✧ Introduction to the Mortal Lands Codex

Beyond the Veil lies not emptiness—but memory. And it is the Mortal Lands that remember best.

This Codex serves as a living archive of Aelinthar, the continent cradled by the sea and scarred by the Aethyr. Here, nations rise from glass cliffs, forests whisper in sentient root-speech, and old powers slumber beneath shattered vaults. These lands are not passive—they shift with time, war, and will.

Each region detailed herein holds its own pulse, shaped by history, the flow of the Fyrstrand, and the quiet influence of the Beyond. Some revere the Aethyrguard. Others resist. A few burn quietly from within.

To understand the world Korvan walks, one must trace the lines of culture and conflict—the arcane heartbeat beneath politics and stone. From the tiered spires of Cael’Lumar to the wandering groves of Ithrea, this Codex reveals the layered geography of belief, survival, and control.

The Mortal Lands are not simply where the story unfolds.
They are what the story must survive.

✧ Codex of the Mortal Lands ✧

The continent of Aelinthar is a living tapestry of bonded cultures, corrupted scars, and forgotten truths. Each region reflects its own relationship with the Aethyr and its own price for power.

◈ Table of Contents: The Known Realms

Choose a region to explore its history, traits, and ties to the Aethyr. Each carries a legacy. Some noble, some broken.

⬒ Cael’Lumar – The Skyborn Jewel

  • Region: Coastal Peninsula (Central-East)
  • Population: ~550,000 (including outer wards)
  • Role: Capital of the Aethyrguard
  • Power Source: Aethyrglass from deep-sea veins
  • Tone: Order, elevation, elegant control

Built in concentric cliffside rings, Cael’Lumar is the crown of bonded civilization. It balances magic, industry, and legacy beneath the watchful gaze of the Crown Keep.

  • Notable Sites: Trial Grounds, Hall of Radiance, Crown Spire
  • Nearby Towns: Riverpost, Vale Hollow, Stonewatch
  • Traditions: Veil’s Dawn, Ring Ascension Day

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⟁ Vel’Drakos – The Emberkeep

  • Region: Volcanic Highlands (Northwest)
  • Population: ~30,000 in fortress enclaves
  • Role: Source of ceremonial weapons, Flamecaller culture
  • Tone: Fire, honor, ritual flame

A land of ash-forged steel and sacred heat. Its people walk trials of cinders to earn their sigils. Every weapon carries a rite.

  • Notable Sites: Ember Crucible, Ashen Road, Trial of Cinders
  • Traditions: Flamecaller Duels, Emberwake Festival
  • Tensions: Fiercely independent, but loyal to the Guard’s oath

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◐ Northrim Reach – The Tundra Crown

  • Region: Arctic North
  • Population: Sparse hunter-camps and isolated enclaves
  • Role: Site of ancient Veyrkin temples and lost magics
  • Tone: Isolation, endurance, forgotten truths

Snow buries memory here. Echoes of the old world still stir beneath the ice.

  • Notable Features: Frozen ruins, soul-reactive minerals
  • Use: Rare beast sightings and spiritual quests
  • Status: Lightly patrolled, spiritually respected

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⟁ Ithrean Wilds – The Living Grove

  • Region: Rain-fed Southern Basin
  • Population: ~50,000 across Circles and hidden groves
  • Role: Origin of free bonding and wild resonance
  • Tone: Organic magic, dreamlike spirituality

The land moves. Roots remember. Here, beasts choose freely—and bonds are not controlled.

  • Key Sites: Thornmere, Verdant Spire, Moonfern Glade
  • Traditions: The Bonding Bloom, the Wandering Root
  • Relations: Respects the Aethyrguard, but does not bow to it

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✦ Thalos Waste – The Shattered Vault

  • Region: South-Central Contaminated Zone
  • Population: None (border is sealed)
  • Role: Aethyrblight origin zone
  • Tone: Decay, corruption, instability

Once whole. Now broken. The Wastes do not whisper—they scream.

  • Key Features: Vaultscar Pit, Redspire Crevasse
  • Defensive Notes: Guarded by Veilwatchers and Ravaryn constructs
  • Effect: Warps terrain, beasts, and magic itself

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◻ Ravaryn Dominion – The Pale Empire

  • Region: Eastern Interior
  • Population: ~180,000 across arcane cities
  • Role: Arc-tech rival to Cael’Lumar
  • Tone: Precision, hierarchy, control over magic

Where Cael’Lumar sees bonds, Ravaryn sees circuitry. Here, intellect is sacred and magic is a machine to command.

  • Key Cities: Velgrad, Kareth Vale, Marros Bridge
  • Technologies: Arc-rail networks, artificial Reservoirs
  • Tension: Allows Guard presence only under observation

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⧖ Veilscar Ridges – The Western Edge

  • Region: Far West Peaks
  • Population: Nomadic trackers and Initiates in training
  • Role: Host of many Veil Trials
  • Tone: Instability, wild Aethyr, revelation

Riddled with scars in the weave of the world, the Veilscar Ridges hum with truth and danger.

  • Known For: Beast tracks, broken rifts, trial chambers
  • Use: Early trial site for bonding; rarely mapped
  • Myth: Said to touch the edge of Veyrth’Kael itself

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