Zei

The world of Zei is a flat disk floating in an endless void, its sun and two moons in orbit around it. Such a place relies on the magic that created it as its lifeblood. Aura, as it was once called, has eight Aspects, each associated with a different element. The Cycle Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth, and the Balance Elements: Dark, Light, Ice and Rock. Combined, they make and govern all things, living or dead.   Long ago, the Ancients discovered deep wells filled with pure Aura, that extended far into the depths of the earth. These wells radiated magical energy, infusing the ground and the sky with it, allowing each elemental Aspect to be evenly distributed across the land. At the bottom of these Scrying Pools, they found small shining orbs that contained the pure, concentrated essence of the corresponding element. These orbs were named the Seer Stones, and had gained their power from the countless millennia spent absorbing the Aura of the pools.   Once discovered, it was realized that the wells were too open, too easily accessible… too dangerous. Already, great cities were being built near the pools, each to honor an element. With the wells nearby to lend their energy, nothing could compare to the size or splendor of these nations. Thus, long before us, the Ancients built the Aura Towers above the Scrying Pools to protect the common people from their power. Like divine lighthouses, the well of each tower was linked directly to the pool beneath its surface. The Seer Stones were used as focuses, and drawing their power from the wells below, they created immense beacons that bathed the land far and wide with their energy.   And so ended the Silent Age, and in its place came the Age of Magic. The world was so wholly saturated with Aura, that most everyone could tap into the Aspect of one or more elements. Great civilizations rose and fell in the centuries and wars to follow, but none could hold a candle to the Elemental Nations. So great had their strength grown, that they became jealous of each other’s wealth and power. Tension rose, and the rumor of world-wide war was on everyone’s lips.