The Elemental Expanse: Great Lords of Dream
The Elemental Expanse
The Elemental Expanse is a vast and tumultuous region of wild, ungovernable power that stretches across the edges of the known world. It is a realm of ceaseless conflict, where the primal forces of nature clash in an eternal struggle for supremacy. The Expanse is split into two distinct, yet interwoven realms: the Stormlands, a roiling expanse of endless sky and violent tempests, and the Roaring Deep, a vast, uncharted ocean of unknown depths. It is said that the Expanse is where the very fabric of reality itself begins to unravel, where raw elemental energy pours through the seams of existence like an unchecked flood. The inhabitants of the Expanse—ranging from the ancient gods to the primal titans—remain locked in a constant battle for dominance over the elements that sustain the world.
The Primeval Battle of Gods and Primordials
Long before the rise of civilization and the birth of the gods of today, the world was a battlefield for the primordials—colossal, elemental beings of unimaginable power. These primordial forces embodied the raw essences of creation itself: the unrelenting storm, the deep, crushing sea, the towering mountain, and the searing heat of the primordial flame. For eons, they waged war against one another, each one seeking to impose its will upon the world. This battle, known as the Primeval Battle of Gods and Primordials, shattered the original shape of the world and tore the planes themselves asunder.
From this primordial war arose the Four Great Lords, deities and elemental rulers who gained dominion over the Expanse. Their ancient conflicts continue to this day, echoing through the storms, seas, and mountains of the Expanse.
The Courts of the Four Great Lords
The Four Great Lords each rule a domain in the Elemental Expanse, their eternal struggles shaping the forces of nature and dictating the weather, the seas, the fires, and the land itself.
Galehowl, The Storm King – Ruler of Thunder and Sky, the Ever-Warring
Galehowl, also known as the Storm King, commands the thunderous skies above the Expanse. His domain is one of constant war, an ever-raging tempest that never ceases. It is said that his very breath stirs the wind, and his roar summons the lightning that strikes the earth. A being of fury and unchecked rage, Galehowl is the embodiment of the storm, forever locked in combat with his own creation. His massive wings unfurl like thunderclouds, and his eyes blaze with the light of a thousand strikes of lightning.
Those who live under Galehowl’s rule must endure a world of ceaseless winds and violent thunderstorms. His Court is a realm of warriors, where only the strongest and most relentless are welcome. To defy Galehowl is to be struck down by the storm itself, and yet many seek his favor in the hope of gaining the power to control the winds and skies.
Tidefather Urothos – The Fish That Swallowed the Moon
Tidefather Urothos, known as The Fish That Swallowed the Moon, reigns over the vast, unfathomable depths of the Roaring Deep. A primordial sea god of massive size, Urothos is an ancient and patient being whose body spans entire oceans. Legends say he once swallowed the moon in a fit of hunger, forever darkening the seas with his power. Urothos is the master of tides and currents, and his influence extends to every wave and every creature that calls the sea home.
The depths of Urothos’s realm are home to untold horrors—vast, ever-moving trenches, leviathans, and shifting archipelagos that defy all sense of time and space. The Court of Urothos is a realm of unyielding silence, where those who enter are at the mercy of the tides. His followers are sailors, pirates, and sea-dwelling races who have learned to harness the seas’ endless power. Urothos is not easily angered, but when he is disturbed, the oceans rise to swallow entire islands and drown entire cities.
The Slumbering Mountain – The Living Stone, the Father of Giants
Deep within the heart of the Expanse lies the Slumbering Mountain, an ancient being of stone and earth. This colossal titan is said to be the very embodiment of the mountains themselves—immovable, eternal, and wise. The Living Stone, as it is known, is the father of giants and the source of all tectonic power. Though the Slumbering Mountain is in a constant state of slumber, its dreams shape the land, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The very foundation of the world is built upon its back.
The Court of the Slumbering Mountain is a realm of rock and magma, where the earth shifts beneath one's feet with every step. Its halls are carved into the stone itself, a labyrinthine expanse filled with ancient giants, elemental beings, and the echoes of forgotten gods. Those who seek the favor of the Slumbering Mountain must prove their strength and resolve, for only the most powerful of beings can survive the trials of this living, breathing mountain.
Ashenmaw, The Ember Queen – Keeper of the First Flame
Ashenmaw, the Ember Queen, rules the realm of fire, holding dominion over the First Flame, the eternal source of all heat and light in the Expanse. Her Court is a blazing, molten kingdom, where rivers of lava flow and great volcanoes erupt with fury. Ashenmaw is the keeper of the last remnants of the old fire, the primordial flame that birthed the world and gave light to the first beings. Her presence is the warmth of the sun and the burning heat of the forge, an ever-present force of destruction and rebirth.
Her followers are those who revere fire as both a destroyer and creator: blacksmiths, forgemasters, and those who seek the transformative power of the flame. To enter Ashenmaw’s Court is to risk being consumed by the fire, yet many brave souls seek her favor, hoping to harness the destructive and regenerative power of the flame itself.
The Elemental Crossings – Portals That Lead to the Roiling Chaos
Scattered throughout the Expanse are the Elemental Crossings, mystical portals that connect the four realms of the Great Lords to the chaotic heart of the Expanse itself. These portals are unstable, shifting and flickering between the elements at will. They lead to the Roiling Chaos, an endless, swirling void of primal power where the boundaries between the elements are thin, and the laws of nature are twisted beyond recognition. Few who enter these portals return, and those who do are often forever changed by the raw forces they have encountered.
The Elemental Crossings are seen as pathways to ultimate power by many, but they are fraught with danger. Only the bravest— or the most desperate—venture into the heart of the Expanse, and even they are seldom heard from again.
The Weeping Primordials That Still Sleep Beneath the World
Beneath the surface of the Elemental Expanse, hidden deep within the earth and beneath the seas, slumber the Weeping Primordials—ancient, god-like beings whose forms are as haunting as they are powerful. Once the rulers of all creation, these beings were birthed from the raw chaos of the world itself, embodying the forces of nature in their purest, most terrifying forms. Their very presence bends time and space, and their abilities are a terrifying mix of reality-altering powers and devastating destructive force. When they were awake, they moved in strange, paradoxical ways, their movements often appearing slow or dormant until they were observed—at which point, their immense power would awaken, wreaking havoc across the land. Their eyes weep with ancient sorrow, a sorrow that is said to be as powerful as their wrath.
The Weeping Primordials were eventually defeated in a cataclysmic war with the gods, but their fate was far from sealed. Buried deep beneath the world, they remain in a state of slumber, their enormous forms encased in the very earth and oceans they once controlled. Yet, their sorrowful eyes still cry, leaving behind trails of magic that twist the world around them, warping time and space in subtle ways. Some believe their tears are a harbinger of their eventual awakening—a return that could bring about a new age of chaos and destruction, where the laws of the world itself no longer hold true. Strange phenomena—glimpses of shadow, time distorting, and the sudden cessation of all sound—whisper that these ancient beings may soon stir. Their awakening could be the end of the world as it is known, reshaping reality into something unrecognizable and merciless.
