| Welcome travelers, to the world of Anterris. I have found a certain beauty in the natural order of things, and what we mortals do with our world. This is why I will be documenting all of the things that we experience on a normal day, and many of the things we take for granted. Knowledge is the key they say, and I’m here to prove it. Living and Dying In Anterris Many people wonder what happens to us once we all die. Some Materian Druids did research on that particular subject. My research brought me deep in the Materian forests, talking with a high druid about his particular travels on the other side. Kalatume, (whom I was talking with) told me about how we all have a spiritual limit. Our spirits have their own strengths when traversing the other side. Once our mortal bodies die off, our spirits fade away to the other side. It’s a gentle process, especially the first time. The spirit fades, and goes to meet the faces. There is much untold about this step, as I’ve never experienced it myself. Anyways, after these tests, or decisions occur, it can be pulled by magic into a newly made form, a rebirth of sorts. The raw magical energy and surge of emotion that you get just from being in the room is enough to make you appreciate life for what it really is. I can only imagine what the actual person goes through. Anyways, in this resurrection process, our actual bodies dissipate. Intelligent monsters tend to not like to eat anything other then animals for just this reason. As I was saying about spiritual limit, though… All our spirits have a certain strength. After a certain amount of rebirths… we don’t come back. The spirit becomes too weak. This also something that happens with old age. When a person dies of old age, their time is up, and the spirit is put to rest permanently. As I said, this is all up to debate, as I’ve never experienced it personally. I suppose I’ll have to continue to look for books on this subject. The Weavers of Magic Magic is a curiosity if you look at it from the eyes of someone who’s never seen it before. I know… Who hasn’t seen magic? But imagine that you never have… the wonders it must appear to be. Being able to shift your reality, and manipulate hidden forces. I would assume it’s nothing less then breathtaking. Where does magic come from? Well, from my research I’ve found two certain types. Though some researchers say that there might be many more. I’ll leave that up to the scholars as my knowledge of magic only goes so far. On to the most aggressive form of magical energy: Arcane. Originally named by the High Elves who found it, arcane magic was named thusly for it’s raw, powerful, ancient, and questionable ways. No one truly knows where it came from, or why it’s here. Some theorists say that it has always been part of the planet. Made by life and death. Made by everything and used a little bit by everything. That our spirits are made out of it, and it is made out of our spirits, and so on… Some say it’s a corrupting force that was a product of the “Great War”. Created by the warring gods, and made to being by the immense hatred of all sides of the war. Either way, it’s a destructive force that can be dangerous to deal with. Is it a gift from nature, created by life? Is it a destructive force created by war, and hatred itself? It’s hard to say, though I say the wisps are a key to this puzzle. Who can say that it’s good OR evil? I feel it depends on the person wielding it. However… either or, it’s here to stay. Now, on to the other side of the coin: Divine. Why is it called Divine magic, when the faces interfere very little with our world today? Simple. Divine magic is not granted to us by the faces, as some people believe. Divine magic is what was created when the faces decided to walk the planet. Their godly essence is still around us even today. This essence can be weaved into spells of a more protective nature. It seems the gods have a great deal of protection around them. Well, no one can say if this magic is good or evil, either. Sure it came from the gods, and healing spells come from this stream of magic. However, undead are a product of this form of magic, as well. It seems that our world is very neutral… like me. Other Planes There is a massive amount of question in this subject, simply because it’s very hard to find people that can actually travel to the other planes. I’ve heard enough rumors, and seen enough products of these planes to know that they do exist, however. I know that planes of elemental affinity do exist, but I don’t know anything more then that. There are three planes that I have heard much about, however. Though their existence has never been proven. Elysium: Otherwise known as a place of ultimate good. When thinking positively about dead relatives, people tend to mention that this is where they go… to soften the pain more then likely. Here is a utopia of paradise, and where good emotions, good things, and general good-natured bliss are constant. Supposedly looking like beautiful never-ending fields, this is said to be where some of the greatest hero’s rest. Limbo: Often said to be worse then ultimate good, or ultimate evil, this plane is the butt of a bad reputation, in my opinion. Some people tend to think that an eternity of wandering is a bad thing. Personally, the fact that I’d get to do essentially what I do now, and get to watch and interfere a little with the living… makes this place a great afterlife in my eyes. Supposedly a barren existence without much entertainment, one must provide themselves with entertainment. I suppose it might seem boring to some, but some of us are used to all of this now, even in our mortal skins. Tartarus: Most often used in conjunction with insults, or rude hand gestures, Tartarus is a place where evil is prime, and in the dog eat dog environment, people constantly fight for power. Some of my enemies can go here, if you know what I mean. I’m sure they’d love it. I guess the draw for evil always brings people here, and they get their just dues, as they realize the full intensity of their choice. Not all are evil enough to actually get power, but just end up being toys of others, or playthings for the strong. I hear that torture is a constant thing here, and the landscape is gray, burnt (or burning), and devoid of any life. Monsters: Their Role in the World We all know that certain places in the world are plagued by what everyone calls “Monsters.” For those that question this term, it’s a general way of calling anything that strives to destroy, or ruin peace. Sometimes monsters are things that we just find ugly, or undesirable. It’s a cruel term to define local wildlife, or constant problems. Though, they are a problem to our ways of life, I don’t feel that all of them should be hunted because of this. All monsters, like most forms of natural life, have a purpose. Goblins may constantly raid our towns, and attack our caravans, but they began as population control over animals in the forests. Deer population has gotten very out of hand since those days, but most druids and sylvans have began their own population control, through magical means or otherwise. I feel that like the individual, “monsters” should be judged, or hunted by the individual circumstance. Though this may be unrealistic, at least don’t kill unless attacked first. In terms of what Monsters do for us, and our environment, all one needs to do is think about every creature’s natural cycles. Fire Lizards may set fires in towns, but some sylvans consider it good luck if one is around their encampment. Fire lizards naturally attract mosquitoes, and moths to eat, keeping them away from the campsite. Giant Spiders may scare the living daylights out of people, but they keep giant vermin population way down. To understand how a race, or monsters act, all you need to do is look at all spectrums. Undead: What are they? No matter where you are, when night comes… Go indoors. Undead are a problem everywhere that they are. They feed on mortals, and get more powerful at every death that they cause. In this way, undead have become so legion, that they can almost be considered their own race. “Undead have a striving hunger for life, and power. When someone is raised to undeath, they forget all the good things they remembered in life. All they can remember is a deepening hatred for life and the living, and an overwhelming desire to destroy it.” – Excerpt from the Benitian Tome of Undeath (Special thanks to the Temple of Terin’sal.) Beyond the normal skeletons, and zombies that are almost commonplace in the adventuring career, new forms of undead are found almost every day. New combinations of races, colors, types, state of rot, etc. Sometimes, undead look so like their living forms that it’s almost imposable to tell if they are undead or not. From my research I have found that undead are both raised magically, and naturally. Though, natural is more of a glorified term, since magic is still the cause of their raising. Before anyone discovered how to raise undead, undead still existed. Which confused historians for a while. Research done by a group that I’ve only heard little about, the Amadis, showed that undead were around before the “Great War”. Certain magical energies permeated that created them in certain magical graveyards. The energies were passed on to their victims, and they spread like a plague. This does bring up some interesting facts though. If Divine magic creates undead, and they have been around since before the “Great War”… Then this would imply that the faces themselves walked the world before the “Great War”. Something to think about, scholars. Undead also gain intellect somewhere along in their retched existence. Greater undead have been known to take over towns and run them, and be the minds behind some of the greatest evil plots in history. Most greater undead know enough to stay away from prying eyes, but still gain powers that only they seem to be able to unlock. Many questions about undead have been asked, and more will continue, I’ll wager. All of these will never have answers, until a greater undead chooses to not be hostile, and actually answers our questions. Yeah… and Tartarus is freezing over. The “Great War” The “Great War” is something that we all have questions about. Some of our great, great, great, great, (etc.) grandfathers might’ve played a role in it, but chances are they were born in the war, along with their great, great, great, great (etc.) grandfathers. Not many facts are known about it. Why it was raging? What was it about? Time has licked these facts clean from the planet, and our minds. No record even exists to state what the war was actually about. It lasted for so long, that no one remembers what it was about. My personal opinion is that we NEVER knew what it was about. It was just pushed onto us by warring gods. The facts that we do know are limited. It was a war between the gods, and it lead to the creation of the faces, and the current pathos of gods we pray to today. It ended 3001 years ago, and scholars guess that it began thousands of years before that. Honestly, I’m not sure how they came across such an assumption, but hey… they are scholars. In all reality, this is about all the knowledge we have on the “Great War”, and it’s meaning. I’ll continue to search for information, but I doubt I’ll stumble across it. Conclusion I hope that this guide has given insight to those who choose to ignore the way things are. Our world is a mystery, and there are hundreds of keys to unlock these mysteries. I’ve learned that information is a powerful key, and I hoped to share all of that with you. My travels will not end here. One day I may continue to write another guide as I have this one, over the last few years. I thank you for reading. Jalas Rean High Bard of the Protean Alliance |
| A Hero’s Guide to Anterris Written by Jalas Rean, High Bard of the Protean Alliance |