Welcome to the Mortal Lands

A Short Primer

A Brief Introduction to a Distant World

The Mortal Lands are real, and they are not. They are a realm of 'what-if's,' 'could be's', and 'wonder if's.' The concepts that bring them groundedness and gravity are as real as the ground and gravity under our own feet, but they are caught up in a realm of imagination that sets them apart from our own.

For example, What if there was a habitable planet somewhere in the vastness of the galaxy? What if the people of Earth found a way to that distant little planet, and settled down? What would happen if Calamity befell them, befell us, and the two worlds were wretched asunder?

What do you wonder would happen then?

by Rachel B. Via Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator

The History of the Mortal Lands

The Ancient History of the Mortal Lands

The Mortal lands was (Or perhaps someday will be) Discovered in a series of waves of explorers. The first frontiersmen was a family of scientists, aided by a small army of lab assistants and engineers. They took to the stars to answer a pivotal question; was there life in the galaxy that matched the intellect, wisdom, and personality of a Human? Unfortunately, their results have been lost to the ages. The team found the Mortal Lands, and established an outpost, but the expedition fell apart soon after. Critically, while the assistants survived and created a small colony, the original family of Scientists was lost.

Over the next twenty or so years, more expeditions followed, these ones more prepared to establish settlements. Their civilization, built of the rich, famous and influential from Earth, began to flourish. The technology they brought with them was instrumental in their success, most notably the Mechanical automatons that did the majority of their labor. The original settlement, having found peace in a more holistic-oriented life, declined to join the colonies springing up across the landscape. Some members of the colonies, attracted by the humble and faith-filled life, left paradise behind and sought the voice in the wilderness. Not many, though; the pleasures of life were hard to decline.

It was the Hubris of mankind that eventually did these colonies, collectively called the 'Memoria', in. Having vainly left 'outdated moral standards' behind on Earth, there was nothing to stop them from delving too deep into mysteries they were not prepared for. The result was Stillewiege, a plague that caused the end of the Memoria within a generation. The wild villages, being entirely separate from the Memoria, were spared its wrath. However, the technologies that powered the Memoria, and their vast secrets, were shut down and sealed away, leaving the villages to build civilization the long way 'round.

The Middle Histories

The next thousand years of progression was slow; kingdoms and empires built themselves up, and faded, and died. The most notable kingdom that persisted in this era was the The Ageis Kingdom, well-known for its protection of the Sources that dotted the Mortal Lands. It too, however, fell to ruin on a day known as the "Darkened Sun", when the mountain shook and the sky filled with fire. The capital of Aegis was buried in the earth, and its people scattered to the winds once more.

It is at this point I should mention one of the curious wonders of the Mortal Lands; Creur. This energy has taken multiple names throughout history, and has had just as many explanations for its power. Some call it the "Creative Force of God", while others call it "Forbidden Magic". This energy is imperceptible to the eye unless it is gathered in a concentrated pool such as a Source. Water that typically gathers near Sources is imbued with this power and imparts drastic change on whatever comes in contact with it--or whoever, which explains why the earliest recorded names for Creur mean 'don't drink'.

Kingdoms in the Late Jade era such as Aegis had begun to experiment manipulating this force, known to them as Inibim Potis, to make crops easier to water and homes easier to keep warm in the cold months. This was typically done by imbuing stones or tools with Inibim Potis, However, what benefits one can tempt another, and that is how the Corrumpere--Men and women corrupted by desire for power and control--used Inibim Potis mixed with truly forbidden power to take mastery of their home village, then the surrounding territories, casting the Mortal Lands into a Dark age.

The Modern Histories

The Corrumpere, though not an organized force, kept the Mortal Lands in a dark age for hundreds of years. It was only the creation of the Creura in the Stone Era that caused the fortunes of the world to shift. Creura were humans that had a built in 'Wellspring'-an internalized Source that allowed them to manipulate Creur without a wellspring. While they could not reach the potential of a Source in terms of raw power, they made up for it in flexibility, mobility, and a general personality of helpfulness. The first Creura was Perenelle, known as the 'Good Witch' to her countrymen. She cast down the cruel Corumperre Agathodaemon and ushered in an era of piece for her village. From her bloodline, then from others, came the Creura.

The Corumperre, outclassed by the Cerura in both power and popular opinion, dwindled and vanished. Innovation sprung forth like water from a broken dam, and the Mortal Lands began to flourish once more. Kingdoms and countries rose to new power, trade became commonplace and safe, and new wonders were uncovered every day. Hundreds more years passed, and the world knew happiness like no other.

But it was not too last.

In one single night, at the tun of the 20th century, every royal family or ruling power was struck down. A Royal Family lay murdered in their beds. A queen died of a cobra bite. A King and Queen perished in a fire. A Royal family set sail on a marvelous steamer ship, never to be seen again. The Night of Falling Crowns caused calamity wherever it struck. Some kingdoms fell in an instant, while others crumbled over months and years as the after-effects of economic and political collapse followed.

Now, some twenty years later, the Mortal Lands has pulled itself to its feet, dusted off its shirt, and has begun its strides forward once more.

And somewhere high above the planet, a little silver satellite watches with an unblinking eye, carrying its record of events back to a distant Earth...

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. ruled by King Emeric II and his wife Queen Lydia, Mira shines as a symbol of peace and prosperity to its neighbors. It is, however, not without its own dangers lurking in the borders...

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 Lunis Archipelago

The Lunis Archipelago sits east of Shimshar, across the ocean. A collection of large islands that make up a country, the Archipelago is in ruins after Queen Mashuri died during the Night of Falling Crowns. Currently ruled by Aseel bin [name], The Archipelago flounders in its own waters, fighting to be relevant again.

Cincini

Built by former prisoners and slaves that were sent to the far edge of the world, Cincini is a beacon of survival out of pure spite. The lands around the city are harsh, but the city itself flourishes and thrives. Cincini was not phased by the sudden loss of their Mayor; Sudden changes in office were the norm, and not the exception.

The Unclaimed Lands

For every floundering, fighting, or flourishing country, there is twice as much empty wasteland where one once stood. Simply known as the 'Unclaimed Lands', the empty vastness between Kingdoms still houses villages, stubborn farms, and treasure... if you know where to look.

The Races

Humans

The most prolific race, and therefore the most common in the Mortal Lands. Descended from the Memoria that first settled the lands, they are the original inheritors of a forgotten Legacy. Patient, Kind, prideful, stubborn, and any host of adjectives can be used to describe them.

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 Corumperre 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 anthropological debate, it was decided that they do have at least some form of 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 visited 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.

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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.

...Well? What are you still doing here?