Asterion was born from the clash of two primordial forces:
The First Light — pure creation essence
The First Shadow — entropy, decay, endings
When they collided, the world formed from the embers and ashes of the impact.
The collision also birthed Concepts—fundamental truths that govern reality:
Flame
Life
Death
Storm
Time
Decay
Shadow
Renewal
Ignition (Evan's future Concept)
Concepts are not magic.They are laws.Magic is merely their echo.
The Celestial Forge
A place beyond mortal reach where the Concepts were shaped into beings:
Goddesses (Divine Sparks) like Aurelia
Wardens (constructs built to guard the Concepts)
Over ages, many gods died or faded.Their remnants form artifacts, relics, or monster cores.
Magic flows through Asterion like a vast circulatory system.
How It Works
Beneath continents run massive rivers of condensed mana called Aetherwells.
Every spell, enchantment, and magical creature draws from it indirectly.
Nodes where Aetherwells converge produce:
Crystal forests
Elemental storms
Sentient plants
Sacred groves (like Eldrathar)
Types of Magic
Elemental Magic — fire, wind, water, earth, etc.
Mystic Magic — illusions, mind arts, enchantments.
Runic Magic — inscribed on stone/metal; ancient and powerful.
Concept Magic — manipulating fundamental truths (extremely rare).
Void Magic — from beyond the Aether; corrupts, consumes, mutates.
Concept Magic and Void Magic are extremely dangerous because they do not draw from the Aetherwell — they bend reality directly.
Mortal Races & CulturesELVES (Eldrathar) Culture:
Deeply spiritual.
Believe souls intertwine with nature.
Villages "grown" from trees using magic.
Art, song, and archery elevated to sacred arts.
Society:
Divided into Groves (clans).
Led by three roles:
Seer (spiritual leader)
Warden Captain (military leader)
Speaker of Roots (political diplomat)
Religion:
Revere the First Bloom, a legendary living tree said to contain the last pure fragment of the Concept of Life.
Lyriana's Grove:
The Vaelwyn, renowned for rangers and storm-callers.
HUMANS (Meridian Empire) Culture:
Empire spanning half a continent.
Law, order, militaristic discipline.
Strong devotion to the Sun Cathedral.
Government:
Ruled by the Solar King (currently weak, mostly ceremonial).
Real power lies with:
Church of the Radiant Sun
High Inquisitor Varric (antagonist)
Guild Council (merchants)
Magic:
Most human mages use glyphs and chanting rather than intuitive casting.
Seraphine's Order:
The Dawnshield Templars, warrior-priests trained to channel solar essence.
FROSTWILD TRIBES Environment:
Snowfields, tundra, runestone mountains.
Creatures adapted to cold and aether storms.
Culture:
Honor-focused clans.
Blacksmiths revered; blades named like ancestors.
Communion with ancient runes believed to awaken ancestral spirits.
Myrra's Clan:
The Stonebloom, guardians of runic forges and crystal mines.
THE SHADOW DESCENDANTS Region:
Border between mortal lands and the Obsidian Wastes.
Twilight skies, warped flora.
Culture:
Small enclaves of families touched by Void energy.
Often persecuted.
Highly secretive.
Kaela's Legacy:
The Draven Line, rumored to have been descended from a lost warden whose soul was corrupted.
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Aetherborn Beasts
Formed from magical surges.
Crystalline wolves, ember serpents, storm hawks.
Primordial Spirits
Manifestations of Concepts.
Rare, unpredictable, often ancient.
Voidspawn
Aberrations from beyond reality.
Seek to consume magic and leave nothing.
Warden Constructs
Remnants of the old celestial order.
Some protect, some hunt, some have malfunctioned into horrors.
The Pale Warden
Originally a guardian of the Concept of Balance.
Now cracked, corrupted by millennia of entropy.
Seeks Concept Seeds to "restore order" by forcibly absorbing them.
He hunts Evan even now.
The Crucible of Souls — The "System"Its Origin
Forged by the Prime Architect, last surviving member of the Celestial Forge.
Purpose:
Guide chosen souls to fulfill destinies.
Prevent catastrophic imbalances between Concepts.
Why Evan Was Chosen
His final act on Earth generated immense conceptual resonance: Sacrifice, Flame, Life.
A perfect vessel for Ignition (the Concept of beginnings).
Features
Status (attributes evolve through use and experience)
Aetherweave Skills (unlock through training)
Resonance Bonds (ties with key allies that empower both sides)
Quests (story-driven; can alter fate)
Trials (dangerous but transformative)
Limitations
The Crucible cannot:
Directly protect Evan
Predict all futures
Control minds
Force romance (Resonance Bonds only strengthen existing trust/emotional connection)
It is a guide, not a puppeteer.
I will probably add more as the story progresses. I know I added much that has not yet come out at the moment of publication but I wanted to give you a glimpse into where I envision the story going.