The World of Eryndor
Eryndor is an ancient world, its bones shaped by primordial magics and cataclysmic wars between gods, elementals, and the first mortal civilizations. The air is thick with ambient aether, the source of all magical and martial arts, which flows in ley lines beneath the earth and tides in the great seas above.
The Nine Continents
1. Aethelgard: The central, most populous continent. Seat of the Aethelian Empire. Fertile, temperate, and heavily civilized, though its ancient forests and mountains hold old secrets.
2. Frostheim: A frozen continent to the far north, a land of eternal winter, glaciers, and hardy, isolated clans who worship the auroras.
3. Sunscar: A vast, arid continent of deserts, canyons, and oasis cities to the south. Home to nomadic tribes and buried ruins of a once-great empire.
4. Veridia:The continent of eternal rainforests and mega-flora. A near-impenetrable jungle teeming with exotic life, forgotten temples, and tribes who live in symbiosis with the land.
5. The Shattered Isles:Not one landmass but a vast archipelago of countless islands, ranging from tropical paradises to volcanic hellscapes. A haven for pirates, independent city-states, and sea-folk.
6. Drakespines: A continent of impossibly high, razor-sharp mountain ranges, deep chasms, and unstable geology. Home to draconic creatures, stoic Dwarven holds, and the mysterious, pact-making Shamans.
7. The Whispering Steppes:An endless sea of grasslands and rolling hills to the east, home to fierce horse-lords, centaur clans, and sky-borne nomads.
8. Umbral:A twilight continent perpetually shrouded in mist and weak sunlight. Lands of deep woods, melancholic beauty, and beings touched by shadow and dream.
9. Ashfall: A blighted, volcanic continent wreathed in smoke. Its lands are rich in rare minerals and volatile aether, constantly fought over by mercenary companies, infernal cults, and desperate prospectors.
The Seven Major Seas
1. The Argent Sea:Surrounds Aethelgard, known for its trade routes and treacherous, silver-hued mists.
2. The Siren's Deep:West of the Shattered Isles, famously beautiful, deadly, and prone to supernatural tempests.
3. The Marrow Sea: Icy waters north of Frostheim, said to be the resting place of leviathans and ancient warships.
4. The Sunfire Ocean:South of Sunscar, blisteringly hot, with waters that glow at night from bioluminescent plankton.
5. The Jade Reach:Separates Veridia from the Shattered Isles, warm and teeming with bizarre lifeforms.
6. The Churn: A turbulent, aether-rich sea around Drakespines, unpredictable and feared by sailors.
7. The Ghostwash: The eerie, calm sea bordering Umbral, where reflections show different times and lost ships sometimes sail.
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Professions & Ranks of Power
Power in Eryndor is a blend of physical mastery, spiritual conditioning, and aether manipulation. Ranks are both titles and measurable stages of personal evolution.
Knights (Aether-Channeling Warriors)
Focus: Weapon mastery, leadership, and channeling aether into enhancing their body, armor, and strikes. They follow codes and often swear to lords or ideals.
Man-at-Arms: Basic trainee.
Gallant:Proficient warrior, often a noble's retainer.
Adept:Can consistently channel aether for enhanced strikes and durability.
Vindicator: Can imbue attacks with elemental force (fire, lightning, frost) and perform short bursts of superhuman speed/strength.
Paladin: A living bastion. Their will shapes aether into tangible shields, zones of authority, and devastating area attacks. They are strategic assets.
Justiciar:Can enforce their personal "law" as a localized reality, nullifying enemy magic or enhancing allies. Judges on and off the battlefield.
Paragon:A living legend. Their presence alone can shift the tide of battle. Capable of feats that defy conventional understanding.
Saint-Knight: Mythic. Said to have ascended to a semi-divine state. Their deeds become scripture, their relics hold immense power.
Mages (Aether-Weavers)
Focus: Intellectual and spiritual study to shape aether into spells outside the body. Specializations include elemental, abjuration, divination, and illusion.
Apprentice: Learner of theory and minor cantrips.
Arcanist: Certified spellcaster, can reliably cast utilitarian and combat spells.
Elementalist/Conjuror/etc.: A specialized practitioner of significant power.
Archmage:Master of a school of magic, capable of city-altering spells and creating potent artifacts.
Lorekeeper:Seeks forgotten and fundamental truths of magic. Their power is esoteric and world-altering.
Arcane Sovereign: A mage who has fused their will with a ley line or a fundamental concept of magic.
Healers (Life-Weavers)
Focus: Manipulating aether to mend flesh, cure disease, and bolster vitality. Often spiritual or academic in approach.
Herbalist/Apothecary: Uses physical and mildly enchanted remedies.
Mender:Can knit flesh and bone directly with aether.
Physician:Diagnoses and cures magical and mundane diseases.
Lightbringer: Can purge corruption, resurrect very recently deceased, and create zones of regeneration.
Saint of Mercy:Mythic healer whose touch can cure any ailment and whose presence purges plague.
Warriors (Masters of Mortal Skill)
Focus: Peak physical conditioning, unmatched weapon skill, and tactical brilliance without relying on aether channeling. Their will is expressed through pure, refined technique.
Mercenary/Man-at-Arms: Sellsword or soldier.
Veteran: Seasoned fighter, often a sergeant or captain.
Weaponmaster:A peerless expert with a specific weapon, capable of defeating magically enhanced foes through skill alone.
Warlord: A strategic genius whose presence inspires armies to feats of unbelievable courage and coordination.
Grandmaster: A living embodiment of a martial art, a philosopher of war. Can fight entire companies alone.
Berserkers (Path of the Unleashed Spirit)
Focus: Releasing the spirit's raw, unfiltered power through emotion (rage, grief, zeal). They do not channel aether; they become an aetheric phenomenon of pure destruction.
Brawler: One who fights with wild, untapped fury.
Rager: Can consciously enter a state of enhanced strength and pain resistance.
Juggernaut: Becomes a nearly unstoppable force, their aura damaging nearby foes, their blows shattering stone.
Worldbreaker:A cataclysm in mortal form. Their emotional state warps the local environment (causing spontaneous fires, localized earthquakes).
Alchemists (The Art of Transmutation)
Focus: The science of matter and aether. Creates potions, elixirs, oils, explosives, and homunculi. Power is measured in the potency and complexity of their creations.
Student: Learner of formulas and safety protocols.
Journeyman: Can reliably create common potions and reagents.
Artificer: Creates enchanted items, golems, and potent bombs.
Grand Alchemist: Can transmute materials on a large scale, create philosopher's stones (limited), and engineer plagues or panaceas.
Sovereign of Change:Mythic figure said to understand the fundamental recipe of creation itself.
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The Aethelian Empire
Name:The Aethelian Empire (often just "The Empire" or "Aethelgard").
Population: ~800 million souls across the continent of Aethelgard and several colonial holdings.
Imperial Family Name:Martellon. (The border prince from earlier is a distant, provincial cousin of the main imperial line).
Imperial Emblem:A Silver Bridge on a field of Azure Blue.Symbolizes the Empire's role in bridging the ancient world with the new, and connecting its diverse peoples.
Noble Titles (in descending order):
Emperor/Empress (Martellon)
Archduke/Archduchess (Ruler of one of the Empire's four great regions)
Grand Prince/Princess (Direct scions of the main imperial line)
Duke/Duchess (Rule large, strategic provinces)
Marquis/Marchioness (Rule border marches or critical territories, like Marquis Ralke)
Count/Countess (Rule counties)
Viscount/Viscountess (Rule sub-divisions of counties)
Baron/Baroness (Landholding knights or minor lords)
Lord/Lady (Knightly or untitled nobility)
Current Context: The Empire is in a period of stagnant, bureaucratic stability. The central Imperial Court in the capital, Aethelspire, is rife with intrigue but distant from the concerns of border marches like Oakhaven. This allows lords like Marquis Ralke significant autonomy to pursue their own dark agendas in the remote corners of the realm, so long as they pay their taxes and pay lip service to imperial law. The Imperial Legions are formidable but spread thin, making provincial forces and the rank-based power of individual knights and mages critically important for local defense and ambition.