Fabula Ultima: Pillars of Heaven [ EDIT ]

A High Fantasy world is an ageless classic and the perfect fit for your Fabula Ultima story.

Great castles whose crystal spires reach the sky, fleets of ornate airships emerging from the clouds, vast stretches of enchanted forests, and ancient, sprawling ruins brimming with magical golems and powerful artifacts.

HIGH FANTASY THEMES AND PROTAGONISTS
High fantasy stories often revolve around themes such as hope, friendship, and fighting together against supernatural and world-ending threats.
Their protagonists often come from many different backgrounds:
Š The princess who lost her kingdom to the antagonist's army.
Š The veteran soldier who pledged to protect the people with her life.
Š The young, inexperienced hero from a remote village.
Š The dashing sky pirate with a heart of gold.
Š The old wizard mentor who spent his life searching for a legendary spell.
Š The dark knight seeking redemption for his crimes.
Together they must overcome their differences and disagreements, forging strong bonds that will allow them to save the world from a terrible fate.

HIGH FANTASY LOCATIONS
Every location in a high fantasy world has some magical element to it: a floating castle inside a volcano, a silver palace orbiting the moon, a forest populated by fairies and natural spirits, a great tower built to reach the gods and destroyed over a single night as a form of divine punishment. Everything is bizarre and wondrous.

HIGH FANTASY MAGIC
Magic is abundant, omnipresent, and employed in a variety of ways and by a variety of people, from powerful court wizards to traveling healers. Golems, airships, and elementally-infused weapons are a common sight. However, the most ancient and world-altering rituals have been lost to time, hidden within sunken ruins or guarded by centuries-old monsters.

HIGH FANTASY ANTAGONISTS
In a high fantasy world, antagonists are larger-than-life figures with armies and incredible magic at their disposal. Each of them is a dark and twisted reflection of one or more of the protagonists: they are shadows that must be confronted for the heroes to grow and eventually triumph. Towards the end of the story, driven into a corner by the protagonists' actions, high fantasy villains often resort to extreme measures and transform into divine or demonic entities that defy space and time.

The world in which your adventures will take place is not predetermined: its cities, kingdoms, deities, and cultures are something your group will create (take a look at World Creation on page 148). This fantastic land will grow organically as you explore and travel across it, adding new details and unraveling ancient mysteries!

What ties all Fabula Ultima worlds together are The Eight Pillars.

ANCIENT RUINS AND HARSH LANDS
The world is an ancient and dangerous place: cities and villages are separated by vast plains, scorching deserts, frozen peaks and impenetrable forests. The land is dotted with crumbling fortresses and shrines devoted to deities whose names have been lost to time. Past civilizations and ages of darkness have left behind a world of powerful artifacts and cryptic legends, as well as magical (and often dangerous) places.

A WORLD IN PERIL
Villages, castles, and city-states are among the few areas that aren’t literally crawling with monsters, brigands, and hostile creatures. Far more dangerous still are Villains, powerful antagonists casting their shadow over the entire land. Cruel sorcerers, evil gods seeking reincarnation, power-hungry emperors, perhaps even alien entities: there’s a single, unspeakable terror behind the dangers of the world, and our heroes are bound to cross its path sooner or later.

CLASHING COMMUNITIES
The world may be in danger, but its inhabitants are still divided by ancient grudges: religious schisms, memories of war crimes, and the conflict between magic and science are among the most common causes of enmity. Reuniting these communities will be key to defeating the great evils of the world; the protagonists should help them overcome their hostilities and see their differences as blessings instead of obstacles.

EVERYTHING HAS A SOUL
All matter that forms the world, including its creatures, the earth, sky, sun, and stars are part of a vast flow of spiritual energy. The origin, nature, and function of this energy may vary depending on the world you create, but its presence is undeniable and anyone possessing the ability to manipulate it (be it through magic or science) is a force to be reckoned with.

MAGIC AND TECHNOLOGY
In every Fabula Ultima world, science and magic represent two different ways of studying and manipulating reality: one concerns itself with the tangible nature of matter, the other with the souls that dwell within it — two sides of the same coin. Miraculous machinery might be hidden beneath the ruins of an ancient civilization, and even the most powerful wizards will often make use of vehicles and airships. Many of these worlds also feature an unusual discipline that combines magic and technology into magitech: metal soldiers animated by the souls of the fallen, bombs that can unleash elemental mayhem, and flying machines fueled by wind spirits are only a few examples of what can be created by this hybrid craft.

HEROES OF MANY SIZES AND SHAPES
Fabula Ultima’s protagonists are full-fledged heroes, extraordinary individuals that possess unique abilities and whose actions will shape the fate of the world. While some may not be noble paladins or virtuous paragons of justice, even the thieves and dark knights among them have a fundamentally good nature and can be trusted to do the right thing when the situation gets desperate. In line with the video game genre Fabula Ultima draws inspiration from, our heroes do not follow any rule of realism: be they children with incredible magical powers or elderly warriors able to single-handedly challenge an entire army, all that matters is their strength of spirit.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HEROES
Any relevant event in a game of Fabula Ultima is tied to the heroes, either directly or indirectly. Dramatic plot twists shall happen when the protagonists are present on the scene, and the great powers (and evils) of the world shall pay them special attention. Following the same logic, the heroes’ determination will allow them to achieve the impossible, such as defeating an empire or sealing away a powerful deity.

MYSTERY, DISCOVERY, AND GROWTH
This game is built upon discovery: of ancient mysteries and forgotten powers, yes, but most of all, of the heroes themselves, of their feelings, and of what they are willing to do in order to fight against darkness. Fabula Ultima’s protagonists are complex and sometimes tragic figures, and their journey will change them forever.