Common Lore

## **Magic**

### **The Gates**

Though not a lot in common knowledge is known about The Gates they are widely accepted to exist.

The Gates sit between the living and whatever lays beyond in death. They are thought by most to be inaccessible by anything but death, though there are rumours that darker tones of magic have found their ways in.

The Gates have been described by those who have had the misfortune of walking them as an endless space with shallow waters, with a barrier of an indescribable darkness standing before them marred by a locked door stretching impossibly high into pitch.

Beyond that door the waters get deeper and harder to traverse, no more than seven doors have been corroborated between those who have returned. Within the Gates lurk twisted things, some recognizable as certain types of animals, or humanoids, but warped and degraded. It is theorized that these abominations are creatures and people that have refused to move on and that refusal in combination with the dark presence of the Gates has changed them.

Where the veil is thin or Leylines are concentrated there are instances of the Gates cracking open and these creatures taking hold either in a manifestation of energy or by possessing the fallen bodies in the area.

The Gates can usually be closed by mining the Ley-Stones and thus lowering the concentration of power and stabilizing the area.

Those who are close to death may find themselves in the shallow waters of the first Gate, and as True Death approaches there is a ‘pull’ or a current that tries to draw them deeper. If they are brought back, either through medical treatment or magical means many lose their recollection of their time in The Gates, but can’t shake the feeling of walking through frigid water or a chill in their lungs for months or years. It’s thought that the deeper they had been, the longer it takes to recover from these feelings.

As well as the uncomfortable physical sensation those who have been Gate Touched seem to draw the dead to them, both lost manifestations as well as the aggressive creatures that manage to slip The Gates. It’s recommended that those who show symptoms of being Gate Touched settle for a few years in a place where Leylines are weakest.

Humans, Deamons, Elves, Vampires, Werewolves are least likely to have any knowledge or care towards The Gates. Their memories of the place if they were Gate Touched more likely to fade quickly as well as the symptoms of it, quite possibly connected to their Mundane nature.

Alchemists, Mages, Sorcerers, Mage-Borne Elves, Sirens, Fae-Borne, Witches are most likely to have interest, knowledge or fear of The Gates. Their ability to do magic tied to theories, insights, and avoidance as well as the symptoms of being Gate Touched lasting much longer than other species.

### **Leylines**

Leylines are veins of magic that stretch across Etherworld, more highly concentrated in some areas than others and having ‘wells’ where they are strongest. It’s common knowledge that they concentrate in the Heart Forest and The East, possibly originating from either location.

Where Leylines are strongest or highly concentrated the world is most warped or wild, leaving some areas completely unable to be settled, the flora growing at unequaled rates and to impressive sizes.

As well as its effects on plants, the animals that live and grow in these locations have higher rates of mutation, the only species able to survive unchanged in these concentrated areas being ones with magical properties, labeled Mythic Animals.

Where Leylines are found there are often veins of stone that has been crystallized by their power into an amber like substance. These Stones are commonly used by Mages as aides in casting, enchanting weapons and armour and more mundane uses such as lights and decoration that can be given a specific magical task by Alchemists.

Leyline magic, when very heavily concentrated, can destabilize areas and cause tears where The Gates can manifest, spilling their contents until the magic in the area is soaked up or the Stones are mined to allow the concentration to spread and stabilize once more.

Manifestations, Spirits, The Undead are most likely to be found in these areas as well, the energy that it takes to manifest lessened by the presence of Leylines.

### **Mythic Animals**

Mythic Animals are animals that have magical properties to them, have the propensity of magic. Just like the manifestation in Witches, Mages, Sirens, certain breeds of animal have the ability to perform feats of natural magic or are imbued with magic in their fur, skin, blood, horns, etc.

Examples : *Wyvern hide* is resistant to the region it’s from, Northern Wyverns resistant to cold, Southern to heat, River Wyverns scale is water resistant.

*Unicorn horns* have purification properties.

*Shadhavar Horns* when played have a calming effect on all those that hear.

Every region in Etherworld has native Mythic Animals, they range in rarity, some roving in common herds and others solitary and nearly impossible to find, though all are more likely to follow Leylines and live alongside them.

The East is said to have the highest concentrations of Mythic Animals, but due to its wild nature and dangerous instability very few have risked their lives to find out.

### **Manifestations, Spirits, Undead**

Undead creatures are found in Etherworld, though they aren’t terribly common. They are thought to be manifestations from The Gates or things that have somehow avoided the pull of The Gates in death.

They range in aggression, Spirits and Ghosts being the most malevolent, usually lingering around the place they’d passed and often lost as opposed to purposefully staying behind.

Wraiths and Manifestations are the body-less dead that have escaped The Gates, usually warped in some way and aggressive, they have the most power out of all types of Undead but can usually only harness it while in close proximity to a Leyline or for short periods of time before having to recoup.

Though Wight and Draugr are more specific terms, the corporeal Undead are generally referred to as the Undead. They are manifestations that have taken hold of corpses and reanimated them, beast or human, sometimes feeding off of the magic of the Leylines to strengthen their new bodies.

Many of these creatures have very little mind left, simply consumed with the desire to ‘live’ and the wild and painful emotion that allowed them to avoid the pull of The Gates into a final rest. There is no reasoning with these types of creatures.

### **The ‘Soul’**

It’s believed that there is some form of soul or energy that encompasses what you are. That energy is bound to your body in life and that binding is broken in death. Ghosts and apparitions are the proof commonly used as evidence of the ‘soul’ as well as the form that those near Death take when in The Gates.

### **Fae**

Fae are creatures that lie somewhere between the Mythic beasts and the people of Etherworld, being obviously sentient but also completely removed from any society nor want to participate in them they are categorized on their own.

The Fae is a blanket term for all of their kind, ranging from bipedal to creature-esque the commonality between them is that they all have their own agenda and the rest of the world is not entirely aware of what that is.

It’s not entirely known where they come from but it’s theorized they originate from The Heart Forest or the East, though they also gather around Leyline Wells.

They have been known to breed with locals, though abandon their offspring with the parent that resides in Etherworld. The child usually is visually similar to their Non-Fae parent, but can also bare features of their Fae-Parent. They are often strange and eerie, having a mind that’s half elsewhere and able to manifest magics that are unlike any other race in Etherworld.

As a whole, people are advised to avoid the Fae.

### **Deamons**

Deamons are the only created species known to exist. They were an attempt by Sorcerers and Alchemists to create a willing and compliant servant with a higher intelligence than a golem or construct but without true ‘sentience’.

After many failed attempts they did manage to bring the components of life together and create a creature, but those creatures were feral, violent, usually baring too much of the Wilde pieces they were modeled after. They were little more than beasts in bipedal bodies.

Sorcerers and Alchemists attempted a second generation, a third, what happened to the failed generations is often speculated on but as there are no Feral lines of Deamons it is widely believed they were culled and possibly used as components for the next generation.

Their later generations were successful, able to take instruction, capable of complex thought, but thought does not breed loyalty nor contentedness in servitude. By the second Natural generation, Deamon rebellion was on the rise, and war was brewing.

## **Precious Metals / Substances**

### **Mithril**

Mithril is an Elven ‘Metal’, it is incredibly rare outside of the Vedre Hiraeth, exclusively found in the Elven nation. Though little study has been done on it, it has been found to more closely resemble an opalized petrified wood than an actual metal.

Glimpses of the Elven armies heavy troops have been seen in plate mail made of Mithril, polished so heavily it became blindingly bright in the sun. It’s thought this armour was directly developed to fight the Vampires.

### **Gate-Touched iron**

Gate-Touched iron can be found around the places that the leylines have destabilized and opened into the Gates for a long period of time. Whatever comprises the waters seeps into the ground and poisons veins of metal.

It’s often found when trying to mine ley-stone in an effort to close the rifts and is considered a very dangerous metal.

### **IceForge Silver**

IceForge Silver is only found up North, the Vampires guarding the secrets to its creation. Any stories that include the shine of IceForged Silver end in tragedy, many perishing under the cut of a frigid blade feeling the edge of frost on the air at their approach. Some say that those who wear the armour fight beyond their means, standing when they were sure a killing blow had been landed.

### **MountainHeart Gold**

MountainHeart Gold is a very rare metal found deep in the hearts of the tallest mountains in Etherworld. It’s light but strong and is favoured by Sirens should they have to wear armour.

Weapons forged from MountainHeart Gold are said to sing through the air if the edge is properly honed.

### **Ley-Stone**

Ley-Stone is magic infused stone often found where the heaviest concentrations of Leylines are. Alchemists are able to work it into power sources of magic and foci for Mages so they are able to cast using it as a conduit.

## **Politics**

### **Vadrenfelle and Vedre Hiraeth**

It’s impossible to recall when the feud between the Elves and the Vampires began, as both are so long lived and keep their secrets and history close to their hearts, but two major events are known to the World punctuating their bitter rivalry that has cooled into a Cold War.

#### **The Creeping Plague**

Because of the natures of their immune systems, Vampires are resistant to diseases and Elves are highly susceptible to them. The incident known as The Creeping Plague, though no true evidence to condemn them entirely exists, has widely been blamed on the Vampire Elders, especially by the Elven populous.

It swept through the Elven Kingdom, greatly reducing their numbers centuries ago.

#### **The Smoldering Mines**

In the same way there is no true evidence to condemn them entirely, the Vampires will cite the mine fires that consumed their first city was started by the Elves in retaliation for the plague they allegedly caused.

The Mine fires tore through the veins of coal and combustibles, making land unstable and consuming buildings, the entire city lays in wastes today, the fires still raging beneath it, sometimes visible through great cavernous cracks into the heart of the land.

Many Vampires lost their lives, overtaken by fire, others were burned and marred by the sun, the timing of it forcing them into the light of their barren lands with little place to hide out of the suns reach.

No action against either side have happened since these two events, possibly due to two different territories now lying directly between them, The Temple and Stronghold Temerate, acting as a buffer, or possibly due to their populations still recovering from these incidents.

### **Deamons and Sorcerers**

Deamons and Sorcerers hold the most contentious relationship of any races in Etherworld. Though Alchemists played a hand in their creation Deamons widely place more blame on Sorcerers for their creation and enslavement. Tensions are high even to this day though in current times they have placed an entire world between their territories and there is no

interest in reigniting war, neither side has forgotten the harrowing losses brought about by The First Great War.

#### **The First Great War**

The tipping point for War came in the form of a man named S’herit. It was rumoured that he was born to a sorcerer and sired by a deamon, possessing both the incredible strength and temper of his father and the ability to do destructive magic like his mother.

In secret he rallied, beginning to grow his power and slay fellow sorcerers who held onto deamons as servants, adding him to the numbers that chose to follow him in the name of ‘equality’ and ‘freedom’.

He came to hold the leashes of an Alchemist and a Mage, coined his Dogs of War, who turned against their kind to aide S’herit. They lead skirmishes, acting first in secret, beginning the cull of the Alchemists. Without them Stones could not be created and Mages could not cast, with Sorcerers and Alchemists in low numbers, it could easily turn the tides should war come.

Which it did.

War ripped through the central land, driving the Mages Northward towards the mountains under the deamons untiring fury led by S’herit. There are still portions of the ground that has not recovered that lead in a path towards Stronghold Temerate, scarred by Magic and deamons blood.

It was at the foot of the volcano that the final battle was waged, there had been heavy losses on either side, and it was thought that this conflict would name a victor, the other side wiped from existence.

Whether it was a change of heart or simply a moment of opportunity the final conflict ended in confusion, S’herit’s Dogs of War turning on him, taking the opportunity to strike him down and taking command of the Deamon troops, requesting that they fall back.

In the confusion the Mages, remaining Alchemists and Sorcerers made their retreat, barricading themselves in the safety of Stronghold Temerate where further attack would end in defeat should the deamons attempt to breach it.

The war ended in an anticlimax, neither side the true victor and hundreds if not thousands of lives lost in the process.

The deamons retreated, making their way across Etherworld to the Western coast, putting as much distance between them and the Mages as they could, both sides licking their wounds and going about their slow recovery.

To this day, generations later, there is no love lost between their kind, Deamons have recently begun to leave Carnon Coronach, returning to the world both economically in trade and in beginning to settle new locations. They are still rare to see, but becoming more common especially in city centres.

Mages as a whole remain in Temerate Stronghold, some families choosing to home elsewhere but there are no alternative places of learning or large cities devoted to their craft.

## **The Land**

### **The East**

The East is an untamed wild, few that choose to travel there come back. With a mountain range dividing land and a tempestuous sea to the South, travel to the East is difficult. The Leylines here seem to have been torn asunder, leaving wild magic to seep into every aspect of the plants and animals, making settlement here near impossible. Cleared land would regrow in months, the wildlife is unpredictable and the restless Undead outweigh the possible resources to be found, for all of these reasons no nation has staked any claim to these lands.