Atarashi Sekai
New World; Genesis
New World; Genesis
'Astrea, a world locked in political intrigue, fantasy, conflict, and so much more, and you live on it. Oh, how I'd long to be one of you who get to enjoy the experience you are about to know, the chance to run out and seize life by the hand. My time has past though, and now the world is changing, changing far too fast for me to ever hope to keep up. You are Smiths though, you can thrive, survive, and feel alive in just such endeavours as this: to travel the world collecting a thorough index of all known forms of Smithing and Shaping. That is your final project, your final assignment, complete each chapter of the guide as you come to it, do it to the best of your abilities and do not worry about failing. Even in our mistakes, our misgivings, and our miseries do we find a chance to grow, learn, and explore new opportunities to succeed. I have only been your professor for but a short time, but I hold the utmost faith in you and your ability to complete this assignment in times as turbulent and tumultuous as these. Good luck out there, and may the Forge's Light be with you... always.'
- Prof. Linchstrom to the Graduating Class of 113 E.P..
Introduction
Astrea is a vibrant and colorful world, warm and filled with life and verdant forests from pole to pole, there is almost nowhere on the planet that can be considered an arid wasteland, save for the wastes. But that's a story in and of itself. Home to an ancient lost race known only as Origin, the Origin were supposedly a space-faring nation. This knowledge has been lost or ignored in favor of more contemporary beliefs and tradition however, replacing what was known with what is believed. Magic and the Infinity Forge, the two vitasl pieces of the Origin left to study, is hardly somethign can just so simply be understood. For nearly a millennia, the races of Astrea have pushed their academic knowledge to the brink and research methods to their limits trying to crack the secrets behind the Forge and it's incredible powers and how it invokes the creation of Shapers and Smiths in society.
Myths, Legends, and great Mysteries lie within the world of Astrea, from the darkest of woods, to the deepest of canyons, to the bluest of oceans and seas. Monsters of all kinds can be found wandering the wildernesses and designated wildlands and hunting them is a popular sport if not profession. From great drakes of the Northern Sea to the Pygmy Wolves of the Minkold Mountains, they all exist in still great number due in no small part though to the inherent danger of actually hunting such creatures. In the seas, Grand Kraken roam openly, terrorizing shipping every great once in a while when distempered or ravaging small coastal port cities in the nights when they surface to feed. Above in the skies float the massive Cloud Crawlers and Lis; suppposedly too do the namesakes for the massive Leviathan type dreadnaughts wander and roam Astrea, though none have been documented outside of pure anecdote in the last century and a half.
Time for Astrea moves faster than that on Earth, people live longer, not through actually being present longer, but by just being on a rock that moves around their star faster. Time in Astrea moves at about 3.8 days for every one day on Earth, so when calculating your ages for your characters, do take this into account. The average lifespan for a Human is still roughly the same as our modern day well-off countries with about 78 years of age being the set average. if 78 years is the average maximum out of potential 300 Astrean average maximum, then realize that they're really just the same amount of time spent on two different planets - if that makes sense.
Magic and the Infinity Forge
Magic. A word almost as old as the Human ability to innovate and learn, it comes from much older languages lost to the common tongues now. Magic in this world is most accurately defined as simply being the ability to create using Forge Light or Forge Gas. To create, however, comes with great requirements and great consequences, for nothing in this universe is done for free or without immediate reaction. By manipulating the specially engineered gases coming from the Infinity Forge, deep in the crust of Astrea, one can, through intense concentration upon said gases begin to manipulate them into colors, forms, and eventually shapes. Perhaps, what is even more impressive, is the ability of some to eventually create new material from the gas with enough time and meditation. By rearranging the gas in just the right way in one's mind, one can create whatever they desire most, so long as they understand the components required and their functions.
If this is indeed the case, then we come to the point where we discuss the consequences of using magic. The gases, long since flowing forth from cracks in the Forge and designated vents have filled the atmosphere and become a natural part of it. With the incredible amounts of this gas, one could, in theory, summon items out of the air and this practice is supposedly done in certain advanced militaries across the world to great effect. The cost of creating new material, however, is somethign known as Forge Fire. Forge Fire, burning exceedingly bright, can melt through most any metal known and likewise incinerates all carbon-based materials and beings, save for the user. It is unknown why Smiths and Shapers are unaffected by even the hottest of Forge Fire, but it is a common belief that something happens in the brief seconds before they begin their meditation that renders them immune to the heat.
In recent millennia, some of the greatest of catastrophes have been labelled as the sole cause of a powerful new Shaper or Smith awakening suddenly in a densely packed urban environment. The mass loss of life by those unaware or uncaring of those around them have oft lead to great purges of local populations if not their persecution and emigration from the affected areas by those without the ability to Shape or Smith. At the turn of the last millennia, however, there was a new innovation made for the exact purpose of preventing this from happening, started nowhere else but in the Republic of Kirin, home to the Academy of Greater Sciences and Magic for the Art of Smithing and Shaping. By carrying out local outreach projects, the academy professors began to look and test for new populations of Smiths and Shapers by attempting to play games that would stimulate their natural desire to tap into their natural born abilities. With an extremely high success rate shown in discovering young smiths and shapers quickly and effectively, most lost their fear of Shapers and Smiths and Kirin Republican society became one of the most integrated in the world. Quickly giving them a leg up in world-wide trade, many other nations took after their example and founded grand academies and schools that could actively test and train new Shapers and Smiths.
It is in this fashion that most young smiths and shapers are discovered, by having them biannually tested from a young age for the beginning signs of Shaperism or Smithing apptitude, many lives are saved. This however does nothing to bring back those lost to the thousands of years before of unregulated Smithing and Shaping and it is not uncommon to hear of child Shapers or Smiths being found in the deserted or burned out ruins of their old towns. In recent years, many nations have begun to subscribe to the services of various multinational agencies to regulate their Smith and Shaper populations through close indexing and documenting of their movements across the world. A joint-race and joint-ability effort shared by all living beings on Astrea, these organizations are often referred to as 'Watches'.
Shapers, Smiths, and the Watchers
Shapers, Smiths, and Watchers are from across the world, from all walks of life, cultures, and populations. Nothing can restrict someone from being a Shaper or a Smith but their own mind, and the Watchers are significant for their role played in suppressing the abilities of their fellow Smiths and Shapers, whether through technology or magic. It is universally believed that the Watchers also hold the keys to every major academy, city, and research location throughout the world and the selection process to join their ranks is exhaustive and total. Not many join their ranks, but those who do quickly become the silent few who hold and protect all that is held dear, life, love, and happiness.
Shapers, the first of the two types of magicians in this world differ from their Smithing counterparts in two ways; a Shaper cannot form metals, but rather form metalloids and gases and does so easily and a Shaper must concentrate intensely upon their own devices and on their own heat output. They are basic trainers in the art of manipulating Forge Gas and Forge Light, but specialize in some non-metal creation methods instead. Found at all levels in society, from criminals to masters in the arts to chief officers in corporate entities, they are most often seen rooted in the societies they grew up in or were raised with, returning after receiving their basic schooling to control their abilities. Shapers do not have to be in direct contact with the Gas in order to create somethign with it and likewise can appear to create something out of nothing.
Smiths deal exclusively in metals. As the second form of magician in Astrea, they are somewhat uncommon, but only for the fact that they can also remain alert while using Forge Light or Forge Gas making them harder to track down if they were initially undocumented. While many scholars believe that Smiths are indeed less in number, the vast amount may lie yet unknown in the world. Considered to be among the more important of the military applicable magicians, they specialize in everything needed to keep a military working from steel working to repairs of cannon and firearms and blades. With the relative inaccuracy and inability of most firearms, research into new methods of stabilization and propulsion often are headed by Smiths, hwom are intrinsically involved in the component definition and creation process so as to best learn and perfect the creation of just such components. Most smiths take years upon years to get through the basic schooling courses required and many become academics in mind and body in doing so. In recent years, most academies have begun to take part in the United World Front which seeks to integrate more Smiths and Shapers into the public eye with Smiths having been at the forefront of said project.
States of Astrea
Astrea is a large world filled with many peoples and nations. This section documents the various nations encountered and heard of in one's travels around the world as they fulfill the final graduation requirement of the Smithing Educational courses:
1.) -Kingdom of Mikrost: The country of ice and demons, Mikrost has long been a popular place for big game hunters alongside adventurers and many an unscrupulous magician to head. Supposed reports of ice behemoths in the large snow drifts hidden to the South of the Polis Sea and potential Yeti tribes camping out in the rocky and snowcapped mountain wilderness have left most everyone fearful in the countrys-ides to leave their homes at night or in the early morning. Whatever is happening, however, has been choked down upon however by the royal family of Mikrost, the Kharizi. Portside fishing along the coast has been going well as many fish make their ways down across the shoreline and towards the deep and full rivers and lakes within the northern countryside to bed down for their winter hibernation. Not all is well however as the reports of worsening winter storms are driving many fishermen to either travel great lengths to capture their prey, or risk their lives in the unseasonably terrific storms rolling down from the Ilkonus Peninsula.
2.) -The Houses of Westerly Alignment: A series of clans run by hierarchs of the old times, these traditionally Shaper controlled lands have been just recently integrated to be fully encompassing of non-magicians and non-humans. A rough and hardy land, the struggles to make the best in trade have been alleviated by the Houses of Easterly Alignment, effectively making their prime control over the subcontinent of Majund total. The Houses of both the West and East have in their possession one of Astrea's nine Leviathan, a massive winged sky-fortress known as 'The Grand Drake of the House of Kuld'. Built almost a century before, it is one of the smallest of known leviathan to have been constructed, but has brought forth victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat over the years through quick maneuvering and outrunning prey or pursuer. It is the fastest of the Leviathan and impressively well-armed, boasting little in the way of protection as an open-taunt from the Houses to boast of their lack of protection for it being provided in a strong offensive suite.
3.) -The Fiefdoms of the Royal House of Illichr: This large country is mostly made up of rolling green countryside most of the summer months of the year, only to turn to snowy-covered white in the winter. Filled with rich culture and food, the people of the Fiefdom of the Royal House of Illichr take their titles very seriously. A proud and industrious people in later years, their development of some of the most successful cotton exports have gifted them with massive boons in trade as dyes are slowly becoming more readily available from the Shapers in charge of creating them. The Fiefdom is a massively integrated country and has always been, but does take part in the Watcher initiative and my be where the Watchers have a headquarters. No comment has ever been officially made on the behalf of the Watchers to confirm these allegations before. Boasting some of the largets merchant ship fleets on the planet, Illichr has ties to most every country, save for it's belligerent imperial neighbors to the East.
4.) Tyras Menegol: The lowlands and swamps of Tyras Menegol are also known for their massive cliff side cities dug from the weather-hewn soil and rock along the shores, Giving away to almost primordial, untouched forests, these are among some of the heartlands for the Fae, a place of great civility beyond Human understanding of the word, and tranquility beyond the Human perception of it. Wrapping around the Vasilin Peninsula and bordering the highlands of the Merod Clanlands, this vast swath of land, both coastal and inland have given rise to some of the greatest philosophies and spiritual sites in the past five thousand years. A place of renown beyond just the Eastern coast of the supercontinent, many take the long and often times perilous pilgrimage to meet the grand Gildentrees of the borders, the massive golden oaks acting as a sort of border crossing gate. Tyras Menegol is not oft entered by those of hostile intent thanks to the inherently powerful magic that somehow supports the massive trees growing within, and the air is thick with the Forge Gas, giving it's large central marshland and valley the name of the Golden Valley. Humans, Beasts, Fae, and Drakon alike are found in great numbers here with a small population of resident Sza
5.) Tyras Valad: The highlands and humid tropics of Tyras Valad are the western expanses of grand forests and primordial landscapes beyond the swampy marshlands, but those that live within the sacred groves of Valad differ greatly from the Menegolese. Almost void of Beasts and Humans, this land is known as the Sanctuary of the Immortals, a place of great spiritual and historical importance to the races of the Fae and Sza where they made their initial stands against the early expeditions of Humanity and the Beasts inland and where they became the sole stronghold able to successfully fend off the hordes of the Ephemeral during their last Cycle of awakening almost nine hundred years ago. Sharing a border with the Merod Clanlands alongside the Menegolese, the Valad have rarely ever engaged in any political discourse with their neighbors to the south in spite of the massive border they share due to the neutrality of actions committed within the other.
6.) Merod Clanlands: A vast landscape of rolling grassy plains and hill,s a land well known for it's vast open skies and massive herds of sheep, cows, freg, and tolindar stock, the Clanlands have been one of the oldest known civilizations and alongside the Menegolese serve as the final border state securing the lands of the Vasilin Peninsula to the East. A naturally agriculturally minded state, while there is no major wealth to be told of within it's lands, there have been no major issues with it's people too and it is often considered to be a part of the Tyran Territories to the North for the strangely cultivated landscapes and almost ideallic growing conditions harnessed by the local Human and Beast populations. Featuring grand stone circles, the ancient cities of the Merod Clanlands often span outwards a great distance more than any other cities in the world in spite of a relatively low population due to the massive amounts of livestock oft kept close by. The Merod Clanlands have a decently sized merchant Navy which primarily conducts trade to bring in the necessary tools for keeping the agricultural sector afloat within the Clanlands and for expanding it when needed to stay competitive with overseas competitors.
7.) -The Republic of Kirin: The host city to the Academy of Greater Sciences and Magic for the Art of Smithing and Shaping, it is a massive metropolis centered on the Academy itself, a form of steam-powered turbines creating the power for energizing the whole city. Somewhere in the range of almost three million people live across the entirety of the Republic of Kirin and it's idealisitic location on the Eastern Shore of the Mainland at the root of the Vasilin Peninsula give it unprecented access to shipping and immigration or pilgrimage on the behalf of graduated students from the Academy. It has no known enemies as of yet and has a fully integrated populace of Smiths, Shapers, and Watchers amongst the races living under its banners.
8.) The Duchy of Lorellin: A monarchy born from wars millennia past, the Duchy is a well known trade land responsible for bringing in the majority of new inventions and for allowing the most upwards ascension in society for both Shapers, Smiths, and non-Magicians. The result is a highly competitive land of business and corporate intrigue, espionage, great innovation and celebration. Festivals and parades displaying proudly the great talents of each and every town, village, and city in Lorellin has lead to a highly competitive and focused atmosphere almost immediately noticed by any and all who enter the streets of a market district and sometimes even those outside of them. The urge to not only share ideas, but also knowledge and products ahs lead to Lorellin being considered a nation of geniuses, though genius isn't everything when it comes to being successful with money.
9.) The Republic of Vasilin: Once the ruling nation state of the Vasilin Peninsula, it was forced to concede independence to each of it's six colonies both nearby and across the sea at the conclusion of the Quarter-Century Conflict almost two hundred years ago. Now considered a shadow of it's former glory and a place of grand corporate desires, it's surprisingly well-industrialized, but holds in consequence a whole host of other issues such as poor living conditions and nothing to speak of in terms of natural food output heightening reliance on external agricultural powers to sell for fair prices. Known as the seedy underbelly to the Lorellin nationstate to the north, the Republic of Vasilin is however well-known for also surprisingly being a powerhouse of a state when it comes to Smith training techniques. Having developed improvements of the steam engine and being the first country to come up with a successful Forge Light Adapter plug for use in the Aviation sector has allowed many to begin revolutionizing the way travel happens.
10.) Vasilis Minora: A refuge for the accused and hated in Vasilin proper, Vasilis Minora could almost be considered a state of the large Republic of Vasilin, if it were possible. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Oft considered to be one of the poorest countries along the Vasilin Peninsula, it is a place riddled with disease and disaster, often being a hotbed of natural and mortal catastrophe as many Watchers cannot afford to stay within it's borders for all too long in fear for their lives. Known as a land of thugs, thieves, whores, and murderers, the leaders of the various communities make up a large council of almost two hundred people who convene annually to discuss matters of the state. The last time this was actually done however was nearly fifty years ago.
11.) Royal Monarchy of Soshorn: a small state on the southern end of the Vasilin Peninsula, it is a place of ancient tradition and architecture alongside great culture and innovations in food. Considered to be a place of great historical importance, it is oft thought that some of the first Humans settled along its mountain-steeped coasts and set up the first vineyards on the Eastern coast of the supercontinent. Now a place of great wealth, inherited from thousands of years before, it suffers only the occasional raid from Ephemerals and bandits in the deepest parts of the mountainous terrain still within it's territory. Grand cave systems, supposedly leading inland hundreds, if not thousands, of miles, lead from the Monarchy at the borders into the deepest sections of the mountain passes and disappear into the great unknown. Many have tried to reach the tunnel's end, but rarely nay that return report having found such a thing, speaking instead of unspeakable nightmares living even deeper within the walls than could ever be known.
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13.) Empire of Byrukys: The major empire of the world at this time, it is a rising trade and maritime power in the central seas of Astrea and boasts one of the most powerful Leviathan ever created, an enormous sea-borne Leviathan called 'Titanus. Utilizing the sheer military might and power of it's navies, it has managed to obtain almost a singular monopoly and control on the world's deep sea trade routes and regularly is known to conscript sailors fro mother countries into their own campaigns against raiders and pirates pillaging these vital supply lines to the Empire. Borne from the lands on the eastern portion of the South Majund subcontinent, the people of the Byrukys Empire are not known for their kindness and are most often considered to the whole-hearted embodiment of a militaristic city-state in everything but true appearances.
Sharp societal class restrictions closely mirror those of other professional armies and caste-based societies while still maintaining heavy Southern roots. Shapers and Smiths are considered to be sub-class citizens in spite of their contributions to the empire, the use of magic seen as a weakness of Humanity, they have been the only country to create a successful Leviathan design without the use of the Shapers or Smiths. This coupled with their massive industrial base has also made them a major trade power in the world and their ability to almost single-handedly bring most major countries in the world to their knees by simply blockading their ports has earned them a reputation as viciously manipulative and cunning.
The emperor of Byrukys as of the current era is Emperor Constantine Julius De'Valiante the Third and under his rule it appears some of the previous trade regulations and restrictions are slowly beginning to relax allowing for the first time in several millennia the people of the lower class to finally begin to get ahead of their Shaper and Smith counterparts in the slums of the larger cities. Being driven into hiding, the Shapers and Smiths present within the Empire are known as the 'Lost', and it is due to the noted hostility towards them that many are not discovered or regulated until it is often too late to counteract the consequences of shaping or smithing without training.
14.) The Houses of Easterly Alignment: A series of clans jointly controlled alongside the Houses of Westerly Alignment, they are the combined singular power on the Majund subcontinent and it is their control over much of the northern stretches of the continent up to the small country of Allendi that gives them credit for being a powerhouse of a military nation. Forced to grow big and expand into the rest of the Majund peninsular subcontinent during the Imperial Skirmishes almost five hundred years before, the Houses of Easterly Alignment managed to secure their holdings to the north of the powerful Imperial house to the south in Byrukys after almost twenty years of heavy conflict ravaged the countryside. Now a large construct reaching across the pass that once served as the primary entry point for Byrukys soldiers has become a wonder in the world. Almost a hundred meters high and several kilometers in length and several dozen meters deep, it's construction cost the lives of over ten thousand workers and skilled artisans yet at the promise of ensuring no attack or invasion could ever be made again from the land.
15.) The Royal House of Allendia: The Royal House of Allendia is a small impoverished northerly nation on the northern part of the peninsular subcontinent of Majund. Raised up from the throes of revolution in the area during the Imperial skirmishes, it is popularly believed the rebels were armed independently by Byrukys merchants posing as traders from other countries. Once the rebels were properly armed, they managed to stage a coup of the local governor's residence and executed the entirety of the Imperial staff present in the land while they could. Driven to their frenzied state through months of famine, drought, and failure to catch fish, the blame falls popularly upon the main training grounds for the Houses of the Easterly and Westerly Alignment's navies, one of the only forces capable of taking on head-to-head the impressive armadas of the Byrukys. The Royal House of Allendia however does not boast any large armies or navies and mostly stays safe thanks to a constant guard known as the Sentinels whom watch the massive constructs and guard towers along the nation's borders, keeping careful watch for the armies that one day may attempt to take them back into the fold of Majund's largest nation.
16.) The Dern: A series of uncontrollable and uncontainable marshlands and bogs suspiciously far north, it is thought that multiple cracks in the Infinity Forge have lead to the area becoming a popular research ground for revolutionary new Shaping and Smithing techniques for the bold. Unfortunately, the lack of actual civilization in the Dern makes that theory exactly that... a theory as none whom have ever gone in with the intention of monitoring and writing down their experiences have managed to make it back. Thought to be the last major home to the Ephemeral and the Fae outside of documented civilization, it is thought that this area is a sacred burial ground on top of things for their heroes and warriors of the past.
17.) Kuldistan: Kuldistan is a place of barren and cold steppes and snow-frosted tundras and hillscapes. A place almost as flat as the palm of one's hand, Kuldistan is the land of the last documented Dragon riders. Home to wandering nomads and large stony-walled cities carved from the hillsides themselves and into the ground, the land in the north is frozen deep and requires more strength than any Emphemeral can muster thus keeping the place relatively safe for the massed populations of the Sza thought to live there. Beasts are also known to live in the area, but regularly move out as though taking part in minor pilgrimages over the span of ten or so years. It is unknown as to why this happens and none have ever really managed to secure a straight answer from Beasts or Sza departing or heading to the ancient underground cities.
18.) Northern State of Kiex: The northern half to the once massive civilization known as the Kiex Collective, this is a massive mountainous civilization that makes it's homes high in the peaks of the many massive and rugged mountain ranges and volcanic ridges that have made their mark on the world. Home to a greatly diversified population, it is also the homeland to the Drakon, and perhaps one of the last refuges to the Grand Drakes and Great Drakes which once ruled the skies over the mainland so long ago.
19.) Southern State of Kiex: A highly fragmented state that lost much of it's holdings to the south in the past five hundred years, it is the bitter enemy to the Northern State of Kiex and while having a highly similar culture and population spread, it also is known to be home to the last Dragon-hunters, and is a place surprisingly devoid of Drakons for perhaps good reason. Extreme racism and anti-Drakon sentiment has gained the South a strong reputation for being hot-headed and ill-tempered. Many states to the south broke off when the Drakon restriction laws began to be passed in spite of strong pressure from other countries to retain respect for the ancient species that are the Drakon.
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Technologies of Astrea
With great power comes even greater responsibilities and capabilities as the races of Astrea have grown and evolved. Herein lies the list of all known technologies to the Astreans and the many countries that use them:
-Electricity: A basic aspect of modern day life in Astrea, electricity powers everything in the Republic of Kirin with much of the lighting and heating done as an afterthought to the massive output of the country.
-Steam: Utilizing the natural upwards force of steam vapor created by water that has been suitably heated, steam is a primary power source in vehicles such as locomotives and watercraft as well as some airships. By venting excess heat in the form of steam though, one must constantly refuel using water, which fortunately is in great supply across the world.
Races of Astrea
Astreans come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. The great majority known oft belong to the mortal races, but there are those of the immortasl races also seen in great rarity, most oft never leaving their ancestral homelands deep in the uncharted lands or the wastes. Here are listed all known sapient races on Astrea:
-Humans: An exceedingly common member of the Astrean lower class, Humans also breed like nobody else. Having the shortest average lifespan at roughly two to three hundred years, however, does lead to just such habits as overpopulation and massive conquest and adventuring on their behalf, but this doesn't render them an impotent foe. Rather, their strength in numbers and their ability to innovate on the fly using their massed mental capacity can oft be used to get the better of the stronger or magically adept races... sometimes.
-Fae: The Fae are a nigh-immortal race, but they also have no ancestral homeland, the wastes having once served as the pinnacle of their creative abilities thousands of years ago. Now even those stories lie in doubt as the Fae grow further and further from their start point almost five thousand years later with the oldest members of their race being just over two thousand. They are incredibly strong in the use of the magics, but so too are they incredibly weak physically to any number of things, from disease to injury and most succumb to death at an extremely premature age thanks to constant dealings with Humans, Beasts, Drakon, Ephemerals, and Sza (Shuh-jaw).
-Beasts: Beasts are just as they sound, the members of the lesser Sza whom take on the forms of befuzzied creatures. The Beasts range in their size, shape, color, and phenotypes due to a long history with the Fae and Humanity alongside the Ephemerals. Best identified in more humanlike form as being distinguishable by their analogous cartiliage structures appearing to be more animalistic than human, they often sport longer canine teeth than Humans and have a much more physically toned body alongside sporting more physical ability. Beasts, considered as the weakest among the Sza, are also the most numerous alongside Humanity on the planet and the two have coexisted for well into the last two millennia. They are equally apt with magic, but the main difference is their long lifespan. Some live close to five hundred years before feeling the effects of aging.
-Drakons: The kin of the great drakes of the land, sea, and sky, Drakon live for well into a thousand or so years. Featuring definitive Drakonian features such as eyescales on the back of each hand (light sensitive scales that can act as secondary eyes for the Drakon), darkly colored skin or off-color skin, and extravagant birthmarks and excessive tattooing can also identify Drakons from amongst the rest of the population. They are the only race that deal in elemental type Shaping and excel at it, having learned just such arts long ago, they keep the secrets to these arts closely guarded.
-Ephemerals: They are the short-lived...
-Sza: Known as the guardian spirits, the Sza are incredibly reclusive beings living far from society and civilization... usually. Those whom enter crowded areas often become immediate celebrities for their distinctively different forms. Taking on the forms of being more beast than man, the Sza are nature's guardians and nature's avatars. Most easily distinguishable by having completely separate physiology than that of Humans, Fae, Drakons, or Beasts, they are powerful magic users and physically capable, but are not known for their intellect, cunning, or wit. It is often known that they can be tricked into ambushes and fights and provoked easily if their honor or pride is questioned. They also can easily drink most anything and everything else into the water due to an extremely robust physiology that oft gives them supernatural abilities on top of their base capability. Sza live for five to seven hundred years and are best known for their Smithing prowess which suits their hardworking nature well.
Geographical Map of Astrea
Political Map of Astrea
Political Map of Astrea
