User:GoldenYak/Chronicle/Amanthal

Amanthal
Type	World
Races	Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, Ogres, Arakkoa, Vrykul, Mogu
Languages	All
Location	The Great Dark Beyond
Status	The first Titan World.

"World of wrath and storm."

Amanthal, also known as the Realm of Storms.

Summary

Amanthal is a world of storms and tempests, where islands of land float suspended the air. Long ago, the surface of Amanthal was blasted apart by a great cataclysm of elemental fury, tearing most of the lands free and sending them drifting through the atmosphere. These skylands are held aloft by vast quantities of the elemental power of air, which Amanathal possesses in great abundance. The remaining surface of Amanthal is commonly called the Low Realm, and the eternal storms that engulf it are known as the Sea of Storms to those who dwell above. The majority of the skylands that drift above it are known as the High Realm. Far above even the High Realm are the distant skylands of the Far Realm, where most mortals cannot reach. Strange creatures are said to inhabit it.

Geography

Amanthal is known as the world of storms for good reason. Much of the world's surface is covered by an eternal, ever-raging storm, wracking the landscape with gale-force winds and bolts of lightning. Only the tallest mountain peaks reach above the surface of the continent-spanning tempest, and even these will be engulfed when the storms are at their fiercest. Rainfall causes rivers and flash-floods that sweep any growth from the mountains, sending torrents flooding into rocky valleys, only for twisters and tornadoes to suction the water back up into the sky. Most of the surface is battered and beaten by the constant winds, floods, and lightning, with few regions that are habitable, much less inhabited. In fact, the vast majority of life on Amanthal dwells not on the surface, but above it.

The edge of a skyland, one of Amanthal's rare Calm Lands.

While the surface is engulfed in storms, above the raging tempests are suspended great floating land-masses called skylands. These tracts of land range in size from small islands to vast continents, all sailing through the sky on mystical air currents, held aloft by the vast amounts of elemental air energy present in Amanthal's atmosphere. Even these landmasses are subject to frequent storms - the only places on Amanthal where the wind does not blow are in the eyes of the many hurricanes that rage across the world. Constant storms and gales are simply part of life on Amanthal. Some storm systems can rage for years, decades, or even centuries, engulfing skylands in impassable tempests that isolate them utterly from the rest of the world. The comparatively storm-free skylands are known as Calm Lands, where as many as several weeks can sometimes pass between roaring gales. Skylands found in close proximity to one-another are grouped together and referred to as Clusters.

The surface of Amanthal is referred to as the Low Realm, and the perpetual storms that engulf it are collectively called the Sea of Storms. The great habitable zone of Amanthal that contains the majority of the skylands that float above the Sea of Storms is known as the High Realm. The High Realm stretches for many miles above the Sea of Storms, inevitably reaching a great empty region bereft of many skylands, where instead huge chunks of frozen ice drift in vast air-borne floes. This region is known as the Expanse. The few floating islands of the Expanse are so high up they support little life, and the air is so thin most mortal races find it difficult to breathe at these altitudes. Those who dare to fly these lofty heights are subject to blizzards and air-avalanches, and most flying beasts will refuse to approach these frigid skies. Far above the High Realm are smaller clusters of distant skylands, hundreds of miles away and unreachable by any beast or airship of the lower regions. This distant zone is known as the Far Realm, a place of utter mystery.

The legacy of the creator, Azer, can be found throughout the world in the form of great floating stone structures, most commonly known as the Foci of Azer. These city-sized constructions hover in the air high above the surface, often at the center of perpetually raging storm systems. Some are inhabited by mortal races who have learned the navigate the storms and have seized them for various reasons, while others are heavily guarded by constructs of living stone and lightning that repel all comers. Many such Foci have crumbled into disuse, their broken fragments hovering eternally in the air or collapsing down onto the storm-ravaged surface.

Locations in the High Realm

The floating landmasses that constitute the High Realm are called skylands, and skylands in close proximity to one-another are often grouped together and referred to as Clusters. Below are some of the more prominent Clusters in Amanthal.

Human Lands

Solarus - The Solarus cluster is one of the more fertile realms on Amanthal, and is dominated by the human nation of Alten. Rolling wind-kissed plains and verdant forests cover the skylands of this cluster. Solarus is one of the rare Calm Lands, a cluster where storms that rage permanently elsewhere in the world touch only briefly in-between long periods of clear, sunny skies and moderate breezes. Entire skylands are given over to farmlands, acting as the breadbaskets of the human territories. The region is defended by great knightly orders, shield and sword for the Alten nation.
Galerus - The homeland of the Galesti people. A cold, mountainous region, its tall forested peaks frosted with ice and snow. Its cliffs are rich in mineral wealth, and deposits of ore have absorbed the energy of elemental air, making them supernaturally light despite their durability. Storm-quakes shake the land, sometimes causing mountains to break apart, sending avalanches of rock and earth spiraling skywards. The dwarven people covet rare minerals found in Galerus, for the prized metals are vital for use in their technology. The region is also home to tempest dragons, which are used by the Galesti as flying mounts, one of the few examples on Amanthal of such creatures being domesticated.
Sjornrath - A region of wind-swept prairies and valleys. The humans of the Sjornbern people, the 'storm born,' dwell here under open skies that are frequently wracked with fierce storms. The Sjornbern stand fast in the face of the storm, made powerful through generations of adversity. The lands of Sjornrath once hosted many other races, including gnolls, arakkoa, and alicentaur, who warred with humans for territory. The Sjornbern eventually dominated, driving the other races to the outskirts of the cluster. The Sjornbern tell tales of how their ancestors were once giants who in turn were descended from the storms themselves. Some wisemen even tell that the legendary giants of old yet live, dwelling on some remote skyland, and that they will return one day to lead their children to rule all other lands.
Greenveldt - A cluster of skylands covered in lush, verdant forests. The ancient woodlands have survived since before they were broken free from Amanthal's surface long ago. The trees at the heart of the sprawling woodland have attained a kind of sentience, and can speak with those who have learned how to listen.
Whitecrown - The Whitecrown Cluster are a region of high-altitude skylands, filled with frosty mountain peaks and evergreen forests. Enormous shards of pure ice drift amongst the rocky skylands, held aloft by the same elemental air energies. Locked within frigid ice in the cluster's central region are ruins of unknown origin. The dwarves believe that Titanforged structures may lie buried beneath the ice.
Nachitar - A triad of skylands collectively ruled over by a sorcerous triumvirate known as the Lords of Night. Unaligned with any of the major human nations, the Lords of Night serve only their own agenda of increasing their magical power. They often sell their services in exchange for artifacts plundered from elven lands or found in remote skylands. Nachitar itself is a bleak land of blighted mountains and withered forests, perpetually shrouded in sun-obscuring clouds that never seem to part or burn away, its human inhabitants barely eking out a living in the shadow of the black stone castles of their mysterious masters. Night Dragons are known to infest the mountainous cliffs on the edges of the skylands, serving as a potent deterrent for explorers and trespassers.
Wyrmbrindar - Called Dragon's Nest in the tongue of the Galesti people. A region where the climate fluctuates wildly across every skyland, from temperate to sub-freezing. Many of the skylands are sheathed in ice and snow, and blizzards are frequent. Many dangerous creatures inhabit the region that have adapted to the frozen climate, none more dangerous than the dragons, who dwell in abundance and give the land it's name. Elven historical records indicate that the climate was not always so unstable, and that the bitterly cold weather systems that engulf the cluster have manifested within the last two centuries.

Elven Lands

Azerus - The cluster of Azerus was the breadbasket of the old elven empire, the largest and most fertile cluster in the elven territories, and today is the homeland of the elven kingdom of Lhynn, mightiest of the elven dominions. The region is blessed with fertile lands and mild weather, marking it as one of the rare Calm Lands of Amanthal. The great elven citadel of Illuminai, capitol of the Lhynn empire, rises like a mountain of crystal from the heartland of Azerus, a shining monument to the old empire and a symbol of the power that the elves once wielded as a unified race, power that the Lhynn empire dreams of recapturing. The skies of Azerus are filled with innumerable airships, transporting goods to and from elven settlements throughout the cluster and soldiers to many warfronts. The rulers of Lhynn view the other elven kingdoms as rebels and upstarts even centuries after the civil war that divided the empire, and work tireless towards the day when all the would-be usurpers have been brought to heel and the empire is united once again.
Derandus - A harsh land of sweeping savannas and rugged mountains. Broken mountains and scattered forests float overhead, suspended on currents of elemental air. Largely shunned by the elves during the era of the great unified empire, it has become the homeland of the kingdom of Volkara, whose people have embraced the untamed wilderness as a challenge that will strengthen them; in taming the wilds of Derandus, they will rise up as the most worthy of the elven nations, the true successors to the ancient empire. The elves war constantly with savage local races, such as gnolls and arakkoa and other wild primitives. Some of the southern skylands in the cluster are geologically unstable, with tar pits bubbling up to form great steaming mires of the black ooze that shroud the region in smoke and darkness. Elven magisters have detected sources of necromantic power in the most distant and shrouded of the Derandus skylands.
Ulyn - A cluster of skylands covered in verdant forested lands. In the time of the old empire, the land was full of small, scattered elven settlements of pioneers and farmers that supported the empire through farming and trade. After suffering greatly from abuse and exploitation during the empire's expansion and later civil war, the scattered settlements seceded from the empire and united into a new nation dedicated to the peace and well-being of its citizens, eventually becoming what is now known as Ulyanda. Small but filled with dedicated citizenry, Ulyanda seeks an end to war and to bring peace to the people of Amanthal.
Wylddar - Dense, verdant jungles, crystal clear rivers, and vibrant wildlife comprise the skylands of the Wylddar Cluster. Long ago, the elves who lived here abandoned the decadent ways of their former empire and embraced a live of balance and primeval harmony with the wilds. Their descendants, known as the Tyrisaan, remain in Wylddar to this day, protecting the region from all intrusion, even from other elves. At the heart of the realm lies a great maelstrom formed by storm currents that have captured enchanted rivers saturated with life energies, forming a natural vortex of elemental power. The lands surrounding this great vortex are sacred ground to the native elves, who believe that a goddess dwells within the vortex and attack any who dare trespass.
The Crimson Exiles - A hostile region, the skylands known collectively as the Crimson Exiles was used as a place for the old elven empire to exile the unwanted and politically dangerous, hence its name. They are a place of dusty red valleys and towering dark mountains, with ugly forests of grey trees, brambles, and thorns. After the elven civil war split the empire, the Exiles became a haven for elven forces that had made too many enemies in the other newly founded nations. United under the piratical tyrant Malkaar, these renegades and exiles comprise the elven kingdom of Malkyor.
Sernal Drift - A minor cluster that drifts along the edge of a great system of raging storms, and as a result is a realm constantly battered and drenched with furious tempests. The heavily forests skylands have become boggy marshlands due to the constant stormy climate. The reclusive elven nation of Brhynndar dwells here, taking advantage of the remote location and inclement weather to keep outsiders away. Movement between the various skylands of the Drift is difficult, and can only be accomplished in the rare periods when the storms subside, as Brhynndar has very little capability to stabilize weather patterns compared to some of the other elven kingdoms. Recently, the elves of Bhrynndar made the unwelcome discovery that dwarven settlers have appeared on some of the remote skylands.

Other Lands

Gan Trak - Found to the southwest of Wyrmbrindar, the Gan Trak Cluster is ostensibly a human territory, but is sparsely populated by scattered human tribes due to the fierce storms that until recently obscured the skylands of the region. It is the dwarves that are the most populous of the mortal races that dwell on Gan Trak, having constructed numerous mountain holds there in the centuries since they fled the Low Realm. At the heart of Gan Trak is the great dwarven sky-fortress of Khaz Limbik, constructed around an ancient Titanforged structure known as the Crown of Storms. This ancient city-machine is one of many legendary artifacts known as the Foci of Azer, devices that can control the power of Amanthal's eternal storms. In fact it is the dwarves mastery over the arcane machinery within the Focus that has allowed them to subdue the storms that once engulfed Gan Trak, a calculated act on the part of the dwarves to open up access to the rest of Amanthal.
The Shroudlands - Elven records indicate that the vast storm system known as the Shroud of Interdiction conceals a cluster of unexplored skylands, referred to as the Shroudlands. Many an enterprising elven explorer has attempted to find some path through the raging currents to explore the lands hidden within, but so far no safe passage has been found. Found to the south of the Azerus Cluster, the kingdom of Lhynn hopes that their magisters will find a way to unravel the Shroud of Interdiction and allow them to claim the Shroudlands and its hidden secrets at last.
Hakor - Found far to the south of human and elven lands, the Hakor Cluster is an enormous cluster of hundreds of heavily forested and mountainous skylands, wracked by particularly fierce storm systems and inhabited by ferocious monsters. The close proximity of the skylands create huge expanses of sky-canyons, making it difficult for large airship fleets or flocks of flying beasts to navigate. A dizzying array of climates can be found throughout the Hakor Cluster, from sweltering verdant jungles to frigid boggy mires. These lands teem with innumerable orc and ogre tribes, who thrive in the hostile region and employ the savage native creatures as flying mounts. The mountainous regions of skylands at higher altitudes are also heavily inhabited by the arakkoa. The weatherseed trees that grow in this region are coveted as ideal lumber for waterproof construction, particularly for the hulls of airships. However, those who seek to plunder this natural resource might invite retaliation from the natives, who also prize the trees.

Inhabitants

Humans

Humanity is one of the most populous of the mortal races that dwell in the floating lands above the ever-churning Sea of Storms. Humans can be found throughout many of the skylands that drift through, from nomadic tribes forever striving to stay ahead of deadly storms, to grand kingdoms that sprawl across windswept hills and floating mountains. The mightiest known kingdoms are spread across several clusters of larger skylands measuring many miles across. While ostensibly allied under the banner of common race, these realms are only nominally united, and then only in the face of aggression from other races. When not united against a common foe, the humans have a long history of strife and conflict with one-another, including a number of bloody wars. While all the humans of Amanthal come from the Cradles of Azer that spawned all mortal races into the world, the memory of humanity is not as long as some other races.

Their shared history has been lost to memory, the race is divded into three known lineages. The Alten, the people of the victorious sun, the Sjornbern, the stormborn, and the Galesti, the people of the unconquered winds. Each of these kingdoms occupies a great cluster consisting of multiple skylands. Humans travel between skylands typically atop beasts such as gryphons or great eagles, though the kingdoms of the Galesti have formed allegiances with some of Amanthal's lesser dragon breeds. Humans have adapted well to many of Amanathal's environments, demonstrating a wide variety of physical appearances. The Galesti people, owing to a history of nomadic 'sun-chasing', are a darker skinned breed, while the Sjornbern and Alten are fairer-skinned.

Elves

The elves of Amanthal pride themselves as the most enlightened and advanced of the worlds races. Their history stretches back tens of thousands of years, and in that time the elves have spread slowly across the skylands of Amanthal, but wherever they settle they make theirs utterly, raising up wondrous cities and subduing the land completely. Elves are long lived and naturally talented with magic, with an affinity for elemental air and arcane sorceries. While they cannot yet pierce the Sea of Storms, many of their settlements are free of damaging storms and destructive weather, elven magisters able to calm all but the most catastrophic of weather systems. Their spellcraft has also enabled them to create magnificent airships to sail the skies, from tiny single-pilot craft to immense capitol ships. Elves glory in the sun that shines down upon their cities, seeing it as a sign of their conquest of the natural forces of Amanthal that continually plague the 'lesser' races. Having adapted to many centuries of exposure to the bright sun of Amanathal, elves have brown skin and jet-black hair.

Despite their long dominion, the elven nations of Amanthal have a history that is riven with bloodshed and conflict. When most mortal races had barely begun to develop civilization, the elves were united in the vast and thriving empire of Auristagon. Millions served the crown of the Auristarch, a religious monarch said to rule with the authority of Azer Herself who taught that elves had a duty to balance the world according to Azer's grand design. As the elven magisters learned to command the elements, their influence in elven society grew, ultimately leading to a revolution of thought within the empire. The magister leader, the self-declared Mysteriarch, declared that the religious rule of the Auristarch was an outmoded concept and that the elves needed to be free of the shackles of worship towards so-called 'higher' entities, when the elves ought to be regarded as the highest beings possible, elevating themselves to ever greater heights through knowledge and magic. The resulting civil war split the old empire apart, and after several centuries of conflict multiple independent elven kingdoms arose. Millennia have passed since then, but elves have long memories, and innumerable feuds and grudges exist between their kingdoms. The complex history and hierarchy of alliances and oaths between the many noble families that make up each elven dominion is all but incomprehensible to any not of their race.

Orcs

Orcs typically inhabit the more heavily forested skylands in the southern hemisphere of Amanthal, most notably the region known as the Hakor Cluster. The great weatherseed trees in this region provide waterproof lumber that the orcs use to construct their forts and lodges. They are a primitive breed, inhabiting regions that softer races avoid. A great many orcs use airships or flying beasts to hunt in the open skies between skylands, tracking large flying beasts that feed on clouds of smaller creatures just as sailors might hunt whales. The meat of these beasts sustain the vast numbers of the orc clans. Orc skyhunters make use of the wardrak as their mount of choice, fierce and temperamental reptilian creatures with broad membranous wings. Orcs are one of the most populous races of amanthal, with many different clans and tribes that have different approaches to dealing with others. So great are their numbers that many tribes have been driven beyond the boundaries of their ancestral skylands to seek more territory, bringing them into conflict with other races. Some orcs are actively piratical, preying upon their neighbors, usually targeting those of other races. Orcish sky-pirates are a frequent threat when traveling the southern skylands. Packs of wardrak riders can make swift work of the ships and flying beasts of other races, and some pirate bands use the dreaded greater drakkanoth, one of the most feared flying beasts of Amanthal, as living flying fortresses.

Dwarves

The dwarves once held vast territories in the Low Realm's mountains, until their dominion was shattered by the Mogu'Shan Empire and many dwarves were driven from their fortress-cities. Using dwarven-made airships and other, arcane means, many dwarves were evacuated from the Low Realm entirely, while many more stayed behind to buy precious time, selling their lives dearly against the mogu. The dwarven refugees built new holdings on mountainous skylands and took over several floating Titan cities, but they have yet to recover even a fraction of their former civilization's strength. Only a few cities still remain hidden on the surface, and those remain sealed, their inhabitants fearful that they will be discovered by the Mogu'Shan. Some brave dwarves have begun to explore the Foci of Azer and other Titan structures hidden throughout the High Realm that most other races dare not approach, hopeful that they may uncover some secrets of the ancients that will allow them to reclaim their lost ancestral lands in the Low Realm.

Ogres

Primitive and dim-witted by most standards, the savage ogre people thrive in the most inhospitable regions of Amanthal. Towering over most other races, the ogres are heavily muscled and immensely strong, able to uproot small trees and hurl boulders one-handed. Ogres on Amanthal love the wind and rain, and while most races would rush for cover when a stormfront blows in, the ogres see it as a sign of good fortune, and consider themselves blessed by the gods to live on a world where good fortune so often finds them. Ogres live in tribes and worship storms, their shamans possessing a naturally affinity with storm magic and summoning creatures of elemental air. Ogre elder-shaman are known to climb tall peaks in thunderstorms and call down the lightning to strike them - far from injuring these ogre-mystics, the strike of lightning only serves to empower them with raw, elemental might. Ogre tribes are known to make war and conduct raids on other races by flying to attack other skylands, using great beasts of the air or the sorcery of their shaman to make huge slabs of stone float. Such war-parties inevitably bite off more than they can chew, inviting the wrath of other races to fall upon and crush the primitives. Amanthal ogres have a love of music, though they prefer volume over things like melody or form, or rhythm, or anything besides volume really. Ogres love drums and horns or just plain yelling, and when thunder rolls across their home skylands, they always try to out-do the storm with noise of their own.

In the High Realm, ogre tribes are mostly scattered throughout the more mountainous skylands of the Hakor cluster, warring with orcs and other primitive races for the best hunting grounds. In the past, many ogres also lived on the surface of Amanthal in the Low Realm, constantly warring with the native mogu nations. The histories of the dwarves indicated that the ogres of the Low Realm were of a more advanced breed than their High Realm cousins, carving castles and cities of stone into the sides of mountains. However, the fledgling ogre civilizations of the Low Realm were smashed by the mogu once they unified into a single empire. Now, the only ogres that dwell on the Low Realm are slaves of the mogu, their past culture erased, whole generations knowing only subjugation.

Trolls

One of the most mysterious of the mortal races of Amanthal. They are largely regarded as myths by humans. Ancient ruins attributed to troll construction are occasionally found in some of the most remote skylands, often those that have been engulfed in storm systems for centuries that have only recently abated. Learned elven scholars consider them real, but their records suggest that none have been seen in the High Realm for over two thousand years. Elven records describe the trolls as tall and wiry, almost like elves in appearance but rougher and more primitive, with exaggerated features and great tusks. They were said to have lightly toned blue, green, or bronze skin. Most who believe in them consider them to have gone extinct long ago. Some elves speculate that they are still alive, dwelling above in the Far Realm, but most scoff at this notion.

Mogu

The mogu are a brutal race that dwell upon the Low Realm and rule it virtually uncontested. For many centuries the mogu had warred with the dwarves and ogres who also lived in the Low Realm, as well as fighting amongst themselves, until the mogu clans unified under the Black Dragon Clan, forming the Mogu'Shan Empire. The clanlord of the Black Dragon Clan, Hei Long, was crowned the Storm Emperor, and vowed to bring not just the Low Realm but all the world under his dominion. Under Hei Long's rule, the Mogu'Shan Empire has grown in power, unlocking ancient technology and elemental sorcery. The Mogu'Shan have created gigantic floating fortresses powered by captured thunderstorms that have allowed them to raise entire armies from the Low Realm to attack the nations of the High Realm.

Other Races

Alicentaur
Arakkoa
Earthen
Elemental
Furbolg
Gnoll
Harpy
Taigo
Tol'vir
Vespari
Vrykul

Kingdoms of Amanthal

Human Nations

The Alten

The Solarus Cluster is dominated by the human nation of Alten. Mightiest of the human kingdoms, the Alten have for decades been embroiled in prolonged conflict with the elven kingdom of Lhynn. The Alten have recently ceded territory to the elves after several grievous losses. Believing the humans to have been humbled by their defeats, the rulers of Lhynn have turned their attentions to conflicts with other elves, discounting the humans as no longer being a threat. The Alten are rebuilding rapidly in the wake of their defeats, and the elves may find they seriously underestimated the ambition and tenacity of humanity. The Alten live in many cities and townships throughout the Solarus Cluster and beyond, with lords, dukes, and princes who trace their ancestry to the nobility of the first great kingdom of humanity. Their people worship the Light of Creation, and believe that Azer was the Holy Mother of the Light, an incarnation of the Light in near-mortal form that created the world.

Altenborg - Mighty Altenborg is the grandest of the human cities, dominating the largest skyland in the Solarus Cluster, and is the capitol of the Alten kingdom. A vast fortress-city perched upon the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Storms, it is one of the few human kingdoms known to employ airships in addition to flying beasts, and its sky-docks are filled with such vessels in addition to flocks of gryphons and colossal great eagles. The monarch of Alten rules the kingdom from his throne in Altenborg's highest tower. The king's greatest defender and personal mount is the mighty golden dragon Aurumbolg, a beast bound to the service of the throne by ancient sorceries and magical oaths.
Ornanborg - Great fortress of the Knights of the Victorious Light, an order of unrelenting holy warriors, one of the mightiest military forces in the Alten nation and a key element of the kingdom's defense. Outwardly a beacon of purity to the nation of Alten, in truth the gleaming facade of the Knights of the Light hide a nest of vipers, with ambitions members of the inner circle plotting a coup against the rulership in Altenborg.
Stromborg -
Uristaborg - City of the Order of the Knights of Justice. it is a place of harmony, built atop high mountain peaks. The city is frequently shrouded in clouds, which drift amongst the countless great statues of past heroes of the order, depicted with great angelic wings. The Knights of Justice are loyal supporters of the throne in Altenborg, but their military might has been heavily depleted in the recent years of war with the elves. However, the Knights of Justice are beloved by the people and a true inspiration to new generations of men and women who wish to defend their home, and their might is steadily being rebuilt. The knights are skilled riders of gryphons, who sport the cobalt blue heraldry of the Order.
Gryphinborg - Renowned for breeding the finest gryphons in Solarus.

The Sjornbern

Drachendorf
Hagendorf

The Galesti

Ushker
Hurskaal
Orjastr

Elven Kingdoms

Lhynn
Volkara
Ulyanda
Tirisann
Malkyor
Brhynndar

Orc Great-Clans

Storm Reaver
Black Moon
Sky Fire
Howling Rock
Beast Fang
Blood Storm

Dwarven Khazen

Khaz Drevlor
Khaz Herok
Khaz Limbik
Khaz Norvu

Greater Clans of the Mogu'Shan Empire

Black Dragon
Jade Tortoise
Thunder Pheonix
Golden Lion
Iron Hound

Bestiary

Aero Sphinx
Aether Medusa
Bloodgrin Greatbat
Dragon, Golden
Dragon, Night
Dragon, Tempest
Drakkanoth, Greater
Drakkanoth, Lesser
Gale Condor
Gryphon, Bearded
Gryphon, Golden
Gryphon, Thunderhead
Great Eagle
Hawkhound
Krakkenoi
Manta, Air
Manta, Lightning
Nightshadow Bat
Rippergrin
Simurgh
Sky-Serpent
Shandai Viper
Skrill
Thunder Pheonix
Wardrak
Wolf-Hawk

Visions of Amanthal

Storm Emperor Hei Long and the Mogu'Shan Empire

The Mogu'Shan Empire is the most powerful nation on Amanthal, ruling over the Low Realm uncontested after destroying or enslaving all the other races that inhabit it. The Mogu'Shan Empire is made up of many different mogu clans, with their own customs and traditions, all of whom hold allegiance to the throne of the Storm Emperor, Hei Long. Many of the clans are minor powers, and inter-clan competition sees many of these lesser clans absorbed, conquered, disbanded, or otherwise destroyed, with new clans are founded just as frequently. But the five Greater Clans of the Mogu'Shan Empire have existed as mighty powers for centuries. These ancient clans are the Jade Tortoise, who boast the finest armorers and siege-crafters in the Empire, the Thunder Pheonix, masters of the mystic arts, the Golden Lion and the Iron Hound, who have vast legions of skilled soldiers at their disposal, and the Black Dragon, the clan of the Storm Emperor himself, Hei Long, who rule without peer over all the other clans.

While the Storm Emperor permits the clans a certain amount of rivalry, for this breeds stronger and more clever subjects, open war is not permitted, less it interfere with the greater growth of the empire. Thus, clans may only make war upon one-another in secret, weakening their rivals through sabotage and assassination. A clan that makes secret war upon another must do so without their role being revealed, less the fury of the Black Dragon Clan fall upon them for their incompetence in revealing their actions. Should a clan successfully carry out a secret war and eliminate a rival, they are highly regarded as skillful and cunning, as well as powerful, and therefore worthier than their defeated rival. Often they are awarded with the holdings, wealth, and slaves of the smashed clan, absorbing its surviving mogu members as lower-ranking subjects.

Seeds of the Empire

As brutal as current mogu society is under the Mogu'Shan Empire, its history was even more so. There was no unity, no single authority, and the clans warred upon one-another in ferocious, bloody conflict for many centuries. The mogu shared the Low Realm with dwarven and ogre kingdoms, and whatever gains they made in wars against these races were squandered in conflicts with each other, their ancient enemies inevitably taking back what they had lost.

This state of affairs might have continued forever, until the Black Dragon Clan, under the leadership of Clanlord Hei Long, sacked a remote dwarven stronghold in one of the most distant and inhospitable regions of the Low Realm. The dwarves had thought themselves secret and safe, but the Black Dragon Clan swarmed out of the storm-wracked lands without warning and slaughtered all who stood before them, seizing the dwarven fortress for themselves. In the depths of the dwarven city, the Black Dragon Clan discovered Titanforged relics, including a grand orrery that displayed the Great Dark Beyond surrounding the Titan Worlds. Activating the orrery, the mogu beheld wondrous cosmic spectacle, including the mythical stars that the mortal mogu had never beheld with their own eyes, concealed as they were by the never-ending storms of the Low Realm. Hei Long was fascinated by the immensity of creation - the Low Realm had always seemed vast to him, but what he saw redefined the meaning of the word. Hei Long began to experiment with the Titan machinery, searching for more secrets, more knowledge, for some way to bring him closer to the fantastic realm of stars and other worlds. Years passed as the Black Dragon Clan remained in the dwarven fortress, and the warriors began to grow discontent for lack of combat and conquest. Finally, an assassin crept into the orrery as Hei Long sat meditating on the cosmos. His senses focused on the stars, he did not sense the assassin until a blade was plunged into his back. Hei Long bellowed in fury, outraged less at the betrayal than the notion that his death would forever separate him from the greater cosmos he had only begun to perceive.

But Hei Long was wrong. As his body slumped to the floor in a pool of his own blood, his spirit soared into the cosmos, guided by the Titan orrery's unknowable arcane workings, until he stood in darkness illuminated by stars. As he gazed about himself with spectral sight, Hei Long suddenly saw movement among the stars, a sinuous rippling that filled him with both awe and fear. Slithering through the stars was some immense creature, coiled and serpentine, with flesh of the black expanse and stars glittering on the edges of its scales. Hei Long beheld a serpent of stars and darkness, the very image of the legendary creature that was his clan's namesake, the Black Dragon God. The draconic being spoke to Hei Long of cosmic history, of how the legendary Azeroth, creator-deity of Amanthal and the mogu, had left the cosmos to its own devices. Hei Long learned of another world that the mogu had ruled, of how one of his kind had dared to take the power of the gods themselves into his very soul and forge an empire that no longer needed them. As the Black Dragon God revealed these truths to him, Hei Long felt his fear and awe melt away, to be replaced with a blazing ambition, a desire for the mogu to once again know these past glories, and more. The Black Dragon God uncurled a massive taloned paw, large enough to crush a galaxy, and in his palm Hei Long beheld a searing white-hot spark. The Black Dragon God sent the spark burning into Hei Long's own soul, and new memories bloomed in his mind's eye, visions of another mogu empire, another lifetime.

As Hei Long struggled to control the new knowledge and power welling up inside him, shimmering figures began to appear in the darkness around him and the Black Dragon God. Thousands of mogu made of flickering starlight, their eyes blazing with cosmic power, their expressions hungry - for war, for glory. The Black Dragon God's voice filled Hei Long's mind - he would go back, back to Amanathal, back to the Low Realm, which Hei Long now realized was such a tiny part of something so much greater. Hei Long would go back and teach the mogu race their true destiny, and that destiny would raise them up to conquer worlds without number. The Titan Worlds would only be the beginning, the center of a star-spanning empire. Hei Long opened his eyes, eyes that blazed now with cosmic lightning. He sat up in the orrery of the Titan structure, his wound closing, his assassin staring in shock. Hei Long rose and with a gesture obliterated the assassin in a blaze of lightning. Around him the orrery transformed, stone panels in the wall unfolding to reveal greater, more intricate machinery beneath. Power thrummed through the Titan structure, wakening to Hei Long's command. The Black Dragon clansmen stared dumb-founded as their stolen fortress transformed around them, unfolding like a storm-lotus blossom into something far grander.

Below the orrery was an even more fantastic device: a Creation Forge. Unlike the Cradles of Azer scattered throughout the Titan Worlds that brought forth mortal life of flesh and blood, the Creation Forges were devices that created nigh-immortal constructs of living stone and metal. Responding to Hei Long's command, the Creation Forge roared to life, producing a legion of stone constructs in the image of the mogu. As his unliving stone legions marched forth from the forge, Hei Long reached out his expanding cosmic senses to the mogu spirits that dwelt in the stars, calling them down into their new vessels. The stone mogu shook as the spirits of the ancient star-mogu inhabited them, cosmic lightning arcing along their mighty forms. Once again they had permanent substance, no longer dependent on the tide of cosmic energy to grant them form - the star-mogu lived again as they had in another age, living stone warriors with souls that longed for conquest and carnage! These were Hei Long's new army, his Immortals, which he led into battle against his treacherous clan forces. Those who had plotted against him were butchered without mercy, the few survivors falling to their knees and swearing undying fealty to Hei Long.

With a newly devoted cadre of followers and a horde of unbeatable stone soldiers forming his new Black Dragon clan, Hei Long turned his eyes out upon all the Low Realm, mind already ablaze with the plans of conquest.

Conquest of the Low Realm

Hei Long and his Black Dragon clan marched across the Low Realm with the unstoppable fury of a roaring hurricane. Every mogu clan that they encountered was smashed - those who would not swear fealty to Hei Long were exterminated entirely, those who bowed were inducted into his own Black Dragon forces. If a clanlord bowed to Hei Long after distinguishing himself as a worthy leader and adversary, Hei Long would permit their clan to continue under the clanlord's rule, provided they maintain ultimately fealty to Hei Long himself. After only a few years, Hei Long had subdued several dozen mogu clans, swelling his Black Dragon clan into a massive force and securing the loyalty of many independent clans. This was the birth of the Mogu'Shan Empire, and over the years clan after clan would fall under Hei Long's dominion. Hei Long built his captured dwarven stronghold into a massive imperial palace, the Creation Forge at its heart. He declared himself the Storm Emperor, the rightful ruler of the mogu race and all of Amanthal.

Hei Long's own personal power grew. In addition to his cosmic insight and the Creation Forge which allowed him to call on the star-mogu, Hei Long obtained mighty sorcerous powers that granted him mastery over the storms of Amanthal. He could call down bolts of lightning to shatter mountains, and conjure gale force winds that would sweep entire legions of enemies away. All this was still not enough for Hei Long. He hungered to seize more treasures of the Titans, and once he had secured the foundations of his mogu empire, he began seeking out other secret Titan structures, other hidden vaults and places of power that were legacies of the creator-gods. With these treasures, he improved on the power of his armies, granting enchanted weaponry and armor to his soldiers. His imperial arcanists re-purposed Titan arcano-tech to create the Soul Anchors, devices linked to the Creation Forge in Hei Long's imperial palace, to further empower his greatest warriors, the Immortals. Even these mighty beings with bodies of living stone and souls of ancient mogu warriors were not invulnerable, and some were inevitably destroyed in battle, their souls cast out to the cosmic winds. In time Hei Long could summon them back, but this process was lengthy and difficult, and years could pass before one of the star-mogu's spirits could be recalled. With the Soul Anchors, the spirits of slain Immortals could be snatched from their shattered forms and rapidly transferred back to the Creation Forge, prepared to inhabit newly forged bodies almost immediately. A slain Immortal could return to the battlefield within days of their fall.

Before long Hei Long had subdued over half the mogu clans in the Low Realm, incorporating them into his growing empire. Soon clans were seeking to join of their own accord, awed by the vision and power of the mogu emperor. Hei Long began campaigns of war against the ogre tribes, the long-time enemy of the mogu race, and sooner the majority of the ogres were beaten into submission and transformed into a slave-caste of the Mogu'Shan Empire. The dwarven race sought treaties and peace with the Mogu'Shan, recognize that the mogu's new unity represented a more advanced culture that they could find common cause with. Dwarven ambassadors were sent home to their mountain holds hideously tortured, with demands for unconditional surrender and promises of survival only through slavery.

The dwarves fought valiantly against the Mogu'Shan, and won many glorious victories, but in time the mogu's superior numbers and rapid adaptability overwhelmed even the stalwart dwarves. When the dwarven hold-fathers saw that they could not hold out forever against the mogu, they made plans for the survival of their race. Prototypes for great flying engines designed to brave the eternal storms were thrown into construction, dwarven industry turning out a fleet of airships. Hundreds of dwarves crowded aboard these ships and departed through the storms, seeking skylands above where they could rebuild. No small number were lost in the deadly storms, but finally many of the ships broke the surface of the Sea of Storms and sought out lands beyond the mogu's reach. Dwarven holds that yet remained unknown to the mogu were sealed, their locations warded with potent rules of concealment. Deep within the most remote and well-hidden holds, ancient machines were brought to life by dwarven hands, thrumming with unknowable power and function...

The dwarves had abandoned their homeland as lost. The Low Realm belonged to the Mogu'Shan Empire.

Rise of the Storm Emperor

The conquest of the Low Realm and the rise of the Mogu'Shan Empire as the supreme power there brought Hei Long little satisfaction. The mogu emperor raged at the discover of what the dwarves had done. Slaves and resources that were rightfully his had slipped through his fingers. He vowed there would be nowhere on Amanthal that any being could escape his rule. He ordered his mogu to secure the Low Realm, consolidating his empire. The last holdout mogu clan, the last remote ogre tribes, ever hidden dwarf hold, all would be rooted out and made to submit. His scholars and magisters were ordered to pour through every scrap of lore they had uncovered, with one goal above all others - find a way through the storms, to fresh conquests in the near mythical skylands above.

Years passed, and then decades. The empire grew and prospered, and Hei Long's power grew as well. The mogu emperor discovered with some wonder that he did not age as other mogu did. He had lived long already, and mogu at his age should have been growing infirm and feeble, ripe to be deposed by their younger, stronger offspring. But Hei Long only grew mightier as the decades passed. His people began to see him as a living god, the eternal ruler of their race, and Hei Long did much to encourage this belief. Hei Long meditated for long hours in his palace, improving his cosmic insight. The spark deep within him recalled another time, another age, when a mogu like him had also tasted near greatness, near godhood... something in his soul knew that he was destined to dominate, to lead his empire to ever more conquests. But he could not do that while his forces were cut off from the rest of Amanthal. His empire dominated the Low Realm, but now it had become the mogu's prison.

Finally, after nearly a century, one of Hei Long's arch-sorcerers, Raijun Jao, gave him the means to realize his ambition. An unparalleled genius in the art of blending machinery with sorcery, Raijun Jao had proven ruthless and ambitious as well, ascending the hierarchy of the Mogu'Shan Empire's magisters through achievement and assassination, earning him the esteem of his peers and his emperor. Jao had made revolutionary developments through re-purposing recovered Titans machinery, and using the principles to develop completely new technology. His latest innovations led to the Vitae Exmachina, mighty engines that absorbed the energy of the raging storms to lift colossal mass. Hei Long had enormous fortress-cities built with these great engines at their heart, and once completed the engines would lift the entire fortress into the air, bringing Hei Long's armies to the lands high above the Low Realm. Hei Long vowed to follow the dwarves who had escaped his grasp would be hunted down and exterminated, and that all other races that lived in the High Realm would either submit or follow the dwarves into extinction.

Hei Long also knew from his studies of Titan structures on the surface that somewhere in the High Realm were the greatest prizes of all - Titan devices known as Worldgates. He had never found such structures in the Low Realm, but was certain many could be found above, and that they could lead him beyond Amanthal to other worlds. Soon, every world would know his power, and all would feel the foot of the Mogu'Shan Empire upon their necks.

Dragonflights of Amanthal

Golden Dragons

The golden dragons of Amanthal are broadly muscled beasts with thick limbs and immense wings covered in sharp feather-like scales. Their bodies are covered in scales that shade from bright shining yellow to a pale white-gold. The power of raw elemental thunder blazes through their bodies, manifesting as golden lightning that crackles and crawls along their chest and wings when they call it forth, before pouring from their jaws in a torrent of crackling destruction. Gold dragons are temperamental and blusterous creatures, quick to take offense at perceived slights and just as quick to forget after a brief spate of violence. Humanoids races are typically beneath their notice and golden dragons usually avoid their dwelling places, though any airships moving through dragon territory had best be prepared to show obeisance and pay tribute, lest they be turned back the way they came with significant lightning damage to their vessel. Canny individuals can sometimes purchase the services of a golden dragon in exchange for a large amount of gold and treasure - the dragon in question must be cautiously managed with flattery and will always assume they are in charge of whatever operation they have been recruited for. The skilled negotiator will grant them the illusion of authority, offering to carry their (typically contradictory and nonsensical) orders to the troops, while in reality substituting his own actual commands, all the while carefully catering to the dragon's whims. The dragon must be expertly steered and maneuvered into the necessary role - if it is desired that the golden dragon assault an enemy position, the dragon will be asked to heroically lead their forces into battle from the front, as an illustrious example of bravery and inspiration to the troops. If the dragon ever suspects that are being manipulated, their fury will be turned upon their erstwhile employer.

For all the difficulty in steering a golden dragon through such a role, the immense destructive power they are capable of bringing to bear on a target can be the deciding factor in a battle.

Night Dragons

Some of the rarest of the dragon breeds, night dragons are nearly the equal of golden dragons in terms of size and strength, but are far more cunning and malicious than their boisterous golden cousins. While golden dragons can be arrogant and dangerous when their temper is roused, they are not actively cruel or sadistic, unlike the night dragons who take great delight in causing suffering and misery to those weaker than themselves, which comprise most of the inhabitants of the world. Some believe that the dark corruption of the Void is responsible for the existence of such malevolent creatures. Luckily, night dragons are not active beings and general slumber for many months or even years in between week-long periods of destructive excess. Night dragons are also craven beasts who target isolated communities or lightly guarded caravans, but retreat in the face of united resistance, refusing to risk their hide against a determined opponent. Night dragons breathe clouds of pure darkness that drain the stamina of living creatures, sapping their will to resist. They have pitch-black scales over most of their body, with pale purple underbellies and wing membranes and red glowing eyes.

Tempest Dragons

Smaller and less intelligent than golden dragons, the tempest dragons are fierce hunters of Amanthal's skies. They are named for their predatory tactics of lurking in thunder storms before emerging to attack their prey. Cunning and vicious animals, tempest dragons will attack virtually anything, joining forces to attack anything that a lone dragon cannot slay. The humans of the Galesti nation have tamed broods of tempest dragons and bred them to serve as mounts, using them to travel rapidly between the scattered skylands of their territory and to act as powerful war-beasts in battle. Tempest dragons resemble golden dragons, having feather-like scales on their wings, but their hides are darker in color, typically brown or grey. Tempest dragons are also smaller, a full grown male typically being only slightly greater than half the size of a golden dragon.

Sky-Serpents

The beasts known as sky-serpents are not truly related to dragons, but such creatures are regarded as a type of dragon by the mogu of the Low Realm. Sky-serpents come in a variety of colors, their scales acting as camouflage in whatever environment they dwell. Sky-serpents from the Low Realm are typically darker scaled, and grow much larger than their High Realm cousins. The infamous Black Dragon Clan takes their namesake from the largest breed of these creatures, whose scales are midnight black.

Sky-serpents of the Low Realm can grow to immense size, the largest of such beasts equaling golden dragons in size. They possess serpentine bodies with immense wings and two fore-limbs, which are viciously clawed. They hunt by crushing their prey in their strong coils before swallowing their broken bodies whole. The mogu have broken a number of these great beasts to serve as mounts for their elite soldiers. Mogu magisters are rumored to be experimenting with using sorcery to create ever larger and more dangerous breeds of sky-serpents, as part of a larger effort to use magic to engineer living weapons for the Mogu'Shan Empire.

Orcs and the Wardrak

The wardrak is a ferocious aerial predator of Amanthal, resembling a brutish, heavily muscled reptilian beast with large membranous forewings, a blunt, heavily fanged snout, and a long tail that ends in a nodule of spiked bone. Wardraks have little intellect and prefer brute force in their hunts - packs of wardrak tirelessly pursue prey until they overtake it and crash bodily into it, bludgeoning and ripping with thick claws and mace-like tail. Wardraks must be captured at a relatively young age and trained with both violence and reward to be of use as mounts, and usually only the orcish race is up to the challenge. Wardraks naturally defer to the strongest and loudest in their pack, immediately turning upon any leader who shows the slightest sign of weakness, and so a wardrak rider must be powerful, courageous, and above all, loud.

A newly captured young wardrak must be battered and bludgeoned into submission for weeks before it will acknowledge a rider as master, and the rider must forever continue to prove their might with displays of ferocity, shouting and bellowing orders into the face of their mount, punctuated with both savage blows and rewards of food to encourage its obedience. Though wardraks can never truly be domesticated, a trained wardrak will continue to submit to its rider throughout its life even as the wardrak grows much larger and stronger. If the training is properly applied, the slow-witted beasts never realizes that they have become powerful enough to butcher the mightiest orc with a single swipe of their taloned fore-paw, always assuming that their bellowing rider is their superior. Should a rider ever fail to prove their strength with insufficient force or volume, the instincts of the wardrak will drive them to rip apart their rider in an explosive display of dominance. Such wardraks typically need to be put down, as the dull beast finally realizes its own strength and refuses to submit any longer.

For all their difficulty in terms of handling, a properly trained pack of wardraks carrying orc warriors into battle is one of the mightiest forces that exist in the skies of Amanthal. Even the largest and most powerful of flying beasts, or the most heavily armed of skyships, can be brought down by the savage attacks of wardraks with their orc riders coordinating their assault.

Wardraks are not easily bred in captivity - pregnant females become voracious and uncontrollable, devouring everything around them from flesh and bone to leather, wood, and even metal. They will instinctively seek to drive away all other living creatures to create a safe nesting area before laying a clutch of a dozen or so eggs. Any creature that attempts to approach a wardrak clutch will be messily torn apart and devoured by the mother. Wardrak hatchlings remain with the mother after hatching as she returns to her pack, clinging to her underbelly as she hunts before feasting on her kill. Wardrak young become capable of hunting on their own within a year, and will typically be driven away by their mother at this time, separating from their siblings and traveling the skies alone to seek other unrelated youths to form packs with. Male and female juveniles will former gender exclusively packs until they reach sexual maturity, at which point these youth-packs will seek out packs of the opposite gender to form adult packs of both genders.

Orcs have found that attempting to breed wardraks in captivity is usually more trouble than it is worth - wardrak mothers are fiercely protective of eggs and wardrak hatchlings produce pheromones that drive all wardrak females wild with protective instinct, making raising newly hatched wardraks anywhere near trained wardraks unfeasible. Orcs have found that it is easier to allow wardraks to mate and hatch young in the wild, then capture the juveniles for training when they leave their pack.

Halycanos and the Arakkoa

The arakkoa were a race born of another world, but through their communion with Azer through the fabled Worlds Tree Vrildrassil, they became known to the ancient goddess in her dreams, and when she formed the Titan Worlds from her dreams and memories the arakkoa found a place in the Realm of Storms. Highly intelligent and possessed of great skill in mage-craft and alchemy, the arakkoa have created sky kingdoms and roost-cities high atop mountain peaks to escape the raging stormscapes of the lower altitudes. The arakkoa honor powerful air deities, chief among them great Halycanos, a colossal avian creature as temperamental and unpredictable as the storms themselves.

Halycanos

Halycanos himself is a being of immense power, one of the mightiest creatures in Amanthal. He is partly an elemental being, with the force of elemental lightning crackling through his body, but he also a creature of flesh and blood, with the body of a ferocious flying beast at once avian, draconic, and prehistoric. He hears the voice of the winds and draws knowledge from them, and as a result knows an incredible amount of lore about the entire world. However, Halycos is a blunt creature and has little use for the knowledge he possesses, preferring to enjoy himself flying the heights and storms of Amanthal, and using raw destructive force and storm magic in combat as opposed to subtlety.

The arakkoa learned of Halycanos long before he learned of them. The early arakkoa were awed by the being's great power, and as their cities multiplied across the high peaks of Amanthal, they saw the air god more and more. Soon they began constructing primitive statues and sculptures in homage to the mighty creature and paying him homage with worship and song. The day Halycanos first noticed the arakkoa roost-cities, the deity was equal parts amused and affronted by the mortals who had built their nests so close to the highest skies he enjoyed flying. He was of a mind to destroy them for their effrontery, but as he drew close to attack their roost-cities he realized that the mortals were creating images in his likeness and singing praises to his greatness. Mollified by the mortals worship, and secretly pleased by the gratifying number and beauty of the images devoted to him, Halycanos decided to spare the arakkoa, provided they continued to pay him his due.

Halycanos is not a deity who is prone to granting favors to his worshipers. Rather, he is praised more-so in the hope that he will withhold any actions from them, for Halycanos is wrathful and short-tempered. Prayers to him are not entreaties for blessings, but rather praise and fawning in the hopes of keeping the deity in a good mood. Halycanos pays little heed to the arakkoa when prayers are plentiful - should their reverence slacken however, Halycanos may consider that his mercy in allowing the arakkoa to dwell so close to his favored skies is being taken for granted. When his ardor is stoked, ferocious gales are unleashed for miles upon the floating realms of Amanthal. In these times the arakkoa pray hardest of all, hoping to appease the anger of their deity.

Though choleric, Halycanos is pleased to be worshiped by the arakkoa, and regards any attack upon any of his followers as a personal affront. Recognizing this fact, the shrewd arakkoa ensure their dwelling places are filled with many icons and statues of Halycanos, knowing that any enemy who attacks them will be tempting the wrath of their mighty god for the profaning of his sacred image.

Arakkoa Society

Arakkoa society is, essentially, matriarchal. All arakkoa are born with wings, but only those of females are functional. Arakkoa women assume leadership roles throughout society, overseeing the flightless males in their subordinate roles. Males are typically smaller than females, though no less intelligent, and many brilliant scholars, skilled architects, visionary military leaders, and powerful mages have been flightless males, but these are rare exceptions and most arakkoa regard it as a female's duty to oversee their menfolk in their duties, ensuring their efforts are efficiently directed. Flightless arakkoa males are often subdued and somewhat meek compared with the more passionate females, though warrior males fight with a grim determination in defense of their roost-cities.

However, the relationship between male and females in leadership roles is a complex one - while females maintain high status, those who sit upon the thrones of highest office are always men. Occasionally, certain males will be selected by cadres of females and groomed for a greater role in society. Males that display the highest aptitude among their brothers will be granted the Favor of the Winds - these chosen men are taken by arakkoa women and infused with elemental energy in special rituals. Many rituals take place over long periods of time, sometimes years, and the chosen male must continually prove himself to be exceptional or he may lose his status at any time. Males who exceed expectations eventually absorb enough elemental energy to undergo a transformation, becoming larger and stronger, as well as growing a pair of new limbs - great feathered wings that can bore them aloft in flight. These flighted males also come to possess a potent connection with the element of air, allowing them to command powerful elemental magics. The mighty flighted males also develop volatile temperaments, filled with a burning spirit and great passion far different from the meeker flightless male they invariable once were. Flighted males are quick to take offense and slow to forgive, and to face one in combat is to face the fury of the storms incarnate in wing and talon. Flighted males are also the only arakkoa males who become fertile, allowing them to father children with female arakkoa.

Flighted males exude a powerful charismatic influence over flightless arakkoa males, and to a degree even females, inspiring their lesser brothers with an almost instinctive skill and becoming intensely desirable to women. The cadre of females that brought about the change will become the wives of the male, a coterie of women who will bear his children. The head of every arakkoa family is a flighted male, and their broods are often very large, with the flighted male overseeing the family's operations in their roost-city. The highest stations in arakkoa society are occupied by flighted males, who become the shaman-kings and rulers of roost-cities. Every flighted male is 'aided' in their ruling capacity by their wives, who act as advisors (some might say handlers) for the hot-blooded men, steering their energies towards constructive means and ensuring that their capacity to inspire and lead the lower-class males is not squandered. Flighted males are quick to anger and almost instinctively hostile towards one-another, and coteries will coordinate and work together to ensure their husbands are not forced to share space for too long, as violent battles are the inevitable result of two flighted males being in close proximity. The females known who truly wields the power in arakkoa society, and the flighted males are in truth largely figure-heads. However, the world is a dangerous place, and in trying times the ability for the flighted males to inspire the arakkoa nation to grand efforts is one that the arakkoa could not survive without.

The Burning Skies

Far to the distant west of the elven and human territories, across open expanses of sky bereft of skylands, are the eternal sandstorms and desert skylands of the Burning Skies. Water is rare in the region, and the air is parched and dry, baked hot under the burning sun during the day and deathly cold in the night. The skylands of this region are great floating deserts, plains of endless sand and rocky mountains scoured by sandstorms and tornadoes. When the air is not filled with dust and grit, it swarms with insects, their buzzing filling the searing air with a never ending rasping. Enormous hives dot the desert sands, like great wounds in the earth that writhe and roil with insectoid life, the great mounds of their nests rising into the air like castle towers.

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