The Nether/Void:
Called the Nether by the Elves and the void by Humankind, it is the unfathomable space between worlds, filled with the chaotic, swirling energy known as Mana. Mana is the energy summoned, in small controlled amounts, and manipulated by Mages to work their magics. While they use Mana, all Mages know that the Void is a dangerous and uncontrollable place. It's inhabitants are even more-so.

Spirits/Demons:
The void is an ever changing place, but Mana can occasionally become static and accumulate in a single space. This energy "clumps" together and gains consciousness, a thoroughly alien and unfathomable consciousness. These Spirits, sometimes called Demons by the superstitious Humans, are beings of pure magical energy and, in the physical world, warp reality simply with their presence, causing untold levels of chaos and destruction.

The Riftwar:
Five years after the end of the Great War the King of Moorvale, the nation to the south of Nath'relan, lost his only son and heir in a hunting accident. His son's death caused the man to lose his mind. He became convinced that the power of the Void could return his son to him. To that end, he began to research magic and the Void, despite having no magical talents of his own. His research brought him into contact with a pair of Twin Magisters from the city of Tel'vatha who believed they would be able to open a massive portal to the Void, allowing them to directly harness the infinite power there. The Twin's planned to use this power to restore the Elven race to dominance, and manipulated the King of Moorvale to make use of his country's resources.

News of this mad plan reached the ears of a young Human prince from another nation. A mysterious woman, simply calling herself Miranda, appeared before him and told him of everything she knew, how she knew what was happening she didn't say. She had gone to his father, but had been rebuffed. The King refused to act without proof, so she turned to his son, begging the young man to seek the truth.

The young prince was convinced and left without his father's leave, guided by the mysterious Miranda. She lead him to Nath'relan where, in disguise, they began to search for clues, enlisting the aid of others along the way: A clever young thief girl from Port Harath, a bitter old Drow mercenary who had been exiled from his home and sought a chance to regain his honor, an apprentice Keeper of the Elvah'len whose master had received a vision of the coming danger and sent her join their company, and finally a young Magister who feared what his elders, the Elven Twins, were planning.

Together, these five faced many dangers and found the proof the prince needed to convince his father of the truth of Miranda's warnings. The prince's father amassed his army and marched on Moorvale, beginning a war to save the world from the foolishness of the Twins and their puppet King. It was a short and bloody conflict that would come to be known as the Riftwar. At the height of the war, Miranda and the others confronted the Twins atop the Royal Palace of Moorvale. They were too late to stop the opening of the portal, and the initial unleashing of untamed energy destroyed the Mad King. While the others desperately sought to close the Rift Miranda and the young Magister faced off against the Twins in a pitched Mage's Duel. The Magister gave his life to give Miranda the opening to hit the Twins with a spell that cast them into the Rift, where they were torn apart by the energies.

The prince and his companions managed to close the Rift, sparing the world the destructive force of the Spirits of the Void. and, having lost their leader, the armies of Moorvale quickly surrendered. With the World saved and the peace preserved, the company went their separate ways. The prince and the thief, having become close, returned to his home nation where they would later become the King and Queen. The apprentice Keeper returned to her people for a time, but was no longer content with her simple life. She left the Great Forest to explore the world. The Drow mercenary, having regained his honor, returned to his home as a Champion. Miranda, her job done, disappeared just as mysteriously as she had appeared.

Tel'Vatha


General: The fair skinned and haired elves are a long lived race and the most widespread in Nath'relan. They prefer to live in cities and villages around their capital, but many can be found living father out, even living among humans.

Government: The elves are ruled by a council of Magisters, a group powerful magic users. They are corrupt and bitter, their power having waned greatly in the years since the war ended. They rule Nath'relan mostly unimpeded but most obey the human monarchs and their representatives.

Language: Most of the elves culture has been lost since the war. As such, most have forgotten the ancient language of the elves. Instead, they speak the common tongue of the humans.

Religion: Some elves choose to follow the human beliefs, however most have little time for religion, preferring to focus their energies into other endeavors. They bury their dead in large graveyards in their cities and villages.

Military: Many limits have been place on the elven army since the war, leaving their military might a shadow of what it once was. However, what soilders they do have are well trained. All of their warriors are trained in the arts of war from a young age, becoming capable Sentinels, marching into combat in resplendent gilded armor.

Unique Traits: All elves possess the ability to learn magic, however only those who devote their lives to it can gain any true proficiency.

Port Harath


General: Humanity is a young race, very diverse. They have very little regard for other races, believe themselves to be the rightful rulers of the world.

Government: The humans are lead by an alliance of monarchs, kings and queens who have joined forces in order to advance the cause of human expansion. Their representative in Nath'relan is the human ambassador. His word is their's, making him the most powerful man in the nation.

Language: The humans speak a variety of different languages, however, for the sake of communication between their different kingdoms all humans are taught to speak the common tongue.

Religion: Human religion is monotheistic. They believe in a single, omnipotent Creator who created the world and then gave birth to humanity. As the children of the Creator, they believe the entire world to be their birthright. They cremate their dead in order to release their soul from their earthly body, so that they might return to the creators side.

Military: In times of war, the human armies are mostly formed of conscripted men-at-arms, poorly trained but make up for it with sheer numbers and group tactics. Their true military might lies in their Knights, armored champions that ride into battle on horseback.

Unique Traits: Magical talent is rare in humans, but when it does manifest, it is powerful.

The Great Forest


General: The Elvah'len, elvish for Children of the Wood, are descendants of Keeper Haren'kel and her followers. Thousands of years before the war with humanity, she saw that the elves were beginning to forget the old ways of worshiping the Spirit of the Great Forest. She was outraged when her kin began to cut down the forest's trees, in which the spirits of their ancestors dwelled, in order to develop their cities. believing the elves to be a lost cause, she took those loyal to her a dissapeared into the Great Forest, where she passed on the teaching of the old ways, worshiping the Forest Spirit, honoring the ancestor trees and living in wandering clans as to leave as little a mark on the surrounding forest as possible.

Government: The Elvah'len live in wandering clans, groups of families descended from the original families that followed Keeper Haren'kal into the Great Forest. Each clan is lead by a Keeper, a spiritual elder who leads the clan with wisdom and compassion. Once every year all the clans gather together for a Clansmeet, where the keepers arrange trade and marriage contracts between clans.

Language: Largely untouched by the war, the Elvah'len have kept their ancient elven culture alive. this includes their language. All Elvah'len are able to speak elvish, and they have also learned the common tongue from humans and city elves that they captured on the outskirts of the forest.

Religion: The Elvah'len worship the Spirit of the Great Forest. They believe that the forest is, itself, a living, conscious being. When an Elvah'len passes, they are wrapped in linen and buried. A tree is then planted over the grave and, as the body feeds the tree's growth, the deceased's spirit becomes one with the wood.

Military: The Elvah'len have no military, nor do they need one, as only they know the ways of the forest. Any army that attempted to invade them would quickly become scattered, lost and never be seen again. However each clan is protected by a devoted force of hunters, trained from a young age in the arts of archery, tracking and survival.

Unique Traits: All Elvah'len receive a clan specific tattoo on their forehead, to identify them.

Tel'naraht


General: The Drow are a race of red eyed, grey skinned elves. The are descendants of a party of elven explorers who went to explore the Kah'telen Mountain ranges. There they discovered a great passage, carved into the mountainside by an infinitely ancient civilisation. On the other end of the passage was an immense subterranean city, long abandoned by those who had built it and then mysteriously disappeared. They spent years exploring deeper and deeper into that dark world beneath the mountains. It is unknown what occurred in that dark depths, vague tales speak of a great darkness that changed the explorers, but the elves who went below, emerged with darkened skin and fiery red eyes. They chose to remain in the mountains, inhabiting the great underground city, rather than return to the elven cities, and their descendants remain to this day.

Government: As beings of a fiery disposition, it was only natural that the drow would become a militaristic people. They are lead by a High General, a great warrior and genius tactician.

Language: Unlike the city elves, who have forgotten their ancient language, the drow have intentionally abandoned it, instead taking up the human's common tongue.

Religion: The drow have little interest in religion, instead they find honor on the field of battle, venerating those who show great prowess as great Champions. Champions are honored even after death. they are considered the ideal for all drow.

Military: As a militaristic society, the arts of war are standard teaching for all young drow. Every drow learns to use a weapon of some kind, along with the skill for their chosen civilian trade. In a time of war, their entire society becomes their army. There are those, however, that chose to become full time soldiers, joining the drow's standing army as Centurions.

Unique Traits: The drow are a nocturnal race, able to see perfectly in the dark. However they have little tolerance for sunlight.