The World Of Aesirine
Within the multiverse of this world, there exists a material plane known as Aesirine. While most of the races are newer to the world, appearing at the dawn of the first age (of recorded history), the land itself is ancient and mysterious. In the simplest terms, Aesirine is a high magic high fantasy setting. This world is completely homebrewed: throw any lore you knew out the window. Player characters within this setting can be adventurers, adversaries, or just folks trying to make their way in the world. Everyone has a story to tell; this is how those stories are told.
In this introduction, I will briefly describe the ages, kingdoms, notable groups, and features that are unique to the setting.
Through the Ages
The historians of Wend have broken down the passage of time into six unique eras. Each era has a name that summarzies the most notable event that happened in that time frame. All history currently recorded has been collected after the Age of Calamity, and that which came before is mostly unknown. This is a major area of study by modern scholars. If you wish to view the timeline, please click
here.
The Age of Creation (???-0)
This was the age it is believed Aesirine created the entire realm. The only thing presumed is from the earliest texts: there was a war between dragons and giants that nearly caused an extinction of both races. The exact length of time is unknown: the end of this age is the dawn of humanity within the world.
The Age of Settlement (1-2000)
It is believed that during this age gods, fey, fiends, and what have you began to create races upon this plane. Or perhaps in some instances, guide races to this plane from another. The shorter lived races were the most ready to expand; while other longer lived races isolated for these first 2,000 years.
The Age of Prosperity (2001-3654)
During the age of prosperity, races that had built empires upwards instead of outwards began to share with their findings and technologies with their neighbors. In turn, those that build outward were quick to share their own discoveries as well. This was an age of peace, innovation, and bounty. The exact date for this era is known due to the start of the age of calamity: the darkest time in the history of the realm.
The Age of Calamity (3654-6000)
Known as the Age of Suffering, Age of Catastrophe, Age of Extinction, and most commonly the God Wars. This age comes up most frequently in the Legends of Aesirine Campaign, as the players are currently trying to unravel the mysteries of what truly happened. As these wars raged on, the gods of the realm were killed and quickly replaced as those greedy or needy claimed their power for themselves. The humanoid races of the plane suffered greatly, being forced to fight or flee. Unlikely alliances were forged and most hold true to this day. Most notably, during this time the elves of Lyath Shaeras isolated with the help of their own pantheon. Whether or not they survived is unknown, as no one has seen a moon elf since the Calamity. Different regions have different endings to the war. In the northwest, the Dwarves and Orcs will tell you Calamity ended with the creation of the Silverflare Trench, the lake that separates the two civilizations. The rest of the realm will say that Calamity ended with the slaying of the greater demon Argoreus within the inner walls of Rithelm. The members of Minstrels and Mayhem will tell you that no matter what the cause, Aela Lightbringer's sacrifice truly sparked the war's end. One thing is certain: the end of the war resulted in massive losses, reshuffled borders and new kingdoms; as the Kingdom of Wend only held onto their western territories which it further divided between the factions that came to its aid.
The Age of Discovery (6001-8004)
As the dust settled and the certainty of peace settled in, the races of the world were fast to innovate and develop so that if this were to ever happen again they would be prepared. Farming, war, seafaring: you name it, it's industry boomed. This led to the rise of Guilds, an established group of traders verified by the few remaining Kingdoms as trustworthy vendors. Nearly all trade began to be regulated by the League of Guilds, which led to a stable economy and a wider availability of goods. As time goes on, the League became greedier and greedier, resulting in a schism in their own ranks and Kingdoms becoming distrustful of the merchants. This age ended with the destruction of Astrazelia, the Land of Starlight.
The Age of Uncertainty (8000-present)
In the Fifth Age of Aesirine's history, the state of the world is on the precipice of something major, but no one knows what is coming. Astrazelia, the shining jewel of the Eladrin Empire, quite literally fell out of the sky to begin the age. An unexplained massive magical attack was unleashed on the city on the night of the largest fey cultural festival. With there being no survivors and the land itself being inaccessible, with those who seek it out never returning, the aggressors or any motive will remain unknown for all time it seems. All nations have been on the edge for the last few hundred years, Cael Aundril and Rithelm being the two most nervous as they are their lands lay closest.
The Kingdoms & Regions of Aesirine
The Kingdom of Wend
The Kingdom of Wend was once the greatest power prior to the third age. The kingdom was split into the four cardinal directions, each having a council of 7 lords that resided over that area forming the king's council, answering to the king of Wend alone. As the third age progressed the council of lords dwindled from 28 to the last 7, with the last King of Wend holed up within the already weakened walls of the western city. Thankfully, Wend and the people in power have always been able to spin shit into gold and in the Fifth Age of humanity Wend remains the most defensible kingdom. This is most notably due to its alliances with the Drow beneath it, Fey-kin to the South and the Orcish and Halfling tribes to the north. Westwend has the largest population of any city in the continent, and the Kingdom of Wend as a whole can say the same. They export nearly everything imaginable, and are known for having settled directly atop a gold mine that now runs beneath the Silverflare Lake(also known as trench). The city has a reputation for thrusting people into the spotlight and makes celebrities or icons out of them. The famous adventurers of the Lyonhardt family can attest to this.
The Kingdom of Aundril
The once elven Kingdom of Aundril has become the "fey" kingdom of Aundril since the fall of Astrazelia. Astrazela's current elven Queen is closely aligned with both Westwend and the Guilds. Nearly all races with fey ancestry are found here en-mass. The capitol of Cael Aundril is known for being the Capitol of Guilds, as it houses most of the major traders thanks to it's accessible ports. Of all the Kingdoms, Aundril has the most stable economy. The city is equally known for the crimes committed against these powerhouse of wealth. The guilds tend to prefer their own muscle over the protection of Aundril's guard, and as such sell swords, mercenaries, and bounty hunters of all kinds are commonly found here. The real treasure of Aundril lies within its entertainment industry. The musicians have blended a unique style of dance, rhythm, and magic that the locals are calling Cael-Pop, or K-Pop. (Suzie made me do it)
The Kingdom of Rithelm
The Kingdom of Rithelm is notably the only truly human-ran kingdom in Aesirine. The crown rose to power after the third age, settling in the ruins of Southwend, and has had an iron grip on the region ever since. They are known best for their fertile lands and their location: perfectly in the middle of the continent. Though mostly human, some minor lords are half-elven. The southern most reaches, towards Inse-on-Ridge, are well known for their hospitality and accepting nature. As such that region is as diverse as Westwend itself, maybe moreso. Rithelm is known to squabble with their neighbors and even take drastic measures against it's own citizens thanks to the paranoia of House Thenn who rules the region.
The Khanate of Khur Zhonthur
The orcish khanate is home to all types of goblinoids: refugees from a war in the fourth age between themselves and Rithelm to the north. Ruled by several tribes, the Khanate has risen to power only recently despite decades of living on the land. The leader, Khan, is appointed by all tribes who choose whom they believe to be most fit to lead at that time. This lasts until they are ousted from power, step down, or pass away. The Khanate in its current state is seeking peace with Rithelm to the north and the dwarvish kingdom of Dol Volgreth to the east. Much like Rithelm, the lands of Khur Zhonthur are best for farming, though they have preference to breed horses and livestock. They control much of the southern coast and have developed into avid sailors. They are known for being a culture of travelers, only having one centralized city for which their entire holding is named.
The Kingdom of Dol Volgreth
Dol Volgreth is the name the dwarves use to describe their holdings in the eastern parts of the world. Dol Volgreth is dwarven ruled but contains a myriad of races, as the dwarves that live here are primarily hill dwarves. Since mining and manufacturing dominate the economy here, the Mining Guild of Thurndhumn has become the political leaders of the region. This region has so much wealth it barely knows what to do with it, though frequently has troubles from monsters that lurk where wealth is gained: both literal and figurative.
The Kingdom of Dol Gurihm
The lonely mountain island off the southern coast of Dol Volgreth is where the mountain dwarves have called home for centuries. Having last received visitors 200 years ago, those that live here are happily cut off from the politics and drama of the rest of the world. Instead, they are very much immersed in their own squabbles. The King of Anvil Fire maintains positive relations and trade networks with his neighbors despite never leaving his homeland. A network of emissaries, often non-dwarven, will visit and act on the King's behalf. Most notably the city of Anvil Fire is the second largest next to Westwend, and known to be a city deep below the ground featuring rivers of lava. It is here that the weapons that slayed the gods of the third age were believed to have been forged. It is said that the lost Kingdom of Gevror Grov is connected to Dol Gurihm.
The Amreeshan Sands
The Riders of the Amreeshan Sands, a famed daring guild of adventurers who ruled the desert wastes, are now second in renown to the Amreeshan Trader's League. When the Guilds agreed on acceptable trading goods, the Amreeshan Traders came together and quickly formed a black market. This network of trading is global and has outgrown what it sought to work around. Nearly everyone who lives in the sands works for the Traders in some way, whether they realize it or not. The Sands themselves are a resource rich land, but an incredibly deadly place to live or venture out into. The Riders have been taking from the land for centuries and it has more to give than they've ever taken. The people here were once nomadic or if lucky, living under the protection of the Riders. Thanks to the invention of gunpowder, it has become easier for people to exist in groups and begin to build towns that dot the trade routes.
Lyath Shaeras
Seeing a sun elf is a rare. Nearly every wood elf to exist lives within the protection of the enchanted forest that is Lyath Shaeras. The isolation began during the third age and has remained this way ever since. Sun elven travelers can be seen on occasion in packs with Riders of the Sands, fighting and dying in the desert, but they are solitary still. No one that enters the forest leaves, and no elf that's left has ever expressed a desire to return. As a result very little is known of this culture.
The Dragonblood Peaks
The unforgiving, blisteringly cold mountains of Dragonsblood are a culturally sacred land to the dragonborn people. It is said that when the 10 progenitor dragons came to this plane, each landed atop a mountain that they claimed as their own. Though the dragonborn people live together in harmony, when one comes of age they must ascend the peak of their ancestor and deposit one of their scales at the shrine there. It is from that point on they are considered a dragon within their society. This land breeds the most ferocious fighters, and it must due to the constant threats they face. They rarely venture outside their lands as they view this place as having the blood of their ancestors: dragons once fought and died on these lands. There is a leader of each "faction" (IE red, blue, gold, silver, etc). They happily welcome outsiders.
Astrazelia and Gevror Grov
Astrazelia, the Land of Starlight, was once the shining gem of the Fey-Elven Empire in this world. Gervor Grov was a city of dwarves, many of whome were "deep diggers" that simply enjoyed the exploration that came with mining. Both communities were beacons to their respective communities. That light was extinguished at the dawn of the Fifth Age, as sailors reported witnessing a cataclysmic event that ended in a flash of bright blue light. Storms lasted for weeks, turned into months, turned into years. The seas around this isle are treacherous for the most seasoned sailor. Through the enteral storm some wreckage of the city can be seen through the lavender-cyan haze. Some report seeing movement. The mountain of Gevror Grov still stands, and there has been movement spotted several times on the land. However no one has ever left if they are more than a mirage, and even further no one who has made land has ever been heard from again.
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