The night of the Aurora
Auroras have come before. None has been this bright.
The Awakened
The Aurora leaves some people changed, holding powers they don't understand. They're called the Awakened, and last night made more of them than anyone can remember. You're one of many.
Most new Awakened find their way to the guilds, where older Awakened teach them to control what they've been given. The ones who came before each mastered a single thread of magic. This generation can feel several, and nobody at the guilds can say why. The people who woke up beside you are figuring it out too. Find them.
Aether
Aether is the raw magic of Vhael. It's dug out of the ground like glowing minerals, and it fuels the Empire's airships and most of what passes for progress. Since the Aurora, you can see it rise from a creature's body when the creature dies. Most people would rather not think about what that means.
The Empire
The city-states of Vhael answer to the Empire, and under its protection they have never been safer. Imperial soldiers guard the roads and Imperial airships hold the skies. But the monsters have been getting stronger, and the Empire has started sending Imperial Awakened to reinforce the cities. Not every city is glad to see them. Tensions are high.
Starting cities
You choose your city when you make your character. Where you start shapes who you meet first, and the paths cross later.
- Elves
Saela'Riin
The elves farm the Broadgreen and live in Homeroots, living trees that the same family shares for generations. They distrust Aether and keep their machine shops in one district, the Burn. The Empire has sent Imperial Awakened to inspect the city's defenses, and nobody asked for them.
- Piporin
Popplin Port
A Piporin harbor whose neighborhoods are stacked on top of each other, joined by lifts and rail bridges, under the turning light of the Beacon. Sea monsters are pushing against the Tidewall. Popplin wants Imperial airships to fight them, and the Empire refuses to send any.
- Humans and giants
Khasaret
A desert port built on top of the biggest known Aether mine. People say there's a mining tunnel behind almost every building. The sick travel here because the city is said to heal them, and the Barrens outside the walls are full of ruins left by older empires.