The Tome of Beginnings, an Introduction to the Lands of Aereltia and the Creatures Therein

Welcome to the lands of Aereltia, a land of dense jungles, wide prairies, and endless oceans; bathed in the light of a thousand stars.

Here you will find strange creatures of the deep, the enimatic Lorn; the mysterious people of the eastern lands over the sea, the Zaerlir; and of course us, the Eno, inhabitants of the lands of Maenydes, the western continent. Here you will find an introduction to the peoples of this world and the places they call home.

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The world of Aereltia Ennynith is divided into the West, the continent of Maenydes, and the Eastern Lands; with the ocean of The Endless Waters between them. The West is home to the various kingdoms of the Eno, most notably Strasia to the east, Echya Chen to the north, and Ilanis and Asrines to the south. The Eastern Lands, the kingdoms of Gleynia, Otreau and Efrait, are the countries of the Zaerlir, those cryptic beastfolk who inspire wild tales among the youth and the drunkard.

Eno

Eno are the predominant species of the west, native to the dense, subtropical-inspired jungles of the coasts. They are driven inventors and scholars, and the most technologically advanced of the known peoples of Aereltia, although the true strength of the Zaerlir is yet to be fully discovered.
Certain Eno kingdoms have a long history of bad blood with the Lorn, and an even longer history of bloodshed among themselves. They also possess the most trained wishmages, as their knack for experimentation has allowed them to discover many of the flaws and secrets of wish magic.

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Lorn

Lorn are the lords of the waters, creatures of the depths, amphibious dragons of strange face and speech. Their meloncholy tunes can be heard most clearly at night along the shores, and the lights of their island nation of Annirth can sometimes be seen over the dark waters, if the storms of the sea relent. They possess the great gift of memory, and remembrance through song. They are so dedicated to their gift of song that many dedicate their lives to finding something worthy to sing about, and go about the waters and lands singing to all who will hear. Few Eno indeed have mastered their speech well enough to learn their songs; some can only be sung with two voices as the Lorn have. Even the proud Eno must admit that much of the great artworks in our museums have Lornic creators; the southern kingdoms are fair overflowing with gifts from the Lorn, century after century.

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Zaerlir

The third known sapient creatures of Aereltia are the Zaerlir [Zah-air-lir], the Swift-feet, the People of the Grass, the [strange] likenesses of which are enshrined in our museums, rumours of Zaerlir oddities leaping through the streets as nimbly as they do, their tongue and customs stranger still than the Lorn. They are keintavr, people of two bodies, a lower body like that of a forest-goat, and where their head should be, another body; a form of naked skin from the waist to the head, which is the only part having hair, and atop their head are horns, of which there seems to be no similarly in form between one individual to the next.

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Gods

The gods of Aereltia are the three brothers, Seren, Anwo, and Ju, the great spirits of the heavens. These created the world and all that moves therein, a great work of art and display of love. Seren, the eldest god, created the form of the earth, its body and heart. Anwo, the second brother, made all life that moves and breathes but has no soul, and every green thing, and all the waters. The youngest brother, Ju, desiring to also make something wonderous and lovely, deigned to make beings to love and cherish the world as much as the brothers did: a little less than the gods, Ginn, those-of-souls.
He poured his soul into his work, as his brothers had done, and made the Ginn, a wonderous work indeed. But souls cannot be created, they must be taken, or given; and Ju tore his own soul into fragments and scattered them among the Ginn. The remains of his soul, unable to be parted from the portion of soul within the realm of the World, was drawn down into it, and fragmented. His elder brothers, shocked and amazed at what he had done, cradled the splinters of his soul in their arms; and thus they have remained throughout the ages, the sky cradling the Stars.

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Magic

The magic of Aereltia is relatively simple, at it's heart. As with all things, it can be complicated by those seeking to master it perfectly. The source of our magic, we understand, comes from the Stars: the fragments of Ju's soul, and the souls of the dead (which are indeed parts of Ju's own soul). One seeking magic comes to an office of the Obsidian Quill, the guild that oversees the writing of the oaths needed to use the power of the Stars, and applies for an oath.
The oath is what grants the power of the Stars, but there must be something given for something taken. For each wish, there is a cost, a Measure of your soul must be offered to the Star you are bound to, in exchange for the power to change reality. The most powerful the Star, and the more Measures of your soul you offer, the more powerful is the wish that can come true.
You cannot, of course, offer all nine Measures of your soul, otherwise you would die; but one can safely offer up to six Measures, and less safely up to eight. Offering six Measures would leave you quite exhausted, but mages train a great deal to strengthen their bodies and will, to be able to withstand the strain. Offering eight Measures would leave even a skilled mage a withered husk on the brink of death, needing to recoup for several weeks to regain their strength and soul. We are as yet unsure how the soul 'refills,' as such, but it is a fascinating mystery we are seeking to unravel.

 Example illustration of the Eno, taken from another tome.

Self-portrait of a young oceanic Lorn, donated to the Academy of Faemarry, in Ro-dar'se, Asrines.

Illustration of a Zaerlirian warrior, circa [300 or so years ago]. Gifted to the Dilusia Estate by the Lornic painter Molnohael kin-Shonyi before his death.