The World of Halcyon

Information about my homebrew world of Halcyon.

General Information about Halcyon

Halcyon is a name given to the Prime Material Plane. It is where most of our adventures take place. It is a world where the lands are broken and scattered over the skies, floating above the open expanse of the Great Blue. You'll see Skyships flying over the clouds transporting cargo and people from one city to another, each built on the many floating islands and continents of the world.

It is an ancient world, shaped by cataclysmic and ruinous events in history. Old flying cities from before the Cataclysm now lie ruined in the endless depths of the ocean below and both arcane arcane and divine divine artifacts from elder times are scattered across the lands, waiting to be used again...

Naming

The name Halcyon became popular among scholars soon after the Cataclysm. The word itself means a time in the past that is remembered as better than today, characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity. The Sundered Age was, to most, a golden age, and after The Veiling, many yearned to return to that idyllic time.

History

From the oldest records of Aurora, it is assumed that the Deities created our world from the all-encompassing chaos. They created the Prime Material Plane and its sister planes. After the world was shaped, the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans were created by the gods and walked the lands, and after them, others followed.

The people were given the power of Divine Magic from the gods to help them protect themselves from their harsh and untamed world, giving rise to the first magic users of the world. Now that people had the power to tame the world on their own, it gave rise to the first sparks of civilization, like the city of Aurora. The deities also were given a more clear form after religion and worship became more apparent.

As time went on, the chaotic cosmos surrounding the planes only continued to grow in rage, culminating in an event called The Sundering. This event fundamentally reshaped the world, shattering its essence - it's Aether - across the spectrum. What was once an enormous stretch of land only surrounded by water, became an uncountable amount of floating islands and continents, all flying high above the unknowable depths of the Great Blue. In a final attempt to fight back against the unstoppable chaos, Luna gifted mankind with Arcane Magic, which is the ability for man to create their magic, without having to depend on the Deities.

After mankind and the gods were able to push back against the chaos, civilization had to be rebuilt. It also created a schism between the gods, they separated into those that wanted to protect and preserve their children, the Prime Deities, and those that were so torn by grief and loss that they sought to abandon the world and return it to the cosmological chaos, the Traitor Gods. While only a tenth of the population survived the event, it did eventually usher in a golden age for the world, filled with magical innovation and new technology, pushing mankind to new heights.

It did, however, also exemplify the arrogance and selfishness of man. One arcanist challenged the god of death and won, taking his place among the Deities. Another became so disillusioned with the gods and the world that they lost sight of the meaning and purpose of humanity and the world, vowing to release the Traitor Gods and use their power to bring ruin and destruction. He succeeded in becoming so powerful to release the Traitor Gods from their prison realms. They consolidated their power after release and declared war on the Prime Deities and the world, leading to a chaotic arcane arms race that escalated to a full-on war, later named the Cataclysm.

The Traitor Gods were banished once more to their prison realms during the aftermath of the war. The world was in ruins once more and had to be rebuilt again. The Prime Deities took another extreme measure to eliminate the chance that anyone would get close to that amount of power and bring about another cataclysmic event. They created the Divine Veil, which barred any god from materializing in the world. They could only influence the world through their most devout followers, leaving the plane to mankind alone. It has now been centuries after the Cataclysm, and the world has begun to create a new history for itself. New nations were formed, and discoveries were made. Who knows what the future will hold for Halcyon.

History of Halcyon

The precise origin of Halcyon is clouded in mystery. The only sources of information are old relics and ancient ruins and temples throughout the world, some information is gathered directly from the Deities themselves, but they speak rarely of the time before man.

The Chaos of the Cosmos

In the beginning, there was only chaos, a messy cosmological and primordial mayhem that collided and conflicted with itself. It is believed to have been a realm of constant change, anger and hate. This changed when from either beyond the cosmos or from within it, certain entities used their power and influence of the chaos to stabilize it. These entities were the earliest forms of what we now know as the Deities of Halcyon. They carved out a section of the cosmos to begin shaping their vision for a different world. A world that would be known as the Prime Material Plane.

The chaos surrounding these young entities did not appreciate any sense of order being established within the infinite void. While these two forces fought eachother, it would only be a matter of time before the Deities' world would be consumed by the chaos once more.

The Creation of Man

As the world began to take its shape, the deities created lesser forms to inhabit their created realm. It is believed that it was Titania who shaped the first beings, the Elves, who would walk upon the new world and gaze up at the heavenly skies as their creators continued to keep the cosmos at bay. Then, Mallus took it upon himself to forge the Dwarves, with whom he instilled the same desire to tame the world, the desire to create something. Next was a third race, the Humans, who were instilled with a sense of order by Solarion and curiosity by Luna to bring meaning to the world. Despite their short lives, they were imbued with ambition, joy, and a sense of purpose.

After the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, many more species followed. The true origins or creators of these other species were, however, lost to time. Not even the meticulous and comprehensive archives of the ancient city of Aurora could shine any light upon this.

The Gift of Magic

While the deities were protecting the newly created life on their world from the hostile chaos outside, the creations themselves struggled to survive the harsh and unpredictable environments of an untamed world. They gained knowledge and attempted to build on the land, but even then many lives would be lost because of the seemingly uncaring world. In an attempt to aid their creations, the deities gave them a tiny fragment of their power, a sliver of the creation magic that brought mankind to the realm in the first place, to protect and shape the world around them as they deemed appropriate. This was the earliest form of Divine Magic. A type of magic that connected the people with their creators.

As time went on, more of what we now deem as normal came into existence. Solarion and Luna gave a sense of rhythm to the world by having the star shine its light upon the lands for half of the day, while the two moons, Majora and Minora, kept a watchful eye during nightfall.

The City of Aurora

The first spark of civilization was Aurora, the oldest surviving city in Halcyon, where community and preservation grew important as the world around them was still harsh to its people. The city housed a tightly knit community that lived in peace and harmony despite the brutal outside. The city would have the earliest known temples to the deities, and the oldest known records of history. These records are widely regarded as the primary source of understanding of the creation of our world. While there are various regional differences in the historical record, the broad strokes of this mythic history are undeniable.

It was in this city that mankind began to worship the deities, and it was only then that they were given name and form. The deities that we know now might have been significantly changed through this worship, but it is assumed that even before our world existed, the deities' thoughts and emotions were still unique to them, but only reinforced through worship.

The Sundering

As mankind and the deities together poured their heart and soul into their realm, the chaos of the cosmos surrounding it only grew in anger and rage. It was only when the heavens began to fall and the essence of the world itself began to reclaim what was theirs, that mankind became aware of the wrath that outside forces were capable of. This event in history is called the Sundering.

Primal beings spewed forth from the earth and the seas and entities from beyond the heavens came down to destroy everything. This fight between the deities and the chaos fundamentally reshaped the land of Halcyon, shattering its essence, also known as Aether, across the spectrum. What was once an enormous stretch of land only surrounded by water, became an uncountable amount of floating islands and continents, all flying high above the unknowable depths of the Great Blue being held up by immense amounts of Aether.

The Gift of the Arcane

As the deities became desperate to save their realm and mankind was suffering greatly, the deities resorted to the most extreme measures. Luna gifted mankind with the ability to create magic on their own, without having to borrow the creation magic from the deities. This made mankind more independent from their creators and gave them more power over the world. The people that had a potency for this new kind of magic called themselves Arcanists.

This gave both the deities and mankind enough power to subdue the chaos attacking them, bringing forth an end to The Sundering.

Aftermath of the Sundering

Only a tenth of the population survived, and it created a schism within the Deities. Some of them wanted to protect the world with all of their power, some of them were overcome by grief and wanted to return the world to the cosmological chaos, as it was deemed a failure to them and too much to bear. This divide in the gods eventually culminated in the imprisonment of those that sought to bring the world to chaos. They were imprisoned in planes adjacent to the Prime Material Plane, where they would be unable to influence the world. Those that sought to protect their creation became the Prime Deities of Halcyon, while the others became known as the Traitor Gods.

As the realm was now scattered and broken, most of the civilized world had to be rebuilt. Aurora, stood the strongest, and even now is the only known continent that is still rooted in the Great Blue. The Elves that primarily inhabited it brought it back to its original glory. The Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans that lived in Aurora invented technology and magic that was able to use the latent magical essence in the world, which was used in Skyship technology. A combination of using Arcane Magic and the natural Aether of the world to transport yourself through the world.

Golden age of Halcyon

Together with this new technology and the gift of the arcane, mankind sought to tame and master the new world in front of them, culminating in a golden age of the world. It opened up many possibilities for everyone to harness the world, magic, and its secrets. It is widely known as a long period of technological and magical progress for mankind, where magic users were able to innovate in unprecedented ways, completing difficult tasks with ease. It spawned wondrous, but also dangerous, new forms of life and power in the world.

The Cataclysm

But this progress also spread a deep rot through the world. It exemplified the arrogance and selfishness of mankind. One arcanist was obsessed with becoming a god, and became so powerful that they were able to challenge the deity of death, and won, taking their place among the gods. They subsequently made sure no one could gain that amount of power ever again.

Others became so disillusioned with the gods that they thought themselves to be the true owners of the world. Some of them went even further, losing sight of the meaning and purpose the world of Halcyon had to them, aligning themselves with the Traitor Gods, vowing to release them to give the world back to the cosmos.

One such powerful arcanist, Cyrus Tarathis, together with a group of other arcanists, indulged in this nihilistic worldview and sought power from the imprisoned gods, succeeding in opening the gates of their prisons. The Traitor Gods warped their prisons into reflections of their corruption, and their prisons also warped them in diabolical and terrible ways. Their emotions of loss and grief from the Sundering were twisted into hatred and an urge to dominate and ruin.

These newly released gods brought the arcanist under their wing and consolidated their power in secret. After a while, they declared war upon Halcyon and the Prime Deities.

This chaotic war over the future of the realm became known as The Cataclysm. Not much is known about the battles that ensued during this crucial event in time, but it's effects are felt throughout the world. Ruins and artifacts from the war tell of unknown battles and stories. Legends and stories are told about the figures that fought in this war. It's speculated that only a fifth of the world population survived this event. For the most part, all traces of the old world were erased from the face of Halcyon, leaving only a few ancient civilizations in well-preserved ruins.

The Veiling

The victorious Prime Deities banished their betraying kin back to their respective prison realms, and the world had to recover once more, just as it had to after the The Sundering. However, the threat that anyone could be convinced to bring about a second Cataclysm, still existed. Deities created the Divine Veil, barring any god from materializing in the world, even themselves, and they could only influence the world through their most devout followers. This left mankind to survive on its own, to rebuild civilization, ushering in a new age of man.

Age of Man

After the veiling of the world, each different portion of the world began its own history. Some turned towards the Prime Deities, some turned to the arcane, but every single culture started a new history.

Deities of Halcyon

Halcyon has many deities. This chapter lists all of the main gods worshiped in the world.

Deities of Halcyon

Solarion, The Bright King

Solarion, The Bright King is one of the Prime Deities. He is the god of light, justice, and war. The symbol associated with Solarion is a bright, six-pointed star. He is widely worshipped by the common folk, soldiers, and leaders. The holy day associated with him is Highsummer. Solarion loathes evil of any caliber, and wages war on those quick to do evil. Despite his hatred of evil, he is considered a compassionate deity.

Appearance

Solarion appears as a kindly patriarch clad in silver and gold armor, his head a beacon of light and fire so bright that his face can barely be seen. Many statues in holy places use the Solarion's head as a brazier, lit with each dawn and extinguished at dusk.

Edicts

Deities of Halcyon

Luna, Mistress of the Moon

Luna is the goddess of magic, mystery, and the moon. She is widely worshipped within Arcanist, Halfling, and Elven culture. Majora and Minora are widely associated with Luna, possibly as her creation. Majora would be her guiding light during the night, while the smaller, more distant Minora would symbolize mystery and shadow. The symbol associated with her is a silver crescent moon, surrounding a full moon. Her holy day is Night of the Lunars' Shine

Appearance

Luna often appears as a young woman with soft light blue skin and silver hair.

Deities of Halcyon

Titania, The Iridescent Mother

Titania is the goddess of beauty and the fey. She is widely worshiped among the Elves, as she created the first elves. The symbol associated with her is a purple-colored butterfly. Her holy day is Elvendawn.

Appearance

Titania appears a woman with pale skin and pale pink eyes. She has her purple colored hair braided with white flowers, and wears a dark blue dress that fades into lighter shades from the bottom up. She has orange wings with tips of purple and orange, and she wields a golden shortsword.

Deities of Halcyon

Mallus, The Forgefather

Mallus is the god of craft, creation, fire, and forge. He is widely worshiped among the Dwarves, and is seen as the patron deity of smiths, artisans, and miners. The symbol associated with him is a hammer engulfed in flames. His holy day is Creation's Wake. He values wisdom and strength as highly as gold.

Appearance

Mallus appears as a strong and muscled man with ash-colored skin. His eyes are fire red. He wears a gold-plated crown and wields a red-hot hammer, which he uses to craft his creations.

Deities of Halcyon

The Dreammaiden, Weaver of Fate

The Dreammaiden is the goddess of death, destiny, and dreams. She is also considered to be the goddess of twilight and inevitability. She was originally a mortal woman in the Sundered Age, until she ascended to godhood and destroyed the previous god of death. Her true name was lost after her ascension. Worshipers seek her favor to guide them in death. The symbol associated with her is a white mask. Her holy day is Reverence of the Spirits.

Appearance

The Dreammaiden is described as a tall and slender woman, with long black hair and pale skin. She wears a blank, porcelain mask.

Deities of Halcyon

Lliira, The Lady of Joy

Lliira, The Lady of Joy is one of the Prime Deities. She is the goddess of song, joy, happiness, freedom and stories. Her symbol is a red, orange, and yellow star arranged in a triangle. She is worshiped by poets, musicians, any anyone who reveled in the wonder of a free, cheerful life. She is often considered as a sister to Solarion.

Appearance

Lliira often appears as a young woman dancing out from the clouds. She has pure blue eyes, long golden hair that sometimes is streaked with colors of blue, pink, green, or silver. She is often seen wearing series of thin robes which artfully twirled and draped as she moved. A sparkling wake of winking lights trailed behind her as she danced.

Edicts