Sytheria
The World of Sytheria
The World of Sytheria
Sytheria is the name of the world on which most events of the Sytherian Legends campaign setting take place. Sytheria exists in the Prime Material Plane and although it features connections to other planes of existence, those portals have been closed off by some unknown force.
Many different languages are spoken across Sytheria. Common is the most widely spoken among humanoids, though most races also have their own individual languages as well.
Continents
Tunis
Historically the home of the Kesir, Tunis has long been a wooded paradise. Modern Tunis not only contains the forests of the Rilis'Kesir and the deserts of the Khiasa'Kesir, but also contains the largest Human Empire in the history of Sytheria- the Shattered Kingdoms. Due to Tunis's abundant natural resources it has long been coveted by the Empires of history, and in order to prevent further invasion the land-bridge to Valis has been sealed off by the Great Force Wall. Tunis is currently home to the New Tunarian Alliance, a loose confederation of Humans, Kesir, and Dwarves. Although only these races officially belong to the Alliance, any species that lives on Tunis is considered protected.
Valis
Valis is a continent of conflict and disaster. Upon the creation of Sytheria by the gods, Valis was to be the home of the Human and Dwarven races. For millennia the peace was maintained until a series of continent-wide conflicts razed the lands. In the aftermath an Empire of Undeath rose, driving the Dwarves and Humans from their homes. Led by the Avatar of Kadum, Ziegfried Haltharn these undead armies killed all they came across, ultimately wiping out the Valas'Kesir. Valis is also the site of the largest impact during The Shattering, obliterating the northwest section of the continent. Currently a new force known as the Forsaken have taken over much of the continent, uniting the undead, Olith'Dar, Trolls, and Oni under the leadership of the Banshee Queen.
Orgalis
Sometimes called "The Savagelands", Orgalis is a jungle continent that housed most of the ancient civilizations of Sytheria, including the Sarrukhan, the Sezerak Empire, and the first Human civilization, the Ishtar. Since those civilizations have long fallen and their influences wane, Orgalis largely remains a land of mystery to the modern world. It is known that the militaristic Gith and the adventurous Wilders both originated on Orgalis, but little more is known. The rumors of an island of undeath and a corrupted sect of Kesir (the Nar'Kesir) also abound, but little truth was given to these ramblings until a contingent of the Nar'Kesir showed up in Keystone in 385 AS.
Khunis
Little is known of the ice continent of Khunis located to the far north of Orgalis. Word has begun to spread that a sizable contingent of Genasi were stranded on Sytheria when the Planar Gates were sealed and have since created a few permanent settlements on Khunis, however beyond the recent Genasi incursion, civilization has not flourished on the harsh continent. Frost Giants are known to have a large enclave in the northern reaches of the continent, but the largest deterrent to exploration of these ice-covered lands are the broods of dragons which call this continent home.
Piscean Archipelago
The Piscean Archipelago is not technically a continent, but the remnant of one. Prior to The Shattering, the continent of Staglis stood when Piscea is now. Unfortunately, while the largest piece of the Umbra Moon impacted in Valis, Staglis took the brunt of the destruction. Collapsing the Shadow Rifts underneath the continent, Staglis began to sink beneath the waves. Now only an archipelago of islands still exists, however that has not stopped the Ashtar/Maenad civilization, the Mind's Eye, from expanding its borders from the islands.
The Shadow Rifts
The Shadow Rifts are a massive network of underground tunnels and caverns that exists underneath each of the continents of Sytheria. It is even believed that several of the continent may actually be connected via these underground passageways (at minimum it is known that northern Valis and Tunis are connected). Several civilizations call the Shadow Rifts home, including the Olith'Dar and the Obreeni. Flooding of the Shadow Rifts is also blamed for the sinking of the continent of Staglis, as illustrated by Aegir's Maw, a massive whirlpool draining into the rifts beneath the former continent.
Satellites
Sytheria currently has two moons, named Umbra and Sarasine.
Umbra Moon
The smaller of Sytheria's two moons, the Umbra moon, sometimes called the Dark Moon, is also further away from Sytheria with an orbital time of approximately 30 days. Sytherian mythology states the Umbra Moon was created by Veresek as a prison for the leader of the Fane of Tiamat, Maldurys, after the ancient Brood War. At the end of the War of Extinction the Summoner Queen of the Valas'Kesir, Valaria, cast a spell rending the Umbra Moon as a last ditch effort to defeat Ziegfried Haltharn. As a result almost a third of the moon has since disintegrated, with large portions of the moon crashing into the planet. Currently the Umbra moon exists as a volatile, fractured remnant, creating a ring of debris around Sytheria.
Sarasine Moon
The larger and closer of Sytheria's moons, the Sarasine Moon is a white satellite appearing larger in the sky that Earth's own moon (despite being approximately the same size) due to it's closer orbit. Since Sytherian's believe the Sarasine Moon is the source of magic on Sytheria, largely due to its association with lycanthropy, it was named after the Goddess of Magic, Sarasine. Since it is closer to Sytheria than the Umbra Moon, the Sarasine Moon historically had an orbital time of approximately 24 days, however due to the explosion of the Umbra Moon the orbital period of Sarasine has proven not to be dependable and highly variable. The cause of this variance is currently unknown.
Additional Resources
- Sytherian Calendar- An overview of the calendar of Sytheria.
- The Gods of Sytheria- A list of the deities of Sytheria, including their domains and provinces.
- Historical Timeline- A unified timeline of Sytheria's history, from its creation by the gods to modern day.
