Quote from: Exid on August 26, 2015, 07:42:35 AM

the next question would be: did the dragons and the gods live at same time in etheria? what relation did they have?

i'm affraid the scholars prefered to ignore my blasphemous question about the relation gods-dragons on etheria...

Those scholars are real jerks. Loremasters on the other hand…

In all seriousness, I'd like to hold off on answering this question for just a little bit, because I am planning a Legends & Lore post about dragons and the Age of Catastrophe, but before I get there, I want to put together a short history of the Ages of Etheria so the timing all makes sense. Bear with me a little while, and your questions will be addressed

Legends & Lore: Celestia and the Angels

This week, we’ll take a look at Celestia, one of Etheria’s two moons, and home to many of angels that have been integral to Etheria’s history, such as [mwcard=MW1C39]Valshalla[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1C31]Samandriel[/mwcard] and [mwcard=FWC13]Selesius[/mwcard].

First, let’s look to the sky! Etheria has two moons, Celestia and Ves. Celestia appears as a golden white color, Ves is primarily a hazy dark grey. Celestia is the closer body, and moves through the night sky more quickly; Ves is further out and moves much more slowly.

Twice a year, the two moon are aligned, one behind the other, and are in line with Etheria and the sun, causing a lunar eclipse. These two eclipses are the core of the Etherian calendar, and mark the changing of seasons, as well as festivals and holy days for followers of Asyra and others.

In fact, if you take a look at Priestess’ mage card, the golden circle design at the end is called The Crescent Celestia, and is the symbol taken by the followers of Asyra. The design of the symbol is a representation of the twin orbits of Celestia and Ves around Etheria, with the top open to symbolize one of the eclipses, and the staff base symbolizing the second of the eclipses. The Crescent Celestia has also been adopted by the Holy School of Magic.



Celestia itself is home to the angels, a race of beings that are mostly humanoid in appearance (if you look past the wings), but who are far older, hardier, and more shaped by the essence of Voltari. As such, angels do not age as most humanoids of Etheria do. They can still be slain, or fall pray to a virulent disease, but the ravages of old age pass them by. Legendary angels like [mwcard=MW1C39]Valshalla[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1C31]Samandriel[/mwcard] and [mwcard=FWC13]Selesius[/mwcard] are many hundreds of years old, and all fought in the Infernal Interregnum  (the Demon Wars), battling back [mwcard=MW1C01]Adramelech[/mwcard] with the combined Etherian forces of Merevaran. (More on that in a future Legends and Lore).

What is Celestia like? By all accounts, it is a beautiful place, tranquil, with white and silver-hued landscapes, majestic mountains, ancient, gleeming cities and oceans of pearlescent gold. That said, it is a place humans cannot visit, except with the aid of powerful magic or sustaining artifacts; Celestia has no atmosphere, no air.

Luckily for the angels, they don’t need it. Still staring up at the starry sky, the one thing that has drawn their attention and fascination over the ages is the beautiful blue and green globe of Etheria. Millienia ago, angels contrived ways of exploring that globe, through powerful V’tar artiacts and angelic magics. (You didn’t really believe they flew there did you?) Now, they have established a network of portals (all cunningly hidden or powerfully protected) that they can use to move from one place to another.

Though Etheria is beautiful and exotic, and they are endlessly fascinated by the blue skies and endlessly shifting clouds (which they do not have), most (though not all) angels prefer life on Celestia. Those who do stay tend to work with the Churches of Asyra, the Dawnbreaker, or Bim-Shalla.

Etheria’s other moon, Ves, is also inhabited by angels, though Celestial angels and Vessian angels are very different in terms of motivation, ethics, and personality. A Vessian angel is depicted on the card [mwcard=MW1E25]Maim Wings[/mwcard].

Quote from: Sabrath_Kell on August 21, 2015, 09:00:10 AM

its two moons (Celestia and Ves),

Quote from: Sabrath_Kell on July 10, 2015, 07:28:55 PM

Celestia (where the angels are)

Are these the same place? Or has the moon just been named after the realm where the angels reside, or what?

They are indeed the same place! Celestia is the home of the angels, and is one of Etheria's two moons.

Infernia is a different realm altogether, Celestia is within the same realm as Etheria, though for all practical purposes for the inhabitants of the nations, it might as well be another realm. Celestia and Ves (and a little about the angels there) is the topic for this week's Legends and Lore, so hopefully this response will just serve as a teaser!

perhaps it's allready somewhere... but I'd like to read a short history of etheria, to be able to place easily the nations and characters in space and time (the map allready helps, but some text would help).

A great idea. Let me put together something succinct that covers the highlights. No one wants to read a history book except for us Loremasters.

So are there any realms that don't have ANY access to the realm of voltari? Maybe because the voltari around the realm is very stiff and dense and is hard to move? Kind of like what happens when a sponge doesn't have enough water to keep it entirely inflated? And if that happened, could a hole be "drilled" through the sponge, so to speak, creating a path from Etheria to such a realm, and maybe displacing some of the voltari around that realm, which would introduce magic to it?

It's just not known how many other realms there are, but top scholars are pretty sure that that each realm can have dramatically different laws that govern it. They know, for example, that the realm of Infernia (where Adramelech and the other demon lords hold sway) is a much different place from Etheria, that the very air is unbreathable to humans, and that fire behaves according to different laws. (For example, you have to have air to keep fire burning. But since there is no true air in Infernia, yet the realm is eternally on fire of one form or another, something is going on.)

There's certainly every indication that given enough raw V'Tar power, shaped and channeled through the right spell or artifact, that one realm could "drill into" another realm, at least temporarily or in a limited capacity. The [mwcard=MW1J06]Gate to Hell[/mwcard] that was opened at the start of the Infernal Interregnum is an example of that. It could happen in other realms too.

Not every realm has the same level of magic, but all realms (at least all that scholars currently know of) are encompassed by Voltari. It's just that within their realm, different laws of magic and reality hold sway.

Also, how much jurisdiction do the Gods of Etheria have in other realms? Will we ever be introduced to alien gods, preferably ones that are genuinely psychologically alien?

Probably not a lot, but there might be exceptions. Not all gods originally came from the Etherian realm however. "The Nameless One" venerated by disciples of the Mind School was not part of the "new gods" that wrested power from the Elemental Lords. The Nameless One most likely hails from another realm, but his mind is so powerful he is able to reach out and communicate with those who also have telepathic powers, such as Mind Mages.

Wait, so if the Mage wars universe is like a magic sponge, how big is each hole? Is Etheria the only world in its plane of existence? Is it the only world in its hole with life on it?

A great question, and one that is a hot topic among academics like Magus Festendenti, Professor of Planar Theory, at Sistarra.

The prevailing view is this: Each "hole" n the sponge represents a realm of existence. Most holes never touch, save through their shared connection with Voltari. However, some holes may have tiny tunnels to other holes, providing an access point for one realm to reach another realm. Many scholars believe this to be the case with Etheria and Infernia, two "holes" that have tiny, very limited access to each other.

One other note: each hole contains realms of varying sizes. For example, the realm of Etheria contains Etheria, its cavernous Underrealm, its two moons (Celestia and Ves), and all the stars and celestial bodies of the night sky. Another hole may be considerably smaller, may not have a celestial exosphere, or may have multiple celestial exospheres, wrapped like skin on an onion, may have its own forms or life, etc.

Isn't planar theory fun?

Legends & Lore: Goran, Werewolf Pet

This week, we'll focus on the sad tale of [mwcard=MW1C17]Goran, "Werewolf Pet"[/mwcard]. To tell his story, we'll also have to talk about another notable of Etheria, a warlock whose raw ferocity causes discomfort even among his own order: Savinius Moltentongue. But first, a little geography to set the stage.

The Darkfenne is a strange place, a mixture of the remnants of old twisted magics and feral, savage fauna. The southern reaches, closest to Straywood Forest and Westlock are swampy and difficult to traverse. The middle marshes are overgrown with the ruins of lost strongholds and cities, destroyed by mage battles and pure V'tar power long before the Pellian Empire, still the demense of the Bog Queen (http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=13190.0 for more about the Darkfenne). But in the northeast reaches of the Darkfenne, the swamp recedes and the soil becomes jet black, teeming with odd, lumious trees and constantly hanging mist. In this unforgiving environment live the Tribe of the Howl, a predatory kingdom of werewolves and other shapeshifting creatures.

Within his Tribe, Goran was a prince, son to the Werewolf King Gnarzul. For many years, Gnarzul had maintained the borders of the Tribe, sending members of his Tribe to patrol their lands and deal with the encroaching undead servants of the Bog Queen who wandered to close to their territory. His son Goran grew in might and prowess as he hunted with many packs, ultimately leading hunting packs on his own, and establishing himself as the future alpha and King-to-be.

Little did he know that the biggest threat to his future would not come from the Bog Queen, but from a stranger to Darkfenne, the Warlock Savinius Moltentongue.

Unlike many Warlocks, who tend to live at fringes of civilized societies, Savinius was an explorer in his own right, and he was drawn to the lost secrets hidden in the depths of the Darkfenne. (As a side note, Savinius is also known as "The Curseweaver" for his creation of a curse-plague which he leveled against a tribe of barbarian Horselords known as the Allani, demanding yearly tribute from them in exchange for temporary relief from the dark magic).

On one of his expeditions, he stumbled into the territories of the Tribe of the Howl, and crossed path with a hunting pack led by Goran. Rather than run, Savinius unleashed a blazing tide of hellfire and demons, slaying all but Goran and one other werewolf of his hunting pack.

With a snarl, Goran commanded his packmate to return to King Gnarzul, to tell him of the intruder, and to bring the remainder of the pack to tear Savinius into tiny, tasty bits. He then attacked Savinius himself, using all his guile, cunning and prowess.

Sadly for Goran, Savinius was more than a match for the Prince of Werewolves, and rather than slay his foe, he placed a powerful curse on him, bringing him under his absolute control as a "pet", the greatest trophy of his Darkfenne expeditions.

He waited until King Gnarzul and his forces returned to the scene before teleporting away, leaving the King with a last look at his son, broken and bound in hell-summoned chains.