Timeline:
B.H.E. or B.E., also known as Before the Heptra Empire or Before the Empire. A.H.E. or A.E., also known as After the Heptra Empire or After the Empire. There aren’t many records from before the Empire except within Desparia.
~2000 B.E. - The oldest record from Desparia to be recorded.
0 A.E. - The Heptra Empire first began, preparing itself for war while scouting the other realms.
5 A.E. - The Empire began its war with Midgar.
55 A.E. - The Empire conquered Midgar and started preparations to conquer Carthas.
63 A.E - The Empire conquered Carthas and started preparations to conquer Terramina.
84 A.E - The Empire subdued Terramina and started preparations to conquer Ithis.
88 A.E. - The Empire conquered Ithis and stared preparations to conquer Desparia.
93 A.E. - The Empire came to a truce with Desparia.
104 A.E. - Basilisk locked away.
112 A.E. - Cherufe buried.
127 A.E. - Titan bound.
160 A.E. - Hel created by Thanatos.
~200 A.E. - The Heptra Empire came to an end.
214 A.E. - Creation of the Crescent started.
432 A.E. - The Crescent reached completion.
700 A.E. - The current time period. Current season: Summer.
History & Culture:
Asgard
Asgard consists of very few cities and towns within it due to its relatively low population. As such a high council rules over the continent and assigns a member of its committee to each province. While most of the year the high council is spread out over the provinces, they meet every three months to discuss matters of politics, economics, and other such matters. Due to the particular difficulty of reaching Asgard, it never fell under the control of the Heptra Empire. Few of its people believed the ideals that the empire followed and as such chose to stay out of the business of the lower realms. Those who agreed though had chosen to leave the floating continent and assist those on the world below. The main reason for their disagreement with the Empire’s ideals is that the people of Asgard worship the Xiht'raal, Theia, as their protector and guide. Offers of food and harvest are made to the deity to please them and continue to protect them. When someone commits a crime, they have important feathers that allow them to fly plucked and are sent out from Asgard, preventing them from ever returning.
The Celestis have beliefs about wing colors much like some civilizations have beliefs about constellations that people are born under. Most Celestis have colors like that of a birds, often having patterns of two colors, most often involving grey. White is seen as 'purity before all else' while black is seen as 'strength in hardship.' Grey is 'widsom with age.' Gold, which is the rares of colors, is seen as 'accomplish great deeds.' Some other rare colors are: green being 'one with the land,' red being 'strongly passionate,' and blue being 'calmness in action.' Purple, which is almost as rare as gold, is 'seclusion from nature.'
Almoria
Almoria consists of many independent cities, each lead by a wiseman and follow old customs as well as worshiping of the Great Tree. When a new town is founded, they plant a seed in the center of each town. This is done in the belief that it will grace and protect them while keeping Yggdrasil strong. Festivals are carried out with the seasons and are a time of celebration and they welcome other races to join in these celebrations. During festivals they make use of essence and magic for celebration and worship. Magic is also used to assist with daily tasks and to raise the standard of living. An example of this is the magical lights of Yggdrasil, which are simply magical lanterns shining from the cities. Back during the reign of the first empire, it was found how difficult climbing Yggdrasil could be and as such, it remained untouched by the empire’s reach. While some of the Nymphs had agreed with the beliefs of the Empire, they chose to exclude their own Deity and left to fight for the Empire. Due to greater ease of acquiring silk here, clothing made of the material doesn’t hold as much meaning in Almoria.
Midgar
Considered to be the land of origin, it is where man first appeared and grew. It is said that all people can trace their heritage back to Midgar. Many of the cities are build around the roots of the great tree, providing a natural wall against creatures and outside forces. As the people of Midgar grew and became more diverse, many people started to move away from the tree, first setting up smaller villages in the outskirts, though quickly finding that it was dangerous to be under the branches of Yggdrasil but not close to its base, as the fruit which fell from the sky would easily crush their homes. Still, the people of Midgar continued to prosper and spread out, many people eventually leaving the realm for other places. With time, those who left changed over time and became the many diverse races of Ethestria. The people of Midgar though, changed little, but still continued to grow. While often considered to be one of the strongest realms, its people aren’t entirely united. This was what lead to Underwalt managing to conquer the realm for if the people of Midgar fought together, they would have stood victorious. As such, it wasn’t till after the last of the Xiht’raal were defeated in which they were able to force out the Empire. After the Empire’s fall, some of the people in the outskirts of Midgar, close to Ithis and Carthas started construction of the Crescent. Being spread out and diverse as Midgar is, it has no central leader and instead each city is more unique and aimed to be self sustained. The cities within the realm tend to be more of a democracy though the largest cities tend towards being republics. The people of Midgar sometimes refer to the Baskii as “Skraelings” though the meaning is unknown. The Minualt is a popular dance here, which can be compared to a walts, however it has strict patterns with different songs.
Ithis
While consisting of a massive ocean, those who have lived here for centuries have found that they need somewhere to call home yet couldn’t live without air indefinitely, however they also couldn’t just go all the way to one of the few sparsely located islands in the realm as they were too far from the best locations. For that reason, early one when their people first arrived at the realm they started to create the many floating cities, making use of their magical knowledge to help keep them afloat. When the Heptra Empire arrived, they held enough knowledge of water to actually create warships to reach the floating cities, which really lacked any defenses, and conquered them with greater ease than Midgar. At the end of the Empire’s reign though, the people had advanced their technological knowledge and magic to allow them to easily sink and raise their cities which allowed them to break free of the Empire’s remaining power as the other races weren’t able to survive underwater as long as the Nizzag. While most of Ithis is a multitude of floating cities, they all respect the Queen of Ithis whom resides within the oldest city, which is Atlantis. Atlantis was also the first city to become submersible and broke away from the Empire’s rule. The Nizzag are very puntual about things; this is something that has trickled down from how important keeping the cities afloat is and they can’t afford to dilly dally in regards to that. Of the five realms, Ithis, Carthas, Midgar, Terramina, and Underwalt, Ithis is the best at the use of essence and using magic. As such, they are more known to try and put more effort into promoting the teaching of spells. However, their knowledge of magic pales in comparison to that of Almoria or Asgard.
Carthas
Carthas has been legendary for the high quality metal weapons and armors that its blacksmiths have been able to forge. While its largest cities are close to the border with Midgar, Ithis, Desparia, and the Crescent, there are a good many smaller towns spread out through the realm around its many volcanoes. The Unified Guilds of Damascus resides in this realm and represents the craftsmen of Carthas. This serves as both a resource for the various Guilds in the realm as well as a pseudo form of government. The Unified Guilds of Damascus works to allow for governed organization while focusing on economic growth. Its influence also stretches to other realms due in part to the Crescent. Carthan dancing is much more freestyle, making use of swords, batons, and torches to add meaning and expression to the dance. Marriage in Carthas is looked down upon by the other realms as it’s often compared to slave trading with how companions are bartered for. Granted, Caelum women are notorious for being rather loose and good in bed. Overall though, all people in Carthas join a guild as an apprentice by the age of eight and after seven years in their guild are often considered skilled enough in their trade to become journeymen. Apprenticeships exist outside of Carthas, but aren’t as prominent. Meals in Carthas are often spicier than those of other realms, as such, some here have taken entertainment in how other races react to the spicy food.
Terramina
Terramina has long since been known for its dangerous nature. Holding many of the world’s most deadly creatures, it is a wonder how people came to survive in this realm. The people of this realm live in rather spread out villages that are built within the forest’s canopy. There are few physical structures, but those that do exist look almost ancient and a few of them are covered in the blood of human sacrifices. Before the Heptra Empire’s reign, sacrifices were made to the Xiht’raal, Titan to prevent him from ravaging the forest. When the Empire first appeared, they were greeted by the Baskii’s poisonous weapons. If not for the understanding of the shared belief that the Xiht’raal needed to be stopped, the realms would have fought till either the Empire fled or killed everyone in Terramina. Following the binding of Titan to the land, the Baskii chose to not allow outsiders to enter their land again without good reason, partially in fear that someone might try and release Titan and let loose his rage upon the land. For that reason, they chased out those from the Empire who had come to the land and made examples to others of those who didn’t. The Baskii are know to almost never leave the forest, as such it is rare to see them in the other realms.
Underwalt
Underwalt’s history is quite profound and will forever inspire leaders of might. The Heptra Empire had its beginnings in Underwalt. As the realm has always been very self dependent, its people grew to believe that they were meant to rule over the other realms, however lacked any real motivation to bother the others as they lacked anything that the realm of Underwalt didn’t have. Things changed though when the deity, Basilisk, started to go after their own people. Initially they tried on their own to bring down the beast, but found that they lacked strength and numbers to be able to take down the Xiht'raal. After managing to trap it temporarily in one of the underground chambers within the Almium Mountains, they built up their military might and went about conquering and spreading their believe that the Xiht'raal needed to be controlled or defeated. After evaluating the other realms, they started with Midgar, starting the longest and bloodiest war in the Empire’s reign, the fifty years war. With the control of Midgar, they next took over Carthas by simply blockading the country’s trade routes until the country surrendered and fell to their knees. From there, the Empire had set its eyes on Terramina. Once more they faced a very bloody and long war, though it only lasted twenty years before their beliefs actually captured the attention of the Baskii and they agreed to work with them. Following their some what of a victory over Terramina, the Heptra Empire quickly conquered Ithis in the shortest war before attempting to conquer Desparia. The war with the frozen realm though lasted only five years before the Empire realized they couldn’t possibly conquer the frozen realm and came to an agreement with the Swart to work together on their goal.
With the might of the six realms which they could reach, the Heptra Empire set forth on its true task, controlling or defeating the Xiht'raal. Starting in their own realm first, they proceeded to work their way about the realms, defeating the Xiht'raal as they could. Basilisk was locked away into the lowest levels of Underwalt, never to see the light of day again. Cherufe was buried within the deepest molten pits of Carthas such that it may fall into the frozen wasteland of Desparia and be destroyed. The mighty Titan of Terramina was beaten as close to death as the races believed possible before binding beneath the ever growing forest. As it is the easiest to reach, the Baskii chose to refuse other races from ever entering the forest in fear that they may try and break the Titan free. The last of the Xiht'raal they could reach though was Thanatos, who was the strongest of the Xiht'raal. In fact, the Empire was never able to defeat it, even after the bloodiest of battles. Instead the Deity came to an odd compromise, he would create a realm of his own and not bother the other races, in exchange that those who died would fall to his realm first before they would be allowed to go to Valhalla. After working out and agreeing to the deal, Thanatos used a great deal of his might and essence to create the realm of Hel.
With the completion of its goal, the Heptra Empire considered trying to turn its eyes back to the skies in hopes to conquer the Great Tree and floating continent. However, the disharmony arose among the other realms over the idea of continued rule by the realm of Underwalt. The first to break away from the empire was Ithis with the sinking of its many cities, putting them out of the Empire’s reach. Following this, revolts and skirmishes broke out across the remaining realms, eventually bringing an end to the first Empire and the smelting down of many of the weapons of the age. Underwalt is considered to still be an Aristocracy.
Desparia
The frozen wasteland of seemingly endless despair, those who live here have managed to survive in this land though it took a great deal of time. While the land was frozen, it was found that if they dug down deep enough and constructed some fires with proper ventilation, that they could make a proper home beneath the frozen wasteland. That alone though wasn’t enough as they would fall victim to attacks by the other beings that lived in the realm as soon as they left their holes. For this reason, they constructed forts over their homes to allow them to return to the frozen land safely. As their civilization grew they found it vital to keep records of what things worked and what didn’t. They constantly worked to improve their technology as they found it to be more reliable than the magic they had originally learned before entering Desparia. It was their ability to adjust to the cold and forcefully survive in the frozen land that the Heptra Empire was unable to defeat the Swart and could only come to a truce. Following the pact with Thanatos the people of this realm decided that the terms agreed to in the truce were completed and chased out the Empire which had grown too spread out to be able to hold its stakes in the many realms. Desparia is known to be a representative democracy with a single voted for leader of the realm.
Hel
Created by Thanatos after the Empire’s attempt to defeat all of the Xiht’raal, it is a land created after the signing of a pact made with the diety. Thanatos created Hel using a vast amount of his strength and magic as well as almost all of the Essence within Desparia. Those who die in the eight other realms arrive first at Hel and from there will have one of three fates. If there is nothing more for them in the world, they are allowed to pass on to Valhalla. If they are not prepared though, they can try and fulfill a task for Thanatos to be allowed to return to where they had been. If they are successful, they return to where they had died and allowed to continue, however, failure results in them being trapped to serve Thanatos until the end of times. To amuse himself, Thanatos often has those who are trapped fight in large scale battles, knowing that the people cannot die again, yet still feel the pain.
Order of the Summer Moon - Order based in Underwalt, following the teachings of the Empire, this Order oversees the others. This order is known for its extreme methods, often sending new recruits into Desparia with minimal escort and boasts the longest history. Members of this Order tend to be standoffish, but skilled fighters.
Order of the Winter Moon - An order that follows the teachings of the Skjaldmeyjar, or Shield Maiden. Possesses one of the lowest numbers as far as members, but has high respect from all other Orders. Based in Midgar, although does not keep many of it’s members in one place.
Order of the Red Sun - Hailing from Terramina, the members of this Order are often brutal and quick. They are the only Order to allow the use of poison weapons. It should be noted that this Order, while feared, has never been at the start of an Incident.
Order of the Pilgrim - A religious order who’s stated goal is to bring light to the dark places. They are the furthest reaching guild, and often the first to respond to threats. Does not boast much military might, however. Based in Midgar.
Order of the Flowing Water - Based in Ithis, this Order oversees Ports and Relay Points on behalf of the Compact. Monetarily driven, they are usually the last to band with the other Orders.
Order of the Three Realms - Based in Carthas, this order oversees the cities and towns along the Crescent. Driven both by duty and coin, they focus more on defending the Crescent.
Svedki Legion - An organization with a focus more on technology. Based out of Desparia.
Malastis Arcana - An organization with a focus more on magic. Based out of Ithis.
Name: Elsen
Name: Izumi Racine 
Name: Shayla Orinthia 
Name: Lucilia Maxima 
Name: Eir Alriksdotter 
Name: Liulfr Gunvaldsson
Name: Y'shtola
Name: Skyla Jarndaughter
Name: Liam Detfuer 
Name: Aral Rilton
Name: Laertia
Name: Elonway August 
Name: Kalani Ikaia 
Name: Therian Barton 
Name: Lucas Garret
Name: Takeo Mori 
Name: Reiji Shirasaki 
Name: Babette Badeau
Name: Saito Kenji 
Name: Jegar
Name: K'tsen
Name: ???
Name: ???
Name: ???