Astrel is the Plane in which we call home in our story. Astrel is heavily influenced by Humans but is also home to a very large amount of Beastfolk, Elves, Dwarves and also Orcs. These races have been on Astrel so long that they are all considered native to the world.
History of Astrel #
A long time ago, the world of Astrel was created as a meeting ground by the Fae and the Imperium, a place of balance. All fundamental forces exist here, with no one force being able to be more powerful than any other. A true balance within the cosmos. There were two things that the Fae and Imperium did. One was to create a Citadel that sat suspended above a large river to use as the said place of meeting, and the other was to put in place watchers of said world. No sentient beings inhabited this world so over time they decided that the beasts of Astrel would be the caretakers of it. So in an event known as the spark, the Beastfolk were born. To cover all aspects of the world, no discrimination was made to what beasts were used in the process resulting in hundreds of different forms. These different races although diverse in nature are normally referred to generically as Beastfolk even though they are distinctly different races.
Generations pass and the Fae and Imperium both make a play for taking over Astrel by trying to colonize the world. The Fae sent Elves, and the Imperium sent Dwarves. Both vying for power start to colonize the continent. The Elves eventually settled in the area known as the Ancient Woods and being the first settlers of Ancúram. The Dwarves found solitude in the mountains, naming them after one of the great leaders of the travelers. The Baahir Mountains became the foundation for their culture.
Over time some of the Beastfolk began to adapt and change giving birth to the first Humans of Astrel. These Humans were looked at no differently than the Beast Folk that already lived in the world, just another race within the diverse culture.
Eventually Humans claimed land in the name of Divine Right with total disregard for any and all that had lived there previously. Taking a seat in the Citadel that had long lost its purpose, the Humans laid claim to a large area of land. This assertion was in the claim that they were the saviors for the common folk.
The Ancúram and the Baahir pulled back from interactions with the newly founded human established kingdom, each having their own reasons for doing so. The Ancúram, believing that all entities have their place and are connected, disliked the disregard that the Humans have for the natural world, while the Baahir found no use for the Humans need for praise and worship.
Calendar #
Gris (31 Days) — January (31 Days)
Adeluary (30 Days) — February (28 Days)
Ruadh (30 Days) — March (31 Days)
Dicun (30 Days) — April (30 Days)
Anduary (30 Days) — May (31 Days)
Heilagr (31 Days) — June (30 Days)
Wilahaul (31 Days) — July (31 Days)
Aptober (30 Days) — August (31 Days)
Santion (30 Days) — September (30 Days)
Hanover (30 Days) — October (31 Days)
Daire (30 Days) — November (30 Days)
Gertober (31 Days) — December (31 Days)
Geography #
The Astrel landmass is about half the size Australia with a population about 15 million
Astrel is comprised of many different terrains from Mountains to forests to badlands and a desert making the geography as diverse as the races that comprise it.
Locations #
Nations #
This is a list of the major areas located on this map.
Major Geographical Features #
- The Expanse – The wide insurmountable ocean that engulfs the Known World.
- The Baahir Mountain Range – Forms the edge of Baahir.
- The Izzat Forest – Large forest up against the edge of Baahir.
- The Noori Foothills – The overall area south of the Baahir Mountains. It also includes most of the Izzat Forest.
- The Silvino Mountain Range – Runs from the southern center of the continent northwest towards Ancúram.
- The White Fields– A desert that runs along the south side of the Silvino Mountain Range.
- The Whispering Wilds – A wasteland that sits on the north side of the Silvino Mountain Range and travels all the way up to the north coast.
- The Ancient Woods – The home land of the Ancúram and originally founded by Elves. The oldest forest on the continent, located in the northwest of Astrel, the elves protect this land leaving it virtually undisturbed since Astrel’s inception.
- The Golden Plains – The flat wheat lands where most of the produce for the continent is grown.
- The Cobalt Mangrove – Near the southeast corner of the continent.
- Rocroft Woodland – A wooded area that sits between the Cobalt Mangrove and the Silvino Mountain Range.
- The Ivory Cliffs – Found along the northeastern coast that circles the Baahir Mountains.
- Amadahy Sea – The water between the southern exposure of Ancúram and the western most point of the White Fields Desert
- Ara Sea – Located just outside the Baahir Mountain Range, This sea is the major water source to the capital.
- Assana Sea – Located in the Ancient Woods, Many of the Ancúram tribes live on or near this Sea.
- Chumani River – A major river way that connects the North coast of the continent with the Assana Sea in the Ancient Woods.
- Kawthar Bay – In Baahir on the East coast of Astrel, this bay feeds into the Expanse.
- Malila River – The river that The Citadel is built over. Runs between the Ara Sea and Lake Meris.
- Lake Meris – Lake Meris is the largest lake in the Breadbasket.
- Muir River Delta – A watery lowland that separates Ancúram and Duchy Velazquez.
- Nahla River – The only major river that runs through the Badlands.
- Sedna River – The Longest river system in Astrel, and it opens up into the Lotus Basin.
- The Lotus Basin – Gulf on the Southeastern edge of Astrel.
- Gulf of Ogewick – Large gulf that is on the east side of Astrel that is fed by the Cobalt Mangrove.
- The Citadel – Large structure that has very strong Baahir and Ancúram design elements in its construction. It sits above the Malila River as a bridge between two towers, one on each side of the river.
Commerce #
All cultures accept the basic coinage as payment for goods or services, those coins are copper, silver, and gold. One gold is equal to ten silver, and one silver is equal to ten copper. This makes 1 gold worth 100 copper.
Some cultures like the Ancúram prefer trade to tender, but would not refuse it. They just do not keep it individually but rather take any money collected and give it to the community for anytime the community would need it.
For the Baahir, every coin is accounted for and does not spend any more than or less than the value of a good.
Magic #
Because of the way that Astrel was created, Magic is everywhere, but also has its limitations. Using Magic to aid in crafting, fighting, or even everyday chores, is not unheard of, but being able to pull together enough magic to alter the world or bring someone back from the dead is unheard of. When Major Magic phenomena does occur, it is most likely from something called an artifact. Most artifacts are items that have fallen through portals from other planes of existence. It is possible for people to create Items of great power like artifacts here on Astrel, but it takes several skilled crafters following very specific instructions to be able to accomplish it together.
Most cultures have magic users among them but they also use them in very different ways. The Ancúram see magic as a energy that flows through us, everything has magic but you just can’t take it, you must ask for it from that object or person.
The Baahir on the other hand believe that magic comes from the individual and is infused into everything we touch.
The Halcyon Sovereignty see magic as granted from their Saints, something to be tapped into, a resource that can be used and manipulated.
The Beast Folk have all but lost their connection to magic as seeing that many of them are cut off from methods of learning how to use it. There are still some that are very adept and when they are, they tend to treat it the same as who they learned it from.
Technology #
For the most part Technology in Astrel is Medieval and early Renaissance. Things like Windmills, Watermills, and Agriculture are starting to find growth. Gunpowder has only recently been created but works differently due to the use of magic within its recipe.
The Halcyon Sovereignty are the most versatile utilizing technology while the Baahir and Ancúram are more specialized in their advancements. The Baahir have a focus on engineering and Metalworking while the Ancúram find unique and creative ways to use existing technology.
