Geography

If there were ever large numbers of ogres in Vetia, they were dislodged by the elder empires of the Golden Age. It is said that ogres consider their true home to be the great rolling grasslands that cover the vastness of central Augea: a mighty Steppe of which only a tiny portion - the Makhar - remains this side of the Wasteland.
Before the Wasteland’s creation, however, it is known that the ogres once ruled a giant empire, perhaps the largest in history, spanning the greater part of Augea (…)

It is said among the tribes of this land that in the most ancient times, the oldest prophet-leaders of the goblins, called Darrmu, created a vast labyrinth under the Great Mountains. At its center stood what they called the Earthly Garden of Delights. This was their most secret abode and refuge between Augea and Vetia, protected by the monstrous creatures of the deep - the gogyag.
No man, elf or dwarf was allowed to enter such a secret and holy place, the goblin city. It was imagined as a (…)

The white cliffs of Celeda Ablan! Few human eyes have witnessed their majesty, and fewer still have set foot upon them, for this is the sacred land of the Pearl Queen, and it is reserved only for those she deems truly civilised.
Even merchants must wait on their ships for business to come to them, usually outside the dual harbours of Aldan, the capital city of a global empire. Beyond the cliffs ranges a green and often sodden isle, commonly wreathed in mists or rain clouds, weather that (…)

It is said that wherever a human explorer goes in this world, a beast has been already. Even in this great ninth age of humanity, the herds can be found around the world in all their dizzying diversity and savagery. Even in Vetia, they have not been entirely stamped out, with small bands still encountered in the wild parts of the great nations. Because they are cheap and deniable, many are still employed by statesmen as mercenaries - despite the risk to reputation, and knowing full well that (…)

A scholar’s question - although biggest does not always mean best. My own library, while small, contains many first editions not found in other places. The fact that they are my own books is a mere coincidence - fine volumes, all of them!
There are many great libraries in the world. I have visited all that I was able to gain admittance to in my search for knowledge. Yet not every culture embraces libraries in the same manner.
The elves of Caleda Ablan may possess the finest of magical (…)

Q: Are Vollund and Ullor worshiped outside of the empire?
A: Oh yes, the pantheon predates Sonnstahl’s foundation, and not all followers settled within the boundaries of the Empire. Many tribes went their own ways, and those beliefs spread into other areas. I’ve seen signs of worship of both Vollund and Ullor in neighbouring lands, along with Sunna herself. We historians believe that many of these gods may have been first worshiped in Åskland and spread from those lands. They can still be (…)