More Lore

Palau Kingdom
A nation slipped out the hands of its king and into the nobles', the fallen pieces crumble apart with every clash between the aristocracy and King's continued lethargy.

Officially, the Kingdom of Palau lies within the palm of King Colworn III, a star who burned far too bright and burned out just as early. He is the thirdborn of the previous king, Colworn II, and took part with his other two elder brothers in the War of Sorrows. His brothers were both slain during the battle, and he alone returned victorious with the head of an enemy commander. His battlefield record was stupendous, a heroic tale told by bards in the entire nation. Unfortunately, the reality is that after the events of the Night of a Thousand Stars, Colworn III joined the many other soldiers who returned from the war suffering from the Rotshriek.

Nowadays, with Colworn III incapacitated and his children far too young to assume authority, the majority of the power and political gambles take place between the Seven Noble Houses. They squabble and bicker over every matter, from territory to trade routes to past grievances and emnity, constantly picking at one another. It's assumed that Colworn III's children have already been or are being manipulated by the Noble Houses into becoming their puppet once Colworn III vacates his throne.

The Houses are as follows:

House Phyrexia - A house dedicated to the exploration, they are known for sending members out to the far reaches of the world to retrieve lost artifacts. Currently, they're occupied with probing the Night of a Thousand Stars for the remnants of House Tirion.

House Vandelim - The smallest of houses, but by far not the weakest. They control the agricultural trade through sea routes much higher in quality than others thanks to the ocean currents they reside beside. It's said that a Vandelim visiting one's farm is good luck.

House Mediani - The house of spys, the Medianis offer their services to the highest bidder, being extensively trained in the art of tracking and investigation. Sometimes called inquisitors, they prefer the term investigators.

House Brinsmark - The house closest to nature, the Brinsmarks are the nation's greatest animal handlers. They produce the finest steeds that are coveted by all for their impressive stamina and bravery, and other such beasts.

House Rintrolo - A house centered on crafting and merchantile trade, the Rintrolos are master artisans and produce countless works of art, each one fetching the highest of prices.

House Helios - A warlike house, despite being Nobles, their mannerisms are nothing like what would be expected. Crude, burly, and fierce, they're known for often using intimdation to get their way.

House Sinestras - A house of art in all of its forms, the Sinestras are constantly working to create the latest trend. To become the next renowned acrobat, performer, poet, painter, and more.

The War of Sorrows was a war that took place ten years ago between the royal army of Palau and the fallen House Tirion. House Tirion apparently staged a coup in which they attempt to wrest the seat of power from Colworn II, but was unsuccessful. The finale of the war happened when a gathering of clouds covered the sky above the territory of House Tirion during the final battle, which they were losing. All of a sudden, a pillar of light visible across the entire nation pierced through the cloud, and into the sky far above until it was out of sight. Afterwards, there was no word from any of the soldiers for several days. When scouts investigated it, they were appalled to see that the landscape had been completely changed. It was now a barren wasteland, an area of death. No grass, no trees, even the air itself was toxic and unable to be breathed. Yet the corpses of the soldiers remained, in as pristine condition as if they were freshly killed, blood still seeping from their wounds and their glassy eyes still glistening with fear. The land is haunted by all manner of foul beings now, and even the magic that remains after the event occasionally coalesces into a shifting, moving form, as if alive, and invariably always attempts to attack trespassers within the area.

Ten years later, the few who survived being at site of the pillar of light number less than a hundred, yet they all exhibit the same symptoms. A great lethargy and amnesia, as if they've lost all sense of self, all desire. They struggle to perform even the most menial of tasks, spending more time staring at nothing with a blank look than not. This affliction has been dubbed the Rotshriek. The twinkling of lights in the dark clouds that still cover the region to this day produced by the living spells have resulted in the name of it as the Night of a Thousand Stars.

Palau is a melting pot of a variety of races and cultures, owing greatly to their open borders and locale nearby several historical sites such as the Night of a Thousand Stars and Giant capital of Volineheim, as well as the merchantile business that takes place within. While the Flowering Moon Dynasty has a larger overall wealth and several monopolies, they are secular and secretive are their goods. Unlike them, the merchants of Palau are eager to trade as long as one has coin, bringing shoppers and in turn more merchants from afar in search of business or a home. For those interested in the more political side of things, the nation is currently undergoing several hidden battles between the Noble Houses each vying to secure a foothold to become the strongest power in the nation, and are always willing to accept promising help in doing so.



Galalin Province
A mystical realm where entry is barred to all but the most priviledged of individuals.

The Galalin Province has no particular inhabitants, on the Material Plane that is. The vast majority of the continent borders the Feywild, providing ample passage into the Plane for those specially attuned to it. The actual denizens of this continent are the Eladrin, who spend the majority of their time far off in the deep of the Feywild tending to their esoteric values.

The Material side of Galalin is a place untouched by man, where nature flourishes and countless rare flora and fauna are located. Despite the great value in each budding flower, poachers make sure to keep far away from this place, as the Eladrin have watchful eyes at all points within it and show no mercy to those who intend to trespass within their sacred home.

The Eladrin have wholly secluded themself from the worldly affairs of most of the races, for reasons known only to them. It's said that the Feywild they inhabit has many wonders spread out in even greater quantities than the Material side of Galalin. Of course, it holds just as many dangers, many of them even worse than death.

- The Eladrin are a planar wandering civilization dedicated to ensuring the multiverse remains in order. Unfortunately they only possess the ability to traverse through the Inner Planes (Material, Feywild, Shadowfell, Ethereal, Astral, and the four Elemental planes). Even worse, they are only attuned to the Material and Feywild, and have a terrible reaction when entering the Shadowfell. As beings of fey, entering the realm that is their antithesis brings great stress to their minds, bodies, and souls. Their senses dull, and eventually shut down. In the worst cases, they become afflicted with the darkness residing in every area of the Shadowfell and transform into a creature of the night.

- The Eladrin hold other forms of elves in disgust, especially Dark Elves. Seeing what was once one of their own kind reduced to the state they're currently in due to the experimentation by the Giants of nearly a millenia ago. Understandably, they also have a strong hatred of Giants and spare no pity for their current state of degeneracy after their intellect and civilization was stripped from them by the gods themselves.

- The current Eladrin way of life is a form of penance, in an attempt to buy their way back into their home Plane of Arborea. Arborea is said to be a place of violent moods and deep affections, of whim backed by steel, and of passions that blaze brightly until they burn out. There, the mountains and forests are extravagantly massive and beautiful, and every glade and stream is inhabited by nature spirits that brook no infringement. A place of true freedom, the Eladrin were forced out long ago during the war against the Giants when they raided their home, destroying the bridge between worlds. Now, they shelter within the Feywild as it's the closest to their original home and eagerly await the day they can return.



Namraa Jungles
A humid, tropical region of jungles filled with deadly inhabitants who would sooner devour you than give a second look.

A sprawling and extensive no-man's land, the Namraa Jungles are a nigh-inhabitable area where few even dare to venture. Home to the ruins of the Giants, an ancient civilization. The Giants of old were masters of arcane arts, using the power of slave labor to build their vast empire. They went through several races who were eventually subjugated and domesticated for their use, before eventually settling on experimentations upon the elven race. Raiding and pillaging the Eladrin who hid in their planar home of Arborea, they forcibly brought them to the Material Plane and eventually succeeding in all the current offshoots of the elven races today.

Eventually, the Giants grew too arrogant in their hubris, beginning to challenge even the gods. In retaliation, the gods lifted the Shatterspike Mountain, the largest one within the empire, and flung it at the Giant's capital city of Voninheim after stripping them of all their knowledge. With a blow struck by the heavens themself, Voninheim was blown far underground, so deep that even the sea rushed to fill in the hole. The blood of the Giants slain by the smite still fills the sea of Voninheim, just as bloody red as the day when the sky was blotted out by the god's wrath.

 Now, the only thing remaining of the great Giant civilization are the ruins scattered across the Namraa Jungles. Their elven slaves were left behind with the ruins of their civilization, too far domesticated and unfit for survival on their own, and their current state was completely distasteful to the Eladrin they were descended from. Abandoned by their people and even by their masters, the elves had few choices.

Of the Wood Elves, they decided to learn to survive within the dangerous, hostile environment. They became tribals, as savage as orcs and twice as cunning. Becoming hunter-gatherers, they rarely venture out of the jungle, having grown accustomed to the life of the hunt.

The High Elves couldn't acclimate to the dangers of the jungle. Instead, they chose to migrate. With nothing but the scraps of their belongings, they made their way to the reaches of Nemuria to make a home elsewhere. Nowadays, the majority of them are located in the Palau Kingdom and Flowering Moon Empire, with scatterings of them across the rest of the land. However, some still chose... a different path.

Faced with certain death unable to survive like the Wood Elves nor able to make the migratory trek like the High Elves, a select few could only beseech the gods who put them in this situation for aid. All but one remained silent, Lolth. Taking in the desperate elves, she promised them safety in exchange for worshipping her. The elves were already abandoned by the gods, and more than willing to give themselves to the only one who came to them in their time of need and agreed. Upon doing so, their beings were suffused with a dark magic, warping their very souls. These elves became known as the Dark Elves, or Drow.

The Dark Elves were immediately cursed with an incapability to stand the sun, the shadowy force that now resided within their souls withering under its glare. With no choice on the surface, they followed the instruction of Lolth and headed for the underground. Little is known of them by most folk, for the number that venture out are few and far between.


- Dark Elves are a subterranean society who have made homes in the depths of the Underdark. Ruled via a matriarchy, their worship of their patron of Lolth is of the highest importance in all aspects of life. Willing to kill, betray, and even sacrifice their kin for the smallest inkling of a chance to gain Lolth's favor, the Dark Elves are an inhumane lot that earn the ire of many beings of good. The level of cruelty and malice inflicted in all their actions is something deeper than mere conditioning, something honed further than just out of necessity. Those who believe that only a creature with no emotion, no soul, could perform the vile deeds that take place commonly in their vast sprawling underground networks are correct. For the Dark Elves' transformation when they accepted Lolth as their Matron goddess came at a heavy price, their very souls.

- Dark Elves universally contain a duo of souls, their original one and one of hate, spite, malice and delight in causing suffering. A normal soul and a dark soul resides within, and as the Dark Elf is continously exposed to the horrors that is their own society, the dark soul grows in power. The Dark Soul is referred to in the Dark Elven tongue as 'Umbra', or 'The Kiss of Dark' in Common. Generally before even reaching adulthood, a Dark Elf's original soul has been completely consumed, becoming a being a pure evil. Dark Elves long for nothing more than to perform misdeeds and hear the lamentations of their foes, as such their daily routine is one of torture and punishment. Pushing slaves to their deaths and killing the ones their enemies hold dear just to hear the tearing of the heart's strings, at times literally.

- In the case of Half-Elves of Dark Elf descent, they are offensive to the Dark Elves. While it's common for a Dark Elf female to force her way or have a male do so for her, actually going through the entire ordeal of pregnancy and birth to produce what's seen as a thinblood containing the lineage of a lesser race is a humiliation. Generally, the unborn child would be aborted through usage of medicinal herbs or directly carving it out if the life of the mother isn't something of importance. Like their parent, Half-Elves are cursed with the Umbra as well.

- Thanks to the Umbra, Dark Elves have shifted away from the plane of Arborea that their Eladrin originators dwelled in, becoming more in tune with the Shadowfell instead. As a Dark Elves' soul becomes consumed by the Umbra, they gain greater and greater control over the dark and what dwells within it. The greatest of Lolth's Priestesses command armies of shadowy spiders from places unknown to man, and can see within the soul to gain insight to one's darkest thoughts.

- The Eladrin that they originally were look upon the Dark Elves with hostility and disgust, apalled at the degeneracy of the Dark Elf race as a literal insult to their own kind. Eladrin and Dark Elf are at war, commonly fighting skirmishes at sites near entrances to the Underdark, as well as deep within its cavernous network when the Eladrin dare to brave it. At the moment things are at the level of occasional strikes at one another due to the Dark Elves incapability to face the sun as well as the Eladrin's inability to defeat the Dark Elves in their own territory. Should one side ever surpass these obstacles, however... The extinction of either race is sure to happen.



Saurlona
A country where one's bloodline determines their worth.

Saurlona was originally formed over a millennium ago by Chindras, the Breathless. Chindras was a powerful Adamantine Dragon, who took on the fair and just Aelonda the Arcane as his mate. Settling upon Raanan island, a tropical jungle surrounded by several similar, smaller islands. Chindras was well aware of how greastly his lifespan dwarfed Aelonda's. As such he used his utmost effort to lengthen hers with his Draconic Magic, and succeeded in doing so- for a time. Despite Chindras' efforts Aelonda was still but a mortal, and perished merely a century later. Despairing in his grief, Chindras followed her soon after, but not without ensuring that their legacy would be left behind.

Millenia later, Saurlona has become a series of loosely connected territories belonging to a variety of Dragonborn noble houses all subservient to the Draconic Royal Family, who have the greatest blood connection to the late Chindras. Within this nation, the lineage and bloodline matters most above all, and one's future prospects and worth would be judged solely by the purity of their blood. Fortunately, purity of blood is a simple matter to see within the nation.

The thinnest of blood, those who've strayed far from Chindras' lineage, barely resemble the draconian being that created them. A thin sheen of scales, a small, lizard-like frame, sharpened fingernails at best, the Least Dragonborn are best compared to goblins with lizard-like traits and make up the majority of the commoner population.

Bearing a full coat of scales and dragon-like facial features, fully formed claws, and altogether appearing dragons trapped in a humanoid form, the Lesser Dragonborn lack tails and wings, but remain a step above the common folk. These Dragonborn form the Minor Noble population in the nation, and boast a vivid range of scale colorations and hues that denote their House and heritage.

Standing as great as fifteen feet tall, with great strength and presence are the Greater Dragonborn. These few make up the Major Nobles, a trio of Houses that are second only to the Royal Family themselves. They possess all the traits of the Lesser Dragonborn, as well as tails, wings, and a huge stature that towers over the rest of their kind and other races.

The purest of blood, those with the most direct bloodline to Chindras himself, are limited to the Draconic Royal Family. Known as True Dragonborn, they possess scales that shimmer in a myriad of colors, shifting through the rainbow itself. Just as large as the Greater Dragonborn, the power they wield cannot even be compared to that of any others. Anyone within the nation that sees a member of the Royal Family can attest to the beauty of their scales, a pearly, glossy white that contains hints and glimmers of all colors.

Notably, the Draconic Royal Family is rarely within the country. One of the traits shared by the descendants of Chindras is his Draconic Greed, referred to as The Will to Reclaim. All Dragonborn inherited his Draconian desire to build hoards, whether of power, knowledge, wealth, or any other concept that took a particular Dragonborn's fancy. As well his Will to Reclaim, they inherited Aelonda's free-spirited desire for adventure. Gifted with these two traits by their progenitors, the Dragonborn's intensity of these traits grow the purer their blood is. As such, the Draconic Royal Family are the greatest, most consumed by these and are rarely found within the country, off in foreign lands exploring in order to increase the size of their hoards.

The capital is called the Dragon's Maw and lies in the center of Ranaan Island, within a large crater where its said that Chindras laid his beloved Aelonda to rest before passing on beside her.



- Aelonda was a human weaver of the arcane arts, a master of manipulating the Weave and a mighty sorceress. Despite all of her talent and capability she was still mortal, and eventually passed on. The knowledge she passed down before her death is what much of Dragonborn history is based off of, and answers several ancient questions. The Dragonborn are loathe to share her teachings, partially due to the ones who hoard knowledge, but mostly due to it being a part of their precious legacy that they do not see other nations deserving to know of. The majority of her stored work is kept in the Royal Librarium.

- Chindras, the Breathless, is called so due to his lack of the signature Dragon Breath. In Aelonda's teachings, she explained that Chindras was exiled from the Adamantine Dragon home of the Twin Paradises, an unknown location hidden deep within another Plane. Chindras' exile included the sealing away of his Breath, bringing about his title.

- The Will to Reclaim is explained in Aelonda's teachings as an ancient hereditary trait passed down from all those related to dragons by the first dragon itself. The Progenitor, a being unknown beyond the fact that it held seemingly infinite cosmic power, was a being of great greed and coveted all in the world for itself. After taking all there was to take, it was struck down by its rivals and its hoard stolen. In its final moments it hissed out a vengeful curse, where its descendants will one day recollect its hoard and stand at the pinnacle where they belong, and once they do so all others will pay for their insolence. This curse is known to Dragonkind as The Will to Reclaim, and manifests in all of his descendants to date. Most view it as a blessing, as it gives all of them motivation to ascend higher, higher, and yet even higher in the world,feeling satisfaction only when they've taken all there is to take.

- The Will to Reclaim generally manifests in Dragonborn randomly, but always after experiencing exactly what is is their hoard will be based from. One who covets power may awaken to the Will to Reclaim once he stands over what was once an enemy that now lays defeated. One who covets despair may awaken to the Will to Reclaim after the death of a loved one. Some Dragonborn can go their entire lives without ever realizing what it is the Will to Reclaim demands of them, and experience a hollow sense of self. Something missing, a hole that cannot be filled. These Dragonborn are pitied by others and often assisted in trying to find out what their hoard is, sometimes even exiling them to force them to experience the world at large in an attempt to figure it out.



Flowering Moon Empire (Kāihuā Yuèliàng)
A country where only the strong have the right to command respect.

Emperor Xingshi Jiang is falling out of power while the First Prince Liang and Third Prince Duanhai are battling for the throne. The youngest royal, Princess Lihua spends the majority of her time outside the royal castle.

There are countless Sects that teach their own secret martial arts and techniques.
The four greatest sects consist of the Incinerating Sun (Fénshāo) Clan, the Dancing Scholar (Wǔdǎo) Sect, the Blades of Heaven (Tiān Jiàn), and the Frozen Angels (Lěng Tiānshǐ). Each of these four sects have two Emperor level existences that generally lead the rest of the sect.

The Incinerating Sun Clan (Fénshāo) is a fire-based martial arts sect with the largest amount of disciples, numbering over twenty thousand. They are based in the Burning Fields region, southwest of the capital. Their practitioners are as expected, specialized in fire-attributed arts. Their sacred fire arts are powerful enough to melt even a reinforced block of steel, and hold possess great destructive power. They are the weakest of the four major sects.
They are led by Jen Cheng.

The Dancing Scholar (Wǔdǎo) Sect is a research-centered sect. The sect is responsible for the production and research of musket and flintlock-like firearms, as well as explosive weapons. Their practitioners are known for hiding vast arrays of weaponry on their person, moving like the wind with great speed to outmanuever opponents before showering them in a barrage of ballistics. They are based on the far west of the Flowering Moon Empire within Twinkling Basin City. They are known for having a close relationship with the Lunar Merchant's Guild (Nónglì).
They are led by Yang Daewon.

The Blades of Heaven (Tiān Jiàn) are regarded as the strongest sect, and are highly traditional in their ways. Residing within the harsh Jagged Mountains region, they are simple, relying on hellish training regimes and extremely powerful resources such as medicine and training areas to become powerful forces not to be reckoned with. Their practitioners tend to use the short or longsword, with some spear users.
They are led by Tsai Shen, the publically acknowledged strongest individual within the Flowering Moon Kingdom.

The Frozen Angels (Lěng Tiānshǐ) are a sect based in the northern-most region of the Empire, within the frozen wintry lands that they practice their similarly cold teachings. The sect upholds a strict requirement that all their disciples are women of great beauty, as well as pure as the white snow their teachings make use of. They are the smallest of the major sects, containing only about two thousand disciples, but nonetheless each one is of extremely high capability. They are very isolated and rarely venture out from their main Sect Hall.
They are led by Lia Cangwe.

The Flowering Moon Empire has a powerful, wide-spanning merchantile empire known as the Lunar Merchant's Guild (Nónglì). They have branches in the majority of cities within the nation. The Lunar Merchant's Guild is several steps above common traders, and deals only in expensive, precious items. Many magical objects can be found within their vaults, and they hold an especially notable monopoly on the Mile Talisman, a special trinket that can be used for contacting others from tens, hundreds, and even tens of thousands of miles away.

The Incinerating Sun Clan (Fénshāo) typically regards one another with respect to seniority as is custom within the Flowering Moon Empire. As is expected of a sect, the students recieve shared Pavillions to use as quarters, and those of outstanding talent eventually get upgraded to private Pavillions of their own. The Clan's population within the main base consists approximately 18,000 Awakened & True level disciples, 2,000 Earth level instructors, about 80 Sky level elders, and 2 Emperor grand masters. The Clan Master Jen Cheng is only in the Sky level of ability, but behind him are the Grand Master Jen Zhonghui and Great Grand Master Jen Zhen, who are each the preceding Clan Masters before him. They remain in constant meditation and disassociate themself with worldly affairs as they seek even greater power, and haven't been seen in over a decade. They are supposedly kept in the Deathly Flame Pavillion in the upper spires of the cliffs the main clan base resides within.

Jen Cheng has three sons, at the ages of 21, 19, and 16. Their names from eldest to youngest are Yan, Ling, and and Gu. Jan Cheng himself is an extremely prideful man with a very tempered sense of caution and care. This has led to him keeping the Clan safe from any particular dangers during his leadership, but he has also not taken any risks that could reap similar rewards. His popularity outside the Sect isn't high, as he's seen as too hesitating, completely unfitting of the dragon of a man expected to lead one of the four greatest sects.

Cheng's eldest son, Jen Yan is best described as a hedonist. In the prime of his youth and posessing Earth level power at his young age, he's looked upon favorably within his Sect. Nonetheless he's well known for his constant philandering and indulgence in his base desires, oftentimes abusing his power as one of the politically strongest within the Flowering Moon Empire to get what he wants. Recently, he exiled his youngest brother for striking at him.

Jen Ling is well-known as the smartest of his siblings, and certainly the most charismatic. His reputation is greatest between the three, as he's usually found consorting with others and fostering relations. His level of power is some leagues below Yan's, but the Sect views him as a favorable possible Clan Master should something were to ever happen to Yan.

Jen Gu is the youngest of the three and currently exiled from the Clan. The Instructors say that Gu had a sudden outburst and struck out against his eldest brother in a fit of insanity, and has been exiled from the Clan to reflect upon his wrongdoings. However, the disciples often whisper of a loud series of shouting and laughter coming from Yan's Pavillion on the night before the incident, and gossip of a possible conspiracy. Nowadays, he resides within the capital training under the Royal Family's Flowering Moon Arts until he can earn his entry back into his clan.

Belief-wise, the Flowering Moon Empire planar terminology is:
Feywilds - The Yokai's Lands
Shadowfell - Yomi
The Four Elemental Planes - The Four Symbols' Domains, Air being Azure Dragon, Fire being Vermillion Phoenix, Earth being White Tiger, and Water being Black Turtle
Positive Plane - Yang
Negative Plane - Yin
Celestial & Fiendish Planes - Heaven

Heavenly Dragon Dynasty (Tiānlóng) and Ebony Fiend Nation (Wūmù Móguǐ)

Levels of power referred to in the Flowering Moon Empire are as follows:
1. Pupil level (lvl 0)
2. Awakened level (lvl 1)
3. True level (lvl 3)
4. Earth level (lvl 5)
5. Sky level (lvl 7)
6. Emperor level (lvl 9)