I figured I'd give a little world building descriptions. I have the majority of the world of Aeyalion planned out in my head, and have been working hard to put it down on paper, starting with cultures. I'll be releasing maps before too long, which I'll add to new World Building posts, but for this one I figure I'd give some basic descriptions and a list of the races that can generally be found.
Eventually I want to release a Kickstarter to try and show off all of the art I'm getting made for the races, creatures and some characters, as well as entire descriptions of the cultures of each race and the like. What follows on this post is the set-in-stone versions of my races and world, so that you, the readers, aren't blind-sided by what things are. There will be more updates later, but for now this is what I feel comfortable sharing.
Timeline
The timeline of Aeyalion goes anywhere from Year 32 to Year 27300. The years will be referenced in each short story, even if they have to be retroactively changed. Events of specific characters generally fall between Year 18420 to 18470, with the majority of them landing squarely in 18450 and on.
Races
Humans -- These are your average, every-day humans that populate quite a lot of the world of Aeyalion. They come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. They have had many kingdoms come and go, but with such short lifespans, humans are generally able to easily move on from one event to the next.
Dwarves -- Dwarves, unlike their normal fantasy counterparts, have lifespans equaling humans. Their height covers from half of the average for humans, up to a tall 5'5". They go from an extremely proud-to-a-fault personality from early years to a more easy-going and fluid personality in the years of 18400s and higher. Their culture has become lost to the ages, and have lived side-by-side with elves and humans since the beginning
Elves -- Elves come in many shapes and sizes, much like humans, but only because they are always born with a form that's suited to their environment, such as webbed feet near oceans, or long, strong limbs in forests, or tough skin if born in mountains. All ancient druid circles within the timeline of Aeyalion were elves, while rarely taking on members of other races, at least until the mountain-dwelling Kulam were discovered around year 10400. They often keep to themselves, but don't often shy from travelers to their cities. They have xenophobic tendencies toward those that are half-elven, however, often treating them no better than the dirt beneath their feet, or as inferiors in the case of non-elven visitors.
Kulam (koo-lahm) -- Bear-like humanoids that preserve an almost primal honor code. Their society is a meritocracy, one that values the skills garnered throughout a lifetime, rather than the achievements. The Kulam know that great hunters make great warriors, but not so much great leaders, and they pursue a wisdom based in the nature around them. Some people refer to them as being barbaric, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Their attunement to nature is so great, that it's said they often have shamans born due to the needs of world disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and more.
Nevorin (neh-vore-een)-- A truly nomadic race, the Nevorin have no set place they call their own. They were first discovered in the coldest climates of the northern mountains and tundras in the year 7230, for thousands of years they were considered aggressive and bloodthirsty, until diplomacy could be struck between their race and the others that ventured north. Although there are still isolated tribes that will attack anyone not of their own tribe, reveling in the slaughter of foes, the tribes that have attempted trade have stayed much the same as they always have, nomadic and bestial. But in their bestial natures, an intense beauty can be seen by many, even if their natures can't be matched.
Di'vash (dee-vaash) -- An ocean-dwelling race, the Di'vash have built massive cities underwater, focusing on harnessing the natural energies of the world. Their culture is as much based in magical phenomenon as it is on their religion. Their pantheon only has two deities, neither of which have been disproven of actually existing. That said, they enjoy the beauty of discovery and play diplomat to races that come to them for mediation, as the Di'vash are known for their intellect and open-arm approach to strangers, even if their personalities are prone to frustration at anti-logical debate.
Povoran (poe-vore-an) -- The Povoran are creatures that dwell deep underground and have limited contact with the world. The majority of the contact with the over-world is one of trade, where they give gems and precious metals of all qualities, although their desires for goods change depending on the regional clans. They're covered in a dark, rough, sheep-like curly hair, where only their eyes can be seen, of which are much like black orbs. The skin of their arms and legs are some variation of grey in color, with no hair covering either set of limbs, the skin itself extremely tough. They have six, thick fingers on either hand, large flat feet with four toes, their arms and legs fairly thin.
Orcs (feral) -- Orcs are subhumanoid tribal creatures, large and imposing. They have extremely dark hair, normally kept in braids or not at all. Their inhibitions are non-existent, taking any other race for slaves or food. Their height nearly reaches from tall humans to the average height of a nevorin, with grey or sickly green skin, their gums are black, and they have all flat teeth other than large tusk-like incisors coming from both bottom and top gums. They revel in slaughter, and have almost no intelligence, though every now and then a clever warlord will rise from the bottom and take over surrounding tribes, often causing wars with the other races until being scattered again.
Orctish -- Orctish evolved from Orcs over thousands of years. The break-off of the two was theorized by scholars to be around year 3572, after the first Tribal war that left much of the known world of humans, elves and dwarves left barren, with dead littering hundreds of miles. From there, the ancestors of the Orctish began to first slowly change, before their evolution became more rapid and expansive. In the year 5486, the first Orctish tribe traded with a human settlement, trading skins and butchered animal parts for processed items they couldn't make themselves. It was written by the scholar of the time that the Orctish, while not entirely as intelligent as the humans they traded with, showed an aptitude for understanding the value of cohabitation, and thus left without so much as a single aggressive action. Over the next few thousand years, their features became more humanoid in nature, so much so that they only resembled their ancient kin by skin color, small tusks on their bottom lip, and their dark hair. Their tribal nature evolved culturally to one of intense familial loyalty, which included any other individuals of other races they considered family. In the year 14609, the first Orctish was given a royal appointment by the then-fledgling human kingdom of Heliont.
Creatures
The world of Aeyalion teems with the bizarre, the unknown, and the savage. Creatures that can take the forms of humanoids, or massive, lumbering trees that tame the non-sentient of their kind. Creatures that stalk the underbrush for the unwary, or that burrow through sand, latching hundreds of slithering tentacles onto its prey, dragging it deep into the hot deserts. There are too many to name here, but they are legion.
Some are intelligent, able and ready to snatch the undefended in settlements on the fringes of the known, or have castles of their own of which they bide their time until their next meal comes forward. Others are mindless, looking only to destroy, or to be left alone, or to help creatures or humanoids that come across them. Some have been corrupted by the things that dwell deep in the dark corners, others purified by the light of kindness.
And some creatures are humanoids themselves, preying on their own kind like figurative blood sucking leeches, either from their lofty social perches, or from the lowest, dankest streets.
Magic
Although some fantasy settings deal with full blown spells or rituals, with witches, warlocks and sorcerers, the magic in Aeyalion is untamable. Those that wish to attempt to do so are often met with destruction or their essence, their entirety of self, is left warped beyond recognition, creating monstrous things that are trapped in a shell of pain, misery and madness. That said, throughout the years 15 to 5250, various races attempted to do just so, ushering in a nearly cataclysmic event in the year 5251, where the world was flooded with energies that would have ripped the world apart, sparked by a single individual, lost to the madness of other-worldly, other-dimensional creatures bent on coming to Aeyalion, their greed for power and knowledge blinding them to the fates that awaited them. The counsel governing magical knowledge wiped the existence of it off the face of the world, sealing the unknown things off from Aeyalion permanently.
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