World Background

posted: 28 November 2019

The world of Zattar is a magical place. Not in a romantic or fantasized sense, but in that magic is everywhere. The weave is especially strong here - it seems almost everyone has some minor magical ability. Everywhere you travel you will find farmers tilling their fields using the Mold Earth cantrip, storytellers using Gust to add to their tales, and craftsmen casting Mending to fix a broken cart.

It is the 13th year of the reign of Athel the Wise, and for the first time in as long as anyone can remember, the Elyn Empire is at peace. The Great Northern War ended in an uneasy truce only a few months ago, and people are still trying to return to normalcy in the Empire. Though the fighting has ended, the Empire is still a dangerous place. While armies clashed on the northern border monsters have been allowed to infest the wild regions of the Empire.

Athel the Wise is a powerful magic-user, rumored to have access to both arcane and divine magic. He reigns from the twin capital cities of Purethought and Shining Light (his citadel is positioned on an island in the river separating the two cities), though rumors have been growing that he hasn't been seen since the war ended.

Though the Empire is finally at peace, a new concern is growing among the populace. No one know why, but magic is failing. Rarely, but just often enough for people to notice, spells aren't happening like they should. Even practiced wizards are finding their magic occasionally failing. At the moment this is a minor nuisance, but those who study such things insist the spell failure is becoming ever so slowly more and more frequent.