World Guide

A work in progress.

A resource for creators and players, updates coming soon:

The world of Galhadria and the continent of Nova Eian have been in some form of development for more than two decades. The great work of gathering art, maps, and tales continues with the end goal of building a world guide for both table top gamers and writers.

Here we present just the tip of the iceberg.

The Immortal Powers

The immortal powers are often worshiped as deities by mortals, but never refer to themselves as such. They are divided into three main groups - the unbearably ancient and hostile Great Old Ones, the brooding and dangerous Old Powers, and the Lyn-Tyrian and Gorothkan forces of the Young Powers.

  • Worship of the Great Old Ones is for the mad; only those without sanity meddle with the Great Old Ones. They remain mostly nameless as knowing or speaking their names is forbidden. Driven away, killed, or consumed by Tiamat long ago, their shadows - or something else - are said to still lurk in the far reaches for those mad enough to seek them out.

  • Tiamat - Known as the primordial devouring immortal of creation and destruction, the queen of draconic races, and mother of the dragons themselves. Tiamat drove back the pure chaos of the Great Old Ones and ignited the sun with her breath.

    Gromm - The first and strongest of all the giants and implacable foe of Tiamat. Gromm is the pure force of the elements, accidentally awakened by Tiamat through the trickery of Shalokar. He is the storm giant king; enormously strong lover of battle and violence and conflict. He admires strength, ferocity, and the will to survive and destroy.

    Shalokar - The fey lord, the great trickster; an agent of chaos for the sake of chaos. An ancient and fey from the mysterious feywild, Shalokar involves himself in the affairs of mortals and immortals alike for his own amusement.

    Long ago, intending to draw her appetite away from the Feywild, Shalokar tricked Tiamat into waking the giants. This drew the dragon into a great conflict with the giant kind, which Shalokar fed by stealing the secrets of magic from dragonkind tool-making from the giantkin, and gave all to the mortal races. His final trick was to deceive Gromm into forging the great hammer Kveld, which caused the sundering.

  • Brand - Brand appears as a mighty celestial often bearing a flaming book or scrolls. He is concerned with the affairs of the mind; with creativity, lore, teaching, magic, and the arts of civilization.

    Kyleria - Kyleria appears as a beautiful celestial always associated with water in some fashion; in some depictions her wings are waves. She is associated with tides, waterfalls, cycles, waters, birth, and death.

    Mersey - Mersey appears as a kind celestial with long golden hair, and is often depicted as weeping. She is concerned with love, healing, and promoting kindness and altruism. She wishes to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of mortals.

    Skylae - Skylae appears as an armed and armored celestial bearing a fiery sword. She promotes knowledge, law, strategy, and might in the service of justice.

    Tolkern - Tolkern appears as a stern young celestial armed with a golden bow. He is concerned with exploration, hunting, craft, and skill; making him a patron of all forms of arts.

    Tolwyn - Tolwyn appears as a well armored and mighty avenging celestial. He cares for truth above all. He is the upright champion of the law; and expects his followers to do good in all things.

    Ulf - Ulf appears as a burly and scarred male celestial usually carrying a hammer and tongs. He is concerned with building and breaking; the making and unmaking of all things. He loves the mountains, stone, and steel.

  • Avari - Avari manifests as a black winged infernal adorned with gold. She is associated with avarice and the ruthless gathering of wealth. Unlike the other Gorothkans, she is widely known to always keep her word and to honor her deals - but she mercilessly takes more than she gives away.

    Chard - Chard appears as a masked infernal and often disguises his true nature. He is the lord of taking; the soul-stealer, plunderer, and thief. He encourages his followers to take what they want by guile and stealth.

    Gathal - Gathal manifests himself as a grim armored infernal bearing a terrible dark axe. He is the warlike lord of domination and usurpation; the conqueror.

    Hylarr - Hylarr appears as a stunningly beautiful infernal, though she never manifests herself with exactly the same face twice. She is the deceiver and the unraveller, the lady of a hundred faces, the mother of lies.

    Phane - Phane appears as a skeletal infernal clad in decaying robes. He is the nihilistic lord of destruction and necromancy, the liche lord. What little regard he has for other powers is focused on a consuming hatred of Mersey.

    Zanod - Phane appears as a skeletal infernal clad in decaying robes. He is the nihilistic lord of destruction and necromancy, the liche lord. What little regard he has for other powers is focused on a consuming hatred of Mersey.

The Major Countries in Nova Eian

Nova Eian is one of four great landmasses on the world of Galhadria, the other being Avantarra, Valea, Mahoudibar. On Nova Eian, there are six major powers (countries) that govern most of the continent: Aruthien, Gazea-Gozon, Pileus, Sarmatti, Tigraen, and Vigabrock.

  • A brash, rising monarchy.

    The Kingdom of Aruthien is the rising power of the west. The kingdom has spent the last century steadily building a strong military tradition and robust economy. Recent improvements in sailing vessels have allowed them to open enriching trade with neighboring continents. Long a poor northern neighbor of the Pileusian Empire, beleaguered by many barbarian incursions, Aruthien is at last able to defend itself - and turn to the offensive against their many foes at last.

  • A stagnant theocracy.

    The mighty twin Kingdoms of Gozon and Gazea dominate the southern central area of the continent. Murderous internal politics generally keep the Autocracy occupied, but when the Archpriest manages to turn their gaze abroad, they are quite capable of threatening every major empire with their sheer numbers and organization. The nations are a monotheist theocracy dedicated to Tiamat, but the dominance of the state religion has not stopped the rise of cults and heretics everywhere. Their religious unity gives them a singular purpose, but they are intolerant and violent towards non-believers; there are frequent purges.

    The Autocracy can seem cruel to outsiders, but so long as the few harsh laws are followed, common folk are generally left to do as they please. Gazea-Gozon is driven to spread the rule of Tiamat across the continent.

  • A declining once-great empire.

    The Pileusian Empire once ruled half the continent - from the fractious and difficult eastern provinces of Gazea and Gozon, to the rich western provinces of the Zinnaelian Gulf, and even distant and poor Isten bowed to the Cloud Emperor. But the glory days of the Empire are long past. First the north was lost, then the east, now the west. All that remains of the most powerful realm on the continent is the heart of the old empire and a smattering of rebellious provinces. Corruption and decadence plague the empire even as points of brilliance remain. The Pileusian Empire struggles to preserve what it has, and dreams of restoring its lost glory.

  • A moralistic confederated monarchy.

    Sarmatti is a major power on the east coast of Galhadria, composed of a confederation of independent states who elect a monarch to defend the realms. Over the centuries the Sarmattian states have developed close ties with Lyn-Tyrian powers of all types. Today they are an affluent realm who believe they have the brightest of futures, if only they can promote their virtues among their own folk and abroad.

  • A trouble autocracy.

    After a bloody history of multiple uprisings and wars, the land torn and ravaged, the royal bloodline extinguished, Duke Urixius was acclaimed as King by his fellow nobles, which he accepted - with conditions. Urixius would not take the title of King. He demanded the title of Tyrant. He explained that Tigraen had been ruled by good Kings before, and they had failed to protect the realm. If his fellow nobles demanded he take the crown, then he would - but he would not be a kind and just ruler. He would be harsh, and ruthless, and do whatever it took to keep Tigraen from falling to evil a third time. The nobles of Tigraen supported him unanimously.

  • An alliance of chaotic tribes.

    The Vigabrock, or Viga Hegemony as it is sometimes called, is a chaotic region in the far northwest of Galhadria. The countryside here is more mountainous and rugged than other regions, with tall, dark forests, forbidding mountains, and winding fjords. Summers here are short and bright, and winters long and cold. The folk of Vigabrock are a fractured and combative multitude of ferociously independent tribes.