Characters

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In the lands of Astyria, in a time far beyond the veil of memory, there was the Primordial Bedlam. The world was young; it’s lands uncharted, terrible and most importantly, untamed. In turn, great beasts, born from the Verdantry, used their unimaginable power and held their dominion far and wide. Dragons wreathed flames across the skies, leviathans gnashed at the shores, giants crumbled the mountains, and deep beneath the earth, even greater things stirred in the crushing blackness. Beneath sunless skies and the footsteps of these behemoths, ancient cultures began to burgeon, their worlds dictated by the whims of their terrible masters. All but one.

They were called children of the stars, making their arrival in Astyria on the backs of black comets. The Asali. The great creatures of the Primordial Bedlam did not welcome these trespassers from another world and committed genocide against them. The few Asali that remained were forced into hiding, cast into the deepest pits. Deeper and deeper they would hide, worming their way into the cores of the world. Children of the stars, forced into a lightless subterranean realm. This would continue for hundreds of years until one day, the Asali discovered something beneath the seafloor. The Espial, the heart of the Verdantry.

It is unknown whether the Asali discovered the true heart of the world or if it merely a tall tale. Regardless, what they discovered there would grant them powers far beyond that of their physical limits. They, like the great beasts that ruled above, could now manipulate the elements around them, shaping the world itself to their will. And so, in a towering structure of shale and scorched glass, they rose from the sea to meet the great beasts that imprisoned them for so long.

The war that ensued would be known as the Usurpation. swallowed the world and her people. As the Asali used their newfound power to destroy every great beast above, civilizations, entire cultures, would disappear in the flames and bloodshed. The greatest of these Asalian warriors, Tryss, the Goddess of Blades, would earn her title among the corpses of these battlefields. It is said that Tryss was the first blade to strike and the last to be removed in the Usurpation. In the end, the Asali had won, and Melaya, Queen of the Morning, cast her light into the sky where it still remains to this day. It was the first of many gifts she would give to the world. In their victory, Tryss, Melaya, and their youngest brother, Viclan christened the conquered world as Astyria, in honor of their father, who perished in the Usurpation. Thus the second era of the world began.

In this time of peace, the Asali spread out to discover the wonders of what they had just conquered. Some would spread their light and love to all who were willing to receive it. Others chose a darker path, using their magic to hold sway over others and pursuing power above all else. The Asali searched the highest peaks, the densest jungles, and the deepest caves, spreading their influence to the many peoples they found there. 

Everywhere this great migration took them, the Asali found new faces, worshippers, and allies. But not all would welcome their conquerors so readily. Some, for better or worse, would neglect the gifts of the Espial, choosing to live their lives as they already had for thousands of years, long before the first sun bathed the world in its light.

Tryss and Melaya, would settle the eastern coast, near the great sea where their father was buried. This would come to be known as Caenum. In this great city, the sisters taught their gifts to the people they found there. As time went on, other Asalians would do the same, effectively forming their own territories across Astyria. To the southwest was the Nightlands, home of the Black Chieftains under the teachings of their master, Nafasi, the God of Gifts. To the south, Viclan, God of Masks and ostracized brother of Tryss and Melaya, would forge the kingdom of Valdora; a place of practical and illusory power. To the west, it is said that an Asali merged with an aspect of Verdantry, becoming the mountainous god of the Mineborne. To the east, Seket, God of Strands would form the Arderi Desert of his own power, and go on to gain his own worshippers in that inhospitable landscape.

Time marched on, and while each of the remaining Asali ascended to godhood, their influence dwindled in their physical absence. In this time, the people of the world grew selfish and callous. So much so, that another war would soon swallow the world.

Nafasi had discovered a new means of power; one of consumption through others. In his greed and avarice, he would starve the Black Chieftains, reducing their lands to husk and casting them into famine. The Black Chieftains did all they could to survive the ordeal, some abandoning Nafasi’s will and turning to other forms of power instead. They tapped into the Verdantry, harnessing the other elements of the world. It was a slight against their god, and one that would lead to the Black Chieftains’ ultimate demise. Nafasi, in his anger at his subjects, gave them a reminder of who they would answer to in death and in life. He cursed his own people, graying their skin, bloodying their eyes, and cracking their skulls with a set of horns that twisted from their very bones. Thus, the Umbrals as we know them today, were born.

Nafasi gave his subjects a choice. They could stay and die, rotting and starving in the Nightlands, or they could conquer the kingdoms of his brothers and sisters and claim the world for themselves. So, the Umbrals carved a war path through Astyria, not out of conquest, but out of necessity to survive the will of their god. Thus began the Tempest Wars. Much of the world fell under the might of the Umbrals. That is, until they marched on Caenum.

The city of Tryss and Melaya would not fall so easily. The Umbrals laid siege to that sacred city for thirteen long years. At the end of it all, Caenum stood unshaken amongst the rabble of Umbrals starving at their feet. Nafasi had lost much of his power in this time, as the Umbrals lost battle after battle against the might of Caenum. Defeated and broken, they would go on to surrender their siege on the City of Light. But Tryss, in her vengeance, did not allow retreat. The Umbrals had brought war to her home. They would not leave it alive.

Tryss herself descended onto the battlefield, slaughtering the Umbrals by the hundreds until the fields of Caenum became a marsh of their blood. But Nafasi, in his scheming and malice, had yet to show his true hand. A final contingent of Umbrals gathered from the south, waiting for the Goddess of Blades to leave the safety of her city. Nafasi poured the last of his physical power into these warriors, allowing them to wound the Goddess of Blades.

It seemed the Umbrals had turned the tide until the belly of Caenum revealed the largest force ever conceived in the history of Astyria. A hundred thousand strong charged from the gates of Caenum, eager for vengeance against the Umbrals remnants who wounded their goddess. On the southern plains of Caenum, these armies would clash. The waters below ran red with blood, corpses mounted and piled against the river banks, forming islands of flesh and bone. Fire wreathed the skies, waters gnashed at the shores, the ground crumbled under the marching feet, and deep beneath the earth something even greater stirred in the crushing blackness. Then a sound. A burning, terrible sound.

The stars themselves streaked down the night sky, bombarding the armies below and igniting the land in flashing death. In an instant, the remaining Umbral and Caenic armies were reduced to ash. The Umbral’s war had brought a shift of power unseen since the Primordial Bedlam. So much, like at the Espial, the Verdantry restored the balance of power to the world. This act of divine intervention, known as the Decennary of Stars, would last a decade, gouging a wound across Astyria. The gods that remained were helpless to end the destruction against their kingdoms. It is said that the gods made a choice. They had brought about the destruction of the world, concentrating their power so much that the Verdantry was forced to act in its own interest. In their unchecked power, they had become the monsters that led the world to its end. So, it is said that one day, the gods abandoned Astyria, taking their place amongst the stars once more. All but two.

Tryss and Melaya had decided to leave one last gift each for their people, in hopes that it would be a lesson for the years to come. The first involved the planting of a great tree of golden light known as the Luminaar. This served as a reminder to respect the powers of the Verdantry, no matter how much power you may seek. The second and final gift was a star. In the ruins of Caenum, Tryss carved a light from the sky. As it descended, this star was actually revealed to be a child. Boerne of the Sky. Not an Asalian, but something new and just. A King. Thus, as Tryss left the world she fought so hard to forge, she christened the ruins of Caenum with a new name. One that would honor the child whose sole purpose was to guide the people of the Asytria: Boernallye.

As the child grew, so too did his kingdom. As the other kingdoms of the world began to rebuild, Boernallye became the new bastion of civilization. Within those new walls, Boerne would go on to learn the powers of light through communion with the Luminaar and shared his knowledge with his people. Thus Divinas was born, in honor of Melaya. However, she was just one sister, in what would come to be known as the Divines. In Tryss’ honor, he formed an army, one of golden warriors, serving to protect rather than conquer. A force that would answer the call of its people: the Autumn Legion.

In the reconstruction of the third era, Astyria had found itself in a time of peace that seemed everlasting. Over the course of a thousand years, many of the old rivalries and hate had been forgotten, swept away in the fallout of the Divine Fracture. However, all good things must come to an end.

With the unexpected death of the great King Pelias at the hands of Grand Marshal Urien, the Kingbutcher, Boernallye finds itself in mourning. Inheriting the throne from his father; the boy king, Regis IX, now governs from under the watchful eye of his advisors. The church of Divinas has encountered a new threat that infects each and every corner of the world. One that even the gifts of Melaya cannot heal: wither. The Autumn Legion, fragmented under their new leadership are but a fraction of their once absolute power. Then there are threats from beyond the walls. Something stirs in the shadows once again. Within that darkness, monsters in all their many forms have begun to prey upon the weak and weary. Horrors stalk the land once more, cursing, killing, and feasting upon Astyria’s people. But what has caused such an upstart?

The young King has chosen to take matters into his own hands, issuing a call to arms to those who would fight to keep the peace and help maintain order through the budding chaos. Adventurers and mercenaries from all over Astyria have gathered in his great city, seeking wealth, fame, honor, and glory. Unbeknownst to them, these champions will shape the world.