The World of Aneos

Oh, the People You’ll Meet
The first obvious race is human. However, Aneos has many, many more different species of life walking the globe, almost any you can think of. I am going to be very lenient when it comes to signing up as a race. You can be a human, or a goblin, or an orc, or a troll, or an elf, or a giant, or a dragon-zebra hybrid. With this being half high fantasy, half Steampunk, I will also welcome any form of sentient machinery, very basic robots, or any high fantasy race with some high-tech appendages. I will accept ghosts and spirits, vampires and werewolves, maybe an eldritch horror or two. The only thing I will not accept is a demon or someone who is part demon, because that’s not how demons work here.

If there is a race not mentioned here that is not traditionally in high fantasy settings that you would like to play as, you can go ahead and PM me about the details and we can work some things out. If you would like to create your own race, the same rules apply. Those who make their own race will really have to impress me, and include things such as magical affinities, diet, habitat, things of that matter so we can get an accurate idea of what you are trying to portray.

Lower Aneos
Aneos as a continent is divided into the Lower Half and the Upper Half. The Lower Half, Lower Aneos, simply means the cities and nations on the surface of Aneos' planet. Upper Aneos consists of the levitating, flying cities that also make up the planet. Aneos is about 50/50 on flying nations to grounded nations, but because our characters are currently grounded, I have not yet provided the map to Upper Aneos yet. Details on that later. So far, I have mapped out in circles six capital cities/major landmarks. These are Squall's End to the northwest (blue circle), Victorix in the middle (orange circle), The Everwood to the south (white circle), the Shattered Deserts to the south (black circle), Kan Lodar to the middle-east (gray circle), and Lugnut Basin to the far eastern coast (red circle). Their descriptions are as follows:

Kan Lodar:
Deep within the Mithril Mountains lies the Dwarven city of Kan Lodar. Kan Lodar, translating from Dwarven into “The Old World”, is a capital built within the side of one of the mountains in the range. The Dwarves are liberal in their use of magic and Thaummatech, with the city leaning to neither side – rather, the Dwarves use both equally to go about their lives. The city itself is very welcoming to visitors, and King Durak Bronzebeard is one of the friendliest rulers in all of the land. That is not to say he is a pushover, though; on the contrary, Durak has personally engaged in every war the Dwarven populace has engaged in.

Some say Kan Lodar is built upon the strongest ley line in Lower Aneos. The city itself was built around this ley line, and it is harnessed through a Thaummatech engine known as the Arcanum. This engine is highly guarded at all hours of the day; if it is compromised, it is possible the whole city could go down in a fiery explosion. This is the equivalent of Kan Lodar being built around a nuclear bomb waiting to go off. While this may seem dangerous, the Dwarves and Durak are both responsible and trustworthy enough to know that it will never present an issue so long as they are around. While the Arcanum does harness the ley line’s power well enough, it is still possible to see the mass amount of Juice provided to the city through glowing blue tracks of the ley line being visible in the walls, ceilings and floors of Kan Lodar.

The Dwarves, although friendly, boggle the minds of those in Aneos in that they have shrines dedicated to many dragons, some of the most fearsome beasts Aneos has ever seen. Why such a peaceful people would worship such terrible creatures is beyond what most can comprehend, and it serves to be one of the best kept secrets the Dwarves carry to this day.

Shattered Deserts:
Many enter the Shattered Deserts, and few leave. This vast landscape of sand houses some of the most vicious creatures of Aneos, and with few sources of water except for the shared Lake Lazuli to the west and the coast to the south, not many people are willing to brave the trek to the city of New Babylon. Those that do survive the excursion will encounter one of the most beautiful and serene cities Lower Aneos has to offer; the New Babylonians have a heavy emphasis on the fine arts, and manage to give off an air of beauty in one of the deadliest areas in the world.

New Babylon, while welcoming to outsiders, is highly defensive. Many of those that brave the Shattered Deserts are thought to be coming to rob the city of its treasures. New Babylon houses the Library of Sol, dedicated to Wolfgang Sol, an elf who was said to have traveled to every corner of the globe and documented every piece of land ever to have existed. During his travels, Sol managed to collect the finest literature from all parts of the globe; this library is highly exclusive, and individuals are only allowed entry if they are able to produce a piece of literature the library does not yet contain.

New Babylon is ruled by Huntress Queen Amadeii Sol, a desert elf and descendant of Wolfgang Sol. The woman defends the library and New Babylon with her life; while the nation state has yet to enter into war with any others, New Babylon is said to secretly house some of the finest warriors in the land. It is strange to think Amadeii is one of the few capital leaders to not have been targeted by the Black Web, and rumors have circulated of her involvement. All of these are dismissed as precisely that – rumors.

Victorix:
Two hundred years ago, a military coalition of elves and humans united as "The Golden Hand" fought against a vast demonic army that threatened the lands, both forces meeting in the Central Plains of Lower Aneos. The war seemed endless, the battles were grueling, and many, many lives were lost, but in the end, The Golden Hand emerged victorious. With their righteous hearts to guide them and their blessed swords to strike their foes, the Golden Hand chased the demons out from the mortal realm, vanquished their lords, and sealed their hellish portals shut. To celebrate their triumph and to honor their fallen brethren, The Golden Hand raised a city in the Central Plains and named it "Victorix", so that their greatest victory would never be forgotten.

Two hundred years later, Victorix stands proudly as the mainland's largest and most populous capital city; a land of crowded streets and spires so tall they shatter the sky, located in the heart of Lower Aneos. Revered as a metropolis of wealth, industry, salvation, and success, Victorix attracts many visitors from the entire continent over - as both a tourist hotspot and a modern-day promised land.

Humans and elves make up the vast majority of Victorix's population but is also home to a large assortment of other races. While the city values freedom and equality between its residents, the laws of The Order are absolute. Residents of Victorix are under the constant watch and protection of The Golden Hand (to either their praise or dismay) and the use and research of Thaummatech is strictly prohibited.

Lugnut Basin:
Lugnut Basin is the remote capital city of the Taaro, and is a marvel to even the most advanced Thaummatech engineers. The creatures are so far advanced in their mechanical prowess that just about every part of their city runs on Thaummatech. It is also the most heavily armed capital in the Lower Half – fortunately, the Taaro are such friendly creatures that they have yet to had to use it against anyone other than the average Immortal or two.

The Taaro have a hold on quite a large stake of land, and most of it is spread out in large cities that are as advanced as the rest of Lugnut Basin. The Taaro themselves are ruled in the main capital city of Lugnut Basin by a group known as the Leytech Council. A group four Taaro strong, they serve as the ultimate decision makers for all political moves the Taaro make. They are kind and strong-willed Taaro, if not also scared of inner conflict, so the decisions they make are always influenced by the people.

Lugnut Basin is welcoming to people of all shapes and sizes, but because of its location, very few others except for Dwarves make their residence in the city. Lugnut Basin has gone so far as to enter into a political alliance with the Dwarves should there ever be a time the Taaro will need their help. Lugnut Basin, unfortunately, is home to many dragons – Taaro are prime dragon snacks, so King Durak Bronzebeard has Dwarven military outposts stationed around the Taaro’s land to help with any attacks. The Dwarves worshipping the dragons is truly a mystery, but the Taaro understand each people has their secrets and it would be unfair to question anything. So long as the Dwarves continue to offer protection and guidance, the Taaro are ever thankful.

The Everwood:
The Everwood is a large forest biome located next to the Shattered Deserts. Unlike the Darkwood, the Everwood is a very safe and beautiful place to travel through, and is often considered to be the most wondrous place on the Lower Half. Ley lines galore spread through the area, and while there are some scary beasties living within, those who live in the Everwood have managed to keep the menaces under control.

Most settlements within the Everwood are tribal cultures, mostly consisting of Elves, Orcs, and Minotaur. While each of these cultures are distinct and separated, the middle of the Everwood unites the groups in one large settlement known as Fort Minx. Fort Minx is a trading outpost between the tribes that also serves as a neutral zone. Truthfully, many tribes are not fond of each other; in Fort Minx, though, the tribes set aside their differences to come together and help each other thrive through trade.

The fort is also the one place in the Everwood that Thaummatech comes together with nature. The Evertree lies in the middle of the Fort, and is said to be the base that all of the forest’s ley lines meet at. This tree has been merged with many Thaummatech addons in order to pump magical energy to the rest of the fort. So far, no nature has been disturbed by this, but there is no telling what may happen in the future.

The Darkwood:
The Darkwood is a vast forest located next to the Mithril Mountains. Few descriptions of the place exist because the forest is blocked out of all light, being pitch black within and housing not only a massive ley line, but the vicious demons that come with it. Rumors circulate of a settlement living within the Darkwood, but no one has been able to confirm this because those who enter most certainly do not escape. It would serve as an easy path from Kan Lodar to Squall’s End, but the road is deemed much too dangerous to even consider as an option.

Squall's End:
What started as a small port town soon escalated into Lower Aneos’ premiere trading outpost with continents overseas. Squall’s End is an independent city-state that serves as a dock for many a Skyrate as well as those with good intentions to their sea and air travel. It is the most recently recognized capital city of Lower Aneos, having just been gifted its status twenty years ago, and it has become busier ever since.

Squall’s End made a name for itself by acquiring massive amounts of land in a short time. The lower half of Navara Isle was where the port town originated, and was populated by hundreds of people of varying race that served as pilgrims from the mainland. The island was unexplored land, so these founders decided to begin life anew, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The northern part of the isle, where the capital city is now located, was inhabited by a group of humanoid slime creatures now known as Goops. Rather than becoming hostile, the Goops welcomed the pilgrims into their land, and were more than willing to unite civilizations between the two.

The southern half of Squall’s End is replete with gold, something the Goops have a terrible allergy to, which explains why they did not inhabit the southern half of the island. The pilgrims and the Goops entered into a deal; the pilgrims would safely deal with the gold, and the Goops would allow them free use of the northern land to establish trading outposts. The capital city of Squall’s End was soon established, and the land on the coast closest to Navara Isle was made part of the island’s territory. Squall’s End is a peaceful city, inhabited by people of all sorts, but with the recent uprising in swashbuckler activity around the globe there have been a greater number of incidents in the state than normal.

Our World:
Now, these are only the named capitals I have come up with. That is not saying there are not many more, and there are many other places in between all of these things that are still in the works and have yet to be discovered. This is where I have come up with an idea that I think will help not only me, but all of us with more world-building: I request that each of us provide a part of the world, in order to create a more expansive Aneos.

It's not mandatory, but it's highly encouraged. I think it'd be cool if each of us submitted something to contribute to lore. It could be something like Victorix that Valkyrie_Gal will be providing, a race or organization like Van of the Dawn provided with Undinians and the RIA, a historical event, a major figure, anything. I will keep it all documented and we can make use of it as the RP goes along.

What you submit can be squeezed into Lower Aneos, or added onto the blank slate that is Upper Aneos. The cities could be underwater, it could be a dragon that razed your character's hometown decades ago, anything - I do think that this interactive worldbuilding will make the game more enjoyable for all of us. Best part is none of it is rushed. It's something that can be done on all of our own time, and it is not limited to only one thing. All of you can contribute as much as you want, and if you feel like collaborating on some linked events and characters, I think that'd be great, too.

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Magic