World of Athonica

Welcome, may peace be your guide.

From the Dranonar's eye, an ancient stone wall encircles Bala Taj on the small island of Ashta. Weathered and crumbling in places, it still stands resolute, its twelve-meter gate latched open in quiet welcome. At its heart, lie sacred temples and a castle, broad and low with a sweeping staircase at its entrance. Carvings of Dragonar adorn each column.The all-white structures gleam beneath the sun, surrounded by lush, tended gardens bursting with orange, mint and silver flowers. Bala Taj is a sight to behold, warm, radiant and steeped in magic. You don't just see it. You feel it. It calls to you.

History of Athonica

"Power does not wait to be chosen. It strikes where blood is spilled and binds where bonds endure."
—The Grimoire of the Unbound, Folio V

**Spoiler Alert**

The Dark Era

The Dark Era remains largely unknown. Possibly because scribes were a rare thing, or an alternative theory suggests the king refused to record history.

As it is currently known, the Mainland stood apart from Ashta as a separate country. The name, Barbarous, said it all. Controlled by the Akshaya General Figus. The ruler, King Anthony, was too weak to stand up to the tyrant. History revealed the island to be in a state of constant unrest. The Akshaya citizens were no more than enslaved people, working the kanka (gold) mines around the clock. Except for farmland, the balance of the country was a wasteland.

Harsh conditions and brutal beatings were the norm on Barbarous. A notebook discovered centuries later in the tunnels of Fort Hazzen spoke of a group. A faction calling themselves the Saviours. Part of a larger group with secret meeting across the realm. Their only mission. To overthrow the reigning king.

After someone mysteriously poisoned the general, King Anthony, an old and tired monarch, gifted his kingdom to a young and energetic prince of Ashta, Theodoric. History differs on this point. Some claim he bestowed the crown upon the prince to defy King Ashta; others posit it was a gesture of deference to the young warrior.

The Light Era

Crowned king five decades later, Theodoric fell in love and married the goddess Misyn, the Guiding Light. No one had seen anything like her: white hair, gleaming sapphire eyes. Her golden Dragonar—always at her side. She pleaded with the citizens to cease all hostilities and follow the teachings of the Temple of the Guiding Light. It took a century, but peace reigned, and eventually, the Akshaya turned to her to rule. Peace and kindness followed.

The sun-drenched land of Athonica, now comprising Ashta and the Mainland, was rich in kanka (gold). Life was uncomplicated. Families passed down homes, livelihoods and beliefs. Some regions grew faster than others. Portland became a thriving city rich in trade. While others remained what they always were. Farming towns and fishing ports. Across the country, citizens built homes, not camps, as they scrambled for their small piece of land, granted by the king. They were modest, built from mud and stone. They cooked on a wood-fired outdoor stove. Inside was for sleeping.

A scholar named Tezolt invented a way to capture sunlight, which powered lamps. This miracle was recognised by the king and queen, who bestowed the highest honour. Creating a group of scholars called the Eight. Identities hidden from the public, the royals conferred with them and learned from them. Fellow monks joined the Temple of Light, all wanting to learn from the Eight. Those wishing to follow in their footsteps flourished. Soon, the monks would need more space. Queen Misyn had a second temple built. The Ashta temple would be the grandest building ever seen on Athonica with its monolithic dome. Modest temples sprang up on the mainland. Citizens created sacred spaces inside their homes to worship their eight gods. They embraced Samsara—the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

The term 'army' was nonexistent, but Akshaya warriors, a birth rite handed down, had their training camp outside the walls of Bala Taj. Citizens learned the art of Shabar from the age of seven. Sword fighting became part of their everyday lives. Violence was rare. The king's court heard and settled disputes by the king's order. Peace was the heartbeat of Athonica.

Time of Sorrows

Somewhere unknown to the king and queen, evil stirred. No history books contain the reason for it, the tear in the sky, but all books spoke of the end. Malevolent beings all but destroyed the kingdoms, killing Dragonar, Akshaya, and thousands of Athonican citizens here and across the Restless Sea. The king always suspected other realms could exist in Athonica, but the confirmation still came as a shock. They fought together on the Mainland to defeat evil once and for all. But Theodoric feared them, the Cat People, the Elves and dark magic. He outlawed nullbinding and imprisoned those who had been created. When his twins were born, he sent them to another realm with his eldest daughter. She would raise them, safe from the horrors rooted deep in the king's memory. But as time marched on, no attack came. Whatever the reason, the princess was here on Ashta. The king and queen had decided. Theodoric and Misyn would reunite their family, no matter the consequence. They'd lived in harmony in this ancient land of Athonica until now.