Be in the know.
Arenthyor is an ancient land full of mystery and unknown dangers. Due to the vast transformation that the land suffered during the Riftening in the past age and the elven renouncement of stewardship just prior to the catastrophe, travel is now hazardous even in the best of conditions. The world is now wild and unfettered, tainted with the trauma of the Riftening. In the new world of Arenthyor, most of the once-beautiful fey cities lie in ruins or have disappeared altogether. Magic is scarce and enchanted weapons are to be cherished. Every monster is to be feared and there are tales of beasts stalking the land that heretofore were unseen in Arenthyor.
The Riftening broke the continent into two and destroyed countless societies in the massive quakes and tremors that followed for years afterward. Its cause is unknown and a topic of rich speculation, even today. It affected the entire world and all who lived in it.
Humans, who had largely been nomadic barbarians up to that point with no need for a civilization of their own and preferred to live close to the land free from the yoke of a home, now found need to settle in more permanent places for safety and defense. As well, for many of the hunting grounds and steppes they had hunted for generations were now blasted and barren. They began to huddle in small groups of hovels and thatched huts scattered about the land. Of late, rumor has spread of a "true" city that grew out of a settlement in the swamps near the southeastern coast of Arenthyor. It is said that this city has grown rapidly and a new civilization, established by other humans, has begun to flouish there again. This new city, Bastion, as it has been heard called, is said to be fueling the rise of humans as a race to be reckoned with.
The other common races (dwarves, halflings, and gnomes) did not vanish from the land as the fey races did, but they did retreat for a time into their homelands. The dwarves weathered the Riftening in their fortress, Khanstone Delve, to mine the riches of the land in darkness and safety while amassing a fortune. The halflings in the Brushfellow Shire, lived peaceably amongst each other with their wine to keep them company. The tinker gnomes of Mount Deephill had their constructs and gears as companions to see them through the darkest days. The halflings focused on defending their shire from encroachment. As the destruction from the Riftening calmed and the dust settled, the fires dimmed, and the tremors abated, each of these settlements cautiously re-entered the new land of Arenthyor to find it much changed, wild, and dangerous. Only now do they begin to explore out of their compounds to seek news, knowledge, and profit.
Elves and the other fey races are all but absent on the continent. In the minds of most, they are largely held responsible for the destruction of the land, for unto them was granted stewardship of the world and they vanished just prior to the Riftening. Whether true or not, what cannot be disputed is that they abandoned the land in its greatest time of need, stealing away in a single night with as much of their culture, art, wealth, and magic as they could carry to a protected elven refuge across the sea. It is widely believed that they flourish there, above the roughscrabble existence that most others eek out on the continent. It is common belief that the fey bide their time to take control of Arenthyor again. Elves are remembered as being aloof and arrogant when they were stewards of the land, treating other races like dirty vagabonds undeserving of attention.
Those unfortunate few who share mixed parentage between a fey and a human are largely rejected by both. Not accepted by fey society, they were left behind when the true fey were whisked away. In addition, the other races turned the brunt of their anger at the missing fey against these half-breeds. Outcasts, they live on the fringe of human society, competing for scraps of food and shelter. Prejudice, anger, and hostility follow them like bloodhounds. Beatings are frequent. Murder is common.
But Arenthyor is the new continent east of the Great Rift. The western continent, typically called the Veiled Land, remains a mystery even
through the age and the many explorers who have tried to penetrate more than a few leagues. Once the most splendid part of the land, the Veiled Land is now thought to be host to horrors beyond imagination. Far-fetched tales speak of one lone surviving stretch of land that connects the two continents: the Riftspan. The veracity of this tale is always hotly contested by those who discuss it.
Today, an age has passed since the Riftening. Generations of the shorter-lived races like humans have been born and died away since the catastrophe. While the scars are still there, they have become weathered. The lasting effects wrought by it are now an accepted part of life. Industry and civilization are now returning to Arenthyor.
Arenthyor has always been a land infused with magic. Elves and the fey were closest to this magic, though the gnomes have 'recently' discovered a new type of magic - sorcery and have gifted this information to the other races. Sorcery is vastly different than elven wizardry, as it uses more of an alchemical pathway to unlock the arcane forces. While fey races are symbiotic with the land, naturally shaping the magic from the land in a delicate and beautiful dance of creation and partnership, the "new" magic is more blunt. Using special components, non-fey spellcasters are able rip the arcane from the land and bend it to their will. However, not all magic is good. During the Riftening, the very fabric of magical energy pervading the world was stretched beyond natural proportions. As a result, wild gusts of random arcane energy sweep across the land, creating null-magic or wild-magic areas that can have disastrous consequences to those who deign to wield the arcane in those locales.
Also, with this "mystical warping", it has been surmised by the scholars of some races that Arenthyor may have shifted its place in the ether, taking it closer to other planes. That might account for the recent surge in strange creatures that walk the land and the plansewalkers that have been rumored to appear. Nothing has been proven true and all is just fireside speculation, however.
Furthermore, the gods have always considered Arenthyor one of their special playgrounds, desiring their disciples to bring the land under the sway of each. The priests claim visions that there is untapped power in the land and whichever deity can control the land can rise above the others. Those devout of the divine suggest that the Riftening has only caused the gods to look at Arenthyor with more urgency and accelerated plans that once had millennia to come to fruition. Again, these are the ravings of oracles, shaman, and hermits. Who is to say what is in the mind of the gods?
Above all are the Fates, the three sisters who control the birth, life, and death of all things, who continue to play their role in the world. Where one is destined to toil in the fields for an entire lifetime, another may be destined to become a dragonlord. How these things come to be cannot be fathomed, for that is the mystery of the Fates. Only that each of us has been granted a destiny can be counted immutable. What that is and whether or not we will achieve it are left to lunatics to discuss.
The Riftening broke the continent into two and destroyed countless societies in the massive quakes and tremors that followed for years afterward. Its cause is unknown and a topic of rich speculation, even today. It affected the entire world and all who lived in it.
Humans, who had largely been nomadic barbarians up to that point with no need for a civilization of their own and preferred to live close to the land free from the yoke of a home, now found need to settle in more permanent places for safety and defense. As well, for many of the hunting grounds and steppes they had hunted for generations were now blasted and barren. They began to huddle in small groups of hovels and thatched huts scattered about the land. Of late, rumor has spread of a "true" city that grew out of a settlement in the swamps near the southeastern coast of Arenthyor. It is said that this city has grown rapidly and a new civilization, established by other humans, has begun to flouish there again. This new city, Bastion, as it has been heard called, is said to be fueling the rise of humans as a race to be reckoned with.
The other common races (dwarves, halflings, and gnomes) did not vanish from the land as the fey races did, but they did retreat for a time into their homelands. The dwarves weathered the Riftening in their fortress, Khanstone Delve, to mine the riches of the land in darkness and safety while amassing a fortune. The halflings in the Brushfellow Shire, lived peaceably amongst each other with their wine to keep them company. The tinker gnomes of Mount Deephill had their constructs and gears as companions to see them through the darkest days. The halflings focused on defending their shire from encroachment. As the destruction from the Riftening calmed and the dust settled, the fires dimmed, and the tremors abated, each of these settlements cautiously re-entered the new land of Arenthyor to find it much changed, wild, and dangerous. Only now do they begin to explore out of their compounds to seek news, knowledge, and profit.
Elves and the other fey races are all but absent on the continent. In the minds of most, they are largely held responsible for the destruction of the land, for unto them was granted stewardship of the world and they vanished just prior to the Riftening. Whether true or not, what cannot be disputed is that they abandoned the land in its greatest time of need, stealing away in a single night with as much of their culture, art, wealth, and magic as they could carry to a protected elven refuge across the sea. It is widely believed that they flourish there, above the roughscrabble existence that most others eek out on the continent. It is common belief that the fey bide their time to take control of Arenthyor again. Elves are remembered as being aloof and arrogant when they were stewards of the land, treating other races like dirty vagabonds undeserving of attention.
Those unfortunate few who share mixed parentage between a fey and a human are largely rejected by both. Not accepted by fey society, they were left behind when the true fey were whisked away. In addition, the other races turned the brunt of their anger at the missing fey against these half-breeds. Outcasts, they live on the fringe of human society, competing for scraps of food and shelter. Prejudice, anger, and hostility follow them like bloodhounds. Beatings are frequent. Murder is common.
But Arenthyor is the new continent east of the Great Rift. The western continent, typically called the Veiled Land, remains a mystery even
through the age and the many explorers who have tried to penetrate more than a few leagues. Once the most splendid part of the land, the Veiled Land is now thought to be host to horrors beyond imagination. Far-fetched tales speak of one lone surviving stretch of land that connects the two continents: the Riftspan. The veracity of this tale is always hotly contested by those who discuss it.
Today, an age has passed since the Riftening. Generations of the shorter-lived races like humans have been born and died away since the catastrophe. While the scars are still there, they have become weathered. The lasting effects wrought by it are now an accepted part of life. Industry and civilization are now returning to Arenthyor.
Arenthyor has always been a land infused with magic. Elves and the fey were closest to this magic, though the gnomes have 'recently' discovered a new type of magic - sorcery and have gifted this information to the other races. Sorcery is vastly different than elven wizardry, as it uses more of an alchemical pathway to unlock the arcane forces. While fey races are symbiotic with the land, naturally shaping the magic from the land in a delicate and beautiful dance of creation and partnership, the "new" magic is more blunt. Using special components, non-fey spellcasters are able rip the arcane from the land and bend it to their will. However, not all magic is good. During the Riftening, the very fabric of magical energy pervading the world was stretched beyond natural proportions. As a result, wild gusts of random arcane energy sweep across the land, creating null-magic or wild-magic areas that can have disastrous consequences to those who deign to wield the arcane in those locales.
Also, with this "mystical warping", it has been surmised by the scholars of some races that Arenthyor may have shifted its place in the ether, taking it closer to other planes. That might account for the recent surge in strange creatures that walk the land and the plansewalkers that have been rumored to appear. Nothing has been proven true and all is just fireside speculation, however.
Furthermore, the gods have always considered Arenthyor one of their special playgrounds, desiring their disciples to bring the land under the sway of each. The priests claim visions that there is untapped power in the land and whichever deity can control the land can rise above the others. Those devout of the divine suggest that the Riftening has only caused the gods to look at Arenthyor with more urgency and accelerated plans that once had millennia to come to fruition. Again, these are the ravings of oracles, shaman, and hermits. Who is to say what is in the mind of the gods?
Above all are the Fates, the three sisters who control the birth, life, and death of all things, who continue to play their role in the world. Where one is destined to toil in the fields for an entire lifetime, another may be destined to become a dragonlord. How these things come to be cannot be fathomed, for that is the mystery of the Fates. Only that each of us has been granted a destiny can be counted immutable. What that is and whether or not we will achieve it are left to lunatics to discuss.
