The World Chords

When the world was created, it is said that the primordial entities sang it all into existence. The echoes of these entities have resounded and continue to create worlds further into the ever expanding multiverse. In all worlds, the echoes of this first choir has settled into a lattice of magic and creation called The World Chords. The resonance and harmonies of these Chords are largely responsible for many of the weird phenomenon that take place in the Isles, and for some the continued singing of the Chords is reason enough to believe that the Great Shatter never truly ended, and now resonates in the magical weave of the world.

Enhanced Evolution:

The Shattered Isles is a world in a heightened state of growth and evolution. The power of the World Chords is believed to play some role in this, allowing monsters and creatures which should have gone extinct to evolve fast enough to exist in their new environments to survive in this new and changed world. Many creatures have taken on magical properties, while others have evolved to live in environments very different from their original habitat. A couple examples of this are:

• Various griffon subspecies that have evolved to fill niches in the wide expanse of the sky.
• A plethora of sky beasts great and small, such as Greenhorns that function as habitats for other creatures and Squall Beasts said to have evolved from bats.
• Tressym, a species of flying cats with many magical properties.
• Akhlut, a species evolved from arctic whales that now prowl the frozen plane of Ishiri.

This evolution has not been limited solely to animalistic creatures, as many species of humanoid creatures have arose in the isles under the name "New World" Races, as there is little to no account of them pre-Shatter. A few examples of this are:

• Gobs, the descendants of the Old World goblins that have evolved and specialized for various environments they found themselves in.
• The Kor, who are believed to be the product of half-elves that adapted to life among the floating stones of the Brisir.
• Aven, a bird-headed species descended from humans which are now often found throughout Drayden.
• Aetherborn, a Genasi cousin which are sometimes born from those exposed to the large scale floatstone mining of Ishiri.

Bards in the Isles:

While all spellcasters can access the World Chords in their own way, Bards are the spellcasters who are most in-tune with them. Either through natural talent or years of studying, a Bard's spells are always resonating with the World Chords, weather they know about it or not. Through connecting with the world around them, the songs and stories of the people around them, a bard deepens their connection to the forces of creation and improves their understanding of magic. This can be done through first-hand experience as well as long periods of study.
This is shown mechanically in that bards are allowed at character creation to choose either Charisma or Intelligence to be their spellcasting stat, and in doing so anywhere in the class description where it says Charisma it can be replaced with Intelligence.

Clerics in the Isles

The divine figures of the Isles are rather weak in comparison to the Old Gods. However, because of the relatively recent creation of the world's divine beings, many of them have a stronger connection to the World Chords. Some are strong enough to play the World Chords themselves, however most need the prayers of a Cleric's Divine Intervention to summon the power to twist the Chords and in turn summon miracles.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural