An Introduction to Paneus

Paneus is a world of magic and wonder, filled with dark corners and bright spaces, sprinkled with a touch of the macabre and the ludicrous.

A Vast World

Four continents make up the world of Paneus, and they are as diverse as the people who live in them. Civilisations have risen and fallen and been lost to the annals of history, but new ones always rise to take their place. The influence of the planes is visible all across Paneus, in the people, the landscape and the way it's magic has shaped the world.

North-East

A continent of frozen tundra, endless pine forests, vast plains and warm tropical coasts. The Northern half of the continent is dominated by the Northern orcs territory of Paiaku, who are in a constant struggle with the Giant nations to their east. To their west lie the remnants of the once great and feared Kalumnian Empire, now no more than a small country on the western coast. Reykjar lies to the south, a country founded by Dwarf and Gnome, and home to the shining jewel that is Osbegda.

North-West

Trees covers vast swathes of this continent, from the northern taiga to the southern seasonal rainforests. Once the seat of the Kalumnian Empire their territory has now been split into the Free States, a collection of countries and city states that formed after the collapse of the Empire. The south eastern forests are home to the two Elven nations which assisted the peoples of the Free States in their rebellion against the Kalumnians. The continent is also home to the mystical Mycellor Forest and the haunted Valley of Sorrow

South-East

Said to have once been the seat of the Lost Civilisation of Qipatikkut the continent is now split into two territories. One is a loose collection of tribes and small settlements scattered throughout the dense jungles in the north east half of the continent. The other has become home to many of the original Fey and other extra planar beings who simply wish to be left to live as they please. Most of the continent is untamed wilderness, with the inhabitants carving out small spaces to call their own. There is a great deal of mystery to this continent and it has pulled the attention of scholars and adventurers alike.

South-West

Bordered to the north and east with forest and jungle the rest of this landmass is covered by desert, savanah and rolling grasslands. The fearsome Centaur nation has it's home in the south and they are forever at odds, or outright war, with the neighbouring nations. The nation to the north is a federation of peoples who joined forces in the last war with the Centaurs, comprised of the desert nations, the plains tribes and the lizardfolk of the coastal jungles. This continent was the site of the first demon invasion and as a result, the first Druid shrine also. It is said planar entities still hide in the wild and hidden places.

Planar Influence

The planes of the universe are constanty moving, shifting and sliding alongside eachother, seemingly at random. Occasionally they bump or press against eachother, at this point travel between the two can be possible. Paneus has soft spots, places that are worn a little thinner than others. No one is yet sure why, though many have speculated, but it means that the world is a little more prone to the possibility of planar crossing. In fact, some of these crossings have helped shaped Paneus into the place it is today.

The Fey Crossing

The first major instance of planar interference on Paneus took place when the Fey fled from their home plane. There was a war going on in their home plane and they had been looking for a place where they could cross over into another to escape from the devastation. Their plane passed across one of paneus' soft spots and they took the opportunity to flee there. A few thousand Fey moving into Paneus caused quite the stir. Most of the Fey were peaceful and simply wanted somewhere safe to live, not all who came through had good intentions though. The reaction by the peoples of Paneus was as varied as they were. Some accepted the newcomers with open arms, some with reluctance and some with outright hostility. Regardless of how they were received, wherever they went changes occurred. The biggest of these changes was the birth of the new races and their consequent impact on the geographical and political landscape of Paneus.

The Demon invasion

This had a devastating effect upon paneus, but also served to bring some of it's peoples together. The demon invasion began on the south western continent but soon spread north and then east. The Demons were able to hold open a portal between the two planes for several months, by then they had poured through enough troops to nearly overwhelm the forces of the southeast continent. They then began their move north, flying on huge sky leviathons. Here they were able to open another portal from this side to their plane and send through more troops. The Druids had been working hard to rally the people of paneus into a coherent fighting force against the demons, as they knew it was the only way they could win. They had also been attempting to understand how the planes worked, and from these attempts the first Planeswalkers came into being. It was at this point that the Earth Goddess Mai stepped in to lend her aid also. The joint effort of military, Druid and Goddess were sufficient to drive back the demons and close up the portals. However the world was now very aware of the dangers that lurked beyond.

Protecting Paneus

It has become apparent that the dangers of planar invasion are very real. There are entities out there that most definitely wish us harm and seem to have the means to do so. The Druids have presented us with an interesting proposal, a proposal that will take the agreement of all of us to put into effect. Let us put aside our differences for now and work together for the protection of all of Paneus. I, Clan Chief Gwygeth, have been granted authority by my people to speak for all Orcs of Paiaku, and I cast our vote as Yes.

— Excerpt from the records of the Druid Treaty conference

After the demon wars the druids came forward with a proposal to all the rulers of Paneus. They asked for free reign of Paneus to act against threats from other planes. They wanted to seek out the soft spots across the world, set permanent wards around them, and protect the wards. The land surrounding these spots would be granted to the druids by the ruling nation, and it would become neutral territory for all nations, under the protection of the druids. In return the Druids would protect all nations equally from extra planar threat, would remain neutral in all dealings, and would not involve themselves in the politics and wars of Paneus. After a massive conference the rulers of Paneus agreed to the terms and the Druid Treaty was signed. (The terms were a lot more complicated and longwinded than stated here, and there will be a future article about this, but this is sufficient for now to understand the basic relationship). Druids form a loose and large society, so the treaty also laid out the formation of an official Druid organisation that would consist of trained and tested Druids. It was this organisation only that was beholden to the terms of the Treaty and thus afforded it's protections.

Planeswalkers

During the Demon wars there was a group of druids who were instrumental in closing down the portals, they became known as Planeswalkers. These people have the ability to send their spirits out of their bodies and travel "beyond". In this way they can move between planes and even travel the spaces between. They were able to give advance warning of numbers and types of troops coming through, and work against the demons on their home plane. Once the wars were over these specialised druids continued to walk the planes looking for further threats, but also for allies. They now form most of the protective network that works to keep Paneus safe from external threats.

The Shrines

Once the treaty had been signed the Druids sought out all the soft spots across Paneus and set up wards around them, using the Planeswalkers to set the wards from the outside too. They then built shrines around these wards, to protect them and to provide a home for the Planeswalkers and other Druids who guard the wards around the clock. The land the shrines stand on belongs to the Druids and they have complete control over it, they allow very few non Druids into the shrine and no one but a Planeswalker may enter the ward chamber. There are seven shrines across Paneus and they stand as bastions of strength and hope for the peoples of Paneus.

Maps made using Azgaar's fantasy map generator