SEVEN THINGS EVERY PERSON ON AETALTIS KNOWS
We told you what you need to know as a gamer, but here are some basic truths about life on Aetaltis that every Aetaltan knows.
1. The Deeplands are filled with monsters. A millennium ago the gods of Aetaltis defeated the mad deity named Endroren. They chained him to the core of the world and used powerful wards to imprison his monstrous followers there with him in the vast under- ground realm known as the Deeplands. To this day, the Deeplands are filled with monsters of every kind.
2. The dwarves hate the gods. When Endroren fell, the dwarves expected to return to their Deepland homes. When the gods locked Endroren and his hoards in the Deeplands, however, those hopes were dashed. The dwarves, furious at what they saw as a terrible betrayal, renounced the gods. Since that time, they refuse to worship the gods and have adopted a rigid "we’ll just do it ourselves" attitude.
3. Magic is as frightening as it is useful. Magic is an in-tegral part of life on Aetaltis. Magical healing saves lives, enchanted objects make difficult tasks easier, and the spells of wizards protect people from dangerous foes. At the same time, when magic goes wrong, the results are sometimes catastrophic. Even worse, the ability to use arcane magic originated with Endroren, the fallen god who eventually became the Lord of Darkness. No matter how useful magic is, no one can forget where it came from.
4. Humans, newardin, cheebats, and orogs came from another world. The people of these four lineages came to Aetaltis around 400 years ago by way of powerful arcane constructs called world gates. To some, they were welcome allies in the battle against the forces of darkness. To others, they were yet another invader taking what did not belong to them.
5. The Cataclysm destroyed the Alliance and trapped the survivors on Aetaltis. Around 300 years ago, the Alliance’s world gates exploded, bringing a swift and terrible end to their dominance in the Amethyst Sea basin. Unable to rebuild the gates, the Alliance colonists accepted Aetaltis as their new home. Today, it is the only home their descendants have ever known.
6. The ancient wards are failing and the Dark Hordes have returned. Since the defeat of the last Dark Horde nearly 400 years ago, encounters with orcs, goblins, trolls, and other monsters have been rare. Recently, however, their numbers on the surface have increased, and strange new monsters stalk the land. After much research, Aetaltan scholars confirmed the cause: across the Amethyst Sea basin the Deepland wards that held Endroren’s creatures at bay are failing.
7. Adventuring is a respectable occupation. Unable to effectively defend his people against the rising threat of a foe that can appear anywhere at any time, Lord Drakewyn of Agthor declared adventuring a legal and respectable occupation. Anyone may arm themselves to fight these monsters wherever they appear, without securing the permission of the crown. Most of the king- doms around the Amethyst Sea have followed suit, and new adventurers are joining the fight every day.