Arcanaspace

Arcanaspace is a crystal sphere located within the Rapide Frontier, known for its unique pantheon, the Major Arcana, whose members all ascended into godhood from mortals.
Arcanaspace is located downstream of a Phlogiston current from Coldspace and upstream of Crackedspace. A two-way current connects Arcanaspace with Mindspace.
Of its five planets, only Syre is meaningfully inhabitated by humanoids, or Kin under the local parlance.

Geography

Arcanaspace is roughly 2000 million miles in diameter. At the center of the system is Arcanaspace's sole star, simply called the Sun by system locals or Etteilla by those wishing to differentiate it from the plethora of "suns" in the universe.
Orbitting around Etteilla are five planets. They are, in order from closest to furthest from Etteilla:

• Marseilles
• Syre
• Waite
• Dawn
• Wirth

Of these five planets, only Syre is inhabitated to any meaningful extent. It is also the only planet in the system to have a moon, referred to as the Moon by locals and Gebelin to outside scholars.

Localized Phenomena

One of the most notably unique features of Arcanaspace is the influence the crystal sphere has on extraplanar beings, referred to locally as Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are separate and simultaneously a part of the world, accessed by doors woven into the fabric of reality by She Who Wove the World, the mythological first diety of Syre.
The Minor Arcana are split into four different groups.
The House of Swords is comprised of sentient monsters scattered across Syre created from the first diety of Syre and remnants of world before Kin. The Swords eschew the power of the Major Arcana, viewing them as grave robbers at best and murderers of their divine mother at worst. Swords reside behind the Bladed doors
The House of Cups comprise the giants and dragons that ruled Syre back in the Age of Myth. Though originally bound by Primevial gods to oppose one another, the giants and dragons instead conspired to break their chains to the August Palace, freeing them from their cruel gods, weakening them enough for the Old Gods of the Age of Glory to take over.
For centuries, the Cups stayed behind their Exalted Doors, staying aside while the Ternate Empires tore each other to shreds. Now, they have begun stirring again, attempting to make sense of the Kin that are left and whether they pose danger or opportunity.
The House of Blood is comprised of Demons and Devils, which are unable to fully manifest through the Sanguine Doors that hold them, so long as the two sides remain locked in endless struggle. Each attempts to dominate the other, whether through infernal contracts or promises of power.
The House of Pentacles resides behind the Radiant and Rime Doors, which hold the Summer and Winter Courts respectively. Due to the weakened nature of the Doors in the modern age, a few fey of both courts have moved into the Material Plane, altering the landscape with their presence.

History

The Age of Glory

Arcanaspace was, for centuries before recorded time, dominated by dragons, giants and ancient Primoridal Gods who ruled and lived on Syre, in what is known today as the Era of Myth.
In time, the reign of the ancients passed over to mortal creatures, marking the Age of Glory. Pushed out of Syre, whether peacefully or by force, some of the dragons and giants of the Era of Myth moved off of Syre to the other planets in the system.
The Age of Glory was dominated by three large empires, known as the Ternate Empires. The first was Revista, which ruled through bioengineered soldiers and artificer-crafted engines of war. The second was Triste, whose power was built on the backs of warmages. The third was Ebonrook, which had legions of undead at its beck and call. From -318 to 901 Astral Standard, the Ternate Empires conquered the entire known world, though remained in relative peace with one another.
During this time, the Ternate Empires also began gradual expansions off planet, with spelljamming vessels that reflected each empire's propensity for magic. Though no Ternate colonies were established, Arcanaspace began to tentatively explore the wider astral community.

The Crownplague and the Era of Empty Thrones

This stability came to end during in 902 when the Ternate Empires turned on one another viciously and savagely. From 902 until 1282, all of Syre was consumed in a never-ending war that poisoned the land and decimated the planet's population.
The exact cause of the war has been lost to time and only conflicting accounts remain. Many sources blame the "Crownplague," which was said to have poisoned the minds of each empire's leaders, but whether or not the Crownplauge was brought on by extraplanar creatures, physical ailments, or was merely a poetic explanation for the bloodshed is unknown.
During the Era of Empty Thrones, Arcanaspace was functionally isolated from the greater astral community as each empire resorted to more vile and profane tactics to gain any advantage over their enemies. For the few spelljammers that did enter the system during this time, many were never seen again, their weapons, ships or knowledge drafted into the never-ending bloodshed.
The Era of Empty Thrones ended in 1282 Astral Standard, when the greatest heroes of each empire joined forces to fight their way to the August Palace, home of Arcanaspace's gods, to demand an end to the fighting. To reach the palace, the group had to fight their way past the forces of each empire and through the Heavenspire, a potent nexus of magic that was said to be the base of the August Palace. But when they arrived, the nineteen that survived the climb found nothing but empty thrones, the mantles of power of the Old Gods abandoned. Seeking to end the war, the nineteen Ascendent, as they would come to be known, took the abandoned mantles for themselves, becoming the Major Arcana and destroying the Heavenspire in the process, disrupting magic across the sphere, and scattering the various races of Kin across the world. This event, marking the end of the Era of Empty Thrones, is known as Towerfall.

Era of Ascension (Modern Age)

Since 1282, the Kin of Syre have begun rebuilding themselves into nations and village collectives. Many of the technological and magical advances of the old kingdoms have been lost, but the bones of those who brought the world to ruin are slowly being uncovered.
Since the war's end, Arcanaspace has also been reintegrated into the greater astral community, much to the delight of Syre's residents who have needed the resources provided by spelljamming merchants to rebuild. However, bereft of funds and much of value, many merchants, and those less scrupulous, have taken to asking for knowledge and materials from the Ternate Empires, sparking worries that such weapons of mass destruction could find themselves used once again.
The Major Arcana take an active hand in the lives of kin from their seat in the August Palace, blessing nations, appointing representatives, and warding off disaster. Kin are on the rise, but so too are extraplanar threats, who were themselves laid low by the shattering of the Heavenspire. The forces of the Abyss and Hell, kept at bay by the newly ascended gods, have begun to see their influence bleed back into the world, while the borders between the Feywild and the Prime Material Plane grow thin in places. There are whispers that Crownplague, the fabled madness that strikes only those who dare to rule over nations and empires, has begun to rouse in its slumber. And with the forces of the Ternate Empires gone, the ancient dragons and giants who once fled Syre begun to stir.

Alternative Name(s)

Arcana

Type

Planar Sphere/Grouping

Location under

Rapide Frontier

Included Locations

• Syre