The Realm of Ria

About this scenario

The Realm of Ria In the beginning, the realm was created by the primordial Titans, cosmic beings holding celestial power. They created the races, the Eldrin, the Felidae, and Man. The Titans eventually perished in an undocumented cataclysmic event, leaving behind their divine artifacts, the Titan cores, which granted Godlike powers to those who wielded them. Soon after, the humans learned from the Titans, harnessing the ancient powers of the realm to become sorcerers, although only a few select humans can harness this power to its greatest extent. A dynasty of powerful sorcerer-kings acquired the Titan cores, maintaining absolute control over the realm. This is the House of Draco, who oversaw the expansion of the Draconic Imperium to the edges of the realm. Under their reign, magic flourished, and the humans entered a golden age of enlightenment, while enslaving the Eldrin and the Felidae to work. This led to a rebellion forming from the Eldrin and the Felidae, beginning the 1000 year war. The rebellion was able to overtake major parts of the Draconic Imperium over the millenia, and in a desperate act to salvage what remained, the last Emperor of the Draconic Imperium triggered the Sundering, a magical apocalypse which shattered the realm. The land was split into floating isles, deep chasms, and shifting lands. The Titan cores were lost to the Hollow Chasms, and the Emperor was defeated. With its destruction, multiple factions are vying for power to replace the Imperium. The current state of the world (500 years after the Sundering): The High Archipelago is a cluster of floating islands formed from the Sundering. Home to the Aether tribes, sky-whale hunters, and holding the last remnants of the Celestial scholars. The Celestial scholars are a cult of Draconic loyalists, hoping to retrieve the Titan cores and reform the Draconic Imperium and their harsh ways. The rest of Ria was thrown into chaos by the Sundering. A once thriving settlement in the South became a cursed desert, where a great fog lies. This fog is known as the Ember Plague, sending anyone who inhales the fog into madness. However, a nomadic Eldrin species wanders these lands, having adapted to the fog such that they have become immune; they form tribes and small towns, isolated from the rest of the realm. The Verdant Maw is a vast jungle that grows by the day, consuming neighbouring ruins and cities. There, half-plant half-human beings known as the Sylvari live, guarding their ancient temples as well as any ancient secrets hidden inside. The Hollow Chasms are a subterranean labyrinth of destroyed cities, having been forced deeper underground by the Sundering. It remains mostly unexplored and filled with unexpected dangers. The chasms are what split the different regions of Ria. The surviving central continent is now named Astralon, housing the old capital of the Draconic Imperium. It is now ruled by the Council of the Reforged, a group of knights and mages who maintain order and rule fairly. Eldrin, Felidae and Humans all live here. However, the continent also houses the Voidborne, a secretive sect of zealous rogue mages who worship the Elder, a powerful dark entity lurking in the Hollow Chasms, also rumoured to be the last surviving Titan. Technology: Steampunk type technology and architecture. Since the Sundering, people have used the remnants of the Draconic Imperium’s advanced magi-tech and entered a steampunk-esk era. The backbone of all energy is in minerals which are mined from the earth. There are a variety of mineral types, each of which achieve a different effect. These minerals are called Aether, which are technically crystallized magic residues formed during the era of the Titans. The most used type of Aether is Ignis Aether. It is orange in colour, and is able to generate heat without external fuel. It is used in steam engines, forges, weaponry, transport, as well as automation. It is the substitute for coal in our world. The Aether used in weaponry have allowed non-sorcerer humans to even the battlefield with mages. Magic system: Following the end of the Titans, their living force bled into the land, sea and sky. It suffused all things with latent power. It is intangible, invisible, but is able to be harnessed through the soul of each living being. However, this depends on the magical sensitivity of each user. While all living beings interact with magic to some degree, only a few (maybe 1/20th of the population) can selectively manipulate it. Most beings subconsciously interact with magic, leading to enhanced intuition, minor luck or visions, though these are not very reliable. Magic may be imbued into runes, artifacts, concoctions or equipment. Not all magic users are equal. Their ability mainly depends on their sensitivity (the ability to perceive and shape magic), but also their soul. A soul which strongly harmonizes with the Titan’s living force is able to create much larger magical output compared to one with weaker resonance. There are four known pillars of magic in Ria. 1: Pyroxis, the Pillar of Flame and Will -Manipulation, creation of flames. -Thermal transference, drawing heat from one object to another (i.e. freezing water by absorbing its warmth). -Strong emotions such as rage, grief, love can temporarily boost energy output but risks losing control, making the produced effect volatile and unpredictable. 2: Terramancy, the Pillar of Stone and Flesh -Manipulation of earth (softening stone, raising walls) -Manipulation of metal (reshaping, or strengthening metal without use of equipment) -Accelerated healing, able to heal others. Able to warp living tissue. This power risks petrification, where the user loses control and turns the affected flesh into stone permanently. 3: Aerothurgy, the Pillar of Wind and Thought -Temporary levitation, gliding on air currents. True flight is near impossible. -Sound manipulation, amplification and distortion, creating sonic blasts. -Manipulation of air, generating fog or minor illusions (temporary partial invisibility) -Surface level mind-reading, allowing for detection of lies or emotions, limited reliability. 4: Hydrosophism, the Pillar of Water and Memory -Controlling existing water (not creation of water) -Limited clairvoyance, using reflective surfaces to spy on other places also having reflective surfaces -Memory siphoning, the ability to view one’s memories. (Unreliable because memories may be fragmented or remembered incorrectly.) -Calming aura, making others around the user less easily agitated. The fifth lost pillar of magic is known only as Luxumbra in ancient restored texts. It is highly dangerous and volatile, involving drawing upon the user’s life force to fuel magic. Currently, no one understands how to draw upon this pillar. 5: Luxumbra, the Pillar of Dawn and Dusk -Accelerate or reverse temporal flow in a localised area -Freeze moments in time temporarily, allowing the caster to act while the world is standing still -Tear open rifts between locations, allowing for near instantaneous travel -Destruction of matter to the atomic level, causing targets to dissolve into nothing -Creation of matter to the atomic level The first pillar to have been used by the Titans to create Ria, Luxumbra manipulates the fundamental forces of creation and annihilation, transcending elemental or metaphysical laws. It was discovered by the House of Draco and kept secret from the rest of the world, though the family members all feared it. The last Emperor, fueled by the power of the Titan cores, attempted to harness the Pillar’s power to crush the rebellion. The core amplified the Emperor’s energy beyond mortal comprehension, and the Emperor lost control, starting the Sundering. Ancient texts suggest that wielding the fifth pillar is near impossible due to the high complexity. The only human recorded to have used it successfully was the third Draconic Emperor, and it was only to a very minor extent. The Prophecy of Sovereign First found a decade after the Sundering, the prophecy was inscribed onto an ancient obelisk from the waning years of the Titan era, discovered in the depths of the Verdant Maw. It speaks of a figure, neither King nor Conqueror, who will find and unite the lost Titan Cores and decide the fate of the broken world. Each faction has their own beliefs as to who the Sovereign is. For example, the Celestial Scholars believe the Sovereign, who will be of Draconic blood, will use the Titan cores to restore the Draconic Imperium. The Voidborne believe that the Sovereign will awaken the Elder and bring about the end. The Sylvari believe that the Sovereign will break the cores forever, freeing the land of Ria. The Council of the Reforged do not believe in the prophecy.