The world upon which Elissar sits is unlike many others, and the nature of its creation (as well as the divine beings wrought by that) marks it as notably different from other medieval realms. When Elissar was wrought by Ulvatu, the Flame of Creation, its essence was splintered into many facets. These eternal valya (angels and demons) walked the world shaping it. Sages say that some of these beings still live on Elissar, perhaps in the guise of mortals or—in the case of demons—in their true demonic form.

Clerics worship individual valya, usually the most powerful ones. Real clerics are, however, actually quite rare and most priests have no supernatural powers.

Planes

Sages talk of the three known realms—Silyōna, Nülda, and Elissar.

The Shining Lands of Silyōna, the Heavens, are said to be across the sea, while Nülda, the Pit, is deep in the bowels of the world. There are myths of heroes who traveled to Nülda and back; there are none who have returned from Silyōna. How true is this? Who knows! Valya moored in what once was and unwilling to let go of the past are trapped in Nülda, and those valya oriented to what will be and willing to embrace the future move on to far away Silyōna.

Planar travel is unheard of in Elissar, and magics that entail travel to other planes, extradimensional spaces, and so on, do not exist. Unlike other worlds this place has no Astral Plane—it is the very firmament upon which all others rely. The Dreaming (the Fey Mirror) and the Bleak Gate (the Wraith Mirror) exist however, accessed only via rare portals.

Elemental Planes are thus a part of the world—they are concentrated locations of natural energy such as a volcano (fire), the depths of the sea (water), caverns deep underground (earth), or the clouds in the sky (air). Elementals can only be summoned from their element (a fire elemental from a fire, a water elemental from the ocean) so proximity to these is necessary for conjurers of such magic.

Valya

There is no distinction between the origins of angels, fiends, or gods. These are just mortal words used to try to describe the valya; they’re all splinters of Ulvatu, sparks from the flame, and categorized based on their allegiance and actions. Ulvatu is neither good nor evil.

There’s also not much by way of hierarchy, although some groups of valya do organize themselves: Ellmemog is the most powerful known valya, with fiendish legions under his command. He (and other very powerful valya) cannot enter the world and are trapped in Nülda or far, far away in Silyōna. Whether in the Pit or the Shining Lands, each valya is represented by a star twinkling in the night sky.

There are few valya wanderers on Elissar; some who are angels, and some, in the darkest places, who are demons. Sometimes demons take on beautiful forms and gain influence in the world. A wandering wizard might be a benevolent valya, a charismatic noble might be a power-hungry valya. Their identity as valya is obscure knowledge, often hidden. Examples of valya on Elissar include:

● Damantharn, a dragon turtle of the Northern Ocean.

● Duzan Jannoth, a courtier in Allesund.

● Elandoron, the Elf Prince of Par Celundi.

● Elvatar, a wandering bard known all over the land.

● Galmoroth, a balor which rules a kingdom deep below the Westwatch mountain range.

● Mazallaath, a great sea serpent in Lach Gwyen.

● Sheeltielle, a spider queen in Oldshade Forest.

● Tythesra, a druid that wanders the reaches of western Elissar.

Domains

Valya often have domains and the more powerful ones can grant miracles to their followers (manifestations of divine magic). Sometimes a cleric might not be worshiping the valya they thought they were; there are evil valya who can be deceitful that way and trick followers as to their true nature.

The valya on Elissar are the weakest of their kind; to be on Elissar diminishes their power. A valya cannot grant spells to their followers while on Elissar.