"No one really knows when our world, which the Gods dubbed 'Aethera' came to be, but it is ancient, and holds many, many secrets. Magic is commonplace, and has fused with technologies. Ruins hide, waiting to be uncovered. Countries and Kingdoms have risen and fallen, battles have raged, and lives have begun and ended under the ever-watchful eye of The Twelve, the Gods of our world, for many generations. This is so, even in our current day, the year 3278, as of writing.
These Gods are venerated among all The Great Kingdoms, with temples and shrines dotting the three continents of Aethera. They are as follows:
Ersa, The Allmother , Goddess of the day, sun, and life
Abrhan, The Allfather, God of the night, moon, and death
Anki, The Ironbelly, God of the forge, craftsmanship, food, and drink
Veste, The Wise, Goddess of the Arcane, knowledge, and books
Dornal, The Hearthlord, God of the harvest, the home, fathers, love, and firtility
Hesta, The Melody, Goddess of music, happiness, mothers, love, and firtility
(Dornal and Hesta are more often than not worshipped together, as 'The Lovers')
Kell, The Wildheart, Goddess of the hunt, nature, and animals
Welkin, The Wanderer, Diety of adventurers and quests, the open road and sky, transition, and decisions
(Welkin presents as both male and female, or neither)
Viggo, The Warmaster, God of honour, warfare, justice, and warriors
Harna, The Merciful, Goddess of healing, medicine, mercy, and peace
Nornie, The Weaver, Goddess of fate, stories, dreams, and weaving
Regus, The Kingmaker , God of Kings, council, history, and money
There are also present, though my soul shrinketh at the thought, dark gods, Daemons, who's very names, if spoken, jinx and curse. They had risen before, a thousand years ago, and wreaked havoc on the land, corrupting and killing as they went. None could oppose them. Except a group of five adventurers. The called them 'The Lightborn Children'. Individuals chosen by the Gods to strike down the darkness and banish it from whence it came. A cataclysmic battle broke out, on the scale of the Gods themselves. The name of the battle, The War of Heaven. Fitting, don't you think, reader? This battle has left marks on the land, even to this day.
These heroes are told of in children's stories, hymns are sung about them, statues erected, and sainthood given by the Orthodoxy. But, their names have been lost to time, and their deeds have blurred into legend.
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Our world, as it stands, has four Great Kingdoms. The Sultanate of Issia, the Great Kingdom of the South, is the smallest of the Great Kingdoms, known for its port towns, immense deserts, and the shrewdness of its traders. Next, the Nylian Empire, the Great Kingdom of the East, known for its swordsmen and ancient floating cities. The Empire also rests in the geographic homeland of the Elven race, who have since spread across the world. The Land of steel, snow, and smoke, The Duchey of Ostus, is the Great Kingdom of the North, and it's people are as hardened and steadfast as the snowbound mountains they call home. Finally, the place I call home, The Falgard Alliance, The Great Kingdom of the West, an alliance of four smaller nations, under the leaderahip of a ruling matrilineal monarch and her council, made up of the nation's heads.
Through our modern history, there has been no small amount of wars and conflicts between The Great Kingdoms. War machines have been developed, immense suits of steel and aether magic, The Runeknights, draped in the colours of their house and kingdom. Soldiers on foot run beneath these titans, as well as on the back of the Gestel, the large, flightless bird-mounts incorporated in militaries the world over.
War between The Kingdom of Falgard and The Duchey of Ostus has been commonplace for hundreds of years now, many of us have forgotten why the war even began. Luckily, a daughter has been born to Queen Mary of Falgard and the King Consort Edmund, and a son to the Duke and Duchess Klein of Ostus. Word says they are to be married in the future, and will seal peace between the two Great Kingdoms permanently.
As I sit, writing this manuscript, I wonder. What awaits us in the future? What will life be like in the future? Being of the Elven race myself, and realising the the importance and Influence of a long life, I have dedicated myself to the study and recording of histories from around all four continents, from my lab and study back home, to the world's very edge. Learn from the past, look to the future with hope, as my father always said. I leave you with the blessing of Nornie as you live, and may fate weave you a long, and full life."
- Exerpt from 'The story of Aethera, the world and it's inhabitants: Book One', by Sir Gento Halloway, 3278, Royal Library of Falgard, Luxhaven City