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EKSTASIA
OVERVIEW
The two main continents of Ekstasia, Gyrusia and Hollindagen, were once joined as one large continent in prehistoric times. Legend says it was referred to as the Mariposita, the small butterfly, because of its shape resembling such. This word was used by the gods Ekstasia (Creator of the world) and Industrios (counterbalance God of destruction), and their offspring Phaedranos, Lauzetana, Niminyaio, Higgsry, and Gyrusianas. Industrios created the demigods of the world called Hollind, Anurathion, and Unasz, with the intention of having them battle each other for his entertainment. His children, Higgsry of the Goliaths, and Gyrusianas of the gnomes, tried to stop the fighting and were killed by Industrios. Furious with this heinous act, Ekstasia killed Industrios. This then began an age of people, non deity beings with free will, the many races of Ekstasia, descendants of these gods and demigods. Ekstasia then created the demigods Eye (fox god of western humans), and the nonbinary siblings Adi & Aba (elf gods). With the death of Higgsry, his soul was split into the Goliaths who were then exiled to the northwestern most islands of Ekstasia. When Gyrusianas was killed, her soul was split into the gnome race who were then exiled to what is now called Rustwind. Hollind, a prankster god who is often referred to as the son of Higgsry, created the humans and specifically the Chal tribe who were then corrupted by the soul of Industrios, thus empowering them to become the Chalkanian empire.
Original tribes pre-Chalkanium:
Tiefling: Chaitius (rangers and druids), Lablake (monks and barbarians), Almeru (monks and fighters), Davenya (fighters and rangers)
Orc: Lauzetaya (sorcerers), Ora Ora (wizards and fighters), Tousayl (barbarians)
Human: Sonas (farmers, barbarians), Davenya (fighters, wizards and rangers), Chal (fighters and sorcerers), Ege (farmers), Bamyasi (merchants), Niminyan (fighters, bards)
Elf: Abacus (rangers, wizards, fighters and druids), Niminyan (bards, clerics, wizards, and paladins)
Halfling: Lauzetan (sorcerers, clerics, monks)
Dwarf: Phaedran (fighters)
Gnome: Johperan (artificers & rogues)
Dragonborn: Unaszan (wizards, sorcerers, fighters, clerics)
Goliath: Higgsry (barbarians and warlocks)
Language of Ekstasia:
Common, Orcish, Tieflish, Elvish (Zither high elves), Elvish (Abacus wood elves), Gnomish, Giant, Ancient Altawam, Undercommon, Deep Speech (Aberrations), Dwarvish, Celestial (rare), Draconic (rare)
Calendar:
Coldsunn (January)
Frostthaw (February)
Sproutrise (March)
Bloomsunn (April)
Richflower (May)
Sunblaze (June)
Moonshine (July)
Warmleaf (August)
Brushfell (September)
Briskleaf (October)
Dwindlight (November)
Coldmoon (December)
Days of the Week:
Moonday (Monday)
Higgsday (Tuesday)
Watersday (Wednesday)
Agladay (Thursday)
Freeday (Friday)
Starsday (Saturday)
Elfsday / Anarsday [in Abacus Elvish] (Sunday)
EASTERN CONTINENT GYRUSIA
In ancient times, during the Gyrus Dynasty (approx. 2000 years ago), the entire continent was unified under the conqueror Temporania Gyrus VII, until Anurathion the Frog God was awakened by the Vampire rebellion under the undead conqueror Ilium Guk and plummeted the continent into chaos. Now, it is a lawless and chaotic land. The Principality of Guk, whose sovereign leader Prince Guk maintains closed borders by employing mercenary Elites, with whom the government of Guk has a shadowy arrangement. Vampires are all but fully banished from Guk, except under the employ of his rule as an army for hire. The realms to the east of the continent remain largely neutral, and are united under the Confederacy of Zither. After being forced from their land, the Elven exiles of Abacus to the west settled the area known now as Zither. The various City States maintained themselves through strong defense and fortification until opening their borders once self-reliance was established. Now, they face political enemies from within, vying for power through corruption and chaos. Zither is plagued with a variety of ethos, some of which are elf-supremacist, which many argue is the result of unresolved generational traumas due to imperialism. The Northeast Kingdom, which caps the northmost region of Gyrusia, is home to the Thief King and the various houses, families, and groups that every 12 years battle for the throne. Who ever wins takes the throne and with it massive tithes from all who use the land for smuggling or hiding from the rest of the world. It is a den for thieves, smugglers, pirates, criminals and outcasts. Ancient magic lies buried in its mountains and lakes, and recent disturbances have awakened the old gods who have been resting for millenia.
The Principality of Guk
More than 2000 years ago the entire continent was united under the banner of the Gyrus Dynasty. Temporia Gyrus VII, who hailed from what is now the Nadj-Mindon forest in the south, was overthrown by Ilium Guk, a vampire who conquered what is now the land known as Guk.
Around 1000 years ago, Shavinatus Hama, a vampiric descendant of Ilium Guk, teamed up with the Gyrus remnants (who at that point became the servant class to the Vampires), overthrew Ilium Guk and unified the opponents, thus establishing a 500 years’ peace. Wanting to maintain peace between Human (Gy) and Vampire (Guk) alike, Hama established the Gy-Guk Kingdom. This only lasts about 500 years. Eventually, due to pillagers, nearby nations’ lawlessness and appearances of monsters, the kingdom fell into corruption and decay. The Principality of Guk closed its borders and fortified its towns and villages. The Vampire Syndicate, based in a neutral zone between all three nations, are under retainer by the Prince of Guk. The prince of Guk is actually a puppet leader, installed by the Vampire Syndicate in order to secretly consume humans but not paint a target on their back by openly wielding power. The Prince’s treaty with the Vampires involves the Prince offering them his prisoners, and whatever riches he can muster. As a result the people of the Guk are suffering. Every 12 years, around the same time a new Thief King emerges in the northeast kingdom, the vampires host a Continental Accord where treaties are revised and discussed.
The Confederacy of Zither
During the Gyrus Dynasty, it was a place where nomadic human warlocks would live largely isolated from each other yet at peace. When the vampire Ilium Guk decided to overthrow the Gyrus Dynasty, he captured an elder from each mage tribe and forced them to summon the ancient earth protector Anurathion, a giant Frog. In doing so, the mages regrouped their powers and sacrificed themselves and their people in order to establish a powerful magic barrier that surrounds what is now known as Zither (from the Carpathinati and Guilty Mountains in the west, to the east coast of modern-day Zither and as far north as O’Beace Mountain. Shortly after the Guk overthrow of Gyrus 1000 years ago, scholars determined the barrier was impenetrable and would stand for at least another 700 years. However, after the Hama rebellion and the establishment of Gy-Guk, this knowledge was lost and all assumed the barrier was still active.
During that time, the regions of modern-day Zither were largely uninhabited except for beasts and monsters. Approximately 150 years ago, after being conquered by the racist human empire Chalkania (otherwise known as the Chalkanium), these elves were exiled from their homeland of Abacus and settled in the largely uninhabited eastern region of the Gyrus Continent. Sequestering themselves off in City-States, they remained largely isolated from the rest of the world until about 50 years ago. In response to the reconsolidation of the Principality of Guk to the west and the lawlessness of the north, the elven city-states established a confederation of trade and treaty and began to open their borders to any and all who would come, so long as they renounce their former national identities. Under the title “Zither”, the name of an ancient ruler of the Abacus Elves who represent determination of their previously fallen people, the Zither Elves strived to rebuild their culture alongside other oppressed and exiled peoples. Regrettably, their municipal centers became overrun by corrupt people who tried to dismantle the Zither nation from within, taking their land and wealth for their own gains as opposed to sharing it amongst all. The Abacus / Zither Elves are dark skinned and fierce at combat and diplomacy, and generally are Druids (priest class), Paladins (military class) or Clerics (governmental class). The three classes treat each one equally, and their high abilities of diplomacy keeps their dialog with each other free of incident until provoked by a conquering or colonizing force.
The Northeast Kingdom
A land of thieves and brigands, known as Koldensnoh in ancient times and Pubinati in even more archaic histories. Historically home to beastmasters and hunters. A haven for mercenaries who do crimes elsewhere in the world and acquire funding through nefarious means to try and control nearby kingdoms. The harsh wintery terrain makes it difficult for opponents to pursue, not to mention the overwhelming presence of fiends and monsters. Rumors that the Great Frog Deity “Anurathion” has been reborn keep other world powers from claiming the Northeast Kingdom for themselves. Some believe that shadowy insurgencies in other nations store their money in the harsh landscape of the Northeast Kingdom because of its inaccessibility to those who can’t control animals or have enough stealth capabilities and survival skills to navigate the realm.
A thief king is forced to abdicate once every 12 years, and a new King is selected through a tournament of army battles. Because of their influence in other nations through Ekstasia, they jokingly call their land the Northeast Kingdom due to it being northeast of most nations in Ekstasia, all except Zither.
Place of the Continental Accord Treaty meetings every 12 years. All three nations are hosted in Vampire City to discuss treaties and establish trade negotiations. Descendants from the Guk insurgency 2000 years ago, they remain sequestered in the Neutral Zone of the Carpathinati Mountains. Vampire city is home to the remnants of the Guk descendants, and whose population is kept in check through a culture of organized battle royal matches. They have installed a puppet prince in the land of Guk, to remain hidden from the rest of the world and to appear as though they have been subjugated by the prince of Guk when in fact they use the prince as a smoke screen in order to continue to feed on humans and survive. Not all of the Vampire syndicate are ideologically united. There are many factions within the Syndicate (hence syndication), and the Hama faction is a neutral good organization that wishes to live in peace. The leader of the Hama faction, so named by the benevolent Gy-Guk usurper of Ilium Guk’s throne, wishes to make a treaty with the Confederacy of Zither and overthrow the vampire syndicate and the Principality of Guk. However, there are those among the Hama faction that do not wish to increase suffering by causing more war, and wish only to overthrow the vampire syndicate and liberate Guk from its shadowy overlords. The argument against those members of the Hama is that it would mean the end of the existence of all vampires. Surely there is another way! This all changes one day when unexplained lights are seen over the Vampire city….
WESTERN CONTINENT HOLLINDAGEN
Much of Hollindagen’s recent history was shaped by the emergence of the Chalkanium: a white human-supremacist empire hellbent on remaking the world in its narrow dogmatic worldview. The Chalkanium has seemingly fallen into decay in its 169 years of conquest. Its leadership, afflicted by multiple diseases and setbacks, has become weak and impotent in its ways. The rest of Ekstasia awaits the empire’s collapse; yet somehow, the empire always has found ways to further subjugate and conquer. The ancient kingdom of Abacus, a flourishing dark-skinned Elven ethnostate was wiped from the map 169 years ago when the Chalkanium ravaged its land and obliterated the Abacus way of life through calculated ethnic cleansing and genocide. It is said that the Chalkanian Empire worships the god of metal, war and supremacy: Industrios. This has had devastating consequences on the world of Ekstasia, namely the scattering of several ethnic and racial groups into an extreme diaspora that has all but completely eliminated the old ways of living as part of nature in that region. Over the centuries, the nationstates of Phaedra and Lauzeta, now split into two nations, in addition to the Sultanate of Niminya, have been able to resist the advances of the Chalkanium. This is because of their military strength, superior defensive strategy, and strong relations with each other.
Ekstasian Alliance:
Composed of the Duchy of Lauzeta, the Kingdom of Phaedra, and the Sultanate of Niminya. Lauzeta and Phaedra were originally one nation called Altawam or Altawama. Humans, halflings, tieflings, orcs, half elves and dwarves populate this part of the world. They exist consolidated under their respective national rulers; however, much of this part of the world is free from class distinctions and all the land and means of production are shared, especially in the Sultanate of Niminya which according to rumors as of 162 CE (Chalkanium Era) is getting ready to merge with its allies Lauzeta and Phaedra to become the Syndicalist Republic of Ekstasis, provided the Chalkanium collapse in on itself.
Duchy of Lauzeta
Named for the bird-headed nonbinary god of forests, water and night, the Duchy of Lauzeta is populated by a combined population of human, halfling and dwarves. The Duchess of Lauzeta, always a female halfling, is determined by astrologians similar to the Sonas tribes in the eastern part of the continent, and is the supreme head of the nation.
Lauzeta, before the rise of the Chalkanian Empire, was joined with the nation to the northeast, the Kingdom of Phaedra. In those times, it was known as the Twin nation of Altawama, so named for the fact that both nations venerate the twin deities Lauzetana and Phaedranos, who represent night and day respectively.
When the Chalkies attacked, they were able to destabilize the Tieflings and Humans in Phaedra to the northeast. This led the daughter of King Phaedros, the first halfling King of Phaedra, to secede from the invaded northern lands in order to save her people in the southwest. Thus the Duchy of Lauzeta was born. In those times, the Dwarf population remained isolated in the Holter Mountains, and the humans of the plains were greedy for power. The Duchess Zetana Lauphadros the 1st was successful in unifying Lazuetan dwarf, halfling and human alike. Due to this strong alliance, Lauzeta was able to prevent the Chalkanium from invading their lands. But not only was it due to a strong internal unified front. The Chalkies’ hold on Phaedra didn’t last long, as the tiefling monks of Lablake and Almeru in Phaedra were successful in their insurrection against the Chalkish invaders, with help from the orc diaspora of Ora Ora and Tousayl. The two nations remained separated as fallout from the Chalkanium’s war on everything was devastating. Refugees from nearby regions began to overwhelm each nation, and though both Lauzeta and Phaedra maintain a positive relationship, individually each of them have too much to deal with. The three nations of Lauzeta, Phaedra and Niminya all maintain good relations with one another, but remain separate entities to prevent any one of the nations’ falling cause the decline of the other. Their alliance with each other is called the Ekstasia Alliance. Temperate and arid lands; plains, forests near the mountains, and deserts toward the center. Overall healthy ecosystem that's been fully defended from the Chalkanium.
Kingdom of Phaedra
The halfing King Phaedra Ruya’s descendancy dwell here. Centuries ago it briefly fell under Chalkanian control, but was quickly liberated by its fierce defenders bolstered by the diaspora of tieflings and orcs from Chaitius. It is land that has been restored by the rangers and druids that now call this region home; largely flat plains and forests make up its geography. The Town of Almeru is the new capital city; the Castle of Phaedraya, named for the nation’s patron deity Phaedranos, was formerly the capital of the Altawama Kingdom of old, pre-Chalkanium. Now it is the nation's military defense stronghold, keeping the Chalkanium forces at bay for a long time. Its population of human, halfling, tiefling and orc work together to keep its people thriving and the Chalkanium from spreading its reach into the northwestern region of Niminya. A strong alliance between Phaedra, Niminya and Lauzeta keeps the Chalkanium in check, as well as redistributing shared trade resources amongst the three nations in order to remain self-reliant and healthy. Many of the citizens of this nation are nomadic and live on the plains, rivers and in forests and are agrarian, sharing the land amongst each other harmoniously. The land was once scarred by the Chalkanium’s scorched earth policy of imperial advancement; however it has been cultivated and renourished into a healthy temperate ecosystem.
Sultinate of Niminya
Niminyaio is the Goddess of magic, music and the moon. The realm of Niminya is a realm of human and bards and druids. Tiefling, elf and orc diaspora also live here, sharing the bounty of well cultivated land and shared resource and production.
The Sultana of Niminya, descended from a lineage of bardpriestesses, ensures that trade and treaties with their allies Phaedra and Lauzeta are carried out efficiently and effectively. Her general, the Bardpriest Knight, ensures the defense and safety of the realm and leads the Bliss of Rumik, an army of Paladins. Prior to the Chalkanium, the region of Niminya was the biggest and most powerful nation in Hollindagen due to its great internal conditions and its diplomacy. Now it is the only nation powerful enough to stop the Chalkanium, however the Sultanas have historically vowed to refrain from any foreign warfare so as to prevent causing more suffering and unforeseeable negative causality. There are rumors that the sultana is to abdicate her throne and establish the Syndicalist Republic of Niminya (anarcho-socialist democracy). It is a realm of art, music, and magic, with song being the source of spell-casting, even for non-bards. Thousands of years of tradition in songspell-weaving has been developed and innovated upon throughout the centuries in the Shams Tower (aka Shams Citadel), where spells are developed by a lineage of wizard-musicians.
Temperate lands with four seasons. Warm jet stream prevents harsh winter except for in the far northwest.
The Chalkanium:
A fascist empire consisting of human-supremacists, they convinced the tiefling tribes of Chaitius and Lablake to turn on their own people and thus the Chalkanian Empire began. Now those tribes, along with the orc tribes Lauzetaya, Ora, and Tousayl, have been subjugated and enslaved by the cunning Sorcerer Legions of Chalkania. Those Sorcerers were corrupted by the deity Industrios, who was destroyed by Ekstasia for attempting to remove the free will from all the worlds’ beings, controlling them at his every whim. However his spirit remained dormant and began to possess the ancient Chalkies, guiding them to revive his spirit through subjugating the worshipers of the other deities. For the last 150 years the Chalkanium has conquered the neighboring nations of Chaitius, Egebamyasi, Tousayl-Sona, the Dragonborn Isles of Unasz, and has sealed off the mysterious land known as the Whisper, which is the site of many unexplained occurrences such as the sudden disappearance of Chalkanian Legions who enter the lands. The Chalkanium has been held at bay by its neighbors to the northwest; the three kingdoms known as Phaedra, Lauzeta and Niminya. Most of the names of the towns and land features of the Chalkanium have been renamed after notable Chalkies, with several exceptions in which the original names were preserved as a way to falsely oblige treaties (land acknowledgment). Many of its natural resources in the provinces and colonies have been used up; the resource in the heart of the empire, Central Chalkania, is being hoarded by the Empire. Most of the climate in the Chalkanian Provinces and colonies are desolate and strangled earth; churned and burned by industry and warfare. Due to the relatively low intelligence of its historians and politicians and extreme nationalist pride and ego, a lot of the names given to themselves and their conquered regions seek to empower themselves with mighty prefixes and suffixes belonging to dragons and other subjugated beings. However, they still have fragile egos that overcompensate, and often their successes in worldly domination is due to dumb luck. Or perhaps there is a larger plan at play in the shadows…
ISLANDS AND REACHES
Surrounding the two main continents of Gyrusia and Hollindagen are various islands and far-reaches.
To the northwest is the islands of Higgsryng, the land of legends once home to the now-extinct goliaths, though rumors of their return have sprung up around Niminya.
In the southwest are the Unasz Isles. Once home to the dragonborn of Ekstasia, the Unasz Isles are now a colonial wasteland. The dragonborn were among the first to be eradicated in the Chalkanium's conquest of supremacy, or so it seemed until, much like the goliaths of Higgsryng, rumors of their return have begun to spread through Niminya.
In the south, situated between the two continents, is the Free Nation of Rustwind, home to gnomes who specialize in tinkering and steam-driven technologies. They have been able to repel every one of the Chalkanium's attempts to colonize it.
In the same general region are the subjugated Johpera Isles. Once a peaceful island nation of gnomes and dwarves, it is now decimated by the industry and warfare of the Chalkanium.