[center][h2]The Compendium[/h2][/center][center][sub][color=gold]A Collection of Lore & Stories About Our World[/color][/sub][/center][hr]
[h2]History[/h2][hr]
[i]Eras are marked in Gold. [/i]
[color=gold]The Age of Chaos[/color]
[h3]Characters[/h3][hr]
[hider=Agorophaetox]
[b]Agorophaetox,[/b] 
...one of the innumerable 'Elder Arthropods', brother to ROM, the black spider, whose spittle still protects her children in the form of stinging mists. The molted carapaces of the behemoth cicada scar the land, in ever increasing size. Some minute civilizations have grown so impudent as to claim these carapace tombs and build cities and fortresses upon their chitinous knolls. 

Known by many names; Screaming Thing, Devourer of Whispers, Dark Phaetox, and many more, it is said the maddening screams of Agorophaetox can still be heard in echoes as far as Nuneland, and the Gemstone Mountains. 

Agorophaetox's appearance is a brutal thing, membranous, winged, with terrible bulbous eyes and thick, black claws. It is an enormous monster-taller than any mountain in the world. It has no speech, or motive other than slumber and the futile search for a mate and has lay dormant for eons, awakening only to shed its carapace, sound it's city-shattering cry, and then shiver, defeated back beneath the earth.
[/hider]
[hider=Bane Terrinoxus]
[b]Bane Terrinoxus[/b]

Terrinoxus is thought of as a myth, a being meant to stop children from fleeing into forests or taking candy from strangers, but Terrinoxus is far from that, for he is very real. The largest Dun Gramor ever seen at a towering 15 feet tall, Terrinoxus is constructed almost entirely of smooth blue rock. Terrinoxus is perhaps not even a Dun Gramor, as his size and color rank him as unique amongst them, perhaps he is some kind of immortal progenitor to their race, perhaps something entirely different. What is known is that he is a powerful mage, among the most powerful mages in the world. Terrinoxus has never been seen amongst other Dun Gramor, and sightings are limited to the woods of Nuneland, though sometimes he is seen further away, often appearing after attacks by the Children of Rom. A link between the two has not been established. 

Terrinoxus is able to speak all human languages with a strange and unidentifiable accent, but very few who meet him are able to tell others. What is known of the towering beast is that he refers to himself as "Bane Terrinoxus", and seems to consider himself a king amongst the Dun Gramor. He shows a searing hatred towards the Children of Rom and yet, contradictorily, shows a bit of admiration towards them. He also shows a hate of giants and humans, more strongly towards the former. He is relatively gregarious and seems to enjoy conversation, though he will attempt to kill his conversational partner soon after he's finished speaking.
[/hider]

[hider=Garaxxun]
[b]Garaxxun, Elder Arthropod[/b]
The eldest and most intelligent of the Elder Arthropods, Garaxxun is one of the most benevolent and kind beings to ever come into existence. Among the smallest of the Arthropods, Garaxxun's physical form is hidden behind a thick aura of magic that covers their body. From what is known of them, they have four wings, six legs and two shorter "arms", used to aid in feeding. 

They are able to speak the language of the Children of Rom, and they are the only being able to halt a Children War-Host without a force of arms. Garaxxun spends their time hidden in the Pallid Plane, only emerging rarely to feed and then return to hiding. Garaxxun has been known to guide lost travelers home when they awake them. They have progeny living amongst menfolk and giants, using magic to hide their true forms as per their parent's guidance. Garaxxun is also believed to be the birther of some of the other Elder Arthropods. Garaxxun is believed by some to be the source of all magic on the world, though most consider that ridiculous. Though vehemently opposed to the concept of godhood, Garaxxun will attempt to impart wisdom if approached, though he does not speak most of the great race's languages.[/hider]
[hider=tagius-Vishrak]
[b][i]tagius[/i]-Vishrak[/b]
[b]Arachnomancer[/b]

A powerful sorcerer that has fallen to the lies and whispers of the dead goddess ROM in exchange for eternal life and the strength and power of an arachnid. Vishrak may have once been human, but those vestiges of man have been replaced by tallow molting skin, hollowed eyes that crawl with spiderlings and the black fangs of Roms' Children that are so feared throughout the land.

NOTE: [i]'tagius'[/i] is but a proper address signifying Vishraks identity as a sorcerer. There may be other 'tagius' in the land, but Vishrak either does not associate with them, or he is banished from their presence. 

His intent is pure evil, too carry the fetid eggs and offspring of Rom to distant lands, to hide them away in secret chambers and isolated villages, where they may gestate and hatch without interruption; and then awaken to feed upon whatever creature they may find. 

Vishrak makes his home in an a ravine in the Pallid Plain, a subterranean tower called Haegargak whose chambers are filled with the offspring of Rom. 
[/hider]

[h3]Events[/h3][hr]

[hider=The Age of Chaos]
The Age of Chaos: Knowledge about the age of chaos is scarce and different scholars give different dates to when this era ended, when it began is even more of a mystery. The sources for information of this time period and any theoretical period before it is based on information found within the most ancient of places, from the minds of the elder arthropods and other ancient beings. only a few ruins have been found that are believed to date back this far. During the age of chaos The world was ruled by beings compared to demons or spirits or gods they were at constant war with eachother. most of the weapons were spiritual rather than physical and are believed to have hindered the developement of new civilizations and crumbled the existing ones. the elder arthropods somehow avoided most of these wars, they had some way to protect the spirit. The Age of chaos is believed to have been ended by the spiritual weapons, they turned on eachother. Whether there was a time proceeding the age of chaos was unknown, scholars debate this.
[/hider]

[hider=The Hunger of Giants]
[b]The hunger of Giants[/b] 
A massive crop failure forced an end to the self-imposed isolation of the Island of Giants, they needed food and the giants were willing to leave the island to get it, The human servants of the giants created boats to fit their lords and migrated to new lands, some colonized peacefully or integrated with other cultures with varying degrees of success, others became raiders, pillaging villages and generally being a nuisance. The Famine eventually ended and The first human king of the island was crowned.
[/hider]

[h3]Items[/h3][hr]
[hider=The Folded Crane]
[b]The Folded Crane[/b]

Enchanted majestically to be of a simple purpose, the [i]Crane Wife[/i], a sea-faring vessel of moderate proportions, was created for transport. She holds no treasure, but yet many seek to find her. She requires a crew of twelve. But her Captain may never worry for her well-being, nor should he (or she) chain themselves to her helm to live with her in a watery grave. She is a feather on the seas, swift to port, and light in the breeze. She picks her Captain and will stay with them whist they prove to still be worthy. This treasure is neither gold nor gem, but is indispensable. Because, if the Captain settles at shore and calls for her, she folds her white wing masts, tucks her nose into the folds of her feathers and sinks into the wooden bones of a fine crafted statue. The [i]Crane Wife[/i] shrinks smaller and smaller until she floats into the palm of her Captain. 
[/hider]

[h3]Locations[/h3][hr]

[hider=The Isle of Giants]
[b]The Isle of Giants[/b]

 One of the great western islands, The isle of giants as its name implies, is home to large intelligent creatures called giants. early human settlers made pacts with the Giants, the humans would provide food and supplies to feed the giants, while the giants would keep order as lords of the land. Geographically, The Isle of giants is a highly fertile land great for farming and possessing lush forests that the Giants call home, historically feasting on trees. it gets pretty cold in the winter and with dwindling food supplies giants historically usually entered a state of hibernation. 
[/hider]

[hider=The Mists of Rom]
[b]The Mists of Rom[/b]

Putrid and low, crawling between the roots of eight massive spinney tress, hangs a glimmering fog. Myth has spoken in whispers of a black spider, Rom, with her tenfold skittering offspring. She was birthed unholy in the beginning when there was only darkness. With her children on her back she wandered the seas, as her eight legs were long enough to touch the bottom of all but the deepest seas. Slowly wandering, searching with million orb-ed eyes for a nest for her brood, until here, in a mouth of an eroded volcano, she was able to find solace. Rom folded her enormous legs beneath her, her rump facing the highest peaks, and her fangs dipping lightly into the sea at the coastline. For many years the sun rose to glint in her flickering eyes, beacons in the massiveness of the sea. And perhaps that was her downfall, as it is unknown what events actually transpired next. Perhaps, her demise was dealt by the hands of gods, humans, creatures or something as old as she that festers in the depths of the sea. As Rom died, she died as spiders die, on her back, legs reaching towards the sky. 

All that is known of her struggle is the aftermath; her bones left to rot and spawn mold, her belly to be the birthplace of spiny vegetation thick with leaves of lavish white webs. Her children have reclaimed her, small though they are as they are no god or goddesses. But they pay tribute to their mother, and at dawn, her island glimmers just as her eyes did once, sunlight glinting on webs of intricate designs spread between her legs. And perhaps Rom still protects her children, because at the place where her fangs touch the sea, just along the top of the salt water waves, there spreads an oily substance, thick and viscous. It slowly boils, secreting a mist that rises and falls with tide, sea faring winds pushing it back into the basin where her children roam.
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[hider=Nuneland]
[b]Nuneland[/b]

Nuneland is a valley hidden within the massive Gemstone Mountains. Geographically, the limits of Nuneland are hard to define, but it is generally considered very small. Surrounded on almost all sides by the mountains, Nuneland is a mainly temperate area, characterized by rainy summers and mild winters. Volcanism in the Gemstone mountains has caused Nuneland to become a lush, fertile, green landscape, with plentiful minerals and exceptional farmland. In the mountains themselves snowfall is year-round and temperatures are incredibly low. These mountains shield the area from winds to the north and south, causing the temperature to be very high. The inhabitants are a sheltered and isolated people, knowing not but what is inside the mountains. Nuneland is rich in ancient ruins and shattered ancient tools, causing belief that it was once home to a great civilization and that the small populations of isolated people are all that remains.[/hider]

[hider=The Pallid Plain]
[b]The Pallid Plain[/b]

[i]A grey and mottled expanse of landmass, stretching into the distance. Tunnels vein and cross beneath the starched surface, clouds of chalky dust erupting as the land cracks and falters from lack of moisture, creating pitfalls and caverns. It was perhaps a verdant place once before as the bones and sinewy fossils of unknown generations of species can be found among the ruinous landscape; Formless plates of bone and chitin weathered with countless age erupt sporadically from the landscape. Tusks and fangs of varying size, feathery ribs of enormity and the grotesque carapace of some ancient horror are the only features in this forsaken place.[/i]
[/hider]
[hider=Phane]
[b]Phane[/b]
Phane, located to the East of the Sundown Sea, is the largest continent in the known world, containing Nuneland, the Gemstone Mountains, the Sunlit Vale, the Pallid Plain, and The Mists of Rom. Phane is said to be shaped like a bean, with a crick in the middle where the Sundown Sea rests. Containing many seas, mountains, and volcanoes, Phane is known as Dreng Iru [sup]Dreng: Land, Iru: Plenty. Thus; "Land of Plenty"[/sup] in the tongue of the Dun Gramor. Home to many of the world's most powerful empires, Phane is also among the most magically charged land masses in the world, with magic common and easy to harvest. Situated near the planet's equator and extending far both north and south, Phane has many climates, of varying intensity and temperature. Phane is/was worshiped as a god by the humans, the Children of Rom, and the Dun Gramor.[/hider]
[hider=The Saprozoic Sea]
[b]The Saprozoic Sea & the Mottled Black Throne[/b]

 In truth, it is a living thing. A pooling black and twisted lime-green miasma of tainted sea water, the sweetly salted aroma of decay evident only once you have arrived; it is too late. The Saprozoic Sea is a lurid mass of oceanic organism, connected only by the tissue it has consumed & regurgitated. Some seasons it is so massive as to choke harbors and estuaries, appearing to relish the reclamation of more...intelligent creatures. On certain fallow years, the Saprozoic Sea shrinks to a mere speck on the horizon, apparently dormant. 

It is during these dormant months that the Saprozic Sea plunges its turgid roots far beneath the ocean surface. An orb is formed, much in the way an oyster protects intruders with a hardened shell of pearl; only these intruders were a thing collected; it is the purpose of the Saprozoic Sea. 

Once the incubation has completed the Saprozic Sea erupts skyward, discarding the unnecessary flotsam of its creation. A throne of Black is formed upon an island of dead matter, and upon it is seated a....
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[hider=Stitching Mountains]
[b]The Stitching Mountains[/b]
This forest is lewd in it's beauty, with vapid flowers and rocks the color of red soft flesh. Huge girthed  willows whisper names so familiar you could believe it to be your own.  And between roots drifts water milked clean of dirt, feeding towards the slick lips of waterfalls. But here, the creatures are hollow. Clinging below on branches, claws and talons gripped on a hair trigger. Like bats they hang; birds, beasts, dogs, perhaps even something magical if your eyes are sharp enough. But danger comes, as look too closely you will see a split in their skulls from widows' peaks to the base of their necks. They contain no organs, no blood to drip from their wound. And perhaps you have thought what being a wolf may feel like, what songs you would wind if you had the lungs of a sparrow. In this place you would find that answer. Just stare long enough into an empty skull and listen for the click of a trigger. A *shichk* as these skins release themselves from their mother trees. They fill, no longer hollow, with you. Your mind full of memories stitched into a bird or wolf or beast from the widow's peak to the base of your skull. And some say, near the depths lie the soft bodies of empty humankind, prime picked in every shade and sex. Perhaps, you desire another life? Then come beloved skinwalkers. But only if one not be a frog before they get there. Unless you wanted to be a frog, then congratulations.
[/hider]
[hider=The Sundown Sea & the Ryukara Isles]
[b]The Sundown Sea and the Ryukara Islands[/b]

Located to the north of the Isle of The Giants, the Sundown Sea is a large salt-water sea well known for its beauty. The sea starts at the Isle of the Giants and continues to the west, at the center are the Ryukara Islands. Filled with a massive population of sea-life, the sea is incredibly calm and causes nearby land-masses to be temperate, if windy. The sea does however seem to cause volcanic activity and earthquakes, both of which are common in the Ryukara Islands and other bordering landmasses. The Ryukara Islands themselves are believed to be the ancestral home of all humanity. The island chain is a line of six very small islands, with four being a part of the larger Ryukara Kingdom. The islands vary immensely in climate, with the bottom two islands being entirely desert, and the northmost island having harsh winters. This North Island is the only one not permanently inhabited by humans. The south-most island, also the only independent one, is actually believed to be the corpse of the largest Elder Arthropod ever seen, this is due to the populations of Children of Rom who live upon it, the only significant population outside the Mists themselves.[/hider]
[hider=The Sunlit City]

[b]Sunlit City[/b]

Sitting in between two large rushing rivers in the Sunlit Vale sits the high, brick walls of the old, populous town of Sunlit City. Here, the people enjoy the city’s safe walls, the fruits of a vibrant economy, and the privilege of ignorance of what dangers lie in places elsewhere. Due to it’s location, there is little to fear of war or famine, and thanks to the city’s alchemists and traders, not much to be feared of diseases either.

Throughout many lands, Sunlit City is known as a place of great opportunity, and that is not far from the truth as the many businesses are thriving, and many artists are successful. The ornate architecture, exotic gardens, and publicly displayed artwork does an excellent job of veiling the dark truth of the city.

The people, rich and poor, are at the mercy of several crime families, who truly run the city. Any success here can only be achieved through them. Anyone opposed to or ignorant of the crime in this city are reduced to nothing and then forgotten. There is a law, but no justice, for the law is in the hands of criminals. Anyone raised here, or dwelling here for a long period of time, becomes selfish, dishonorable, and immoral, for one must be to survive in such a place.
[/hider]

[hider=The Sunlit Vale]
[b]The Sunlit Vale[/b]

 In stark contrast to the horrid Pallid Plain or the shores where touches the Mists of Rom, the Sunlit Vale is a lush and verdant region. The forests of birch, pine and corkscrew willows cradle the gentle hills of the central vale where many small communities thrive on the bounty of the fertile soil. Grasslands buffer the ring of forests and the vale. Hundreds of cool springs fed by underground estuaries cross the grasslands and drain into lakes and ponds. 

Dappling the overwhelmingly green landscape are slabs of white granite and shale, untouched by weather or overgrowing vegetation. The mosses and ivy that quickly overtake any ruin in the vale inexplicably avoid these enormous stones. They are roughly rectangular in shape, smooth and cold to the touch. The largest, called "Giants Palm" is nearly a mile long, and have sunken into one of the many lakes in the region.

The Vale is isolated and peaceful; idyllic even. The country roads are tedious and winding; dirt and mud paths traveled for centuries by shepherds and farmers and before that the wild herds of animals that have been thinned or driven off with the arrival of civilization, small as it is in the vale. 
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[h3]Magic[/h3][hr]

[hider=Alchemy]
Alchemy: Alchemy is an arcane study of the Nature of matter and spirit and is considered one of the most important developements of arcana due to the widespread application in other arcane disciplines. Alchemists study materials and objects and how they react to spiritual and otherworldly forces, the reasons for the study are many, some attempted to live for ever...some wished to transform themselves into better people. As greater understanding of alchemy emerged the goals became more mundane for most. The exact limitations of alchemy are hotly debated by arcanists as is what all forms of magic are considered alchemy. some of the most notable uses of alchemy is the creation of magical catalysts which are very useful for other forms of magic and the creation of magical materials with a variety of uses. The term alchemy used to apply to many other things as well, but many of those disciplines branched off of alchemy and became different schools.
[/hider]

[hider=Buff]
[b]Buff Magic[/b]

When a mage harnesses magical energy, most schools of magic involve casting that magic outward in the form of, for example, a lightning bolt. This energy can be cast upon oneself, however, and channeled through the muscles and veins of the mage's own body. 

As a result, a mage can alter the abilities and limitations of their own flesh. It is through this form of magic that some mages with weak, untrained limbs can swing battleaxes with ease, dodge the blows of the swiftest creatures, and even harden their bodies enough to knock down castle walls with nothing but their hands.

Some tales tell of unarmed people hunting ferocious predators, moving massive boulders, or fighting off vicious bandit gangs. Likely, they were aided, in no small part, by buff magic.
[/hider]

[h3]Races[/h3][hr]

[hider=Children of Rom]
[b]Children of Rom[/b]

The Children of Rom are the descendants of the great black spider Rom, whose death created a new biome. The Children of Rom are large arthropods, reaching lengths of up to ten meters. The Children have hard chitinous exoskeletons and venomous fangs. The Children, as a result of their descent from a god, are well in tune with magic, and have a deeply shamanic culture dedicated to the worship of their mother. Living underground and harvesting the viscous black oily substance from the nearby waters as a food source, The Children are hard to find, and approaching their homes is very dangerous. They mostly keep to themselves, but every few decades, an army of arthropods marches from the Mists to assault any nearby settlements before returning home, carrying off the inhabitants for unknown reasons.
[/hider]
[hider=Dun Gramor]
[b]The Dun Gramor[/b]
[sub]Dun (mountain) Gramor (living)[/sub]
 The Dun Gramor, Grumblers, or Rock-folk reside in the halls and peaks of the Gemstone mountains. Cut from the very shimmering peaks they reside upon, the Dun Gramor are of an elemental nature, perhaps inspired to life by divine or magical favor or mishap.
 
 Gramor make their homes in large cavernous halls with craggy, labyrinthine passages of their own construction using their swollen boulder like fists. Many misguided adventurers and trespassers have been lost in the endless halls of the Gramor, lured by the rumors of great wealth in jewels, gems and relics housed in the innermost fortresses. 

They are squat, hardy creatures, crafted entirely of rough-hewn rock and minerals. Their appearance varies greatly, often vividly speckled with minerals and gems on a grey craggy body. The heads are wide, molded into the shoulders creating the appearance of a lack of a neck. Their size varies as well, from no more than 4 feet tall to a towering 12 feet. 

They have little contact with the outside world and are worrisome for neighboring settlements. They are often the cause of avalanches and landslides, always preceded by a low, choir-like intonation that is characteristic of their kind in great activity. They require no sustenance, none that anyone has discovered. It has been suggested that they reproduce by 'carving' offspring from the very mountains themselves, but this is perhaps unfounded rumor, only the hollowed out boulders and cliff-faces that can be found among the Gemstone Mountains suggest such a thing.  
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[hider=The Stalwart]
[b]The Stalwart[/b]

Among the few species to live in the Pallid Plane, Stalwart bands can be found throughout the world, their hardiness allowing them to survive almost any environment. The Stalwart are very thin, tall humanoids. They have grey skin and hairless bodies, with one solitary eye on their foreheads. They have disturbingly long arms and fingers. Stalwart hide is among the hardest substances known to mankind, with thick black plating over their dorsal side, though the skin on their ventral side is not exactly thin either. Despite their incredibly thin frames, Stalwarts have surprising strength, able to dig through solid stone without the aid of tools. Even with their strong defense and physical strength, Stalwarts are not fighters, their gait is too clumsy and their arms too long, usually they rely on their defense when attacked, falling to the ground with their back upwards and then crawling away with surprising speed.

The Stalwart are gender-less, and how they reproduce is still a mystery. Then have no mouths, and seem to subsist on magic. The Stalwart bands live under a sort of despotic monarchy, with the leader being decided based on familial descent and age, with elders preferred over youths. If there are none left with familial ties to the last leader, then the band disintegrates and the members join other bands. A band is founded when a skilled mage gains enough followers to claim territory. The Stalwart, despite their lack of spoken language, are more than able to ally themselves with other races through the use of interpreters, and seem to favor diplomacy over warfare. There are many cultural divisions between Stalwart bands, and very often they speak (Well, speak is the wrong word, for they use sign language) entirely different languages based on their location. The Stalwart of the Pallid Plane are known for their skill in construction, while other bands have more magical talent.[/hider]