Fantasy SaltyWrench Lore

[xrakkax]

AERDEN

GENERAL HISTORY/KNOWLEDGE
​

The practice of oral tradition is one of the few similarities between the people at the dawn of existence. Few drew pictures. Fewer had a system for the written word. Fighting between peoples laid waste to what little there was already. This is called the ‘Silhouette Era’ for the lack of knowledge of what happened. It is said that magic was the strongest influence in that period.

Fairy tales and speculation aside, anyone educated in the general history of the world of Aerden is bound to be taught that the following information is true, whether or not it’s actually accurate.

Aerden is the place that encompasses all the lands and sea. There is a debate on how things came to be, even debate on the shape of their world, but one thing is clear— the storms surrounding the lands of Aerden had something to do with it. There is one known continent of Aerden, with three defined sections, and those are divided into territories among the races inhabiting them.

Originally Wesslen was mainly inhabited only by the Dwarves. This land is riddled with mountains, hills, and valleys. Forests grow abundant and were largely untouched by the Dwarves who namely dwelt beneath the ground. Few exceptions were those that did not live in subterranean cities. The Dwarves who lived in the valleys, using the great trees there for homes, were called Gnomes. The very south is mostly grassland, with the exception of soft-sloping hills here and there, which might as well be considered the last ripples of the mountains to the North. It is cold there, with a common joke being that Wesslen only has two seasons: autumn and winter. Even so, it didn’t quite matter what the weather was like for the subterranean Dwarves. They had a kind of ecosystem beneath the surface. Perhaps they didn’t have everything they’d need, but that was what trade was good for anyway. Their main trade— metals, coal, and gems—were always in high demand.

The ‘Midwaste’ used to be called ‘Midvale’, inhabited mostly by the Elves. This land was said to have been a marvel. Elvish ancestry had the greater ability with magic (specifically elemental). They shaped the lands to their will with ease. A person could not cross from one border within Midvale to another without knowing where the lines of territory were drawn since just one foot forward felt as if stepping from one world to another. For all the power they wielded, they could not conquer the seemingly undamped spirit of the Humans— though, it did help in Humanities favor that Elvish magic was observed to not have a satisfying affect on the Humans, or when there were an abundance of Humans—who found the advantages of technological innovation, the ferocity of the Dervolk whose numbers overwhelmed the Elvish’s own by an alarming degree, and of course, those Dwarves that had a kind of magic of their own and who lived beneath the shield of rock that is the ground. Aside from all of this, they had each other to quarrel against. They did not trade much with the others, but if they had, they were not in want of material to do so. The Orohk people are actually comprised of the Elves and an ancient extinct people. The Elves do not like the Orohk. So, they do not refer to them as ‘Elves’.

Estia was largely the territory of the Humans. Their land is said to be the oldest inhabited territory, possibly second to Dyrvolkin’s lands. Their lands were dryer. The coasts, and the strip of lands connected to Midvale, tended to experience four seasons, but the lands between the mountains of the main body of Estia had few cool breezes and far less precipitation. An underground river fed a spring in the center. It became a well-sought after territory, due to the fact that the natural defense of a desert surrounding anything built in the middle made it attractive for a homeland. It was the one spot that neither Humans nor Dyrvolkin could truly stake a claim, because of the harsh reality of fighting over it in a desert, and it ended up in the hands of the Elves, who could use magic on a large enough scale at the time to withstand the weather, and since the others couldn’t fair with the desert, it was easy. They had to work extra hard for trade, and often they relied on their creativity to market themselves as a competitor. Innovative entertainment, unorthodox specialized skills, architectural wonders, and so forth aided them in this, giving rise to a spirit of durability and adaptability. In other words, their stubbornness and confidence surpassed the lackadaisical ambition of the other races to win a place of respect.

The Dyrvolk—best described as beast-men—originally thrived on the largest lands to the south. The numbers and variety of the Dyrvolk outnumbered the other races ten to one. Their land ranged from the oasis of their ‘North’, which was the South of all the other races, to large savanna’s, then vast jungles, to tundras, and icy lands of always winter. Despite such a population, climate dictated where they lived more than anything else. It was a great struggle to venture outside of what was considered lands tailored to their biological needs. Long exposure to weather and food outside of their expected lands and sustenance did not normally end well for them. This is partly why they did not conquer the world.

About a thousand years ago great storms came unexpectedly. They changed Aerden forever. It is at this time that they say magic reached its peak of power, and then, like an ember dying amidst cool sand, it faded as the storms faded. The storms, though, did not fade away completely.

Now the Midvale became known as the Midwaste. The Elves claimed rights to the edges where they could build safely, pushing the Orahks towards Wesslen. The Orahks fought back and took the edges of the lands to the west. This deeply offended the Elves. The Dwarves endured the encroachment of the Orahk people who sometimes clashed with the Dwarves on the surface. The homelands of the Dyrvolk were swallowed by storm, leaving fragments on the edges constantly being battered by storms even still. All but a few races of those lands exist. Most are nomadic. Humans dealt with both the Dyrvolk and the Elves seeking a stable home. The Elves, though like a people struck dumb by their great losses of magic, were able to keep the oasis their ancestors made long ago.

A few hundred years and a few hundred wars later, there came a time of relative peace in most areas. Magic, as they used to know it, all but vanished. Technology filled in the gap left behind. Some say that the practice known as Alchemy is akin to magic. This has encouraged an idea that perhaps magic may still be wielded one day.

 

[xrakkax]

NATIONS OF AERDEN​

Herein is what the general knowledge of the four major nations of Aerden would be understood as to the people of Spireton. There are many more ethnicities and nations, but those will be added as we go. When you choose a race/ethnicity, the details of that people will be accessible through PM or Discord.

*If you make up an ethnicity other than those listed, keep in mind that by natural law your ethnicity most likely is a break-off or sub-branch of the ‘majority’ ethnicity. They will be similar in some ways. If they are not the same for how they dress, for example, then perhaps they do share similar banquet customs, etc. So please take care to show that about them.

*If you have an idea for a nation, please feel free to discuss with me how we can make it work. If it does, I will add that name to the map I made.


DWARF NATION

Rojbard (The Dwarvish nation who went in on the making of the highway and the formation of the Coalition of Fair Trade, otherwise known as the 'CFT'.) They reside in a subterranean city "Rojbard" beneath the mountain range called "Rojmont".

ELVE NATION

Rylia (The Elvish nation involved in the making of the highway, the formation of the CFT, and the technical hosts to Spireton that was built on their ancestral lands.) The Elves of Rylia prefer their nations capitol over the port-city of Lanenton, since it is the ancient city that once was known as the Jewel of the Empire. It was once the brightest, fiercest star of the nations of Aerden.

HUMAN NATION

Adan (The Human nation that instigated the making of the highway, the champion of the CFT, and the innovators of the technology to make it all possible.) The Humans of Adan are varied in ethnicity. They are the main power-house of Estia.

ORAHK NATION

Verza (The Orahk nation involved in the making of the highway, the encourager of CTF, and whose cooperation unlocked Wesslen to Estia, through the Midwaste, and who offered a hand in truce and peace to the Elves, who are their distant cousins.) The Orahks of Verza vary even more than the Adanians, it is said. From brutes built like boulders to willowy tall figures of the forests, the Orahk people have been shaped by their tumultuous past to become a force with which to be reckoned.

 

[xrakkax]

RACES OF AERDEN​

The following is a general idea of what the races of Aerden look like, and a small clip of general knowledge most people would know. Details of each race are given to the RPers who put forth a profile to make a character of said race.

*THESE ARE EXAMPLES. The pictures are only to give an idea of what they look like, they are not the rule and I am willing to hear what you have to say on what they can possibly look like. If you have a particular look you want your race to have, please discuss it with me. I will see what I can do to fit it in this list. Please remember this as you scroll through the pictures.

*Half breeds are allowed between all races.

DWARF

*Often have good eye-sight and lung capacity.

DYRVOLK (DEER-vole-k)

*Though they have the advantages of being partly, or fully, animalistic, the Dyrvolk are handicapped by the fact that magic 'supported' their transformations. Once it all but died out, the Dyrvolk froze in the state they were in when it left. These are a few examples of what you may find.
*Not many Dyrvolk species survived the disaster enough to have descendants. The species that did are a hundred or less. If you have an animal you want to use, let me know and we can discuss it.
*They roam more often than not, as nomadic groupings.
*Only a handful have a settlement to call their own, but these are not unchangeable. A war, for example, could replace one ethnicity with another.

ELVES

*Like Dwarves, Drow have good dark-vision, though they do not have the same impressive lungs.
*Rylian Elves are the largest nation of Elves.
*Elves hug the coasts of their ruined lands.

HUMAN

*Humans of Adan are quite overconfident, a bit prideful, but they have an unrelenting spirit.
*They are the leaders in Alchemy and technology.

ORAHK

*The Verzanese Orahks are respected as some of the most skilled warriors.
*Orahks born in Adan are usually closely tied to family back west by tradition and a good family ethic.

VEIRDRU

*Just like the Dyrvolk, the Veirdru also have been frozen in the particular position they were caught in the moment magic seemed to vanish.
*As you can see, the first picture is an image of a half-Veirdru half-Gazellian (A Dyrvolk).
*Veirdru do not often have a set home since, like the Dyrvolk, they tend to congregate where their species grows best. Some are simply unable to move anyway, since they are stuck; rooted to the earth.

 

[xrakkax]

SPIRETON
​

 

[xrakkax]

LOCAL HISTORY
​

Spireton is the middle of the three port-cities on the trade route between Wesslen and Estia. Because the human ancestors of Adan spent much of their time on technological advancements, they ruled supreme when it came to the rise of businesses using their inventions. About 125 years ago the town of Spireton was founded (mainly) by an Adanian family by the name of Aberline in the year 1695. Their decedents still hold a position of some influence on the Council. In respect, the current representative of the Aberline family is called the ’Conciliar’, which is just another way of saying ‘councilor’, and with no specific function. To the people who manage Spireton, an Aberline family member can be a nuisance.

The other port-towns, Wayton to the West and Lanenton to the East, had some diversity of race, but Spireton was the center-point of all the world. It was the convergence of the people. Due to the advantage that the city would have the four nations that came together to create Spireton decided it should be its own country. This would prevent bias. At least that was the goal. They filled Spireton with people of each nation who now took on the citizenship of this new country. Since they still had families and ties back home, the four nations hoped that they would still be kept in good favor. After a hundred years time, the original separate people mixed and became one. You will find half-breeds in Spireton in a greater number than any other place in the world.

To facilitate good trade and healthy relations, the Coalition of Fair Trade (CFT) was instituted. Each nation is represented by an ambassador of their choice. The ambassador chooses two Nation Reps (NR's) to be the liaison between their respective nation and the people of Spireton. Two representatives are chosen by the people of Spireton to talk with the NR. The four nations are not allowed to have any military presence in Spireton. At the most, they are allotted a small number of personal guards. Their offices are at the center of the entire city where the City Court Hall, or High Council, was built.

Spireton is a confederacy. The Articles of Spireton explain the laws of how each county is expected to behave in relation to the whole of Spireton, but they do not dictate local county laws. No part of the AoS can be changed unless there is a completely unanimous vote. Basically, it’s like the Articles of Confederation that the USA had in the beginning. If you need specifics about a detail, feel free to ask.

GENERAL DISTRICTS
​

1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)
9.)
10.)
11.)
12.)
13.)
14.)

CITY POINTS OF INTEREST

The entire city is supported by beams and spires. The city grounds are platform-like, and they decend to lower platforms from the center as we see in this picture:

HIGH COUNCIL
The center of the city is where the Embassies are as well as the High Council. Since it is in the middle, the flow of air-traffic is like this:

*As you can see, a ship going from east to west can make a turn-around and head back east. The traffic specific to the Embassy and so on are given passage to the inner circle. Commercial airships for travelers and such, along with cargo ships, travel the outer most circle.

GATE HOUSES

The north-west gate house and south-east gate house are identical in function and style. They are not the only gates, but they are the most heavy-duty. There are a few check-points all along the highway, as well as small inns and such. Here is an example of the gatehouse.

HANGARS

The city had been specially designed to allow for the best-skilled workers. The people hired can change. So the stations where the ships are worked on are hangars that can accomidate any skilled crew that is renting out that hangar, who have their own shop. The hangars look like this, and are set in intervals along the sides of the highway inside the city: *This is an example, not the rule.

SALTY WRENCH SHOP

A mechanic has to have their garage. They do not only do ships after all. This is the run-down Salty Wrench, from generations ago. Currently Mosby Morello is the 'Boss'. He has high hopes that one day he will renovate this place and elevate the name 'Morello' and the buisiness of the Salty Wrench over all.