An ancient land of beauty and danger.

A high fantasy project by BWatford

COSMOS OF ELISSAR The world upon which Elissar sits is unlike many others, and the nature of its creation (as well as the divine beings wrought by that) marks it as notably different from other medieval realms. When Elissar was wrought by ulvatu, the Flame of Creation, its essence was splintered into many facets. These eternal valya (angels and demons) walked the world shaping it. Sages say that some of these beings still live on Elissar, perhaps in the guise of mortals or—in the case of demons—in their true demonic form. Clerics. Clerics worship individual valya, usually the most powerful ones. Real clerics are, however, actually quite rare and most priests have no supernatural powers. PLANES Sages talk of the three known realms—Silyona, Nulda, and Elissar. The Shining Lands of Silyona, the Heavens, are said to be across the sea, while Nulda, the Pit, is deep in the bowels of the world. There are myths of heroes who traveled to Nulda and back; there are none who have returned from Silyona. How true is this? Who knows! Valya moored in what once was and unwilling to let go of the past are trapped in Nulda, and those valya oriented to what will be and willing to embrace the future move on to far away Silyona. Planar travel is unheard of in Elissar, and magics that entail travel to other planes, extradimensional spaces, and so on, do not exist. unlike other worlds this place has no Astral Plane—it is the very firmament upon which all others rely. The Dreaming (the Fey Mirror) and the Bleak Gate (the Wraith Mirror) exist however, accessed only via rare portals. The realm of mortals is known as the Waking (the Mortal Mirror) to those denizens from the other realms. Then there is the realm that is said to lie between all three, that fills in the void and of which energies from each mirror seep into, this realm is known simply as the Between. The connection between these realms is intricate and deeply woven into the fabric of existence in Elissar. “The Between” acts as a conduit, allowing for the interplay of energies and entities across the realms. It is the thread that binds them, ensuring that none exists in isolation, and each influences the other in a myriad of ways. Elemental Planes are thus a part of the world—they are concentrated locations of natural energy such as a volcano (fire), the depths of the sea (water), caverns deep underground (earth), or the clouds in the sky (air). Elementals can only be summoned from their element (a fire elemental from a fire, a water elemental from the ocean) so proximity to these is necessary for conjurers of such magic. • Silyona • Nulda • The Dreaming • The Bleak Gate • The Between UNWORKED MAGIC The cataclysms of Elissar’s ancient past have rent the fabric of arcana and divinity asunder a dozen times over, undoing much of the magic of previous ages. Rare Conjuration Spells Elissar’s unique planar nature makes the borders of the realms material extremely difficult to pierce and few know how to do so. The following spells are treated as rare spells in Elissar: conjure animals, conjure celestial, conjure elemental, conjure fey, conjure minor elementals, conjure woodland beings, gate, infernal weapon, planar ally. When you would gain one of these spells from a class feature or archetype, you learn a different spell instead (chosen by the Narrator). Unexisting Enchantments The following magic items must be crafted to exist in Elissar: armor of resistance (psychic), bag of devouring, bag of holding, bead of force, book of storing, cubic gate, handy haversack, helm of teleportation, ioun stone of agility, lantern of revealing, magic mirror (wall), mirror of life trapping, orb of elsewhere, portable hole, potion of clairvoyance, robe of stars, sack of sacks, talisman of the sphere, well of many worlds. Unworked Spells Astral projection and dream cannot be cast here, and a spellcaster must create the following spells to use them as they do not currently exist in Elissar: create food and water, demiplane, heart of Dis, magnificent mansion, maze, plane shift, rope trick, teleport, teleportation circle, tiny hut, word of recall. VALYA There is no distinction between the origins of angels, fiends, or gods. These are just mortal words used to try to describe the valya; they’re all splinters of ulvatu, sparks from the flame, and categorized based on their allegiance and actions. ulvatu is neither good nor evil. There’s also not much by way of hierarchy, although some groups of valya do organize themselves: Ellmemog is the most powerful known valya, with fiendish legions under his command. He (and other very powerful valya) cannot enter the world and are trapped in Nulda or far, far away in Silyona. Whether in the Pit or the Shining Lands, each valya is represented by a star twinkling in the night sky. There are few valya wanderers on Elissar; some who are angels, and some, in the darkest places, who are demons. Sometimes demons take on beautiful forms and gain influence in the world. A wandering wizard might be a benevolent valya, a charismatic noble might be a power-hungry valya. Their identity as valya is obscure knowledge, often hidden. • Worshipped Valya • Known Valya on Elissar DOMAINS Valya often have domains and the more powerful ones can grant miracles to their followers (manifestations of divine magic). Sometimes a cleric might not be worshiping the valya they thought they were; there are evil valya who can be deceitful that way and trick followers as to their true nature. The valya on Elissar are the weakest of their kind; to be on Elissar diminishes their power. A valya cannot grant spells to their followers while on Elissar. CELESTIAL BODIES In the mystical sky of Elissar, the twin moons, Lysara and Tenebria, dance in a perpetual ballet of light and shadow. Lysara, the Luminous Sovereign, bathes the world in a gentle silver glow, a beacon of hope and a symbol of the divine. Its surface is marked with radiant craters that shine brighter than the stars, said to be the footprints of the goddess Eliena, the patron of wanderers and seekers. Tenebria, known as the Dark Sister, is shrouded in mystery. unlike its sibling, Tenebria’s visage is a canvas of darkness, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Legends whisper that Tenebria was once as bright as Lysara, but was cursed by the god of secrets, Mordos, for revealing a truth that was meant to remain hidden. Now, Tenebria serves as a reminder of the knowledge that lurks in the shadows, and the price of its pursuit. The existence of these contrasting moons is made possible by a rare cosmic phenomenon. Lysara’s surface is covered in a reflective dust composed of mythrilite, a magical mineral that amplifies light. Tenebria, on the other hand, is enveloped by a dark ether, a substance that absorbs light and emits an enigmatic dark energy. This energy is often harnessed by sorcerers and seers to peer into the void and seek answers from the darkness. The moons’ influence extends beyond the night sky. Lysara’s phases are said to enhance healing and divination magic, while Tenebria’s new moon is a time when the veil between worlds is thinnest, allowing for powerful necromancy and shadow magic. The people of Elissar celebrate the Moondance Festival when both moons are full, a rare event that brings about a night of wonder, where the light of Lysara and the darkness of Tenebria exist in harmony, creating a spectacle of contrasting brilliance across the heavens. Thus, the twin moons of Elissar, Lysara and Tenebria, serve as celestial guardians, guiding the fate of the world with their eternal dance of light and shadow.

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