A Strange Land
Primordial Beginnings
The first days of Seln are lost to the mist of time. The isle sits amidst the endless waves of the Akashic Sea, a land set apart. Before the coming of the clans, the isle was home only to the chaotic elements, wild beasts, and the mercurial Fae.
The Fae ruled the newborn Seln, shaping its lands and denizens as they saw fit like gods.
After uncounted years, the folk arrived. Each Lineage claims to have arrived first, though there are no records to settle the matter. What is known is that the clans suffered greatly under the elemental storms and the Grand Fae. Pushed to the brink of extinction, they sought the power to define their own fate.
Allying with each other and the august spirits, the clans created the alliance that would become the Kingdom and waged open war against the most powerful Fae – the Grand Fae.
That war ended in the Grand Eruption, an elemental storm of superlative power that lasted for years and drove the clans to the brink of extinction. Whether the Grand Eruption was a planned offensive, a Fae gambit, or an unintended side effect of the war is not known, but the scars of this storm still linger as three furious centers of elemental power known as the Poles.
The Pole of Earth created the Roof of Heaven, towering mountains that form the spine of Seln. The Pole of Air howls in frigid storm above a fragmentary island at Seln’s north. The Pole of Fire consumed the most southern isle in perpetual inferno. Even today, these Poles spawn elemental hurricanes.
The Grand Eruption eradicated many primordial creatures and shaped the Seln known today. In its wake, the clans formalized their union in the Kingdom of Seln Alora. Thus, history began.
The Akashic Sea
Seln rests in the infinite waters of the Akashic Sea. No other lands are known, and the sea itself stretches no matter how far the brave sailor goes.
If sheer distance was not threat enough, the Akashic Sea delights in misfortune.
Within sight of land, the Akashic Sea spawns unpleasant neighbors. The friendliest are the tropical Sirens of the continental shelf – who will only ransom your wares and your body for payment!
On the continental shelf, other Siren clans defend their sacred territory with tamed sea beasts and vicious ambush.
Beyond sight of land, the sea’s true capriciousness takes hold. The waves become savage and unpredictable. Storms of unmatched ferocity spring from nowhere, and the stars in the night sky twist and bend to befuddle navigators.
Even armed with a powerful ship and navigation tools, sailors must contend with leviathans of unmatched size and power. Some are rumored to be large and hungry enough to devour a ship in a single bite!
For all practical purposes, the Akashic Sea is an impassable barrier. Though Seln hears whispers of other lands, these places cannot be reached by the art of sail.
Mysteries and Detritus
The landscape of Seln has been reshaped time and again, and these upheavals reveal ancient puzzles.
Folk have taken shelter from a storm in the crashed belly of great ships hundreds of miles from the shore; entered a tiny valley and discovered the ruins of skyscrapers; followed a deer path in the forest and emerged at manses built of gold and jewels.
Delvers have found metal men that spoke at the bottom of mine shafts. Travelers have discovered kingdoms nestled into high valleys that they never see again. A few drunks claim to have even seen a vast skyship crash nosefirst into the cold north!
Like a beach on the edge of a vast ocean, one never knows who or what will wash upon Seln.
Verdant and Barren
Seln is lush with the power of fresh life. Creatures of legend, not seen on Earth since the dawn of time, still nest in the high peaks and deep forests. Alchemists may seek fragments of a unicorn horn or trade in phoenix plumage, each shard quivering with the elemental and spiritual power of their owners.
At the same time, however, the ground offers little metallic wealth. There are no great mines of iron, tin or copper. Tiny amounts of metal are occasionally found in river beds or mountain detritus, but these are not reliable sources.
The folk of Seln have long adapted to build without nails, eat with porcelain or earthware bowls, and reserve the scarce metals for the most important tools and weapons.
Alorans on Metal
Why is there so little metal? That’s easy.
Seln is the bone of our ancestors. We were born from the last drop of blood of the last dragon to settle their bones in the Akashic Sea. Their bodies became the land beneath our feet! It’s little wonder there’s not much metal, kid. How much iron do you carry around inside you?!