Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 18:20:22 GMT -6
I.) Pantheon.
II.) The Creation
III.) Notable Events of the First Eight Ages.
IV.) Notable Locations.
V.) Nations
VI.) Cultural Information
VII.) World Mechanics
VIII.) Mithryn Lore Additions
I.) The Pantheon
Gods and Domains:
Pestilince- The only Primeval to remain untrapped. She is the Plague Bringer, and patron goddess of the Vampires. She is the most intelligent and most dangerous, she has yet to be caught by any mortal or Passion. (Domains: Death, Evil, Destruction, Law) (Favored Weapon: Whip)
Anger- One of the strongest of all Primeval, he is more likely to bash others in the face, has some of the most influence among the mortals of the world. (Domain: Chaos, Destruction, War, Evil) (Favored Weapon: Maces/Clubs/Morning stars)(CE)
Lust- The second in command of the Primeval, it has no recognizable gender, and is more likely to operate behind the scenes. Generally considered the Master Mind behind the Weakening of the Seals, it was created by Desire. (Domains: Chaos, Trickery, Evil, Earth) (Favored Weapon: Daggers)(CE)
Desire- One of the Strongest of all Primeval, it created Lust. It is notable for spawning and encouraging other Primeval to action. (Domains: Law, Trickery, Evil, Protection) (Favored weapons: Kriss)(NE)
Mirth- One of the strongest of all Primeval, he became a Passion and aided Mithron in the war of Passions. He is very jovial and quick to laugh at any joke, including his own. He took the name "Chogarth", and is worshipped as such. (Domains: Chaos, Good, Strength, Earth) (Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff)(CN)
Love- One of the strongest of all Primeval, she was the first join Mithron and become a Passion. She is very compassionate and has taken the name "Velia", and is worshipped as such. (Domains: Law, Good, Healing, Luck) (Favored Weapon: Bow)(N)
The Passions- The current Gods in Mythrin. They are often considered compassionate. Very rarely are they referred to as "The Passions", such words are usually reserved for scholars. They reside in the peak of the Skye Mountains.
Mithron- The God of the Land. He was the first Passion, and one of the few shared by all races. His bloodline has spread to flow through many Heroes and Villians of the land (Mithryn) that took his name. The Death of Mithron trigged the first time the Primeval began their creeping escape from Agolia. He was also the one who lead the Passions in the War of the Passions and overthrew the Primeval. (Domains: Law, Earth, Good, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Long sword)(LG)
Promethous- The God of Time. He was the second God to come to the world shortly after the war of the Passions. He is also considered the God of Prophets. (Domains: Knowledge, Law, Trickery, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Quarter Staff)(CN)
Samerkan- The Dark God, also known as the God of the Sky. Sometime during the First Age, he explored Shalgal, and claimed that as his lands. He rarely leaves Shalgal, and most often takes on the form of a teenage boy. (Domains: Chaos, Magic, Evil, Death) (Favored Weapon: long swords)(LE)
Ivyeria- The Goddess of Water, she is often also hailed as the goddess of Fertility, though this is improper, as the true Goddess of Fertility is Velia, the goddess of Love. (Domains: Water, Protection, Healing, Good) (Favored Weapon: Trident)(N)
Velia- See The Primeval- Love.
Chogarth- See The Primeval- Mirth.
Mairth- The Goddess of Forests, she is worshipped mainly by Druids and Elves. The Elves hail her has the creator of their race. (Domains: Plant, Protection, Animal, Chaos) (Favored weapon: Javelin) (LG)
Yark- The Stone God, he is generally only worshipped by the Dwarves. They consider him their patron god, and a Dwarf like them. They hail him has the creator of their race. (Domains: Earth, Fire, Good, Luck) (Favored Weapon: Hammer) (CG)
Tyrieal- The Goddess of Wind, she is generally only worshipped by the Humans. They consider her their patron god, and hail her has the creator of their race. (Domains: Air, Travel, Good, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Crossbow)(CG)
Vizak- The God of Commerce, he is worshipped by Humans and Dwarves alike. (Domain: Luck, Sun, Chaos, Trickery) (Favored Weapon: None) (CN)
Other Gods- Though the Passions are usually hailed as the Universal Gods, there are other Gods, and God-like Beings, these have no domains or clerics to worship them.
Zith- The Dragon Goddess of Pratoria, a silver dragon. Zith is actually a silver magic dragon. She brought wealth and prosperity to Pratoria during the Second Age, and in the Fifth Age, to a small town named Greensvale. She gave birth to the Thu, the Great and Terrible, who was a vegetarian dragon. (LG)
The Traveler- The actual creator of the world of Mythrin, there are little to none references to him anywhere. He created every single feature of the land, populated them with the Dwarves (made of stone), Elves (made of twigs), and Humans (made of twigs and stone), as well as various other races not worth mentioning at this moment. (N)
S'thil- While strictly not worshipped, he is a Spirit of another Dimension, he was once a wizard who aided Samerkan defeat the Primeval in the Third Era. (He wasn't originally created by me. He was created by my friend RJ.) He is sworn to record all of history and has been bound by the mage Lamain Quicksilver, aided Jason Starthief (who is the grandson of Lamain), as well as Willhelm the Fox in the Fourth Era, where he defeated his old friend Samerkan and locked him back in the Underdark.
Weavers of Fate- I.) A race of mythological beings said to control the Web of Fate. Some Archivists believe that they are believed to spider-like, and write the Fate of Mithryn on a magical box. Others believe that they are more humanoid in appearance. All Archivists agree that there are at least three of them, named Jinksie, Arjay, and Keyrown. A few other Archivists suspect there are two others, named Mehguhsoop and Seygard. II.) A powerful race of winged humans that briefly appeared in 103 NE before mysterious vanishing. (N)
II.) The Creation
Eons past, in an Era long forgotten by those who walked on the surface of Mithron, the world was a blank and empty slate. The World was dark, but out of this darkness arose a solitary figure, swathed in a brown cloak, his face concealed. He walked the lands, unseen, for life was not there. He walked for a time longer, until he reached his destination. He stood there for a moment and raised a hand. From beneath his hand a massive range of mountains sprang up like a forest of trees.
He spoke these words in a language forgotten, but half remembered, "This is my domain to shape as I please. These shall be called the Skye Mountains."
He turned to the south of these mountains and sweeps his hand across the dry landscape.
He spoke again in the language forgotten, but half remembered, "This shall be the Faire Plains." From the dead ground sprung luscious grass. "Below shall be called Shalgal and within shall rest the Heart of the Plains," he said and a massive cave system was created, with the Heart of the Plains resting inside of a pillar.
"If this pillar should ever be destroyed, so the Faire Plains will become a Wasteland," He spoke these words, and so it was. He crossed the plains and when he reached the center of them, he turned to the west and walked until he reached the end of the plains. His hand rose and was swept in an arc, and thousands of trees formed.
"This shall be the Bel-Tine Forest," His voice filled the land with singing quality, and he turned away from the forest.
He traveled for some time more in the darkened landscape, now turning a slow grey of the Twilight, until he reached beyond the Skye Mountains to the north. There he created a Canyon and called it the Canyon Agolia. He cut from his wrist blood and a river sprouted forth, rushing through the canyon from the mouth of a cave. He then went east of where he stood and created a dry desert. "This shall be the Plains of Zalthan, and it shall be a place of great magic." And he created well springs of magical water. He turned again to the south and crossing the Skye Mountain, he began the tedious work of creating and naming many other lands in this new world. He created the Tundras in the North, as well as in the south. He created forests of Bamboo in the north west, and created rain forests in the south east.
When he was done creating the lands, he returned to the Skye Mountains. From the clay and stone he created the short and stout tribes of Dwarves, and instructed them to live in the massive cave system in the Mountains.
From the twigs and leaves, he created tall, elegant tribes of Elves, and instructed them to live in the Forests and Trees, and to harm no animal save when threatened.
From the twigs and the clay, he created the hardy tribes of Men. He instructed them to go forth and wander the realms how they chose.
He also created many other races, the slug like race called the Sleezna, who were animals in the Canyon. He also created a race of fish-like men, called the Murda who inhabited the rivers and lakes he created.
He then plucked from his brown cloak a piece of it, and into the sky he cast it.
"This shall be the Sky," he said, and the brown turned to blue.
He plucked from inside the Skye Mountains millions of sparkling, glittering diamonds and placed them into the sky, calling out to them, "You shall be the Stars!"
He reached once more into the Mountains and drew out an enormous opal stone and a larger still topaz stone. He took the first, the Opal stone and hung it in the sky.
"You shall be the Moon, and you will light the Night" he said, and hung opposite of it the topaz stone, saying, "You shall be the Sun, and you will light the Day."
And so was the Land created, but not yet named. The Traveler took one last look at his Creation and smiled. The world was not his. It was that of one to come.
III.) Notable Events of the First Eight Ages.
Three thousand years passed since the traveler turned his back forever on the world, and the first gods had risen. They were animalistic, and were as beasts in their nature. They were called the Primeval, and most were cruel masters. They obliterated any knowledge of the world before their Arrival, and so the legend of the Traveler was lost.
A being was born one day in the dark womb of the land, a being with the greenest eyes ever seen, and the darkest hair. His skin was pale from his birth place and he was intelligent, kind, and caring. His father was the Sky, and his mother was the land. The Sun was his uncle, and the moon his aunt. They named him Mithryn.
Mithryn grew to be a large humanoid being, and his intelligence grew with his age. His tutors were the Stars who had seen everything under the Sun, and his friends were the rocks of the earth that spoke to him.
Soon came the time when he was to leave his mother’s loving embrace, and so he came forth from the canyon of Angolia and discovered the a cruel race of god-like beings inflicting horrible pains upon the world and all of its inhabitants.
War was the law of the land, and the Primeval were always making alliances and betraying alliances.
So was the land when Mithryn came forth.
This, he decided simply would not do. So he went back into his mother’s warm embrace and begged her to provide him with something to end the conflict above. She reluctantly agreed, and provided him with the metals to create two swords, Nestaru and Destaru. Star of the Night and Star of the Day, he called them in the Tongue of Legends.
He left through the hole he came through and began recruiting an army tired of fighting for heartless gods like the Primeval.
He first recruited from the Murda, the race closest to his dwelling, and then went on and out to recruit more peoples from more distant lands. Eventually, the Primeval heard of his plan, and some, tired of fighting their brothers and their sisters joined his side.
A war was raged between those who were called the Primeval who wanted the life to remain has it is at that time, and the Passions, those who wanted to change it. The Passions won against the Primeval, and a new Cycle of gods was begun.
And so Mithryn sealed the Primeval up at the mouth of Agolia, and trapped them beneath the land, in the hopes that no race would ever discover them. The Passions were hailed has Gods, and they took residence at the top of the Skye Mountains.
This marked the end of the First Era. Mithryn remained on the ground below, choosing to live with the people he freed over the Passions. It was this that sealed his doom. Though the peoples hailed him has a Hero and a God, even naming their land Mythron, in his honor, there were many who wished the old gods, the Primeval would come back.
They were called the Dark Elves, and many were not elves at all. They took their practices underground in the dark and secret places of the world, hoping to find their masters and bask in their eternal glory. They plotted to destroy Mithryn, the symbol of the Passions, and bring about an end to the Passions.
In the middle of the Second Age, a man named Ulfrwyr was set to guard a magical mirror from evil. He became corrupted by his devotion to the Mirror's protection, and eventually became a Lich who was convinced that he should destroy all of the world in order to ensure that the Mirror never falls into the "wrong" hands. He made the Mirror his phylactery, and was eventually defeated by a band of Heroes. The name of the Heroes is unknown to this day, as well as what they called their group. (META NOTE: The band of heroes will never be known, making it a fluid point in time which allows for infinite numbers of retelling and Webs to spawn from this point.)
Mithryn took a mortal wife and from her begat several sons and daughters, who all flourished about the land. Tragedy then befell the lands of Mithryn, has he was walking through Agolia one morning, an assassin striving to take Mithryn’s twin blades, struck him down with a single blow to the heart. Before he died, Mithryn swore that only his true family would be able to wield both of his swords at once, and cursed the Assassin and his kin to become the Guardians of the second seals, and so the Order of the Darkened Angels formed.
When Mithryn died, blood sprinkled onto the roses near his death bed and so created the Stars of Mithryn, a new breed of silvery roses which soon flourished across the land. And so through the foolish assassin’s blade, the First of the 13 seals were weakened, and the Stars became the seal. This marked the end of the Second Era.
It is in sometime during the middle of the Third Era that the seals began to weaken. First, the Stars that once flourished through the land began to wilt and fade away. Next, the river through Agolia’s bottom was destroyed. Where many rapids had once flown, all that remained were rocks and pitted earth. And so the Second seal was weakened.
The Murda began to retreat into the jungle has the Sleezna attacked them more and more often, and so the Fourth seal was weakened. The earth itself began to rot away, causing the Fifth seal to become weakened.
The Sixth seal was completely destroyed by a bolt of thunder which struck down one of the seven pillars in the Temple of Mithryn.
The Seventh seal was weakened when a Dark Elf’s axe fell into the World Tree destroying Zalthan.
The Eighth seal was broken when the humans were forcibly mated with goblins, creating a brutish race of beings known has Orks.
The Ninth seal was broken when a necromancer crossed the wall of Death and became the first Lich.
The Tenth and Eleventh seal were lost beneath the waves with a mighty ship whose name is now forgotten.
Soon, the lineage of the Darkened Angels weakened, and all that remained was S’varil, whose name meant “The Traveler” in the Tongue of Legends. He sought out a way to strengthen his family’s lineage again, and once more protect that which had almost been destroyed, for the Darkened Angels were the Twelfth seal.
The Thirteenth and Final seal was the very winds that roared through the canyon of Agolia, the Winds of Agolia. It is through this quest that S’varil had came to meet many others. They eventually sealed the Winds of Agolia back where they belonged, keeping the Primeval in check, for the next thousand cycles of summer, until they began to arise with new Primeval before the Dark God Samerkan Fell and started the Fourth Era, with his Drow followers living in the Underdark beneath the Faire Wastelands (the plains having been destroyed sometime ago in the middle of the Third Era).
In the 3rd Age, there was a war waged by Humankind to drive all the other races out of the land. This was called the War of Races. Humanity won, and became the most widespread culture for the rest of the Age, starting the 4th Age as well. It was in the middle of the 4th Age that Willheim arose and reunited the races, starting the 5th Age. The next two Ages were called the "Low Rebirth" and the "High Rebirth", and were considered periods of great and flourishing culture and invention. In the 8th Age, called the Industry Age, there are now paved roads, heading to all the great metropolises, and Humans and Elves and Dwarves and all other manners of creatures regularly bump elbows. They are in the age of Industry and Steel, where anything is possible. They have automobiles and some planes. Trains scar the land and spread across it for what seems to be to the end of the world. All roads lead to New Pratoria, the capital of the Empire of Man, the original having been destroyed by a fire giant and Shade's battle in the Fourth Era, heralding the arrival of Willheim the Fox, a thief who would eventually seal Samerkan once more in Shalgal.
Worship of the Passions has dwindled, but they are still remembered, and the Myths and Legends and Tales are passed on.
IV.) Notable Locations.
Mithryn is a vast land, full of many famous landmarks. Only a few will be listed for now.
1.) The Skye Mountains- The tallest mountains in Mithryn, it is believed (correctly) that the Gods live at the peak of this mountain. It appears to scrape the roof of the sky. The eastern most mountain is called Mount Hogart, and is home to the dwarven peoples.
2) The Tower of Jengh- A strange tower that appears randomly sticks out of the middle of the Bel-Tine forest. Rumors report that the tower is a giant maze when you get inside, and at the end of the maze lies a treasure beyond your wildest dreams. There are also reports of the tower appearing in other forested locations such as the Forests of Agolia, and there have been reports of the tower moving just as somebody got close to it only to disappear suddenly. There are also those who have managed to find the tower when it stands still report that there aren't any doors they can reach, however there is an inscription on it that reads, "What was once forgotten will be remembered." Nobody really understands what this means, though many try to find out and most do not return from their quest.
3) Pratoria (and later, New Pratoria)- The capital of the Human lands, Pratoria's patron goddess is a silver dragon named Zith, who the villagers sacrifice and honor every year to bring in prosperity to their lands. The dragon is a real dragon, who left once the city became big enough to sustain itself. In the First, Second, and the beginning of the Third age, the King wasn't xenophobic, it was only after King Reganald XCIX (the 99th Reganald) was slain at the hands of a Dark Elf Assassin ( the Cult not the race) and the War of Races began. King Reganald C vowed to wipe the non-human scum off the land and as such, the Human race became the main race visible on Mithryn for the next Age, until the human Willhiem brought the races back to combat Samerkan. It was destroyed by a fire giant and shade battling it out while Willhiem escaped, but the people rebuilt it and named it "New Pratoria".
4) The Agolian Canyons - A canyon in which the winds never cease. It is a frightening place, with all manners of monsters surrounding it. It is to the north of the Skye Mountains.
5) The Bel-Tine Forest- Also nick-named the Forest of Lights, there are often strange lights seen in it. Sometimes they're will-o'-wisps, other times they are the lanterns of Elves. They stretch forever from the base of the Skye Mountains westward. There are rumors of a strange tower rising out of the middle of it, and not even the Elves know of its origin.
6) The Oasis of Kigam- An oasis somewhere in the Eastern region of Zalthan, which scholars after the third era added Zalthan to the Faire Plains as the Northern region. It is the largest lake in Mithron. If a magic user or a magical creature drinks of the waters, they instantly go mad, however, normal humans do not. Nobody knows why this is.
7) Shalgal- I.) The catacombs beneath the Faire Wastes (Plains), often regarded as the Underdark. This is where the Dark Elves (Worshipers of the Primeval) and later the Drow, (Worshipers and Race of elves with grey skin and white hair of Samerkan after his Fall).
II.) The cave that leads to the Underdark.
8) Hogart- A mountain in the Skye Mountain Chain, also home to the Dwarves.
9) God Mount- The highest mountain in the Skye Mountain Chain, at its peak is Callia, home of the Passions.
10) Draven's Peake- A peak on the west side of God Mount, it contains the pass to the jungles of Agolia.
11) Celphais- The capital of the Elven nation, the Mori River runs through the middle of it. It is located in the middle of the Bel-Tine forest.
12) Mithryn's Grove- A holy copse of trees located in Verza, the Human Kingdom. It is not a part of any nation, however. Nothing of an evil heart may pass through it.
13) Ziggarth- The Orc Stronghold, and capital of the Orc Lands also known as Sh'grub, it is across the Mori River on its east side, it is the only Orc 'city' of note.
14) The Lake of Ivyeria- The second biggest lake in Mithron, it is home to the Temple of Ivyeria, the portion which is accessible to air breathers is located on the east bank of the Lake. There is some sunken which are maintained by lizardmen and various other aquatic lifeforms.
15) The Towers of Hrogath- Two towers forming the "Gate" to Hrogath, the Dwarven lands. They stand at the mouth of a cave on the Hogart Mountains.
16) The Mori River- The largest river, it is smallest near its mouth, Celphais, the capital of the Elves resides there.
17) The Swamp of Witches- A swamp in the area overlapping the Faire Plains and Zalthan, it is home to a coven of Witches, who practice all forms of magic, good and bad. This has lead to it being very dangerous, causing sentient vines and all manners of horrors to populate the swamp.
18) Dark Wode- A forest just west of Pratoria, it's the home of most Shape-Shifters, and as such, there are several legends of monsters and the likes.
19) Greensvale- It's not a major city of any note, it's only important because later on, the nearby mountains become known as The Demon's Mountain and home to the Dragon Goddess Zith and her son, Thu. It also is one of the many places that The Band of Heroes from the Second Age (the ones who defeated Ulfrwyr) claims (correctly) their Wolf and Fox tavern is the one they met in.
20) Callia- It is the home of the Gods, and resides on the peak of God Mount.
21) Ve'ora- A town of notable size, it contains the largest library in the world. During the Fourth Era, it walled itself off and become home of the Archivists.
V.) Nations
There are five major nations south of the Skye mountains.
1.) Agolia- The region just north of the Skye mountains. It's a jungle full of all manners of exotic creatures, as well as home the Agolian Canyon. Little is known about this region, and it is not considered a nation in itself.
2.) Shalgal- The only entrance is by a cave of the same name in the Faire Wastes (plains). It is home to the Drow Race, and later, Samerkan. It's a network of caverns that runs all beneath Mithron, and it is full of hostile and evil beasts. There are some exotic metals to be found, however, miners mine them at their own risk! There is no known capital.
3.) Hrogath- The dwarven regions, it is mostly within the roots of the Hogart mountain and the surrounding mountains. Occasionally, a tunnel or two will connect to Shalgal, and sometimes there are a few wars that break out. It has a capital of the same name.
4.) Verza- The human controlled nation, it is just north of God Mount, and is the home of most “normal” humans. It has a capital named Pratoria, or later on, New Pratoria. Its landscape is similar to that of Belgium.
5.) Bel-Tine- The elven forest, it lies just south-west of the Skye Mountains. It's about thirty percent of the map, and the capital is Celphais. It is a very thick forest.
6.) Sh'grub- The Orc nation, it's only about ten percent of the map, and it lies southeast of the Bel-Tine forest, bordering The Faire Plains. It only has one city of note, and that is its capital, Ziggarth. It is similar to Germany's landscape.
VI.) Cultural Information
The following is just a generalization of the cultures, nothing too specific. There will be more information once you get past the races' information, it will mostly be past times of children.
1) Humans- The race most prone to being xenophobic, they often build walls around their cities. Most of them [before the assassination of King Reganald XCIX ] did not fear magic, and loved using it. In fact, this love of magic spawned a separate race of humanoids called the Zalthanians who mysteriously vanished without a trace at the end of the second era. Zalthanians are characterized by their dark violet eyes and strong magical abilities. It was only after the War of Races did the humans ban it because most magicians and Zalthanians turned in favor of the other races and used their magic to take out their former friends and allies.
2) Elves- Most of them live in the forest and love music. Their musicians are regarded as the most beautiful in the world. The term "Elvenkin" is often used to describe bards of other races with unusual mastery of the instruments, however when compared to the music of the elves, the notes often sound slightly flatter. They do not build their homes, rather they sing and grow them out of the trees themselves. They do not consume meat, and are often offended when they are offered it. During the War of Races, elven sung weapons and armor were used wide spread by all but the dwarven races, because a dwarven forged weapon is better than an elven sung weapon. They don't like the Orcs, and tend to view them as unusually brutal, and an elven sung blade would rather break than serve an Orc.
3) Dwarves- Short and stout, they are one of the more inventive of races. Almost all of them love to dig and mine, though a few do become bards and druids. Most dwarves get along fine with Elves, and view Orcs with suspicion, however they do not close their halls to the Orcs. During the War of Races, they loaned the Orcs dwarven Forged weapons due to the unusually high numbers of breaking elven sung blades and armor. The dwarves are also one of the few races who make automatons before the High Rebirth.
4) Orcs- The more intelligent version of Orks, they often grasp advanced tactics with ease when they are in a collective group. They are very tribal, and as such, Ziggarth is the only permanent city. Most races view them with suspicion and more than a few will not allow them to pass by without causing some form of a problem for them. They prefer to use weapons like war hammers and war axes however, it is not uncommon to see swords and spears. They are renowned for their berserker tactics often ten or twelve of them in the War of Races could obliterate an encampment of humans three to four times their size.
5) Orks- A subspecies of Orcs, they are unintelligent and greatly more war like. They often kill anything that moves, including allies. All nations avoid or kill them on sight. During the War of Races, they often killed each other more often than the other races. They absolutely hate and despise the Orcs because of their greater intelligence. One can tell the difference between the Orcs and Orks by looking at their skin and eyes. An Orc is generally a light green or brown with grey eyes while an Ork is dark green or brown with pure black eyes. Orcs have a slightly thinner chin, and compared to the Orks less muscles.
6) Drow- A subspecies of Elf, they worship solely the Fallen God Samerkan, after the defeat of the Primeval. They are infamous for their raids of human caravans travelling through the Faire Plains, which they come to inhabit after Samerkan’s Fall. During the War of Races, they remained mostly underground and hired themselves out as mercenaries to the highest bidder. They use bloodsteel, a magical steel weapon blessed with the blood of Samerkan (or so their priests say) It is unusually strong and greatly coveted by the dwarves.
7) Murda- A race of slug-like beings in the Agolian jungle, they are tribal and very intelligent. They served as the protectors of the Seals until they were broken. Now they roam the jungles healing where they can.
8) Sleezna- Another race of slug-like beings in the Agolian jungle, they work more like a pack, and are considered to be unintelligent. They consume anything that gets near them.
9)Zaile-"In the beginning when the World was First Sung, there were three People, the Zal, Illa, and Exli.
Each tribe with their own eye colour
Red for the Zal
Orange for the Illa
and Black for the Exli
They lived in peace with one another.
One day a Demon appeared and declared, "Send your 3 strongest warriors to fight me if they win, I will leave these lands,
and if I win, you will all become mine!"
The Three strongest warriors knew that alone they would be no match for the wicked Demon, so they went to the wisest man
in the world, who lived in the Forests Of Soom in a cave under a water fall. "Meditate near the Abyssal Planes, and the answer
will come to you."
They meditate for three days, and became merged as One the first Zaile to walk these lands
her eyes flickered Reds and Oranges And Blacks the colours of the three People. She soon went to combat with the
Demon, and won, victorously! Now all who walk with eyes that flick between reds oranges and blacks are said to be
sons of the mighty warrior the Zaile. Though most are Bards and Scholars, they have not forgotten their Mother the first Zaile."
-Taken from the Book of Zaile's Beliefs.
Zailen eyes are very strange in that they swirl and swish and blend forming some mad palatte of colours raging between oranges reds and blacks, they look like humans, but they have pale white skin whereas humans have a pale pink skin. They are divided into two main groups which are divided further into subgroups. There are the "Scholars" who are the ones who study all sorts of things and are also often bards. Then there are the "Tribes" who are more or less the aggressive half of the Zaile. Their weapons range from all sorts of things from spears to swords and even some bows and crossbows. The "Scholars" are divided into different "Universities" there are the "University of Arcanic Magic." Who study magic, "University of Theology" who study religion of different races, and then there are is the "University of Alchemy" who study alchemy. Then there's the "University of Musia" who study music and arts. There are others but they are not worth mentioning at this time. The "Tribes" are split up into different "Clans", there is the "Boar Clan" ; who hunt mountain boar exclusively, then there are the "Bear Clan" who are giants of Zailen standards and fight with gauntlets with spikes and sometimes even great swords, and then there is the "Wolf Clan" who fights alone with long swords. As with the Universities, there are more but they are not worth mentioning. The "Clans" manage an uneasy peace at the best of times, but it isn't uncommon for them to go to war over trifle things, like hunting areas, and such things. The Scholars usually don't go to war with anybody, though when they are attacked they all band together and fight like hell to defeat their enemy. It's also not too uncommon for the Scholars and Tribes to fight together when all the Zailes are attacked and threatened. They live in the Faire Plains, generally in the shadow of the mountain due to their skin burning in the sun.
10)Giants- Humanoid beings which range between the 10 to 20 feet tall.
11) Changeling- Shape shifters of the humanoid form. They look like aliens in their natural state.
12) Zalthan- Magical humans with violet eyes, they were the first to inhabit the Plains of Zalthan, before they became part of the Faire Wastes. No pure blooded remain at the end of the second era, except for the Prince who will be locked in an eternal sleep beneath the Wastelands.
13) Kalthika- Ape-like tribal beings of Agolia, they are great warriors and hunters.
14) Passions and Primeval- God-like beings, they are the ones listed in the Pantheon.
15) Hobgoblins and Goblins, the difference- Goblins are leaner, with green skin. They are a little more intelligent than a hobgoblin. The Hobgoblins are orange skinned, with thicker muscles, and a lot more brutish in nature.
Popular Children's Games.
Jehn's Gamble- The Prince, Spell Sword, and Mercenery were all cards to a popular game in Mithryn called, "Jehn's Gamble." It is a children’s game. There is one other card to the puzzle. The "Gambler." The point of the game is to make the four cards arrive at the same place in the same time. Each player draws one of the cards. They get either one of the four cards. Then the game begins with eight decks marked with the symbol of each of the player cards. The player then draws a card from the first deck called the "Time" deck. It lists a day month and hour. For example, the Prince draws a card that reads Day 27 of the 4th month at 10:00 in the morning. That is the day that the Prince is in. He then draws the next one from the Location deck. So he draws Pratoria. That means the Prince is in Pratoria on the day month and time set in the card. Then the next player draws a card from his "Time" deck. He is in that time and then pulls another "Location" card. He is there. All the while they pull from these decks, trying to get all four in the same location at the same time. When that happens the second phase begins. In Phase Two, the Four go on the search for the Gambler's Treasure, in phase two there are only 4 decks: The Gambler's Location Deck, the all important "Treasure" deck, the Dungeon Location Deck, and the Dungeon deck itself. They draw from the Dungeon Deck a card inscribed with a location in the wilderness. This card is left out for it is the Dungeon where the "Treasure" is. The Gambler then pulls from his or her Location Deck a location. If the location matches the Dungeon, they are there. If not they pull another card and another until the locations match. Once there the Dungeon Deck comes into play. They pull a card from it each round. On each card is a room with either a Monster, A Trap or a Shrine. If it's a Monster two sets of Dice are used. One rolls for the party and the other for the monster. If the first number is 1 nobody is attacked. If it’s a 2 then the Prince is attacked. a 3 and the Spell sword is attacked. A 4 and it’s the Merc who is attacked. A five, the Gambler, a Six, the Monster. Each character has a certain number of hit points. After it is decided who is attacked, the second dice is rolled. It has 2 swords indicating an attack, 2 shields which indicate defense, and 2 blank which indicate no action. After that, the first die is rolled indicating the damage taken. Then the second die is rolled again indicating the party’s actions. The first is rolled again, indicating the damage. If the card drawn is a Trap, they follow the instructions and roll the numbered die. If the numbers on the die match the numbers on the trap for a Save then the trap is not activated. if not, then the trap is sprung then the whole party takes damage unless specified by the card. If it's a Shrine, the whole party gets healed or something similar. There is one card in the deck that is the Treasure of the Dungeon. If the Party gets that, then they win the game. If the party all dies, then they lose.
VII.) WORLD MECHANICS
Clerics/Priests and how they interact with their god:
Priests declare their deity. Every day, they must declare their three domains in order to cast the spells from them. They may declare less than three domains if they wish. Priests get all the passives from their deity’s domain, and only their deity’s domain.
Soul Wells:
There is the one location where all mages draw their power from. The Soul-Well channel itself functions like a bucket between the Soul Well and the magic user. When it is overfilled a misnomer "burned out" takes effect. It's more akin to they have over used the bucket's weight limit and it has broken and fallen down. It's possible to "fix" it, but it is near impossible to do so.
If one were to survive the process of "fixing" their "bucket", they would achieve near God-Like status, and likely go mad and have their body warped and twisted. They would also have the ability to throw their soul around and make it act like a poltergeist.
Magick Thievery happens when another mage starts to siphon the magic from another user. (The basis of the first Mithryn book to be published in a few years, hopefully.)
Time:
In all eras, there are 26 months to a year. Each month lasts 14 weeks. The first month of the year always begins with a "new" moon, when the moon is darkened, and the end of the year is always in a full moon. In the First Era, the years are called "Ancient Times" or, "AT". The second era is called "Era of the Land" or "EL". The third era uses "New Era", while the fourth uses "Before Common Era" or BCE. The Fifth Era used "Common Era", "CE" while the sixth uses "Era of Rebirth" or "ER", whilst the Seventh Era uses "Era of Industry", or "EI".
AT counts down from the beginning of written language, which they called "1,000 AT". It ends at "0000 AT" When Mithron locks up the Primeval for the first time, starting the Second era called the "EL". It lasts for 100 years, and starts the "New Era" which lasts for 15000 years, ending when Samerkan Falls and becomes the Dark God. The fourth era starts at that point and lasts for 1000 years, before the death of Samerkan and his replacement, Willhiem takes power, becoming the new Dark God, but he is worshiped by all as a unifier of the races. The fifth era lasts until 1634 CE, until an elf discovers an ancient tome spurning the growth of the nations' interest into mechanical engineering and working with magic and many other arts. It lasts until an elf invents the steam engine in 20 ER, which sets off the EI.
VII.) Mythrin Lore Additions
Author’s Note: Lore not written by me that has become accepted canon over the past couple of years.
Archivists:
>The Order of the Archivists
The Archivists originated as a village of Promethous' human followers, who had been exceedingly blessed with a great number of prophets. One prophet foresaw a day when all record of the Gods of old had vanished from history, along with all of the legends of this time. Seeing this as an atrocity, the members of this village swore a blood-oath to Promethous that they would keep the legends, history, and prophecies of Mythrin intact, so that the world's past may never be forgotten.
Archivist cults are usually secluded to their towers in the southernmost reaches of the Skye Mountains chain. However, Archivists frequently send out agents to major cities in Mythrin, as directed by the Council of Archivists, in order that they may record history as it happens. Such agents must have incredible mental fortitude, so that their own perception of events does not muddle the final historical recording.
Archivists are almost exclusively mages, who use their staves as focusing tools for their magics. Most Archivists have an elemental attunement which defines the better part of their offensive spells; However, all Archivists know minor temporal magic, such as slowing and stopping time for brief periods, scrying, and basic illusionary feats, such as temporary invisibility.
>Web of Fate
The Web of Fate is the energetic representation of how individual actions can affect others in a compounding manner. To the trained eye of an Archivist, these actions and reactions can be seen as a line of azure light, which pulses from the person who first initiates the action into the first directly-affected individual, after which it continues to split towards any others who may be affected. In the circumstance that a decision will have profound affects upon the individual, a large buildup of 'fate's glow' can be seen around them in the form of a bluish aura. Most Archivists have trained themselves to filter their perception of the Web to focus on certain individuals, so that they are not driven mad from the overload of information.
This is primarily thought to be the source of the Archivists' short-term precognitive abilities, although the Web is far from perfect, or even completely reliable; You cannot directly see what action is taking place, only that it has taken place, and who it affects.
Just as there are positive and negative actions, there are also positive and negative aspects of the Web of Fate. While the positive side is generally light bluish, the negative aspects bear a dark crimson color.
>Mark of Destiny
The Mark of Destiny is a difficult concept to grasp if you do not have an integral understanding of the Web of Fate, as most Archivists do. In essence, a person who has been Marked by Destiny has such an incredibly large presence in the Web of Fate that the entire world could be changed by their actions. The Council of the Archivists can sense these individuals form miles upon miles away, and often send Archivist agents to aid these individuals. However, these side-effects only apply to the positive spectrum of the Web's energy; Oftentimes an individual who has an extremely strong negative presence in the Web can often 'blind' Archivists from sensing the Web from as little as a day to as long as a month.
Blacksteel:
Blacksteel is a peculiar alloy of adamantine, mithril, and a very specific meteoric iron. The alloy itself has no special properties aside from those of its components, however when forged by an almost unknown method and treated with a few specific alchemical and magical processes it gains an incredible capacity to channel magical energy. It also becomes somewhat lighter and stronger than its component's would normally lead you to assume. An item made from blacksteel never rusts, hardly dulls, and rarely breaks.
Due to the combined rarity of the materials, the rarity of smiths that can forge it, and the difficulty in creating and working with it items made from blacksteel are extremely rare, and due it its properties, sought after.
Properties, specific list;
Incredibly hard and Strong (on par with adamantine)
Light (not quite as light as mithril, but lighter than steel)
Adept at Channeling magical energies (allowing less channeling loss in a spell and making it almost impossible to break with magical energy (such as by magical overload))
Holds an edge extremely well
Never rusts, even by magical effects
Despite the color of its components it is jet black
It is notable that despite being adept at channeling magic, items made of blacksteel are actually extremely hard to enchant. This makes them less valuable in the eyes of some, but the properties more the compensate in the eyes of others, such as the legendary spellblade Alden who wielded a sword made of the alloy and he is sometimes accredited with being the first to wield such a blade. However, due to the secrecy kept by the spellblade prior to his association with Prince Draven of the Zalthan, there is no way to be certain of this.
II.) The Creation
III.) Notable Events of the First Eight Ages.
IV.) Notable Locations.
V.) Nations
VI.) Cultural Information
VII.) World Mechanics
VIII.) Mithryn Lore Additions
I.) The Pantheon
Gods and Domains:
Pestilince- The only Primeval to remain untrapped. She is the Plague Bringer, and patron goddess of the Vampires. She is the most intelligent and most dangerous, she has yet to be caught by any mortal or Passion. (Domains: Death, Evil, Destruction, Law) (Favored Weapon: Whip)
Anger- One of the strongest of all Primeval, he is more likely to bash others in the face, has some of the most influence among the mortals of the world. (Domain: Chaos, Destruction, War, Evil) (Favored Weapon: Maces/Clubs/Morning stars)(CE)
Lust- The second in command of the Primeval, it has no recognizable gender, and is more likely to operate behind the scenes. Generally considered the Master Mind behind the Weakening of the Seals, it was created by Desire. (Domains: Chaos, Trickery, Evil, Earth) (Favored Weapon: Daggers)(CE)
Desire- One of the Strongest of all Primeval, it created Lust. It is notable for spawning and encouraging other Primeval to action. (Domains: Law, Trickery, Evil, Protection) (Favored weapons: Kriss)(NE)
Mirth- One of the strongest of all Primeval, he became a Passion and aided Mithron in the war of Passions. He is very jovial and quick to laugh at any joke, including his own. He took the name "Chogarth", and is worshipped as such. (Domains: Chaos, Good, Strength, Earth) (Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff)(CN)
Love- One of the strongest of all Primeval, she was the first join Mithron and become a Passion. She is very compassionate and has taken the name "Velia", and is worshipped as such. (Domains: Law, Good, Healing, Luck) (Favored Weapon: Bow)(N)
The Passions- The current Gods in Mythrin. They are often considered compassionate. Very rarely are they referred to as "The Passions", such words are usually reserved for scholars. They reside in the peak of the Skye Mountains.
Mithron- The God of the Land. He was the first Passion, and one of the few shared by all races. His bloodline has spread to flow through many Heroes and Villians of the land (Mithryn) that took his name. The Death of Mithron trigged the first time the Primeval began their creeping escape from Agolia. He was also the one who lead the Passions in the War of the Passions and overthrew the Primeval. (Domains: Law, Earth, Good, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Long sword)(LG)
Promethous- The God of Time. He was the second God to come to the world shortly after the war of the Passions. He is also considered the God of Prophets. (Domains: Knowledge, Law, Trickery, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Quarter Staff)(CN)
Samerkan- The Dark God, also known as the God of the Sky. Sometime during the First Age, he explored Shalgal, and claimed that as his lands. He rarely leaves Shalgal, and most often takes on the form of a teenage boy. (Domains: Chaos, Magic, Evil, Death) (Favored Weapon: long swords)(LE)
Ivyeria- The Goddess of Water, she is often also hailed as the goddess of Fertility, though this is improper, as the true Goddess of Fertility is Velia, the goddess of Love. (Domains: Water, Protection, Healing, Good) (Favored Weapon: Trident)(N)
Velia- See The Primeval- Love.
Chogarth- See The Primeval- Mirth.
Mairth- The Goddess of Forests, she is worshipped mainly by Druids and Elves. The Elves hail her has the creator of their race. (Domains: Plant, Protection, Animal, Chaos) (Favored weapon: Javelin) (LG)
Yark- The Stone God, he is generally only worshipped by the Dwarves. They consider him their patron god, and a Dwarf like them. They hail him has the creator of their race. (Domains: Earth, Fire, Good, Luck) (Favored Weapon: Hammer) (CG)
Tyrieal- The Goddess of Wind, she is generally only worshipped by the Humans. They consider her their patron god, and hail her has the creator of their race. (Domains: Air, Travel, Good, Protection) (Favored Weapon: Crossbow)(CG)
Vizak- The God of Commerce, he is worshipped by Humans and Dwarves alike. (Domain: Luck, Sun, Chaos, Trickery) (Favored Weapon: None) (CN)
Other Gods- Though the Passions are usually hailed as the Universal Gods, there are other Gods, and God-like Beings, these have no domains or clerics to worship them.
Zith- The Dragon Goddess of Pratoria, a silver dragon. Zith is actually a silver magic dragon. She brought wealth and prosperity to Pratoria during the Second Age, and in the Fifth Age, to a small town named Greensvale. She gave birth to the Thu, the Great and Terrible, who was a vegetarian dragon. (LG)
The Traveler- The actual creator of the world of Mythrin, there are little to none references to him anywhere. He created every single feature of the land, populated them with the Dwarves (made of stone), Elves (made of twigs), and Humans (made of twigs and stone), as well as various other races not worth mentioning at this moment. (N)
S'thil- While strictly not worshipped, he is a Spirit of another Dimension, he was once a wizard who aided Samerkan defeat the Primeval in the Third Era. (He wasn't originally created by me. He was created by my friend RJ.) He is sworn to record all of history and has been bound by the mage Lamain Quicksilver, aided Jason Starthief (who is the grandson of Lamain), as well as Willhelm the Fox in the Fourth Era, where he defeated his old friend Samerkan and locked him back in the Underdark.
Weavers of Fate- I.) A race of mythological beings said to control the Web of Fate. Some Archivists believe that they are believed to spider-like, and write the Fate of Mithryn on a magical box. Others believe that they are more humanoid in appearance. All Archivists agree that there are at least three of them, named Jinksie, Arjay, and Keyrown. A few other Archivists suspect there are two others, named Mehguhsoop and Seygard. II.) A powerful race of winged humans that briefly appeared in 103 NE before mysterious vanishing. (N)
II.) The Creation
Eons past, in an Era long forgotten by those who walked on the surface of Mithron, the world was a blank and empty slate. The World was dark, but out of this darkness arose a solitary figure, swathed in a brown cloak, his face concealed. He walked the lands, unseen, for life was not there. He walked for a time longer, until he reached his destination. He stood there for a moment and raised a hand. From beneath his hand a massive range of mountains sprang up like a forest of trees.
He spoke these words in a language forgotten, but half remembered, "This is my domain to shape as I please. These shall be called the Skye Mountains."
He turned to the south of these mountains and sweeps his hand across the dry landscape.
He spoke again in the language forgotten, but half remembered, "This shall be the Faire Plains." From the dead ground sprung luscious grass. "Below shall be called Shalgal and within shall rest the Heart of the Plains," he said and a massive cave system was created, with the Heart of the Plains resting inside of a pillar.
"If this pillar should ever be destroyed, so the Faire Plains will become a Wasteland," He spoke these words, and so it was. He crossed the plains and when he reached the center of them, he turned to the west and walked until he reached the end of the plains. His hand rose and was swept in an arc, and thousands of trees formed.
"This shall be the Bel-Tine Forest," His voice filled the land with singing quality, and he turned away from the forest.
He traveled for some time more in the darkened landscape, now turning a slow grey of the Twilight, until he reached beyond the Skye Mountains to the north. There he created a Canyon and called it the Canyon Agolia. He cut from his wrist blood and a river sprouted forth, rushing through the canyon from the mouth of a cave. He then went east of where he stood and created a dry desert. "This shall be the Plains of Zalthan, and it shall be a place of great magic." And he created well springs of magical water. He turned again to the south and crossing the Skye Mountain, he began the tedious work of creating and naming many other lands in this new world. He created the Tundras in the North, as well as in the south. He created forests of Bamboo in the north west, and created rain forests in the south east.
When he was done creating the lands, he returned to the Skye Mountains. From the clay and stone he created the short and stout tribes of Dwarves, and instructed them to live in the massive cave system in the Mountains.
From the twigs and leaves, he created tall, elegant tribes of Elves, and instructed them to live in the Forests and Trees, and to harm no animal save when threatened.
From the twigs and the clay, he created the hardy tribes of Men. He instructed them to go forth and wander the realms how they chose.
He also created many other races, the slug like race called the Sleezna, who were animals in the Canyon. He also created a race of fish-like men, called the Murda who inhabited the rivers and lakes he created.
He then plucked from his brown cloak a piece of it, and into the sky he cast it.
"This shall be the Sky," he said, and the brown turned to blue.
He plucked from inside the Skye Mountains millions of sparkling, glittering diamonds and placed them into the sky, calling out to them, "You shall be the Stars!"
He reached once more into the Mountains and drew out an enormous opal stone and a larger still topaz stone. He took the first, the Opal stone and hung it in the sky.
"You shall be the Moon, and you will light the Night" he said, and hung opposite of it the topaz stone, saying, "You shall be the Sun, and you will light the Day."
And so was the Land created, but not yet named. The Traveler took one last look at his Creation and smiled. The world was not his. It was that of one to come.
III.) Notable Events of the First Eight Ages.
Three thousand years passed since the traveler turned his back forever on the world, and the first gods had risen. They were animalistic, and were as beasts in their nature. They were called the Primeval, and most were cruel masters. They obliterated any knowledge of the world before their Arrival, and so the legend of the Traveler was lost.
A being was born one day in the dark womb of the land, a being with the greenest eyes ever seen, and the darkest hair. His skin was pale from his birth place and he was intelligent, kind, and caring. His father was the Sky, and his mother was the land. The Sun was his uncle, and the moon his aunt. They named him Mithryn.
Mithryn grew to be a large humanoid being, and his intelligence grew with his age. His tutors were the Stars who had seen everything under the Sun, and his friends were the rocks of the earth that spoke to him.
Soon came the time when he was to leave his mother’s loving embrace, and so he came forth from the canyon of Angolia and discovered the a cruel race of god-like beings inflicting horrible pains upon the world and all of its inhabitants.
War was the law of the land, and the Primeval were always making alliances and betraying alliances.
So was the land when Mithryn came forth.
This, he decided simply would not do. So he went back into his mother’s warm embrace and begged her to provide him with something to end the conflict above. She reluctantly agreed, and provided him with the metals to create two swords, Nestaru and Destaru. Star of the Night and Star of the Day, he called them in the Tongue of Legends.
He left through the hole he came through and began recruiting an army tired of fighting for heartless gods like the Primeval.
He first recruited from the Murda, the race closest to his dwelling, and then went on and out to recruit more peoples from more distant lands. Eventually, the Primeval heard of his plan, and some, tired of fighting their brothers and their sisters joined his side.
A war was raged between those who were called the Primeval who wanted the life to remain has it is at that time, and the Passions, those who wanted to change it. The Passions won against the Primeval, and a new Cycle of gods was begun.
And so Mithryn sealed the Primeval up at the mouth of Agolia, and trapped them beneath the land, in the hopes that no race would ever discover them. The Passions were hailed has Gods, and they took residence at the top of the Skye Mountains.
This marked the end of the First Era. Mithryn remained on the ground below, choosing to live with the people he freed over the Passions. It was this that sealed his doom. Though the peoples hailed him has a Hero and a God, even naming their land Mythron, in his honor, there were many who wished the old gods, the Primeval would come back.
They were called the Dark Elves, and many were not elves at all. They took their practices underground in the dark and secret places of the world, hoping to find their masters and bask in their eternal glory. They plotted to destroy Mithryn, the symbol of the Passions, and bring about an end to the Passions.
In the middle of the Second Age, a man named Ulfrwyr was set to guard a magical mirror from evil. He became corrupted by his devotion to the Mirror's protection, and eventually became a Lich who was convinced that he should destroy all of the world in order to ensure that the Mirror never falls into the "wrong" hands. He made the Mirror his phylactery, and was eventually defeated by a band of Heroes. The name of the Heroes is unknown to this day, as well as what they called their group. (META NOTE: The band of heroes will never be known, making it a fluid point in time which allows for infinite numbers of retelling and Webs to spawn from this point.)
Mithryn took a mortal wife and from her begat several sons and daughters, who all flourished about the land. Tragedy then befell the lands of Mithryn, has he was walking through Agolia one morning, an assassin striving to take Mithryn’s twin blades, struck him down with a single blow to the heart. Before he died, Mithryn swore that only his true family would be able to wield both of his swords at once, and cursed the Assassin and his kin to become the Guardians of the second seals, and so the Order of the Darkened Angels formed.
When Mithryn died, blood sprinkled onto the roses near his death bed and so created the Stars of Mithryn, a new breed of silvery roses which soon flourished across the land. And so through the foolish assassin’s blade, the First of the 13 seals were weakened, and the Stars became the seal. This marked the end of the Second Era.
It is in sometime during the middle of the Third Era that the seals began to weaken. First, the Stars that once flourished through the land began to wilt and fade away. Next, the river through Agolia’s bottom was destroyed. Where many rapids had once flown, all that remained were rocks and pitted earth. And so the Second seal was weakened.
The Murda began to retreat into the jungle has the Sleezna attacked them more and more often, and so the Fourth seal was weakened. The earth itself began to rot away, causing the Fifth seal to become weakened.
The Sixth seal was completely destroyed by a bolt of thunder which struck down one of the seven pillars in the Temple of Mithryn.
The Seventh seal was weakened when a Dark Elf’s axe fell into the World Tree destroying Zalthan.
The Eighth seal was broken when the humans were forcibly mated with goblins, creating a brutish race of beings known has Orks.
The Ninth seal was broken when a necromancer crossed the wall of Death and became the first Lich.
The Tenth and Eleventh seal were lost beneath the waves with a mighty ship whose name is now forgotten.
Soon, the lineage of the Darkened Angels weakened, and all that remained was S’varil, whose name meant “The Traveler” in the Tongue of Legends. He sought out a way to strengthen his family’s lineage again, and once more protect that which had almost been destroyed, for the Darkened Angels were the Twelfth seal.
The Thirteenth and Final seal was the very winds that roared through the canyon of Agolia, the Winds of Agolia. It is through this quest that S’varil had came to meet many others. They eventually sealed the Winds of Agolia back where they belonged, keeping the Primeval in check, for the next thousand cycles of summer, until they began to arise with new Primeval before the Dark God Samerkan Fell and started the Fourth Era, with his Drow followers living in the Underdark beneath the Faire Wastelands (the plains having been destroyed sometime ago in the middle of the Third Era).
In the 3rd Age, there was a war waged by Humankind to drive all the other races out of the land. This was called the War of Races. Humanity won, and became the most widespread culture for the rest of the Age, starting the 4th Age as well. It was in the middle of the 4th Age that Willheim arose and reunited the races, starting the 5th Age. The next two Ages were called the "Low Rebirth" and the "High Rebirth", and were considered periods of great and flourishing culture and invention. In the 8th Age, called the Industry Age, there are now paved roads, heading to all the great metropolises, and Humans and Elves and Dwarves and all other manners of creatures regularly bump elbows. They are in the age of Industry and Steel, where anything is possible. They have automobiles and some planes. Trains scar the land and spread across it for what seems to be to the end of the world. All roads lead to New Pratoria, the capital of the Empire of Man, the original having been destroyed by a fire giant and Shade's battle in the Fourth Era, heralding the arrival of Willheim the Fox, a thief who would eventually seal Samerkan once more in Shalgal.
Worship of the Passions has dwindled, but they are still remembered, and the Myths and Legends and Tales are passed on.
IV.) Notable Locations.
Mithryn is a vast land, full of many famous landmarks. Only a few will be listed for now.
1.) The Skye Mountains- The tallest mountains in Mithryn, it is believed (correctly) that the Gods live at the peak of this mountain. It appears to scrape the roof of the sky. The eastern most mountain is called Mount Hogart, and is home to the dwarven peoples.
2) The Tower of Jengh- A strange tower that appears randomly sticks out of the middle of the Bel-Tine forest. Rumors report that the tower is a giant maze when you get inside, and at the end of the maze lies a treasure beyond your wildest dreams. There are also reports of the tower appearing in other forested locations such as the Forests of Agolia, and there have been reports of the tower moving just as somebody got close to it only to disappear suddenly. There are also those who have managed to find the tower when it stands still report that there aren't any doors they can reach, however there is an inscription on it that reads, "What was once forgotten will be remembered." Nobody really understands what this means, though many try to find out and most do not return from their quest.
3) Pratoria (and later, New Pratoria)- The capital of the Human lands, Pratoria's patron goddess is a silver dragon named Zith, who the villagers sacrifice and honor every year to bring in prosperity to their lands. The dragon is a real dragon, who left once the city became big enough to sustain itself. In the First, Second, and the beginning of the Third age, the King wasn't xenophobic, it was only after King Reganald XCIX (the 99th Reganald) was slain at the hands of a Dark Elf Assassin ( the Cult not the race) and the War of Races began. King Reganald C vowed to wipe the non-human scum off the land and as such, the Human race became the main race visible on Mithryn for the next Age, until the human Willhiem brought the races back to combat Samerkan. It was destroyed by a fire giant and shade battling it out while Willhiem escaped, but the people rebuilt it and named it "New Pratoria".
4) The Agolian Canyons - A canyon in which the winds never cease. It is a frightening place, with all manners of monsters surrounding it. It is to the north of the Skye Mountains.
5) The Bel-Tine Forest- Also nick-named the Forest of Lights, there are often strange lights seen in it. Sometimes they're will-o'-wisps, other times they are the lanterns of Elves. They stretch forever from the base of the Skye Mountains westward. There are rumors of a strange tower rising out of the middle of it, and not even the Elves know of its origin.
6) The Oasis of Kigam- An oasis somewhere in the Eastern region of Zalthan, which scholars after the third era added Zalthan to the Faire Plains as the Northern region. It is the largest lake in Mithron. If a magic user or a magical creature drinks of the waters, they instantly go mad, however, normal humans do not. Nobody knows why this is.
7) Shalgal- I.) The catacombs beneath the Faire Wastes (Plains), often regarded as the Underdark. This is where the Dark Elves (Worshipers of the Primeval) and later the Drow, (Worshipers and Race of elves with grey skin and white hair of Samerkan after his Fall).
II.) The cave that leads to the Underdark.
8) Hogart- A mountain in the Skye Mountain Chain, also home to the Dwarves.
9) God Mount- The highest mountain in the Skye Mountain Chain, at its peak is Callia, home of the Passions.
10) Draven's Peake- A peak on the west side of God Mount, it contains the pass to the jungles of Agolia.
11) Celphais- The capital of the Elven nation, the Mori River runs through the middle of it. It is located in the middle of the Bel-Tine forest.
12) Mithryn's Grove- A holy copse of trees located in Verza, the Human Kingdom. It is not a part of any nation, however. Nothing of an evil heart may pass through it.
13) Ziggarth- The Orc Stronghold, and capital of the Orc Lands also known as Sh'grub, it is across the Mori River on its east side, it is the only Orc 'city' of note.
14) The Lake of Ivyeria- The second biggest lake in Mithron, it is home to the Temple of Ivyeria, the portion which is accessible to air breathers is located on the east bank of the Lake. There is some sunken which are maintained by lizardmen and various other aquatic lifeforms.
15) The Towers of Hrogath- Two towers forming the "Gate" to Hrogath, the Dwarven lands. They stand at the mouth of a cave on the Hogart Mountains.
16) The Mori River- The largest river, it is smallest near its mouth, Celphais, the capital of the Elves resides there.
17) The Swamp of Witches- A swamp in the area overlapping the Faire Plains and Zalthan, it is home to a coven of Witches, who practice all forms of magic, good and bad. This has lead to it being very dangerous, causing sentient vines and all manners of horrors to populate the swamp.
18) Dark Wode- A forest just west of Pratoria, it's the home of most Shape-Shifters, and as such, there are several legends of monsters and the likes.
19) Greensvale- It's not a major city of any note, it's only important because later on, the nearby mountains become known as The Demon's Mountain and home to the Dragon Goddess Zith and her son, Thu. It also is one of the many places that The Band of Heroes from the Second Age (the ones who defeated Ulfrwyr) claims (correctly) their Wolf and Fox tavern is the one they met in.
20) Callia- It is the home of the Gods, and resides on the peak of God Mount.
21) Ve'ora- A town of notable size, it contains the largest library in the world. During the Fourth Era, it walled itself off and become home of the Archivists.
V.) Nations
There are five major nations south of the Skye mountains.
1.) Agolia- The region just north of the Skye mountains. It's a jungle full of all manners of exotic creatures, as well as home the Agolian Canyon. Little is known about this region, and it is not considered a nation in itself.
2.) Shalgal- The only entrance is by a cave of the same name in the Faire Wastes (plains). It is home to the Drow Race, and later, Samerkan. It's a network of caverns that runs all beneath Mithron, and it is full of hostile and evil beasts. There are some exotic metals to be found, however, miners mine them at their own risk! There is no known capital.
3.) Hrogath- The dwarven regions, it is mostly within the roots of the Hogart mountain and the surrounding mountains. Occasionally, a tunnel or two will connect to Shalgal, and sometimes there are a few wars that break out. It has a capital of the same name.
4.) Verza- The human controlled nation, it is just north of God Mount, and is the home of most “normal” humans. It has a capital named Pratoria, or later on, New Pratoria. Its landscape is similar to that of Belgium.
5.) Bel-Tine- The elven forest, it lies just south-west of the Skye Mountains. It's about thirty percent of the map, and the capital is Celphais. It is a very thick forest.
6.) Sh'grub- The Orc nation, it's only about ten percent of the map, and it lies southeast of the Bel-Tine forest, bordering The Faire Plains. It only has one city of note, and that is its capital, Ziggarth. It is similar to Germany's landscape.
VI.) Cultural Information
The following is just a generalization of the cultures, nothing too specific. There will be more information once you get past the races' information, it will mostly be past times of children.
1) Humans- The race most prone to being xenophobic, they often build walls around their cities. Most of them [before the assassination of King Reganald XCIX ] did not fear magic, and loved using it. In fact, this love of magic spawned a separate race of humanoids called the Zalthanians who mysteriously vanished without a trace at the end of the second era. Zalthanians are characterized by their dark violet eyes and strong magical abilities. It was only after the War of Races did the humans ban it because most magicians and Zalthanians turned in favor of the other races and used their magic to take out their former friends and allies.
2) Elves- Most of them live in the forest and love music. Their musicians are regarded as the most beautiful in the world. The term "Elvenkin" is often used to describe bards of other races with unusual mastery of the instruments, however when compared to the music of the elves, the notes often sound slightly flatter. They do not build their homes, rather they sing and grow them out of the trees themselves. They do not consume meat, and are often offended when they are offered it. During the War of Races, elven sung weapons and armor were used wide spread by all but the dwarven races, because a dwarven forged weapon is better than an elven sung weapon. They don't like the Orcs, and tend to view them as unusually brutal, and an elven sung blade would rather break than serve an Orc.
3) Dwarves- Short and stout, they are one of the more inventive of races. Almost all of them love to dig and mine, though a few do become bards and druids. Most dwarves get along fine with Elves, and view Orcs with suspicion, however they do not close their halls to the Orcs. During the War of Races, they loaned the Orcs dwarven Forged weapons due to the unusually high numbers of breaking elven sung blades and armor. The dwarves are also one of the few races who make automatons before the High Rebirth.
4) Orcs- The more intelligent version of Orks, they often grasp advanced tactics with ease when they are in a collective group. They are very tribal, and as such, Ziggarth is the only permanent city. Most races view them with suspicion and more than a few will not allow them to pass by without causing some form of a problem for them. They prefer to use weapons like war hammers and war axes however, it is not uncommon to see swords and spears. They are renowned for their berserker tactics often ten or twelve of them in the War of Races could obliterate an encampment of humans three to four times their size.
5) Orks- A subspecies of Orcs, they are unintelligent and greatly more war like. They often kill anything that moves, including allies. All nations avoid or kill them on sight. During the War of Races, they often killed each other more often than the other races. They absolutely hate and despise the Orcs because of their greater intelligence. One can tell the difference between the Orcs and Orks by looking at their skin and eyes. An Orc is generally a light green or brown with grey eyes while an Ork is dark green or brown with pure black eyes. Orcs have a slightly thinner chin, and compared to the Orks less muscles.
6) Drow- A subspecies of Elf, they worship solely the Fallen God Samerkan, after the defeat of the Primeval. They are infamous for their raids of human caravans travelling through the Faire Plains, which they come to inhabit after Samerkan’s Fall. During the War of Races, they remained mostly underground and hired themselves out as mercenaries to the highest bidder. They use bloodsteel, a magical steel weapon blessed with the blood of Samerkan (or so their priests say) It is unusually strong and greatly coveted by the dwarves.
7) Murda- A race of slug-like beings in the Agolian jungle, they are tribal and very intelligent. They served as the protectors of the Seals until they were broken. Now they roam the jungles healing where they can.
8) Sleezna- Another race of slug-like beings in the Agolian jungle, they work more like a pack, and are considered to be unintelligent. They consume anything that gets near them.
9)Zaile-"In the beginning when the World was First Sung, there were three People, the Zal, Illa, and Exli.
Each tribe with their own eye colour
Red for the Zal
Orange for the Illa
and Black for the Exli
They lived in peace with one another.
One day a Demon appeared and declared, "Send your 3 strongest warriors to fight me if they win, I will leave these lands,
and if I win, you will all become mine!"
The Three strongest warriors knew that alone they would be no match for the wicked Demon, so they went to the wisest man
in the world, who lived in the Forests Of Soom in a cave under a water fall. "Meditate near the Abyssal Planes, and the answer
will come to you."
They meditate for three days, and became merged as One the first Zaile to walk these lands
her eyes flickered Reds and Oranges And Blacks the colours of the three People. She soon went to combat with the
Demon, and won, victorously! Now all who walk with eyes that flick between reds oranges and blacks are said to be
sons of the mighty warrior the Zaile. Though most are Bards and Scholars, they have not forgotten their Mother the first Zaile."
-Taken from the Book of Zaile's Beliefs.
Zailen eyes are very strange in that they swirl and swish and blend forming some mad palatte of colours raging between oranges reds and blacks, they look like humans, but they have pale white skin whereas humans have a pale pink skin. They are divided into two main groups which are divided further into subgroups. There are the "Scholars" who are the ones who study all sorts of things and are also often bards. Then there are the "Tribes" who are more or less the aggressive half of the Zaile. Their weapons range from all sorts of things from spears to swords and even some bows and crossbows. The "Scholars" are divided into different "Universities" there are the "University of Arcanic Magic." Who study magic, "University of Theology" who study religion of different races, and then there are is the "University of Alchemy" who study alchemy. Then there's the "University of Musia" who study music and arts. There are others but they are not worth mentioning at this time. The "Tribes" are split up into different "Clans", there is the "Boar Clan" ; who hunt mountain boar exclusively, then there are the "Bear Clan" who are giants of Zailen standards and fight with gauntlets with spikes and sometimes even great swords, and then there is the "Wolf Clan" who fights alone with long swords. As with the Universities, there are more but they are not worth mentioning. The "Clans" manage an uneasy peace at the best of times, but it isn't uncommon for them to go to war over trifle things, like hunting areas, and such things. The Scholars usually don't go to war with anybody, though when they are attacked they all band together and fight like hell to defeat their enemy. It's also not too uncommon for the Scholars and Tribes to fight together when all the Zailes are attacked and threatened. They live in the Faire Plains, generally in the shadow of the mountain due to their skin burning in the sun.
10)Giants- Humanoid beings which range between the 10 to 20 feet tall.
11) Changeling- Shape shifters of the humanoid form. They look like aliens in their natural state.
12) Zalthan- Magical humans with violet eyes, they were the first to inhabit the Plains of Zalthan, before they became part of the Faire Wastes. No pure blooded remain at the end of the second era, except for the Prince who will be locked in an eternal sleep beneath the Wastelands.
13) Kalthika- Ape-like tribal beings of Agolia, they are great warriors and hunters.
14) Passions and Primeval- God-like beings, they are the ones listed in the Pantheon.
15) Hobgoblins and Goblins, the difference- Goblins are leaner, with green skin. They are a little more intelligent than a hobgoblin. The Hobgoblins are orange skinned, with thicker muscles, and a lot more brutish in nature.
Popular Children's Games.
Jehn's Gamble- The Prince, Spell Sword, and Mercenery were all cards to a popular game in Mithryn called, "Jehn's Gamble." It is a children’s game. There is one other card to the puzzle. The "Gambler." The point of the game is to make the four cards arrive at the same place in the same time. Each player draws one of the cards. They get either one of the four cards. Then the game begins with eight decks marked with the symbol of each of the player cards. The player then draws a card from the first deck called the "Time" deck. It lists a day month and hour. For example, the Prince draws a card that reads Day 27 of the 4th month at 10:00 in the morning. That is the day that the Prince is in. He then draws the next one from the Location deck. So he draws Pratoria. That means the Prince is in Pratoria on the day month and time set in the card. Then the next player draws a card from his "Time" deck. He is in that time and then pulls another "Location" card. He is there. All the while they pull from these decks, trying to get all four in the same location at the same time. When that happens the second phase begins. In Phase Two, the Four go on the search for the Gambler's Treasure, in phase two there are only 4 decks: The Gambler's Location Deck, the all important "Treasure" deck, the Dungeon Location Deck, and the Dungeon deck itself. They draw from the Dungeon Deck a card inscribed with a location in the wilderness. This card is left out for it is the Dungeon where the "Treasure" is. The Gambler then pulls from his or her Location Deck a location. If the location matches the Dungeon, they are there. If not they pull another card and another until the locations match. Once there the Dungeon Deck comes into play. They pull a card from it each round. On each card is a room with either a Monster, A Trap or a Shrine. If it's a Monster two sets of Dice are used. One rolls for the party and the other for the monster. If the first number is 1 nobody is attacked. If it’s a 2 then the Prince is attacked. a 3 and the Spell sword is attacked. A 4 and it’s the Merc who is attacked. A five, the Gambler, a Six, the Monster. Each character has a certain number of hit points. After it is decided who is attacked, the second dice is rolled. It has 2 swords indicating an attack, 2 shields which indicate defense, and 2 blank which indicate no action. After that, the first die is rolled indicating the damage taken. Then the second die is rolled again indicating the party’s actions. The first is rolled again, indicating the damage. If the card drawn is a Trap, they follow the instructions and roll the numbered die. If the numbers on the die match the numbers on the trap for a Save then the trap is not activated. if not, then the trap is sprung then the whole party takes damage unless specified by the card. If it's a Shrine, the whole party gets healed or something similar. There is one card in the deck that is the Treasure of the Dungeon. If the Party gets that, then they win the game. If the party all dies, then they lose.
VII.) WORLD MECHANICS
Clerics/Priests and how they interact with their god:
Priests declare their deity. Every day, they must declare their three domains in order to cast the spells from them. They may declare less than three domains if they wish. Priests get all the passives from their deity’s domain, and only their deity’s domain.
Soul Wells:
There is the one location where all mages draw their power from. The Soul-Well channel itself functions like a bucket between the Soul Well and the magic user. When it is overfilled a misnomer "burned out" takes effect. It's more akin to they have over used the bucket's weight limit and it has broken and fallen down. It's possible to "fix" it, but it is near impossible to do so.
If one were to survive the process of "fixing" their "bucket", they would achieve near God-Like status, and likely go mad and have their body warped and twisted. They would also have the ability to throw their soul around and make it act like a poltergeist.
Magick Thievery happens when another mage starts to siphon the magic from another user. (The basis of the first Mithryn book to be published in a few years, hopefully.)
Time:
In all eras, there are 26 months to a year. Each month lasts 14 weeks. The first month of the year always begins with a "new" moon, when the moon is darkened, and the end of the year is always in a full moon. In the First Era, the years are called "Ancient Times" or, "AT". The second era is called "Era of the Land" or "EL". The third era uses "New Era", while the fourth uses "Before Common Era" or BCE. The Fifth Era used "Common Era", "CE" while the sixth uses "Era of Rebirth" or "ER", whilst the Seventh Era uses "Era of Industry", or "EI".
AT counts down from the beginning of written language, which they called "1,000 AT". It ends at "0000 AT" When Mithron locks up the Primeval for the first time, starting the Second era called the "EL". It lasts for 100 years, and starts the "New Era" which lasts for 15000 years, ending when Samerkan Falls and becomes the Dark God. The fourth era starts at that point and lasts for 1000 years, before the death of Samerkan and his replacement, Willhiem takes power, becoming the new Dark God, but he is worshiped by all as a unifier of the races. The fifth era lasts until 1634 CE, until an elf discovers an ancient tome spurning the growth of the nations' interest into mechanical engineering and working with magic and many other arts. It lasts until an elf invents the steam engine in 20 ER, which sets off the EI.
VII.) Mythrin Lore Additions
Author’s Note: Lore not written by me that has become accepted canon over the past couple of years.
Archivists:
>The Order of the Archivists
The Archivists originated as a village of Promethous' human followers, who had been exceedingly blessed with a great number of prophets. One prophet foresaw a day when all record of the Gods of old had vanished from history, along with all of the legends of this time. Seeing this as an atrocity, the members of this village swore a blood-oath to Promethous that they would keep the legends, history, and prophecies of Mythrin intact, so that the world's past may never be forgotten.
Archivist cults are usually secluded to their towers in the southernmost reaches of the Skye Mountains chain. However, Archivists frequently send out agents to major cities in Mythrin, as directed by the Council of Archivists, in order that they may record history as it happens. Such agents must have incredible mental fortitude, so that their own perception of events does not muddle the final historical recording.
Archivists are almost exclusively mages, who use their staves as focusing tools for their magics. Most Archivists have an elemental attunement which defines the better part of their offensive spells; However, all Archivists know minor temporal magic, such as slowing and stopping time for brief periods, scrying, and basic illusionary feats, such as temporary invisibility.
>Web of Fate
The Web of Fate is the energetic representation of how individual actions can affect others in a compounding manner. To the trained eye of an Archivist, these actions and reactions can be seen as a line of azure light, which pulses from the person who first initiates the action into the first directly-affected individual, after which it continues to split towards any others who may be affected. In the circumstance that a decision will have profound affects upon the individual, a large buildup of 'fate's glow' can be seen around them in the form of a bluish aura. Most Archivists have trained themselves to filter their perception of the Web to focus on certain individuals, so that they are not driven mad from the overload of information.
This is primarily thought to be the source of the Archivists' short-term precognitive abilities, although the Web is far from perfect, or even completely reliable; You cannot directly see what action is taking place, only that it has taken place, and who it affects.
Just as there are positive and negative actions, there are also positive and negative aspects of the Web of Fate. While the positive side is generally light bluish, the negative aspects bear a dark crimson color.
>Mark of Destiny
The Mark of Destiny is a difficult concept to grasp if you do not have an integral understanding of the Web of Fate, as most Archivists do. In essence, a person who has been Marked by Destiny has such an incredibly large presence in the Web of Fate that the entire world could be changed by their actions. The Council of the Archivists can sense these individuals form miles upon miles away, and often send Archivist agents to aid these individuals. However, these side-effects only apply to the positive spectrum of the Web's energy; Oftentimes an individual who has an extremely strong negative presence in the Web can often 'blind' Archivists from sensing the Web from as little as a day to as long as a month.
Blacksteel:
Blacksteel is a peculiar alloy of adamantine, mithril, and a very specific meteoric iron. The alloy itself has no special properties aside from those of its components, however when forged by an almost unknown method and treated with a few specific alchemical and magical processes it gains an incredible capacity to channel magical energy. It also becomes somewhat lighter and stronger than its component's would normally lead you to assume. An item made from blacksteel never rusts, hardly dulls, and rarely breaks.
Due to the combined rarity of the materials, the rarity of smiths that can forge it, and the difficulty in creating and working with it items made from blacksteel are extremely rare, and due it its properties, sought after.
Properties, specific list;
Incredibly hard and Strong (on par with adamantine)
Light (not quite as light as mithril, but lighter than steel)
Adept at Channeling magical energies (allowing less channeling loss in a spell and making it almost impossible to break with magical energy (such as by magical overload))
Holds an edge extremely well
Never rusts, even by magical effects
Despite the color of its components it is jet black
It is notable that despite being adept at channeling magic, items made of blacksteel are actually extremely hard to enchant. This makes them less valuable in the eyes of some, but the properties more the compensate in the eyes of others, such as the legendary spellblade Alden who wielded a sword made of the alloy and he is sometimes accredited with being the first to wield such a blade. However, due to the secrecy kept by the spellblade prior to his association with Prince Draven of the Zalthan, there is no way to be certain of this.