Lore 

Millennia ago, a planet called Icaion was hit by a giant crystal of unknown origins which came at high speed from the depths of space. With staggering force, the crystal pierced through the planet, ending a long journey from a mysterious place. The impact was so strong that the planet, and the forces governing it, were changed forever.

On impact, the crystal scattered into shards all over the planet, from the surface to its greatest depths. These crystal shards, called Qoam, have their own magnetic field that reacts oddly with the planet’s gravitational forces. Some Qoam shards float, while others remain firmly solidified on the ground. Some shards are embedded so deeply in stone and other materials that the material itself shares their same properties.

This cataclysm and displacement had huge consequences on the balance of the forces of the planet, creating anomalies everywhere, bending the laws of physics and spawning unimaginable anomalies.

One of the two most notable effects of this cataclysm was the blanket of mist and clouds covering the whole surface of the planet, a seemingly endless storm that appeared after the impact and continued for millennia. The second most notable effect was the detachment of large and small chunks of crust from the planet’s surface. Areas as large as continents detached from the planet and began floating around it, pulled by a mysterious gravitational force generated by the Henakor, the largest chunk of crystal still embedded within the center of the planet. The floating islands orbit around Icaion above the cloud layer.

It took thousands of years for the planet to rebalance itself, if we can truly call it balance even now. In reality, while it’s stable at the moment, this stability is just a temporary truce in an endless fight between the planet’s attempts to restore itself and the constant instability brought on by the unnatural forces of the Henakor.

Mysthea

Mysthea is the region of lands floating above the clouds. It consists of a great landmass and plenty of smaller islands, including the five main ones that rotate around the Henakor.

During these long years new life spawned in Mysthea, influenced and corrupted by the power of the crystal and the presence of Qoam. Some of these beings are peaceful creatures, while others react violently to the energy of the crystal. It remains unclear if humans survived the cataclysm or were generated by the anomalies on the planet after the impact, but unquestionably their physical and societal development has been largely influenced by the presence of the crystal. These people developed the ability to attune themselves with Qoam shards and interact with their powers in strange ways. Their society is progressing steadily using Qoam as its main resource.

In present day, the population above the clouds lives and prospers completely unaware of what lies beneath them. The floating regions of Mysthea, for all its inhabitants know, contain the only human presence in the whole universe. They are just able to see the Henakor sticking out from the perennial storm. From their perspective, it is impossible to tell if it is floating there or if it stretches all the way down to something else below. Scholars have their theories, the faith have others and the common folksmen rely on legends and tales. What is certain is that nobody has ever ventured there.

The Five

The Henakor releases regularly pulsing waves of energy, twisting everything they happen to hit. Luckily for the inhabitants of Mysthea, they are far enough from the crystal to be out of reach of this energy. From a distance they observe the effects it has on everything within its reach.

Particularly, there are five floating islands that are stuck in a gravitational force generated by the Henakor. These islands are periodically hit by beams of energy from the crystal and are heavily affected. As beholders of this phenomenon they are hypnotized, waiting to be immersed in the next pulse wave. These islands are hazardous places since the crystal causes all kinds of effects on the environment and inhabitants. For the people living on Mysthea the crystal and its odd satellites have always been there, becoming the stuff of tales and legends, both admired and feared, an astonishing and terrifying place that the faith venerates and that scholars can only dream of comprehending.

Society

People living on Mysthea are naturally able to interact telekinetically with Qoam shards. Some have a more natural predisposition and are able to perform amazing feats, but generally almost anyone is able to sense the presence of Qoam and to move it in small quantities. This telekinetic ability has been used during the development of society in the most creative ways and has shaped the evolution of the whole species. Qoam itself, but more particularly rocks with the crystal embedded in it, have been used for the most diverse applications, from something as simple as a tool to a base material used to build whole cities. The most virtuous and talented Qoam manipulators are able to use it as a weapon, weightless to them and deadly to others. Some are able to walk around covered in otherworldly crystal armor without compromising any mobility. Some even manage to bring these materials to life: using Qoam shards and stones with the crystal embedded in it to generate golems with a will of their own. Everyone manages to find some clever and unique way to use Qoam and this makes it an integral part of the fabric of society.

Society prospered, living and building on the lands, admiring from afar the Henakor with its five floating islands.

For centuries the inhabitants battled among themselves for power and land, cities were built, and kingdoms went to war, while society relentlessly developed and evolved. Now the Kingdom of Ahatils has proven its supremacy and domain over Mysthea, undisputed for decades. This is a stability previously unknown in the land’s history.

Ilvash and the Kingdom of Ahatils

The city of Ilvash, capital of the Kingdom of the ruling dynasty Ahatils, is a sprawling city built upon the biggest floating chunk of land in Mysthea. It’s the oldest citiy ever built, and the biggest one. It rules over all other cities and towns, even ones that were once rivaling kingdoms.

After decades of peace ascribable to the King’s conquest of all opposing states, the ruler decided to delegate the management of the state to the five major Guilds of the city. For each citizen in the kingdom it is mandatory to enroll in the guild that represents the interests of his social class. This system was created to ensure that every citizen’s interests are somehow represented. In reality, it ended up with the guilds fighting between each other for political and economical power in a constant struggle that rarely considers the needs of the population.

A Breakthrough

Recently, for the first time ever, Magista, the Guild of Scholars, decided to collaborate with the Faith, represented by the Lusma Guild, to research a new artefact. They hoped this artefact would be able to amplify the people’s power, allowing them to move quantities of Qoam previously unimaginable. The manufacturing of this artefact was extremely difficult and expensive, but they succeeded. This was a huge breakthrough. They created an object that in the right hands would allow people to complete incredible feats. With enough concentration the right mind could now move immense quantities of Qoam, maybe even cities if they chose to.

Only five artefacts were created, and they were gifted to the five guilds of the capital. They were considered tools of immense power, necessary for the development of the society, to be used with extreme care and responsibility and only for further progress of the species. For a while they were rarely utilized, mostly in ceremonious instances: the power they could bring was so strong that even the elders of the guilds were afraid of possible outcomes. That was, until the moment in which the Merchant Guild realized that with the aid of the artefact they could send an explorer to the islands around the Henakor. For the first time in history, they would be able to explore those new, terrifying and sacred places. The idea started to spread quickly among the whole population: they would finally be able to reach that place of tales and legend. They could touch the lands considered holy by some but damned by others. What would be waiting there? What would happen when they were so close to the Henakor? What answers would they find? What treasure would they be able to bring back?