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Common terms and
concepts What
is Melestra? | How to use the player's handbook? | Common
terms and concepts Here you will find short explanation of
some common terms and names that will be in common use in the various
booklets and website pages of Melestra. Technical terms used on the character
sheets and the gaming mechanics will be detailed in chapter 7 of the player
handbook. The
En'mirian Empire: An empire that existed for
almost six hundred years, originating from invasions and conquests by the humans
of the En'mirian race, whose origin is in the high plains of Selentir in the
center of the continent of Melestra. At its
height, it ruled over almost all parts of Melestra and reduced the
Mistweavers kingdom across the sea in the west into a vassal kingdom. The empire
was known for its harsh matriarchal rule by all-powerful priestesses who were
considered the 'reflections' of four intelligent gemstones from another
dimension - on which the En'mirian religion was based. The empire was based
on a rigid caste system and was not always tolerant of the customs and
religions of the conquered peoples. The
En'mairy: Four intelligent gemstones
that exist in another dimension: gold, red, gray, and blue. They granted
their power to the four priestesses who founded the empire and ruled it for
hundreds of years. Those celestial beings, their light, powers, and the values
they represented, formed the basis of the En'mirian religion, culture, and
society, which were dominated, sometimes harshly, throughout the entire
En’mirian empire. Babus (“the
deity of pleasure”): An evil and debauched deity
who took on a physical form, dominated Selentir, and corrupted it entirely
more than six hundred years ago. He turned his devoted followers, gradually,
into 'shells of pleasure,' beautiful and soulless. Babus was
defeated, and his body was destroyed and banished from the world by a group
of priestesses carrying the light of the En'mairy, intelligent gemstones from
another dimension. The surviving four priestesses became the
"reflections" and founded the En'mirian Empire. However,
followers of Babus survived, and it is said that they operated in secret to
corrupt the En'mirian Empire from within, including some of its priestesses. Kiern Vale: A rural area in the heart of the Tilmarn
Peninsula, only
slightly
affected by the Great Shattering. Today, it
has almost no effective central authority. After two
generations in
which it has been
relatively isolated from the troubles of the external world - the spreading darkness and foreign
political intrigues are increasingly knocking on its door. Kiern Vale is the region intended for starting characters
and is detailed in the core book of the Melestra world. The Celestial Reflections: Four powerful priestesses who founded the En'mirian Empire and ruled it for over 500
years. These priestesses were considered not as
flesh-and-blood but as 'reflections' of the revered gemstones themselves in
the material world, whose will and word were law. Different regions in the
empire and various noble houses revered all the reflections, but many of them were
especially close and
deeply
influenced by a specific reflection, in a way that affected culture,
values, and even the names people gave to their descendants. It is unclear what was
the fate of
the reflections after the Great Shattering, but many speculate that at least some of
them were killed definitively, or worse; and those who remained, if any, lost much
of their power. Their whereabouts, if at all, are unknown. The Great Shattering: A horrifying event that began in a massive
explosion in the midst of a battle between the forces of the En'mirian
Empire and the Grey Rose rebels. It is unclear whether it was caused by an
attempt by one side to use a powerful artifact, an incredible magical
accident that went out of control, or the awakening of ancient and
otherworldly forces. The Great Explosion devastated the entire continent of Melestara,
destroyed entire land regions, including the capital of the empire and
everything around it; severed lands from each other, sunk port cities
into the sea, or flooded them with poisonous tsunami. In addition, it left behind a spreading,
lingering malevolent influence in many parts of the world that has not
disappeared, and in some places, it continues to spread slowly. The southern regions of Melestra mostly
turned into poisonous jungles, full of toxic intelligent plants and deformed
monsters, many of them semi-plant and disease carriers. Other lands turned
into rocky wastelands where only poisonous mushrooms
and strange lichens grow. According to rumors, many En'mirian
priestesses were poisoned from within in the years following the shattering, even in
lands that were less affected, and gradually lost their humanity. Tilmarn: A gigantic peninsula considered the western part of the Melestara
continent. The starting area of the "Kiern Vale" and all the
surrounding lands (including the forest of Vartharon, the marshes of Urgaka, the kingdom of Orm'theril, the
Karansil Ridge), are within this peninsula. Magaarun: The northwest part of Melestara; lands
of ancient and vast primeval forests and cold mangrove swamps, which are the
homeland of the Ogres. In
the distant past, those lands were the heart of Ur-Naarum: the empire of the ogres and their wizard-emperors. Melestra: Although the name 'Melestra'
primarily appears as the general name for the entire world, it is in fact, the name of the
central and largest continent of the world, where most of the regions of
the En'mirian Empire are located – including the Kiern Vale, which is
recommended for starting characters. Celestial Mirrors: A term for lesser priestesses in the En'mirian
religion, who are supposed to serve as a kind of 'mirrors' that convey the
revered light of the En'mairy and the celestial
reflections
to the believers. The Grey Rose Rebellion: A growing rebellion that broke out 13
years before the Great Shattering, led by a general who claimed that the celestial reflections
were corrupted and lost their revered light, and that she is the new
incarnation of the Grey Reflection. “The
grey rose” the rebels that
followed her, despite being declared apostates, sought to carry out
comprehensive reform in the empire and cleanse the corruption that had
permeated the priesthood, as well as the slave trade, which, although
prohibited hundreds of years ago, returned to flourish in the decades before
the rebellion. For this reason, many slaves from different races also joined
the rebellion. During the decisive battle in Darnathon province
in the south of Malistara, an unclear event occurred that killed the Grey Rose and the Golden Reflection who were in the midst of a fierce combat, and initiated the Great Shattering. Surviving supporters of the Grey Rose still rule at
the western edge of the Tilmarn peninsula, claiming that the forces of the Grey Rose have manifested into a
young male heir
she left behind – a claim
considered a terrible heresy by all other versions of the En'mirian
religion. Narliridrea: The western continent of the world. Only part of it appears on
maps. The "Kingdom of the Radiant Light" of
the Mistweaver race is located
there, and beyond it spanning the shadowy kingdoms of their eternal
rivals, the Ralkrilg, also known in the
derogatory name "Dust
Fairies." Par-Egul
("The Great Father" or "The Antlered
Father"): The ancient god of the Humans of the Far’lil race, who lived (and
some of them still
live) in the north-western lands of Melstara, and later spread
throughout the En’mirian Empire. Par-Egul is a nature deity depicted as the great
creator, donning the figure of a half-human, half-stag. Noble wild animals,
especially large stags, are sacred to him and considered his "firstborn
sons." The religion of Par-Egul is closely tied to nature, eschewing
elaborate temples and complex rituals. It supports a rural society where
extended family patriarchs hold sway, especially over women. The religion of Par-Egul includes myths about the 'subjugation of
seductive nymphs' by the power of force wielded by the Father, and other
practices considered barbaric and harmful by the En’mirian
priestesses. For this reason, the followers of Par-Egul and especially
his clerics were
mercilessly persecuted in En’mirian Empire
and all the lands conquered by it. Selentir: A land of high plains in the center of Melsetra,
considered the homeland of the En’mirian race. In its center lied the
capital city of the Empire, which bears the same name. The capital city and the surrounding lands were
either completely or almost entirely destroyed during the Great Shattering. The roads
leading to them (and to the plains of Sylentir in general) were blocked by massive mountain landslides, and it is not known what happens there now, or
if anything at all survived. The En'mirian Calendar: The most common calendar in the world of
the Melestra, used by the En’mirian
Empire. Year 0 marks the defeat
of Babus and his pleasure
cult and the establishment of the Empire by the celestial
Reflections. The year 548 is the year of the Great Shattering and the
destruction of the Empire, while the year 598 is the year of the present, in which the
player characters begin their adventures. Kor'slag: A powerful and malevolent non-playable race of
creatures that seem to be made from volcanic rock. The
Kor'slag
live in a land of perpetual struggle between volcanic mountains and extreme frost, far north
of the Narlirdrea continent. Most civilizations in Melstara, since the ancient
Empire of the Ogres, had to fight or repel these creatures from time
to time. An unsuccessful war waged by the En’mirian Empire and the Mistweavers against the Kor'slag about 75 years ago, severely
impacted the Empire and significantly contributed to its subsequent collapse. To the player handbook section of the
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Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) ©
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