General World Information

Maps

• World Map - Full Size

Changes and Additions Made to Standard Content

• General House Rules
• Class Changes
• Spell Changes

Languages and Dialects

Different creatures in Aenea know and can communicate in various languages. Some languages are more commonly known than others. Some languages have different dialects that may be used by specific groups of creatures, but they can generally be understood by others that share the same language.

Commonly Known
	Calithian	Language of people native to the Calithian Empire.
	Common	Most widely-known language, used for trade and interaction between most civilized races. Many humans speak this as their primary language.
	Dwarven	Language of dwarves, one of the older languages of the lands.
	Elven	Language of elves, one of the older languages of the lands.
	Giant	A simple, rough language common to giants, trolls, and ogres.
	Gnomish	Language of gnomes.
	Goblin	Language of goblins and kobolds.
	Orc	Language of orcs and others native to K'Nort Scrar.
	Zintan	Language of people native to Borzintan.
Uncommonly Known
	Celestial	Language primarily used by intelligent celestial beings from the Celestial Realm.
	Demonic	Language primarily used by beings from the Dark Realm.
	Dragonic	Dialect of Draconic, used primarily by dragonborn and multiple arcane traditions.
	Fjal	Language of people native to Fjalir and parts of the Icereach.
	Kasani	Language of people native to the Isles of Kasan.
	Orc'krak	Dialect of Orc, used by forest orcs.
	Stonewave	Dialect of Dwarven, primarily used by ocean dwarves.
	Sylvan	Language of fey creatures and of some families of fae (formerly called halfings).
	Underspeech	Language of many denizens of the Shadowkarst.
	Vinespeak	Dialect of Dwarven, used by jungle dwarves.
	Vodan	Dialect of Elven, used by water elves.
Rarely Known
	Aquan	Dialect of Primordial, used by natives of the Elemental Plane of Water.
	Auran	Dialect of Primordial, used by natives of the Elemental Plane of Air.
	Draconic	Ancient language of dragons and obscure arcane traditions.
	Ignan	Dialect of Primordial, used by natives of the Elemental Plane of Fire.
	Morturian	A "lost" language that is no longer spoken, seen only in certain old writings.
	Orc'veen	Dialect of Orc, used by snow orcs of the Icereach.
	Primordial	The most ancient language known, used by elemental creatures.
	Serpens	Dialect of Elven, used by dark elves.
	Terran	Dialect of Primordial, used by natives of the Elemental Plane of Earth.
	Wildspeech	Primitive language of the animal natives of the Wildlands.

The World's Creation

The world of Aenea has existed for millions of years. It and its family of celestial objects were born of the creative efforts of the entire pantheon of gods and goddesses (who themselves were created by Asis and Zolaras, twin goddesses of life and death). The elemental deities (Aquar, Ignia, Terris, and Typhis) created the planets. Prizimal lit the darkness of the void with his creation of the sun, moons, and stars. Asis and Andra (goddess of nature) blessed the worlds with life, and the other deities followed in weaving their own influences throughout the main world of Aenea.

The Planes of Existence

The Material Plane is the world most beings exist in. It is the normal world, where your characters originate and the vast majority of adventuring occurs.

Unlike many worlds, the gods and goddesses themselves are part of the Material plane. They exist here as immortal, bodiless consciousnesses, unless they see a need to manifest a physical avatar (perhaps to deliver a message to their most devout followers).

The Astral Plane is an empty, uninhabited space. It is a conduit between places, and it is only glimpsed by those teleporting very long distances or shifting between planes via planeshift spell. Those that have seen it remember only dark space with millions of stars in the distance that shift through every color imaginable.

The Ethereal Plane overlaps the Material Plane. It appears as a copy of the Material plane, except everything within it is grey, misty, insubstantial, and silent. Creatures on the Ethereal plane can pass through objects, barriers, and creatures that are solid on the Material plane. Things on the Ethereal plane are not normally visible to beings on the Material plane, and vice versa. It is sometimes home to ghosts and other spirits.

The Elemental Planes are endless landscapes of elemental power. They do not "border" other planes, so there are not quasi-elemental planes (such as Ice or Magma) where the elements mix. Creatures like mephits are demonic spirits from more inhospitable parts of the Dark Realm.

   The Elemental Plane of Air is an endless sky, with only rare floating pieces of earth or water to land on. Visitors can move themselves (slowly, at half their base movement speed) in any direction just by willing it.

   The Elemental Plane of Earth appears as cloudless landscapes of jagged rocky mountains, endless sand dunes, cratered wastelands, and constant landslides, which cover the endless caves and tunnels that most beings of this plane travel. Countless crystals, gems, and metals exist in this plane, but the very nature of the plane petrifies creatures from other planes, making it deadly to even visit.

   The Elemental Plane of Fire is a charred landscape, deadly to creatures that are harmed by heat. Plants of all sizes grow within minutes, only to die and catch fire in the same space of time, fuel for the flames. Clouds of fire cross the skies, while oven-like air assaults everything without relief.

   The Elemental Plane of Water is an endless ocean of life-sustaining waters, dimly lit throughout by the power of the place itself. Bubbles of air large enough to sustain visitors are exceptionally rare, while larger pieces of solid rock are sometimes found floating in the endless seas (providing anchoring space for corals and other aquatic life).

The Celestial Realm is home to countless celestial beings of light and good, and is the source of radiant energy that provides the spark of life to creatures and plants of the Material plane. It is a bright, welcoming place of radiance and warmth.

The Dark Realm is the source of necrotic power that corrupts and decays. It is a realm of black skies, blood-red clouds, decaying landscapes and structures, and the very ground is infused with evil. This shadowy hellscape is home to demons of every sort and where summoned demonic spirits originate.

The Flow of Magic

Magic flows across and through Aenea much like water flows along a very wide river. It moves with the currents of the oceans and sky, and it collects in the land and creatures of the world. There are currents that are sometimes stronger, and places where it seems to pool, concentrating the forces of magic. Much of this magical power is part of the fabric of the world, and some is provided by the gods themselves.

Characters using detect magic catch faint glimpses of the Flow within the area of the spell.

Magical energy can be found everywhere, but it tends to collect around living beings in very faint eddies and auras. The Flow is stronger around and within magical beings, such as dragons. A few creatures can innately tap into the Flow of Magic to produce mystical results (such as displacer beasts or invisible hunters). Some beings learn to pull the Flow to themselves, collecting magical energy and releasing it as spells.

Wizards and most other arcane casters are able to draw the Flow to themselves, holding this power in invisible eddies near them for use in casting their spells. When casting, they use their knowledge of magic to tap into and channel this energy to produce the effects of the spell.

Clerics, druids, paladins, rangers, and warlocks are imbued with magical energies directly from their divine and otherworldly patrons. The Flow passes through them in a more powerful current, sometimes marked by the nature of their patron. They are able to harness this granted power with the use of specific prayers and incantations to cast their spells.

Bards do not actually collect or channel magical energy as other spellcasters do. They use special techniques of song, music, or other artistry to tune the surrounding Flow of Magic itself to create their spells.

Sorcerers are much like a deep pool of magic that constantly refills from the Flow. They are able to tap into the energy within themselves to cast their spells. Their magic is inherent in their very blood, much like that of a dragon or other mystical creature.

The Passage of Time

Time passes normally in Aenea. Each day is 24 hours long, and each week is 7 days. The start of each of the 12 months happens every 28 days when Argenta, the larger silvery moon, is full. The years begin with the first day of spring and end with the last day of winter.

Springdawn	Midspring	Springdusk
Summerdawn	Midsummer	Summerdusk
Autumndawn	Midautumn	Autumndusk
Winterdawn	Midwinter	Winterdusk

A Brief History

Some recorded events have shaped the history of the world of Aenea, and those are noted in this timeline.

Currency of the Lands

Thousands of years ago, when the elves were the most powerful of societies, trading flourished throughout the lands. A single standard currency was developed to help facilitate even more trading. When the elven powers declined and human (and other races') nations grew, the standard coinage remained in use. Cities with enough wealth and metals are now the only places where new coins are minted. Strong tradition keeps the coins similar to what has always been used.

• copper lanterns - the most common of coins, they have some type of lantern design
• silver stars - they bear a star design, each worth as much as ten copper coins
• gold dragons - the most valuable coins most people ever see in their lives, each has a dragon image on one face, each worth as much as ten silver coins
• platinum moons - rare, highly valued coins, each has an image of the two moons of Aenea, each worth as much as ten gold coins

Like many worlds, land and possessions are often used for bartering purposes. Bartering is more often used by people in rural villages, while coins are accepted almost everywhere.