The Blessed Lands: The most affluent area of the Central Isles, major cities reside within its multiple islands. The climate is the same as The Middle Lands, but the waters are very rich in life, providing strong trade for the surrounding settlements.
Demon Settlements: Linlake, Valmeadow, Esterbrook (West) / Springhollow, Stonevale, Valwynne, Swynfield, Mistlyn, Shadekeep (Capital)(East)
Angel Settlements: Eriford, Erimoor, Ericay, Eriden (Capital)
Human Settlements: Northedge, Coldcliff, Winterdale, Wintersgate (West) / Bluemont, Goldlight, Eastwilde, Windport, Prymoor, Coastdell, Wildecoast, Seahollow, Southkeep, Aelburn (Capital)(East)
The South:
A vast continent, many times larger than the Central Isles. It benefits from a constant, warm climate with a wetter but still hot winter season. The surface of the continent is a mixture of forests, mountains and exquisite rivers and lakes. Racial tensions on this continent are decreased due to the amount of space, reducing any enforced conflicts. Within the races, there are two major demon factions, with neither side enjoying the other’s presence. They have stark contrasts in their beliefs, most evident in their way of life. One boasts a sprawling capital of wealth and prosperity, dominated by the extravagant High Houses, inhabited by families of great power. The other is a network of natural buildings and colour, welcoming the diversity of the Southern locals in all their glory.
Compared to the demons, the angels here are quiet neighbours. They have dealings with both factions, although they have a preference for the Raven and his posse, rather than the bustling capital. The humans keep to themselves, only interacting on an individual level or for trade. There is one exception: The Free Lands. The Free Lands are the South’s major port and the first sight for any travellers. A region in its own, the Free Lands is a network of towns that welcome diversity, hosting all three races in harmony. The language is money and as such, it hosts much of the trade on the continent.
The North:
The continent that sits to the north of the Central Isles. Massive, frigid and isolated, little is known about the current conditions of the northern continent. The ruling family has always proved a threat to the other continents, with their military prowess being unquestioned. What is known about the North is its history. When the war broke out between the angels and demons, the demons of the North struck quickly, killing every human and angel that lived on the continent. Now it’s inhabited solely by demons, along with a population of dragons, although numbers are unknown. The ability to communicate with and control dragons are a trait of the Northern Monarchy, giving them power far above their counterparts. While threats from the North are common, there have been no actions taken by them. Either way, the threat is considered real.
A Brief History:
As it appears in Crystalline Chaos.
A long time ago the ancestors of the demons and angels lived in peace together, their appearance was vastly different than the present. Once the humans became known to them, they mixed themselves in with the new race; one that saw the two much more powerful races in a light akin to gods. Eventually, the grasp of power the angels had over the lesser humans overcame their senses and they seized the chance to glorify their own race while villainizing the race they had lived in peace with for so long. They made themselves out to be saintly beings, their golden skin and bright wings a symbol of purity; humans saw them as benevolent beings and gave them the name angel, a title which has been maintained for the race since that time. Meanwhile, the other race was slandered as being malevolent, disgraceful and vile, the list went on and on; the term demon was used as an insult, eventually, it stuck to the race. In their own language, they still refer themselves with a less derogatory word, a lasting sign of resentment towards the name.
Demons tried to fight the disgracing insults for a long time but the humans were too drawn to the promises of the angels to listen to their pleas; a massive war started not long after, permanently causing a rift between the races. The mixing of blood continued within the angels, creating a tall but notably humanoid shape with shining feathered wings; the demons, however, remained only as far as a humanoid body with multiple features still pertaining to the originals, which became known as ‘new blood’ demons. ‘Old blood’ demons with a more bestial body also still existed in number, the two now live peacefully together after a long history rife with turmoil. Humans still refused to believe the innocence of demons for many years, only recently starting to open up towards them again.
Book Specific Articles
Dangerous Times
Crystalline Chaos
The Northern Bloodline
Dangerous Times
The High Houses:
The highest in demon society, the High Houses are offered everything they may want and more. Those that live within their walls are individuals of exquisite talent, whether that be as a mage, warrior or crafter. Among the houses themselves is their own hierarchy, separating the best from the rest. Even the lower end of the High Houses command respect from the commoners if they don’t always get respect from their peers. The conflict between houses can often be bloody, with many employing spies and state of the art defences to aid their efforts. Servants and slaves are common within their ranks.
Magic (Continued):
Some of the information relates to stuff in later chapters, but the information is not a spoiler.
Aether lamps are the primary source of lighting within buildings, in all three settlements. Sustainable and risk-free, they provide an optimal source of light but are not designed to produce heat, to keep their risk-free nature. They work by converting the natural aether in the air into a light source, with the enchantment that works this function needing routine work to keep it in top condition. Due to this, they cannot work in an area devoid of aether.
Mana blood tests are carried out on young children, in order to provide the parents with the information they need about their child’s future. A small sample of blood is added to a reactive chemical, changing to a hue of blue (for demons) depending on the aether concentration in their blood.
Amnur’s excessive mana is a peculiarity among any race. He has to manage it as his natural level of aether is fatal if left unattended, something that can happen in mere hours. To do so, he filters aether out into the natural environment, does small scale casting on the regular and wears a pendant to further syphon off his aether.
The Difference in Abel and Na-ri’s Relationship
Abel and Na-ri have a notably different relationship at the end of Dangerous Times and the start of Crystalline Chaos. Over time the rift has healed, and the strange speaking pattern is an invention of Sakura’s when she was a young child. Abel wished to give Na-ri a challenge to prove her desire to reconcile, and the young Sakura suggested the speaking pattern that is prominent in Crystalline Chaos. Initially, Na-ri was unsure but soon found the unusual reaction to be to her benefit.
Crystalline Chaos
Jump to Chapter 7 onwards
The Human Guilds:
Ranger’s Guild: Surveyors of nature and self-proclaimed peacekeepers. Members aim to keep innocents safe by dispersing any fights or other disputes. They also observe and tend to nature, whether that be healing the forest or culling damaging animals.
Guild of Magi (Magi’s Council): Regulators of magic, they seek to keep it within safe control by eliminating any rogue mages and dealing with any disturbances within the Aether. Aether research is performed in order to progress the use of mana.
Merchant’s Guild: The masters of trade, they look after their own. If they can make money through potentially questionable means, then they will contact their members to get them to partake in the scheme.
Harvester’s Guild: Very similar to the Merchant’s Guild, except they govern over hunters; miners; fishers; lumberjacks; etc. While price-fixing schemes are less common from them, there have been cases in the past.
Adventurer/Mercenary Guilds: Multiple have popped up as of late, each as va
ried as the other. Adventurer guilds mainly look for the thrill of the unknown, while Mercenary guilds will look for anything to make a profit.
Healer's Guild: Contains most of the known healers, operates out of Aelburn. Willing to help individuals of any race, although opinions differ when it comes to demons. Well respected by humans and commonly play host to angels, due to the well-renowned hospitality of the main healing citadel.
Nightmares:
Strange, unknown and previously unseen creatures. They are observed as having unusual bodies that possess crystalline protrusions. Encounters prove them to be deadly opponents, with unknown weaknesses. Their bodies are described as being something other than skin, as even the softer parts are unusual and shatter like the rest of their bodies upon death. Mages by nature, the Nightmares are capable of casting.
Magic (Continued):
Staves are more of an aspect of human mages, due to the requirement of an actual physical held object. They amplify the user’s abilities by harmonising their aether, creating a unified flow that the crystal then magnifies. Over-reliance on staves can cause health problems, as aether is not intended to be that uniform for long periods of time. It can also create a weakness if the user comes to rely on the staff too much, only to be disarmed in combat.
Chapter 7 Onwards:
Magic (Continued, Part II):
Runes and chants are unnecessary facets of casting, they’re simply for concentration and preference. Acts such as chanting work to hyper-focus the mind, urging the body’s aether supply into action with a simple word. Runes are generally more an aid used in larger scale casting, in order to create a system of persistence to relieve the effort that comes with constant spell casting, or high-effort casting. In comparison, Amnur uses his emotions as his concentration aid.
The Plane Between:
The Plane Between is the layer between life and death. Souls trapped here aren't inherently visible until they actively force themselves to become known. They can influence things within the main plane, though some actions are limited by their inability to be completely tangible. Necromancers can separate themselves into this plane, but their physical body still remains within the ground plane (same with relocation to the final resting place.) Not all souls wind up trapped here, it is usually those with something left unfinished.
Nether Plane:
Not much is known about the Nether Plane, it is a dimensional plane that resides near to our own. It is said to be a place made purely of aether, twisted into abstract shapes due to the sheer excess of power. Shadowy creatures exist on this plain. They are masters of magic and very dangerous.
Nightmares (Continued):
Creatures that possess no normal organs, surviving only by channelling large quantities of liquid aether through their bodies. Disrupting this flow will cause the creature in question to die. Blind by nature, they detect other creatures by sound or by their aether.
The Final Resting Place:
The Final Resting Place houses the deceased, although not all souls are said to make it to these hallowed grounds. Necromancers can access this plane using a fairly risky ritual. The plane has an ethereal beauty to it, beautiful fiery sunsets line the skies while vibrant, ghostly forms make up the landscape. Souls often appear as a hollow image of their owners and normally the projection is tinged blue.
Elemental Spirits:
Beings that exist on one of the many elemental realms that surround the overworld of Fyir. They once lived on the overworld, until violence drove them to flee. Now only Shamen are capable of interacting with them, those with both the ability and purity of heart. They take many forms, bound by their element. When summoned, they project their aether to the overworld, providing the summoner with a copy, rather than the original being. This affords them a state of immunity in battle, as their death is only temporary.
The Northern Bloodline
Jump to Chapter 21 onwards
Jump to Chapter 33 onwards
Dragons:
The fabled creature of the North. Dragons come in many shapes and sizes, some with four legs, some with two. Males and females are sexually dimorphic, with males being softer, rounder and generally less dangerous. Some of their kind are capable of breathing fire, converting an oil that resides deep within their body into a fine fluid, before unleashing a spark as they spit it at their opponent. The oil is formed from fermented fats from their food, along with some minerals. The fermentation process creates foul smelling gas, something which they belch out on occasion.
Their saliva is also an antiseptic and aesthetic, intended to keep their own wounds clean and pain free.
The High Houses:
The highest in demon society, the High Houses are offered everything they may want and more. Those that live within their walls are individuals of exquisite talent, whether that be as a mage, warrior or crafter. Among the houses themselves is their own hierarchy, separating the best from the rest. Even the lower end of the High Houses command respect from the commoners, if they don’t always get respect from their peers. Conflict between houses can often be bloody, with many employing spies and state of the art defences to aid their efforts. Servants and slaves are common within their ranks.
The Rules of Servitude:
Servants and slaves are commonplace in the South, distributed among the High Houses and the regional ruler. Candidates are often picked up at regular meet ups and bartered between those present, often without any say of their own. Among the High Houses there are rules intended to protect the servants from a dire fate, but without the backup of the ruler to manage their action, many of the High Houses break these rules. One such rule is that servants must only have twenty-five years of mandatory service. After that, they may stay, but only if it is their wish. Some houses are known for the better treatment of servants than others.
Nether Plane:
The natural home of the Nightmares, the Nether Plane is the plane of chaos, a place rife in aether. Much of the information regarding this plane has been lost. Inside the plane, the colours vary wildly. Vast vistas filled with purple is common, although more natural colours such as brown and greens can be seen. The pattern can even change hourly. During Crystalline Chaos, Amnur observed the view of the Nether Plane as being a lush green. This is an effect of the reduced aether flow created by the rift that supplied Maelor with the Nightmares.
Nightmares:
Strange creatures that originate from the Nether Plane. They embody elements and are powerful mages, along with their physical prowess. Their biology is unusual in that they contain no normal organs, a carapace-like skin and exist purely by funnelling aether around their bodies. Contrary to popular belief, certain ones are capable of wielding the element of chaos, as well as managing to speak the common tongue.
Sariel’s Conflicting Statements (Ch44):
At the end of Crystalline Chaos, Sariel states he’s no fan of demons to Sebastian, but to Sakura in Chapter 44 he states that he is unwilling to decry the demons, aside from those he has personal issues with. His position to Sakura is his correct stance on the issue, as he was lying to Sebastian to force him to take his warning about Iomor more seriously.
List of Names
Dangerous Times
Demons:
Western side:
Sebastian (Se-bast-ee-an): The King of the demons, who resides within Shadekeep. (New blood)
Ciel (Ci-el / Si-el): Sebastian's son/prince. (New blood)
Rin (Rin): Sebastian’s wife and Ciel’s mother. Very well versed in politics. (New blood)
Nathaniel (Nuh-than-yuhl): Current King. Sebastian's father. (New blood)
Kaiser (Ky-zuh): Sebastian's first hand/close friend, notably huge and incredibly powerful. (Old blood)
Dumon (Du-mon): Doctor/Healer. (New blood)
Iomor (I-o-mor): A middle-rank soldier. (New blood)
Shae (Sh-ae): The female army commander, often resides in the wood that surrounds Shadekeep training the young female demons. Kyrith's ol
der sister. (New blood)
Kyrith (Ki-rith / Ki-riff): A young soldier. Shae’s younger brother. (New blood)
Eastern side:
Crono (Kro-no): Leader of Linlake. (Old blood)
Abel (A-bel): Leader of Esterbrook, twin brother to Na-ri. (Unknown bloodline)
Na-ri (Na-re): Leader of Valmeadow, twin sister to Abel. (Unknown bloodline)
South (origin):
Amnur (Am-nur): The new Court Mage within Shadekeep. Heralds from the South. (New blood)
Dyn (Din): Amnur’s youngest-older brother. (New blood)
Amnur’s parents: One of the owners of the South’s High Houses. Powerful mages. (New blood)
The Raven: The South’s alternative demon ruler. Disliked by the main capital. (Old blood)
North (origin):
Lilith (Lil-ith): An unknown stranger from the North.
Angels:
Uriel (Ur-i-el): The Angel Monarch, rules from Eriden.
Gabriel (Gab-ri-el): Uriel's second in command.
Skies of Fyir Box Set Page 68