Mystifea

Mystifea is a universe of divine design, shaped by a distant Creator and populated with mortals, angels, and eldritch entities. Its vast landscapes and layered dimensions harbor ancient conflicts and mysteries, where mortals strive for meaning, and divine servants battle relentless cosmic threats.

Geography and Realms

Mundane

The Mundane plane is Mystifea's physical world, inhabited by mortals, their protectors, and creatures both wondrous and terrifying.

The Roots of Mundane

Beneath the surface of Mundane lie the enigmatic Roots, home to the:

• Dwarves, a diminutive but industrious species standing only four feet tall.
• Deep Elves, tasked with containing the Unnamable Things, eldritch horrors banished after their invasion from the Void between universes. These horrors are nameless in all records, as naming them is believed to grant them power.

The Roots remain a place of eternal darkness, where Dwarves and Deep Elves form an uneasy alliance to protect the world above.

Space Between Places

The night sky, referred to as The Space Between Places by the Moon Elves, is believed to connect Mundane to celestial bodies like stars, planets, and the moon. The Moon Elves, ever curious, have built their cities on the highest peaks of Mundane, though they keep their findings shrouded in mystery.

Heaven

Heaven, perceived by mortals as the Sun, is the domain of:

• Angels, celestial beings charged with maintaining order in Mundane and combating Void incursions.
• Celestials, other divine entities inhabiting this radiant realm.

The Angels rule with a totalitarian grasp, outlawing Void worship and branding those who seek its power as heretics.

The Farlands and the Ocean

The oceans of Mystifea are vast and treacherous, harboring both wonder and danger:

• The Farlands are whispered lands beyond the known seas.
• Ocean Creatures like whales, sharks, and giant squid inspire awe and fear. Some legends speak of Kr'ethen, a colossal octopus guarding a portal to another universe.

The Void

The Void is a chaotic dimension where Mystifea's natural laws cease to apply. Often overlapping with Mundane, it spawns beings and phenomena that defy comprehension.

Void Beings

Viewed as demons by mortals, Void Beings grant immense power to those who seek them. However, these gifts often come at a high cost, driving mortals to madness.

Void Elves

A sect of Elves known as Void Elves broke away from their kin to live where the Void intersects with Mundane. Though stronger and more capable than most mortals, they remain distant from human affairs unless provoked.

Void Cults

Outlawed and branded heretics, Void Cults worship the Void and its beings. These groups are often led by deranged individuals whose interactions with the Void lead to catastrophic consequences.

History of Mystifea

The Creation

Mystifea was created by a detached Creator who waged war alongside his Angels to banish the invading Unnamable Things to the Roots of Mundane. The Void, a chaotic byproduct of creation, was ignored by the Creator, leaving the Angels to combat its growing influence.

The Elves

As the Creator's first mortal creation, the Elves were divided into three groups:

1. Deep Elves: Guardians of the Unnamable Things in the Roots of Mundane.
2. Surface Elves: Protectors of humanity.
3. Moon Elves: Dreamers who seek the stars and the secrets of the cosmos.

The Dwarves

Discovered by the Deep Elves in the Roots, the Dwarves proved to be invaluable allies despite their small stature, aiding in the eternal struggle to maintain balance.

Inhabitance of Mystifea

Soulless Ones

Soulless Ones are beings or more their vessels that have been animated by magic or individuals that have lost all identity to the Void. They are sometimes called Undead though the term is not always accurate of each Soulless One.

Unnamable Things - Lesser

Lesser Unnamable Things fled to the ocean when Beldor and his Celestials, were combatting the Greater Unnamable Things. After the Greater Unnamable Things were sealed away the Lesser Unnamable Things stay within the Deep of the Ocean. The fear of the Celestials and Angel kept them in the Deep of the Ocean. Only recently have they grown brave enough to venture onto land.

Magic Systems

Deep

Deep Magic's source is the Unnamable Things. They give power to those who wish for greater dominion over Mundane and the Void. Only those brave enough to venture to the Roots of Mundane are able to gain such power. Those found unworthy are consumed by the Darkness and the Roots of Mundane. The Deep Elves often kill those who venture to deep as they are tasked with Guarding and Containing the Unnamable Things.

Primal

Primal Magic is the only other magic system in Mystifea that is allowed by the Secular Order; even though Primal Magic is used to make Werebeasts. Primal Magic uses the natural laylines that occur throughout Mundane. This does make Primal Magic vulnerable to corruption, however.

Celestial

Celestial Magic is almost exclusively used by members of the Secular Order, Angels, and Celestials. It only works during the daytime when Heaven is visible. Overcast weather greatly hinders its potency and accuracy.

Void

Void Magic is the most powerful form of magic within Mystifea, however, it is also the most difficult and volatile. Using one spell can drive, weaker minds, to Madness. Void Elves are the most common practitioners of Void Magic as they live in close proximity to Void Bleeds and have found ways to stave off or complete resist Madness.

Trivia

Mundane's Oddities

• Root Luminescence: Bioluminescent fungi glow in the Roots of Mundane, believed by Deep Elves to whisper the voices of the Unnamable Things.
• Dwarven Ale Lore: Dwarves credit their robust health to Glowbeer, a bioluminescent brew made from algae in the underground rivers.

The Void

• Void Riddles: Scholars driven mad by the Void speak in cryptic riddles that reveal advanced magical formulas when deciphered.
• Void Echoes: Haunting melodies can be heard in regions where the Void overlaps with Mundane.

Cultural Fun Facts

• Elven Politeness: Interrupting someone is considered so rude among Surface Elves that offenders must apologize with flowers and a formal poem.
• Angelic Bureaucracy: Angels meticulously log every prayer, mortal deed, and Void incursion in The Eternal Ledgers.
• Mariner Superstitions: Mariners refuse to eat fish with odd numbers of scales, believing it invites oceanic curses.

Strange Creatures

• Whale Bones as Relics: Ancient whale bones are often mistaken for ruins of forgotten civilizations.
• Octopi Myths: Kr'ethen, a colossal octopus, is said to guard a portal to another universe beneath the Esparian Ocean.

Miscellaneous Mysteries

• Moonlit Runes: Mysterious runes sometimes appear on mountains under the moonlight, baffling even the Moon Elves.
• Starfall Races: Moon Elves hold an annual race during meteor showers to catch fragments of fallen stars.