Introduction to Varzzen
In the tapestry that Order created, you will find the worlds that Chaos ultimately shaped. Varzzen is a continent steeped in magic and ancient history. It is a place of colossal flora and monstrous creatures, but most importantly home to chitinous empires. Here, the sun is the glowing cocoon of a dormant deity and the underground networks run as deep as the oceans. You will learn about the origins of divinity and witness the clash that defined existence.
On Varzzen, you will encounter a variety of species, each uniquely adapted to their environment, each so different, but ultimately united in their heritage: they are insectoid.
The divine have shaped the fate of The Luminous Tapestry since the dawn of time. The universe exists in a fragile state of tension between The Radiant Cocoon—the dormant creator who wove reality from light and structure—and the Great Wurm, the entity of entropy that seeks to gnaw the threads of existence until all returns to the void.
The geography of Varzzen is as fragmented as its history. From the industrial volcanic fortresses of the east to the floating golden hives of the west, the world is a patchwork of conflicting ideologies and biomes. Beneath the surface, ancient tunnels connect rival empires in a subterranean web, while above, sky-cities cast long shadows over war-torn expanses. Whether ruled by merit, blood, or divine decree, every nation offers a different definition of survival.
Now the map of Varzzen lies open before you, a hexagonal grid of infinite potential. Every border represents a story; every blank space, a mystery waiting to be unearthed. You have chosen your heritage, your faith, and your allegiance. Now, all that remains is to take the first step into the unknown.
What is your heritage?
But what is your story? Are you an imperial vespoid serving a golden queen, a whimsical Akitu dancing on surface tension, or a calculating Formicoid carving stone?
Akitu
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Resembling tall, iridescent dragonflies, the Akitu are frail insectoids known for their unrivaled aerial speed and elegance. Due to their notably short lifespans, they are thrill-seekers who prioritize beauty and adventure over foresight or wisdom, living strictly in the present. Akitu tribes usually settle near water, maintaining deep spiritual ties to the Flittermarsh, a mystical fey realm, which they once called home. Led by elder sages, they rely entirely on patron fey for guidance. Read more >>>
Arachs
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Arachs are aberrant hybrids created during the Scion empire’s - Taḫūmu’s - collapse, combining an insectoid torso with a spider's lower body. Bound to the dark "Shyfell," they possess terrifying speed, wall-climbing abilities, and can traverse short distances through teleporting.
Despite their frightening appearance, leading to widespread fear and prejudice, arachs are not inherently evil. While many are forced into crime on society's fringes, others seek to prove their worth as adventurers. To the rare few who offer them acceptance, Arachs offer fanatical loyalty in return. Read more >>>
Beetlefolk
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Beetlefolk are a versatile, four-armed insectoid race defined by incredible diversity. Ranging from three to seven feet tall, they possess durable chitinous plating and distinct subspecies that dictate their abilities and roles.
While Rhinoceros and Stag beetles are powerful warriors and jovial brawlers, Fireflies serve as glowing, nomadic adventurers. Harlequins are agile forest climbers, Scarabs act as intellectual artisans, and Ladybugs are charming healers. Despite these differences, all Beetlefolk tend toward moral extremes, dedicating themselves fully to either chaos or order. Read more >>>
Chilopodians
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Chilopodians are imposing, centipede-like insectoids with a muscular torso atop a long, multi-legged lower body. Capable of rearing up to terrifying heights, they move with shocking speed and can scale sheer surfaces.
Because they live for over 800 years, often outlasting their peers, Chilopodians tend to prioritize enduring ideals over personal relationships. Driven by a singular purpose, they serve as strict, intense leaders—generals, high priests, or guild masters—dedicating their long lives to a specific cause to ensure they leave a lasting legacy. Read more >>>
Formicoids
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Formicoids are lean, ant-like insectoids possessing immense physical strength, capable of carrying ten times their body weight. Serious and dutiful, they prioritize the collective hive over the individual, adhering to strict roles assigned at birth.
Their civilization spans vast, efficient underground empires connected by surface Hill-Cities. Master architects of functional stone structures, Formicoids are highly militaristic and expansionist. They seek to aggressively widen their borders, viewing other nations primarily as targets for conquest and only accepting alliances when strategic necessity dictates. Read more >>>
Luni
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Luni are frail, fuzzy moth-folk with broad wings, known for their elegance in flight and their immense lifespans, which can reach a millennium. Standing around five feet tall, they are often covered in thick fur and leave trails of glittering scales wherever they go.
While young Luni are curious adventurers, elders often retreat into seclusion to cope with outliving their peers. Dedicating centuries to astronomy, literature, and the arcane, they possess vast intellect but lack urgency, believing problems can always be solved tomorrow—or in a decade. Read more >>>
Mantises
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Mantises are a dimorphic race defined by strict matriarchal traditions. Warrior males are smaller, green-hued hunters with lightning-fast reflexes, while Orchid females are taller, pink or violet, and possess innate psionic abilities.
Families are ruled by the eldest Orchid and prioritize honor above all else, making independent adventurers rare. Central to their culture is the spiritual bond between Orchid sages and ancient, originally malevolent spirits. By binding these entities to family heirlooms, the Orchids transform them into benevolent protectors, granting the clan heightened psionic powers and safety. Read more >>>
Muscans
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Muscans are small, fly-like scavengers with spindly limbs and lifespans rarely exceeding 40 years. Often shunned as hideous pests, their fear of death and social isolation has driven the race into the clutches of the Great Wurm, a dark deity promising equality through total chaos.
Most Muscans serve this entity in apocalyptic cults. The few who reject this path to become adventurers face a harrowing existence; they are mentally haunted by the Wurm’s influence. Through nightmares and feelings of inferiority, the dark god constantly tries to pull these exiles back into its service. Read more >>>
Necrites
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Necrites are small, ravenous, termite-like insectoids defined by massive mandibles and terrifying speed. Despite standing only three feet tall, they are brutally strong and dwell in rigid, tyrannical empires. Their society is driven by selfishness and a lust for power, held together only by strict laws and a shared desire to dominate others.
Known as the White Flood during mass attacks, necrites are natural burrowers who mature quickly and live short lives. They possess iron stomachs capable of digesting wood and poisons, making them relentless and overwhelming opponents. Read more >>>
Roaches
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Roaches are small, resilient insectoids known as master tinkerers. Descendants of a golden realm, they now dwell in chaotic underground settlements, having traded their history for survival instincts. Valuing practicality over aesthetics, they often replace weak body parts with crude but effective mechanical augments.
While their appearance—broad bodies and acid-dripping fangs—is unsettling to outsiders, roaches possess keen minds and deft hands. Adapted to darkness, they suffer from sunlight sensitivity but boast unrivaled vision in the dark. Whether utilizing mechanical gliders or reinforced plating, Roaches are the ultimate survivors of Varzzen. Read more >>>
Scions
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Scions are imposing, 8-foot-tall scorpion-folk possessing four arms—the upper pair ending in powerful pincers—and a venomous tail. Once rulers of an ancient empire that guarded a gateway to a plane of death, they are now spiritual nomads wandering the deep deserts.
Guided by elders who commune with ancestral spirits, scions prioritize cosmic balance, taking only what is necessary to survive. While typically peaceful, these expert guides are formidable combatants when provoked. The rare few who leave their clans often do so to seek adventure or uncover the secrets of their fallen civilization. Read more >>>
Thoptra
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Originating from the gloomy Cullpines, the thoptras are a species permanently divided by a history of betrayal. The Crickets, once magical tyrants who enslaved their kin, are now small, jovial bards who live for the moment, wielding innate enchantment magic and powerful leaps.
In contrast, the locusts are stoic survivalists who successfully overthrew their Cricket oppressors. Deeply distrustful but fiercely loyal, locusts are master hunters with a primal connection to beasts and the ability to fly. While crickets charm their way through life, locusts rely on swarm tactics and efficiency to survive. Read more >>>
Vespoids
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Vespoids are bee-folk, valuing loyalty and martial prowess. They are divided into three distinct lineages: the charismatic, social Bees, the massive, hairy Bumbles, and the slender, aggressive Wasps.
Culturally, they split into the sky-dwelling, caste-driven Zenith, the communal, earth-loving Amrita, and the ruthless **Favez** survivalists. Whether building golden sky-cities or warring in the Amber Fallow, Vespoids shape their world through charm, force, and unwavering devotion to their queens and swarms. Read more >>>
How did the divine affect you?
Which gods influence your life? Which faith do you cling to? Do you seek the safety and stagnation of Order, or the freedom and uncertainty of Chaos?
The Order Pantheon
The Order Pantheon comprises six deities: Aurius, Chitas, Gnol-Dotera, Katisan, Mairun, and Zaqātu. These beings were created by the Radiant One (now the Radiant Cocoon) to oversee the world of Alvandis and guide its mortal inhabitants during their creator's dormancy. Unlike chaos-born gods, these deities derive their immense strength inherently and possess the unique ability to mold Chaos into structure, laws, and civilization. Read more >>>The Chaos Gods
When strong belief flows into the void, the void answers. Chaos Gods are beings manifested through the collective psychic resonance of mortals. Their powers wax and wane with the strength of their worship, or the worship of the ideals they represent. Their form is also malleable, shaping itself to whatever image their followers attribute to them. The first and most terrible of these beings was the Great Wurm, the very incarnation of entropy. Others rise and fall with the tides of hysteria and passion.Which lands do you call home?
Where did you grow up? Did you swear fealty to a queen, navigated the cutthroat politics of a republic, or sought solitude in the untamed wilds?
Aciaroma
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Formerly the Detrinian province of Sweetwood, Aciaroma is now a military occupation disguised as a Queendom. Ruled by the bumble General Queen Brighid following the Tunnel War, the nation is controlled by the Royal Hexagon Alliance. The native necrite population faces crushing poverty, heavy taxation, and religious suppression of their god Katisan.
While open rebellion is impossible against the superior military, the populace resists through smuggling, secret worship, and guerrilla strikes. Meanwhile, Brighid’s favoritism toward Auroma alienates her allies, leaving the nation unstable, economically stifled, and functioning more as a plundered territory than a sovereign state. Read more >>>
Ādhā-sha Nation Crest by CaptainTagada
Ādhā-Sha
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The Ādhā-Sha are a confederacy of nomadic scion tribes descended from the fallen Taḫūmu empire. Centered around the neutral "Oasis of Peace," they are governed by noble chieftains and the impartial Order of Judges, who interpret ancient laws and commune with ancestor spirits.
Divided into four distinct ethnicities based on their environment—desert, river, coast, and mountain—their society operates under a rigid caste system. United by the Echoing Way faith, strictly avoiding the corruption of Arachnida while navigating a harsh life of trade, herding, and survival. Read more >>>
Auroma
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Auroma, the "Golden Queendom," dominates Western Varzzen through honey production and its leadership in the Royal Hexagon Alliance. Formed by the union of Zenith and Amrita Vespoids, the nation operates under a rigid caste system where Zenith nobles hold power over Amrita workers.
Despite winning the recent Tunnel War, Auroma faces internal peril. Resources are drained by foreign occupation, and the "Commoner Queen" Alexandra II faces rebellion from the aristocratic Regal Senate. As she strives to bridge the divide between the oppressed lower castes and the elite, the nation teeters on the brink of civil unrest. Read more >>>
Cavana
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Cavana is a technocratic oligarchy nestled underground beneath the Onyx Veil. Primarily inhabited by formicoids, this nation operates on rigid structure and duty, valuing expertise over lineage. Governance lies with the Assembly of Structure, a council of Grandmasters led by a merit-elected Queen, who functions as the Grandmaster of Diplomacy.
Citizens live without currency, receiving housing, resources, and "leisure tokens" in exchange for lifelong service in assigned roles. Worshiping Chitas, the goddess of architecture, Cavanans view their tunnels and society as parts of a divine masterpiece. Though a powerful economic force in the Royal Hexagon, Cavana harbors resentment over the Tunnel War, feeling cheated out of territory given to Auroma. Read more >>>
Cor Quae'thum
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Founded by the ancient nymphian Maeve, Cor Quae'thum is a neutral university-city state dedicated to Gnol-Dotera, the goddess of knowledge. Governed by the Catedralum—a council comprising Maeve, high priests, and senior professors—the city operates as a strict meritocracy. Status is determined by mastery in any field, from the arcane to the martial; anyone effectively demonstrating their skill through public discourse can attain the rank of professor.
Home to the world's most diverse population of scholars and artisans, the city serves as a sanctuary for learning and a diplomatic hub, historically hosting the signing of the Royal Hexagon Alliance. Read more >>>
House Varundom
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Once the instigators of the War of the Stripes, the Wasp noble House Varundom was exiled to the harsh Amber Fallow after their manipulative schemes against the Zenith backfired. Today, they serve as the respectable political face of the region within the Royal Hexagon Alliance, but this is merely a mask.
In reality, the House operates in symbiotic secrecy with the criminal Black Leaf Guild. While the Guild executes illicit operations, Varundom manages diplomacy and public perception. They even stage elaborate, fake anti-crime campaigns to fool the populace, training their heirs to master both high-stakes politics and the criminal underworld. Read more >>>
Isenheim
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Founded by Lawspeaker Kirsi after rejecting a path of conquest, Isenheim is a nation located on a magically frozen bay. Inhabited almost exclusively by frost ants, this harsh land necessitates a tight-knit hunter-gatherer society governed by direct democracy rather than centralized rule.
Isenheim is defined by its pragmatic relationship with death. Families live alongside their most recently deceased relative, raised by Kirsi as an undead helper. Instead of worshipping gods, they revere these ancestors and transform legendary heroes into sentient ice sculptures called Ispos. They trade survival expertise and goods via barter, never selling food. Read more >>>
Kamaran
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The fertile islands of Kamaran are home to a wealthy, matriarchal society of telepathic mantises. Power lies with the Empress and noble Matrons, who derive authority from symbiotic "family spirits" unique to each clan. While female orchid mantises rule, males serve as warriors in lethal militias equipped with gunpowder. The nation thrives on trading luxury goods like orchids, despite a rigid class structure and deep suspicion of outsiders. Cultural life revolves around "Petal Tending"—rituals binding art, names, and spirits together. To be "Nameless" is to be exiled, severing the vital connection between the mantis and their spiritual protector. Read more >>>
Rusterov
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Rusterov is a geographically diverse Queendom ruled by Queen Jazzabell and a coalition of five noble families who elect the monarch. Inhabited by various beetlefolk sub-species—from militaristic rhinos to sociable ladybugs—the nation thrives on trade, exporting food, music, and ale.
While generally accommodating to outsiders, they remain wary of necrites and muscans due to past wars and territorial threats. United by a worship of the chaos god Mairun, citizens are renowned for their endless festivities. However, internal political tension simmers as nobles question the young Queen’s authority over this colorful, merchant-driven land. Read more >>>
Sanctus Grex
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Shrouded in perpetual fog and expanding swamps, Sanctus Grex is a theocracy of muscan zealots worshipping the chaotic Great Wurm. Led by their dark messiah, the Spawn of the Wurm, and a self-mutilating clergy, the nation rejects material wealth, living in poverty, focused solely on religious devotion.
Their economy thrives on contraband and bartering, rather than coin. Social life is dictated by religious doctrine, where the youngest offspring are conscripted into the priesthood. It is a dangerous, isolationist power where art, food, and law serve only the Wurm, and worshipping other gods is punishable by death. Read more >>>
Siógamhór
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Siógamhór is a chaotic, lush paradise inhabited by the hyper-empathic akitu. Governance is minimal; instead of rulers, citizens follow Dreamers, individuals bonded to powerful fey patrons who guide society through emotion and suggestion. The economy rejects coin in favor of bartering, enforced by magical Promise Pearls that bind those who swear an oath.
Society revolves around the "Six Hearts," courts representing different emotions ruled by Archfey. While life is generally a joyful game of creative expression, the Court of the Baleful Heart has recently been corrupted by a dark artifact, spreading rot and obsession within the land. Read more >>>
Sol Sphaera Societas
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Sol Sphaera Societas is a technologically advanced settlement of roaches located within the caldera of a mountain-top ripped from Zaqatu’s Spine. The city is powered by the Sunsphere, a device that houses a divine "Godshard," providing limitless energy for the roach’s many scientific pursuits.
Governance is decentralized, handled by professional guilds called Consortiums—most notably the Reclaimers and Sunspherers—rather than a single ruler. While society prizes logic, innovation, and a barter economy, a dark secret festers: the Consortium of Magnum Opus performs horrific experiments in an attempt to build their own artificial god. Read more >>>
The Detrinian Empire
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Devastated by its loss in the Tunnel War, the Detrinian Empire is a fractured landscape, almost unworthy of its title. Having lost its fertile heartland, the necrite population is no longer united by a single Tyrant but torn between four warring aspirants. Society operates on brutal social laws: status is determined solely through lethal duels, though family and marriage remain sacred, unbreakable bonds of trust.
Economically isolated, the empire relies on expensive smugglers. Religious unity has shattered, with the populace divided between blaming their god Katisan, seeking chaotic alternatives, or accepting their plight as divine punishment. Read more >>>
Yonghéng Dìguó
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Yonghéng Dìguó, the "Ember Empire," is a totalitarian, industrial fortress-nation in Eastern Varzzen carved from volcanic rock. Ruled by the Brimstone Emperor Emkrik Maldroor, the state operates as a militaristic cult worshipping him as a draconic god while reviling the Radiant Cocoon.
Society is rigidly stratified: noble chilopodians and favored fire ant artisans and soldiers sit atop a mass of oppressed "Lesser Citizens" forced into labor. While currently consolidating power, the Empire boasts a massive army bolstered by innovative cragsteel weaponry. They maintain a facade of prosperity through spice exports, masking a brutal, expansionist reality. Read more >>>
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