Bierce, the King of Autumn, is also known as the Masked King. They never show their real face, covering it with a mask of leaves and vines. The mask shifts and reshapes itself to match Bierce's moods - or so it is believed.
Some fey of other Courts say they wear the mask to hide their intentions. But Bierce alone knows the reason for the mask, and confounds all who ask to see their true face. Those who persist... well. The palace garden ever wants for company.
L'macea, the Queen of Autumn, keeps the Autumn Palace in order as best she can. Practically-minded almost to a fault, she ensures the palace has everything it needs: no more, no less. Hers may be the harvest season, but to hoard would be wasteful when resources can be used by others.
In this way, the Court carries on the teachings of their first King: all people who dwell upon the autumnal moon shall have their material needs fulfilled. Then, now, and always.
Larign, the Prince of Autumn, oversees the study and application of magicks. The academy he operates is one of, if not *the* most advanced outside of Ioh-Né, and naturally draws the curious and magically inclined from all across #Auvia and its four moons.
In truth, however, Larign delegates the vast majority of the administration work to his subordinates and pursues much more leisurely activity. Without a change of attitude, he might not remain Prince for much longer.
Acera, the Knight of Autumn, is a researcher by trade. Zhe has a tendency to roam the autumn moon, conducting studies in the field for the benefit of the people. Of course, wandering is a dangerous game whether you explore the moons or #Auvia's mainland, and so zhe took up druidcraft in zher spare time, wielding the magicks of nature alongside zher own inherent affinity for fey spells.
Acera's main research camp is currently on the southern coast of the Autumn Court.
Okerne, the Aide of Autumn, has the role of emissary for the Autumn Court. It is her duty to convey King Bierce's will to the other Courts and act on his behalf. Speaking in her King's name requires her to take her role seriously.
Her time spent in the other Courts has required her to train in powerful defensive magicks. There will always be unscrupulous folks across #Auvia and the moons who might dare to raise a hand against the ambassador of the Autumn Court.
The cities and settlements of the Autumn Court are built with the aim of accommodating the needs of all who live there or may visit. Many autumn fey are nothing if not hospitable.
The autumn branch of nature magicks allows them to shape and reshape their surroundings as they desire. Homes are sculpted from trees, grasslands, and even earth and stone worked into the land itself. This command over the environment also helps the autumn fey defend their homes.
Whether fey or Auvian, folk who cause mayhem and disruption for its own sake are unwelcome in the Autumn Court. But this doesn't mean that the Court lacks individuality and creativity. From artists to weavers, playwrights to performers, all manner of creative types can be found on the autumn moon.
Every year at the season's turning, the King hosts a week-long festival to celebrate the artistry of the people. Folk peruse, admire, and trade for pieces they love.
Khionis, the King of Winter, rules his Court from a palace made of solid snow and crystal atop a mountain sacred to the winter fey. He spends much of his time in meditation and only emerges from it when he feels the need. If, however, he is provoked into ending his meditations early, a temperamental side of the King shows itself.
Petitioners may find that Khionis greets them with a smile and a bow, or with spell and sword. But they cannot know until they speak.
Párenómi, the Queen of Winter, serves as the head of the Court's military. Xe leads from the front, with a cadre of elites xe has handpicked spread across the winter moon's army following in xeir footsteps.
The more militaristic among the winter fey are trained to prepare for any eventuality, and rightly so, because their moon is perhaps the most dangerous to navigate and live upon. But thanks to Párenómi's rigorous training, the army suffers few casualties.
Diápágo, the Prince of Winter, is always the first winter fey that a traveller from #Auvia will meet. Because they are the one digging you out of the snow and leading you to safety.
A jovial and pragmatic fey in equal measure, they are always curious about the world below and the people who live there. When meeting those who seek a boon from the fey, Diápágo may even forgo the tradition of bringing them to the palace and provide the wanderer their quest directly.
Thélinoú, the Knight of Winter, serves as King Khionis's advisor. Bedecked in crystalline armour and often sporting a dour expression, she has the duty of providing a voice at court when her King requires a second opinion, and also of ensuring the winter moon's inhabitants have enough food and resources to get by. She handles trade requests and responses to petitioners.
Many address her with some amount of fear, even if Thélinoú will hear their case fairly.
Krýskhei, the Aide of Winter, is the artisan of the Court. Ce has a wide array of skills in the craftsfolk's arts, and jumps from one to another faster than the weather changes. Sometimes this means leaving half-finished projects in ceir wake, but ce always comes back to them when the mood strikes.
The Winter Palace, as well as the surrounding city, was the result of Krýskhei having a small decades-long obsession with shaping buildings out of snow and crystal.
Few travel from #Auvia to the Winter Court, for not many are willing to brave the journey. Those who do take the risk, however, find themselves in a hauntingly beautiful place, shaped by the ethereal power of winter magicks and the fey who wield them.
Flutes, chimes, and sylvan choruses seem to be around every corner, even in places where silence would be expected. This music always sounds familiar, though if the songs have lyrics at all, it's hard to understand them.
The winter moon is the harshest, and it invariably shapes those who call it home. Creatures of the wild, half-beast and half-elemental, routinely plague the routes between the Winter Court and outlying settlements. Snow ranges from light drifts to full-force blizzards in a matter of hours. Clear skies are a rare occurrence.
The Winter Court and its people face many a challenge in their day-to-day lives, from weather to wildlife.
But they persist, somehow.
Of course, it's not just the people of #Auvia who make the journey to the Courts of the Fey. The reverse is also true. Inhabitants of the four moons often visit the world below, whether at the behest of their Court or for their own reasons. On occasion, they may be moved to enter a bargain for power, resulting in warlocks who borrow of their magicks.
There are even stories of some fey being sent to Auvia by their Kings, though they are often portrayed as outcasts.
Of those exiled from the Courts of the Fey, perhaps the tale of Asímia is the most well-known. She came to #Auvia from the Winter Court at the turning of the seasons, found love with a traveller, and married him in the summer seven years later.
Their daughter Kosmi, half-fey and half-Auvian, was gifted with unusual magicks of her own: a deep connection to the natural elements of the world. Ever since, Kosmi's powers have passed down to the daughters of her line.
Each of the Auvian nations keeps its own currency, which can cause problems for travellers. Coins of each nation are made with different amounts of precious metals, and international relations and diplomacy can affect the value of foreign coin and products.
As a result, adventurers most often keep an amount of coin from each nation they visit, leading to having multiple coinpurses on hand and occasionally needing to barter for goods or a stay at a roadside inn.
It is theorised by some scholars across #Auvia that the world is composed of natural elements that sprang from the "Core Elemental Forces" of air, earth, fire, and water. Iohnite experiments have revealed elements that can be harnessed by combining the Core Forces, and are beginning to discover more.
For example, a combination of elemental Air and Fire produces Lightning for a few seconds. This led to the development of spells to shock one's enemies whether near or far.
#Lore24 02/05/24
Some combinations of the Core Forces that share an element are similar, but others are vastly different. For instance, combining Air and Earth, two drastically opposite elements, creates Thunder, while Air and Water become Ice.
These combined elements are expressed in the natural world as well, in the form of lesser elementals that inhabit environs similar to their core. Lesser elementals of Thunder, Lightning, and Ice, for example, live in, on, and around mountains.
Most elementals aligned to Earth make their homes in caverns, under mountains, and in dark places where Auvians tend not to venture, lest they delve too deep. Combining other elements with Earth lends itself to results that are naturally found in the same habitats.
Earth and Fire combine to create Lava, a dangerous substance at the best of times, while Earth and Water produce Poison - something many creatures who dwell in the dark and the deep are all too familiar with.
Efforts in studying the arcane combination of elemental forces have determined that blending them in a specific order or quantity has little to no bearing on the element created. As a result, science has concluded that there are six combinations that result from two different pairs, four results for combining three, and one for merging all four.
Without introducing other elements, combining Fire and Water creates Steam, a curious element that appears in heated regions.
Naturally, elemental combinations that require three or more elements grow more complex - and more difficult to manipulate - as more components are added. Thus they are named the Complex Elements.
The first of these to be discovered was Blast: a blend of Air, Earth, and Fire. Blast-aligned magicks create explosions - plain, simple, and lethal, as researchers learned.
Blast has no elemental counterpart in the wild, and can thus be considered the first manmade element.
The arcane combination of Air, Earth, and Water grants a spellcaster control over plant life, allows them to commune with creatures of the wild, or helps them create magical poisons from natural ingredients. However, when presented with these findings, the druids of #Auvia, especially those of Khava, reject this scientific method as being an imbalanced form of their own nature magicks. To a druid, the balance of nature must be upheld in all things, even the destructive aspects.
#Lore24 07/05/24
One of the Complex Elements was discovered by attempting to blend elements that were themselves combinations of the Core Four. This was Storm: the result of combining elemental Lightning, Ice, and Steam.
Storm is one of the most destructive Complex Forces, requiring immense amounts of control to wield it without collateral damage. It is similar to the seas surrounding #Auvia in that it does not respond well to being contained or directed. Rather, it lashes out at any and all.
#Lore24 08/05/24
The fourth Complex Element, Corrosion, is the product of Earth, Fire, and Water. As far as arcane researchers can tell, it takes the form of a magical substance that viciously erodes almost anything it comes into contact with, from flesh and wood to stone and starsteel.
That is not to say that there are no non-destructive uses for this magick. The problem with that, however, is that no-one has found any yet. As such, use of Corrosion is heavily regulated within Ioh-Né.
When the power to combine the elements was discovered, many researchers thought the same thing: "let's put four of them together and see what happens!" The result was surprisingly disappointing at first: a colourless, shapeless creation that held no form for any extended length of time.
This concept later proved to be one of the foundations of arcane spellcraft: Force, the humble embodiment of elemental balance. It is all aspects and none, flexible and easy to wield.
The practice of arcane magicks is, of course, unbound by nation or creed. Only by knowledge. After all, you can't wield an element you don't know about.
It is rumoured that there are two elements of magic that work alongside Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Few know their names, and fewer still know how to wield them.
An adventurer who gains power over these obscure elemental forces will soon find themselves a force to be reckoned with purely through fear of the unknown...
One of the more obscure elements is only obscure to arcane definitions of magick, rather than spiritual. Belief holds great power in #Auvia. Faith in the Seven Gods is what grants a cleric their abilities, and it is believed that they have the power to touch the souls of others through their devotion.
For this reason, Soul - the power of faith made manifest - has been a point of study for many arcane researchers. Some wish to tame this mysterious power, but others know better.
#Lore24 12/05/24
The following is an example of a spell belonging to the Soul element. At present, it is on the Cleric and Warlock spell lists.
Soulsight
Enchantment cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self (60-foot radius)
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 minute
You alter your senses to perceive other creatures by the presence of their souls. (cont'd)
For the spell's duration, you immediately become aware of whether there are any hidden creatures within range, but not their exact location. You can't detect the presence of creatures without souls this way.
On your turn, you can use a bonus action to end the spell and force a hidden creature within range to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the hidden creature is immediately revealed, and it can't take the Hide action again until the end of your next turn.
The second of the obscure elements is actually incredibly prevalent throughout #Auvia. Everyone has access to it, but few know how to wield it and fewer still have managed to do so without burning through their own life force.
Small cadres exist throughout Auvia in backalley buildings and hidden hideouts, dedicated to unlocking the hidden power in every Auvian. In their hunt for the elusive means to unlock these secrets, they inevitably find the answer:
The power of Blood.
#Lore24 14/05/24
The following is an example of a spell belonging to the Blood element. At present, it can only be learned by Warlocks.
Bloodburn
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: S, M (a vial of your own blood)
Duration: Instant
You tap into your own life force to ravage that of another creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage.
If the target fails the save, you may take 1d4 necrotic damage as you bleed yourself to increase the damage to 1d12. The damage you take can't be reduced in any way.
This spell doesn't affect creatures without blood in their bodies, such as undead or constructs.
This spell's damage increases by one die when you reach 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12).
If one were to somehow harness the arcane power of Soul and Blood - feats that as of yet have not been publicly achieved - and combine them with other elements, the results would likely be unlike anything #Auvia has ever seen. Though in fairness, magic is still in its infancy for the most part, and mayhap Yatherie shall see fit to grant some eager student or other the secret to harnessing this power...
... or mayhap She already has, in Her divine wisdom.
#Lore24 16/05/24
The fey, of course, have their own approach to magicks, which eludes the grasp of researchers. Much to the Auvians' frustration, while they have spells to detect the presence of magic, the fey who delight in spellcraft usually also enjoy confounding those who seek to understand their tricks.
A researcher who enters into a pact for knowledge often finds they learn many things, *except* that which they want to know. Scholars quickly learn: don't try to understand the fey.
Bards and Paladins tend not to wield arcane magicks, instead drawing on the power of belief.
A Bard shapes this invisible force into bolstering the hearts of their allies and hindering their foes, their songs, stories, and sometimes their mere presence in a battle turning the tide.
By contrast, Paladins draw strength from their own convictions, holding fast to the oaths they swore, whether to the Seven Gods, the people they serve, or the fire burning within.
For your consideration, a delve into some spells that have arisen from the discovery of magickal elements.
Steam Cloud
2nd-level Evocation | Druid, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 60 ft
Components: V, S, M (a torch and a vial of fresh water)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You superheat the air in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within range, creating a thick steam. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured.
When a creature enters the steam for the first time on a turn or starts their turn there, they must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 fire damage on a failed save or half as much on a success.
Creatures and objects in the steam cloud have vulnerability to lightning damage. If they have resistance to lightning damage, that resistance is negated until they leave the cloud or the spell ends.
A wind of 20 mph or greater disperses the steam, ending the spell.
Corrosive Rain (draft)
3rd-level Evocation | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 90 ft
Components: V, S, M (a vial of acid worth 1 sp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: 1 minute
You hurl acid into the air, causing it to rain down in a 20-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
Creatures using natural armour or wearing armour made of metal, stone, or wood must also make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, their AC is reduced by 1 until the spell ends, as corrosion eats into their protection.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8, and the AC reduction is increased by 1, for each spell level above 3rd.
Cauterise (draft)
2nd-level Evocation | Light Cleric, Druid, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of ash and a handful of dirt)
Duration: Instant
You harness the searing power of Lava to seal the injuries of a willing creature you touch, causing them to regain 2d6 hit points. If the creature has resistance to fire damage, they regain an additional 1d6 hit points.
Alternatively, you can superheat your hand and lash out at an enemy. Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 fire damage and 1d8 bludgeoning damage.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the healing and the fire damage each increase by an additional die (1d6 or 1d8) for each spell level above 2nd.
Freestride (draft)
1st-level Transmutation | Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a vine from a climbing plant)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Choose up to five creatures within range. You and the chosen creatures ignore nonmagical difficult terrain until the spell ends, as the environment around you reshapes itself to grant you safe and unobstructed passage. Vines and branches might bend aside, or loose earth turn solid.
Relentless Detonation (draft)
5th-level Evocation | Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Constant explosions begin in a 20-foot radius sphere centered on a point you choose within range. The sphere persists for the spell's duration, and its area is heavily obscured difficult terrain.
Each creature in the sphere when it appears or that ends its turn there must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, they take 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 bludgeoning damage, are pushed to the nearest free space outside of the sphere, and are deafened until the spell ends. On a success, they take half damage and suffer no additional effect.
Creatures within the sphere are deafened until they move out of it.
Toxic Transformation (draft)
6th-level Transmutation | Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a vial of poison or venom from a deadly animal)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Until the spell ends, you drip with powerful toxins. You clear the poisoned condition if you have it, and gain the following benefits:
• You have immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, and you have resistance to acid damage.
• You emit a poisonous aura in a 10-foot radius around you, that moves with you. While in this aura, creatures hostile to you don't benefit from resistance and immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, and have disadvantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
• When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, they take an extra 2d6+6 poison damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of your next turn.
Thunderous Word (draft)
Evocation cantrip | Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instant
Your shout is amplified into a thunderous roar directed at one creature within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 thunder damage and be deafened until the end of their next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Stormlance (draft)
3rd-level Evocation | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a flask of rainwater with a copper coin in it)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
A lance of lightning 30 feet long and 5 feet wide launches from your outstretched hand in a direction you choose. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d8 lightning damage on a failed save or half damage on a success.
Creatures wearing armour made of metal or soaked in water have disadvantage on the saving throw.
On each of your turns before the spell ends, you can use your action to launch another lightning lance.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.
Unbalanced Shove (draft)
4th-level Transmutation | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instant
You conjure a mass of arcane force around one creature you can see within range and grasp it to hurl your target. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be thrown up to 30 feet in any direction, including upward, and then fall prone.
If the target collides with terrain or an object, they take force damage depending on their size:
• Medium or smaller: 3d10
• Large: 4d10
• Huge: 5d10
• Gargantuan: 7d10
You may attempt to throw the target into another creature instead of terrain or an object. The second creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, they take the same amount of force damage and fall prone. On a success, they take half damage and are otherwise unaffected.
Conductor (draft)
2nd-level Transmutation | Tempest Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
For the spell's duration, you surround yourself in an aura of lightning. You gain the following benefits:
• You have resistance to lightning damage.
• When you cast a spell that deals damage to another creature, you may change that spell's damage type to lightning.
• When you hit a creature with a melee attack, or are hit by a creature with a melee attack, that creature takes an extra 2d8 lightning damage. If you are in stormy weather or beneath a similar magical effect, such as that of a Call Lightning spell, they must also succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralysed until the start of their next turn.
Merciful Soul (draft)
3rd-level Necromancy | Cleric, Paladin
Casting: 1 action
Range: Self (30-foot radius)
Components: V, S, M (a healer's kit with at least 1 use remaining; the spell consumes 1 use)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You make an offering of medicines and bandages from your healer's kit to emanate a holy aura with a 30-foot radius. The aura moves with you.
For the spell's duration, creatures within the aura other than you have advantage on death saving throws. In addition, if a creature in the area other than you succeeds three death saving throws, they regain 1 hit point instead of becoming stable.
While concentrating on this spell, damage you cause with spells and weapons doesn't kill; you knock your target unconscious instead. (You can still cause a creature to die in other ways, like shoving them off a cliff.)
Cloak of Judgement (draft)
6th-level Abjuration | Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting: 1 reaction
Range: 120 ft
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
When you take damage from a creature you can see within range, you can use your reaction to cast this spell and wrap yourself in a shroud of Darkness. Casting this spell takes a toll on your magickal abilities: when you cast it, you can't cast spells other than cantrips until the end of your next turn.
Until the start of your next turn, you become immune to all damage and effects from the triggering creature (including the damage that caused you to cast this spell), and automatically succeed all saving throws they require you to make (you can still choose to fail). Any effects they imposed on you immediately end. The triggering creature takes necrotic damage equal to the damage you would have taken.
Tactical Brilliance (draft)
8th-level Conjuration | Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting: 1 action
Range: Self (120-foot radius)
Components: V, S, M (a pure white gemstone worth at least 500 gp)
Duration: Instant
You unleash a surge of Light that envelops everything nearby, reshaping the battlefield to your whim. Casting this spell takes a toll on your magickal abilities: when you cast it, you can't cast spells other than cantrips until the end of your next turn.
You teleport each creature within range, including yourself, to unoccupied spaces of your choice within range (this does not require line of sight). Chosen spaces must be on the ground or on a floor. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw to avoid being teleported. You begin teleporting creatures after you know which ones avoid this effect.
You may also teleport objects of your choice within range that aren't being worn or carried.
Let's talk about the nations of #Auvia a little more.
We begin with Rhizel, a nation at war with itself in many subtle ways. What looks like a unified whole to its neighbours has fragmented over generations of internal politicking.
Rhizel is divided into a set of small kingdoms, each of which is - for the most part - self-governed by local lords and ladies. These rulers all agree on one thing, however: they will plot, scheme, and fight to keep the power they have.
#Lore24 01/06/24
WriterRaven