Navigation Guide to Aequus

^{Last updated: 20/04/19 - Update #51}

Introduction & Basics

Aequus is intended to be a setting from where I can draw games from - both videogames and TTRPG (mostly D&D 5e) campaigns. It is set on planet Earth, in a scenario just like real life but where magic exists, though it was just stripped away from the world (pre-Calamity), and after it was brought back in full force (post-Calamity). The most defining event in this universe, for this reason, is the Calamity, the event that separates two very distinct styles of setting.

That said, pre-Calamity events have fallen pretty low in my priority list. The following guide takes into consideration the post-Calamity events as the main driving force behind the project and the interest of the reader.

Fundamental Laws

Much of how the world is shaped depends heavily on how Magic works. The magic system is the basis behind the whole existence of the post-Calamity setting, and a driving point behind many events. As a hard-magic system, understanding it is very important to comprehend how everything came to be, so this is the recommended starting point.

1. The Workings of Aether & Magic is an article about the basics of everything related to the magic system. It explains where magic comes from, how it is manifested, how it can be used and how the user and magic interact. A must-read;


2. Soul bonding is the next step, an explanation of what may happen to a soul after death. It is an introduction to Bonded Items and the basis for the understanding of other religious subjects;


3. Optional: Rune Magic is a largely unknown form of magic, so while it does serve relevant purposes in the story, it is rarely ever mentioned. Some events can only be explained through it, but they are few and far between and approached in a more folklore-ish way by the people who witness them, making of this article unnecessary to the understanding of the whole picture;


4. The Elements & Styles category holds articles with insights about the 9 elements of magic and the concepts they embody. While a good read to fully grasp nuances of the magic system, it is mostly an optional one, as the elements only come into play in more practical situations.

Optional: Pre-Calamity

The saga before the Calamity, as said, is not a priority for the time being. Although it was this hand-made series of comics that started the entire project, which used to be known as "The Eternal War", and I intend on going back to it eventually, it has little importance in the post-Calamity setting. While taking a peek at the little information there currently is about the world during the Realm Wars would certainly help understanding how Archana and the other nations have come to be, its general impact in the daily events of Aequus is minimal to the point I'd rate this read entirely optional.

1. The Realms article offers a short, but decent explanation about what and how each Realm is. It gives a good idea of where Aequus stands in all of this;


2. Following that, the Realm Wars article explains how the Realms interact with one another and the war of millennia that has been waged between them. It concludes explaining what the Calamity is, and its consequences;


3. Also, the historical event entry, The Calamity, offers a little more complementary information about the event;


4. The other articles in this category have even less importance, maybe except for The Elemental Stones, which explain a bit about these powerful artifacts that will influence the post-Calamity world;

The Post-Calamity World

And before moving to the campaign stuff, a little of basic information about the Current World in general. Mostly everything here is optional reading, except for a few, important stuff.

1. Optional: The Other Nations & Places category organizes the few informations there are of other nations that still don't have a book-style category of their own. While not of utmost importance, these articles help to give a better understanding of the surroundings of Archana, and what kind of giants it stands among. And adding to that, there is also a map of the continent in the home page with pins for all these nations;


2. The articles on Races explain how each of them came to be and their characteristics, a pretty important subject to cover in a world where humans used to be the only sapient species around;


3. Optional: With that out of the way, the Peoples & Cultures category covers ethnicities that go beyond the borders of nations. Nothing necessary in the grand picture of things, but good to know to understand the different cultures of each race;


4. Optional: If there was a ranking of how optional an article is, the Bestiary category would probably be among the top contenders. An interesting read nonetheless, they explain how a few creatures have come to exist;


5. Optional: The Conditions & Diseases category, while a good read lore-wise, aims mainly to explain unconventional in-game status effects and diseases that have importance in historical events. Still, this is mostly only for those who want a more in-depth understanding of this subject;


6. Optional: Balancing on the line between important and optional reading, the Items & Materials contains articles on relevant raw materials and other items in the setting, that influence both gameplay and lore.

Book 1: The Kingdom of Archana

Here we get to the nitty-gritty, the lore, culture, geography and every information for the campaign of Archana.

1. As an obvious starting point, the article on the Kingdom of Archana explains how the kingdom came to be, its values, settlements, and so on. Its timeline also has a lot of information on specific events, expanding on old history and the origin of the main settlements and organizations within its borders;


2. After the basics of the kingdom are dealt with, the Settlements of Archana, Landscape of Archana, and Landmarks in Archana categories hold all informations about the map of Archana, for a better clarity and sense of positioning;


3. The rest of the Organizations in Archana, and the Culture of Archana categories follow to close the circle. With this, the most important pieces of information on geography and culture of Archana are all covered;
   
   3.5. Optional: Despite that, the Tales and Literature in Archana category has articles of little importance to the overall understanding of the setting, or contain information that can be found elsewhere, in more relevant articles;


4. No story can exist without characters, and here in the Personalities in Archana category is where every character currently alive and relevant to the story are at. Protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters and even living legends can be found here;


5. Optional: Historical Figures of Archana finishes the details on Archana's past with articles on the most important historical figures of the kingdom, most of which earned the title of Hero;


6. Optional: Official Ranks and Titles in Archana offers a little more detail on how the Archani view their ranks of authority and honorary titles;


7. The Professions in Archana category holds relevant professions, or in-game classes, in the Kingdom of Archana. They are relevant culturally and, more often than not, affects gameplay;


8. Optional: And finally, the category Others from Archana amasses other things that don't need a whole category of their one. Most of what ends up here are optional. And with this, the reading comes to an end.