Rheann

'''This article is out-of-date and unformatted. It is currently non-canon.'''

Rheann is a rare bastion of life among its frozen, rocky counterparts in the great darkness of the universe. In fact, it is inhabited by eight primary sapient races, each described below:

Munen: Youngest of the races, with brief lifespans but great potential. They have many holdings and could become the most powerful group on the planet were they to unify. Dornen: Mountain-dwelling artisans and inventors. They are short and stocky, long-lived and very personable. Adreassi: Reclusive defends of the natural world with a society broken down into five distinct courts. Ageless and deadly. Orgren: An ancient race who revere nature and experience ancestral visions of the past. Their knowledge of ancient history and magic is unmatched, yet they are also rugged survivalists. Pixie: Short, mischievous creatures with long ears and insect wings. They feed off of aether and live no longer than ten years. Ascended: Former mortals who infused themselves with divine energy to become unfaltering guardians of the world. Legion: Corrupted versions of the ascended who thirst for blood and suffer under daylight. Ferali: The tormented forms of mortal beings who made short-sighted deals with demons in a former life. Having escaped from Hell, they seek shelter from their suffering in a world which despises their very existence.

There are other types of beings on Rheann, but these eight have the largest presence and most influce ont he state of the world. For more information on the races listed above, check Races, or explore the places they call home in Geography. For further details on non-playable beings in this setting, look to the Bestiary.

While the members of these groups live, plan, and builds, their planet whirls precariously around the remnants of a ruined star, nor a million burning fragments frozen in time by unfathomable divine power. This accounts for one of the most striking features of Rheann's sky: The array of glittering lights know as the daystars. They burn dutifully over the course of each day as a small, shadowy moon journeys from one horizon to the next. Munen call this the Farmer's Moon or the Burning Eye, while adreassi know it as Kalaresran (The Watcher in the Day).

As the daystars slip out of view, their fire is replaced by the cool, distant gleam of the nightstars and further illumination from a large, silvery moon. This second celestial form is referred to as the Hunter's Moon, the Greatmother, or Kalirenlan (The Keeper in the Dark). It too makes its way across the sky each night, inspiring songs and folklore across every culture.

Meanwhile, the planet itself is wrapped in a pair of celestial safeguards: the watery atmosphere which allows life to thrive, and a huge, intangible field originating from its mithril core. As any dornen child could attest, mirthril is unique for its durability, magnetism, and anti-magical properties. Thus the revolving liquid center of the planet provides protection from both the wrath of the stars and the destructive chaos of pure interstellar aether. If this barrier were to ever falter, Rheann's skies would be stripped out into the great dark, and malevolent dragons would rise up from the raw elements of the world. It would mean the end of all civilization in this corner of the universe.

Of course, some amount of aether is nevessary for the development of magic. Because of the aether which slips through to the surface of Rheann, each living person who hails from this world develops what is known as an echo. Scholars from every culture have their own theories as to the true nature of echoes: Mages from Havensport believe that aether is a type of energy which is innately attracted to complexity and patterns, and so the substance comes to saturate the bodies of living things as they grow. Orgren shamans see aether as a sort of invisible river which envelops Rheann and flows through people, naturally bending to the shape of their thoughts and desires.

Whatever the explanation, echoes allow the people of Rheann to manifest their will upon the world through concentration and practice. The average person may use their echo to temporarily become stronger, faster, or quieter - What comes naturally to them is typically something they have been practicing since childhood. Their experience over time compounds with their echo, and by the time they reach adulthood they will have a power which is unique to them. Those who learn to bend and shape their echoes to do more than a single trick are called mages, druids, or clerics. Some seek out teachers, while others explore their skills alone.

To conclude this introduction, Rheann is a world much like our own: It fosters a great many lives. It suffers a long history of violence and death. Most importantly, it holds the promise of hope for each one of its inhabitants. Rheann's past is already authored, but its future will be decided by those who dare to take up the pen.

The lands of Rheann are comprised of four known continents, though only one has been thoroughly explored in modernity. This is Arethal, the Northeastern landmass which serves as a home for munen, dornen, adrassi, and all other mortal races. It is broken up by its inhabitants into several smaller regions, as described below:

The Golden South: Between the sprawling farmland of Elysia, the orderly mountain cities of the dornen, and the Spring Court’s holdings in Silerinden, the Golden South absolutely lives up to its name. Here there is boundless natural beauty, valuable resources, and surprising cooperation between its varied inhabitants.

The Wooded Coast: This region is tucked between the Sea of Falling Stars and tall mountains to the East. Seemingly endless adrassi forests give way to snowy tundra and the dark cities of Vamihadras in the North. Nature and its protectors are unforgiving on the wooded coast, as are the legion celestials and werewolves who call it home. There are resources to be had for those willing to fight, but great peril for any who are unwilling or unable to do so.

Corania: The brutal Northern desert and barren highlands of Corania hold mostly sand, but the few inhabitable areas are overflowing with life and civilization. A deep, powerful river flows out from the mountains to the South. Its fertile shores split the region and allow trade to its capital city.

The Pagan Lands: Some of the oldest munen holdings on Arethal, the Pagan Lands were once known collectively as Serain. Now they include the thriving kingdoms of Havensport, Elsmir, and Asgaroth. Rolling hills and gently swaying grasslands make up the majority of the mainland, though redwood and pine forests become common in the North.

To the South of Arethal lies Ildresk, a place of many terrifying rumors and little real understanding. What is known is that the continent sports an ancient rainforest where starlight never reaches the ground, primordial jungles full of terror lizards, an uninhabitable desert peninsula, and frozen scrubland to the far South which give way to enormous sheets of ice and snow. This continent is the native home of the Shattered Court adrassi, whose current civil war threatens to plunge the whole world into darkness.

Haran extends from the Northwest of Arethal to the borders of Kama Houtan. It is a largely unclaimed region of the world thanks to difficult mountain ranges, massive glaciers, and chill winds which threaten to rip the flesh from would-be explorers. Even seasoned Asgarothians dare not travel too far into the tundra of Haran, as there are even older threats there than just the weather.

Finally, Tan Shoutaru makes up the Western hemisphere of Rheann. This continent once made up the holdings of the vast Tan Empire, the largest munen civilization to ever exist on the planet. Now it is a ruin. From its most Northern watchpost to the walled cities of the far South, Tan Shoutaru is overrun by lingering chaotic magic and rampaging elemental dragons. Only the bravest of adventurers sets foot on the continent, and those who do rarely return to Arethal to speak of it.

Of course, these are broad overviews of the wider geography of Rheann. The following pages provide further details about the territories within the known world. This includes some of the important landmarks and well-known political figures of Rheann as well.