Aphra

Introduction to the World
Monologue by Christian in Episode 1

"Within the endless expanse that stretches farther than the mind can imagine, we find ourselves on the continent of Aphra, a land divided amongst a tenuous alliance forged in the fires of a war - fought and ended in a single battle - against an unstoppable, imperial force. Here in this land once touched by the primeval Vandric gods, we find an age of change taking root."

"The year is 550 Northsfall: an age of steam, steel, and the new arcana. At the center of these nations, the Ansyrian monarchy stands strong, holding fast the traditions of old while the Church of the Morninglord slowly emerges as a force of its own. To the northwest, we find the proud and passionate Boreali nation, who thrive amongst the forest that they’ve called their home since Aphra’s inception. Below them, the youngest of the Five Nations and the forefront of arcane research: The Starlight Sovereignty. There, the Starlight Scholars advanced the uses of practical, new magic, far from the Vandric magic of old, as well as tirelessly map the shaky history of this torn continent."

"In a peninsula nestled within the sapphire strait, we find the isolated Primeval Wilds, holding fast to Vandric traditions and a way of life preserved for millennia, and neighboring them we find their antithesis: the Principalities of the Immortal Prince Veran, which thrive in wealth and innovative technology once thought impossible. At the end of the war, the land beneath the Godsworn forest was unified into a land without borders where one could travel and find a life for themselves outside of the jurisdiction of any one nation. That land is now home to a number of those that sought to find their fortune in the resource-rich frontier, as well as those unsavory groups who thrive outside of the nations and their laws."

Nations
Kingdom of Ansyr

Principalities of the Immortal Prince Veran

The Boreali Nation

Primeval Wilds

Starlight Sovereignty

Northern Marches
Beyond the Godsworn Forest lies the Northern Marches, a land that is restricted for any nation to colonize under a stipulation left by a hero of the War of the North. It's a place of great treasure and lost cultures (or perhaps cultures that are still thriving without the oppression of neither the North or the South), where the world is much different from the Southern Nations. It is completely uncharted territory, inhabited by enormous and powerful monsters and beasts.

Sapphire Strait
The ports of the Painted Valley lead directly into the Sapphire Strait. Leaving from a port town (for instance, the port town of Brookshade) allows better access for crossing to get to Veran territory or the Void Sea.

Sapphire Bay
Leaving from Gharla puts you into the Sapphire Bay. The Sapphire Bay is a hotbed of pirate activity, and leaving Gharla by ship is only permitted to the Ansyrian Navy. For the protection of citizens, reduction of interference with the navies of both Ansyr and Veran, and curbing the number of those who "disappear" into the Primeval Wilds, sailing in the Bay is very much outlawed for a number of reasons.

Void Sea
The Void Sea is incredibly dangerous with both pirates and monsters, but it's said that those seas are full of both adventure and treasure.

The skies above the Void Sea are pitch black, and filled with wondrous starlit galaxy. In contrast, the sea is like ink, almost impenetrable by light. The sea is saltwater, but sailing those seas is akin to being adrift in the abyss. That’s not to say that sea is empty; in fact it’s filled with biodiversity ranging from creatures who’s bioluminescent light can actually pierce those depths and the behemoths of the sea that rule that darkness. Islands on the sea range from spires of volcanic rock that have risen from the depths to manmade treasure rigs that allow some to dive deep beneath the surface. It is said the best treasure can be found beneath those waves, and that the monsters and the spoils their parts represent (including the behemoth blood, which some say is quite the energy source) can make someone rich beyond their wildest dreams…. if they return alive.

Christian notes that parts of the Void Sea are inspired by Blades in the Dark.

Creatures
Closer to the cities and inhabited places, monsters are small and generally manageable (wolves, owlbears, etc.). However, the further North you travel, or the farther you get away from civilization, the more untouched magic has affected the monsters, making them fantastical, strange, and horrifying.

Huge monsters roam freely in the more uninhabited areas of Aphra. For example, the seas to the North of Aphra are filled with enormous creatures, the plains of the Painted Valley have large creatures leaving beneath it, and leviathans and behemoths live in the deep forests.

History
At one point, Aphra was connected to many other planes - not just the planes of the gods, but also elemental planes, the Abyss, the Hells, the Feywild, and more. Now Aphra has been separated from the planes, with the Gods in their own realm - but magic still bleeds through from these other planes.

When the gods left, arcane magic first appeared in Aphra, and magic suddenly was suddenly able to be treated like a science instead of a gift - something that is accessible by everyone. Arcane magic is therefore a new magic, with an unknown source, and it is capable of achieving things that were previously thought to be completely outside of this realm. The limits of arcane magic are still not fully known, as people are writing it and discovering runes all the time. This discovery of arcane magic has been accepted readily by some cultures, such as the Starlight Sovereignty, but others resist that change, like the Kingdom of Ansyr.

Planar Frequency
Each plane has a unique frequency - a tone that hums in the very blueprint of each creature from that plane. Reproducing that tone using rose quartz and a special tuning fork set to the frequency of a specific plane can strengthen a creature's ties to their originating plane. Where the planes overlap - which is mostly in Aphra - this can result in the creature being sent back to that plane. This method can be used to reduce planar bleeding.

Races
Aphra has no essentialism/pre-determined alignment for races, and no one nation is tied to one particular race.

Tieflings
Tieflings are indigenous to Aphra. Although WOTC has them all connected to Infernal planes and based off of devils, the first Tieflings in Aphra were simply people born and influenced by magic. That magic would become part of their bloodline and manifest itself in their iconic horns. For example, some of the original Tieflings were born with crystalline horns that were reminiscent of the type of magic present during their birth (vibrant royal amethyst horns, or sparkling ruby red). Horns range from crystalline to animal-esque, based on the balance of arcane and druidic magic that have influenced them.

Elves
Wood elves and high elves in Aphra are different, but their difference is mainly cultural.

Elf aging is different in Aphra. Technically they are immortal, but most elves don’t “live” past their 100s. Elves reach maturity around the same time as humans, but their aging slows down rapidly. A lot of elven culture has been lost for a number of reasons.

Aphran Elves can die in two ways:


 * 1) They can be killed, or fall prey to disease.
 * 2) They can die of a broken heart. This is not simply romantic either, it refers to an elf keeping their passion for life or their friendships close to them. The saying goes: "An elf can live for as long as they can love."

The death of elves is more ceremonial in the latter case, and no elf has to worry about dying because their heart has been broken at a young age, or if they suffer a breakup. "Dying of a broken heart" is more of a saying that’s used to help non-elven people understand it.

Should an elf feel as though their ties to the world are fading, they tie what loose ends they can, then begin their travel far from the land they know, supposedly guided by their ancestors. There are few who know what lies at the end of that journey, and in fact, the old traditions of elven journeys and what happens as elves age are becoming more and more lost.

Essentially, eventually an “immortal” creature just grows tired of being immortal. When elves feel their connection to the world dwindling as they age, and they feel a call to go beyond the world. Some elves deal with this with hedonism and seeking worldly pleasure above all else to keep that connection strong, while others dive deep into their craft or their knowledge to keep a fire going.

Lidara is at an age where she wouldn’t have to worry about this, as it mostly applies to elves past 100. Lidara also wasn’t raised with anybody to teach her this concept.

Genasi
Although the genasi are descendants with a stronger tie to the original progenitors of Aphra, everybody has a connection to the original Vandric people.

Trivia

 * The name "Aphra" is based on Christian's cat, Aphrodite.
 * When creating Aphra, Christian started with the idea of conflict and imperialism related to a quickly industrializing society.
 * There are rumors that beyond the Godsworn Mountains, there was a time when ships sailed the skies as well as the seas.