, The Void Reborn then departed from Terasolum, freeing him from his pact with VOID and reuniting him with Petra. Leask allowed the Voidstar into himself and, through great effort, managed to contain the Void within, becoming the Voidbringer. With this pact sealed, the party resolved to venture into the depths of the facility and retrieve the DIV and VOID seeds.

### Rebuilding Haven

As this new covenant was being established, a party of holy warrior called the Faithful were travelling from Llwendolyn by airship to Northern Qethos. Their mission was the elimination of the VOID dracolich terrorizing the area and the purging of any corruption from the area. Led by the last Champion of DIV, Bronn Luxprin, the Faithful landed in the ruins of Haven, a city the Starslayer was once familiar with. They resolved to use the ruins as a forward base, requesting for builders to be shipped out to join them. Clearing out an acidic ooze from the city well, they established a supply of freshwater and for the next few weeks, the clerics and paladins worked to restore Haven to its former glory.

During that time, Bronn led his elite warriors on a reconnaissance mission into the forest north of the town. There, they slew a bear corrupted and reanimated by VOID and found a village called Penkurth on the eastern outskirts. The village elder informed them of the persecution they faced in Nue-Alabhastar for trying to find a faith to commit to, and so they created a new village for themselves. Bronn and his companions then spoke of the Radiance of DIV to convert the townsfolk. To prove the power of Radiance, Bronn cured the necrosis afflicting the elder, something conventional clerics were incapable of. With this feat, Bronn won the loyalty of much of the town, and the Faithful welcomed them into their ranks with open arms. With this victory, Bronn and his warriors returned to Haven to continue its reconstruction and prepare for their showdown with the dracolich.

### Into the Mainframe

Delving into the depths of the facility, the Qethosian warriors discovered that the Mainframe of Atlas was unlike anything they could have prepared for. Filled with robotic constructs, unfamiliar technologies and deadly traps, lesser adventurers would have likely met their deaths attempting to explore it. Sachi, Leask and their allies nonetheless persevered, fighting their way through mighty machines like the A.M.D.A. to venture further into the earth. Within the lowest level, the party became aware of a great revelation regarding their history: DIV and VOID were artificial beings, created in this very facility by a group called the Aurorans. In addition, they learned the fabled Wise Ones of lore were of similar nature, designed to maintain the conflict between the gods in preparation for their destruction by mortality. With this knowledge, the Warriors had to overcome simulacrums of the Wise Ones to continue to their destination. A difficult fight ensued, but the warriors triumphed yet again. Upon their success, a voice spoke to them over the intercom, inviting them to their final destination.

The warriors took an elevator that brought them under the earth to another facility underneath the Great Journey, the Ziggurat of Xenocrates. Once there, they were met with one of the last surviving Aurorans, Dr Dyvania Voired. Dr Voired reaffirmed their discovery that DIV and VOID were creations of her making. She expounded on this by explaining that all of Io as it was today was created by the survivors of her people, after they had suffered near annihilation due to the Jupiter Incident. As part of the Repopulation Project, DIV and VOID were created to aid in the creation of culture. Ultimately, the Aurorans programmed DIV and VOID to fight and oppress their subjects, so that mortality could cast them down and learn to grow unrestrained by religious dogma, as the Aurorans did. Dr Voired disapproved of Sachi and Leask's plan to take up the mantle of the gods, seeing it as counter-productive to her intentions for her people's successors. However, she did not seek to stop the warriors, instead informing them that DIV and VOID were nearly complete, and they must be felled one last time to allow Sachi and Leask to ascend.

Committed to their goal, the warriors faced off against the incomplete forms of the gods. In this climatic battle, the warriors were pushed to their absolute limits against their deific foes. With a final blow delivered by Sachi, the two would-be gods were both slain, their essence expelled from Io once more. With this great victory, Dr Voired offered the group a choice: destroy the facility, preventing gods from ever returning to Io, or to use the power of the Ziggurat to ascend to godhood. Sachi and Leask, resolved, opted for the latter. Dr Voired then activated a pair of incubation pods, where Sachi and Leask would slumber for 500 years as they transformed into the new gods of Io. She also handed over command of the facility to Sogu, Bophades and Petra, who would become the new Wise Ones, immortal representatives of the gods. Nissa Wanderlust, meanwhile, decided to leave the facility, seeking to find her missing sister. Sharing a tearful farewell with Nissa, Leask and Sachi went into hibernation and her rest of her friends watched her leave the facility and their newly immortal lives forever.

### The Battle at Gubwater Keep

With the impeding threat of Asmodeus and his promise to retake Io for his own people, the crew of the Miss Demeanor used their connections in the Altered City of Atlas to rally others to the defense of Io. Their search for additional help lead them to return to Gubwater Keep, accompanied by Sterling Smiles and Dokke Doldus. For at Gubwater Keep was someone very dear to both these old heroes and a powerful potential ally: Weyzi Uk'tah, the Matriarch. Having been corrupted by Lagos while held captive in the Chamber of the Eight, Weyzi was unleashed unto Io to cause devastation. Some of her old memories lingered and brought her back to her old home, where she waited in a rage for her allies to return. The pirates and their allies found the keep ablaze with Weyzi standing at the table inside. Sterling attempted to coax Weyzi out by reminding her of their adventures, which seemed to temporarily make her fight back against the Black Star within. However, this was temporary, as Weyzi flew into a bloodthirsty frenzy, charging out of the keep to kill all of her opponents.

The crew were embroiled in a ferocious fight against an unrelenting foe, her already prodigious skill enhanced by the Black Star. However, both pirates and heroes held their ground, all the while trying to reach out to Weyzi to help her regain control. Eventually, Weyzi broke her axe against the polymorphed Zehani, and began to channel a new power, that of her old adversary Brundin. With her new draconic gift, she fought as a brawler, spewing acid breath as she went. However, all this fighting proved to be too much for Weyzi's body, and she began to suffer from a heart attack. Hesitant to injure her any further, the crew wore her out until she collapsed. Despite Weyzi being in their power, the Black Star within her began to overflow. Pulses of energy began to erupt from Weyzi as her heart attack continued, gradually growing in strength and size. It was thanks to the dynamic combination of Zehani and Layton that Weyzi was finally knocked out, causing the Black Star energy to dissipate. As she began to slip away, the young mage Alice used his connection to Weyzi to pull her back to life, cleansing her corruption. Finally awake and reunited with her friends, Weyzi pledged herself to helping defeat Asmodeus.

### In the Belly of the Beast

As Asmodeus prepared to unleash the full force of the Shadow upon Io, he sent three of his Shadow Lords across Io to spread his influence. One of his Devil Lords, Juiblex, teleported to Northern Qethos to exert her presence there. Once the sister of Nissa Wanderlust, they had been twisted and transformed by the Shadow and now served Asmodeus unquestioningly. As they flew across Northern Qethos, they were spotted by Nissa, who began to track they as best she could. Juiblex sensed the power of the VOID dracolich, and desired to take it for themselves. They divided themselves in two, sending one half to tackle the dragon while the other continued to Nue-Alabhastar, with the intent of rejoining later. The Juiblex Fragment managed to slay the dracolich and began to consume it in order to assimilate its power and attributes.

Not long after this, the Faithful's elite warriors finally began their assault on the VOID dracolich, with Haven finally secure and well defended. Arriving into the beast's lair, they discovered the dismembered corpse of the dracolich and evidence of the Shadow. Venturing deeper, they were ambushed by the Juiblex Fragment, midway in absorbing the dracolich. The holy warriors engaged them in combat, only for them to retreat further into the cave. With each successive bout, Bronn and his allies destroyed the part of the dracolich and began to wound the fragment more and more. Seeking only their survival, the fragment blew open a hole in the cavern and attempted to fly away to rejoin their original self. However, the Warforged Hierophant channeled her divine faith to command the Juiblex Fragment to stay, something they were unable to resist. Essentially restrained, the holy warriors managed to destroy the fragment before Hierophant lost control over them. With the elimination of the fragment, Juiblex was permanently weakened. Leaving the cavern, the Faithful spotted unnatural dark clouds gathering over the city of Nue-Alabhastar, similar to the shadowy essence they had seen in the cave. With all haste, they made their way to the city to confront Juiblex.

### The Shadow Invasion

Despite the loss of half their power, Juiblex began their assault on the city. One of Nue-Alabhastar's legions went out to meet the Voiceless Lord in one of the ruined section of the outer districts. Though they managed to contain the Devil, they were slain to a man by Juiblex. Not long after the legion's destruction, the Faithful arrived on the scene, eager to purge this abomination. They were joined almost immediately by Nissa Wanderlust, who had tracked Juiblex here and summoned allies from Etropa, former Hunters who had their own vendetta with the Shadow. The two groups joined forces and tried to slain Juiblex and save Nue-Alabhastar. Though the battle was dire, their combined efforts was enough to weaken Juiblex. With a final coup de grace from Gorman Bul'Grah, the impossible was achieved and Juiblex was killed outright, their corpse petrifying on the spot.

Their duty done, the Hunters regrouped, intending to return home to Etropa. Nissa, despite knowing her sister had been lost long before this, sounded a magical horn in honor of her fallen sibling. The horn shattered the statue of the Devil Lord, causing its dust to be carried away by the wind. Bronn directed his Faithful to go to Nue-Alabhastar, where they would calm the people and report on their deeds. Though he expressed a wish to discuss certain matters with Nissa, the cartographer seized the opportunity to slip away before she could be interrogated. Elsewhere, other brave groups of warriors faced down the other Shadow Lords and Asmodeus himself. The death of Juiblex drained Asmodeus of a significant amount of power, giving the crew of the Miss Demeanor enough of an edge to banish the Lord of All Shadows back to his twisted prison, ending the War of Shadows and ensuring Io would stay free for centuries to come.

### A Worthy Alliance

Bronn and his close allies were brought before Chieftain Humphry Nue-Alabhastar, the seasoned ruler of this fledgling nation. Humphry expressed his thanks for Bronn's timely intervention in the defense of his city. He also stated that he had heard much of Bronn's exploits and wished to make an ally of the Faithful. Despite their strong position, Nue-Alabhastar had next-to-no allies and the wilds of Northern Qethos made its difficult for their people to farm and prosper. Humphry asked Bronn's plans for Haven, stating that a trade agreement between the two cities would be most beneficial. Bronn was open to the idea but brought up Nue-Alabhastar's policies on the prohibition of faith, something he could not abide. Though Humphry remained resolute on the issue, he felt sympathy for those who desired to pursue spirituality. As a compromise, Bronn then offered to take those who wished to worship back to Haven with him, just as he had done in Penkurth. Amenable to this idea, the chieftain agreed.

However, he had one final condition for Bronn before they could finalize their accord: Bronn's rabble-rousing in Llwendolyn had to be curtailed for a minimum of five years. As diplomatic allies with Llwendolyn, Nue-Alabhastar could not be seen to accept any accord with Bronn if he continued to undermine the legitimacy of the senate. Begrudgingly, Bronn agreed to this conditions and the two shook hands. Their treaty was made official and Bronn and his allies shepherded those looking for spiritual guidance back to Haven. Once back, Bronn was able to witness the completion of his church to DIV, truly satisfied in what he had wrought and hopeful for the future of his new city.

## Phase 3 Story

### The Shattering of Io

When Lagos, the Emissary of the End, attacked Io 500 years after the Shadow Invasion, the continent of Qethos was caught up in the resulting catastrophe. However, Qethos, along with the rest of Io, was saved by the new gods, who held the planet together via chains of energy constructed from the Deitic Veil. The Shattering split the continent in half, separating Northern Qethos and Southern Qethos into two distinct landmasses. Northern Qethos was eventually renamed to Alabhastar after the old kingdom that once held sway over that part of the continent. Thus Alabhastar became one of the many floating Arks that were anchored to Io's core, allowing life on Io to endure and adapt to this new paradigm. A rugged and mountainous land, its people adapted to becoming hardier and skilled in the ways of combat, with every Alabhastarian learning distinct fighting styles from a young age.

## Notable Locations

### Gubwater Keep

In the west of Alabhastar lies the dried-up shores of Gullwater Lake, where once the town of Gullwater was located. Gullwater became known as Gubwater after its sole surviving resident Gub after the Voidstar Incident, though the town was long since abandoned. Near the ruins of the town lay a small stone keep, which Gub's friends, the Fallen Heroes, once used as their base of operations. Today the keep still stands, though a shell of its former self, bearing the scars of a fierce battle when one of the corrupted Heroes found their way there once more.

### The Crater of Atlas

Just north of the Ruined Wall that divided Northern and Southern Qethos is a massive crater. Once a great independent city called Atlas was here, governed by the High Pope Bathlazar. Unknown to most of its populace however, the city was an extension of one of the five terraforming stations used by the Aurorans, the Mainframe of Atlas, located deep below the earth. It was in the Holy City of Atlas that DIV and VOID met their end, and as a result the city ascended into the sky and disappeared. Only the enormous crater left behind is the only evidence that it even existed at all. Beneath the crater, the Mainframe of Atlas continues to operate, a facility of world-shaking truths and deadly defenses for any brave enough to enter.

### The Hallowed Tower

Deep in a forest to the northwest lies the ruins of the Hallowed Tower. It was once the domain of Varri'mathes, a VOID golem created by Ghaspar of the Wise Ones. Varri'mathes allowed Void-Touched to congregate at the base of the tower to offer them sanctuary. A healthy town developed where these people could live at peace. However, Varri'mathes' feud with Ghaspar resulted in the town being destroyed, consumed by the VOID Varri'mathes was attempting to hold back. It is unknown if the ruins of this place still exists in the present.

### The Radiant Forest

East of the continent lies a great woodland once called the Radiant Forest. The energies of DIV once permeated the area, causing an abundance of life to flourish. Hidden in the depths of the forest was a plinth where the divine weapon called the Sword of Tenebraum was once placed, guarded by a great dragon. However, its removal by Ventheris Tenebraum caused the Radiance of the forest to fade and be overtaken by VOID, leading to its death. Some time later, a group of Radiance worshippers attempted to bring life back to the forest. To this end, they offered up willing sacrifices of Radiant individuals, reviving the forest with their own essence. It is unknown what effect these sacrifices amounted to. By the year 735, a forest still stands in its place, though it appears to be unaffiliated with either Radiance or VOID.

### The City of New Haven

Just south of where the Radiant Forest was stands the city of New Haven. It was once an unremarkable town called Haven, which was destroyed by a dragon attack shortly before the death of the gods. The area was abandoned for centuries after, as the acidic residue of the attack left it mostly uninhabitable. However, in the year 735, a group of holy warriors called the Faithful landed in the ruins and decided to make it their forward base. Under the leadership of Bronn Luxprin, the Faithful cleared out the immediate threats of the area and made the city habitable once again. With the creation of a treaty with Nue-Alabhastar, New Haven became the permanent home of the Faithful, who continued to develop the city as a bastion of Radiance worship.

### The City of Nue-Alabhastar

In the center of the continent is the city of Nue-Alabhastar, carved into the side of a colossal mountain and ringed with massive stone walls. Alabhastar was once a great city until it was destroyed in the Crusades. Its vast ruins stood for centuries after and notably served as the site of the Voidstar Incident, wherein the Fallen Heroes and their allies defeated a rampaging fragment of the god VOID. In the following centuries, a tribe of warriors claimed the ruins for themselves and began to create a new secular society from the carcass of the old, suitably named Nue-Alabhastar.

In the year 735, the outskirts of the city of Nue-Alabhastar came under attack during the Shadow Invasion, where it lost an entire army to the Voiceless Lord, Juiblex. With the combined might of hunters from Etropa and the Faithful, Juiblex was vanquished and Nue-Alabhastar was able to live on. Forging an alliance with the neighboring city of Haven, Nue-Alabahastar continued to expand in power and influence, which resulted in the newly formed Ark being named after the city following the Shattering of Io some 500 years later.

## Campaigns

The following campaigns and events take place on the continent of Alabhastar.

# **The Shadow Invasion**

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

"Alabhastar" is a corruption of the word "Alabaster". Alabaster is a soft mineral or rock normally used for carving and processing for plaster powder. It is usually made of calcite or gypsum and is normally white in color.

## Trivia

* Alabhastar first appeared in Voidstar Act 1 Episode 1. It first appeared in a streamed game in Miss Demeanor Season 1 Episode 8.

## Images

### Official Art

Overworld Map of Alabhastar (then Northern Qethos) as it appeared in Voidstar Act 1 (Art by KingBendrick)