#wtwevent

Before there were cities, castles, or people and the world was wild it was ruled by creatures called Elementals. These creatures were huge and roamed over Isfyd in the sky, sea, and land. These creatures weren’t like anything we know today, they weren’t animals made of flesh and blood, they were made purely of spores.

There were eight Elementals total, each one made of a different kind of spore. These creatures did not live in peace with one another. They fought each other over territories and resources. When they fought, their attacks shaped the world, giving rise to mountain ranges, carving rivers, and splitting forests.

The DaySpore shined brightly, made entirely of lightspores, this Elemental covered the land in a blinding light. The NightSpore cast impossible shadows, made entirely of darkspores, this Elemental makes everything vanish from sight.

The GaleSpore howled through the skies, made entirely of windspores, this Elemental stirred devastating storms. The TideSpore rode along the waves, made entirely of waterspores, this Elemental crashed into the land, eroding it away.

The ScorchSpore blazed with heat, made entirely of firespores, this Elemental burned through everything in its path. The QuakeSpore rumbled beneath the ground, made entirely of earthspores, this Elemental cracked and bent the land for its own benefit.

The ShockSpore sparked and flashed, made entirely of lightningspores, this Elemental split the sky with bolts of pure power. The MeltSpore hissed and fizzled, made entirely of acidspores, this Elemental dissolved even the most stubborn of obstacles.

Humans came to Isfyd through one of Destiny’s Gateways after the world was shaped. At first, the people were afraid of these powerful creatures. Some people hid from them and some abandoned Destiny to worship the Elementals as their new gods. Others fought the creatures to protect themselves.

Over time the people began to notice something new, they could sense the energy of the magic of the Elementals. They could sense the spores. Some could even change them like the Elementals. The first to use this ability were called sporecasters.

They learned to summon fire from the ScorchSpore, call the wind from the GaleSpore, and calm the waves from the TideSpore. They practiced and taught others, being able to cast spores became essential to their early survival.

The more people used the spores the less fear they had for the Elementals. The Elementals became overwhelmed. Their powers were far greater than those of the sporecasters individually, but the great downfall of these great creatures was that they did not work together while the people did. One by one each Elemental was pushed back, into hiding or hibernation.

With the Elementals gone the era of sporecasters began. While the Elementals no longer rule Isfyd there are those who wonder if they might return one day. Are the Elementals truly gone? Are they sleeping somewhere waiting to be awoken? Did they leave to another world? These are questions asked by many philosophers.

Reading Check:

What were the Elementals made of?

How did the Elementals shape the world?

Why did some people worship the Elementals?

How did people first start using spores?

What were the Elementals greatest weakness?

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These and other questions are things that some have set forth to answer. Some attempt to do so scientifically, while others explain it through mythology, religion and general speculation. Raikaliç (the main religion of Seldaika), explains this through the idea of magic being the connection with the world, imparted by Galista to all who were born on its soil. This concept gives an explanation as to why not all mortal humans have magic, because they are originally from a different world, so therefore they lack the connection.

Meanwhile, a common belief for it in Helinda is that magic is the essence of the old deities, spilled through the world once they passed. A theory spread by a small minority is that the more people/faeries present on the land, the more divided the pool of magic. In other words, they believe there is a fixed amount of magic and if it is split between five people, it is more potent than magic split between a few million. This theory is rather unpopular for a number of reasons, one of the most notable being that large families are a status symbol.

Another major question is the matter of the divine relics. There are a few particularly bespoke items scattered across the world, such as the mirror buried within the castle in Therae, Kerras. This mirror is said to enable communication with the seafolk, and perhaps even the deities and the dead, but no one is known to have cracked it. More commonly, people report to have seen dreamscapes and nightmares, with some stories alleging that the mirror sucks people in without return. Some believe it was forged, others think it is some naturally occurring (or divinely gifted) phenomenon that the castle was built over.

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Another matter is the Allaitri Chalice. It is the holy relic of Helinda, able to purify water and grant it healing powers. Prior to Helinda’s founding, it was stored in a grove situated within the mountains between a few provinces. Seven nymphs guarded it, and they allowed other faeries to drink from it in exchange for a major sacrifice, such as a pound of flesh or severing a major relationship. One day, it went missing. No one knows where it disappeared to nor who stole it, only it is gone. Every so often, someone will allege that they found who stole it and a series of petty feuds occur. Sometimes this escalates to civil war. Other times it exacerbates ongoing conflicts or it's just a collection of petty feuds.

Various other magical phenomena occur across the world regardless of explanation, some major and others small.