Tellus Primer

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A Game World Primer

Where does the adventure start?

In the Kindgom of Westernesse, which is a human kingdom on the western side of Galtia.

What year is it?

Heroes of the Vale began in the year 3517, the Liverbirds began in 3518.

How do years and months work?

There are 24 months, you can find them under calendars in the appendix, along with images of Tellus in its rotation. The thing to understand is, Cyrus, a.k.a., “the sun”, doesn’t rise and fall in the same spot, and except during the summers, there isn’t a mid-day sun overhead.

What about days and weeks?

Each of the 24 months has 30 days and 3, 10-day weeks. The days of the week are derived from the dwarf alphabet (the human settlers adopted the dwarf calendar). The days are Oht, Te, Ju, Ohr, Elt, Erst, Knen, Tum, Ast, and Jest.

So, is it true this is a flat world?

Yes. The world of Tellus is a disc world. It was constructed by a cosmic being (at least that is what is believed). Cyrus spins around the disc on a fixed orbit, while the disc slowly revolves. Because the sun is fixed and the land spins, it rises and sets in different parts of the sky as the seasons change. The edge of the disc is called The Realstream, an impassible, churning river that flows in the opposite direction of the revolution. Any ship that has successfully sailed to the other side of the disc has not returned.

Are there moons?

Yes, there are two moons, each on their own orbit around the disc. One is white gray, much like our own - it is called Lunas. The other is a light red color, akin to Mars - it is called Karos. Lunas orbits in a perpendicular pattern to Cyrus, whereas Kyrus is on a 45-degree angle, both of which are slightly elliptical. This means depending on the season, one moon will be closer than the other. Karos is “the red moon” and has a stigma of bringing bad luck. Most people believe that’s because there is an evil god locked up inside of it. The moons generate a glow all on their own and are always "full".

Can you summarize the history of the world in a paragraph or so?

There was an ancient proto-god that created the world, but the act of creation caused the creator’s destruction. The creator, or “Progenitor”, unraveled into Creation, and then later the first five true gods (Uris, Axeos, Nalene, Ogmus and Sylvarel) came into being. These gods created the Urlosh, Keres, Fey, Giants, and Elves (respectively). Axeos decided they wanted to control all of creation, and the others disagreed with this. Uris and Nalene imprisoned Axeos, but the act of doing this caused them to also unravel, spawning vast essence storms across the world. Ogmus banished the Kur to Hadea, the great world engine. He then created The World Pillars to stabilize creation, but this resulted in their unraveling too. Sylvarel created the Laws of Magic, writing into being methods for the mortal races to control the forces of magic and their own destinies. This divine gift was costly, and though they did not fully unravel as the other gods did, they instead bound themself into The World Tree, becoming physically and forever connected to the world itself. All of this essence of creation swirled throughout the world; this resulted in many spontaneous creation events, including some sapient races and a variety of demi-powers. The Urlosh, using Sylvarel's gift, became the first masters of magic, building sprawling kingdoms and ruling the world as wizard-kings for a thousand years; as the power of raw magic waned, their empire crumbled from infighting and revolt, leaving behind vast ruined cities, artifacts of great power, and colossal constructs known as Legacies. Eventually enough of this essence of creation stabilized and coalesced into numerous weaker celestials who influence regions of the world. Eitvar, Isanna, Kyrgan, Numara, and Tobris are celestials who have shaped the history of Galtia. These five beings make up ‘The Pentacle’.

The Pentacle

Numarra

Some say that the voice of Numarra can be heard in a dancing brook or a rushing waterfall or glimpsed in a reflection on still water. Her cool waters heal the sick and cleanse disease. She is said to appear as a matronly figure, fair of face, oft bearing a clay jar containing the purest water of which a single drop would ease the worst of pain. Petitioners are often midwives or healers, favoring blue robes. Petitioners come to Numarra's shrines to pray for good health and seek out her faithful for healing. Paladins of Numarra are known as both healers and as champions for the weak, showing up in moments of need to tend to the sick or strike down those that would harm innocents. Such paladins are recognizable for their blue cloaks or robes, sometimes emblazoned with a white carrying yoke balancing clay jars. They also favor pole arms, most commonly the simple quarterstaff.

Eitvar

Soldiers call upon Eitvar to aid them in battle and believe that Eitvar’s strength will fill them with valor. Others call upon Eitvar to give them strength to face adversity, or to offer protection from overwhelming danger, or to provide blessings for a successful hunt. Images of Eitvar include a shield emblazoned with a white wolf or just a white wolf alone, sometimes howling, Petitioners who believe that they have seen Eitvar say they he has appeared as a huge white wolf, either saving them by driving off a threat, pursuing them for committing misdeeds, or running with them through the forest and filling them with the exhilaration of a hunt. Paladins of Eitvar don white cloaks and usually bear black shields emblazoned with a white wolf head. They show up at battles to provide inspiration, they hunt monstrous beasts that prey upon the weak, and they stand vigilant to protect petitioners and their homes from those that would do them harm.

Kyrgan

Kyrgan is a symbol of Truth, Law and Judgement. Petitioners understand that there is an order to everything, we come from the circle, we return to the circle, and all that stands between society and chaos is the power of Law. Images of Kyrgan almost always include scales of justice. Kyrgan is believed to have written the oldest remaining laws, and most barristers revere Kyrgan over the other celestials. Petitioners seek Kyrgan for justice against those who have wronged them or harmed them, or to prove their innocence, but most often it is to settle disputes. Paladins don black cloaks or black robes of office and wear silver medallions with the scale on them. They are often feared and sometimes mistrusted, as everyone knows that there are no secrets to be had around a Paladin of Kyrgan. They show up to find out the truth of matters, to see that justice is served, to answer questions about the law, and to pass judgement on those who mock the law.

Tobris

Tobris is the kind-eyed stranger, the helping hand, the safety of home, and the spirit of progress. Dwarves revere Tobris with their zeal to learn new things and to push the boundaries of knowledge and technology without losing sight of the beauty in their craft. Petitioners see Tobris in the form of unexpected aid, as peace within a storm, as shaking hands, and as lifting each other up instead of striking one another down. Travelers recognize Tobris in well-kept roads, safe travel, and as a gentle wind at their back urging them forward. Builders see Tobris as an arm and a hammer, giving them strength to work through the day. Petitioners will ask for blessings on their new homes, for a safe journey on the road, or even help accomplishing mundane, but difficult tasks. Paladins of Tobris are known for their rustic brown cloaks, and either unassuming or jovial demeanors. They more often help build things then break things, and give protection where needed, but also help recover after a disaster. They find more comfort in a smithy then a battlefield, but when they show up with their hammers held high only fools face them without hesitation.

Isanna

Isanna is the creator of Chaos, The Laughing Lady, the trickster, the performer, the clever tongue and biting wit. When the unpredictable happens, Isanna is the laughter that abounds, relishing in the amusement of misfortune or celebrating a cunning victory or daring do. She is the leap of faith, rewarding those who ride out the storm, who take the chance despite the risk, and sometimes she is the fall. Petitioners of Isanna are often performers asking blessings for a show, or those about to embark on a risky venture, or those seeking protection from a storm, sometimes those who might scoff the law with intent to take from the undeserving, or just anyone putting themself in danger might call upon the Lady. Paladins of Isanna are at best unpredictable. Most favor fast weapons, wear red cloaks, and are known for their wits and their blades. They show up to aid the risk-takers, to tip the scales, to ride out the storm with those ready to embrace it, and sometimes they just show up to cause chaos.

What do people believe happens when they die?

Many cultures have different beliefs about death, but the most wide-spread belief is that souls return to the great circle and join with the memories of the Progenitor, for the followers of Law this is a joyful experience, but those who lived lawless lives, they are faced with the guilt of their actions and experience dissolution. Eventually souls are rewarded by being born anew, along with an endless cycle of new souls coming out of the mainspring.

What is religion like?

Everyone knows that celestials and spirits are real. Well, they at least believe them to be real. The celestials of the Pentacle influence the world indirectly for the most part, but stories of divine intervention for the faithful abound. There are shrines and temples dedicated to the Pentacle, and there are shrines dedicated to individual celestials of all kinds. People may invoke any or all of the celestials in their time of need, but the norm would be to invoke the one whose sphere of influence most corresponded to the need in question. Priests of the divine may speak at the temples, revealing wisdom that they have uncovered from the divinity, but these are less church services and more conversations. Religion has little to no influence in government or politics, and temples rely on alms or sacrifices to operate. There are some sects of more formalized belief. One example of these are the Barristers, followers of Kyrgan. They study law and are recognizable by their white robes and red symbols. Think of Barristers as “lawyers of faith” if that helps. They are well known, and feared, for always finding the truth.

There are also some monasteries devoted to Tobris. These are places for study and enlightenment, somewhat akin to religious universities and well known for their libraries. Before the printing press, most books were scribed at such places, though many still are, especially books that are “illuminated”, which is a fancy term for embellished or illustrated. Some of these priests are called Illuminators because of this.

The important thing to know is, celestials are a part of the culture and people honor them and sacrifice to them. Most households will have small shrines or altars dedicated to one or more celestials or spirits that they will say prayers at. It is common practice to sacrifice food or drink to the celestials; pouring libations is the act of pouring alcohol out as a sacrifice or honor them. There are also holidays to honor certain celestials, along with music and athletic competitions.

So, is it just the five celestials?

No, but the Pentacle seem to be the most powerful ones active in the land of Galtia. There are many celestials about in the world, along with many other sentient and semi-sentient entities, that could be considered divine spirits. Some of these are benevolent, some bizarre, and some dangerous.

Everywhere is somewhere.

There aren’t elemental planes, or levels of hades, or any other typical places of existence. There is the world, and it exists in space and time. There is a shadow world, that is to say, a shadowy version of this world just out of sync, a place where the dead go before rejoining the cosmic wheel, but even the shadow world is “here”, mostly. Other than that, there are two other “places” of sorts, but neither are places in the way we understand them. The first, Magicians call the “in between”. They describe it as a pocket-space where they can use magic to put things. Some think of it as two-dimensional space, but that is too confusing to understand, and either way, it doesn’t appear to be possible to go there, or truly comprehend it, but if you ever find magic that distorts the relative size of things, it is probably using the in-between to do this. The second is The Void. Little is known or understood about The Void; it may be the only place truly elsewhere, although some scholars believe it is everywhere, and known Reality exists within it. What is known is that those few who have found a way to peer into it find only madness, and sometimes things come out of it. These things are called Horrors, and their name is very descriptive. They are alien, and their motives seem to be little more than destruction. Outside of these spatial concepts, everything else is here, or over there, but not elsewhere. Meaning, given the means and the time, you could walk there, or fly there, or burrow there.

What is magic like, and how prevalent is it?

Magic is an energy that exists throughout all of creation. It ebbs and flows, moves in lines (called Ley Lines), sometimes it pools, and sometimes there are voids. It can be chaotic and unpredictable, but magicians have learned how to harness this power and bend it to their will to create or destroy. Magicians use a combination of words and objects to focus this energy, called mana, to cast spells. Magic is prevalent, and weak magic is ubiquitous. In fact, maybe a third to half of just about everyone is able to, and eventually does, learn a spell or two. This is called Low Magic, and these spells mostly aid in simple tasks, from mending clothes to lighting lamps. Some people have greater gifts and will go and train under master magicians as apprentices, or at schools. It is common for villages to send the most promising children to school to learn magic that would benefit the village, and after their training these fledgling magicians will work for the village to pay off the debt for their education.

How common are magic items?

Simple magic items are common, but they are useful tools, not great works of power. Even these cost a typical person a month's wages, so for most people they are luxury items, usually procured for their utility.

Who can make magic items?

Magicians. Only trained magicians know the secret of imbuing items with their own essence to bind spells to the items. It is a risky and exhausting process, and it is why there are not unlimited amounts of potent items everywhere.

What about alchemy?

Alchemy is not magic, but it frequently produces magical results. Alchemy is the skill of combining herbs or other rare ingredients to make stuff. The most common alchemical product is the potion. In Adventure’s Edge, magicians do not imbue spells into potions. Potions are created by combining ingredients, such as plants or mushrooms, or harvested from magically active creatures - a.k.a., monsters. That means often the most valuable treasure you will find on a monster is its gizzard, or whatever piece contains the essence to make a potion.

What should I know about the races?

Start by reading the core book descriptions. That tells you the physical nature of the races. But they don’t exist in a vacuum (which oddly enough, may not exist, but no one knows what is outside of the air bubble called the “Aether”.) I digress.

As this is a created world, the races are created races. Meaning they came into being, fully formed, and given the tools to survive by the gods (except for certain exceptions). They were also created in specific parts of the world, not scattered across the land like seeds. This is important because they didn’t evolve, and they have unique homelands, meaning you won’t find all the races everywhere in huge groups.

What is the monetary system?

The primary coin in circulation in Westernesse (the human kingdom) is the copper penny (penny is short for Pentacle, which is the symbol on the reverse side). There are five common penny faces, those being the wolf, waterfall, scales, arm & hammer, and the laughing lady. Pennies are about half an inch in diameter, one-twentieth of an inch thick, and there are 250 pennies to the pound.

The next denomination is the silver crown, or “crown”. The primary face of the crown is Aelfward Payne, the first governor of Westerness, and the reverse is the royal crown. Crowns are an inch across and roughly an eighth of an inch thick. There are 25 crowns to the pound.

The third primary coin is the Gold Royal. The face of the Royal is the image of the current monarch when it was minted, and include, in order of minting, Isolde Payne, Baldwin Payne, Regina Payne, Francis Payne and Joseph Payne. The reverse is an image of the bridge at Kingsbridge. Royals are slightly smaller than crowns, and half as thick, but weigh about the same.

There are 100 pennies to the crown, and 10 Crowns to the Royal. Laborers earn 4-6 crowns per day, craftsmen 8-12, and merchants and specialists might earn 25 to 50 a day, whereas enchanters could earn 150 a day or more.

Can you tell me about the Kingdom itself?

The Kingdom of Westernesse is a Constitutional Monarchy. About thirty years after the war for independence from the Cathan Empire, the existing nobles who were functionally serving as governors and stewards drafted the Charter of Rule. This founded the kingdom and elevated Duchess Isolde Payne to be the first Queen. The kingdom comprises three duchies, Gilmore, Landon, and Lyonesse, and each of the duchies comprises numerous earldoms.

There are many significant people, but what you should understand is, twenty years ago there was a foreign invasion that practically destroyed the Duchy of Gilmore, and while the invasion was repelled (aided in no small part by an arcane catastrophe), it was immediately followed by a deadly plague that only affected humans, and that which proceeded to kill off half the country in two years before mysteriously dying out. Between the war and the plague, the kingdom was left in turmoil, and laws in the Charter made replacing various rulers difficult.

The Duchy of Landon comprises five earldoms, the Earl of Highside, Earl of Kent, Earl of Oldhaven, Earl of Hornburg, and Earl of Scatterby. The Duke of Hornburg died from the plague, as did King Joseph Payne. A reagent, Leonard Gorney, acts in the duke’s stead for two more years, after which his son Turbert will be named Duke. Four of the five earldoms have seated earls, but the Earl of Kent does not have a seated earl; The former earl, Sir Cuthbert Glenham died in the war. There has long been political pressure for one of the knights at Kent Keep to claim the title.

The Kingdom plods on, taxes are collected, but it is not running efficiently. Corruption is rife, there are not enough knights, and many of the roads are dangerous now between the threat of banditry and encroaching monsters.

Can you clarify noble titles and how to address nobility?

The King or Queen is a hereditary position that goes to the firstborn, or crown prince/princess. You should address them as “your majesty”. The king/queen’s spouse is called the High Consort and should be addressed as “your highness”. The crown prince/princess should also be addressed as “your highness,” whereas any other children would receive the honorific of Lord or Lady.

The duke or duchess is addressed as “your grace”, and their children also receive the honorific “Lord” or “Lady”, but the firstborn gets “Lordship” or “Ladyship”. Only the firstborn inherits the title, and other children do not pass down any honorifics or titles.

Earls are referred to as Count or Countess, or My Lord, My Lady. The eldest is referred to as Viscount until assuming the full title. Other children of Earls have no titles, but in polite society and certainly in the company of the peerage they are referred to as Lord or Lady, but once they marry it is acceptable to drop the honorific (unless of course they have a new title through marriage.)

There are people of wealth who have been granted the title of Viscount, versus those that inherit the position of Count. This is the only time that a Viscount will not become a count, which creates a legal loophole, as children of Viscounts do not become Viscounts. This type of noble title is almost always appointed in exchange for political favor or money, particularly when the kingdom needs to raise capital. These viscounts also are addressed as Lord/Lady.

The lowest hereditary title is Baron/Baroness, also referred to as Lord/Lady. Barons are large landowners within an Earldom (or County). The eldest will gain the Baron title, and it is appropriate to address them as Lord/Lady, but any other children do not receive such honorifics.

Only knights are referred to as Sir, regardless of other titles. Knighthood is not hereditary, and can only be granted by a Duke/Duchess or King/Queen, and is almost exclusively a military title. Knights are granted estates, albeit very small ones.

Non-noble landowners are called Freeholders, future landowners (those working off a debt in exchange for land) are called Leaseholders, and all the secondary children of Freeholders are called Stakeholders. (This is due to a law in the Charter of Rule which states that all non-noble property must be split equally between children, which prevents large amounts of land being owned by small amounts of non-nobility). Stakeholders can sell their stake back to the eldest, but these transactions must be legally recorded transfers of wealth.

Any non-knights acting as mercenaries within the kingdom are called Freelancers.

Anything else I should know about Tellus?

Here are some random facts that you should know which might help your frame of reference.

1. Tellus is a created world, and it’s only about 20 thousand years old. There aren’t fossil fuels. No coal, no oil/natural gas, that type of thing, but there are peat bogs. The whaling industry harvests whale oil, but it can be expensive. The most common oils for lamps and general use are olive oil, fish oil, and whale oil.
2. Gunpowder has not been discovered. However, there are canons. They don’t use gunpowder. They use tiny drops of elemental fire and water, also expensive, but wonderfully volatile. No one has made a hand cannon capable of containing it though.
3. No one has invented fireworks either. Sad.
4. Dwarves have invented the equivalent of steam engines that produce energy by also combining elemental fire and water. They have helped build steamboats for the ottrali to travel the rivers of Galtia, creating a complex trading network. They have also built trains, beautiful creations of magic, brass, and steel, which carry goods and passengers between the two kingdoms. What they refuse to do is create any type of engine for manufacturing. A common dwarven expression is, "Machines are for moving, hands are for making."
5. Are there gems then? Yes. Diamonds and other precious gems for our purposes have the same expected properties, but they were not created by time and pressure. They are hardened bits of creation essence. Physical manifestations of magic. Which is why they are the primary ingredients for magic items, and the primary reason magic items cost so much. If you find a ruby, or emerald, or whatnot, it’s mostly valuable because you can make something magical from it.
6. The dwarves discovered mithril long ago but are the only ones who know the secrets of mining and working it. Fun fact: Mithril is essentially titanium. But it’s mithril.
7. What’s on the other side of the disc? No one knows. Yet.
8. You said everywhere is somewhere. So where do the gods hang out? Great question. Here! The general belief is, at the center of the disc is the Omphalos, the center of the world, and various other names, and there atop a great mountain named Empyrea is where the gods reside. Is it true? The answer is unclear. But explorers have tried to find the Omphalos, and have seen a distant mountain, but it appears to be locked in place, like the end of an axle with the wheel spinning around it. Between the torrential waves and towering, jagged reefs, ships get destroyed quickly.
9. What are these World Pillars you mentioned? Towering crystalline pillars that stand 3,000 feet tall. There is one in far western Galtia, near where the capital of Gilmore once was. Stories tell of others around the world. They are mysterious and impenetrable.
10. The Great Way is a 1600 mile long highway made out of “moonstone”, a dull-white stone with a slightly-roughened surface, just enough to provide good traction but a smooth ride. It is 30-feet wide, extremely hard, and dimly glows at night making it easy to navigate after dark. It has always been here, and most believe it was created by the Urlosh thousands of years ago. Each end hangs out over the sea, suggesting the land was different once, and it is also broken in two spots between Lyonesse and Mirnbohr, where the ground presumably raised up from the original elevation. The Dwarves created switchbacks to connect the lower road to the upper road. It is also broken where the city of Kingsbridge was founded, indicating that the gulf there known as the Sea of Fates was made larger long, long ago.
11. There are many ancient ruins, also presumably left behind from the Urlosh civilization, amidst some of these are Legacies - sites of ancient power. They are not all explored, and those that have been contained magic, mysteries, dangers, and death.