Juelkaen
Juelkaen is a broken world. It was a world steeped in magic. The denizens of the world had advanced in their understanding of magic to the point that they were capable of creating gates that could transport people and cargo across the world in an instant and could even create craft that could leave the planet. Then a war broke out, involving over half the nations on the planet. For several long years, the war continued, and millions died. Finally, in an act of desperation, one nation unleashed a devastating magical weapon, which had unintended consequences. It was meant to destroy entire armies in an instant. Instead, it caused a chain reaction that fed through the ley lines and domain nexi. The ley lines and the world tree shattered, flooding the world with unfiltered, corruptive aether.
There was always aether in the world. It leaked from the ley lines in small amounts, which could infect the occasional animal or object, turning them into monsters or cursed items. However, this was a flood that, in the span of a few hours, changed everything. Untold numbers of animals mutated into monsters, spells either fizzled or went horribly wrong, and magic items became cursed and deadly. Overnight, society collapsed as nations fell and cities, built on the magic that now either simply didn’t work or backfired in spectacular and often lethal ways.
As is often the case, life finds a way. Despite the apocalypse, a fraction of the world’s population survived. The old cities now stand as ruins, and the remnants of the old world’s wondrous, magical technology are treated as ticking time bombs.
Even magic survived. Those with natural magic developed magical cores similar to those found in magical beasts, allowing them to filter raw aether into a usable form that they could use to power their natural magics. Dragons could still breathe fire or fly despite their massive bulk, Elves could maintain their incredible lifespans, and many other species could use their natural gifts. Beyond this, the cores of magical beasts can be harvested, refined, and absorbed, giving people new abilities to wield.
There was always aether in the world. It leaked from the ley lines in small amounts, which could infect the occasional animal or object, turning them into monsters or cursed items. However, this was a flood that, in the span of a few hours, changed everything. Untold numbers of animals mutated into monsters, spells either fizzled or went horribly wrong, and magic items became cursed and deadly. Overnight, society collapsed as nations fell and cities, built on the magic that now either simply didn’t work or backfired in spectacular and often lethal ways.
As is often the case, life finds a way. Despite the apocalypse, a fraction of the world’s population survived. The old cities now stand as ruins, and the remnants of the old world’s wondrous, magical technology are treated as ticking time bombs.
Even magic survived. Those with natural magic developed magical cores similar to those found in magical beasts, allowing them to filter raw aether into a usable form that they could use to power their natural magics. Dragons could still breathe fire or fly despite their massive bulk, Elves could maintain their incredible lifespans, and many other species could use their natural gifts. Beyond this, the cores of magical beasts can be harvested, refined, and absorbed, giving people new abilities to wield.