The Island of Dyth Aliin (Draft 12/9/2008)
The Island of Dyth Aliin
Roughly 40 miles southeast of the Valen continent stands one of the most forbidding places in all of Solarin, the Island of Dyth Aliin. This island was once the home of the Eladrin, the High Elves of Solarin, and was home to many of the magical wonders that were craved across the face of the world. The Eladrin were a highly secretive and powerful race and they guarded their magic carefully, making sure that only the most worthy of all the other races learned of their secrets, which were rumored to have started with the ancient Dragons that first populated the continent.
The capital city of, what was then called Daelenus, was a glorious sight to be hold. After traveling through the wilderness for a day on foot, travelers would be greeted with a towering city on a mountainside, with high spires that rivaled the great rock landscapes behind them. This city was the home to the Eladrin king, and a very powerful wizard in his own right, Dyth Aliin.
From his home in the towers of his palace, Dyth Aliin studied magic intensely, learning everything there was to know about it. Wise and regal, few would have expected that he had begun to traverse into the darker places of magic, learning of, what he believed was the source of all wizardly magic in the land--the spirit.
On the other side of the island was a lesser ruler, powerful in his own right, named Dyth Telar who shared in these studies with Dyth Aliin, expanding their power by drawing spirit from life forms that surrounded them, the very trees that populated the island. Slowly Daelenus changed, twisting in form and shape as the island became darker, the trees more twisted and the life forms more hostile towards visitors, and even the Eladrin who populated the island.
Visitors soon quit coming to the island as the danger increased, and the leadership of the Eladrin was confused and in disarray. Dyth Aliin assured everyone that he was working hard to figure out the cause of the terrible changes to the island. After several months, he came to the council and bade them to gather the Eladrin before him so that he could address them on how to turn back the tide of the evil that had beset their land.
For those Eladrin that survived what followed, few ever spoke of it openly. When Dyth Aliin appeared before them he was terrible to behold. He was dressed as though death was addressing his people and began drawing the life from them to feed his powerful hunger. The masses present were transformed into lifeless lumps or worse; thirsting ghouls somehow seeking to regain the spirit they had lost. However, the power did not only change the people and the land on that final day; it changed Dyth Aliin. The influx of so much energy overpowered him and killed him--but his desire to live on and his irrational lust for knowledge and power anchored him to his life.
Those Eladrin who survived told terrible stories of what the island had become. A twisted land where the trees sucked the blood of the living and a mist that could boil the skin off of the flesh, leaving young, healthy men as though they were rotting corpses.
Today, no one really knows what happens on the island, what became of Dyth Aliin or of Dyth Telar--but it is whispered that the two of them now rule the island as thirsty, undead overlords seeking new ways to feed on the spirit of magic within the population of the world.
The Eladrin, now, have populated the rest of the main continent, living in small villages or integrating themselves within the human population. They continue being a highly magical people, but they distrust abuse of magic. Every year on the anniversary of the fabled day, from which they are removed by nearly a hundred years now, Eladrin across Solarin gather together to raise a glass in remembrance of those who died, and to wish for a way to get back to the fabled beauty of their once glorious homeland.
-Draft 12/9/2008 - by Phil C.
A Short Update
Hey everybody,
Development is now completely and totally underway. We have begun developing quickly and hopefully we'll have some canon to populate the website with soon. These things are moving at a fairly good pace given that all of us don't agree on everything and that we're handling many different topics at a time and never actually talking to each other face-to-face. But bare with us, and you'll be happily surprised, I believe!
/Phil
Oh No I Didn't!
Oh wait, I did. Yeah, updated some stuff.. the website looks way damn prettier now. Watch out, I gotta say.. it looks good.
Yeah, I also added the Solarin forum. Go, go, go, go sign up and post!
Blog Link Functional
Hey there guys! On the menu the blog link is functional now. Give it a shot.
Nemérian Crystal Deposits
Nemérian Crystal Deposits
Nemérian Crystal deposits grow from the earth in clusters that reach nearly 10 meters into the air. The most common colors are blue and green though all colors of the visible spectrum are possible, including black and white. Though black are quite rare, and only grow in small clusters.
The crystal deposits tend to grow at a steady rate, similar to that of trees, though they must be tended to prevent them from being completely consumed.
Developing the Southern Continent and the Nemér Continued
In an effort to continue development of the southern continent, I'm continuing my earlier detailed description while including a bigger map. Yes, that's right, a bigger map. Click to see the full post below!
Solarin.net Public Blog Operational!
Hey everybody! Solarin.net's public face is now operational! Here you will see new things that we're working on and some of the nuts and bolts of how the design process is actually being done. We're going to be posting new ideas that we have that may not have actually reached the website yet here, while we build the 'rulebook' that is our website/campaign setting behind the scenes!
I hope you're enjoying this layout, with the great work that's being done by the artists that Josh has worked so hard to procure so that we can have both a functional and visually beautiful website.
Blog Fixes
Hey! I've been fixing the blogs and it's going GREAT. So the FRONT page should be set up so that one cannot comment on this news, while I have enabled comments for the development blog. Also, Josh has been punished for abusing the html editor by having it removed. There are pretty simple ways to go about the stuff you want Josh and we should discuss them. I just don't want the basics of the website design to be completely destroyed.
No one's reading but me and you, Josh.. :D
Southern Continent Development
Feya-pé:
The Feya-pé are "wild elves" that live in a high sequestered community inside the forest located on the far northwestern part of the continent. The mountains that separate them from the Nemér are slowly becoming infested by Nemér outposts that "protect" the empire from any incursions. This border has long been silent.
Thaemar
"Ah, the white city of Thaemar, the capitol of all Valice. Its soaring white spires and sprawling cathedrals a vision of architectural beauty. It is the home of the King’s Palace, the Ecclesiastical Council, Temple, and the Valen Parliament building. Each a more stunning vision than the last. Though, I confess to finding the graceful parapets, flying buttresses, and elegant stained glass of the Ecclesiastical Council Temple to be the loveliest building in Thaemar.
Fluted columns support grand porticos in nearly every important building in the city. Great arches connect different sections in sprawling aerial walkways. Gargoyles and cherubs adorn many buildings and parks are dedicated to a wide variety of saints and the Kingdom’s heroes.
This great city grew from disparate villages during the dawn of the Valen Empire. As the villages grew to cities, and their borders expanded, the larger cities annexed the smaller, becoming a mere districts within the sprawling metropolis. And the twisting labyrinthine streets that connect the far flung districts and the ancient walls that once encircled the centers of the different cities make navigating through the city a treacherous proposition indeed.
To say the city is large would be an understatement, but even the most grandiose words fail to do the magnitude of the city justice.
Website Development Cont.
I've managed to make this whole thing work pretty well so far and I'm pretty stoked. The art needs some work and there may be some layout issues, but all-in-all I'm pretty happy with how it looks right now. I'm trying to think of something other than a welcoming message to set at the left.. it'll come.
Really, now, we need to have an in-depth conversation about what's going in under "settings," i.e., we need a complete bullet-proofed list and we need to actually start working on setting material, none of this bullshit brainstorming bullshit.
Yeah, so that's about that. We're under way, dudes.