Faia
When the universe restarted, there were four deities. Two deities, the Divine and Fae deities, were tasked with creating and overseeing the overworld realms of life. The other two, the Arcane and Beast deities, managed the underworld realms of the afterlife and its inhabitants’ journey to the final end.
The first few realms created by the overworld deities failed. With unbalanced ecosystems, the apex predators quickly destroyed all other life forms and starved. The overworld deities were inexperienced in the craft of creating new worlds, and the underworld deities grew tired of waiting. They suggested a sandbox realm, where the deities could all practice with ecosystems before spending their power and energy creating full-sized realms. All four deities unanimously agreed with this idea, and Faia was created.
Due to several factors, Faia is an exception to typical overworld and underworld realms. It is separate from the two realmal wheels and has no counterpart realm to serve as the afterlife. However, spirits in Faia still need a place to go. So, the four deities each chose two afterlife realms and brought a simple stone from each of their chosen realms. They used their combined power to bless these stones and create eight keystones, which would in turn activate eight portals to eight different afterlife realms. Because of the sheer size of Faia, this would allow spirits to still experience the afterlife by personal choice without flooding a single underworld realm.
Faia consists of countless islands, large and small, both in the sky and on the vast ocean. Each island was created as a prototype of a realm to test the atmosphere and ecosystem. More complicated realms often required multiple prototypes, which can be seen from the larger island clusters with similar biomes, such as Lylluna Reef. Islands and island clusters were placed in their own ‘bubbles’, with different atmospheres and seasons. Due to the overall unpredictability of the realm, not many inhabitants left their island. The eight portals to the afterlife were placed on a sky island high in the sky, each with a keystone to activate it. To keep them secure, the deities created a race of guardians called Ruptours.
Ruptours were lithe and feline-like, equipped with glowing sword-like tails and sharp claws. Because the Archway island was so high in the sky, the deities provided their new species with dozens of ‘dive points’ across Faia, that allowed them to travel quickly from the ground to the sky. The ruptours took great advantage of these points to build secret bases around dive points. In fact, one of the first things a ruptour kit learned was proper dive form.
For generations, everything functioned smoothly. Ruptours kept mostly to themselves and diligently took turns guarding the archways. The deities grew more and more experienced in creating realms, to the point where they didn’t need Faia for prototyping anymore. While in earlier days the deities would visit and provide help where needed, their presence significantly lessened over time to the point where they didn’t visit at all. Many communities that inhabited imperfect ecosystems experienced intense hardships and began to feel abandoned; left to die, even. From this spiral of negative emotions, the wither entity emerged.
The wither entity is not a living entity; rather, it is a force with one goal. Destruction. The Beast deity was close to Faia at this time, and she immediately sensed something was off. The wither entity had only just been born and was extremely weak at the time. It was an easy matter for the Beast deity to seal the entity away in a secluded cave, far from the most populated islands and completely devoid of life. Thinking the matter was dealt with, the Beast deity left to attend to other affairs. This was the deities’ first grave mistake.
The cave the wither entity had been sealed in was called Vesper’s Cavern. It had been formerly inhabited by the dragon Vesper, but a sky island fell and crushed it, sealing the cave mouth. Vesper drowned herself in the cave’s pools rather than starve, and her body has been there ever since. What the Beast deity overlooked was one tiny waterway that was created from the impact of the collision. This one waterway led to the open ocean. The wither entity quietly slipped through and just like that, it was loose in Faia.
The wither entity grew more powerful by the minute as negative emotions simmered in the islands that struggled. When the time came, the wither entity released the smog. The smog was thin at first but grew thicker as time went on. Soon, it was blocking all light from the sun and stars, leaving islands in a state of eternal midnight. The smog drew strength from the malice of living creatures, and its release only caused more chaos and confusion among Faia. Still, the deities did not notice. The wither entity traveled towards the main ruptour base, where it corrupted and possessed Auriel, a high-ranked ruptour warrior. The ruptours knew they were guarding the gateways to the afterlife, but they were not capable of seeing any spirits that passed. Using Auriel’s voice and body, the wither entity successfully manipulated several ruptours into doubting the true intentions of the deities, as well as their own purpose as a species. As the smog continued to hover over Faia, confusion among the ruptours only escalated. Soon, fights were breaking out, and petty fights turned into a war.
Amid the war, Auriel (still controlled by the wither deity) silently stole the eight keystones and hid them. This effectively deactivated the archways, and any creature that died after this remained trapped in their body. However, because ruptours had such powerful spirits, the wither entity was forced to abandon Auriel’s body soon after and find a new main vessel. This it found, in the form of Vesper.
The wither entity began reaching out and taking over the spirits trapped in their bodies. Soon enough, it had raised an army of possessed wither spirits, and covered terrain with wither to accommodate living conditions for these newly made spirits. It was only a matter of time before the entirety of Faia fell to the wither.
Around this time, the Arcane deity created the lumendras to provide light in the darker underworld realms and aid afterlife spirits. However, many slowly became depressed due to their gloomy environment, while others’ upbeat personalities became a nuisance. They clearly were not a good fit for the underworld realms, and the Arcane deity decided it would be best to drop them off in Faia, so as not to disrupt the balance of any overworld realms. With hundreds of lumendras in tow, the Arcane deity brought them into Faia, and was shocked at the state of the realm. The three others were immediately called in, and they realized with horror that all eight keystones were gone. Creating new keystones required immense power; power that the deities were not willing to spend just yet. They immediately went in search of the ruptours, which were nowhere to be seen.
Everything the ruptours had built up had been shattered in the war. Survivors of the war and wither corruption were scattered all over Faia, mostly hiding in what remained of their bases. They did their best to explain what happened to the deities, although they did not really know what happened. The deities figured that the wither entity was feeding on their light to corrupt them, and decided the best course of action was to remove the glow on their tails.
Even so, it was too dangerous to let them fend for themselves while the wither entity was so powerful. The thought of life in the wasteland Faia had become wasn’t all too appealing to the ruptours either. With the deities’ help, each ruptour collected an item important to them. In most cases this was jewelry, as most other possessions had been lost to the war. The deities sealed all remaining ruptours away in these amulets and scattered them across Faia, hoping this would preserve the survival of the species.
With that done, the deities turned their attention back to the problem at hand. They had temporarily left the lumendras in a withered forest clearing, and upon returning to them, found that the area around them was back to normal. Bewildered, the deities quietly observed for a little longer and saw that wither dissolved from the light and heat of the lumendras’ lantern lures. They were not sure which factor was actually melting the wither away, but this information was enough.
At this point, the wither entity was too powerful even for the deities to defeat. In only weeks, it had taken over most of Faia and trapped an endless supply of spirits to possess over time. Taking down the wither entity would have to be a gradual process, and the first step was to reclaim territory. The deities decided to begin bringing in species that emitted natural light and heat into Faia. They called them the lightkeepers.
After the lumendras were settled in, the deities brought in candle noodles and tortuvinas. Each emitted light and heat in its own way; candle noodles through their flames, and tortuvinas through their mist. The lightkeeper species’ natural light allowed them to stay safe from regular wither spirits, and also destroy the wither around them. After some consideration, the deities removed the bubbles around the islands and created one universal atmosphere and seasonal system across Faia. This ensured the new Faians could travel between islands with ease, unlike before.
The deities helped these three species build up their villages and settlements, making sure to teach them the importance of lanterns, torches, and similar luminous or heat-emitting objects. After the deities decided they were stable enough to keep developing on their own, the new Faians continued to build villages of all kinds that allowed an economy and civilization to flourish across Faia. Many creatures that had survived the wither came running to these settlements, seeing them as safe havens in this once-dark world. During creation, the deities also implanted a natural desire to explore in each of the three species, which led to the creation of the Adventurer’s Guild. Expedition teams from the guild routinely set off into uncharted islands, marking newly explored territory with lanterns and torches. Slowly but surely, the lightkeepers took back more and more territory from the wither entity for their own. Faians continued to develop, and life in Faia blossomed once more.
Deities and Magic
All magic in Faia stems from the affinities of the four deities: arcane, beast, divine and fae. Little is known about the four deities. They rarely appear physically in the realm, and when they do, they take the form of common fauna to avoid attention. However, most of the time they simply communicate through natural signs in nature or telepathically. Despite the deities' gradual decline in guidance over time, they are still worshipped and respected throughout the realm. There are countless temples dedicated to each deity, and many Faians visit these temples to give gifts or just talk. In the past, deities often appeared in fauna form to respond, but as the population increased they have been unable to do so and now send signs instead.
Each deity has their own individual personality and thus their own unique values. Because of this, most Faians focus their efforts to one deity depending on the values they align with.
The arcane deity is said to value curiosity, discovery, and intelligence. In the past, he has often encouraged Faians to venture further into the unknown and face their fears in the pursuit of knowledge. His messages are often cryptic and difficult to decipher, as he prefers to let Faians figure things out for themselves. He is highly respected among explorers especially.
The beast deity is said to value courage, resilience, and passion. She is tough on her followers, and looks kindly upon Faians who push themselves to the limit. When she visits Faia, she often takes the form of a flaming dragon, unlike the others who take on more inconspicuous forms. Many bonfires from the Celestial Cornucopias over the years have been inspired by her and her deeds.
The divine deity is said to value clarity, loyalty, and truth. He has made the least amount of appearances out of the four deities, and often takes the form of an owl. Those who have encountered him always say they saw truth in his eyes, and that they couldn't really explain it. The divine deity encourages Faians to be honorable and never let greed lead one astray. His arrival is often marked by the appearance of hawks or eagles.
The fae deity is said to value joy, beauty, and kindness. She has a way of befriending even the most skittish of critters, and is always flanked by all kinds of fauna. She urges Faians to see and appreciate the small things in life that one might take for granted. Her temples are always overgrown and overrun by moss, and many suspect that she keeps it that way on purpose. Her presence gives those in it a warm, sweet feeling, and she visits the most out of the four deities.
. . .
Each time a Faian uses magic, they are actually taking from a deity's power. However, their power is so vast that even the mostEvery Faian has a bit of magic in them, waiting to be unlocked as an affinity. However, magic does not come naturally. In fact, it is an extremely rare occurrence to be born with usable magic. Most must find a way to activate their affinity through obtaining ancient affinity totems. Thus, being a magic user gives something of a nobility status and is extremely sought-after throughout the realm. The magic a Faian obtains depends on the totem they use, but sometimes, certain totems will refuse to work.
There are many unique abilities specific to each affinity. However, one of the universal and most traditional is the ability to summon a lesser spirit of the affinity's house. Affinity spirits can take any shape or form, and each Faian with unlocked affinity is linked with one. While inexperienced magic users are only able to summon their affinity spirit for short time periods, mages learn to bond with their spirit. The spirit will grow stronger with them and become a greater spirit. The mark of a powerful mage is one who's affinity spirit remains with them at all times.
As there are not many, the future for magic users is bright. Upon unlocking their affinity they can not only contribute greatly to quickly defeating wither spirits, but also enroll in the Mage's Academy. The Mage's Academy involves countless challenges, but those who overcome it are elevated to Mage status.
In the Mage's Academy, students most commonly are already following the deity of their affinity house. In the rare case that they are following a different deity, they are faced with a dilemma. Most begin following both deities, making their path less clear but their magic incredibly unique. Mages following two or more deities are known as "hydra mages". In the even rarer case that the student has never followed any deity, their magic tends to be more unorthodox and graduates are known as "maverick mages".
However, not all magic users opt to enroll in the Academy. There are several reasons for this; some Faians don't want to or are unable to leave home, some cannot handle the academic pressure, and some just prefer to do things by themselves. Whatever the reason, these Faians spend countless hours at temples, libraries, and sometimes even with graduated mages. Several have had their affinity spirit transform into a greater spirit without the Academy's help, which by definition still makes them a mage. These mages are known as "rogue mages". Many aspire to become a great mage, but the path is not easy.
The Universe and the Cycle of Life
Realms can be described as pockets of reality, fitted onto a circular wheel. There are two wheels, one for the overworld’s realms of life, and another for the underworld’s realms of the afterlife. Realms on each wheel fit snuggly neighboring each other in pie-slice slots, but never collide thanks to the fabric of reality. Each wheel's pace dictates the speed at which time passes in all realms of the overworld or underworld. The deities can technically change a wheel’s pace, but doing so would cause extraordinary chaos. The overworld wheel lies above the underworld wheel, with Faia in between as an exception to typical realms. The empty space between and outside realms is referred to as ‘void’ by the deities, and unknown to mortals.
To prevent blocking spirits’ passage to the afterlife from the overworld wheel, there is a large hole in the center of Faia. The deities have separated this hole by surrounding it with an enormous circular mountain range, too high for even airships to cross. If a Faian were to cross it, they would simply see a lagoon in the center of the mountains. They might be able to see the spirit flow, but this would require said Faian to be experienced in magic, and for the spirit flow to be unusually busy.
If a Faian were to climb down from the mountains and approach the lagoon, they would be met by an invisible wall. This wall is what prevents Faians from falling into the void. It is what deities call the fabric of reality.
The fabric of reality is invisible to the mortal eye, and transparent in deities’ eyes. It defines the physical boundaries of realms. In other words, it defines the end of the world. Faia is the only flat realm in the universe, and if any Faian were to reach the edge, this fabric would prevent them from falling off. Instead, they would meet that same invisible wall around the hole. To make the borders of realms less glaringly obvious to its inhabitants, the deities always set illusions on the interior fabric.
The deities can manipulate the fabric of realities in several ways to alter, create, and destroy realms. For example to create a new realm, the deities will stretch the fabric to make a new pocket, where they insert the new world. To destroy a realm, the deities will simply tighten the fabric around said realm to crush it. If you were an inhabitant in a realm actively being destroyed, it would seem as if the sky was closing in on the ground, and the ground was closing in on itself. Certainly not an enjoyable experience.
Each overworld realm directly connects to a parallel afterlife realm through a thin tunnel, which passes through the center of Faia. Afterlife realms are not identical to their counterpart, but often contain similar landmarks and biomes to provide spirits with a sense of home. Spirits are immediately transported to their afterlife realm upon death, where they can live in solitude, or even seek out their loved ones. Afterlife realms are designed to prepare spirits for their true death. When a spirit is ready to move on, it travels to the Voidling’s Well.
The way to reach the Voidling’s Well in each afterlife realm is different, but always ends in a door. To a spirit who has not wrapped up all loose ends in their afterlife, opening the door will do nothing. The door only allows passage to those who are satisfied and truly ready to end their afterlife. Once a spirit steps through the door, there is no turning back.
The Voidling’s Well is a small realm located in the center of the underworld wheel. It is an exception to typical realms as well; the fabric of reality does not cover the entire realm. The “entire realm” is only a dozen square feet in width; it is very small. The sky is a gradient of colors, and the ground consists of shimmery sand. In the center of the realm, or more realistically, the room with invisible walls, is a well guarded by the Voidling.
The Voidling is an immortal being appointed to guarding the well, and has been there since the beginning. Their job is to make sure each spirit present is fully ready to move on, just in case the doors malfunction or a spirit somehow forces its way through. The Voidling is the only way back from the Voidling’s Well after stepping through the door. Multiple spirits can be present at the Voidling’s Well at the same time, but they will never see each other. They won’t even see the Voidling, despite the Voidling seeing them. From a spirit’s point of view, they are completely and utterly alone.
The well connects directly to the void. There is no fabric to catch a spirit, although there is no need to. A spirit ready to move on will ascend the steps to the ledge of the well, sit down… reflect on their life and afterlife one last time. Then, they will let themself fall. As soon as their spiritual body leaves the realm of the Voidling’s Well and enters the void, it will disintegrate. The particles that make it up will return to the universe, and the spirit’s afterlife will officially end.
Wither and light
The origin and characteristics of wither have been puzzled over for decades by deities and Faians alike. Here is everything that has been uncovered so far.
Wither can be destroyed through direct contact with light. Although the smog is classified as a form of wither as well, it is too far out of reach to test. Currently, the smog covers the entirety of Faia. Because of this, explorers always leave some form of light in explored areas. Non-lightkeeper creatures of Faia who wander too far away from lighted areas always run the risk of ambush by wither spirits.
Faians rely on mages to cast and maintain light spells for their villages. Each village hosts several mages, each mage contributing to the light spell as well as other small tasks that villagers may need help with. Because large-scale spells can be very taxing even when multiple mages' efforts are combined, villages will provide their mages with homes, food, wisps, and infinite respect. Usually villages' mages cover a large territory with their light spell, so that even the wilderness outside villages stays bright. However when this is not the case, mages will sometimes be given a cottage in the wilderness where they keep up a light spell there.
However, not all explored areas host a mage. Some places are simply too small or underdeveloped to provide for one. In these cases, inhabitants use enchanted lanterns to keep their territory and the wilderness secure. Enchanted lanterns are simple lanterns charmed by mages (although fourth rank and some third rank Mage's Academy students can also perform this spell) that never go out. Lanterns are a huge part of Faian culture. They are the lightkeepers' symbol and can easily be found throughout Faia. Almost every Faian owns their personal lantern; even lightkeepers. Other sources of light (although not as widely used as enchanted lanterns) are glowing plant breeds, bonfires, star fragments and bubwee cultivation.
Vesper's Caverns
Upcoming exploration zone - lore
Long ago, a dragon by the name of Vesper resided in the underground caverns of the island Sorelstia. There, Vesper guarded her prized hoard, full of priceless relics and treasures. She mostly lived in peace, as not many dared to enter her caverns. The wither had not yet reached her island, so she had no trouble getting by. Until one day, when a small sky island above Sorelstia fell on top of the caverns, almost crushing them entirely. The reason for this is unknown, but legends indicate to a fight between dragons that had knocked the island out of balance. Vesper found herself trapped, and even her strength could not move the rubble that had covered the entrance. She drowned herself in one of the pools rather than suffer starvation, and the caverns have remained undisturbed since. Her spirit continues to watch over her precious hoard, waiting to be rediscovered.