The World of 66

In the beginning, there were the First Ones. Daios, the Eternal Flame and Thazotz, Master of the Arcane. Incredibly powerful, unimaginably wise. But even a limitless world proved too small for both of them. They raged across the endless voids of the Astral, locked in a fight to the death. The battle eventually ended when Daios, after receiving a wound that could even end an immortal life, encased Thazotz in a massive ball of stone to imprison him for all eternity. The crushing stone was too heavy for Thazotz to hold up, but Thazotz’ ability to absorb the Astral meant he would break free soon. Daios’ spite, however, knew no bounds. His final act would forever seal the tomb. Giving up the last remnants of his own immortal life, he surrounded the stone mass with a veil which would keep out the Astral, rendering Thazotz powerless.

Thazotz would be trapped forever, but he had one last trick. In the final moments before the veil closed, Thazotz carved out a piece of his heart and cast it to the surface. From this piece, the Second Ones were born. If he could not defeat Daios, at least his creation would conquer Daios’.

The Second Ones grew and prospered only vaguely aware of their origins. They built massive cities reaching across the world named after Daios, the one that created it. Their technological prowess quickly pushed them further and further.
The Second Ones, having conquered the ground, sky and oceans, turned their heads to the heavens beyond. In time, the sky was pierced and the veil that protected the world was shattered. The Second Ones used incredible machinery to reach the Astral Seas, which allowed them to reach deep into the unknown. However, as the veil had always protected the Second Ones from the influence of the Astral, they were not prepared for its power. Over time the Second Ones were overcome with sickness of both body and mind and they retreated deep underground, to what would later be called the Beneath, so that the earth would shelter them from the Astral. Unable to sustain themselves, the Second Ones only managed to carve out what would eventually become their tombs.

Among the many creations of the Second Ones were their servants. Primitive and unsophisticated, their minds were unaffected by the Astral. With the Second Ones gone, they had become aimless and without purpose.

Over many millennia the cities of the Second Ones decayed and collapsed as nature reclaimed its ground. The Races slowly adapted. The little knowledge they had was lost over the many generations, but they eventually started tribes and settlements.

First and foremost were the Salsant, the oldest of the Races. They stood at an average height compared to the others and were dependent on their wits until Wizardry was better understood and more widespread. Due to this, they were fervent inventors and innovators. They expanded quickly, building great settlements in Halsand, a continent to the east of a large ocean where they founded the Halsand Empire. The Salsant made great strides in technological advancement due to their lack of understanding of magic, though the two would later be combined.

The second to be discovered were the Lacasin in the great deserts of Durand to the north. While originating from desert tribes, the small creatures adapted to urban life with surprising swiftness. They were very capable in the arcane arts, proving themselves a great boon in the Salsant civilization where they set up a large city called Duran Vosa. While many of them became scholars, they also quickly rose to the financial top, turning Duran Vosa into an economic powerhouse second to none. A large city without Lacasin nobles is a rare sight. The governing body shifted to a dual-monarchy, one ruler from Halsand and one of Durand governing together. The first two in these positions were Richard Zeid of Halsand and Selbaha Sel Neha from Durand.

For many years, the Salsant/Lacasin nation engaged in hostilities with the Droquit living on the large open plains on the other side of the mountains east of Halsand. The Droquit were a spiritual nomadic people who wandered the vast plains. Their split tribes often struggled for control, but beside this they generally lived in harmony with one another. Contact across the mountain range on the eastern border often ended in combat, simply due to the two people not understanding one another. As elegant as they were deadly, the Droquit were firm believers in reïncarnation. The mothers, seen as the chosen to birth souls into their next life, were held in high esteem, resulting in a matriarchy. Their warriors went into battle without fear of death, as they knew that the bravest and strongest would be reborn into a prosperous life. The war, centred around a patch of lands containing crystals of great magic power which the Droquit believed to be the resting place of spirits awaiting rebirth, came to an abrupt halt as disaster struck the Droquit lands. A volcano erupted, covering their holy lands in ash and fire.
As they fled their homelands, the respective leaders of the warring factions agreed to a temporary alliance, housing refugees in the Salsant border villages. While there was unrest in the beginning, living closely together fostered mutual understanding which eventually led to a lasting peace. The Droquit are spiritual and fierce, valuing personal strength. They often inherit the name of whoever they believe reincarnated into the new child’s body. Family ties mean little to them; you may have been born from your mother, but this was merely the passing into your next life. To the Droquit, the tribe is far more important, transcending single lifetimes.

As the nations grew in size, many set out to discover new lands. Among the many heading out to open sea, one particular Lacasin fleet encountered a tropical island that housed the Isilian tribes. They were uncivilized but curious and peaceful. As the Lacasin would quickly learn, this peaceful nature was not due to the absence of predators as they first assumed, but rather that dangers they faced were usually large monstrosities. As such, the small Lacasin were simply never considered a threat. Their island was a bounty of natural resources and exotic fruit, which they were happy to share in return for the marvels the Lacasin brought with them. The pioneering Lacasin quickly established a monopoly of trade with the Isilian islands which brought great prosperity to their kingdom. The Isilian people lived on the coasts of their islands in simple villages, often venturing into the jungles to hunt the beasts inside. Being a hunter means being part of a respected but lethal profession. Isilian hunters rarely shy away from prey, even if that prey is seldomly smaller than three metres in size. Isilian hunters often spend days preparing for the hunt; not for sport, but out of necessity. Gathering materials, preparing weapons and antidotes, healing salves and traps, all in preparation to combat threats the size of the average house in order to protect their villages. They approached the hunts as the Salsant did their next magitech research project; careful study, detailed plans, and methodical execution. Many army divisions have Isilian in their ranks for their impressive tactical knowledge.

To their surprise, the Salsant fleet never encountered another people, rather another people encountered them. After finding a group of islands relatively rich in metal deposits, a Halsand exploration crew set up a small mining outpost. A few days after their mining operation started, they were met with a ship of unknown design. Hailing from the cold, cold southern continent, the other ship identified itself as an Othenian vessel. The Othenian Kingdom and the Halsand Empire disputed over who should have control over the resources buried on the islands which eventually escalated to war after a Halsand exploration ship was allegedly destroyed by Othenian forces, though this was never truly confirmed. The Othenian Kingdom claimed the islands were within the borders of Othenia, though the Halsand Empire claimed rights to the islands as the first to set foot on them.

Othenian civilization is strict, but fundamentally meritocratic. Their title of King is largely historic, the previous king electing a successor not necessarily from his family but rather chosen by the previous king from a selection of candidates deemed suitable for the position. Often seen as brutes by the other races because of their physical appearance, Othenians are wise people with a physique designed to weather the devastating climate they inhabit. Those within Othenian society that do not work or accomplish success by other means have no place there and are usually cast out by their peers. To an Othenian, working hard and making your mark are admirable and fulfilling goals. Othenian elderly are well taken care of by their families, having worked to provide their entire lives. Even complete outsiders can gain respect and rise in the ranks quickly if they prove themselves competent enough. Many Isilians fit into this category with ease. The Othenians consider the Isilians uncultured but have a great amount of respect for their people due to their combat abilities and survival skills. It is not uncommon to see Isilian occupying high positions in Othenian armies and scouting teams.

As ships were destroyed at sea, many unfortunate crewmembers would find themselves shored up on Halsand or Othenian borders. They were usually initially captured, but as they couldn’t hold enough people in cells, prisoners were often put to work under supervision instead. Many worked for months or years and after enough time those that gained enough respect from their peers and were not deemed a threat by supervisors were offered citizenship. While many would want to return to their homeland, plenty had little to return to and would seek a new life in the country they had by now usually already spent the better part of a year in.

Just under two years after the start of the war, the face of battle changed. Advancements in Magitech engineering on both sides resulted in ships not bound to the sea. These airships would often boast an impressive amount of firepower normally only found on the seas and could bring them anywhere inside enemy borders, near-immune to landbound defences. Tactics rapidly changed and designs were quickly pushed out to counter enemy vessels. While the general public benefitted from a revolutionary form of transportation, the meaning of war was changed forever.

Today, four years after the start of the war, the Halsand Empire which consists of the Halsand and Durand continents flourishes. While the Halsand-Othenian war continues, the refugees and prisoners of war on both sides are steadily accepted into society after their work term, though they are often distrusted for a while before they integrate in local communities. The Lacasin Trading Company generates fortunes and many travelers sail from Halsand to Isilia and back. The Droquit are slowly moving back to their homeland now that it is starting to become habitable again, exploring the ashlands which used to be a flourishing sea of plant life.

But a large part of the world remains undiscovered, with treasure and adventure waiting just beyond the horizon. And still, the ruins of the Second Ones lie below the ground...

It was only a matter of time before the caverns of the Beneath were unearthed. Peering their curious gaze inside, the races of Daios found the ancient tombs of the Second Ones. Dangerous lands filled with mechanical horrors and traps, little dared venture inside. Most that enter never return, but those that do tell tales of hellish creatures and ancient machines.

The Beneath is believed by many to still be inhabited by the twisted remains of the Second Ones, long lost to madness. Some, however, also believe that the Beneath hides a path to Thazotz, sealed in the planet’s core.

The races living on Daios are largely correct about their origins, and the story behind the creation of their planet. What they are often mistaken in, though, is their belief that Daios and Thazotz were the only beings inhabiting the Astral Sea.
In reality the Astral is teeming with mysterious beings that exist in a capacity the people on Daios will likely never understand. These near-incomprehensible creatures are, compared to the average individual on Daios, unfathomably powerful. What keeps Daios safe is a combination of two things; The people on Daios are so insignificant that most Astral beings are unaware of their existence, but the ones that do learn of them are simply not interested. So long as Daios doesn’t start making waves, it will likely not attract unwanted attention…