Welcome to Quentriandal, the Dreaming-World. It is a place where story and theme shapes the world as much as gravity, where dreams made manifest live and breathe.
Masks of flesh and essence, these ornate masques mark the Sleepers of the world. Their masques marks their part in the story and the dream.
The masque-wearing inhabitants of Quentriandal, each bound by the dream to their role and task.. Unless they break free.
The second primary school of Medicine in Araea, Davā believes that the body is a complicated machine. Only by understanding its operations can it be healed.
Visitors from the stars, the ticks come to Araea riding meteorites. Strange and hostile, the ticks are a hazard to any who would be a star-chaser.
One of the primary schools of medicine in Araea, Atma seek to cure by balancing the body in all ways.
Katāri is an martial arts that used two long daggers both to strike at and control their opponents.
Welcome to Araea; a weird-fantasy world set mostly deep underground amidst darkness and desperation, horror and heroism.
Visitors from another world, the Q'x are half-glimpsed memories. They are sighted as mysterious lights in the sky, remembered in terrifying abductions.
Titanic and terrifying, the legendary Mahu'ca are centipede-like creatures that slumber on the surface until ravenous hunger awakens them.
Most of the Surface world belongs to the Shrouded Lands; regions so blasted with blight that no human can hope to survive.
Slough-skin, Miner's Cough or Farmer Fungi... This wasting disease is common among those who work in damp caverns.
Located at the very edge of known territory, the town known as the Far End stares into the unknown - and seek to profit from it.
Big insects native to the Abyss, Skimmers get their name from their ability to stay perched atop the black waters.
Also known as the Drowning City, Dūbavum lie on the shores of the Abyss. It is their blessing and curse, providing a plenty of seafood and dangerous, violent death.
A booklet on surviving the hazards of the surface, sold by questionable peddlers to people who don't know better
A bestiary that contains some of the many creatures that walk, crawl, climb and fly across the world. From the blight-eaters of the Surface to the fish that swim the Abyss.
The tendrils of the Sprawl reach wide. One of the most traversed region in the Outer Shell, acting as a hub to reach many other regions of Araea.
Wracked by eternal storms and violent winds, the Howling Plains lie near the equator of the Surface and sprawl for vast, wind-swept distances.
Strange, ethereal beings of great and terrible power. They exist beyond the veil of reality, only occasionally reaching a claw across to touch the life of humanity.
With barren mountains that pierce the clouds like teeth through flesh and frozen tundras beyond their base, the Aschar Region is one of the most dangerous of the Surface.
A collection of dishes and drinks commonly enjoyed in Araea. Well, "enjoyed", in some cases.
Dangerous pirates that prowl the Abyss in a ship made from the carcass of a leviathan. Reinforced with iron and chain, the beast's coming heralds violence and pillage.
Experts in navigating the shifting maze of radiation on the Surface, Blight-Trackers are some of the best explorers of the Surface world.
Welcome to the Necro-Industrial Complex; a world that asks 'what would we truly do if Necromancy actually worked?'
Though very similar to their green-skinned cousins, Fire Melons grow in sand and heat; the hotter, the better.
Earth Melons are one of the Elemelons, with a delicious pudding-like flesh shielded by a hard stone shell. Totally worth the work!
The Awakened are those who shed their masques and become free. Beyond the power of any coin, blade or magic spell, they possess the power to change the world.
Majestic flying creatures that feast on clouds, the Cloud-Whales bear a remarkable resemblence to their ocean-faring friend, except for the wings.
The dead walk the earth, made to serve mankind. They man their factories, their mines and their battlefields. There is no rest for the deceased, not anymore.
Few can boast Shikei as skilled as those of Tibei. The small town draws pilgrims from all over Araea who seek to have their remains enshrined in the ossuaries of Tibei.
The city-state of Thawke is bound together by a complex weave of duty, greed, moral obligation and inevitable betrayals. Five powerful clans of nobles rule with the goal of enriching themselves by any means.
To those who have spent their lives in deep darkness, standing in the sun can be a powerful and vomit-inducing experience.
The best way to fight is often out of range of retaliation is the philosophy of any archer.
An ancient and dangerous Occultarum, blind to everything but its own hunger. Its touch is corruption, consumption and death.
One of many new sports that have risen to take advantage of the undead, Zombie Boxing pits the undead against each other - or against humans.
One of the Covenant, this Occultarum is most keen to keep humanity alive, for the feast they provide it is grand.
Abomination of flesh and metal, Warbeasts are the latest terror unleashed upon the world. These creatures of science and necromancy are heralds of terrible things in the future.
These large crustean predators are native to the Abyss and a hallmark of just how vicious its wildlife can be to those who live near it.
In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Haranha is one of the Kaia - explorers of the deep, willing to go where others fear to tread.
First among the Great Powers, the Abhimaan Monarchy possess an unmatched navy and legions of the dead, as well as an endless array of rebellions and unrest.
No other Great Power has taken to the art of Necromancy with as much fervor or skill as the Shinomas Magocracy.
The endless oceans that surround the lands of Quentriandal. Reality blurs the further away from the dreaming-world one goes.
Lost beyond time and beyond the dream, the unformed have survived the end of the dream and burrowed into the next. They are mad, terrible things.
Invisible, insidious and deadly, Blight is how the denizens of Araea understand radiation.
Rarely, the meteorites that bombard Araea's surface carry with them a strange and valuable metal; star-steel. To be the first to find such a bounty is to ensure wealth beyond measure.
In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Xael is a theurg - magi who channel powers from terrible spirit-creatures to warp reality.
Part of the Elemelon family, the Air Melon grow from clouds and in the cold, with almost translucent flesh with a sweet flavor.
The City of Ancestors honors their dead as gods and those who speak with them rule in their stead. Despite that, it is a colorful, vibrant city with a cheerful folk.
Located on the fringe of civilized lands, the Ti'aturi are a loose collection of villages and towns on the edge of the unknown.
Like their name suggests, these bats sport feathers and dine on bugs and shrooms. To the well-travelled, their bone-marrow is enjoyed as a powerful narcotic due to their diet.
In Araea, there are any number of ways that the flesh can twist and warp.
The Nekrobiotek are necromancers, surgeons and engineers all in one. They have harness the powers of magic to reanimate the dead and fuel the growth of the necro-industrial complex.
The Grounding Harness worn by the Nekrobiotek keep them safe from the dangerous levels of electrical currents they channel through their own flesh.
Butchers are the servants of Nekrobiotek, tasked with everything from dismembering corpses to preparing them for reanimation. If it is dirty, dangerous and unpleasant, it is the job for a Butcher.
Among the Nekrobiotek, there are those who lead the way into the unknown and push the boundaries of science and necromancy: these are honored with the title of Master.
Nzata is called the Unwelcomed Hunger, because it compels its sufferer to believe they can gain nourishment from no food but human flesh and organs.
In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Altanan is one of the Medikari - doctors and medics who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.
One of the most commonly domesticated insects in Araea, the Ahi are invaluable for the light they shed in the dark caverns.
Long-legged creatures that live on the surface, Goa Striders make their home among the glaciers and tundras of the world. They are known for the devastating crushing power of their strikes and their awkward gait.
In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Akhan is a warrior - adept at dealing death with everything from battle hammer to bar stool.
Star-Chasers are prospectors of sorts, hunting the impact sites of meteorites for anything of value.
The Phtangi Nomads are one of only three groups who actively make their home on the Surface. Even by the standards of Araea, theirs is a particularly hard lot.
"Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti - Condemnations Collected" is a collected work of various condemnations levied against Necromancy in the early days of its industrialization.
The Kaoh are a sea-faring folk famous for their sleek, fast ship and the homes that they make on artificial islands of their own construction.
The Hākari-Kaia are a specialized group of the Kaia that focus their attention the procurement of delicious food and rare ingredients.
The Seekers are one of the largest Kaia guilds today, with headquarters in many different city-states.
Hēla is far to the south of Araea's surface. It is a cold, unforgiving land of frozen tundras and mountains of ice.
Kaia-Tene are the light-bearers of the Kaia teams, tasked not only with tending their precious sources of light but also rationing them for the entire expedition
Kaia-Ahere are the navigators, trackers and map-makers of the Kaia. After all, who would pay for a discovery they cannot find their way to?
Atha is the smallest formation commonly used in Araea. A squad of warriors between 8 to 12, they fight most of the wars and do most of the dying.
Kaia-Tani are scouts, trackers and caretakers of beasts. It is their job to know all they can about all the different beasts that might wish to make a meal out of the Kaia.
Kaia-Heoa are the warriors and the tacticians of the Kaia team - knowing not only how to fight, but when.
Glyphicons is a hieroglyphical written language, innately understood by almost all denizens of the Dreaming-World.
Shi'ai is an experimental type of powered armored constructed from the reanimated pieces of Undead.
Arete is the first circle of magic - the art of excellence and doing the impossible.
Squittens are amphibious felines, equally at home in the water as they are on land. Oh yeah, and they are half-kitten half-squids.
The Day of Light is a celebration of light and darkness, where countless Ahi bugs are released to light up the caves.
The Ancient City is a Narrative that takes places in large cities: the oldest quarters of the city, forgotten by all and avoided by good folk.
Narratives are metaphysical traits attached to things, people, places or events that define and reinforce their place in the Dreaming-World.
The Khālī region was once home to civilization and industry, but has been reclaimed by the wild. Life is never easy in Araea and the cursed lands of Khālī is a testament to humanity's feeble grasp of their domains.
Isolated from the rest of the Surface by violent storms and deadly Blight, the Forbidden Zone is heart of the Q'x landing.
The Suryō are large, armored spiders that hunt in packs.They weave webs only to make a home, preferring to hunt their prey by pouncing on them with their powerful horns and potent venom.
The Khatib or the Host of War is a military formation of medium size, consisting of around 90 to 130 men, separated into individual Atha squads.
The Far Deep is a distant land of strange and alien things, of mystery and legend. But what lies beyond the most distant parts of the world?
Despite all the time that humanity have spent on Araea, much of the world remain shrouded in darkness. Civilization is little more than a flickering light, surrounded by the unknown.
Hey kids! Lets play a game where we talk about all the awesomeness we did!
Hello everyone!I'm returning to writing after a long writers block, managing to break it with the WA Summer Camp of 2018. I'm working on a few different worlds with a tendency towards to weird, morbid or wondrous and am always up for talking about them or world building. It is once again my great hope to become an author, though there's some ways to go with that still. Come along on the journey with me! I am a game developer by day, gamer by night. I'm usually on Discord, except when I'm trying to write. I drink too much coffee and play too many games.
Origami, game development, some other stuff
The Shadow
X-Files, Flinch, One Punch Man
Dune, The Reanimator, Gideon the Ninth, Brutal Kunnin'
H.P Lovecraft, Tamsyn Muir, Mike Brooks
Final Fantasy Tactics, Symphony of the Night, City of Heroes, Total Warhammer