For every campaign I like to make 6 truths of the setting. The aim is to give some broader details on the world that can help the table during character creation and throughout the game as they think more on the world and their character's place in it. This set of truths applies to the broader world of Aeries in general. It may not always be 100% correct depending on where and when in the world we play, so consider them more like guidelines when it comes to the vibe of the world.

The world is ancient and cyclical.

Once, elemental titans roamed the world as its children. Then they were pushed back by dragons, who created their own children - Kith, Draconic for "two-legged walkers" - to roam the world. Then, Demons attacked the world and pushed the Dragon deities out of the land, subjugating their creations until they were finally bested and pushed back themselves by their former slaves. The world's history is ancient and seems to follow a pattern: Mighty empires rise, thrive, and fall to make way for another empire that shall do the same. This pattern can be found in the many ruins that are scattered throughout the realms, old and new.

This attitude drives some people's fears. High Elves can feel their civilization declining, so are they on the brink of total collapse? But it also drives ambition. Humans have been the underdogs for quite some time - is now the chance to make the world theirs?

Gods are real, but limited in their involvement.

The original gods known as the Dragon Gods were locked out of directly interacting with the world after the Rage of Demons, a catastrophic invasion by demonic hordes that spread throughout the known world and devastated the land for hundreds of years. As a consequence of stopping the Rage, many higher powers were barred by the Divine Gates, 8 mythic gates created to keep the portals to the demonic Abyss closed so that they may not flood in for another Rage.

In their place, many now worship new deities known as the Ascended - mortals that have ascended to godhood by way of a series of trials and tests that are known only to those who ascend. Though these Ascended can talk to their disciples and interact with the world, they may only do so through indirect means - a prophetic dream here, a subtle blow of the wind there, a hushed whisper heard just as one lulls to sleep. Some Kith, like Halflings, have their own pantheon they worship that works in various ways. The Halfling heaven-commune of Champagne is a vague blur of friends, family, frenemies, and friendly rivalries that is constantly changing. The Fey Court worshiped by the High Elves changes its rulers constantly - and the positions change the new rulers just as often.

Magical crystals dot the landscape of the world.

Aedra is a magical crystal that can be found naturally throughout the land. It is irreplaceable - it cannot be remade by even the most expert of craftsmen, and it does not grow. Each color of Aedra has special properties, and different colors can be found all throughout Aeries. Long ago, when the Dragon Gods gifted their creations with a sliver of their power, a great boom rocked throughout the whole world. In its quake, the magical crystals - Aedra - grew like mountains reaching for the skies. Even after thousands of years and dozens of empires whittling away at them for jewelry, magical components, and more, Aedra crystals can still range in size from as big as a house to as small as a weed.

Beasts and monsters roam throughout the land.

Even after thousands of years and many empires paving new roads, many nations still face dangers within their land by beasts and monsters that lurk in the wilderness. Wyverns - thoughtless dragons with the intelligence of a clever dog - call the highest mountain peaks their home. Owlbears nestle in caves deep within the darkest forests. Danger lurks on the roads between cities, though the relative safety of the everyday traveler highly depends on the nation they travel in. No matter where you are though, the land is simply too big for the nations that claim it all. If a more accurate map of borders were to be drawn, many nations would be pockets of claimed land with stretches of wilderness between. The states of Aeries simply don't have the manpower or resources to fill their britches, but that hasn't stopped them from biting off more than they can chew.

On a more personal level, how a community protects themselves from nearby dangers varies just as much as the roads. Some may form militias of any able-bodied people that can defend their home. Other locations look to local guilds and adventurers to keep the peace, or have a Jedi-like third-party of lawmen that travel the roads.

The people of the world are at odds with each other.

Humans in fantastical lands of Dolmenwood were in constant war against Snow Elves for hundreds of years. Dwarves have spent most of their history in complete and intentional isolation from others. Mad scientists and mages engineered a plague to control Orc populations and abilities - a horror that still affects Orcs to this day. High Elves had an ancient empire that saw the world as little more than fresh land to be taken. Halflings have basically always just been chilling, but they're an outlier. Though much of the world is a melting pot of species, backgrounds, and various walks of life, there are many centuries-spanning issues across the world that brings tension and strife.

Magic is everywhere, but its history is patchy.

How much about the world would you know if you could never read a book? If you never had the internet, or friends and families that did? Now consider how much you know about, say, taxes - and that's with all the world's knowledge at your fingertips 24/7. If you were an everyday peasant, you'd most likely know very little about the world beyond yours; your world would most likely be limited to your village, the ones nearby, and maybe the closest major city. While literacy and education varies from nation to nation, the everyday citizen does not know much about the world's history, especially the history of its magic. Its most educated scholars and academics are still just barely scratching the surface.

Magic is old and complicated. Sorcerers aren't fully understood, yet there they are, casting spells without much of any studies put towards doing so. Aedra does not grow, but how it even got there in the first place is a total mystery. Are spells equations you can rehearse to bend reality, or are they physical manifestations of ideas that enter and leave your head as you memorize and cast them? For every answer people have to the mysteries of magic, there are thirty more hidden in the sands of time, perhaps never to be rediscovered again. In the innumerable number of ruins throughout Aeries, answers lay dormant locked in chests, buried in mounds of treasure, or kept safe and sound in the mind of an aging lich. Academics funding research programs are a significant portion of who pays for dungeon delves.

Magical stone-like material that can be found all throughout Aeries. Doesn't grow, but can be harvested to craft magical items. If broken, it can release magical essence that may lead to disastrous magical effects.

Types of Aedra

• Blue Aedra - buried deep within the earth, often bordering (or directly inside) the Underlands below. Constantly produces steam that can give some divining abilities with enough consistent exposure. The steam also creates a wild magic effect.
  
• Green Aedra - the most malleable of all the Aedra (though still difficult to break). Most commonly used in creating magic items.
• Red Aedra - can act as weather control devices for a number of miles surrounding the Aedra stone. Powder grinded from red Aedra can be mixed with some herbs to rapidly heat or cool liquids, a very popular on-demand item for taverns across the world.
  
• Amber Aedra - the most mysterious in its properties, but highly valued for its uses in necromancy and forbidden dark magics.
• Black Aedra - Has very strong anti-magic properties, often used for handcuffs and gags that neutralize spell casters.
• Purple Aedra - Affect the local gravity, making it stronger or weaker. Depending on the size of the Aedra shard, this effect could go on for miles.
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