Aeterno Elementum Lore
The World - The Characters - The Stories - Aeterno Elementum
The World
Aeterno Elementum takes place in the fantasy world of Pentar.
Pentar is divided into five nations with distinct cultures that comprise the entirety of the known world. To the West lies the archipelago nation of Tyr'Mallor. To the East lies Hiyama, the nation of the Fire Mountain. To the South lies Haikhma Basiliea, the land of shifting sands. To the North lies the frozen tundra of Norrmark, and in the center of everything lies the former capitol of the world, The Quintessence and the Priest Emperor's Temple.
Despite many efforts to do so, the seas surrounding the continent have not been charted beyond the distance of around 30 leagues from land. Any ships that have attempted to travel beyond this arbitrary boundary have never returned. Each culture has it's own mythology surrounding this phenomenon. In Tyr'Mallor, they believe that those who cross the sea will enter into the afterlife and be judged based on their success in life. The Norrmark people believe that great dragons live beyond the seas, and they devour any who come near. Hiyamans have stories of furious maelstroms and whirlpools that draw any nearby ships in, crushing them. The Basileians believe that the world simply ends and any ships that travel near the edge will fall into nothingness and be trapped for all eternity. The people of the Quintessence believe that it is the will of the divine that no one travel beyond and do not speculate much further than that.
Hiyama
A highly fertile land to the east of the Quintessence that is built around a massive, active volcano. The people of Hiyama are notoriously quick to anger and live by a strict code of honor that allows them to function in a civilized, if rigid fashion. All the same, no one faction in Hiyama has been able to maintain power for more than a few hundred years before being overthrown by usurpers and splitting the nation into warring states. In spite of this, Hiyamans are also incredibly adept at creation and the arts and are unsurpassed in their theater, blacksmithing literature, and any other form of expression.
Haikhma Basileia
A massive nation to the south of the Quintessence that is mostly covered in barely habitable desert. The people of this nation are remarkably well educated and their cities are breathtaking in their scope and in the ingenuity of their engineering. Their government is known as The University, and is comprised of countless departments and bureaucratic complexity, which the Basileians seem to thrive on. One of their barely kept secrets is the Grey College, a branch of the University dedicated to eliminating threats to the unimpeded functioning of the nation.
Tyr'Mallor
An archipelago nation to the west of the Quintessence that is comprised mainly of traders and governed by the wealthiest noble houses among their ranks. Among Tyr'Malloreans, wealth is a means to power and cleverness is the greatest of virtues.
Norrmark
Lying to the north of the Quintessence, Norrmark is a land of frigid cold and harsh mountain ranges where only the strong survive. The people of Norrmark are stolid and as unbending as the land around them. Until being united under Viddr Wolfsbane, the many clans of this nation were fiercely independent and seldom met except to raid and occasionally trade.
The Quintessence
Once the seat of the Priest Emperor's power, this nation lies at the center of Pentar. Since the fall of the Priest Emperor over 2,300 years ago, no single power has ruled over the world, and the Quintessence is now only populated by around 10,000 people, most of whom are dedicated to the preservation of the old faith and the temple itself. The Paladins of the Quintessence are an order of knights sworn to defend their land against all threats. The other four nations pay at least a token homage to the Quintessence, and pilgrimages to the Priest Emperor's temple are common. Until Viddr Wolfbane's invasion, no hostile force had ever entered the temple.