Hello everyone; I am KaeZero. I have been working on this world for a long time, even though I haven't played an actual ttrpg with it. It was meant more for a novel (that I'll likely never write), so when I saw the ads on Reddit I figured I could share my world with everyone here at LiveTale. I hope you have as much fun reading about my world as I did writing it.
Niahtera
Background
The story takes place in a world filled with an invisible force known as Aether. This energy can be manipulated by inhabitants of the world in many ways. It can be infused into objects such as medicine to strengthen its effects, forged into weapons to increase durability, or even absorbed by humans to lengthen their lifespan by those truly knowledgeable in Aether manipulation. This wild energy has also warped some inhabitants into beings who can harness the power directly instead of relying on tools like Numerology.
Early History
Alexander Lovelace was the first to discover the power of Aether. He found that crystals could store large amounts of Aether if infused properly, leading to the creation of Clear Stone. It had been known that living matter held Aether, and even fire produced an amount of it, but they all leaked it away. Alexander, though, discovered that crystals did not naturally leak Aether. Lovelace found that the more complex the crystal structure, the greater the amount of Aether that could be infused. When quartz crystals were infused with Aether, they became tougher than iron, but they would turn to dust after the Aether was completely depleted due to the stress of its release.
The invention of Clear Stone caused a technological revolution in the world. Engines powered by Clear Stone made travel faster and more efficient, with trains and boats outfitted with "Clear Engines" reducing travel time from months to mere days. This technological advancement led to kingdoms and countries competing for superiority.
It is worth noting that the crystals infused with Aether could only be recharged by those who possessed the natural ability to wield Aether. This meant that only individuals born with the talent to manipulate Aether could replenish the infused crystals. This limitation further cemented the importance of natural-born Aether manipulators in society, as they were crucial in keeping the engines and other Aether-powered technologies running.
Advancements
Archimedes, Sorora's greatest numerologist and alchemist, had a vision of infusing crystals with Aether to make them accessible to common folk without the need for natural-born Aether manipulators. He created a formula to force Clear Stone to absorb Aether, but the resulting infusion made the crystal unstable. A slight movement caused the Aether to erupt, shattering the crystal and radiating out in a wave. Archimedes felt fatigued after being exposed to the wave of released Aether, but his peers dismissed his concerns since Aether had never been shown to be harmful.
The alchemists at Volun, however, were less skeptical. They began small-scale tests on the volcanic Island of Sinbris, creating a large clear stone that absorbed Aether in a one-mile radius. The researchers even had their own Aether ripped from them and absorbed by the crystal, but this was of no concern since the body's Aether naturally refilled. The researchers wished to see what a larger Aether wave would be capable of and did not cancel the process. However, unlike in Archimedes' small-scale tests, the crystal violently exploded, sending out a magnificent wave of Aether that stripped the Aether from objects it passed through, aged researchers, and rendered the environment barren.
The Sanaka, living on an adjacent island, felt shaky and lethargic for days after the wave crashed over them. Archimedes was horrified by the destruction caused by his formula and quickly had the Sanaka tribe move from the island to the mainland. He left his laboratory behind in Sorora and warned his colleagues against trusting Volun, whose research may be funded by them but without scientific progress in mind.
The news of the experiment's damage brought cheers from Volun's court, who wanted to cement their place in history with this new weapon. Sorora and Volun would begin collaboration on a larger version of Clear Stone. Sorora grew a quartz crystal of sufficient size for this Aether bomb. Do would be the beginning of a catastrophe.
Volun's Schemes
Sorora and Volun's actions did not go unnoticed by the barons of Uravvi, who watched all developing kingdoms from their flying city. Their vast information network allowed them to learn of the experiments conducted on the Island of Sinbris and the creation of a much larger version of Clear Stone. Archimedes' formula did not come as a surprise to them, as they had already discovered it themselves. However, they had hoped that the formula would not be discovered by other nations for a few more years while they worked on a countermeasure.
The progress made by Sorora and Volun was alarming to the barons, who voted on how to proceed. Some wanted to continue observing and rush countermeasure studies, while others proposed welcoming the two cities into the Uvvari and beginning negotiations. However, the majority voted to remove the two cities as a possible threat to the rest of Niahtera.
The Uvvari sent messengers to both Sorora and Volun and while Sorora welcomed them with great fanfare, Volun had darker plans. They laced the food given to the messengers, placing them in a deep sleep, and then sent a message to their spies in Sorora to make it look like the Sororans had killed the Uvvari. However, the Uvvari messengers were able to communicate with their colleagues back in the flying city using projection, exposing the Volun's treachery.
After a week-long discussion, a decision was made to either remove both cities or cripple Volun. However, the practical chief baron, Lorraine Yew, invoked the right of Ultima Verba and put the two options up for a vote. The vote was split 40 to 60, but Lorraine knew that a two-choice decision required at least 80% of the vote. Therefore, she announced that the Uvvari would proceed with the second choice, which was to cripple Volun. She also nominated Stephan Lovelace as her successor, leading to several months-long debates among the barons.
Ultima Verba is a right that was not used too often, as it abruptly ended a chief baron's time in charge. However, there was no arguing with it, and Uvvari moved quickly to enact the chief baron's decision.
Over the days that followed the meeting, the Uravvi made moves to cripple Volun's stability without bringing them to ruin. Information was collected, Volun court members were bribed, and in only a few weeks, Voluns court was in turmoil. Rumors and gossip did most of the work, everyone suspected backstabbing from the others. After all, Volun was a court of schemers. A few of the members of the higher court and the king himself had seen through the Uvvari’s actions, but any mention of foul play only led to further paranoia. This was only exacerbated by the idea that the Uvvari had already removed Sorora. No messages were being replied to, and the messengers Volun sent on foot never returned. Other trade routes and even their ports had become barren. The Volun king and his advisers had not expected this quick and powerful response from the Uvvari; how could a single city have so much power after all?
The upper court made a last desperate attempt to save their kingdom. They would release one of their captured Uvvari messengers to send a message. The message was as follows: “We wish to make amends. We have meditated on our actions and understand what we have done is unforgivable. Forgive our odious action, and we shall forever be Uvvari’s humble servants.” The messenger was not even out the door by the time the Uvvari received the message. Lorraine decided she would attend herself along with two members of the messenger’s sector as guards.
The meeting, of course, was a trap. The higher court had managed to get enough of the lower court to work together and pool their resources. They had a few smaller versions of the Aether bomb. They would use these bombs as a threat against the Uvvari as well as present the massive quartz obelisk. The obelisk would serve as a powerful symbol and a point of negotiation.
When the day came for their meeting, the populace of Volun’s capital saw a massive shining bird descend closer to the ground. As the Uvvari hovered above, a faint hum could be heard all across the Volun capital. The sight of the shining city had made the king’s taste sour. This was the radiant city. A city of legend, and he was trying to scare the builders of such a wonder with a hundred-meter rock. The king had already made up his mind, though. Today would go favorably for them. The obelisk would work; he was sure of it.
The king and his court watched as a much smaller ship descended like the one the messengers arrived in. Lorraine and her guards stepped out of the ship, their clothing that of scholars but accented with gold thread and jeweled bracelets on their wrists.
According to the messenger's recount, the meeting went as follows:
As Lorraine entered the palace, she commanded the attention of the room, surprising the male-dominated Volun court. They murmured amongst themselves, wondering who she was and why they hadn't sent more messengers like her peculiarly dressed entourage. However, they held onto hope that their planning would be enough to secure a favorable outcome.
"I would have hoped that a nation that scraped at our heels would have better manners than this," Lorraine began, her voice commanding the attention of the court.
The court was taken aback by her boldness and her attack on their financial state. The irony of their thoughts about her lack of manners was lost on them at the time.
The king rose to his feet and gave a short bow. "I am the king..." he started to say.
Lorraine interrupted him, "I am certain you are a king of many great qualities possessing a name to signify just that. But the fact remains, your nation violated our trust. We sent messengers as an olive branch and you bound them, one of whom remains in your custody even now. You also sent for those in Sorora to be murdered. I have no pity for such actions nor patience. If you do not impress upon me today that you will mend your ways and act in a way that the Uvvari find desirable, we will ensure your name will be wiped from the deepest recesses of history." She looked at the rest of the court, and her warning was clear.
The room fell silent. No one had ever dared to speak to the king in that manner before. The court was sure that the king would order Lorraine's execution then and there. However, the king remained composed.
"With all due respect, we have done a terrible thing. We were blinded by fear, you see. The Uvvari are... how should I put it, a people of myth. Many stories surround you, and we panicked," the king said, bowing once more. "That is why I released one of your messengers. I wish to have a proper discussion with your people. As for the other messenger, he will be released to you now." He gestured, and guards brought the prisoner forward, stopping a few feet in front of Lorraine.
Lorraine looked at the injured messenger, who was still gagged and had her arms bound behind her. "She's in a state of disrepair, don't you think?" she remarked.
"I will pay what you believe is fair for our mistreatment," the king replied. "I accept we did not handle the situation correctly. However, you must agree that your own response caused equal, if not greater, pain."
Lorraine considered his offer. "Our involvement with you has led to the loss of time that could have gone into research. The messengers, as well, are incredibly valuable to us. They are trained from a young age and are a significant investment. I concede that the monetary damage to your kingdom does exceed the monetary damage done to us. So, if you agree to be under Uvvari's supervision, we will recompense you twenty-three platinum coins."
The king's smile wavered, and he began to lose his patience. He was certain that Lorraine was important, and the two who stood next to her had not spoken once. Their light blue clothes marked them as messengers, much like the prisoner he had just released. He decided to move the discussion to a private venue, where he could capture them and use them as another bargaining chip against the Uvvari.
"Your generosity is truly great. Please, I welcome you to my humble estate. We can talk more at length in the comfort of my garden," the king said.
"I only came here to make our feelings clear. We shall be on our way now."
With a curt nod to the king and his court, Lorraine picked up the gagged messenger before making her way out.
“B..but of course,” the king tripped on his words as he watched Lorraine grab hold of his prisoner and walk back to the entrance of the courtroom. He couldn’t let her leave, they still had the Aether bomb, but something of that size was useless against a flying city. He had to act now. He raised three fingers in the air. A signal to the hidden assassins, yet another contingency he had set up. The king was nothing if not careful.
A click was heard, and then a bang. The court all rushed to their feet. They needed to get out and let the assassins do their work. If they had stayed, though, they would have seen a silver sphere spinning in the air in front of Lorraine. One of her escorts had a strained face, and a crystal on one of his bracelets shattered.
The Uvvari would not get a chance to catch their breaths. From behind, a pillar rushed out a member of the Puppet's hand. The assassin threw a silver rod above the Uvvari, drawing the attention of the messenger. The assassin took that moment to grab a vile from his coat, throwing it at Lorraine’s feet. At the same time, the messengers attempted to push the silver rod back, but the moment the controlled Aether struck, the tube script came to light. A blinding light and an explosive sound emanate from the silver tube, blinding the messengers and deafening all in the room. The assassin then began to withdraw, running over to the closest door.
Lorraine, at this point, was not scared, not worried, not even angry, just mildly annoyed. Clearly, the Volun king had cheaped out. The person who had attacked them had the crest of an initiate, and this was likely his mission to be fully accepted into the Puppet’s Hand. The silver rod was smart; blinding and deafening was a great idea, but it should have been done while the assassin was still behind the pillar. The vile he threw on the floor was clearly meant to release poison gas. Lorraine being a horticulture expert, was no stranger to poison. The injured messenger was still gaged so Lorraine squeezed her nose shut for a moment. Then she took out a seed from her pocket and placed it on the floor next to the broken vile. She placed her hand above it and moved Aether from her bracelets into the seed, causing explosive growth as the plant flooded with Aether. A peace lily that Lorraine had engineered to purify poison. Finally, she released the poor messenger’s nose.
Looking around, there was no sight of the assassin, and the court members had all evacuated; no doubt they knew about the poison gas. Lorraine then attended to her two guards. The light had been intense, and even though she had not been looking at it, spots still floated in her eyes. These two would suffer from some blindness if they recovered their vision. She led all three of the now-wounded messengers back to their ship. It had truly been a miserable day, Lorraine thought.
Once on the ship, Lorraine took control of the helm and moved to depart. A loud hum would then be heard across the city, not the one coming from Uvvari, but a much deeper, smoother hum. Lorraine turned to the source of the sound to find the obelisk of quartz had begun to glow. Someone had activated the Aether bomb. At this, Lorraine was truly terrified. A crystal of that size shattering would send a wave of wild Aether crashing against all of Talem. Being the practical woman Lorraine was, she came to a decision almost immediately.
She went over to the messenger whom Lorraine hadn’t bothered ungagging and gave her instructions as she unbound her. “Once I am off the ship, take it back to Uvvari; tell them the chief baron has ordered for the immediate ascension of the city” She stopped to remove one of her bracelets and placed it in the messenger’s hands. “Use this to show the validity of my order. And in the case I manage to stop that monstrosity, I would appreciate prompt pickup.” The messenger nodded and ran for the helm. Lorraine quickly made her way off the ship and watched it for a moment as it departed before she turned and ran towards the obelisk.
The Uvvari had known about the ability to overcharge clear stones for some time and had been developing ways to stop weapons such as the obelisk from causing major damage. Lorraine, too had applied her study of plants to this endeavor. If her plants could absorb Aether to grow quickly, perhaps she could create a plant that could nullify these bombs. She had designed what she believed was a potential candidate for such a task but had never field-tested on such a large scale.
Lorraine was stopped, though, by a figure standing before the crystal. The same initiate from before, dagger in hand and a silver tube in the other. Failure was not an option for the initiate, it seemed. Once again, he threw the silver tube into the air, but Lorraine had been ready this time. She closed her eyes and put her hands to her ears, her bracelets script glowing and filling the seeds in her ears with Aether causing moss to grow. The explosion rod was activated as it hit the floor, having not been jostled by Aether. The bright flash threatened to burn through Lorraine’s eyelids, but the light faded, and she opened her eyes. The initiate had dangerously closed the distance. Lorraine quickly pulled seeds from her pocket and threw them on the ground. The seeds erupted, creating a wall of evergreen saplings. The expanding trees struck the assassin’s dagger out of his hand as he defended himself.
Lorraine wasn’t a fighter, not really anyways; all Uvvari received was self-defense training, but fighting the Puppet’s Hand, even an initiate, was beyond her. She needed to end this quickly, or he would eventually overpower her.
The assassin, for his part, didn’t get discouraged; he pulled out a knife and threw it between the trees. Lorraine was not able to avoid it hitting her in her midriff. Lorraine cursed and backed away, pulling another seed from her pocket.
The assassin picked up his dagger and walked around the saplings. “It’s over,” he said. “The knife is poisoned.” Lorraine could only smile at the absurd situation, she had never thought she might die away from the city.
The assassin stalked closer to Lorraine. When he was only a few feet away, Lorraine acted; she threw the seed towards the ground between them and then ducked. The seed glowed with an excess of Aether and burst open. A giant Venus fly trap stood between the assassin and Lorraine for a moment. This time the assassin reacted by jumping back. It had been a mistake. The carnivorous plant reacted to his movement and struck, engulfing half of the poor assassin’s body. Screams could be heard inside the plant as its acids started digestion.
Lorraine didn’t have much time to contemplate the morality of her actions, but death by Venus trap was certainly not something she would like to experience. She headed quickly over to the quartz obelisk. There was Ryso Senben written on its base and completion runes hastily carved at the end. Lorraine noted that if she survived this, she would need to inform the Uvvari the Puppet’s Hand was starting to employ numerologists.
She had no tools to write reverse runes, but the crystal was already close to bursting. Even Nevero Senben couldn’t counteract the activation runes in time. She took a palm-sized seed from inside her coat’s pocket. She buried it underneath the ground and placed a bracelet above it. She then returned to her sapling wall and placed more saplings around her. She manipulated the trees to bend around her and fed them more Aether, completely encasing herself in an evergreen shell. She finally took some time to tend to the knife wound. She had resistance to many poisons due to her studies into plants like nightshade. Without knowing the poison the knife was covered in, Lorraine could only hope the Uvvari could retrieve her before her body died. All she could do was sit there patiently and wait for the crystal to erupt. She took out a final seed from her pocket and held it between her hands, black cherry frost, her favorite flower.
Lorraine’s body would be recovered by the Uvvari after the explosion, her hands still clasped over the seed. Lorraine would be buried in “Alexander’s Hall” where Uvvari, who had made great contributions to science, were laid to rest. The seed she had held onto would be placed in a garden named “Yew’s Nursery” in her honor.
The Uvvari would go on to help Sorora and the other inhabitants who managed to survive the Aether bomb. The barons would also go on to amend Ultima Verba. Although Lorraine was touted as a hero, it was also noted that a different course of action could have led to less disastrous results. No longer would a chief baron be able to make a final choice when it came to such a grave choice as erasing a city.
As for the land affected by the Aether bomb, it would slowly erode further. So much Aether had been ripped from the soil that it could no longer maintain its shape, and frequent dust storms would frequent the area. The land would become Talem’s desert.