The World
The Continents & Great Spires
World has 6 Spire Cities and a Lost Spire City. As the players discover more, more locations will be added. The Crescent Continent Port Java The Spire Citystate of Java is fairly mysterious. The last bastion of the elvenkind. Tal Hamad The human mages of Tal Hamad are set in their ways and hide in the Magus Spire, delving further into secret knowledges and mysteries of Mæva and the Spheres. Mines of Ul'Rath One of the last few Dwarven mines still in operation. This Hartstone mine is run by the Battlehammer Clan. Ikkibu Wŭsūrú The Brothers Triumvirate rule the City of the Three. This thriving trade city is laden with nigh insurmountable beaucracy. However, the fact that they are so stable in their policy may lend to their longevity as a nation. Millenia have they existed in one form or another, a constant in an everchanging world. Protected on all sides by sheer cliffs and home to one of the most profitable Tass mines in all Mæva, they exist almost in a stasis as the world moves around them. Tiān Yuán Tiān Yuán or the Godsmoth is the headquaters temple of the Sky Servents. This sect of the Dragonfaith that have set up there for ages, but the temple itself has existed there for aeons. Kuáng Tasu The seeming endless tass veins of Kuáng Tasu Mines have provided Wŭsūrú with incredible wealth and power. Shale Shaleen Asar The Great Tree Beneath the shadow of the Great Tree, the gnomes live. One of few Titan Trees that remain, Goliath an ironwood dwarfs almost everything but the Spires themselves. Under its aetherical density few can stand for long. The gnomes, however, do just fine there. The Voidbark Not much is know about the Voidbark. The trees are said to whisper and even the Kingdom of El Corenth was said to be eaten by the forest long ago. This is a giant, forboding forest that few ever travel to, and fewer surive entering. Its treecover blocks the light and monsters lurk in every shadow. Y'barrii A resort and port town of the empire, normally not of particular import outside of the gladiator games. Though, word has it that there is "Coliseum to dwarf all others" under constructions for all friends of the Empire. The Frozen Desert These frozen wastes nested at the poles between the Desolate Steppe and the Talonswall. At it's heart lies the Verglas Sea and the Isle City of Kitea. Considered impassible for centuries, the area was finally explored when the discovery of lodeengines allowed more robust dirigibles that could stand the extreme cold. Kitea A'vlon The recent relocated capital of empire. After the spralling harthstone city was rediscovered in year 641 of the 4th Age, people quickly flocked to the area. Kitepet and the surrounding hot springs, rivers, and hinterlands are located on the island oasis in the middle of the Frozen Desert. Although not fully restored to its mythical glory, and prone to rare, but devastating quakes, the megalopolis is so large it spills over the the surrounding river and back onto the farside floodplains. Much of its industry harnesses the powerful steam that comes from the massive geothermic vents in the area. World's Peak The tallest mountain in Mæva. Kitepet The original capital of what is now the Kitean empire. Still a spralling port of industry and technology, it is less a city proper and more of a trade waypoint and largescale military base. Baba The Great Walled City of Isten Baba The mysterious canalled and terraced port of Isten Baba is closed for outsiders. Known for their silks and spices, their traders are often closelipped about their homeland. Whispered secrets tell of the blue mystics or spirits that protect their people or seek to control the world through shadows, depending on who you ask.
Calendar
Holidays & Time
The modern Mævan has a near earth calendar, but the tabulation is slightly different. There are 360 days separated into 12 months. Each month consists of three 10-days. Each season is named after one of the three sisters of A'vlon legend. Morrizen, Glygoen, and Thæten. The coldest season is named after the other heroes of the legend of Zanos and Pen'dron. The months in order are Morgenae, Moronoen, Maezon, Glitenae, Gliotgoen, Glyton, Thitae, Thitoen, Thyton, Zannea, Pendroen, and Tiaton. Long ago there was also a dragon calendar that consisted of 10 months. There are niece tribes and peoples that still use it to this day. It was mostly similar except that after the harvest in late Apepen, named for the dragon of the dark and entropy, there was an approximate two month period known as Kitean that was a relentless season of cold inhospitable weather.
Politics
Countries & Organizations
Each of the Mage fellowships hale from one country or another. Ahl-i-Batin A not-so secret secret-order of mystic spys that hail from Isten Baba. Like the Jedi Council and Jedi-knights meet the superspies of James Bond. Order of Hermes A stuffy order of Merlin-wannabes that hail from the Spire Citystate Tal Hamad. Ruled by the professors and academics who much rather be continuing their study than deal with the trivial daily tasks of feeding their people, practicing diplomacy, or engaging in trade. But, it's a means to an end. Hopefully, a quick one so they can get back to research. Messianic Voices There are two orders, the last bastion of elfdom Port Java is home to the warrior priests and paladins of the Sun God Xanos. A larger majority are part of monks of the Dragonfaith, worshiping different dragon Gods sent to build, protect, and maintain the world and its balance. Their shrines are scattered throughout the world and preach balance and unity. Oftentimes, they are negotiators and statesmen. They can also be missionaries, sent out on a pilgramage of discovery and self-realization. Spirit-Talkers The more organized groups of these Spiritual masters are members of the Dragonfaith. They are often at temples, guiding newcomers and faithful in prayer and meditation. However, many disallusioned with the structure and pomp of the temple organization (or those wishing to skirt responsibility) have left to become hermits and wanderers. Others, never fell prey to the teaching of Dragons. These medicine men and women worship oneness and balance between the primal elementals of Mæva. Old Faith The Circle/The Trust/The Perch depending on the region or contentient is a loose network of medicine women, apothecaries, alchemists, and witches that protect their villages through the arcane arts. Each region is organized into a coven where different elders specialize in apprenticing young adepts of magic to save them from hurting themselves or others. The Moot is a group of hermit Druids that watch over their respective forests and their denizens. Think Radagast. Although they may occasionally meet or take an apprentice or two, they much perfer the company of the fauna and flora of the world than its people. Valaermen The gothar and hofgothi (priests and holy-folk) of the ættir(clans) of Nubu practice what others say are forbidden arts of divination and blood magic. Those who know the Valaermen know this is not true. These misconceptions were spread from fear of their raiders who were often sent and blessed with magics that made them supernaturally adept at survival. So incredibly fast, impossibly stragic, and inhumanly powerful the warriors of bear, wolf, and boar were, legends sprang of the dark magicks and darker gods they must follow. The All-Father is a cunning god, but not evil by any means. But if other peoples must live in fear of them, so be it. The fear means less fighting and more spoils as the cowards that face them run away. More food for the families back in the swamps, forests, and tundra of Nubu.
Economics
Currency & Trade
Currency With the existence of magic, using alchemy or material creation made it had to provide a stable currency other than bartering. However, the ancient world left behind large caches of small irreparable (to the knowledge of current magi) artifacts. Additionally, There are primary two types of currency: Hartstone Hartstone discs, have a loose value based on their current rarity and wholeness. They are left by an ancient and pervasive empire that appeared to have covered the whole of Mæva, they seem to absorb magic (to a point) before taking damage or chipping, and are "impossible" to cut by natural means. Discs (the largest size), or Dis, are about 1/2 the palm of a adult human, perfectly round and about a 1/4 inch thick. Hartstones, or Harts, some of the earliest found of these artifacts, are not perfectly round and often have blade sized chips chunks missing from them making them resemble a human heart. Blades, or Blaez, are smaller blade-sized chips or chunnks that are inconsistent in size, but are oddly fairly similar in mass. Tears or Chips are the smallest size. Like Blaez, easily carried around in a pouch and very common. Tass Solidified quintessence, or Tass, is an ætherically dense crystal formation that is consumable by mages, albeit with it's own side effects, to pull more æther than a location or their body can naturally provide. It's translucent, quartz-like crystals that vary in length and size. The tint of the crystalline structure vary with the type of environment in which it "grew." It is possible to synthesize them, but extremely time consuming. Most are mined at various located throughout Mæva. Some nations refuse to deal in them because of their addictive, or even--by some--sacred nature. Since the size and weight tend to vary, tools were constructed to measure "standard sizes" of Tass. However, the tools are not regulated by an international organization but rather individual nations, which can often cause trade disputes--such as a merchants chest of Crys being considered Sharz in a neighboring nation. Due to the inconsistancy of size and the advent of Hartstone currency, this currency is falling out of favor. Spires, or Spize, the largest of the crystals appear to take a shape similar in structure to the famed Spires of the selfsame Great Spire cities. They are approximate shape of an icicle and the the size of a butterknife. It appears that this size and structure is the upper limit of the crystals' maximum growth. Crystal, or Crys, are not quite shaped or sized right or consistently. They tend to be the size of a full human thumb or finger. Shards, or Sharz, smaller still, they are approximately 2/3 of a human pinky. Splinters, or Splins, smallest of the Tass, they are not as their name would suggest the size of a splinter. However, they are noticeably smaller approximately nail size. Summary The /very rough/ equivalences are Disks/Spires ($1k), Harts/Crys ($100), Blaez/Sharz ($10), Tears/Splins($1). Mind, they are not equivalent to each other. In major population hubs, there are often moneylenders who are willing to give an exchange rate, or--if a know and reputable lender--credit. In very rural area, they may only take one type or even none, trusting only the barter as a reliable mechanism.
