Eset

Capital: Eana
Hallmarks: Eldritch Monsters, Fog, Hidden Cities, Psychic powers, Ancient Secrets.
Character Concepts: Deposed Psyker-King; Psyker-prince; Bonecarver; Monster herder; Monster tamer; Travelling Storyteller; Seeker of Knowledge; Emissary of a Psyker-king
Eset is a land of ruins, shrouded in mist and infested with monsters. It's geography can change in strange and subtle ways. A route that is safe one day may not be safe the next as new forks appear from nowhere, long-forgotten palaces emerge from the fog, and strange creatures shriek in the distance. Only the margins are inhabitable, and then just barely. Though it seems barely a hundred miles across, the world within the mists sometimes seems as large as the one outside them. People avoided it for millennia, knowing it to be cursed and profane. The region was thought uninhabitable until a century after the shattering, when the Myklean empire was destroyed within its depths. Over the centuries since, more and more people have emerged from the mists, proving that Eset was home to more than monsters and mist.
The native people of Eset are deeply isolated, living simple lives in fortified towns and villages. They have changed little in thousands of years, and they accept the struggles of this world without complaint. Their ancestors lived hard lives, they live hard lives, and their children will live hard lives. Perhaps because of this, they have an incredibly rich culture of storytelling and bonecarving. Most of their art is about their empire; long-dead to the outside world, very much alive to the people of Eset. Their rulers are the Psyker-Kings, titans of mental prowess greater even than the artificial gods of Myklos. With their powers, they may hold back the mist, and tame the horrors which emerge from time to time. Many slowly lose their mind as a result of constant contact with inhuman horrors, and the Eseti spend a lot of their time outside of farming appeasing their increasingly unhinged lords. Due to the difficulty found in travelling long distances, the people of Eset strongly identify with their local communities and their King above and beyond anything else.
The City of Khai-Yarad is found within the mists, and from it comes all manner of twisted elixirs to expand the mind and enhance the body. As a result, more and more have started to brave the mists of Eset, thinking to find similar wonders lost to time. Many have died in the process, but a handful have found incredible riches, even bringing Eseti out of the mist with them. Despite this, Eset is a distant myth to most people, a source of fear and mystery. Even the wisest know little more than what is written here, and the Eseti remain silent, shrouded in their mist-covered villages.

Interesting things about Eset

• Eset has few of the necessities for life - the land has little more than river mud, reeds, and monsters. The Eseti have grown adept at using what little they have to endure, and even thrive. River mud makes for acceptable farmland, or pasture for their cattle. A traditional Eseti house is made from reeds, though fortifications and the mansions of the King tend to be made from mud brick. Monster bone, teeth and chitin substitute for metal. Ploughs, weapons, tools, supports, jewelry, and many other things are all made from the bodies of monsters which emerge from the mist
• The mist of Eset is a living thing. It flows unaffected by wind, it births eldritch horrors forth into the world, and it seems to respond to the powers of the Psyker-Kings. It was bound long ago by the Old Gods of Ixamal to never expand its borders, but the Eseti believe that eventually the mist will break these bonds and swallow the world. Disturbingly, it or something very much like it has been reported in distant regions of Kana, descending on cities and rendering them utterly uninhabitable.
• Monsters which spawn from Eset are called the children of the mist. Most are beasts, dangerous but well within the power of a King to control. Intelligent Children of the Mist on the other hand are each utterly unique, with minds beyond mortal comprehension. Mere contact with them is enough to utterly break a weak-willed King. But they also tend to make the most powerful servants by far.

Eseti Characters

There are exceedingly few Eseti in the outside world, and those who emerge from the mist tend to have great difficulty adjusting to life outside. When creating an Eseti character, consider the following things:
Superstitious. The mists are strange and uncanny, following a logic all of their own. Growing up within them, you have adopted many strange and seemingly arbitrary rituals to ensure survival. Each kingdom has their own set of strange customs that you probably still hold to.
Agoraphobic. Within the mists where you grew up, there is no horizon. Every direction eventually fades into a wall of grey, with the sun occasionally peeking through to provide thin light. As a result, you have difficulty with the wide-open spaces of the world beyond the mists. You are likely to be somewhat used to it, but wide plains and open seas still make you nervous
Sense of Direction. Surviving in Eset requires a very good sense of direction, to tell when the mists are turning you around or you are getting lost. You can find your way around even the largest of cities with only a little exposure, and will always know how to retrace your steps

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Neighboring Nations

• Ashaari Hegemony

Related Ethnicities

• Esetu