History of Athera

7/29/2019 History of Athera

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Welcome to the World of Athera


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Athera Background

Athera is a land of harmony, of balance between man and nature, life and deathoHarmonics play an incredible role in the land

oThere are laneways of power running across the land, connecting ancient power

focuses (and former world-gates)

o

You will often here people saying respect the balanceAth, the creator, is seen as the underlying force, above even the godsAthera is a land connected by world-gates to other realms and has acted as a

sanctuary for years, until the world-gates were sealed

There are a group of beings (known as the Fellowship or Fellowship of Seven)

who work to maintain the balanceEverything on Athera has a True Name which it responds to

oKnowing a true name grants resonance with or power over something

oTraditional Atheran people all have a True Name which can be used in many

different ways


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Natural History

Millenia ago, Drakes harnessed the magic of Atheras harmonics to try and mold thefabric of reality

oThis failed and their creations, the dragons, turned against them

oAths greatest creation, the Paravians, worked together with the drakes to subdue the dragons but the

results of this epic struggle ravaged the land

Other races were allowed to enter Athera on the condition they help rebuild theshattered world and maintained the balance

oOver time, as the land began to heal, the races forgot to honour the balance and took advantage of the

land

oAs a result, the world-gates were sundered and no one has been able to travel between the worlds for

hundreds of years

oMany residual spots of power, of healing and of ruin remain

The kingdoms and high-kings were put in place by the Fellowship of Seven toestablish rulers to serve the people and protect the balance

oThey were granted gifts by lineage: compassion, justice, foresight and healing

oOver time, the high-kings forgot their purpose and failed to honour the balance, eventually creating the

current Empire and driving out the last of the Paravians


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The Empire

The high-kings were charged with serving the people and the land; maintain thebalance

oEach was given part of Athera to rule over, with areas to remain outside, wild

During the third age, people had begun to forget the war of the Paravians andDrakes and instead looked at the land beyond their control

Three of the kings banded together, displacing the fourth and creating the Empire

o Its goal was simple: subdue the remaining lands and establish order for all

o Individual areas could retain their own customs and culture, but needed to be united under a common

Empire for security and prosperity

After the Empire was created, the high-kings tried to establish a co-regency withrotating centres of power

oDuring the fourth age, the Ilessid family tried to take power from the remaining high-kings (upsetting the

balance enough to drive out the Paravians)

oThe resulting bloodshed and unrest was too much for the people, they revolted, overthrowing the rule of

kings and wiping out most of the royal bloodlines

The fifth age had begun, with continued tension between the towns, seeking tomake their own place in Athera, and clans of the wilderness, striving to maintain the

balance


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The half-brothers

About 100 years ago, two half-brothers appeared through the south world-gate,something unheard of for millenniaoSporting power of the elements of light and shadow, they helped rid the land of a cursed mist which had

engulfed Athera since the Paravians had disappeared

They were acknowledged by the Fellowship of Seven to be true descendants of theHigh-KingsoTheir re-instatement threatened to upset the power established by the towns of the empire

oThe clans outside the towns saw this as a return to the balance and end of the rule of the towns

Neither prince was ever crowned as Arithon scorned his crown and Lysaer workedto appease the town-born populaceoDuring the War of the West when the townsborn armies tried to displace the now restless clans,

Arithon massacred thousands using magic and shadow

oLysaer, with his power over light, was lauded by the towns as an avatar of light and crowned the king

and steward of the empire

Their life before appearing on Athera and how they retain their youth remainsshrouded in mystery


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Arithon sFfalenn

Known as The Fugitive Prince or The Spinner of Darkness, Arithon is the half-brother of Lysaer and crown prince of Raithan

He has a slight build, black hair, piercing green eyes and was born with control ofelemental shadow

oTrained by the mages of Rauven, he is reputed to have been their most brilliant pupil

oArithon scorned his crown to become the a masterbard and is currently Atheras only remaining

masterbard

During the war of the west, Arithon sided with the clans and massacred thousandsof town soldiers using magic and darkness

oSince then he has been on the run from his half-brother Lysaer, who is now the Ruler of the Empire

oEven though Lysaer has been hunting him relentlessly, no one has seen Arithon for years

Arithon carries the gifts of two royal lines: from his father, compassion, and from hiss'Ahelas mother, foresight


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Lysaer sIlessid

Lysaer s'Ilessid, also known as the "Prince of Light" or "Prince of the West", is theprince of Tysan and one of the two half-brothers who came to Athera via the south

world-gate

He is now the ruler of the empire and leader of the Alliance of LightoThe Alliance of Light is a specialized group seeking to end the threat of his half-

brother, the spinner of darkness

He has blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes and was born with control of elemental lightoRefused training by the mages of Rauven, most of his expertise with this skill

came from solitary hours of practice

o

Lysaer has a strong distrust of magecraftLysaer carries the gifts of two royal lines: from his father, justice, and from hiss'Ahelas mother, foresight


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Notable Characters

There are many notable characters across Athera, some of the most well-known

include:oDamienKnown as The Betrayer or Fatemaster, he was a fellowship made who betrayed them to

join with the dragons. Tales about him include that he was able to escape his fate by merging with the

magic he commanded. Many legendary magical places / relics are his experiments. Common

expressions relating to him include: swearing by Damiens Wheel, or by Damiens left testicle

oMaster of Whitestorm This enigmatic man rules the fortress of Whitestorm, rarely leaving. Thefortress is as famous as he is, and is deemed impenetrable, safe even from the power of Dragons

oSandspear The leader of the desert tribes, this is assumed to be either an immortal, or a hereditarytitle as there has always been a Sandspear as far back as anyone can remember.

oDakarKnown as The Mad Prophet, Dakar is a powerful spellcaster with the gifts ofprescience /

prophecy and longevity-training, but prefers drunkeness and debauchery to achieving inner balance. He

is a short, plump man with a clever face and a red beard.


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Notable groups:

The Fellowship of Seven:

They were said to have been agents of the Drakes and Paravians against the dragons during the greatstruggle

Few are known publicly or would be recognized at all, aside from Althain tower in the north, where they aresaid to reside

Order of the Korani:

An order of hedge-witches which performs minor healings, potion making, magical charms, etc for villagesacross Athera

They always exact a later debt payment for any services renderedYoung girls, often orphans with magical talent, are given to the order to have a secure and respectable future

Aths Brotherood:

These peaceful monks inhabit sacred groves, which cannot be entered unless invited and can grant healingnot seen anywhere else in Athera

Seemingly otherworldly, they seek to hold to the balance through seclusion and peace and healing


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Athera, the continent of Paravia

You are here...


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Wait...we are where?

This is Don Mills...

... But you have to turn

the map sideways ;)

Documents

History of Athera