Broken Infinity

This world was lost to the Great Unbinding.   Before that, it was peopled with 8 Tribes that were descended from the Gods themselves. These mortal Tribes were diverse in their appearances and customs, often clashing, but still able to get along when the need was great. The people of this world laughed and cried, fought and loved just like people everywhere.   From beyond the Veil, Gods spoke frequently to their Priests, giving them the ability to do magic in their names. Religion infused much of the life of the mortals, but there were times when they drew away from the Gods, and times when the Gods couldn't save them. The Gods were split between two tiers: the Aetheri, Gods of Spirit, and the Netheri, Gods of Flesh. The Aetheri had been born of the conflict between the Elements. The Netheri had been born from the merging between bonded Aetheri.   Seething beneath the surface of the world slept the four Elements, the first primordial beings, that were paradoxically the root of all life, but also the things that were most likely to destroy life. In their earthly prison they slumbered, and woe be to the mortals that disturbed them. The Elements were beings of great power, but no one could tell if they had intelligence or not. All that power, bound in place, was a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off.