Fantasy Uprising in the City of Amartia | Lore Page

[StorytellerLathos]

• Races
• Magic
• Geography

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  Elves
  The elves were the first mortal race to be created, though they were created to live in the forest as servants of the Goddess of Nature and protectors of the forest, most moved to the plains to the east to begin building large and complex nations. Those that remained in the forests would continue in their original purpose, those who left would begin making the first kingdoms. At their peak they had an empire that spanned the entirety of the eastern shore, however as humans rose their empire fell. Today only the kingdom of Dasos continues to use the old elvish form of government, it is considered the last elvish kingdom though the elves now hold positions in the governments of many different nations. The forest elves took a different approach to living, they began making small tribal camps that were all united under a loose organization along with the various intelligent monsters that called the forest home. This confederation eventually fell as eastern nations began to expand towards the forest and used the land for new cities. Today the forest elves are made up of various nomadic tribes that wander the forests of Seira and at times come in conflict with city dwellers that wander too far into their land.
  
  Dwarves
  The dwarves were made by the Goddess of Flame to transform the metals that had fused with world during its creation, into powerful weapons, armors, and tools. They were then tasked with protecting these from creatures that may use them to hurt Seira and its people. The dwarves followed the instructions of their Goddess, created large cities within mountains in northern Seira that were protected with walls that were reinforced with these powerful metals. After centuries of silence the dwarves eventually began to explore outside their mountain cities and found the other creatures of Seira, having not heard from their Goddess for so long they abandoned their original mission and began trading their creations. Today the dwarves have many cities outside of the mountains, though hey have not strayed too far making most of their cities at the bases of these mountains. They have also continued to improve their forging techniques by including arcane runes with their creations and using a strange magma that flows deep within the mountains they live in.
  
  Orcs
  The orcs were one of the "monsters" created by an ancient group of beasts that once terrorized Seira, they were created to help these beasts in destroying Seira and its gods. Today these beasts are gone and the orcs have lost of their knowledge from this time period, but the rest of Seira's inhabitants clearly rememebr this time and have long hunted the orcs. After the fall of the beasts the orcs began to live peacefully in the woods of Seira, they joined the forest elves in their union of the forest creatures and lived without hassle for many years. After the alliance fell and the eastern nations took over these forests, orc hunting began to get popular and the orcs split into two distinct groups. The violent blood orcs began to raid the newly established cities and towns hoping to scare away the settlers, instead they entered a war with these nations that continues to this day. Most of the other orcs created smaller peaceful communities that only attacked those who posed a threat, some orcs instead tried to integrate with the cities around them. These city dwelling orcs have learned how to live among the other people of Seira, though they have faced discrimination, they have also made great strides in getting certain "monsters" to become accepted by the various cities in the west.
  
  Goblins
  The goblins were another one of the "monsters" created by these beasts, they were never really sent to battle and were instead meant to build up strongholds for the armies of these beasts. When the beasts fell the goblins retreated into the forests of Seira and used their knowledge of engineering to begin building new machines that were far beyond the technological capabilities of those outside the forest. The goblins eventually ran into the forest elves, they were not interested in joining their alliance believing that the beasts would one day punish them for such treachery. Centuries passed and the a select few goblins left their tribes with their machines in the hopes of using the technology to become wealthy and famous. The goblins that remained within the forest eventually lost their incredible skills and fell into insanity, leaving their most advance technologies to rust in their old settlements. Those that left the forest found some fame for a few years but soon their technologies became obsolete and they became poor, turning to crime to live. This is the truth for most goblins today, but there are rumors of a tribe of goblins that live under the major cities of Seira, using whatever they can find to continue their art of engineering.
  
  Humans
  Humans are quite the enigma in Seira, there are no historical or religious texts that give clues to their origins. The only record of their arrival are from the elves, but even then there is much debate with the two most popular theories being that they were either created in a remote part of Seira and as such were not seen for a long time or arrived from some other landmass far away from Seira. Their mysterious introduction into Seira is not even the most intriguing thing about them, for many it is their ability to have taken over the area that was once dominated by the elves. To this day the humans continue to suggest that it was sheer ingenuity and determination that led to their rise, this explanation has largely been considered to be an egotistical statement as many of the people of Seira continue to debate what caused their sudden rise. Today humans are largely city dwellers that use their understanding of engineering, government, and the arcane to continue to propel their society forward.
  
  Tieflings
  The tieflings are the result of an ancient curse placed upon a group of humans that had worked against the gods in the early days of Seira. This early group split apart in search of shelter from those that would fear and kill them. It is for this reason that for a long time tieflings were regarded as nothing beyond a myth or old fairy tale, but it would eventually become apparent that this was not the case. As the elves went into decline, a new generation of tieflings began to make their mark on the rapidly growing human nations. Through sheer willpower, perseverance, and great amounts of optimism they quickly integrated themselves into the cultures and societies of the day. Today many tieflings are now decedents of one of the tiefling families that originally allowed the race to enter an age of great progress. Those unfortunate enough to have not been born into one of these families will often find themselves poor and facing prejudice at every corner, a result of fear and anger directed towards the tieflings that had so easily and almost flawlessly worked their way into common culture and society.
  
  
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  Intro
  The art of magic has had a history of struggle within Seira, for much of Seira's history those that practiced magic were seen as evil because they tried to control and channel the power of the gods. Eventually as the gods became silent and Seira's people were left to do as they pleased magic became very important as a weapon and for its utility. However the way that magic exists has made it hard for magic to progress in any sort of great strides. Only the Orwell Academy of the Arcane has the facilities and financing to truly advance the study of magic, and even then it struggles due to just how hard it is to find what is required.
  
  The Art of Magic
  Magic takes two forms, one is learned through years of study and practice, the other is achieved through a deep connection to the gods. Most mages are able to cast spells through the study of ancient runes left behind by the gods. Slowly these mages have found tablets that have helped in their efforts to translate the runes, with these translations and the runes in hand these early mages figured out how to use a power once thought to be reserved for the gods, the power of the arcane. This process has led to the ultimately slow progression and the limited capabilities of magic. Though there have been a few great wizards that have apparently been able to create new runes imbued with new spells, these claims are rare and often thought to be hoaxes, but there are those that continue to try and achieve the creation of runes in the hopes of advancing magic in a way never seen before. The other form is to have a deep connection with a divine figure, few ever find this power unless they spend much of their life in worship to the gods or are born with a rare ability that is often connected to a greater destiny. This magic is limited not only by the morals of the user but also by the god's willingness to provide the magic, as there have been cases where a priest blessed with these powers has had them revoked after attempting to use them in a way seen as wrong by the gods.
  
  The Orwell Academy for the Arcane
  This large academy was built by Arin Orwell who was able to use his magic to raise a collection of islands south of Seira to be used as the foundation for what he believed would be a place of calm and peace where mages could study the art of the arcane. To this day the academy is run by the Orwell family, though many other strong mages have been allowed to help in controlling the academy. Today it stands as the largest school for the arcane and has a few smaller schools in areas that it believes may offer up great mages and/or calm places for study and practice.
  
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  The East
  The east side of Seira is a place largely comprised of large plains with some rolling hills. Though there are a few small forests that dot the region, for the most part the land has very few features beyond grass. The east houses various small kingdoms that are often grouped together as the Elder Kingdoms. At one time there were fewer kingdoms that were much larger, however after the ruling families began to fight amongst themselves the kingdoms split, becoming smaller and weaker. Among these kingdoms is “last elfish kingdom” of Dados. The actual eastern coast borders the Ivor Ocean, named after Ivor Forlen the only sailor to lead expeditions into the ocean. The expedition found that a group of islands existed about 3 months away from the eastern shore, but due to the danger of the Ivor Ocean further expeditions have not been attempted. The western coast of this area also borders the Magi Sea, which contains the islands that make up the Orwell Academy of the Arcane.
  
  The Center
  The center area of Seira consists of a large forest, here many of Seira’s “monsters” make their home. Some of the first settlements from the east can be found here in large clearings within the forest. These settlements, many now cities and towns, provide decent protection to denizens of the forest and travelers from the monsters lurking within. These settlements are victim to raids by orcs, ogres, and many other territorial creatures. The largest city in this area is Mesai, here one can find safety behind its large stone walls meant to keep out even the occasional giants that make their way down from the mountains to the northwest. Here one can also find the Hall of Unity which houses the powerful High Council. Mesai and the High Council have two jobs: Keep the Elder Kingdoms from destroying themselves in an all out war and protecting the east from creatures within the forest and to the west. To the south of this forest one can find the Magi Sea.
  
  The West
  The west is the largest of all the regions in Seira, it is so large that it is actually split up into 3 regions itself. The first of which is the west which contains many different land features, closer to the east of this region you'll find forests, to the north you’ll find mountains that act a natural border between the west and the northwest, to the south you’ll find scattered forests and marshlands, and finally in the center of this region you’ll find many hills and mountains along with strange forests of glowing purple trees and large mushrooms. This region houses the kingdoms of Antolli and Ditac. The west coast borders the Eternal Ocean, named such because in spite of year long expeditions none have yet to find anything within or beyond the great ocean. The next region, the southwest, consists of large wetlands and marshes. The land is almost completely unusable for farming due to the great amounts of flooding the region sees but still sees food get to its citizens through the trade and fish the Trianta Bay provides. This region houses the kingdom of Candoor whose economic prosperity largely relies on the trading industry and tourism of Amartia, a large city that lies on the mouth of the Trianta Bay. Finally is the northwest which mainly consists of large valley, part of which has become a desert bordered by mountains and sheer cliffs. The desert, often called the Desert of the Ancients, is void of much life outside the oasis city of Empodio which lies in the middle of the desert. North of the desert the valley continues with large mountains creating narrow tunnels within the valley and large cliffs creating canyon like passages. This region is reserved to a group of blood orcs that have made a pact with the High Council, they may use the land and will be provided with needed resources if they swear to protect Seira from an invasion from a nation further west. This area is recognized as the orc nation of Scurvarn. Another nation exists a bit further west of Scurvarn, after the valley ends it opens up to small piece of rocky land that connects the rest of Seira to the nation of Teras. The nation was a refuge for all of monster kind after the eastern kingdoms expanded west. Teras is a nation of monsters ruled by a family of vampires, though they have had extremely terrible diplomatic relations with much of Seira they have yet to take drastic actions.