World Of Alore

Welcome

After the End

Primaries vs Secondaries

The Primaries

World Map

The Stolen People of Tasp

The Violet Bluffs

Douru

The Okini

The Hollow Mountains

Avalanche Douru

White Rock

Yulyoch

I’m back as promised to tell you about the Doi, or rather, how to escape the Doi caverns. See, for a place where living so simple, leaving is all but impossible. Or rather I guess I should say leaving alive is nearly impossible. If you’re dead, leaving is quite simple as the people of the Doi will merely lower the final net, and let the currents take your body much as the way you’d arrived.

Getting out alive is a million times harder than that. The Shauling River is no less fierce because it now flows beneath the surface, in fact I’d dare say it’s a lot worse. Up on the surface, there’s a shore you can at least try and make it to. Down below, the currents just bounce around, slamming any and everything into the walls as it goes. Plus, the water levels have been known to fluctuate so there are often stretches where you’re trapped underwater with no air to breathe depending on the season. Naturally that means there’s nowhere for the bioluminescent moss and stuff to grow so the whole trip is in pitch blackness. And of course if that’s not enough, it’s not a straight path.

Every so often, the paths branch off and often reach dead ends. The current in these dead end caverns is so strong as water races in that one wrong turn can be your death. If the currents don’t immediately kill you, getting back to the main path while fighting the current is all but impossible so you can get trapped in a cave on your boat and starve to death.

Oh yeah, I didn’t mention the boats before did I? So, It’s a long journey. Like you’re traveling from the Southern reaches of Erothe all the way to the northern reaches of Feirr, where you get spit out on the coast. That’s about a 2,000 mile journey, and the river may be fast but it’s not that fast. I’ve done the math for you, don’t worry. The Shauling - or at least, the underwater portions, moves at around 15mph in most places, but it’s rather slow going as at every branch you need to stop and decide the way. Overall, the trip takes an average of 3 weeks. That’s 3 weeks worth of provisions you need to bring with you, and let’s not forget that certain sections you’ll need to be lying flat on the boat so that you can get under the low clearance - or the times when you and the boat are completely forced underwater.

Back to the trip itself, you need to figure out a light source. Sure, you can bring some of the moss and lichen but that won’t be enough to light your way when you’re picking a route - although it’s highly recommended to cover your boat in it so you can see it if you’re forced out for any reason.

Sleeping? Well, you better bring a chain and some strong grapple hook with you because you’ll need to hook yourself onto the rocks at night and pray that it doesn’t break free. This works best if there’s two of you trying to make it out, that way you can take watch turns. But make sure to tie your boats together with a longer cord!

If you can convince someone to come with you on this death trip, it should be great right? Having companionship? But the river is so loud that in most places you’d barely be able to hear one another if you screamed! If you happen to know the unspoken language of Crierd and have enough light, you’ll be set though!

Yesterday I told you about the Yulyoch and the danger that it poses. Today? I want to tell you the secret that it hides.

You see, a trip into the Yulyoch may be a one-way trip, but it is by no means a guaranteed trip to the afterlife. When the current rips you away from the world you know, it sends you plummeting down down down, racing you along stone that has been polished into a smooth surface over eons, before dropping you into a large cavern.

Almost 3,000 feet deep into the dirt and stone, you’ll find yourself in a rather large cave system, known to those who call it home as Doi. It’s like a whole other world there, the only true light coming from the bioluminescent glow of the lichen, moss, and vines that cover the walls casting the rooms in a pale blue glow. Mushrooms taller than even the largest Kiall dot the landscape, and from the main cavern you can see 6 smaller offshoots.

The river runs straight through the center of the main cavern, with a sturdy bridge made of stone and clay connecting to the two halves. Running across the river you’ll find 7 different nets, each designed to catch different size items, with the one at the end of the cavern so tight knit that only water can pass. These allow the Doi to collect any and everything that may wash down from above - from supplies to new citizens.

On average, only 3-5 of the 10 or so people who enter will survive the trip from Yulyoch to the cavern, as there is a high risk of hitting your head on a rock or drowning during the trip.

The river disappears beyond the curve of the cavern, but if you stand at just the right spot on the Northern shore, you can spot a small beach they call Hadni - it’s the last place on the river where you can turn back and live in the Doi community. Beyond that point, your odds of survival drop to a mere 5%.

On the northern side of the cavern, you’ll find a handful of small buildings, storage and gathering places. You’ll also find three offshoot caverns known as Raru, Mogri, and Har.

If you enter the Raru offshoot, you’ll be greeted by an almost 2 mile walk to a cave that’s around 2 acres in size, and it gets it name from the Vasi word for dew. Raru is closest to the magma chamber that heats the whole system, and the high temperature and humidity means that the walls are covered in water at all times. A small species of cave bird calls this area home, and it’s a nice place to relax when you need a break.

To the east of Raru lies Mogri, named for the Vasi word for plant/bury. Of course this is where the best soil is in all of the caves, and they manage to grow a handful of crops in the cavern, enough to ensure their community can eat and survive.

Next to Mogri lies Har (Vasi for light or illuminate), and while the other caves are lovely it’s my personal favorite. The rock walls here are made of a rather reflective surface and with all of the bioluminescent glow, this cave is so bright it’s almost blinding at times. The people of Doi have managed to get their hands on seeds from plants from above and they seem to thrive in this small cave. It’s like they carved out a chunk of the world above and planted it down deep below the surface. There are even a handful of chickens in this cave after one person fell in while running from a bear who she’d stumbled across while gathering eggs from her chickens. It was hard, but they managed to hatch a small flock of the birds.

The Southern shore of the main cavern is covered in the large mushrooms, creating a kaleidoscope of colors. These mushrooms provide oxygen and food for the Doi people, and they are carefully managed. On this side of the river, you’ll also find the remaining 3 caverns: Rayi, Ral, and Vikbus.

Rayi (Vasi for safe, steady) and Vikbus (Vasi for life, live) are where are all of the Doi people build their homes. They’re the least humid of all the caverns and while they may stay cooler than the others, their temperature is more stable and with the shorter ceiling heights there’s a lot less echoing, making it ideal for having privacy in small stone homes.

Between Rayi and Vikbus lies the smallest of all the caverns, Ral (Vasi for Hope). Small shrines line the edges of Ral, each dedicated to a different favored deity. As new people arrive with new favorites deities, new shrines appear over time. This cavern is their spiritual home and it’s not uncommon for new arrivals to spend a lot of their time here, looking for peace or guidance from any deity who will listen.

Life in Doi is very simple, and those who call it home tend to be forgiving, not holding your life above against you. It doesn’t tend to take long to find your place in the community, whether that be in gardening, livestock, healing, or construction. Some people find love, some simply find a new reason to keep going. The Doi are a very unique culture, one that I can’t imagine existing anywhere but in that cavern beneath the ground.

Remember when I told you about the Okini, and I mentioned they were only native to one cave system in Erothe/Feirr? Yeah, this is where I meant. The Okini live in Doi, and keep the people there company. The Okini are almost a thing of legend with how rare it is to see them outside of the Doi caverns, in fact the only time they are seen is when their chosen companion manages to escape…

If you ever find yourself wandering the woods near the southern shores of Erothe, keep an ear out for the loud roar of the Shauling River. This river is the lifeblood of the region, but if you follow the water to its end you’ll find a pond known to the locals as Yulyoch. The pond was once known by another name, but it has been long lost to time, and now it is left with a name that is much a descriptor as a warning. In the language of Erothe, Vasi, the word Yulyoch means grave.

The Shauling River is infamous for its strong current and dangerous rapids, but no stretch is as dangerous as the end. The waters pour into the Yulyoch, and have nowhere to go as there is no river that leaves the pond - at least that can be seen. The middle of the pond is home to a large sinkhole and as the water pours into the pond it creates a whirlpool, like water draining from a bath.

To enter the waters or Yulyoch is to sign your own death certificate, as no one has ever escaped from the watery grave. If you fall in, no one will save you. No one will come for you. They will not even throw a rope to try and help. They will merely watch as the current grabs hold of you and yanks you around, taking up to a minute before your head dips below the surface for the final time. Not too long ago, attempts would have been made to save you, but too many would-be rescuers have lost their lives in an attempt to save those who already doomed. Now, they will do nothing but provide a vigil to your death, whispering a few prayers for a quick death and peaceful afterlife. No body of a Yulyoch victim has ever been recovered.

Unfortunately, deaths in the Yulyoch aren’t uncommon with around 10 people being lost every year. Yulyoch has become a common destination for suicides as they seem to like the permanence of it all, no funeral, no debate. Just a minute in the water then a final death. The other half is made up of accidents, murders, and a handful of those foolish enough to believe they will be the first to ever survive.

Losing a loved one to the Yulyoch is a pain I do not wish on any, and it tends to stay with the surviving family and friends for quite a while. Those who have suffered such a loss will typically visit the pond three times a year, once on their birthday, once on the anniversary of their death, and once on the day we celebrate the dead. During these trips, they will often throw offerings to their loved one into the whirlpool, ranging from clothing and food to tools and books as a way of honoring those they have lost.

Situated just south of the Deadwood Sea, you’ll find White Rock. If asked by other countries, they’ll deny their claim to be a country and instead call it an outcropping of criminals. White Rock is the home to pirates, a safe haven for lawbreakers with a leader and (questionable) laws of their own.

White Rock lies alone in the ocean, a collection of small islands jutting high into the sky. There is only one beach in the entire land, the rest is just steep cliffs reaching high, ranging from 60’ to over 400’. Each island is made of raw white quartz, giving the lands their name. Small homes and buildings cover the cliffs and tops of the islands with rope bridges, zip lines, and swing lines connecting the islands and homes together. White Rock is not a place to be if you fear heights, thats for certain. The only way up the cliffs are pulley systems and steep staircases carved directly into the stone, although the staircases can only be found on the interior channels and not facing the reefs so they can be secured in case of a seige.

Surrounding White Rock you’ll find some of the thickest and most beautiful coral reefs in the world - and there are only 2 routes through the coral with a ship. A small dinghy can pass safely over the reefs thankfully. The paths through the reef are highly dangerous and many ships have been lost to them over the years, with only the most experienced captains being able to navigate the treacherous waters. Access to the islands is only available around 6 hours each day, depending on the tides. When the tides are too low the tops of the reef peek out of the surf and the paths narrow to become almost impassable - although the small dinghy’s may make it if they’re careful enough.

The people of White Rock worship a handful of gods:

Xaenter- God of Thieves and Secrets

Naerylius - Goddess of Saltwater

Wyndash - God of Wind

Oroios - God of Luck and Games

You’ll find small shrines to these deities covering the islands, with their larger shrines found on the only beach in White Rock. This beach is found facing the juncture where the two passages through the reef meet, and was created with explosives long ago. The goal was to create a meeting place so visitors could conduct trading or allegiance meetings without having to invite outsiders into the community proper. It also serves as a meeting between the Moi and those who call the lands home.

The Avalanche Douru can be found only in the southern country of Crierd. They're one of the largest species of Douru, beaten only by the Violet. During the frequent snowstorms and blizzards that Crierd endures, the Avalanche will hunker down and wait the storm out. When the storm passes and they shake the snow off it can often create a small Avalanche, thus the name.

The fascinating thing about Avalanche Douru? Not only can they see regularly like you and I, but they can also see in Infrared and can hunt via heat signatures. Considering they live in a frozen wasteland it makes sense that they would hunt via heat, or I'm not sure how they'd ever find their prey!

The other cool feature of the Avalanche is that they don't breathe fire. Which I guess makes sense based on where they live, can't have them melting the entire continent every time they get annoyed. I think it would make it more interesting but whatever. Don't get caught in front of their "flame" (I don't know what else to call it) though or you'll end up dead just the same as if it was actual fire.

Now that I’ve told you one of my favorite places to visit, here’s one of my least favorite. On the eastern shore of Rynn you’ll find the Hollow Mountains. They had a different name once, but that was lost to time years and years ago. Now, they’re just the Hollow Mountains.

The Hollow Mountains used to be the richest coal mines in all of Rynn, but eventually they were cleared and abandoned. Now, the mountains are a warren of criminal activity. The old tunnels and caves provide refuge to criminals and those with nowhere left to turn. There are even Tasp soldiers who have taken up residence there, and those are some people you do NOT want to cross.

As if the danger of being harmed by a mother sentient wasn’t bad enough, it’s impossible to find your way through the caves without a guide. Even if you manage to get your hands on a map it’s not going to help too much when you end up completely lost between levels in a small unmarked passage. Before you ask, yes, I know this from personal experience. It was an awful experience and if it wasn’t for a little (lot of) help from a kind Straid, I’m not sure I would have made it out of there.

There’s a creature that lives in Alore that most think of as nothing more than an urban legend, a myth. No one truly knows where they come from, where they went, or even if they ever really were.

Standing only 2” - 3” tall, with skin the white of milk, and completely devoid of features other than a mouth and two eyes, the Okini is a rather fascinating appearing critter. Their coolest feature of all is their bioluminescent glow. In the dark, their skin emits a pale blue or green glow, lighting up a small area directly around them and making them visible at all times. While it may sound like it could be the basis for an absolute nightmare, they’re the creature you’d want to befriend the most.

Okini have no knowledge of fear, anger, depression, or any negative emotion actually. They do however have amazing capacities for love, joy, curiosity, playfulness, and other positive emotions like that.

Legend says the Okini were created by Ehona when she saw some of the souls she created suffering. Whether it be from loneliness or depression, she couldn’t stand that they felt alone and abandoned. So she decided to create a new form of life who would never abandon those suffering, who could be by their side and provide a light for them.

The Okini make perfect companions to those suffering from depression or mental illness. First off, there’s no fear of them telling anyone your secrets - they don’t talk, they communicate through small squeaks much like mice. Second, you don’t have to worry about feeling like you’re burdening them or bringing them down as they quite literally can’t be brought down. Third? They’ll never die on you - they’re completely immortal.

I suppose it’s good they’re viewed as nothing more than a legend, I can only imagine how much abuse they would face if they were a commonly sought after species. From awful experiments to being sold to the highest bidder? I only pray they’re never really discovered by the main population.

Of course, if you know who to ask and where to look you’d quickly find that the Okini are real, but almost impossible to find. See, the Okini only occur in one rather small cave system in Northern Feirr (or Erothe depending on who you ask).

The world of Alore is home to many species of Douru - 22 to be exact! In your tongue, you'd refer to the Douru as wyverns and dragons. Each species is unique and provides a different perspective to the world, each serves its own use. From the aggressive Violet to the the poison-stopping Steward.

Douru were created by the deities of Alore - the primaries and secondaries, and that’s why there’s 22 different species. The species were all created by two or three different deities who imbued them with powers from their own domains. The easiest example of this is the Cobalt, Calizra’s creation (along with Streyus of course), and they can interact with the dead.

Over the years the douru have found their niche in the world, whether it be co-existing and working together on farms and orchards, or defending their home ranges together. Unfortunately, some of these species are viewed as "more valuable" than others - like the Steward. The Steward can heal any poison you could come across and are heavily sought after by royal and rich families. Of course, that means they've been heavily trafficked and are now rarer in the wild. Thankfully the people of Laic have put their foot down and are now fighting for the species' safety, but it's ridiculous it's come to this point if you ask me.

Anyways, I'm going to start filling you in on some of the species of Douru as times goes! For now, here's the species:

Avalanche

Cobalt

Crag

Emerald

Gnosis

Green

Harvester

Kapok

Magma

Mirage

Orchard

Reef

Sandstorm

Seaward

Sky

Solace

Starlight

Steward

Tocsin

Veil

Violet

The Violet Bluffs are a sight unlike anything you have here on Earth. Massive purple tanzanite cliffs erupt from the swirling ocean beneath. The pounding waves have polished the cliff front to a perfect shine. At certain times of the year, the sunlight reflecting off the cliffs can be absolutely blinding.

The best time to go to the cliffs is sunset, the golden hour. The warm light from the sun reflects off the purple stone and the light seems to dance. Plus, when you’ve got the douru playing on the air currents above and the Swin in the sea below? It’s an experience I don’t think one can ever truly understand unless they’ve seen it for themselves.

If you ask me, the Moi have the best view of the bluffs. I know they built their capital off the shores of Aerok as that’s where the first Moi were created, but I can only imagine the view from their angle beneath the waves. I know the Violet Bluffs extend to the ocean floor so they really get a gorgeous view of the tanzanite cliffs in front of them.

The Bluffs are one of the things I miss the most from Alore. Some of my favorite memories took place right there, my feet dangling over the churning waters and holding on for dear life. I could sit there for hours, not a care in the world, as life just seemed to pause? I don’t rightly know how to explain the feeling. On one hand it seemed like time no longer mattered or didn’t exist but the constant moving of the sea never let you forget. It was like being trapped in the most beautiful Cearcall.

Sometimes when the heavy wind kicks up and you’re seated on the edge it feels like you’re going to just slide right off the smooth stone. It’s a feeling that gets your heart racing and reminds you you’re alive without putting your life in real danger - you could technically cliff dive off the bluffs, although the Moi might not be your biggest fans if you do.

Tasp is a smaller country located Northeast of Rynn, known for their warrior mentality - and their kidnapping of children. If your community comes up against Tasp in battle and loses, you only have 3 potential fates: Marriage, Kidnapping, or Murder.

If you are a young, relatively attractive young woman OR a young fit man (particularly a soldier who may have fought well but was injured and couldn’t fight OR someone they think has potential), you might be married off to a Tasp soldier. If they have any soldiers who are heading home for leave and are open to the idea (ie don’t have a strong enough argument against it), a quick marriage will be performed and their new Tasp spouse will be in charge of them.

While these newly married ‘hostages’ may at first rebel against this, over time they often settle into life in Tasp, suffering from what you know as Stockholm syndrome. If you’re lucky, your new spouse will be kind to you. If you’re not, your life can quickly become an absolute hell with no way out. If you’re lucky, your prayers may catch the ears of a deity who will step in and help. If you’re not? Perhaps you’ll have better luck in your next life.

If you are under the age of majority, you’ll likely be straight up kidnapped and shipped back to Tasp. The first thing that will happen is their name will be stripped from them, and they’ll be given a new proper Tasp name and clothing to help them forget their old identity. Your birthday will be stripped from you as well, your new birthday will be the date you were “saved” by Tasp soldiers. From there what happens next decides on their age.

If they’re under the age of 5, they’ll immediately be placed into a proper Tasp home and given a new home. Kids between 5 and 13 are sent to boarding schools, where those who adjust well are adopted into Taspian homes. If you didn’t adjust well you stayed in the boarding school until your 13th birthday, until you joined all of the other taken teenagers (those who’d been 14 or older).

If you were taken by Tasp soldiers during the ages 14-18, you were immediately taken to a military camp to begin your training. Over your time at the camp you would essentially be brainwashed, until you left the camp at 18, ready to fight to the death for the country that had “saved” your life as a child.

Okay, now that you've had the crash course in deities, I can give you some basic info on the Primaries. I'm not gonna go into too much detail, and don't expect me to do this for the secondaries. There's 48 deities total and I don't have that much time, okay?

Here they are in birth order:

Cataklys - goddess of chaos and animals. Cataklys is a bit of a wild card if you couldn’t tell from her domain, I swear she lives to make Calizra’s life harder sometimes. To be fair, I don’t know how you could be too calm or normal having spent the first bit of your life with only Mother and the first animals on Alore.

Anateus - god of medicine and healing. He’s a bit self righteous, but I mean he is in charge of medicine and healing so I suppose that’s alright. Overall, he’s a pretty good guy and plenty responsible. The kind of guy to sit at home and hold down the fort while the others go to war.

Havad - god of victory and war. I’m not biased or anything, but Havad may be the best. Sure he can be cocky and a good bit of a jerk, but way way way down he’s a pretty solid guy. He just happens to be very aggressive on the outside (and the middle, and the inside - but deep down he’s good I promise).

Naspus - god of plants, trees, and agriculture. Naspus loves for everything to be in it’s place, I swear he’d lose his head if there’s so much as a leaf out of place in his orchards. I think that’s why he let Faerul take over the wilderness, it was just too stressful for him. Naspus may seem like the responsible type but I think that’s all a front what lurks beneath.

Bralvae - god of Travel, Wealth, and Languages. Bralvae may be the youngest of the guys and may not hold an ‘important’ domain, but don’t let that fool you about how important he is. His love for humanity - or rather, a specific human, is the reason secondaries exist.

Vaeracus - goddess of seasons. Vaercaus is a big proponent of change, she doesn’t try to hold onto things and is very much a fan of going with the flow. If it wasn’t for her wife, I don’t think she’d ever try and take part in any of the wars or battles. She tries to stay out of things, and likes to let the chips fall where they may.

Ehona - Goddess of Life. Ehona and Calizra are twins, and the youngest. Ehona definitely has youngest child syndrome, and I don’t think she understands what consequences are. Which means Calizra spends a lot of time cleaning up after her. She’s sweet though, and the kind of person you want to have a drink with after a long week.

Unlike here, there’s no real debate around religions in Alore. There’s simply the deities - I believe there’s 48 of them? It’s not a matter of simply believing either, as our deities tend to take active roles in our lives.

Streyus’ Blades enforce justice on behalf of those who have been wronged. Calizra’s Threi help defend the vulnerable and escort the souls of the dead. Ehona brings new life to hopeful parents. Bralvae’s Speech Keeper shares the gift of language with others. During The Choosing, our deities select new Ashi, Dourashi, and Dourule to help defend Alore and our way of life. The deities surround us in every way and it’s easy to know they’re always here.

The deities of Alore are split into two separate classes: Primaries and Secondaries. On a day to day basis you wouldn’t see too much different among the two classes, but it really comes into play when you get to the big decisions and problems.

There are 8 Primaries, and they are the children of Mother, making them the most powerful deities. The only things capable of killing a Primary is Mother, or another Primary. Primaries have the ability to strip their deityhood and domains from Secondaries, although we’ve never really heard of it happening.

The rest of the deities are known as Secondaries. Secondaries are either the children of the Primaries (or other Secondaries), or humans that have Risen. Secondaries can be killed by fellow Secondaries, Primaries, or Mother. Basically any deity will do it.

How do we know what’s capable of killing the deities? Well, the War of the Gods was harsh battle and many lives were lost - including the lives of innocent bystanders. That war is why Calizra and the other Primaries rule with an Iron Fist now, I guess they’re afraid of a repeat situation. I can’t say I blame them.

Where to start but the end? I know for you humans here on Earth, death seems to leave you with many questions. There’s not really a clear answer on what happens after, and it seems to me that it’s pretty confusing. On Alore, we know the afterlife is real and we know what happens we die - mostly because the deity in charge of it, Calizra, is pretty open it. Honestly, I think she’s just proud of her system and wants to show it off whenever she can.

When a soul on Alore dies (whether they be human, Moi, Faik, Swin, or whatever), their soul is greeted by a Threi - they’re Calizra’s chosen sentients - and escorted to their judgement. At your judgement, your Soul Book is brought out and reviewed. Everything you’ve ever done during your life is recorded in these books (we’re not quite sure how they work, and Calizra keeps it as a closely guarded secret - which I find a little rude honestly!). Anyways, all of your actions are recorded in the Soul Book, but that doesn’t mean they track your every little thought or anything like that. No worries, your secret fantasy is still safe.

Who does your judging? Well the Threi of course. Or rather, the soul of a Threi who died and decided that they wanted to spend their afterlife judging souls who have passed on. What kind of soul chooses that by the way?! Whatever. These judges review your book and decide on one of four fates: Peace, Redemption, Punishment, or Erasure.

With Peace, your soul enters an afterlife where everything you’ve ever wanted or wished for comes true. It’s an endless world, and you can spend eternity traveling or settle down wherever you choose. There’s no limits, no fear, no negativity. Peace is the dream destination, but the problem is there’s no set rules or guidelines to make it here. It’s up to your judge to just decide whether you’re good enough? Seems like a flawed system to me.

Redemption is what you call reincarnation. If you’ve led a mediocre life then you get another chance at life, another chance to earn your way into Peace. Here’s where it gets fun, each soul is guaranteed 2 redemptions - that’s 3 lives total. After that it’s up to your judge. Typically if you’ve been doing better every life they’ll just let you keep trying - I’ve heard of one soul whose on their twelfth redemption and honestly at what point do we just call it? So, if you get redemption, your judge makes a few notes and sends your file off to Ehona (deity of life) and she sets you up with a new chance somewhere else (without your memories of course). Better luck next time!

Punishment is reserved for those who completely messed up. If you end up in Punishment, you’ve committed some heinous crimes. It’s the equivalent of your hell. Unlike hell, you typically only serve a certain length of time here, and it depends on how badly you messed up. When your sentence is up, your judge will review your case and how your punishment has changed you. Then, you’ll likely end up in Erasure, although some lucky few have ended up back in redemption for another chance. Each punishment is individually tailored, there’s no assigned punishment per crime. Be careful not to end up here, those judges are pretty evil when they need to be and their punishments are creative in a terrifying way.

The final choice is Erasure. It’s just as it sounds, you cease to exist. Your soul is poof, gone, no trace that it ever existed but in the memories of those who knew you. Erasure is reserved for those who have completed their punishment, or only do worse each redemption. It’s not the most common option, but it still happens pretty regularly. When a soul is slated for Erasure, their Soul Book is sent to Calizra who reviews it to ensure she agrees, and then she personally erases you. She likes to argue she’s the goddess of the dead and the vulnerable, but it seems to me that maybe she’s also just the goddess of death because this is the most permanent kind of death. She likes to do the erasing herself. She claims it’s so that no one else has to bear the burden, but Havad says it’s because she likes it. I’m not sure which I believe honestly. . .

When speaking of a new world, what is the best place to start? In the beginning perhaps, with the tale of creation. But where is the fun in that? There’s something beautiful in learning about the end before you know anything else, like reading the final chapter of a new novel before you’ve even read the dedication page. If you ask me though, the perfect way to tell a tale is discombobulated, jumping from one spot to the next and scattering info throughout for you to find. The chaos may be confusing but when you find the threads of this scavenger hunt and follow it back to the beginning? That’s the truest joy you can feel.

This encyclopedia will not go in chronological order, backwards, or any real order to be honest. Alore is a world full of mystery and creation, loss and devastation. On Alore, you may come face to face with mages and dragons, deities, and several species of sentient beings.

My goal here is to welcome you to Alore, to prepare you for the experience that lies far away. I’m not sure why I’m writing these tales, creating this online book of knowledge. Perhaps it’s to prepare you for your trip there, or perhaps it’s to remind myself of where I lived. My greatest fear is that here, among your plagues and mundane world, I’ll lose my connection to the lands I called home.

Maybe one day I’ll tell you the tale of how Havad and I came to be here with you, but for now that story doesn’t matter.