Welcome to the Mortal Lands

A Short Primer

The Mortal Lands is not a single story. Rather, a collection lovingly curated by unknown hands and rather rudely dumped on my doorstep one rainy afternoon. I have done my best to transcribe each story, though with the number of journals, esoteric volumes and odd reams of paper in this collection I fear I may be at this for some time.
While I work, perhaps a short explanation of this stange land is in Order?

by Rachel B. Via Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator

The History of the Mortal Lands

Ancient History

The Mortal Lands, as far as I can tell, is a land currently beyond any of our reach; Modern Science has only found habitable planets, not any already inhabited. Which still leaves me begging the question of where this collection of stories came from, but I digress. Still, there is evidence in these stories that some spacefaring race once found its little planet; there are multiple references to a society known as the 'Memoria'. Where their arrival falls in relation to the formation of the planet is unknown. However, their end is quite distinctly recorded; An infertility plague from an unkonwn source spelled the end of their species, leaving only towering spires and a host of robots known to the current inhabitants as 'Mechanicals'.
Most of the History of the Mortal Lands would be quite similar to our own, were it not for the presence of Magic. Magic in The Mortal Lands is a gift from the Creator, and flows through the very fabric of reality. It appears to be regulated in pools known as 'Sources', which dot the Mortal Lands as lakes help regulate the flow of rivers to the sea. In Ancient Times any and all could freely partake of this gift. However, the precious gift was corrupted by a select few using knowlege from, many susupect, the Infernal realm. These dark magic users became known as 'Wizards,' and under them the Mortal Lands fell into a dark age.
It is here that the line between fiction and reality is so unbelievably blurred I'm sure I will be hearing about it from clergymen, readers and upset helicopter mothers for decades to come. There are multiple-and by multiple I mean "present in almost every story"-references to a 'Savior' who descended from heaven and died to save the world. The similarities between this 'Savior' and our own Jesus Christ are far, far too numerous to simply be left to coincidence. To call this a work of fiction would be the safest option, and the most palatable. And yet, this collection of stories is written in so many different hands, so many different voices, I cannot help but wonder if these have truly come from the Mortal Lands themselves. So it is here I turn to the venerable C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia- "You know me in another place, by another name."

Modern History

After the Death of the Savior, the nature of magic in the Mortal Lands changed. Or rather, it was the people changed by the Savoir that changed the nature of magic. A Witch known only to history as "Perenelle" created a bloodline known as "Mages", people with an innate pool of magic who did not rely on Sources. However, said pool was far smaller than the traditional Sources, leaving them ultimately much more limited. Within a few short generations Wizards had vanished from the world entirely, with no one to pass their forbidden knowledge to. The useage of Sources was swiftly outlawed, until such time as they could be used without the lingering threat of the Wizards' corrupting magic. Mages upon the completion of their training took a sworn oath not to misue their precious gift the way the Wizards had.
With the domineering control of the Wizards gone from history, the Mortal Lands flourished. Technology and Culture blossomed in new and unforseen ways; former city-states and singular holds developed into whole countries, and the newly formed 'Church of the Creator' swiftly spread to every corner of the Mortal Lands. This progress was further bolstered when the Memoria's constructs were unearthed from old ruins and put to work helping the Mortal Lands advance.
Sadly, with every great rise there is a fall. And the Fall was great indeed. It was the turn of the 20th century when The Night of Falling Crowns struck the realm, casting down nearly every ruler from their throne. Some were murdered in their beds, others simply vanished into the dead of night. Overnight, many kingdoms fell to Chaos. Over the sucsessive five years, many more fell as a enconomic spiral deprived cities and countries of valuable resources.
And that is where most of these stories begin, 20 years after The Night of Falling Crowns. Those few Countries that survived now turn their gazes to new horizons and the mysteries that lie within.

The Countries of the Mortal Lands

Mira

One of the only Countries to survive the Night of Falling Crowns Unscathed, Mira sits at the center of the Eastern Shore. Once a smaller kingdom blessed with rich forests and plains, its reach has now expanded to far beyond its normal bounds. A blessing, to be sure, for it recieved a deluge of refugees from surrounding territories seeking safety and security in uncertain times. It is also the 'Cradle of the Creator' for it is here that the Church of the Creator was first founded and its ministry began.
Population:
Capital City: Poartlind
Ruling Power: King Emeric II
Primary Exports: Lumber, Grain, Fish,
Places of Interest: Poartlind, Garden of the Dead, Livingbrook.

Ruben

One half of the former kingdom of Dalreme, which collapsed into Civil war during the Night of Falling Crowns. Named for the former King of Dalreme, Ruben holds the western half of the territory, and is mostly nestled in the mountains.

Lazuli

One half of the former kingdom of Dalreme, which collapsed into Civil war during the Night of Falling Crowns. Named for the former Queen of Dalreme, Lazuli holds the eastern half of the territory, and follows the coastline.

Shimshar

The southern kingdom ruled by the iron fist of a dictator. Not that anyone there minds overmuch; an iron fist was necessary to see the Emirates through the Night of Falling Crowns. But now that the storm has passed and the sun peeks over the horizon once more, The 'kingdom of the Sands' finds the gilded cage it is in a bit too small.

The Cailarian Triumvate

Unique in that it is not one country, but three born from the ruins of the superpower Cailar; Three amorphous ones at that, still solidifying their borders after almost twenty years of war. At their heart sits the Eternal Battlefield, a nigh-wasteland utterly destroyed when Cailar first fell. Their neighbors are hopefull that the Triumvate's communal treaty will finally put the emnity to rest and re-open the borders to trade once more.

The Races

Humans

The most prolific race, and therefore the most common in the Mortal Lands. The beloved Children of the Creator, Humankind shares the same fall from grace and slow progression towards salvation as our own. Unique to the people of the Mortal Lands is the ability to manipulate Magic, although in recent times this only manifests in the innate gifts of the Mages... At least on the Eastern Seaboard, anyway.

Mechanicals

The Mechanicals are unique as a species; they are a small demographic, formed from the leftover remains of a veritable army of robotic servants left behind by the Memoria thousands of years before. It's estimated that the Mechanicals that currently serve the realm are only a small fraction of the original host. They recently achieved full sentience, but how this came about is only known to a select few.

Bodaci

There are many rumors about how the Bodaci came about as a species; the most common thread is that a Wizard was involved. While they are, in essence, walking and talking bears, the Bodaci have a love of food and cooking that is unrivaled in the Mortal Lands. One is said to be blessed indeed when they have the opportunity to taste Boadci cuisine.

Pixies

For most of the Mortal Land's existance, no one was sure if Pixies were truly sentient beings; While they showed intelligence, and mannerisms similar to humans, communication was impossible for the longest time. After much anthropologic debate, it was deicded that they do have sentience. Souls, on the other hand, remain hotly debated in the realm of theology.

Golsmith

It is rare to see a Golsmith outside the mountains; they are a reclusive species that keeps to themselves. Those who have visitied their mountain homes, though, have spoken endlessly about their skill in metal-craft and forging. They have extremely thick hides, to the point it is often mistaken for the very stone they live in.

Where do you find yourself in this world, wanderer? Walking the streets of Poartlind, discovering lost tomes and welcoming a host of faces? Hiking the Begoria Mountain range in search of the Lost City of Asigea? Sampling every delicacy in St. Fiule carefully crafted by the Bodaci? Or perhaps visiting Walker's Canyon to view one of the greatest Wonders of the Mortal Lands?
Wherever you may choose to go, may the Creator ever guide your Footsteps.