In the beginning, there was only darkness.
Over ages, over eons, the cold light of distant stars began to reflect over blackened scales, and the Dragons awoke in the void.
After a time beyond mortal understanding, the light won out, and the black scales began to glimmer and shine with a thousand radiant colors.
The Dragon of Ice crashed against the Dragon of Fire. The Dragon of Mist coiled about the Dragon of Earth. The Dragon of Air moved silently in tune with the Dragon of Shadow.
And from their embrace, the world of Aetha was born. A world where elemental chaos formed land, seas, and skies. Mountains ground against glaciers, forests sprang up, and the world began to take shape.
Here, at the dawn of time, an Age of Heroes begins. A vast and unexplored world awaits those brave enough to face it.
The main themes of this game are legacy, homeland, and fighting for the things you love and value. Because this game takes place at the dawn of history on the world of Aetha, characters are meant to be powerful and heroic, representing nearly mythological figures. Though your characters will be starting young, this game will take them on a journey across a lifetime.
The Vale of Æthiem
The Founding of the Vale
In the time of your great-great grandsires, a closely knit company of wandering families journeyed great distances and through terrible trials, all beneath the silver light of the stars. Long had they roamed across the wild and dangerous face of Aetha; still then a place of vast primordial powers - where ice and fire clashed, shadows swirled with mists, and great rends of earth and sky overturned ceaselessly with the eternal writhing and coiling of the Great Dragons.
After years uncounted and losses too grievous to name, this weary caravan of travelers found at last that which they sought, a land of safety and plenty to which they could call home, far from the chaotic shifting and clashing of the Dragons. They looked down upon the valley, quiet and dark, for the Sun and the Moon had not yet risen, and took refuge amongst the forests and in the stones of the foothills, and along the banks of the river. And when they had settled, and built homes for themselves to the liking of each of the Peoples, a great blessing was made and the Vale was hallowed.
It was then that the moon rose in the Eastern sky, and the people of the Vale looked up in wonder and reverence, and named it Luna, as they had begun to name all things they loved. Beneath its silver light the community grew, and began to heal the wounds and forget the fears they had endured during their long migration. For although Luna was ever-changing in light and appearance, as most things in the beginning of Aetha were, it too settled into a pattern as though it had found a home, just as the People of the Vale had.
And when Sol rose a few years later, it brought with its light something long wished for; stability, and the chaos of the Dragons began to quiet at long last.
And so The People thrived amidst the turnings of the new Seasons, and though the biting frost and grinding ice of Winter brought many hardships, the delight of Spring and the joy of Summer always followed.
In time The People began to shape the Vale itself to the manner of their needs and liking, for they were powerful in both the use of Aether, which sprang in abundance from all manner of things, and arcane magic; the secrets of which were known to few. They were harmonious in their efforts, gently bending the river and the streams, knitting together trees for homes, and delving deep into the stone of the mountains. Here at last they began to bear children, and their laughter filled the valley; dancing over stream and stone. And though their lives were long, stretching over years before the counting of such things began, a generation begat a generation, and then another. And when the elders had come to know peace, and their journey across the land a distant memory, they rejoined the stream of life with great happiness and relief.
It is here, in the valley of Æthiem, that you were born, the fourth generation of The People of the Vale.
The Geography and People of the Vale
All things in Æthiem are named in the common tongue of The People of the Vale. Although each race of The People retain their own secret languages and names for all things, these tongues are often only spoken in private and amongst members of their own clan.
The Vale of Æthiem (Life-Home) is a valley in the foothills of two great mountains.
Surindar (Morning) in the East
Nithrondar (Evening) in the West
At the North end of the vale where the mountains meet, are the falls of the river Aiunda (Starlight). Beneath the falls lies a great pool of swirling water called Mirthonet (Laughter), named for the joy felt by the People when they first arrived. From Mirthonet the Aiunda passes swiftly over many rocks and rapids before slowing and widening, and along its banks are the homes of the Orcs, who delight in the crafting and piloting of boats, fishing, and living at peace with the wildlife along the shores and wetlands.
To the East of Aiunda the land rises in gently rolling hills and tree spotted grasslands, where the Halflings have made their homes. Beneath the grass lies rich soil which they treasure above all things, where they make their gardens and till the earth, growing all manner of plants that feed and nourish the entire Vale.
As the gentle slopes begin to climb to the foothills of Surindar, amidst the stone gullies and jutting cliffs, the Dragonborn have carved their homes. Clever architects and powerful sorcerers have shaped the bones of Aetha to suit their needs, rising tight against the face of the mountain and soaring high into the air. The fierce and noble birds of the mountain are their companions, and like those raptors the Dragonborn are great hunters of the land and sky, and they keep many flocks of hardy sheep and goats.
To the West of Aiunda is the shadowed forest of Ividran (Memory). Groves of oak, elm, and ash grow nearly to the riverbank itself, and here many streams run down from Nithrondar through the trees. In this part of the forest dwell the Elves, who weave the vast branches of the forest in fanciful patterns and make their homes amongst the mighty boughs. In the West, the ground begins to climb and the forest becomes thick with pine and sentinel trees, a quiet place where the songs of the birds hush and the air grows heavy and dark.
Beyond the pines on the Western borders of Ividran are the entrances to the mansions of the Dwarves, who have carved their homes in the roots of Nithrondar. Hardy and dedicated folk, the Dwarves have toiled long and gladly to create vast halls of smooth stone. Here there is deep laughter echoing in time with the clanging of hammer and crack of chisel, for the Dwarves craft many things both useful and beautiful that they give freely to the other People of the Vale, for they find joy in the working of metals and beyond all other things.
In these varied places the People of the Vale live in small clans of multiple families. Though it is not unusual for a family to live elsewhere in the valley and amongst any of the People, many choose to remain amongst the homes built by their grandsires.
Here and there few families of Tieflings and Aasimar dwell amongst other clans, for they are few in number amongst the People. It is told that their great journey to the Vale was the farthest, and hardest on them, and many perished along the way.
Of Humans, little is known or spoken of. Fireside stories and tales of warning are told about the savage race of Men. Physically powerful, though possessed of no magic, they are known to be nomadic tribesmen who harried and harassed the People along their journey to the valley. What little blood of Men exists amongst the People is quietly believed by some to be the result of violence many generations past, but those possessed of it are considered no different from the families they belong to. Since the time of the People’s arrival, no Human has set foot in the Vale of Æthiem.
The clans of the Vale live in harmony with each other and the nature of the valley itself. Each of the families within a clan provide for the whole in whatever ways they are best suited. There is very little commerce between the People, as things are freely given and provided to those who have need of them.Trade between clans is common, with food and goods making their way up and down the river on the barges of the Orcs.
In the center of the Vale, a great hall was raised to be a central meeting place of the People. Valhal is its name, the Hall of the Slain, in memory and dedication of those who died on the great journey. Here is where law is kept when it is needed, but more often serves as a place of celebration during equinox and solstice. Made from stone, wood, and earth, with a golden roof of shining thatch, all clans can gather and all the People are welcome. Around the hall a village has grown of mixed families who prefer to live together rather than in their ancestral homes, and the market of Æthiem brings together people from every edge of the Vale. It is here children of all the People come to learn together, and are taught the working of both Aether and Arcana.
When a child comes of age, they are given a ceremonial celebration in Valhal to become adult members of their community. This ritual is performed by elders of every clan, and it is considered to be both a joy and responsibility to determine each child’s elemental affinity and the skills they will hone as contributing members of Vale society.
For it is not simply craftsmen and farmers that have built Æthiem into a flourishing paradise. Artisans and musicians are counted of equal importance to hunters and sorcerers, and those who desire to do so may even undergo martial training with hopes to join the small force of the Vale’s protectors (Drengr) who keep a watchful eye on the borders of the valley for fell beasts that could harm its peaceful inhabitants.
For the People of the Vale have not forgotten the dangers of the world beyond their borders. The chaos of the Dragons rages still, though in lands far distant, and sometimes creatures made of twisted magic and malice make their way to this quiet sanctuary.
Religion amongst the people is based in nature and veneration of the elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Shadow, and Mist. Here and there throughout the Vale can be found shrines to each of the six elemental Dragons, who are held in great esteem and cautious reverence. From the Dragons of Aetha springs all Aether, the binding force of life itself, and this is something to be both feared and respected. Most of the People worship nature in whatever way seems best to them, and it is not uncommon to find clan elders discussing theology within the walls of Valhal.
Magic is known to be a force apart from Aether, and manipulating it is not the movement of life and land, but something altogether supernatural. Magic manifests amongst all the People and they teach the use of it in different ways in accordance with their clan traditions. Though uncommon, the ability to harness and control magical forces is not considered any more or less important than an understanding of Aether and an equilibrium with the natural forces of the Vale itself.