An Introduction to Etrea

A world primer

It is the 28th day of Terminus in the year 5346 of the Enervant Age. Around the world, a new year is about to be welcomed as dawn breaks on the final day.
The Enervant Age began with a catastrophic event known as the Renewal. The memories of its sapient inhabitants were wiped away, leaving them only with snatches and dreams of what came before. The world itself was stripped bare and create anew, though some remnants of before can still be found scattered across Etrea. There are no clues as to how these ruins survived the purge.
No one knows what caused this event - or if it could one day happen again.
Etrea is a planet in the Celestial Spiral, a solar system of ten distinct planets. It is understood to be the fourth planet from the sun, and is the only known celestial body to contain and support life. Although travel to the stars is still a long way in the future, people around Etrea look up at the night sky and wonder.

An Overview of Sapient Beings

It is generally accepted by scholars that the sapient beings in Etrea descended from a single, ancient species, known only as the origin. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, however, have separated these beings into four distinct species.
Whilst the following is a rather simplistic overview - in practice, each species can be split further - these four categories are broadly utilised in both scientific and academic circles.

Humans

Humans are the most prolific and widespread of the sapient species in Etrea. They tend to see themselves as the default, which allows members of other species to blend in seamlessly amongst them.
Humans are a diverse people, with myriad cultures and values. Some live in large cities made of stone, some in smaller towns or villages, whereas others travel as part of nomadic tribes or spend their whole lives at sea. Above all, they are social creatures who do poorly when isolated.
Humans have very little magic compared to their numbers. It is estimated that less than five percent of the population has some kind of magical talent.

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters are humanoids that have the ability to transform into a second form. Whilst being able to shift into another mammal is the most common transformation, there are also a variety of avian shifters. They cannot reproduce in their second form, as pregnancy inhibits the ability to shift. This, of course, has not stopped tales of egg-laying shapeshifters spreading amongst the human population.
Shifters tend to group together in tribes. These are most often comprised of those who shift into the same animal.
Some tribes, however, are formed of multiple animal types. There are also several mountain cities built by an alliance of avian shifters.

Dragons

Like shapeshifters, dragons are humanoids that can transform their bodies into a second form. Some schools of thought see the dragons as merely a subset of shapeshifters, though in recent years this way of thinking has become less popular due to key differences in their humanoid anatomy.
There are a variety of dragon species, each with their own unique features, but in general their second form is reptilian and about eight feet in length. Like with shifters, their transformation powers are suppressed during pregnancy.
Dragons tend to stick to their own kind and, in some places, have completely cut themselves off from others. Elsewhere, some dragon clans have integrated with humans and are a visible presence in their society.
Dragons are the most magical of the sapient species of Etrea, with almost a hundred percent of their population displaying some kind of magical talent. They believe, however, that they are much diminished compared to the ancient dragons they teach once walked Etrea.

Merfolk

Merfolk are humanoids that spend all of - or the majority of - their lives in the water. This is a broad category, and many merfolk separate themselves further into different species.
Many merfolk have a mixture of humanoid and ichthyoid features. Commonly, what would be legs are replaced by a long, powerful tail that aids with underwater propulsion. The diversity of merfolk species makes it difficult to describe what a "typical" merfolk would look like, however.
Merfolk generally keep to their own kind, though this is often due to the logistics of living in or under the water than any isolationist tendencies. To complicate matters, some merfolk have adapted to saltwater whereas others can survive only in fresh.
Like in humans, magical talent is relatively low in the merfolk population. Whilst some subspecies have a higher prevalence of magic than others, conservative estimates generally place possession of magical ability at between ten to fifteen percent of all merfolk. Some scholars believe this number could be more like thirty percent.

The Continents

Etrea

Open full size

Aenica

Stretching from the ice of the north to far south of the equator, Aenica is the largest continent on Etrea. As such, it boasts vast diversity in its inhabitants and biomes. It is in the period known as the long peace, as no war has been fought on its soil for the last two centuries - at least, not officially.
In the north, the Black Sea remains frozen for much of the year, serving as the home of several nomadic clans of humans. The mountains of the Great Northern Spine bisect the upper part of the continent, hosting the proud cities of avian shapeshifters, and large networks of caves where human hill tribes dwell.
To the south of the Spine, the dryest desert in Etrea stretches out like the mountains' shadow. The sands of the desert glitter in the unforgiving sun, forever shifting and obscuring long lost secrets.
To the far south, Aenica is characterised thick jungles and swamps with hot, sticky air. Scholars believe that the jungles of Aenica contain forty percent of all animal and plant species on Etrea, with up to a million left to be discovered.
As well as unique flora and fauna, the dense foliage hides a history soaked in blood, and the scattered ruins amongst the trees contain the remnants of fallen civilisations. The murky swamps dance with mysterious lights and rumours of monstrous creatures deter all but the most curious adventurers.

Caia

Also known as the Fractured Lands, Caia is made up of several distinct landmasses. The climate of Caia varies wildly between the extreme north, where the land is frozen almost year round, and the extreme south, which is hot and dry where it crosses the equator. A large mountain range snakes across the continent, though one section is shattered by what some scholars theorise could have been a catastrophic meteor impact. The remains of this part of the range are known as the Broken Isles, the shards of rock piercing the waves of Grey Waters giving rise to a large variety of both isolated and seafaring cultures. The mountains to the south are called the Teeth; to the north, the mountains are known as Ikeota.

To the north, the native Koushan Mai have been pushed to the fringes of their former homeland, avoiding those who would kill them for their beliefs. On the island of Daren, people live behind thick stone walls with no contact with the world beyond. The Ilwyrikan Sea, frozen for over half the year, creates a bridge between Ilwyrika and Achia, allowing travel and trade - though it has also been the site of several of the bloodiest battles in Caian history.
To the south, the vast grasslands of Akerra stretch out from horizon to horizon. Kaien, the self-styled cultural and academic capital of the world, strives for progress in the fields of medicine, magic, and astronomy, whilst their universities fight over the best students from all over Etrea. The rainforest that covers most of Zenra is threatened by increased logging and the spread of large-scale agriculture.

Oyekos

South of the equator, Oyekos is a war-torn continent split into two by a large mountain range. Once made up of many countries, the land to the north is slowly becoming swallowed by the ceaseless maw of the Hutsai Empire. North of the mountains, the land is made up of sandy desert, endless plains, and lush jungle. South of the mountains, the country of Koye is characterised by rolling moors.

Sarsand

Sarsand is a rocky, wet continent, where it is more likely to be raining than not. Fifteen years ago, the power of steam was discovered in the country of Dryst. This country is currently in the middle of an industrial expansion which is slowly spreading out to the rest of Sarsand.

The Jasperic Isles

A tropical archipelago, the Jasperic Isles is a region with diverse flora, fauna, and cultures. Whilst some islands have come together and formed alliances, others remain isolated from the rest of Etrea. There are also several underwater nations of merfolk who call the islands home.

Viretia

The majority of the continent of Viretia is warm and tropical, though towards the south the climate becomes temperate and colder. Beyond the southern mountains, the country of Fluvansii struggles with particularly harsh winters.

The Frozen North

The majority of The Frozen North consists of a gigantic chunk of floating ice known as The Expanse. Thick columns of ice, some miles wide, reach down to the sea floor, rooting it in place. The columns and underside of The Expanse are coated with bioluminescent algae, giving off an eerie blue glow.
A volcanic island chain seethes under a layer of ice and snow.

The Barren

The Barren is a cold land of rock and ice. Contrary to its name, there is life here if one knows where to look.