Heaven's gate

The Tower of Metafalica

The greatest feat of engineering during the age of wind. The stepping stone upon which the Farbantian Empire would take it's place amount the stars. Now worms gnaw on it's roots and rots spread through it's trunk as it awaits a master to cleanse and claim it.

Homuncolus caretaker of a greenhouse in the tower's 23th. floor, welcoming the first visitor in several decades.

Aegon the Hammer

The legacy of Aegon persist even in this age. The conqueror who wristed the inlands of the continent of Usea from goblinoid in ages past.

Beached Ship

The Polar caps grew as the temperature fell during the age of strife and it is widely believed to be the reason for the slow steady dropping of the ocean level. Entire coastlines empty of life, as the coastal cities foundation disappeared

A View from the Coast

The Tower of Metafalica, as seen from Caranda Beach, across what remains of the ocean. One would think it would make it safer from Sahuagin incursion, but it have if anything made them more vicious when they muster the resources to leave the deep ocean to traverse the sand dunes that separate coast and sea.

A throne awaiting a regent

By degree of the Silver Masked Steward, the throne room of Farbanti have been sealed till the rightful heir is found. But life have managed to sneak in still.

The Librarian of the Ark of Knowledge

Singular dedicated to her task since her creation. The Cradle of Mind voraciously devour any book brought before her, safekeeping knowledge and written dreams, for those lives who might see the other side of the twilight that might very well follow the Age of Dusk. Perhaps then she'll travel and see the sights she have read about.

The Vault Keepers are not officially affiliated with the Ark of Knowledge, but have found it to be a safe place for any dangerous books they might find, in exchange for traveling through warped libraries to the Ark's distant branches, in their quest to seek and seal the dangers of the past, less they end in the hand of those who wish to rule over ruins.

Elven Corsair of the North Polar Sea

The sinking of the seas have made their coastal raid much more infrequent. It have how ever also made it harder to avoid them on the open sea. In their fortresses of ice, they dream of reestablishing the empire they lost in the civil war over the younger race question.

Barometz

Is it Meat? Is it Vegetarian? A question perhaps for philosphers. The Vegetarian Lamb are common in barren lands where the creature-plant must draw nutrition from land, plants and sun.

Power in Ruins

A lone maiden of the Church of the Great Wills performing a warden ritual in a place still brimming with power, to keep at bay one of the Lord of Dust that have outlasted the temple of her order.

Symbol of the Syncretist

The syncretist faction arose within the Church of the Great Will when contact was established with the spirit worshiper in the east and the school of pure wills in the west, arguing that ultimately all religions worshiped different expression of the same divinity and have taken as their symbol the Mobius strip, the one-sided ribbon. Two separated sides joined together into one.

The Sun's Garden

A place unspoiled by the arrival of the Fandi Fictor, with sun flower as tall as trees, dwarfed by even greater beasts, of which some are under the thrall of the gardener. Along the edges of the field, settlements can be found, harvesting what grows beyond the boundaries.

Only the most foolhardy and the desperate dare pass the boundaries of the garden, to seek out the gardener and her ancient knowledge. Pray that she is in good mood and that she was already awake and about when you entered the garden under her care.

Northen Herald of Nayudara's will

Bulwark against an Eternal Winter. Patron of the order of the White Rose. By his will summer still last long enough for life to cling onto the north, though it leaves him unable to act in any other manner, except through those who form a pact with the Great Ram.

Halfling Master of Aurolia's school of swordmanship

Dozens of schools of war dots the land. Once rivalry pushed practitioner to ever greater feats of glory to bring fame and students and wealth to their school. Now, their hands are full being the closes thing to guards and soldiers, protecting nearby communities abandoned by fallen kingdoms and in return make do with payment of food and patching of worn down clothing. Assuming they have not succumbed to brigandry.

Fist of Acala practioner

Once many of the students of war from Tenra pilgrimaged to Usea to test their skills and likewise in reverse. Many was left stranded in the chaotic age that followed the arrival and defeat of the Fandi Fictor and to some their martial art passed from master to heir, is the only proof that the far away land beyond the sunken sea in their grandfathers tale, is even real.

Southern Khathal Gate

The North-South passages through the mountain range that splits the continent of Usea from North-West to South-East once brought the dwarves massive riches in toll fee. Now the gates are sealed and it is said that even that did not save all of them. The evil that lurked outside slipping in.

Refugee city at the Khul-thas Waterfall

Up among the clouds lies dwarven settlements with those that escaped. Up and up through halls and then digging out they fled, salvaging what they could on the way to build a new and, many hope, temporary life on the outside.

Legacy of the Fleshshaper

The infirm, the dying and the crippled pilgrimaged to the domain of the Fleshshaper, The greatest alchemist in the field of Abiogenesis that ever lived. There thousands where giving a new leash on life in a new body, that bred true. Tabaxi, Tortles, Kenku and many more beastkin his Magnum Opus, outlasting even the memory of the Fleshshaper's name.

Floatwood illustration from Darrol's complete botanic guide

The result of generations of selective breeding and alchemical enhancement. The modern cultivated Floatwood hardly resemble it's wild ancestor, growing much larger and with sturdier roots. The trees property of growing in size faster than it grows in weight, eventually giving it a mass lighter than air until at some point, buoyancy causes the tree to uproot and float with the wind to spread it's seeds and their property enabled the construction of gravity defying structure and great airships.

Age of Wind Airships

Varied and wonderous was the many airship designs of the age of wind. They changed maps via the age of exploration they initiated and they changed borders, becoming the lynchpin of a new doctrine of warfare dominated by Sky Knights

A change in scenery

Primordial and dark forest can give way to sight of wonders, with whimsical shaped trees, flowers blooming out of season and convinient mushrooms forming seats and table. A sign that one should be on alert and have likely entered an area where the material plan and the feywild have become contiguous, overlapping and existing in both places at once. Enter the deepest of ocean, the darkest shadow of a solar eclipse, deep within the center of volcano or in the void past the moon and one might find places where one can cross over to a matching plane.

Ordo Ciel Custodes

These areas are however two-way streets. Streets watched by the Gatekeepers, who remain vigilante, even though they are dwindling in numbers and without the backing of kings and nobles that they used to have. For now, the many wards and illusions and plain old camouflage used to hide and redirect monsters and worse from entering the world, still holds, but nobody knows for how long.

View from the Void

Far above the worries of the world, floats a shadow of a dream. The means of reaching the Void Castle lost during the end of the Age of Wind. The new age it was supposed to herald never came to pass, but from the ground below it still hangs like a guiding star, a reminder of a past glory that might yet be reclaimed and along with that, the treasures and secrets that still lies within it.

And the dream persist still in the heart of old and young fools, fueled by what remains of the great voidships. Their graves almost holy places of remembrance for those who longs for the stars.

Scaling Back

The city state of Mayheim was swift to salvage what they could from abandoned homes. Wood and bricks reused to fix the core of the city, giving it's inhabitants and scholar-pilgrims a semblance of normalcy, if one ignore the pillaged ruins that bear witness of a city that once had more than twice as many souls calling it home.

Wayside Shrine dedicated to one of the Great Wills.

These humble places of worship could be found in the outskirt of civilization, attended by a Hermit Knight and their Squire. Barely enough living space for a pair, who would spend most of the day patrolling the surrounding countryside to shepherd the faithful. Many of those that still remains lies abandoned, holding blessings and boons and awaiting a time where there are faithful to shepherd.

City Ship of Hal-larian

Once one of the mighty flagships of the elven fleet, until the civil war shattered their empire and the Fandi Fictor and age of strife that followed, drove them away from their remaining coastal settlement. The majority of what remains of the elven people now lives a nomadic life at sea.

Business on the road

Merchants have appeared on the roads again, some riding a beast of Deiji, and brings with them not only taste long forgotten and goods from cities thought lost, but also hope for more than mere survival in the Age of Dusk. That the endless sleep can be avoided and recovery is in the cards, if only they can be played right.