• The Kindred are with us at all times. Ferrum stands at every forge, and Eira is with you whenever blades are drawn.
• The Kindred shape the world. They offer us guidance and strength, but we must learn to listen.
• Honor every Kindred in their place and time. If you hear one voice clearly, embrace their path.

As a follower of the Divine Kindred, you believe that the hand of the Kindred can be seen in all things. What others take to be intuition or instinct, you see as the voice of the Kindreds offering guidance. You don’t need absolute proof; the fact of a bountiful harvest is evidence of Aevira’s benevolence.

The pantheon of the Divine Kindred embodies all that is in the world. The people of Aevira have followed the Kindred for centuries, and everyone knows the names of the Aether and the Nether gods. Even people who aren’t devout might still swear by the Kindred or offer a prayer in a moment of crisis.

The Divine Kindred is wondrously diverse. Variations and subsects of the faith thrive, and temples are only loosely aligned. In a small community, a skilled smith might double as the priest because people believe he’s close to Ferrum. A midwife might symbolically speak for Aevira and Lailiora. Typically, the faithful are united by their shared beliefs, but the Nexentrum Empire enforces the faith, imprisoning those who worship unapproved deities within it's borders.

Followers of the Divine Kindred are called Kindred Souls. It is normal to feel connection to a particular Kindred, but most still show reverence to each. There are various interpretations of the Kindred such as the Akumara tieflings, who see the Kindred as part of a pantheon of spirits or those who honor only the Kindreds of a particular domain, but in the end, anyone can become a Kindred Soul.

Pantheon

Symbol

The Intertwined-Dragons is the symbol of the Kindred as a whole. A Kindred priest either carries a metal Intertwined-Dragons holy symbol or holds a staff tipped with the icon. Priests dedicated to a particular god also display their deity’s symbol, and Vassals carry tokens with the symbols of the Kindred whose favor they seek. With dragons entwined in the shape of an 8, this symbol represents the origins of the original eight Kindred.

Rites

Formal prayers to the Kindred usually involve song. Specific songs invoke each Kindred and seek their favor, appreciate the blessings received, and recognize the presence of a Kindred. Celebrants sing the songs of Aevira and Elarion at weddings, and soldiers sing Ferrum’s marching songs on the move and Lumiels’s hymns on the dawn before a battle.

Temples

Kindred shrines arise where people feel the deities are close, such as a library for Teno or a smithy for Ferrum. The rites of Venari or Veralia typically occur in the wild, and a tavern could serve as a shrine to Vorrax. The shrines can take any form, but they prominently display the symbol of the particular Kindred.

Temple of the Divine Kindred are made of stone and have eight doors. The walls depict images of the Kindred, with the icon of the dragon Aurora over the altar and the Dual-Dragon engraved on the floor.

• Listen to the voice of Teno; beware the deceiving whispers of the arcane.
• Teno sees all secrets. He is with you, watching your every step.
• Destroy foul magic that channels the power of darkness, for it will corrupt you.

Every Aegisian child knows the story of Ardeiria Valiron. With the encroaching threat of the Nexentrum Empire, Ardeiria set out on a pilgrimage to the Mistpeak Mountains with ambition. Using her willpower to survive the mountain peaks, she was called by Teno the Seeker, where she discovered the insight and knowledge that would fuel life in Wakova for centuries to come.

Teno confided in Ardeiria about the dangers of arcane magic, branding it a curse upon the lands. He told her that if her people worshiped him, his tenets would protect them from arcane corruption. These tenets would be the same four core traits Ardeiria used in her search for Teno: Ambition, Knowledge, Insight, and Willpower.

The Order of Teno follows these tenets, teaching that arcane magic must be controlled and purged to protect Wakova. Followers of the Order, called Tenites, spread these anti-magic beliefs across Wakova and its surrounding regions. Using ambition, they desire success and are determined to rise above the weak who use the arcane as a easy way to gain power. Using knowledge, they learn about the arcane horrors of the past and protect the future from the same fate. Using insight, they seek hidden arcane artifacts to confiscate or destroy as well as arresting or reporting magically inclined individuals before they can inflict harm on the populace. Lastly, they use willpower, never allowing the arcane to tempt or corrupt them.

Pantheon

Symbol

The faith’s symbol is a eye inlaid with gold. A golden pentagon etched with the symbol serves as a common token, worn as a necklace.

Rites

The Order of Teno has no need of prayers or offerings; instead, services focus on the Tenites, encouraging anti-magic behavior. Church hierarchy is strictly observed, and only ordained priests can perform services.

The Purge of Arcana is a primary celebration of the Order of Teno where priests gather crowds for the public destruction of magical tomes and artifacts.

The Forge of Faith is a devotional practice of the Order where priests bless the weapons and armor of clerics and paladins in holy fire to protect against the corruption of the arcane.

Temples

Fortresses of the Order are designed to serve as templar garrisons and to provide sanctuary against arcane threats. Churches feature enormous arches and open spaces. The sanctuary of a Tenite church has a mosaic floor with a golden eye at its center.

The seat of the religion is the Grand Cathedral in Aegis.

The Nexentrums have reigned over southern Aevira for generations. Imperial rule is maintained through its powerful military, its policy of religious restriction, and the support of the Keepers of Dawn. Though these institutions nominally exist to ensure the safety of the populace from foreign threats, terrible dangers that wander the wilds, and lingering evils that seep from the scars of the Desolate Cascade, they also allow the empire to maintain strict social order within its territories.

Nexentrum society has a rigid caste system, in which denizens who have mastery over the arcane are considered elite members of society. Many Nexentrum ladies and lords came from a sorcerous bloodline or studied the arcane arts within the walls of the Nexaria Academy.

Most cities and townships throughout the empire are ruled by a local government under the leadership of a duke, usually a native baron appointed by the Crown. Reporting directly to the king’s council, a duke is given absolute control over local government, appointing and maintaining responsibility for the heads of the city guard (watchmaster), the regional military (warmaster), local commerce (coinmaster), infrastructure (pithmaster), religious practices (idolmaster), and the courts of law (lawmaster). Twice a year, tithe collectors (nicknamed “Coinreapers”) visit each imperial city to inspect households for records and proof of income, collecting a percentage of their earnings in coin as determined by the tithe collector.

Goals

Relations

Symbols

Description

The Aegis Ascendancy is a young theocracy that rules over a confederacy of city-states in Wakova. When Ardeiria Valiron returned from her lone pilgrimage to the Mispeaks, she gained a following by spreading the word of her encounter with Teno the Seeker. This gave her the political power necessary to transform the city of Aegis in to a powerhouse of drive and ambition. Using this power and the riches she discovered in the Mistpeak Mountains, she began implementing the word of Teno and his new anti-magic sentiments in to law. While some of the neighboring city-states like Seraph's Dawn pushed back the against the tenets of the Order of Teno, the protection and riches the Ascendancy had to offer was something many could not refuse. It was easy to convince many on the dangers of magic, the Desolate Cascade and the Storm of Darkness were both enough proof of that. Under the leadership of Pontifex Valiron, Aegis has become a religious and political power house under her Ascendancy.

Goals

Ardeiria Valiron's reasoning for traveling to the Mistpeaks was because of the Nexentrum Empire. The Empire had begun to run Aegis' treasury dry, demanding larger incremental taxes over time. Fearing an eventual takeover and erasure of her people's culture, she left to find a way to stop the encroaching imperialists. 

While the Aegis Ascendancy's main goal is to keep the Nexentrum Empire in check, they are also concerned with maintaining the trade and commerce to expand their influence, both in Aevira and the rest of Aurora. Anything that might jeopardize business is viewed as a major threat to the sanctity of life along the Golden Coast. Faced with the possibility of war with the Nexentrum Empire, as well as piracy on the open waters, the Ascendancy has been employing a substantial number of adventurers and mercenaries.

Relations

The Ascendancy's main rival is the Nexentrum Empire, as it poses the largest threat to their way of life. In terms of allies, after the Invasion of Mistreach, the Ascendancy took control of the region and turned it into a self governed province, as long as they would answer in times of need. 

The Order of Teno has the largest amount of influence within the Ascendancy. Pontifex Valiron is the sovereign of Aegis and head of the Order.

Symbols

The main symbol is a golden eye on a silver shield.

The Houses of Petra are the main source of government within the city of Petra and Aevira's Heart. They often have a near-monopoly on certain kinds of businesses and are considered neutral in any affairs between the nations of Aevira.

The leader of a house is named a Patriarch or Matriarch. Most members, especially the high ranking ones, carry arcane signet rings as a means of identification. Those of high regard, ranking, are do something extraordinary for the House are allowed to use the surname of the house they reside in.

With a bright flash, shock waves rolled through all of Aurora. Dark clouds covered the sky, kingdoms fell as the sky cascaded and burned. The Desolate Cascade was a cataclysmic event that lead to the ravaging of Aevira for about 70 years. While some believe it was the result of the Divine Kindred clashing, others argue it was a natural disaster or a weapon of war. With the start of the Cascade, the world was thrown into chaos. Devastating storms ravaged the lands and dangerous monsters emerged from the depths.

After years of relentless monster attacks and devastating storms, the Desolate Cascade finally came to an end, ushering in a new era of rebuilding and renewal across Aurora. Entire civilizations were lost to history, with some communities unable to recall the world that existed before the chaos. Yet, even in this new world, a grim reality loomed: the future held even greater dangers, as the lingering threats of the Desolate Cascade continued to cast a dark shadow over the land.

The main questions in everyone's mind when it was over was: what caused it? And what was stopping it from happening again?

In the dawn of time, a lonely dragon named Aurora traveled the universe in search of other beings like itself. Finding no other life like its own, Aurora decided to create it by splitting into two siblings: the Aether dragon Lumina and the Nether dragon Korellius. Lumina found joy in creating forces of light. However, Korellius was disgusted by it and created forces of darkness to counteract it. Tired of their endless feuding, Lumina proposed to her brother that they finally end their feud by making one final creation, something that they could both be proud of and to be considered their masterpiece. Ultimately, Korellius agreed and together they split themselves in to new beings that would have the power to both create and destroy. Additionally, these beings would also be granted knowledge to use their new gifts of light and darkness to create the perfect world. This final creation would come to be known as the gods of the world, which ever ones you believe in.

The Aetherii was an ancient elven empire that spanned the entirety of Aevira for centuries. Scholars call this period of about 10,000 years the Age of Elvenkind. The empire started as just a small city-state known as Aetheril in the center of what is now known as Aevira's Heart. Eventually as city-state grew, so did its reach. Later, the Aetherii Empire was founded and began to spread its reach across the continent, splitting into provinces. High elves were primarily in rule and inhabited the heart of the empire while non-high elves, dwarves, and other species inhabited the outer provinces. 

Centuries later, thousands of humans emerged from the Mist. Caught off guard with the influx of this new species, the Aetherii Empire made a choice, rather than face competition or integrate them into the Empire, they would enslave the species to keep them in line. A few of the provinces disagreed with this choice and welcomed humans in to their borders, leading to the creation of the first Half-Elves. Many Aetherii high-elves saw these unions of elf and human as abominations, sparking many disagreements within the Empire. The Empire  then began to invade its disobedient provinces in an attempt to enslave or kill all humans. These provinces that consisted of elves, dwarves, and humans rebelled against the Empire, sparking a civil war that lasted for 25 years.

The Aetherii Civil War lasted two and a half decades, but the Desolate Cascade marked its end, devastating the lands and driving elves to the brink of extinction. With the Empire thrown in to further disarray, human slaves took the opportunity to flee and form their own settlements.