The Still Realms are comprised of three kingdoms - Cedova, Asbel, and Solgard. They are a bloc of realms that have allied with one another to better secure their borders and vital trade routes. Together they control the southern coast and the central sea, providing safe haven for merchant vessels from the world-over.

The kingdoms share a majority human demographic, though there are other races present. Goblins represent the largest minority of non-humans in Cedova while many gnomes call Solgard home. Asbel is notable for its numerous halfling settlements that bolster the kingdom's grain stores. The Church of the Holy Dyad further connects the Still Realms, and the faith has taken an active role in ensuring the lasting peace between them.

Though they cooperate with one another, the realms are not truly equal. Despite its isolation, Cedova has leverage over the other realms by holding the Cerulean Strait and controlling the considerable trade that passes through it. Solgard is more tightly bound to Cedova than the other realms due to their shared borders with Fellmarsh, a bitter enemy of both realms.

Some scholars believe that magic comes from the soul, that the channeling of one's own lifeforce is what allows them to manipulate the world around them. They believe that magic has a fixed cost, whether it's time, material components, vitality, or your very sanity. There are some who understand that the soul used doesn't have to be your own, but this is considered darker magic.

Some scholars argue that magic comes from the world, that it's all around us, in the rocks and the trees and the wind. That it is less a force of individual will, and more of a conversation, a petition for permission. Make your case by saying specific words, tracing the right symbols, and you can conduct a symphony of energies from the natural wellspring of the world itself.

Some say that magic is a gift from the fae, a gift from the gods, or simply a doorway through which the threads of fate can be plucked like an instrument. It is well known that the farther you stray from civilization, the stranger reality seems to become. Great and terrible things occur when no one seems to be watching, and the lines between reality and fantasy readily blur.

What is known for sure is that magic is both wondrous and dangerous, and it usually seems to come with a cost. It can create and heal just as readily as it can destroy and corrupt. Not everyone can do it. Among humans, it is rare, though written histories would imply that this was not always the case. Conversely, there are creatures that seem to use magic as easily as they draw breath. The longer-lived races with more reverence for wild, ancient things tend to be more magically inclined.

This foggy understanding of the nature of magic means that casters occupy a gray space. They are highly valued for their skills, but are often regarded with suspicion and fear because it is so hard to quantify the powers they wield. There are laws that dictate the conduct of magic users, with harsh penalties for stepping out of line.

There are stories of mages gone mad, so lost in their craft that their physical bodies began to mutate and change. There are tales of casters who have simply disappeared, walked too deep into the murky waters of the unknown, rumored to have stepped beyond the mortal plane entirely.

For every cautionary tale of woe, however, there are stories of great heroism. A talented healer whose plant magic saved a kingdom from famine. A fearless knight whose blade sang with fire, but was only ever leveled at those who sought to do evil.

It's a frustrating area of study because there are so few clear answers, but that's also what makes it compelling and rewarding. The only firm truth is that magic is a part of life, if one is open to a relationship with the unknowable.

Magic

Religion

The Church of the Holy Dyad

The most predominant religion of the Still Realms, this faith venerates two gods in harmony. Sol and Lun, believed to be creators of life and the material world together. In spring, they are both depicted as female, jubilant and warm, spreading abundance and life. In the fall, they are both depicted as male, steeling resolve for the coming winter, strengthening foundations and balancing resources. On the summer and winter solstices, the true turning of the seasons, they are represented as male and female.

The summer solstice sees Sol as the feminine and Lun the masculine, while the winter solstice sees Lun as the feminine and Sol the masculine. Sol, regardless of present gender, is the sun, the land, and light, and Lun is the moon, the sea, and darkness.

The Dyad Faith is lawful neutral, and preaches balance and order above all else as the way to prosperity. One must consider their neighbors while ensuring their own cup is full. If resources are scarce, they will be split evenly according to need. A king may tax his subjects, but the funds must be used to better the kingdom and enrich its people.


The Cult of Anarch

A splinter sect of the Dyad faith is the Cult of Anarch. There are those who believe that the union of Sol and Lun produced a child. This child, originally dubbed Arius, is believed to have been the best of them both, destined to be the true embodiment of balance and unity. As he grew, he became concerned that his parents were too focused on one another, forsaking the mortals and the world they created.

When he came of age, Arius rebelled, vowing to restore true balance as the one true pillar of morality and creation. Among members of the Dyad faith, Arius is often blamed for misfortune, his meddling believed to be the source of natural disasters, plague, and famine.

After his rebellion, Arius took on the name Anarch, vowing to lead the people as the one true god. There are people who venerate him as the embodiment of balance, believing that his rebellion was necessary to revoke the power of his parents and bring a more lasting peace to the world.

Diabolism

There are those who believe that the darker forces of the world wield the greatest power, and with great sacrifice comes great reward. This faith encourages ruthless ambition, claiming that any power you are able to take and defend is yours to wield.

The faithful petition infernal patrons to grant them power beyond mortal means, if they are worthy. This is the predominant faith of the swampy kingdom of Fellmarsh, and its practice is outlawed in the Still Realms. Great power is an irresistible promise, however, and secret sects of this faith thrive throughout the land.

Druidism

Less a true faith than a way of life, Druids believe that the world itself is a living, breathing source of power. It is said that all mortal souls are a piece of the larger World Soul, and they return to it upon death to be reborn again in a new body. There are druids who are able to draw from this raw wellspring of power, becoming conduits for the elemental energies of the world.

Druids strive for balance above all else, recognizing that mortal morality has no bearing on the brutal pendulum of nature's whims. They support all that is natural, and strictly oppose otherworldly influence or the meddling of outside infernal forces. It is believed that druidism is a mortal's only way of channeling the world's native fae magic.

The Still Realms