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"Warfare. Purity. Dominion."
A cursed wasteland of fissures, caverns, and magma rivers surrounding a sacred volcano. A fanatical magocracy of diabolists.

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"Discovery. Loyalty. Service."
Arid deserts, oasis, and savannas. An academic power ruled by a theocratic monarch backed by wealth of gold, jewels, and salt.

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"Industry. Individualism. Ambition."
Misty moors, highlands, and marshes. A colonial republic modeled on the Agyan Empire, powered by the discovery of steel.

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Nhajran culture is characterized by the Aalya-Saulian Divide, and rival Sultanates loyal to the Qaliphate. Loyalty defines Nhajran ethics: elders and authorities deserve respect, and debts must be repaid. In return, those in power should be generous and kind to their servitors. Nhajran is rich in mineral wealth, so its nobility build great academies and fund expeditions to compete for renown and prestige.

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Nhajran citizens value orderly gods, while their academics value those offering insight and knowledge. This has created a schism between the Saulian Clan, who follow the Sauleic Cult, and the Aalia Clan, who worship Aldaibaoth and Laumeya. Out in the deserts, dark cults dedicate themselves to the Anadai.

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Nhajra is ruled by the Qaliphate: a sacred monarch, known as a Qali, supported by a bureaucratic court of advisors. The Qali is of royal blood and rules by divine right. The Qaliphate offers opportunity for upward mobility, and provides stability to the nation. The strength of Nhajra reflects the strength of its Qali. However, it can be nepotistic, resistant to change, and dismissive of other cultures.

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Eunas - Qali

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Shar-ith-Naan - Capital

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Industry defines Marevi, and its population is full of individualists stoically insisting hard work yields great rewards. Discovery of steel led to a technological renaissance, and many Marevians believe their "progress" and "civilization" must be spread across the world. Marevians can be clannish and condescending of other cultures, but despite their ideals it is often neither the best nor brightest that rise to the top of their society.

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The Sauleic Cult is the official state-sponsored religion, and worship of Saule's enemies is heretical. However in the wilds, Qol and Yhqol tribes are said to worship Morrihain and Baalulf, while the most savage and vile honor Anadai and pagan deities.

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The Marevi Republic is the political power of the region and successor to the Agyan Empire. Government consists of a Senate elected by Freeholds, a Chancellor anointed by the senate, and an Ecclesial Court to evaluate prospective laws against the Godhand Edicts. With a strong chancellor and senate the Empire is reactive, with unmatched central power and foreign policy. Otherwise, it tends to overvalue nobility at the expense of the poor.

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Salvius Aurelio VIII - Chancellor

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"Trade. Harmony. Tradition."'
Majestic forests, steppes, and tundras. A trade dynasty controlled by military generals propping up a puppet emperor.

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Trade is the heart of shaiandean culture, and many civilians are either merchants or craftsmen. Group harmonics are idealized: good citizens attends to the needs of others first and keep their own problems quiet unless asked. Shaiandeans value tradition and are loathe to change them, even when those traditions protect its draconian caste system, which provides little opportunity for societal advancement.

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Elkmene and Sauleon are popular with the masses, however those with power or ambition often prefer Demyr, or may even worship Laumeya and Aldaibaoth in secret. Followers of Baalulf, Sauleme, and Eztul are often persecuted as being dangerous upstarts.

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Shaiande pretends to be a constitutional monarchy, but the military is the real political power. Shaiande is ruled by a dynastic male Emperor who curries the favor of his generals. The current Shen Dynasty possesses strong military and trade, but is marred by oppression, lack of representation, and poor human rights.

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Rian Shen - Emperor

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- Capital

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Orethir - Capital

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"Agriculture. Duty. Sacrifice."
Rainforests, floodplains, and semiarid deserts. Rich farmlands are controlled by tribes loyal to one of three great houses.

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Tlaca'luumians believe they are responsible not only to each other, but for the land and all living things. They pride themselves on subsistence lifestyle, taking only what is needed and replenishing what they can. They see no reason to stockpile or hoard resources. Some tribes still practice blood sacrifice, believing life must be given for the land to return life. The people live in poverty by the standards of other nations, yet almost always have shelter over their head and rarely ever starve.

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Eztul and Morrihain are traditional, but the Sauleic Cult is gaining popularity through missionary work. Some outland tribes still insist on traditional spiritualism or AQXVKH worship. Isolationists and extremists are drawn to Baalulf and the bad Anadai.

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Government consisted of local tribes, most of which are loyal to the Great Wasis: three allied city states governed by royal families and their priest-sage advisors. Wasi Yahuitl regulates commerce, Wasi Tecpatl levies armies, and Wasi Sitlalin divines prophecy from the stars. The Great Wasis are trade powerhouses, and localized needs tend to be well met, but the lack of central authority leaves them disorganized and prone to infighting in a crisis.

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Iuctli - Yahuitl Priest King
Mictlapoca - Sitlalin Priest King
Oquichotl - Tecpatl Priest King

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Wasi Sitlalin ]
Wasi Tecpatl |- The Great Wasis
Wasi Yahuitl ]

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The Anadai (Children of Breath), or Daemons, were the first beings of the Cosmic Dream. Their mere presence shapes reality to the abstract extremes they embody.

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War sustains Pyyre, as captured slaves fuel blood magic used to preserve their genetic hierarchy, as well as spread the influence of Aghrdayak and the Ash Curse. Pureblood pyyreans reign, but the race degenerates with each new generation, born cooler, smaller, and weaker than the last. The arrival of Crossbreeds revitalized the dying race with cheap labor and disposable troops. Other races exist only as slaves, or chattel for experimentation. Pyyreans need not eat, and only farm or hunt to maintain slave populations. Art is practically non-existent. All efforts are directed towards advancing Pyyre's military or arcane power.

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The Pyyrean faith is labelled heresy by the Sauleic Cult for its veneration of Aldaibaioth, Baalulf, and Laumeya. Yet Pyyreans claim they are the only true adherents of Saule, who they idolize foremost as a conqueror. Power, no matter the source, is considered righteous if it secures victory, and the three Great Antagonists are who Pyyre perceives as the most powerful.

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Pyyre is a magocracy: Pureblood pyyreans with magical aptitude compete to rule. All spellcasters belong to the priestly Sarbragni, or the Raktavm occultists. Sarbragni study fire and death, overseeing sacrifices and ceremonies, as well as managing all matters of state. Raktavm learn the power of blood and shadow, supplying Pyyre with crossbred monsters and bound fiends. While they do not dabble openly in politics, they are the true masters of Pyyre. Should one masters all four disciplines they become a Molek, a master of sacrifices, and the authority to which all others defer. Few, if any, dare challenge a Molek's authority.

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Khasmodeus - Molek
Ingbal - Raktavm Archmage

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Aghrdayak - The Smouldercore
Bhaubhgya - Capital

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The Agnidai (Children of Flame), or gods, are ancient beings empowered by the First Flame. The first god Saule created Purath and banished the Anadai from it.

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Aldaibaoth is a small fragment of Khryz Hecat that escaped the Black Sigil and stole the secrets of death. He is the god of corruption, forbidden knowledge, black magic and undeath.

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Baalulf is the monster she-wolf, the first wife of Saule, and the goddess of passion, destruction, and revenge. When she refused to give up the old ways of conquest Saule left her crippled and chained in the underworld, where she still dreams of revenge. Natural disasters and massacres are blamed on her stirrings.

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The spirit of the first forge and loyal advisor to Saule. He is the god of industry, lawfulness, and honorable conduct in war. Demyr is currently entrusted as regent of Saule's throne in Arz Ravi.

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The second wife of Saule and queen of Arz Ravi, a being of painful beauty who found godhood through enlightenment. She is the goddess of mercy, absolution, and benevolence. Elkmene holds all living things have a right to life, and that no sentient creature is beyond redemption.

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Eztul was a Tlacalu'umian warrior elevated by Morrihain to godhood for his deeds. He is a mischievous god of blood and rain, bringing fertility to the earth and testing the wisdom of the other gods.

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Laumeya is the many-headed serpent god of treachery, tyranny, slavery and domination. They birthed Sauleme to steal the throne of Arz Ravi, and were banished. Laumeya is obsessed with hierarchy and contracts.

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Morrihain is the goddess of natural order, of earth and sky and stars. She rises each morning a young girl, grows into a nubile woman by midday, and ages into a hairy crone by sunset. She is the eternal foe of Aldaibaoth and the undead.

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Saule is the first god, the first great king, and the undisputed master of fire. He is the god of conquest, glory, and civilization. Saule has presently abdicated his throne, and no longer answers the prayers of his faithful.

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The second born of Saule, half-sister of Sauleon, and princess of Arz Ravi. Sauleme is the goddess of freedom, protection, and righteousness. She is considered the moon incarnate, opposing Laumeya and all forms of tyranny.

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The firstborn of Saule, and prince of Arz Ravi. Sauleon is the god of justice, chivalry, and martyrdom. He is considered the sun incarnate and the foe of all evil.

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Lord of Proliferation

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Lord of Midway

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Lord of Desolation

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Lord of Patterns

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Lord of Strife

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Lord of Senescence

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Lord of Configuration

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The Age of Water and Wind. The Anadai breach Nihility from beyond space and time, creating a conflux of energies that will one day birth the Agnidai gods.

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The Age of Earth and Wood. The First Flame births the Agnidai. Saule, the first god, banishes the Anadai. A kingdom of immortals is founded: the Agyptosim Empire.

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The Age of Metal and Fire. The Agyptosim propagate Mortalkin, then vanish after attempting to usurp the gods. New kingdoms emerge from the aftermath.

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The Age of Blood and Ash. Saule did not return, and the gods are silent. Pyrre has risen to power by unleashing the Ash Curse, as the world suffers crises after crises.

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In the time before there was only Nihility, the infinite waters of the Cosmic Dream. Unformed and unchanging, its emptiness waited to be filled.

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From beyond reality a breath entered Nihility, the first wind, and that wind bore KHTOYOTHK, first of the Anadai, who set about her function: to establish order where there was none.

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KHTOYOTHK peered into the waters of Nihility, and saw her two reflections: AQXAVM and XVMUA. Together they were the AQXVKH, a trinity of creative energies.

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The AQXVKH create light to fill Nihility, but the light casted shadows, their opposing selves: the destroyers OQPAKN, KHYRZ HECAT, DXCVMYS, and also CYKPHOS who wandered between them. This was the first disparity: Light and Dark.

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The Anadai were the masters of Nihility, creating and destroying on whims. From the waters they churned clay to mold and shape. Their opposing natures kept the cosmos in a state of paradox: orderly yet chaotic, full and empty, existing yet not existing at all.

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DXCVMYS was first to answer the call to war, and came to unmake what the First Flame spawned, but Saule, enraged at the thought of loosing what he had, defied desolation by his sheer will to exist. DXCVMYS could not undo the newborn god, and the two became locked in struggle. With bare hands, Saule tore the heart of DXCVMYS from her breast and cast it into the First Flame as the archdaemon fled. The heart was transformed, reborn a monster wolfess of fire and rage, named Baalulf. This was the third disparity: Order and Chaos.

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The conflicting natures of the Anadai created the First Flame. Fire reflected the sum total of  their natures: to grow or wither, to create or destroy, to be sacred or profane. This was the second disparity: Heat and Cold.

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From the cold crawled half-formed ideas, abandoned by their Anadai creators who'd hidden in the small places of the Cosmic Dream. Drawn to the First Flame, they found the most precious treasure within it: a soul. Who claims a soul claims an identity, and will to shape the Cosmic Dream. These beings were the first Agnidai gods, and the first among them was called Saule. Saule looked upon the worlds of the Anadai with his newfound imagination, and was dissatisfied. He dreamed of a new world, of a kingdom where he would reign eternal, and so with a cry declared war on the Andai...

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Disgusted by the sight of each other Saule and Baalulf warred for eternities, but war made them recognize the other's passion, and they made love for eternities more. So it was that Saule took Baaluf as his first bride: his loyal companion and ultimate weapon in the war against the Anadai.

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Saule understood he could not defeat the Anadai with only his hands. He reached into the waters of the Cosmic Dream and formed a great oven from its clay. Baaluf breathed her fire into it, creating the first forge, and when it was lit a spirit of iron sprang up from the ashes. The spirit called himself Demyr, and pledged his service to Saule. Demyr showed Saule the secrets of the forge, and together they forged mighty armaments.

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Saule desired a battlefield for his war against the Anadai, and a many-headed serpent named Laumeya rose up from the darkness. Laumeya too had been touched by the First Flame, and promised to share the secrets of the earth with Saule, if Saule accepted a debt in return. Saule agreed and was led above the water to a field of pure, dried earth, which Saule named Purath.

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When Saule and his entourage touched their feet upon the dry earth a guardian appeared to defend it. She was Morrihain, an Agnidai armed with lightning and armored in feathers. The two forged an understanding: Saule would use Purath as his battlefield, but when the war was over Morrihain would have a place in Saule's new kingdom as the steward of the natural order.

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Saule needed an army to face the Anadai, so Morrihain introduced Saule to the lesser denizens of earth. Saule chose the best among them to serve in his armies, but his favorites were the Agyptosim, the future progenitors of the mortal races, and when the gods shared fragments of their soul with them they became tall, powerful, beautiful, and immortal.

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Saule lured the Anadai to Purath, the battle beyond comprehension, for the Anadai embodied the cosmos, eternal and indestructible. They could not lose. Yet Saule's forces fought with such fervor that the Anadai, for just a moment, doubted themselves, and in that moment the gods gained power over them. They tore open a portal above the earth, the Black Sigil, banishing the Anadai and separating Purath from Nihility. The sigil was then drawn in quarters, becoming the two suns and two moon of the new world.

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On the sight of his victory Saule founded Arz Ravi, a heaven on earth to be enjoyed by him and his divine allies. The Agyptosim built their own capital, Arz Maanav, and went forth to conquer Purath in Saule's name, establishing the Agyptosim Empire.

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Though the Anadai had been banished beyond the Black Sigil, a small fragment of Khyrz Hecat broke free. That fragment was Aldaibaoth, A winged being of evil. While the gods celebrated their triumph, Aldaibaoth descended upon the battlefield and stole the souls of the first Agyptosim to fall in battle, learning the secrets of death. This was the final disparity: the separation of Life and Death.

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A stranger came to Arz Ravi from the east, following the path of the rising moon. She was Elkmene, and Saule was captivated by her beauty. Elkmene became Saule's favorite advisor, and through her wisdom and patience, Saule began to tire of conquest, imagining a new future for his kingdom.

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Baalulf refused to abandon the old ways of conquest. Her bloodthirst was too great, and when Saule denied her Baalulf rampaged across Arz Ravi, and threatened to consume all of Purath.

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Saule rallied the other gods to fight Baalulf, and with heavy hearts they smote their old companion. Yet even if Saule had the heart to kill his wife, Baalulf's rage was so great that all her wounds would close. With no other option, Saule beheaded Baalulf, pinned her jaws closed with a sword, and chained her body to a mountain in the underworld. Baalulf remains imprisoned there. Because of the sword she cannot eat, and so she is always hungry. Neither can she vomit the molten metal that bloats her innards, and so she is always in pain.

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With Baalulf imprisoned, Laumeya approached Saule to honor the oath he had made long ago. For their services Laumeya demanded only on thing: marriage. Yet Saule's heart already belonged to another. Saule refused Laumeya's request and took Elkmene for his second wife. For this slight, the serpent nursed a foul grudge.

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Shortly after the wedding, Elkmene bore an heir. The child was named Sauleon, the firstborn son of Saule. Though a true immortal, Sauleon's was born with the knowledge of pain and death, and so Saule grew into a just and kind-hearted prince. Under the tutelage of Demyr, Sauleon would one day inherit his fathers throne.

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Desiring revenge for how Saule had spurned them, Laumeya consorted with Aldaibaoth to form a plot. Under the cover of night, Aldaibaoth sent great demon ravens to abduct Elkmene while Laumeya used their magic to steal her form. The ravens took Elkmene far away to a prison atop the highest mountain peak. Disguised as Elkmene, Laumeya attended a grand banquet, seducing Saule to mate with them.

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When Saule unknowingly bedded Laumeya, a second child was born. At the moment of conception the child emerged fully grown, a woman, with skin like night sky, and hair like starlight, having cut herself free of Laumeya's belly with a sword made from their rib. With her first act the newborn disowned her progenitor and revealed their treachery, and Laumeya fled Arz Ravi in shame. With her second act the newborn declared herself Sauleme, the one true daughter of Saule.

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Angered by her impudence, Saule cast Sauleme into a maze in the stars. Yet true to her claim Sauleme was divine, and the stars took her for one of their own. Sauleme easily escaped the maze by walking through its walls, returning to the banquet. Impressed, Saule grudgingly accepted her as his second heir.

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Saule rallied his pantheon to rescue Elkmene. They found her in her prison, calm and at peace, for when the demon ravens of Aldaibaoth ate her eyes and tongue they were instantly overcome by guilt for having tarnished such beauty, and became redeemed. In the cell atop the mountain Elkmene had reached enlightenment, becoming the only being to attain godhood without aid of the First Flame.

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The Agyptosim took consorts from among the tribes they conquered. Children born of these unions inherited small fragments of the First Flame, ennobled as the Agyptosim had been by Saule before them. Unlike their immortal progenitors, these offspring were frail creatures who lived only for short times. Over the centuries, these descendants became the Mortalkin races, submissive vassals of the Agyptosim Empire.

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After conquering the known world the Agyptosim quickly became arrogant and unruly, malcontented by their subservience to Saule and the gods. When a mortal priestess named Sibylla Ava came to their kings, espousing a great heresy by which the very gods could be overthrown, their hearts swelled with ambition. Following the seeress' instructions, they erected Raviyarvaza, a divine tower with which they could usurp heaven.

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When the gods saw the rebellious intentions of the Agyptosim they were enraged, and descended upon the world to destroy the Raviyarbaza, and punish their wayward sons and daughters. Though the Agyptosim were not nearly as powerful as a god, they had become numerous and battle-hardened by their conquest of the world. Providing fierce resistance, they successfully held the line until the tower's completion. The corpses of these Agyptosim who fell in battle remain to this day.

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When the Raviyarvaza was complete, the Agyptosim kings demanded Sibylla Ava tell them how to activate it, but only then did she reveal the tower had not been meant for them, and that its activation would spell their doom. Ignoring her warnings, the Agyptosim burned the seeress at the stake for her treachery where, before perishing, she foretold her final prophecy: The Pattern of Fire. The Agyptosim successfully activated the tower, but whatever followed after is unclear. All that is certain is that both they, and their tower, vanished from the face of Purath. In the aftermath, the gods once again partitioned the world, divorcing the spiritual world from the physical one, that none might ever intrude upon Arz Ravi again.

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When the Agyptosim Empire fell, Saule became troubled by what had transpired at the Raviyarvaza, and abdicated his throne to seek answers in places unknown. In his absence, Saule's remaining allies became The Godhand, a pentad of gods meant to enforce his will on earth. Together they entrusted Demyr to act as steward, until Sauleon was deemed worthy of the title of prince-regent. The Godhand watched from afar as the orphaned Mortalkin emerged from the wreckage of the Agyptosim Empire, and began to rebuild. Admiring their resilience and spirit, the Godhand revealed themselves, accepting mortals as their new disciples, vowing to cherish and protect them.

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To prepare for his role as prince-regent, Sauleon self-imposed a journey in exile from Arz Ravi, an act known as the Leonayama. During this time Sauleon battled powerful evils, and accomplished many great deeds. Under his guidance mortals established the Sauleic Cult, a religion adherent to The Godhand Edicts: holy laws that, if followed, grant righteous dead admission to Arz Ravi. Though the faith altered as it spread from land to land, there was no part of Purath that was unaffected by its presence. The time of the Leonayama ended with Sauleon reforming the barbarian Marqol tribe into the virtuous Marevi Empire, before reascending at last to his home of Arz Ravi.

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As the Marevi Empire expanded it subjugated the neighboring cannibal tribes of Qol and Yhqol. Though Marevi disproved of their practices, they had been kinsman once. So it was these tribes were made vassal states: independently governed, but tributary to the empire. However there was a fourth tribe, the Aqol tribe, who refused to submit. They were the most wicked and profane of the tribes. To deny themselves from the Empire they cursed their own lands in a foul ritual, transforming it into a dark overgrowth of aberrant life: the Fields of Acconite.

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Desiring a seat of religious power, the Sauleic Cult rebuilt the ruins of Arz Maanav into a sovereign city-state. This holy city, New Maanav, was recognized by Marevi, Nhajra, and Shaiande as a holy ground, and has become a center to maintain international relations.

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While the Marevi Empire took control of the wintry lands in the north, the warring states of the continental heartland united into the dynastic kingdom of Shaiande. Far to the west, nomads gathered at the site of a fallen star, and built the desert kingdom of Nhajra, while across the sea the tribes of Tlaca'luum thrived under the leadership of three Great Wasis. Over centuries these kingdoms would thrive, compete, and come into conflict with one another over resources and dominion.

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Nhajran scholars discover an ancient buried temple containing a being of intangible fire. When a scholar questions the creature, the largest oasis in Nhajra magically disappears overnight. Soon Smokeless Flame becomes a subject of superstition and fear.

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A Pyyrean mage named Inbal arrives in Bhaubhgya, her origins shrouded in mystery, and convinces their leaders she can serve them, and grant them great power. She is permitted to form a new order of mages in the lowest caverns below Aghrdayak: the Raktavm. Her adepts soon begin experimenting with dark magics under her watchful eye. As the fledgling order grows in influence, paranoid Sarbragni begin to fear they may be usurped from power.

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The year is 1107 AA, in the final days of autumn. The fate of Purath is uncertain, when heroes emerge, ignorant of the roles they were to play in the Cosmic Dream...

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Birds and beasts begin to take humanoid forms. These beastfolk, called Mazako'uya, are well received by the peoples of Tlaca'luum, and form Wasi Yahuitl.

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Glimmers of Smokeless Flames sightings in the deserts of Iram are reported by ordinary civilians with increasing frequency.

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A power struggle occurs among the Mazako'uya dissatisfied with the feathered races' rulership of Wasi Yahuitl. The furred races form Wasi Sitlalin and the scaled races form Wasi Yahuitl.

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Demonic ogres from Shaiande fly across the sea to make contact with disenfranchised Mazako'uya in Tlaca'luum. They form infernal cults, breeding demon-beastfolk daughters called Nanzhatli.

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A large orc warband establishes a fortified enclave, the Krovghaz, on a key mountain pass bordering Nhajra and Shaiande, raiding nearby settlements for slaves.