The World of Terra

are necessary for survival, of course. However, there are varying levels of such things. There is simple “peasant” fare from basic ingredients like grains, fruits, and animal products. And there is more elaborate “rich” fare where bakers and cooks spend hours, even days, working to prepare a single meal.

Porridge is one of the most common foods all across Terra. Its base ingredient varies from one nation to the next, as do the add-ins. Varieties of eggs, breads, cured meats, vegetables, grains, and fruits are international.

Street food is a separate culture for the entire world. It is most prominent and celebrated in Ni-Shan, Krezdiv, Cynsely, and Adamar. There are stalls, carts, and stands with all manner of cooking.

Restaurants are prevailant all over, as well. From local taverns and inn common rooms to exclusive, high-end restaurants.

Depending on the country, the alcoholic beverages vary. There is all manner of fermentation. Ales, wines, and meads are popular all across Terra, along with beers. There are hundreds of different liquors and spirits.

There are a myriad non-alcoholic beverages that are also indicators of wealth. Coffee, tea, and chocolate are among the most prominent. Krezdiv is experimenting with carbonating water to mix with flavored syrups.

Sweets are massively popular. Every country has their own variations. Cynsely is renown for its candies. Krezdiv is famous for their frozen treats. Iskendurun is know for its baked goods. Ni-Shan has rice-flour sweets.

is a vast and elaborate thing. Many kingdoms have a library within the royal palace. Iskendurun’s is one of the largest private, royal libraries. Corellon has the largest public library in all Terra.

There are all manner of books in every culture. There is classic literature, modern literature, and fairytales. Books range from fiction to nonfiction. There are books on everything from battle tactics, farming, and clothing styles to spellbooks, holy writings, and music.

Several countries have books in other country’s language. Some countries have scroll books instead of hard covered books. Some even have a few enchanted books.

While “art” is a terribly broad term, it is clear what art is across the world. Many of the countries of Terra encourage art in all its myriad forms. Often times, the most renown artists acquire patrons. Rich men and women favor their artists with finances, workspaces, and all means for a thriving lifestyle.

Musicians, sometimes called bards, even have their own academy. There is a contest, competition, every year. They are given great prestige, especially in Iskendurun, Nestapor, Krezdiv, and Alondrol. Cynsely is a hub for artists to thrive as well. They encourage dance and acting over all others.

Many countries encourage jewelers and metalsmiths as artists, in their own right. Gnomsih tinkerers, dwarven jewelers and weaponsmiths are among the most highly sought-after. Halfling toy-makers produce some of the best for royal, and noble children.

Sculptors and painters are regularly commissioned by royal and noble families to commemorate their greatest members. Weavers, tailers, and seamstresses create fabric and garments of such elaborate design and intricacy that they set the trends for entire nations.

Art is a way of life that enriches all the people of Terra.

These foreshortened, stocky, ingeneous, resourceful beings spend most of their time, life, and talent in the mountain ranges of Terra. The mountain nation of Dorath on Acleron is the home of these brilliant beings. They aren’t nearly as long-lived as their elven neighbors and passive enemies. However, they tend to outlive humans by several decades.

Several clans of dwarves migrated outside the borders of their homeland. They evolved and adapted to their new surroundings. Despite their dislike of large bodies of water, they traveled to all the corners of Terra. Their primary skills and trades adjusted to the materials available in their new lands. Especially those in Krezdiv, with access to the most advanced magics in all Terra.

The dwarves mainly focus on weapon and armor smithing. They also, occasionally, partner with gnomes for toymaking and engineering. In some of the countries, they are the most skilled jewlers of renown. They mine and manufacture from great underground cities, for the most part, no matter where they land.

They tend toward neutrality in conflict, unless called upon by clan or national honor. Some fight for the sheer joy of battle. Others, to test their latest war engines. They bring all their skill and prowess to everything they endeavor.

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are an elegant and beautiful group of nations. There are several different kinds of elves.

The country of Glendar is the home of the elves. The ones who were in the civil war are often refered to as high elves. Often fairer haired than most others. They live longest of all of their kind.

Also within the country, reside the wild elves. Dark-haired and eyed, they are truly children of nature. They paint themselves with woad in the ancient symbols of honor to the spirits of nature.

Ruling over the northern part of Adamar are the sand elves. Dark-skined, pale-eyed, and black-haired, they don’t live nearly as long as their cousins in Glendar. While separate from Adamar, they are not exactly their own country either.

Only spoken of in legend and faery tales, there are the sea elves of the deep oceans. Blue-skined, haired, and eyed, they breath through gills in their necks. They have their own society and live nearly as long as their cousins in Glendar.

There are, of course, half-elves of every kind. They roam throughout all of Terra. Even the king of Glendar himself sired several. Often scoffed, mocked, or outcast, they do their best to keep their heritage hidden. Others are raised to honor by their acts, bringing prestige to their kind.

is akin to our Mabon or Autumnal Equinox with a touch of Samhain or Halloween. It is celebrated with fires, feasting, and festivals. Farmers, especially, give thanks to Kelli, goddess of the harvest. Effigies of the goddess are often raised in farming villages and towns. Sometimes even competitions are held for new shrines.

While some countries aren’t as avid when celebrating Midautumn, others go all-out. Iskendurun and Krezdiv are two of the biggest proponents for celebration. While the royal families don’t host elaborate dances, they donate to local temples of Kelli as well as providing food to orphanages.

The traditions are slowly seeping into elven culture as well, since the number of half-elves grows every year. They bring in different aspects of their own festivities including carving gourds as lanters and giving small sweets to children.

Especially in central Iskendurun, where there are many large farming communities, everything closes down early in order to prepare for the evening festivities. There are sprawling celebrations that fill the town squares with tables piled high with food, music, and dancing.

is the warmage guild. It was created by the first teachers of the warmage academy. Only the most skilled and gifted students are invited into the guild.

These warmages often ally themselves with the greatest rulers in Terra. They are frequently believed to shape history. Their policies and contributions are unique and grandious.

Many return to teach at the academy. They train those students who will succeed them. They foster and encourage independent and inovative thinking.

They have guild houses all over Terra and meet annually at a different house each year. Policies are ammended and/or voted in. New members are selected and tested. There is feasting and celebrating. The cities that host these events often deal with the fallout for a long time after.

is a guild of warriors, also known as grogs, whose life’s purpose is to protect their mage or sorcerer. They are trained from a young age. Once they complete their training they are psychicly linked for the rest of their days.

The psychic link is a special and unique bond. It not only allows the mage to speak to their grog, but it also allows the magic-user to cast spells through the warrior, no matter what armor and weapons they use.

This is a long and ancient tradition dating back centuries. All children qualified for this academy spend the last few years at the magic academy training. Despite their natural inability to use magic, they need to learn how it works on and through them. They also find the magic-user they will eventually bond with.

As a result of this unique bond and the resulting abilities, many kingdom rulers require special protection if a mage and grog enter their prescence. These precautions are often uncomfortable for the mage and painful for the grog. This discourages violence.

Often times, a magic-user will enter their grog into the Corellon Zepheroth for better odds of victory. It is often frowned upon, but there are no rules against such entries. The most skilled and powerful fighters are able to overcome the challenge.

These powerful pairs frequently sell their services. Occasionally, they travel the world alone, however the magic-user prefers the company of others as added protection. Traveling groups and even military organizations try to acquire the services of such pairs.

are the druids and rangers guild. Only the absolute best of their ranks are drafted into the organization. They are gifted with special privelages and items that indicate their alliance. Often held in high regard, they are frequently recruited into the Titans’ Guard for their unique skills.

With natural magical abilities that rival some of the great sorcerers and mages, regional rulers try to recruit them as hunt masters and the like. Few offer their services, but most are more inclined to freedom in the wild they love so much.

These men and women are usually skilled warriors as well as magic-users. While many tend to favor archery, they are also versed in martial weapons. Most favor simple short swords and few wear any armor heavier than leather.

While they are often renown for their animal companions, not all have them. When they occasionally have to venture into populated areas, they tend to leave their companions on the outskirts as they are usually larger than normal animals and frighten the average peasants.

Though there are many half-elves in this organization, there are also humans, elves, halflings, and gnomes. Dwarven rangers are extremely rare and druids are nearly non-existant. Occasionally, there is a half-orc but they are even more rare than the dwarves.