Emberez

WHAT, AND WHERE, IS EMBEREZ?:   Emberez is less of a realm and more of a currently-inhabited void, a blip in the multiverse, located within the Forgotten Realms. It’s comprised of various cities, all of which contain portals to other places throughout the Realms, and some natural ecosystems including forests, lakes, and mountains.   WHO LIVES IN EMBEREZ?   Nearly everyone who lives in Emberez is a celestial or a fiend or follows/serves a celestial or a fiend. Most of these people are simple commoners who want to live near those they worship, surrounded by others who also worship their gods or beings, The other inhabitants are members of the factions who control West and East Emberez. These people are spies, warriors, masterminds, and nobles who comprise the warring factions: the celestial order of the Aureum, and their demonic opposition, the Malum Animus.   Emberez was established during 1358 DR during the Time of Troubles, when gods across the pantheon were being forced into mortal forms. During this time, celestial beings who served these deities feared the same would happen to them, and sought out a place to live in peace and maintain their celestial nature. They discovered a wild, empty void filled with warmth and bright sunlight. They claimed it, and named it Eré.   Demonlords and otherworldly beings saw what was happening to the gods they often opposed, and worried that they would be next. They, too, began searching for a place where they could maintain their true forms and not be stripped of their fiendish power. These beings found a wild, empty void filled with cold and darkness. They claimed it, and named it Ember.   Little did they know that Eré and Ember were the same place. They quickly discovered that their temporary home was occupied by their enemies, and war broke out immediately. The battles were brutal and bloody for both sides, and a tenuous truce was made. They agreed to share the void if each side kept to their own territory. They made a deal and unified the void, calling it Emberez. However, despite the truce, each side builds its militia, biding its time. The war continues, and each side does what they can to undermine the other. Will there ever be peace in Emberez? If so, at what cost?   INSPIRATION   Emberez was inspired by the ever-present tension between western and eastern Europe. West Emberez is heavily inspired by Italy and the Holy Roman Empire. East Emberez is influenced by places like Prague, Budapest, and St. Petersburg.