This is the structure of Aetheris—the systems that shape every life within it.
THE WORLD
Aetheris has four continents.
Valdris sits at the center. It is human-dominant, politically unstable, and constantly rebuilding empires that rarely last. The story begins here.
Drathek, to the south, is volcanic and ancient. It is home to dragons, lizardmen, and organized orc nations. Its civilizations are old and largely separate from human conflicts.
Sylmere, in the east, is a vast forest continent inhabited by elves, treants, and beast-kin. Its societies are long-lived and deeply tied to natural balance.
The Sunken North lies partially submerged beneath rising seas. Dwarves built their greatest civilizations underground, prioritizing permanence and structural stability.
MANA
Mana exists in all living beings, land, and matter. It functions as the medium through which life expresses itself.
Mana is neutral. Its expression is shaped by affinity, which emerges naturally from an individual's internal nature. Affinity cannot be chosen.
Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Frost, Light, Shadow, and Void are examples of common affinities.
Rare affinities include nature, metal, sound, and the theoretical time.
Some affinities are singular and cannot be classified within the Covenant's system.
Affinity determines direction, not strength. Individuals with identical affinities can manifest different abilities.
THE COVENANT
The Covenant is the structural framework that maintains the world's stability. It exists beneath physical law and beneath mana itself.
All living beings are registered to the Covenant at birth.
Sapient races—humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, beast-kin, dragons, and lizardmen can access their personal record through a Status Window.
A status window displays:
Name
Age
Level
Mana
Affinity
Vitality
Skills
It reflects the Covenant's assessment of an individual's growth.
BOTTLENECKS AND TIERS
Growth under the Covenant occurs through accumulation followed by restriction.
At specific thresholds, advancement stops at a Bottleneck. To progress, the individual must complete a trial a personal ordeal derived from their own unresolved internal conflicts.
Power alone cannot break a Bottleneck.
The five tiers are:
MORTAL (Levels 1–19): Base state. Two skills. Most beings remain here for life.
AWAKENED (Level 20): Expanded mana pathways. Total of four skills.
MASTER (Level 100) Affinity becomes externally perceptible. Six skills.
SAINT (Level 250): Extremely rare. Eight skills.
SOVEREIGN (Level 500) Stabilizes regional mana flow through existence alone. Ten skills. There are believed to be seven Sovereigns alive.
Beyond Level 500, skills evolve instead of multiplying.
SKILLS
Skills are not learned spells.
They are crystallizations granted at bottleneck breakthroughs, shaped by the individual's identity at that moment.
Two individuals with identical affinities can receive different skills.
Skills grow stronger and more complex over time, but their core nature remains consistent.
THE CREATION
Three Primordials shaped Aetheris:
Soleth—Light. Creator of surface races and growth.
Varek—Void. Shaper of depth and ancient races.
Karath—Boundary. Creator of the Covenant.
Karath built the Covenant to limit and stabilize creation, then sealed himself within the world's core to power it.
Soleth and Varek expended themselves in creation, leaving only their essence within living mana.
The Covenant operates on a finite source of power.
DUNGEONS
Dungeons formed from fractures caused when Karath sealed himself within the core.
These fractures connect the surface world to the Deep Mana Layer. Raw mana accumulates and forms ecosystems.
At the center of each dungeon is a Core, a crystallized node of Deep Mana.
Destroying a Core collapses the dungeon.
Cores are fragments of the Covenant's infrastructure. Their destruction weakens the system.
Most people are unaware of this.
This is the structure of Aetheris.
Mana defines direction. The Covenant defines growth. Bottlenecks define progression. Skills reflect identity. Dungeons are structural fractures. The Covenant's power source is finite.
The system is stable.
For now.