Our world is shaped by magic now - natural considerations come second.
Shards are regions of co-existing magical influence that shape the world of Ithekshem. Created when the world was still cooling from the
End of All Things and by cataclysms in the decades after, Shards have become the regions of the world. Within each Shard, magic has settled and shaped the lands within it. The influence of a Shard can be either subtle or stark, depending on its strength. Most are subtle, but some are so infused with the corpses of other planes that entering one is like stepping into another world.
A World Reforged
Almost every aspect of the world of Ithekshem is governed by the Shards. The land is fertile or barren because of the energies that suffuse the world just beyond perception first - volcanic ash, flood plains, and other laws of nature come second. As Ithekshem settles further in from the
End of All Things, even these things matter less and less, as the power of Shards extinguishes volcanoes, dry out flood plains, or force flowers to bloom in a desert. Likewise, climate and temperature are now shaped by Shards as much as anything else - Shards with a influence of Fire will grow warmer, even when surrounded by glaciers.
Only energy absent from Shards are the Divine element - these usually coalesce into Demesnes instead.
Few Shards contain only a single elemental aspect. Even competing forces exist together in Shards, merging their effects on the land. Some combine to create regions of wonderful climate and gentle environments, while others are barren ashland of prowling specters and desiccating heat.
Element |
Effects |
Examples (Strong to Weak) |
Astral |
Time and space, perception, memories and the mind. Starlight, the celestial sphere. |
A cavernous system where time passes slowly. A land where memories are always perfect. |
Blood |
Vigor and blood-lust, ferocity and physicality. Ambition and unrest. |
An Abyss-infected hell-pit. A wartorn and blood-soaked land. |
Necrotic |
Lands grow barren, or diseased. Undeath and specters. |
A bone-strewn plain where nothing grows. A fetid, disease-plagued swamp |
Earth |
Mineral wealth, caverns, mountains and hills, hard stone, stoic and solid. |
A monolith-shaped mountain. A land of wealthy mines. |
Fire |
Heat, warmth, and flame. Boiling, steaming, |
A boiling lake. A steaming jungle. |
Air |
Winds and weather, storms and lightning, all things that fly. |
An eternal thunderstorm. Windswept plains. |
Water |
Cold, moisture, wet. Access to water, even where none should be. Slime, humidity. |
A city-sized maelstrom. A cold tundra. |
Nature |
Fertility, wild life, growth rates and lifespans. |
A forest verdant beyond reason. A glade where none should be. |
Divine |
Unknown - but Wizards would sure love to find out. |
A land blessed by the god's dying aspect. A region cursed by their final breath. |
Really nice companion article to your one on scars. Also... you're going to write articles for all those awesome 'sea' creatures, right?! :D
Thank you! And... You bet! :D
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.