The World of Valerick
A World Divided by Darkness....
The world of Valerick, one of many in the material universe, is a strange and esoteric place. A place divided by nightmare, assaulted by darkness, yet so vibrant and full of life. A place that for untold time was engulfed, swallowed, the lights all but shut off, by a catacylsm simply known as The Sundering. It is a world that though nearly 1600 years removed from that horror, bears many injuries and scars and is likely never to fully heal again. A world where even even the Aether, the Dreamweave, that fabric that holds back the Void for all worlds and realms, is thin, vulnerable, trying to heal. So thin that even the elemental forces of Creation, Manna the gifts of Mother Creation and Father Destiny, are tainted, poisoned with the Void's unreal presence. No magick is safe, yet magick is necessary and thus the existence of The Magisterium for though they are dangerous those whom can wield the arcane arts heal the Dreamweave more than any other can. For the Dreamweave is all that is left to try and hold back the Void and the Beast of Blacks, the all consuming Nightmares that mark the end of all existence.
It is a world of darkness and persecution for most whom practice the magickal arts in spite of this. For if you are not of the Magisterium, a graduate, you are not safe. You are too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Witches, they are few and far between, staying secretive, being forcibly re-educated and becoming magisters of the Magisterium, or being shot, stabbed, burned, drowned, or executed in some other fashion for heresy. A world where beyond the areas of complete control, areas of high populations, out in rural and frontier areas, and especially beyond, their is the ever present real threat of death. From the wildlife to strange magickal phenomenom, and everything in between. Yet that is the more pure danger. In civilized regions, the threats don't end, they are merely insidious. The Ruined Gods ever try to influence the sapient races, to infect society. Cults whisper in the dark, an ever present danger, and sometimes they end up being led by truly heinous figures, attempting evil and dangerous rituals. There are many creatures and denizens, aberrations tainted by the Void, capable of hiding among civilized folk as well. All in all, it is a dangerous place to live indeed. But yet...
Yet Unified in a Light
Across the three major continents, though borders and nationality may also seem to divide, and do to some level, there is a shared faith across the continents that make up the core of what is Valerick. This is the worship of the Ascended, nine heroes from the the time of Ascension, the end of the Sundering. They get their name because they were mere mortals, beings of flesh and blood, but their heroics and leadership saw them remembered in a fashion of faith, of divine belief, seeing them ascend, all of them by the year now known as year 0 in this new era. Though the age of Reclaimation has ended and we enter the age of Revitalization, this universal truth holds. The arrival of the Ascended as dieties, the arrival of divine power within clergy and knights templar is the marker of the new age calendar for 0.
None know how long the Sundering, or the Primordial Era and the Sibling War between the ancient beings of the Faei and the Tanes, the first children of creation lasted. None know how much was lost. Very few even know truly what the Faei or the Tane were. None truly know what folly, or which side, brought about the conditions for the Sundering or when. Such was the sheer destruction and loss of history via record, artifact or otherwise in their tragedy that such evidence, if it does exists, remains undiscovered. The world was not merely engulfed but shattered, changed, forever more. Once the tundras of Suranth are believed to have been green, the deserts of Susma a verdant alpine mountain range. The Sundering did not just wipe out empires. It stripped the world itself.
Yet with the fall of those first children of creation, arguably the true gods of Valerick, with their disappearance or destruction a great amount of Divine Power was left behind. We know very little about those first dieties, just their hated enemies, the Ruined Gods. Not a great deal is known now about the Ascended, for much of fact has been blurred by faith, myth and legend. However across the continents, anywhere civilization touches, you will find worship of these divine beings, these cultural heroes. They are the light in amongst the darkness for most, and their most fervent and faithful servants become such quite literally, able to pray and call forth miracles of great power in time of need.
None know how long the Sundering, or the Primordial Era and the Sibling War between the ancient beings of the Faei and the Tanes, the first children of creation lasted. None know how much was lost. Very few even know truly what the Faei or the Tane were. None truly know what folly, or which side, brought about the conditions for the Sundering or when. Such was the sheer destruction and loss of history via record, artifact or otherwise in their tragedy that such evidence, if it does exists, remains undiscovered. The world was not merely engulfed but shattered, changed, forever more. Once the tundras of Suranth are believed to have been green, the deserts of Susma a verdant alpine mountain range. The Sundering did not just wipe out empires. It stripped the world itself.
Yet with the fall of those first children of creation, arguably the true gods of Valerick, with their disappearance or destruction a great amount of Divine Power was left behind. We know very little about those first dieties, just their hated enemies, the Ruined Gods. Not a great deal is known now about the Ascended, for much of fact has been blurred by faith, myth and legend. However across the continents, anywhere civilization touches, you will find worship of these divine beings, these cultural heroes. They are the light in amongst the darkness for most, and their most fervent and faithful servants become such quite literally, able to pray and call forth miracles of great power in time of need.
A World of Lost Knowledge.....
Valerick was once a world of marvel, both magick and architectural. Under the guidance of the both the Tane and Faei, the Sapient races came to be, each taught and raised by one of them. This much is known from the scant archaelogical records that did survive and have been discovered. We were given great knowledge, understanding, and with that, tamed and mastered their wild world. All within the spheres of these mighty entities and their dominions and empires.
It is unknown to this day why or how these two sibling groups went to war, or what the first blows were. Nor is it known whom ignored Mother Creation and Father Destiny's warnings first and sought answers, power or aide beyond the protection of the Dreamweave, beyond the sea of stars, the dominion of planes and realms of existence. But someone did. Someone looked into the infinity of darkness, the ever hungering emptiness of despair given manifest in desperation for answers. Presumably, something stared back.
What the chain of events are after that moment, much like that moment are unknown. So much was lost in the destructive force and sheer scale of death that came with the War of Creation and then the Sundering that very world itself was broken apart, entire realms sinking into the sea, or simply dissolving into pure Void Essence, pulled into the darkness of the Void forever. Thus in today's age, those times and entities, Tanes, Faei and other such things are referred to almost as myth and legend. So long past and lost is the knowledge of their times. Only very select few temples of the Ascended, subsets of the those Orders whom safeguard knowledge and understanding, their highest ranking and elite subsets, still have any such scraps in their libraries. But these are but the barest scraps, whispers from a past long forgotten and destroyed. However is the knowledge gone forever, or just lost deeper in dark corners and pockets of the world as of yet to be properly returned to and explored. For such pockets are notable and numerous.
It is unknown to this day why or how these two sibling groups went to war, or what the first blows were. Nor is it known whom ignored Mother Creation and Father Destiny's warnings first and sought answers, power or aide beyond the protection of the Dreamweave, beyond the sea of stars, the dominion of planes and realms of existence. But someone did. Someone looked into the infinity of darkness, the ever hungering emptiness of despair given manifest in desperation for answers. Presumably, something stared back.
What the chain of events are after that moment, much like that moment are unknown. So much was lost in the destructive force and sheer scale of death that came with the War of Creation and then the Sundering that very world itself was broken apart, entire realms sinking into the sea, or simply dissolving into pure Void Essence, pulled into the darkness of the Void forever. Thus in today's age, those times and entities, Tanes, Faei and other such things are referred to almost as myth and legend. So long past and lost is the knowledge of their times. Only very select few temples of the Ascended, subsets of the those Orders whom safeguard knowledge and understanding, their highest ranking and elite subsets, still have any such scraps in their libraries. But these are but the barest scraps, whispers from a past long forgotten and destroyed. However is the knowledge gone forever, or just lost deeper in dark corners and pockets of the world as of yet to be properly returned to and explored. For such pockets are notable and numerous.
Yet a World of Invention and Science
However despite all of this, Valerick now is a rather innovative and advanced place. In the early stages of an industrial revolution, their interconnectivity between cities, nations, even continents, is stronger and more readily available than it has ever been. This is not to say it is exceedingly easy or cheap. But with modern marvels like the Steam Engine, Manna-Sails, the Magne-tech Core, and of course Smokepowder, travel over land and sea has become far more doable, though quite dangerous or expensive still. The more you pay, the less danger to life and limb you shall have, though there is never any guarantees of total safety.
It is a world that even now, accelerating into an age of industrialization, where weapons and armor of bygone eras, like plate and chain, swords and shields, still see ready and plentiful use even in militaries. Because the foes they have to face demand a variety of tools. For example, orcs do not fear bullets, and eventually they will close the distance, and eventually you will run out of smokepowder and ammo. It is also a place that seems to speak to the adventurous side of the sapient spirit. Exemplari, as they are called all across the continent. Those whom choose the road and the tales over stability. Those whom choose quality over quantity when it comes to their life experiences. Those whom will not settle for a simple life, but seek more purpose, more meaning, more risk, more reward. Those whom choose to seek adventure.... well that's if you believe they get to choose at all
Localized Phenomena
Tol'amiris cursed under his breath, seeing the dust cloud about a mile behind them, his sharp elven eyes and Aether-Sight picking out the flesh stripping flashes in the Aether hiding admist the winds howling in that sandstorm. Grabbing his wife, he answered her glance with but two words that had fear rising in her chest, and had her rousing immediately, acting swiftly and unquestioningly. "Void Storm"
Void Storms are one of two things that one should be aware of no matter where they are in Valerick. They can take many forms, a monsoon in a jungle, a raging ice storm in the tundra, or a sandstorm in the desert, but regardless they always are heralded by three things. No matter if it makes sense or not, they are heralded by a vicious almost bone breaking north to south or south to north wind. Even if this should not be possible, between two mountains, it doesn't matter. Secondly they are oddly localized, never larger than perhaps ten miles in diameter, and able to be as small as but a mile. Thirdly, to those with Aether-Sight, those whom can see the flows of Manna, the Veil of magickal energy that makes up the world and all things? They will see amongst those winds a cacophony of color, a rainbow of madness and terror, with twisted nightmarish faces within in the worst cases.
Void Storms kick up almost at random. There are many theories as to what causes them too. Some among the Magisterium believes it is when too much manna, of too many currents, pool together in one place. Others think they likely start in places where the taint of the Void still clings to the land. Others still even believe it is the Ruined Gods themselves, the only bit of direct influence they can pierce through the Veil with, just lashing out in frustration. Whatever the cause, or causes, these storms are exceedingly dangerous to regular people and magisters alike. They will tear flesh, break bones, assault your mind and psyche, burn you, bite at you, and even in some extreme cases, try and mutate you. They will give you visions, driving you mad. The air will choke and drown you, poison you and in some cases rot your skin. They move fast, and can be survived, but it is far safer to try and avoid them. For magisters, they are subject to all the above as well, however they cannot safely call upon their magick. The sheer volume of manna all about them basically guarantees that they will not be able to control what they draw in, that they will draw in far to much power to swiftly, and lose complete control. In the most powerful of these sorts of storms a magister has another danger to consider. Possession.
The other thing one should be aware of and try to avoid is of course Scars upon Reality/World-Wounds. These are remnants of the Sundering, areas of land still blasted, tainted and twisted by the taint of the Void, from sheer over exposure to the realm of nightmares. All manner of dangers lie within such places. Wildlife one would understand it may still exist, as might some plant life. But most will be twisted. Mutated, or utterly changed into things heinous, malevolent and evil. The land itself is minorly corrupting as well. Most regions such as this are thankfully only minor, dangerous but manageable, and though their is slightly heightened risks to use of the Arcane Arts, and the Ascended may struggle a little more to hear the prayers of their faithful, such areas are not so dangerous as to be impassable. Scars upon Reality are the dominant areas this describes of course, yet in some places, some suspected, a select few confirmed, there are far greater threats. World-Wounds are direct rifts, tears in reality, and they are regions oft in the center of the larger Scars. These areas, areas within close proximity of such a thing, are even more dangerous, deadly even, and to be in proximity of such a thing is to be at immediate risk of curse, mutation, death or even worse horrors. World-Wounds are one of the greatest threats and mightiest challenges still facing this realm which is trying to heal, trying to recover, all these centuries later.
Maps
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World Map of Valerick
World Map of Valerick. This map is not done to a scale, specifically the continents are shown closer together than they are by a notable amount. See continental maps and entries within the World Atlas about the various oceans and seas to get a better idea of the oceanic distances and actual useful measurable maps of the continents when it comes to land size and travel distances and the like.
Type
Planet
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