The Shifting Isles
05.03.28 ALW
Welcome to the World that still needs a name...
It is a pretty old world. Untold ages ago, the people of Hyperborea were not yet what they were supposed to be. They spent their lifes running from an all consuming enemy - something they just called the "Darkness".
It was only when four heroes arose and claimed divinity for themselves, remaking their peoples in their own image, that they gained a fighting chance. These ancestral gods gave the people what they needed and managed to turn the tide of battle, from fleeing to fighting.
Since these days millenia have passed, minor gods have risen, others have fallen again. Following in their footsteps, empires rose and fell. Mortal life continued as you might imagine, until the very real danger of the Darkness became nothing more than a myth and a legend, something that has no real bearing on the world anymore. Their troubles now come from other places.
This last millenia has been a particularly troublesome one. Each major region was, or still is, plagued by powerful forces. The Southern Reaches lost the guiding voice that gave their rulers the power they so desperately craved. Nobody knows why or how the Dragon Emperor died, everyone has their own theory and scholars cannot agree on a thing.
It was only when four heroes arose and claimed divinity for themselves, remaking their peoples in their own image, that they gained a fighting chance. These ancestral gods gave the people what they needed and managed to turn the tide of battle, from fleeing to fighting.
Since these days millenia have passed, minor gods have risen, others have fallen again. Following in their footsteps, empires rose and fell. Mortal life continued as you might imagine, until the very real danger of the Darkness became nothing more than a myth and a legend, something that has no real bearing on the world anymore. Their troubles now come from other places.
This last millenia has been a particularly troublesome one. Each major region was, or still is, plagued by powerful forces. The Southern Reaches lost the guiding voice that gave their rulers the power they so desperately craved. Nobody knows why or how the Dragon Emperor died, everyone has their own theory and scholars cannot agree on a thing.
The resulting instability was used by the self proclaimed Empress of Death, who used the strange necromantic energies of the Middlelands to raise an undead army to subjugate the Free Cities, only to be beaten by the combined desperation of her vassals.
All the while the Northern Realms had been clashing and warring with each other, eventually culminating in the Long War. The most recent of these catastrophes. From this war a new northern Empire emerged, establishing itself as a central power.
Within all this, a rumour has been spreading. A royal fleet, sent by said Empire has apparently found a second continent, by the name of Gondwana, filled with unknown creatures and plants, ruins of long gone civilizations, suffused by arcane magic far different from anything known to modern arcanists - but without a single inhabitant or any sign of them in sight.
All the while the Northern Realms had been clashing and warring with each other, eventually culminating in the Long War. The most recent of these catastrophes. From this war a new northern Empire emerged, establishing itself as a central power.
Within all this, a rumour has been spreading. A royal fleet, sent by said Empire has apparently found a second continent, by the name of Gondwana, filled with unknown creatures and plants, ruins of long gone civilizations, suffused by arcane magic far different from anything known to modern arcanists - but without a single inhabitant or any sign of them in sight.
Now the race is on, who will manage to find a safe route first? Who will be the first to exploit this new world? What else is happening all around in this time of turmoil? And why are the Shifting Isles so important?
If only we had some heroes to dive headfirst into these questions...
Where Do You Think Your Adventures Will Take You?
Hyperborea
It is where civilization began. Where in the Northern Realms the Empire is gaining strength, while the Free Cities in the Middlelands celebrate their artistry with long competitions, showing off their skill and wisdom. The mysterious Order of the Rose conducts research into the arcane, from their base within their fortress. Lastly the Southern Reaches are finally forced to open themselves up to the world, with their static hierarchy slowly crumbling away, as the remanants of an older nation gnaw at the territory of the Seven Families.
The Shifting Isles
The Shifting Isles are beautiful archipelago. The individual islands are everchanging, moving from place to place, whenever you visit, they will have a new face to show you. People would not really care for them if they were not connected to the plane of water. Anyone moving through a larger body of water has a chance of being sucked into them, emerging in the isles. This has given rise to great community of pirates, living off the merchants that are too careless to protect themselves. It is where the unwanted and the crazy go...
Gondwana
Gondwana is newly discovered. In the future it will be (re-)settled. There are still many stories to tell, where will the struggle of these brave settlers lead them? It will not take long for them to desire their independence from the people of Hyperborea, how will this conflict play out over the many many years? It will be a long struggle, but the many wonders the old inhabitants left behind will prove a great boon. Which wonder you will find, will be the one that piques your interest the most? But nothing is as easy as that, there is plenty adventure to be had.