Wyrmstone Worldbook

With the eldritch power of Wyrmstone, ships highsail in the clouds, creating gates to travel between worlds in this fantasy epic of heroism, intrigue and rollicking adventure.

Shadowy jungles reclaim the crumbling remains of the savage Hothai empire in Issara. The endless archipelagos of Ra'niah spawn the best sailors alive, led by the Guild-States, exemplars of art, science, and culture. The seat of Dwarven power is empty in Shahan, its previous occupants scattered to the wind by the enigmatic and horrifying Chithrau. Within the mighty Celestial Empire of Liunonda the elegant Elven songs of Honor and intrigue continue their deadly harmony, while the shattered remnants of the Drow drift in a desolate web, the casualty of a millennial-old war. Dragon Warlords rule the blasted wastelands of Daigon watched over by the rheumy gaze of the moon Eone, a place of destiny and wealth for Adventurers, for it is here that the Great Wyrms travel to die.

Every hero needs a world to save.

Now there are six.

Overview

The "world" of Wyrmstone is in fact several individual worlds, each with its own peoples, problems, and perils. Travel between each is performed using magical Wyrmstone-powered Highsailing craft that open gates to cross the vast distances, from the jungle world Issara, to the water world Ra'niah, to the desert world Daigon. Beyond Daigon lies the forest world Liunonda, the scattered blasted remains of the Drow world known as The Web, and the enigmatic Dwarven world Shahan. All but Shahan circle The Hearth, a great and revered sphere of holy flame.

Across the worlds live the peoples of many civilizations. Notable among these are the Celestial Empire of elves with its home world of Liunonda shadowed by the exiled Jade Crown on Ra'niah. The renaissance Guild states on Ra'niah feature a mix of all races. The Dwarves and Gnomes live in exile from their home, Shahan, which is occupied by the horrifying Chithrau invaders who appeared from nowhere over fifty years in the past. The deserts and ruins of Daigon are watched over by Dragon Warlords, and the collapsing Hothai civilization of repitiliads simmers in the jungles of Issara.

Travelogue Part-1

Ships high sail in the clouds with the eldritch power of Wyrmstone! With high sailing ships adventure is everywhere! I am Anton Petrus Junior Archivist from the Library of Panea. Years of training in the dusty halls of the library have lead up to this, my first great adventure as a Junior Archivist! This expedition is slated to take over a year, and we are traveling to all of the major trade worlds. I am instructed to fill this journal with what I experience as an Archivist. My first entry is to cover the recorded mythos of the worlds:

Before the worlds were born, there was Mother and Father Sun. Much time passed with the Mother and Father Sun living in harmony, they created all the worlds, the people and the animals. However, all was not well between the Mother and the Father, and as time stretched on they grew apart. While apart they watched over their own worlds and the people flourishing therein. But Father Sun was not content. He coveted the happiness of Mother Sun and her worlds, and was jealous of the attention she paid and received from her creations, as well as the other deities ascending to live beside her.

Many different stories have been documented telling what happened, but in the end the results are clear. Father Sun's jealousy led to rage, and he consumed his own worlds and creations, becoming what we now know as the Hollow, a dark hole in the sky which can only be seen by an absence of light. Mother Sun continues to shine as the Hearth, providing warmth and love upon her creations.

This is, of course, a very simple explanation, for I would rather write about the worlds and their great diversity. There are six remaining worlds. Dark and dusty tomes refer to more than these six, but the other worlds were consumed by the Hollow. The worlds circle around the Hearth except for Shahan, it is held firm in place between the Hearth and the Hollow.

The first world encountered when leaving the Hearth is Issara, covered with a rich, verdant, steaming jungle. There was a time long ago that Issara was a great power, led by a mighty Empire peopled by the snake-men who called themselves Hothai. The Hothai have shared their world from the beginning with the Chimai, a race of simian-men who have their own long history of both oppression by and warfare with the Hothai.

After Issara is Ra'niah, my home world! Here endless archipelagos spawn the best sailors alive, led by the Guild-States, exemplars of art, science, and culture. While Ra'niah is mostly home to a wide variety of Humans and Falo, the Elf-blooded exiles have a kingdom in the Court of the Jade Crown, and the seas are filled with many different water-nations of Tritons and Sauhagin ruled by Aboleth God-Kings.

Daigon can be found in the next circle after Ra'niah. This place is rumored to be the home world of Humans, but now it is covered in blasted wasteland ruled by Dragon Warlords. Those who survive on the surface of Daigon do so against great odds, and with much attrition. Circling Daigon is the moon of Eyone, this is where dragons go to die, and is the only known place to harvest Wyrmstone.

Next comes Liunonda, a forest world which is home of the mighty Elven Celestial Empire. This Empire is as old as time itself, never having fallen. There are other elven kingdoms on the world of Liunonda, but none anywhere rival the size and might of the Celestial Empire.

After Liunonda is The Web. This assortment of rock was once the world of the Root Walkers and the Drow. Unfortunately, a centuries old conflict between the Drow and the Celestial Empire led to the destruction of the world once known as Qu'ulsis. Where once there was a complete world, now there is only a collection of small and large roughly shaped land masses known as The Web. Many worlds also have Aether Islands which float above the surface; the remains of Qu'ulsis are all Aether Islands, and it is at these places scattered throughout the Web that the Drow and Root Walkers continue to live.

Last is the enigmatic world of Shahan. Once the seat of Dwarven power it is now occupied by the horrifying C'thrau. Shahan is the home world of the Dwarves and Orcs. It is unique in that it does not circle the Hearth or the Hollow, but rather sits in a stable location between each sun. It does rotate, and such rotation has been measured by astronomers, but it's lack of circle is mystifying. Shahan is also a hollow world, with the inhabitants living on the inside instead of on the surface.

The worlds are in a Renaissance of sorts, a new period of enlightenment following the Age of the Plague. Nobody knows the cause of the incurable plague, but it sent the worlds into a spiral of death, darkness and insular behavior that caused much knowledge to be lost or forgotten. During the Age of the Plague trade was all but non-existent for ports were closed by fear of contagion. Two or so centuries ago the Guild Statesbuilding themselves from the collapsing Telman Empirestarted establishing new trade routes across the worlds again. While the Plague periodically appears from time to time, it is nowhere near as strong as it once was. There are brave new frontiers to rediscover, and the worlds are waking from a century long period of fear.

Travelog Part-2: Issara

We arrived at the steamy jungles of Issara, the first world following the Hearth. Our ship Corvus sailed over vast jungles after our arrival. I posted myself at the rail of the ship watching carefully for the fabled Hothai ruins rumored to be littering the lands of Issara. Nearly beside myself because I could see none of the ruins I had hoped for, it was only as we journeyed near our destination that Jarek, the ship's quartermaster, pointed them out to me. I had been missing them this whole time. What I thought were hills dotting the landscape were instead the ancient Hothai step-pyramids, now overrun by the vegetation. Once I knew what to look for I was able to see an outcropping of stone here and there, drowning amidst the vast steamy primeval jungle.

The Hothai are like upright lizards. I saw one once in Telma, whose scales were a pearly blue, but I understand they can be a wide variety of colors. He walked cloaked, so I was unable to see much more than his face when he looked upon me for a brief moment. His eyes were golden and slitted like a Dragon's, and he had a long snout like a lizard.

I know there was once a mighty Hothai Empire, but it has been in decline since just before the Age of the Plague. I didn't realize how low the fall actually was. Jarek assured me that there were still active Hothai cities on Issara, but that they were as unsafe as ever, and only the most bold or foolish traders ventured to those areas.

Instead, we sailed over a mountain range which was thrust up from the jungle, and on the other side was further jungle, but it opened into the Chimai Nation city of Meechto. This is the largest Chimai city on the world, and it is almost entirely a vast trading market, center to not only Issaran trade but also one of the first trading outposts outside of Ra'niah.

The Chimai are an interesting people. They look much like a large monkey or chimpanzee, although more upright like a Human than a crouching jungle animal. Chimai have fur across their entire bodies, large shoulders, long dexterous fingers and a prehensile tail. They are a bit mischievous but are very keen traders and collectors.

We spent several weeks in Issara. Some sailors and I were able to find a local Chimai guide who took us to one of the Hothai step-pyramids. It was only a days walk from Meechto, and I presume it has been visited by many as the path was well worn. But even then, as I approached and the stone structure slowly revealed itself through the jungle I can admit that I felt an ominous presence. I can only imagine what may have caused the fall of the Hothai, and what they must have left behind in their vacated cities throughout Issara. I had climbed to the top of the edifice when our Guide suddenly insisted we leave. I wasn't sure what he was upset about but Jarek said something about Gorgons, Thunder Lizards the size of our ship, and the dangers of the deeper jungle. We left quickly, and the entire time back I felt like I was being followed or watched.