|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:42 pm
 
Magic suffuses every part of Irithyll, through its inhabitants, its history, and most of all the land itself. All aspects of life there hang in a balance, with still so much left to be discovered and explored. Those who call this vast continent home strive to find harmony among the diverse creatures and habitats, finding importance in nature and grace, aspiring to reflect the ethereal beauty of the land. Grand, open spaces ensure that one is never fully divorced from what organically existed there before.
This majestic place sits in a constant twilight with the phasing moon hanging heavy over the land at all times. Purples and reds cover the night sky while stars fade in and out of view. From the Crossroads to the Black Sea, fields and forestry with flora of all colors are drizzled throughout. It is not uncommon for Ethereal to sit and admire the beauty of their home. Bioluminescent flora help keep the world bright as you move deeper into Irithyll. These flora can include beautiful shimmering mushrooms, shockingly vibrant fruits, and various forms of unique flowers which emit glowing pollen that float gently in the air. Plucking these flora do not remove their bioluminescence.
The High Council (NPC)
Irithyll has a vast history and a rich culture, and it was eons ago when a High Council was created to preserve it all. At present, the members comprise majoritively of Ethereals and Perytons, all Elders within the realm.
Liss, Mother of foresight, The First Seer.
Seers are born under Liss, but her will is a mystery to even them; perhaps only granted by the strange visions that plague them. Seers have no rituals to carry out, no tributes to grant to their goddess, and no prayers seem to reach her. Many Ethereal feel as though Liss has left them. Liss' whereabouts are currently unknown.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:46 pm
there was only a seed - a tiny, infinitesimal dot of light that fluttered in an endless darkness. That seed was planted in the nothing - the void that both cradled and contained it - held safe yet captive all the same. It churned from within, growing in upon itself and swelling within the flimsy shell that it had always known. Slowly it stretched and fanned out, growing tall and strong, so that it was no longer a seed but a mountain that illuminated the nothing. Only, the nothing was nothing no longer.
Earth sprung up from the roots of the mountain, the first lands, and grew ever larger beneath the pale light of the Crystal Mountain. Upon the rocky, soiled slopes of the first lands the nothing coiled and writhed, furious as the light grew brighter and the lands grew stronger. The nothing took shape and the howls and screams from these shadow creatures broke the silence. Instead of deterring the light, the sound roused it, and life within the crystal mountain awoke with the screech of cracking stone. Shards of the mountain split from its core as the essence of the seed burst from within. Crystal was flung so far and wide that it disappeared into the void. Where it landed, it sank deep into the land and life sprang up from it in gushing rivers of magic. Oceans bubbled to life, trees shot from the rocky terrain and fire howled beneath the mantle.
Magic seeped out from the shattered mountain and where it touched this new world, life began.
First were the Ethereals, born of the elements, who became the watchers of the realm. Then came life in every form, each species evolved from and nurtured by the elements under the eyes of the originals. The land continued to grow and eventually became so vast that the veil of magic could not contain it all safely within its boundaries and so, it let life go on, and they watched it prosper and wither and prosper again all from within their bubble of life and light.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:47 pm
 
Common Creatures: Wisp, Peryton, Jackalope
All Ethereal have a beginning, and all Ethereal can trace theirs back to the mountain. They say magic was birthed from this place and gave life to the powers that the Ethereals now wield.
Nestled deep within Irithyll rests a mountain of glimmering crystal with a wide, shattered peak barely visible above the treetops surrounding it. Scattered around the enormous base are large, jagged hunks of crystal presumably once a part of the mountain itself. They litter hills and slopes for miles around the mountain and everywhere they lay, the land is imbued with the purest form of magic. This magic-rich soil gives life to flora that is more crystal than natural substance, all aglow and pulsing softly to an unknown rhythm, like the heartbeat of the world. Tall, enormous trees thousands of years old stretch nearly to the top of the broken mountain, made entirely of crystal that gleams beneath the moon above and reflects sunset back at the sky.
For every mile beyond the last crystal, the magic diminishes. It fades until it becomes a magnificent, vast forest where the very breath of life, and all that is birthed from it, radiates outward to fill the land. Gem trees and sparkling stems become silver wood dotted by rich ferns and inhabitants of the veil make their home among the canopy or beneath the boughs. Massive trees stand sentry all the way to the border of the forest, encircling the mountain at its heart, to offer peace and protection to the youth who grow up within its charge. When there is cause for alarm the inhabitants of the Veil gather here, returning to their roots, and stand within the circle of sacred crystals where they are guarded by the very magic that gave them life.
The Thorn Circle
Common Creatures: Wisp, Elder Peryton
At a place on the edge between the crystal forest and the silver wood is a clearing that lacks the towering trees that the forest is so known for. In place of those stalwart guardians grow dark, wild brambles, far and vast, that are tipped with thorns and so dense that not even a field mouse could crawl between the prickly vines. This bramble patch is an impassable hedge that forces travelers to give it a wide berth for most of the year; the only two inhabitants of this area are two elder Peryton that are always waiting, watching, and guarding it against outsiders. They may put up with a little passive curiosity, but even if the brambles weren’t all but impassable they won’t allow anyone to even try.
The outsider’s journey into Irithyll begins here when, twice a year, the full moon travels into the perfect position across the twilight sky and casts a large, brilliant sphere of light down upon the inky brambles that they quickly spread away from. Not only does the thorny field exist on the cusp between crystal forest and silver wood but, too, it exists on the cusp of the veil and the mortal realm. As mortals enter from the Stonehenge they arrive here, at the heart of the circle of thorns. These otherwise ordinary brambles almost seem to move at the corner of the eye, crawling across one another like worms when seen out of the peripherals, but appear perfectly ordinary up close. At the head of the circle, leading out into the silver wood, is a thin pathway giving safe exit (or entry) through the thorns. During this time of the year mortals may enter and inhabitants of the veil may leave; while the gate of reality stands open the Peryton are at peace, letting travelers come and go as they wish.
The Crossroads
Common Creatures: Wisp, Jackalope
Where the crystal forest gives way to flat lands one finds the crossroads. Brilliant twilight skies illuminate glowing flowers that turn colors as the Ethereal pass by and well-worn roads criss-cross the flat open fields with no rhyme or reason. This land acts not only as the barrier between the forest and the lands beyond but leads to innumerable, unimaginable destinations at every corner of the veil. Though these pathways seem to be well-worn, not one soul knows all the secrets they may hold and they are said to be riddled with remnants of the past that confuse and bewilder the unwary traveler. They are difficult to navigate alone.
The Black Sea
Common creatures: Wisp, Peryton
As the silver wood expands to the north east, water begins to seep along the forest floor, making runnels through the undergrowth. Trees continue to grow, eventually giving way to a swamp-like terrain where the water is as clear as the sky and Ethereal prance in the shallows. As one travels further out, the trees grow sparse and the water rises up to the shoulders of the tallest Ethereal. A few steps past the last of the trees and the bottom drops suddenly and sharply into what feels like a vast nothingness.
The Black Sea is named for the darkness staring up from its unfathomable depths, shadows that the pale light of the moon above cannot touch even through the crystalline waters. It stretches as far as the eyes can see and is dead still. Tides do not disturb it, there are no waves - only stillness. Occasionally an inhabitant of the veil will swear they’ve seen ripples along the surface in the distance or perhaps even a fin rising quickly before submerging once more. Nothing has ever come out of the sea and none are willing to go into it without knowing what exists beyond it (or below it).
The Onyx Ridge
Common creatures: Wisp, Peryton, Jackalope, Phoenix
The Crossroads and the Black Sea exist as polar opposites to one another, generally considered to be the two halves of Irithyll beyond the crystal mountain (though directions can be a funny thing beyond the veil). Presumably, there must be a place where the sea and fields collide and one such area is known as the Onyx ridge.
On one side of the broken mountain, along the border between land and sea, are towering formations of crystal boulders and dark, glass-like stones woven together so seamlessly that touch alone can not detect the line between them. The crystal pulses gently within the grasp of the pitch black stone, lending it the strange mystic sense that pervades everything in the land beyond the veil. These structures dot the land in haphazard shapes, some strung together like cliffs for a mile or more while others are mere crags and scattered stone. The crystal trees and silver wood continue to grow among and atop the formations, sinking their roots as deeply into the magic here as they do elsewhere so that only the sheer, open faces are bared for the world to see.
It is among these formations that Ethereal make their home, claiming dens nestled among the trees within the sheltering face of the onyx cliffs.
The Cove
Common creatures: Wisp, Peryton, Phoenix
There is a point among the Onyx ridge where the shoreline juts inward in a perfect half-crescent even as the sea shelf continues, undeterred. This leaves the stone open, free of trees, with a mix of smooth rock and sand at its base that eventually gives way to a large, shallow bay. Here, the water travels beneath a weathered stone bridge created in the rocky cliff and pours into a basin at the bottom of a small hill. This lake is cool and reflective and the silver woods crowd its shore, sinking their roots in and drinking deeply of the pure waters. The silver woods that drink this water grow large, ever-ripe fruits that pulse with the light of the crystal forest; they are edible and sweet but may induce strange visions and odd sensations. This is one of the most unique ecosystems within the veil and rare aquatic creatures can be found in the shallow waters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
