Phoenix Ascendant - eARC (34 page)

Ice Peaks

Like “Hell” and Elyvias, the Ice Peaks are a reminder of one of the conflicts of history, though long enough ago that the precise nature of the event isn’t known. The Peaks are magical, solidified ice for the most part, meaning that they are beautiful, transparent or translucent, and very, very hard to pass, given they have nothing growing on them. They form one of the natural borders between the State of the Dragon God and the Empire of the Mountain.

People of Zarathan

Many different species share this continent—many relatively peacefully, others… somewhat less so. Following is a summary of the most significant peoples of this world.

Humans

Human beings on Zarathan are basically the same as they are on Earth. Generalists, humans are something of the chameleons of the civilizations, showing up in any profession, any part of the world, in large numbers. They are probably the most common of the intelligent species.

Intelligent Toads

Called the
Sylanningathalinde
, or “Golden-eyed,” by the Saurans, the Toads claim to be the oldest of the intelligent species, even pre-dating the Dragons and Demons. They are in general a fun-loving but insular people, and mostly stay near to the pond they are born and raised in. Toads are given one name in their larval (tadpole) stage and, when adults, choose a significant second name. They vary tremendously in size, from dwarfed individuals a few inches long up to some four feet from nose to rump and weighing two hundred pounds. Some small number of them do find that the “ground chafes their feet,” or in other words have wanderlust; these tend to be quite effective adventurers.

Saurans

Averaging eight feet in height with massive bodies, armored tails, heavy, clawed feet and arms, and a head sporting a very large fanged mouth, Saurans resemble nothing so much as a miniature Godzilla. They claim to be direct descendants of the Great Dragons, and the Ancient Saurans—somewhat larger and clearly superior in many ways—are supposedly ranked as equals with the Dragons. There are very few Ancient Saurans left. Generally even-tempered, and a good thing, since when angered they are terribly dangerous.

Artan

Very humanlike, Artan tend to the delicate in appearance, with hair and eyes of exotic colors; they are extremely controlled in emotional displays as a rule. They often live in wilder areas—forests and mountains—but not, despite some assumptions, because they like to live “close to nature”; they prefer to be hard to find and have a sort of racial paranoia that they are still being hunted by some nameless adversaries who supposedly chased them from beyond the stars to Zarathan. The Rohila are technically the same species, but are otherwise separated from them in culture, behavior, and associations, aside from being also isolationist.

Children of Odin/Odinsyrnen

Short, broad, tough as stone, these appear to be—and in many ways are—the classic dwarves. However, they are not a species of hard-drinking and fighting warriors, despite appearances and the fact that their patron pantheon includes Odin and Thor. According to their legends they were literally created by Odin, who forged them in Asgard from the heart of a world, using Thor’s hammer to do the striking. While their greatest city is indeed underground, the Children of Odin are equally at home above ground and are nearly as flexible in choice of profession and environments as human beings.

Winged Folk/Saelar

Generally human in appearance but with a set of huge but compactable wings, the Saelar are almost certainly the result of some mage’s experimentation a few Chaoswars ago. The records are, however, lost, and they breed as true as any, so they are now an uncommon but widely-spread species, most heavily concentrated in the region of the Broken Hills.

Mazakh

Often called “snake-demons,” “snake-men,” and other more derogatory terms, the
mazakh
were originally the creation of the demons they worship (the
Mazolishta
) who literally constructed them from a number of other species. In appearance they are actually somewhat less snakelike and more like small raptorian dinosaurs. Generally raised in a hostile culture that trains them for warfare and lack of empathy, the
mazakh
are still not inherently evil and some leave the service of the
Mazolishta
and join the greater societies above; these are called
khallit
. The few
mazakh
living in Kaizatenzei are unaware of their origin and share their civilization and behavior with the mostly-human natives of that country.

Shellikaki

Relatively rare, Shellikaki are essentially intelligent land-dwelling hermit crabs. Whether they were the creations of some sort of life-sculpting mage from many Chaoswars ago, or the result of “natural” magical evolution is unknown. Slow in movement, the Shellikaki are known for both their immense strength (most prominent in their foreclaws, which can crush steel armor with ease) and their ability to perform extremely delicate and precise operations with the small manipulators around their mouths. Gantrista-(unpronounceable), usually called Gan, is the only active Shellikaki warrior in Evanwyl.

Gods and Beings of Significance

The gods and their choices affect nearly everything on the planet. There are, literally, hundreds if not thousands of deities worshipped on the planet; for purposes of The Balanced Sword, only a few are of great significance, however. In this section are also included a few individual beings who may not be, strictly speaking, gods, but who have influence on that level.

Myrionar

God of Justice and Vengeance, Myrionar is at the heart of the action here. In the grander scheme of things Myrionar is a fading god whose influence is vastly reduced from what it was, but that may be changing. Represented as a set of scales balanced on the point of a sword.

Terian

The Nemesis of Evil, the Light in the Darkness, Terian is also called Infinity as he is referred to in prophecy as “The Length of Space.” A deity of unswerving good, Terian is also ranked as one of the most powerful of deities on anyone’s scale. Represented by a human figure mostly in black with a cape or cloak clasped with a golden sidewise-eight figure and head blurred/concealed by a blaze of light.

Chromaias and the Four

Generally portrayed as good, the Chromaian faith is extremely… flexible, especially as it manifests all aspects of magic and power. Symbolized by a four-pointed jacklike object with crystals of four different colors at the points and a clear diamond at the center.

Eönae

Goddess of the world(s), Eönae’s focus is on nature, with control over the natural elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) the common manifestation of her power. She is commonly allied with
Shargamor
, a demon of water turned to the light, who is mostly focused on storms, streams, rain, and so on. Symbolized either by a woman (young, medium, old) with green and brown hair, or by her signature creatures, the
Eönwyl
, which are essentially god-empowered winged unicorns.

Elbon Nomicon and the Sixteen

One of the most ancient pantheons, the head of this group of gods is Elbon Nomicon, Teranahm a u Gilnas (Great Dragon of the Diamond), supposedly father to all Dragons and a being of almost incalculable power. The Dragons tend to slow, long duty-cycles on Zarathan, either sleeping for ages or travelling to other planes of existence, with only a few physically present on Zarathan at any given time; it is, however, rumored that Elbon Nomicon’s own home is at the center of the Krellin mountains at the extreme southwest tip of the continent. The symbol of each dragon is its chosen gemstone; Elbon’s personal symbol is a stylized lighting bolt with rays extending out from it, made of course of diamond. The Great Dragons have some sort of mystical cycle of hibernation which alternates with that of their opposite numbers, the Elderwyrm.

The Elderwyrm

Where there is light, there is shadow, and the Elderwyrm are said to be the shadows that Elbon and the Sixteen have cast onto creation. Sanamaveridion, one of the Elderwyrm, is seen at the end of
Phoenix in Shadow
; many others are awaiting their time to rise, which is implied to be very soon indeed. This is obviously one of the worst features of this Chaoswar, as it means that one of the most powerful pantheons for the forces of good will become mostly inactive while a very powerful force for evil rises.

Kerlamion

The Black Star, King of All Hells, Kerlamion is one of the most powerful of the gods as well as one of the original Demons. He symbolizes destruction and conquest and thus attracts only the worst sort of worshippers; he is however often quite active and those who please him may often get material aid. His symbol is, predictably, either a black starburst or a humanoid outline of pure black.

The Mazolishta

Great Demons who are the patron gods of the mazakh and other creatures of darker natures, there are several Mazolishta whose names are rarely spoken; the only one appearing directly in The Balanced Sword is
Voorith
, whose focus is life, forests, and such—in a corruptive and destructive sense. The others are
Yergoth
, a corruptive representation of water,
Windego
, a dark and malevolent spirit of air, space, and dimensional distortions,
Zaoshiss
, a master of the destruction and corruption of the solid representations of earth, and
Uluroa
, patron of the destructive aspects of fire.

Blackwart the Great

God of Toads (and anything else he happens to like), Blackwart manifests as a gigantic black toad, hence the name. While not powerful on the scale of many of the gods, he is much more savvy than many give him credit for (just like his people). He is symbolized by a stylized set of pop-eyes and a smile, or by a black toad figurine.

The Wanderer

A supposedly human wizard, the Wanderer is a figure of popular legend across Zarathan; stories about him go back at least one and possibly two, three, or even four Chaoswars. An extremely powerful magician, the Wanderer is most known for his unorthodox approaches and apparent immunity to destiny; it is said he originally came from Zaralandar (Earth) which may explain his unique nature. Even the “he” is somewhat in doubt as the Wanderer has appeared in dozens of different guises throughout history, men, women, children, and even occasionally
Artan
, Child of Odin, or other species.

Konstantin Khoros

The most powerful spirit magician known, Khoros is regarded with trepidation, awe, and fear by almost all beings of power. He is a master manipulator, whose goals may be good but whose methods are at best harsh and at times dark indeed. He has devastated the plans of demonlords and kings, of gods and villains, often without being himself physically present. In The Balanced Sword, Khoros is known to have had contact with all three of the main characters and be directly involved with some of their actions, which has caused others aware of this to have no little trepidation in dealing with them.

The Spiritsmith

An Ancient Sauran with a history stretching back at least half a million years to the Fall of the Saurans, the Spiritsmith is the greatest known artificer on the planet, and the one asked by gods and heroes for the mightiest weapons and strongest armor. He forged the original Raiment for all the Justiciars.

Virigar and the Great Wolves

Not, strictly speaking, a god by the standards of Zarathan, Virigar is the King of the Great Werewolves, or Great Wolves, which are the most individually feared monsters on the planet. Great Werewolves (seen in their weakest form in
Paradigms Lost
) are soul and energy eating shapeshifters whose only vulnerabilities are silver or powers similar to their own. Virigar himself is the most ancient and powerful of their race, and is a bogeyman to even the gods themselves; one of his appellations is “The God-Slayer,” and he has apparently earned this title multiple times in history.