Tulin

'Of stars and sand, not a speck of reality hasn't been fought over, and this world will be no different.' - Adara, The All-Mother

Written by Yerran

As seen in

Life's Heart

Orbiting a yellow sun and blessed with two moons, the world of Tulin floats through the expanse of Kaleos, once deep within the realm of Nightmare, but now within grey space. With bitter, mountainous poles and vast forests and oceans, the planet is the natural home to humans, a creature born of Nightmare and turned from their ways, it now sits in a position of incredible importance as an anchor world of the nine remaining Titan's of Life, and should it slip into darkness and shadow, it could lose all the gains of the Radiant Light since The Shattering.

Climate

Before the presence of 'The Light' Tulin was ever shrouded in the darkness of The Nightmare, a permenant twilight that choked the sun and cooled the planet. Upon the poles were sheets of ice as tall as mountains, never melting or moving without any cycles of day and night. And across much of the world hung a perpetual marshland, filled with abominable creatures and choked with twisting roots and dense ferns. The arrival of Sanyeal and her contingent, liberated the sun and began the cycles of day and night, melting polar ice, bringing snow, and pushing the waters of the marshes back into the oceans. This warmed the planet and saw fields and flowers bloom across much of its central surface, while the land became more easily malleable beneath the populations desires. The final big change came 4316L.C. at the pinnicle moment of the First Jarax War, when humanity stood on the brink with only the city of Yien and themselves between a complete reclamaition by the Nightmare.

The Titan's Eokir, The Hunter and Adara, The All-Mother and their respective detachments arrived through the portal in Yien, and pushed back the Nightmare that sought to consume the world. And with their arrival brought the blooming of trees, an alien species to Tulin, and dozens of astral fauna and flora. With each step of the land reclaimed and each of her horde lost, trees and plants of a new variety grew and when the First Jarax War came to an end, the face of Tulin had once more been changed, now covered in vast and dense forests. These too warmed the climate of the world to the state it is in to this date.

Celestial Bodies

Two moons orbit Tulin, each associated with meaning and history. The smaller moon is called Tavlo, and is red in colour. A iron dust clings to its surface giving it its glow and it is associated with danger and blood. The blue moon is the largest in size and is called 'Indrin' it represents peace and death and is considered sacred by the Avan'ish who hold their ceremonies below its light, but to them it represents 'the calm' before a hunt or battle as well as the peace you hold in your heart during battle and death. The blue moon is criss-crossed with monsterous cracks, created in a bettle between the Titan's Salne and Meius. The battle all but shattered the moon and extinguished the race that lived there. To this day the cracks pulse with the latent magic of their battle.

Populace

Humans

The major kingdoms of northern Tulin (Taelon, Sarvina, Hynor, The Free Cities) are all human, with most of their citizens living their lives without ever seeing another of the sentient races of Tulin. These kingdoms have spread across the largely intact northern hemisphere, though mostly collect in their cities and urbanised areas, feeling more at home in these places, and safer from the dangers that lurk in the wilds.

The Watchers

The Watchers, or Avan'ish, followers of Eokir that remained after the First Jarax War reside within these wilds, with their largest population centred on the High Peaks and their two cities there, Halindar and Alianor. Though several clans exist in the dangerous lands to the south and watch the Daggertooth Mountains, Ragland Wolds and Black Forest. The Avan'ish are Lightsworn through and through, with each member of their clan-like society a trained and practised hunter. Their beliefs are built around 'The Hunt', a practise of hunting the most dangerous beasts on Tulin and purifying darkness from this world. Their role is to watch and eliminate any threats of The Nightmare they find and to preserve Tulin as it is.

The Wardens

Generals and caretakers of Adara's forests and armies. The Wardens are huge plantoid creatures that can take any form and control lesser beings of the forest and aspects of life with communication of their telepathic hive mind. On Tulin, Wardens usually don humanoid structures to better assimilate and communicate without inducing fear. Though they can range in size, usually appearing at around three metres tall. They normally, stick to the forests, caring for the animals and whims of the Elder Trees, until called to protect the sanctity of life and their world.

The Remaining

Called so by the humans, these small pockets of alien populations usually stick to themselves. These are creatures that journeyed to Tulin before the closing of the Great Gate and have been forced to call this planet home. The largest portion is the Vrendesh, aquatic creatures that called the island of Vrendesh and the seas of Tulin their home. Though other pockets exists, usually within Yien, where they have small quarters to themselves, or some have even set their sights on lands further afield, setting sail for the Southlands to make a home for themselves. Though, the land is harsh, small settlements of these creatures have arisen along the coastline.

Secrets

For those who seek to unravel the mysteries of Tulin at their own pace and through the adventurers that grace the pages of 'Life's Heart' and following novels, you may wish to avoid the reveal below of the planet's importance. If you are eager to learn more about the world then continue on.

Life's Heart

The events of the novel 'Light's Heart' occur on this planet, set in the year 8384L.C.. The novel begins to uncover the importance of the planet and a trap to end an era. It follows the adventures of a Watcher, a Warden and a Magician, each with a stalwart belief in protecting the world as agents of 'The Light', only to realize it may already be too late. As tendrils of 'The Nightmare' seep into this seemingly safe world, the paths chosen by the characters plummet towards each other. Each a single puzzle piece in unravelling the mystery of the dead World Gate. Find the first few chapters in the link at the top of the page if you'd like to read more.

History

The history of Tulin is that of blood and loss, a tale repeated across the worlds of Grey-Space. For not one step of soil, rock or ocean was given willingly, and few that first inhabited the planets remain, or at least not as they once were. The Light's Crusade saw Tulin burn and be remade to the world it is today, and though now it champions the light, its seclusion has seen many tempted and seduced by powers that once held dominion over them. Making the world a facade of Light with which the darkness lies behind. Only The Watchers and Wardens are steadfast in their duty to prevent this key world from slipping back into the Nightmare. Find out more about this vital world's history in this timeline and draw a line from its bloody past to the present and what it means for its future.
The History of Tulin

Type

Planet

The Radiant's Influence

'The Radiant', or 'The Light' as it is more commonly known on Tulin, is one of the two fundamental forces of the cosmos. Originally, disparate, The Nightmare and The Radiant lived in balance within separate spaces, though identical. These two separate planes of existance were opposite in almost all ways, and each planet, world or cosmic element that existed in one had a mirror in the other. During the Shattering these cosmos were merged and planets that had once been consumed by The Light felt the taint of the Nightmare, and those that had been Everdark, felt The Light, as is the situation with Tulin. Once, firmly within The Nightmare it was purified and turned to the Light by 'The Light's Crusade'. Though the humans that call it home have a pull to the Nightmare within their hearts and souls and thus, cut off from the other planets, most kingdom's of Tulin use 'The Light' as a tool to mask their true motives, ones that may be more in line with those of The Nightmare. Only The Wardens, and Watchers are truly devoted in their worship of the Light, but they are not immune to the taint of the Nightmare.

The Kingdoms of Northern Tulin.