About Deseria

Deseria is a world shaped by unseen forces. Its great nations are separated by vast wildernesses and treacherous seas, its people caught up in superstition and fear, casting glances to the edges of their known world, imagining the frightening beasts and other strangeness that roam there.

One adventurer reported finding a land frozen in glass like the snowglobes of Arotak. Others have tried venturing to Darna only to find the island reduced to shadow and flame, corrupted by noxious fumes spilling from beneath the earth. Still others report bizarre landscapes, jungles drenched in blood, the sea falling away on the horizon, a veritable edge of the world, and beanstalks rising into the heavens, lost in cloud.

The Quartermastra takes place in a small corner of this wondrous world, on the Eru Peninsula of the Ibien continent. Below you will find maps of the known world, this Deseria and the Eru Peninsula claimed by the Starlans, as well as a glossary to the first story from this land, The Quartermastra.

Glossary

(Bolded terms indicate other entries in the glossary)

All-Mother Illu– The goddess of light, life and creation among the Starlans, viewed as a mighty mother-warrior and champion of morality.

Ankasi– A wood and bone flute popular with the Eru peoples of the Southern Reaches.

Ansey– The most prestigious form of dance in Starla, composed of formalized movements and gestures, particularly popular among Starlan elites.

Arotak / Arotakans– The realm and its people in southern Elen, composed mostly of gnomes (a small insect-like people).

Assembly, The– Also known as the Starlan Federation Assembly, this is the ruling legislative body of the Starlan Federation with representatives from 20 districts across Starla.

Atnali– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who once roamed the grasslands in the west of the Southern Reaches.

Bobs (Currency)– The lowest denomination of Starlan currency, bobs are copper coins with brass rims embossed with the symbol of the Starlan Synod on one side (an eight-pointed star) and the Tower of Gerla on the other. Ten bobs make a lume; two-hundred bobs make a star.

Breaker Insurrection– The rebellion by the Breakers leading to men being prohibited from using magic.

Breakers– The male maegas who led a rebellion against the Starlan Synod, destroying the Tower of Gerla. Due to their actions, men were prohibited from using magic until the establishment of the Kanari Order.

Charm– A minor type of making.

Chauke- The Omaka word for friends (plural of chaukeen).

Coppa– A rare plant that only grows in a small area of southwestern Starla, its fibers are coveted for their ability to hold a magical charge, much like dwimstone.

Church of Waylight– The official name for the church of the believers who worship All-Mother Illu (its followers are often called Waylighters).

Cursekin– The common name for the gnolls inhabiting the central part of Ibien. They are a savage people who attack and raid across the heart of the continent. It is believed that their violent ways are the result of a curse.

Cursekin Badlands– The name for the vast core of the Ibien continent where the cursekin roam.

Darna / Darnans– The large island home and people from Darna who migrated to the Eru Peninsula and eventually became the Starlans. They were mostly humans and forced to flee when volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters rendered the island uninhabitable.

Deseria– The name for the world. Deseria has two major known continents, Ibien and Elen, connected by the thin Arou Isthmus.

Du’kel– Known as the Shadow Lord by the followers of Illu (Waylighters), his own followers, the Skaedas, believe he is the god of shadow, darkness and destruction and call him Du’kel or Father Shadow. Waylighters fear him for his cruelty and immorality, believing that he seeks to corrupt the unwary, drawing them away from their dedication to righteousness and All-Mother Illu.

Dweoma Magic– One of the two types of Illu and spirit magic. Dweoma magic involves makings where the user draws energy from a source, usually dwimstone or coppa fabric, to produce a making. The other type of Illu and spirit magic is maega magic.

Notes: Practitioners of dweoma magic are called dweomas. About twenty to thirty in one hundred have the ability to use dweoma magic.

Dwimrail– A system of rail cars built across the Starlan Federation by House Hussana using dwimstone as its power source.

Dwimshield– A common charm often worked into wands, it creates a defensive shield, usually of a faint blue color, able to block magical and non-magical objects. A dwimshield can also absorb some of the force of a blow, as well as extreme heat and cold and other magical effects, if the person working the charm focuses on these abilities. As a result, dwimshields are particularly useful against magical attacks and in hostile environments.

Dwimstone– Also known as dweoma crystal, dwimstone is a crystal found underground, which can be attuned to certain magics, allowing it to store energy that can then be used to power dweoma magic.

Eldoga– Contests of physical prowess, such as wrestling, archery and running that commonly occur during Tiwokans.

Elen– The eastern continent of Deseria, home to the humans of Noriz and Terla, gnomes of Arotak, and the elves of Olitar, Felitar and Noctar, among others.

Elves– A diminutive people inhabiting the eastern coast of the Elen continent.

Enarodi– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for farming and hunting in the foothills west of the Falanin Mountains.

Eru– The name for the indigenous peoples of the lands colonized by the Starlans. Each nation of Eru has a name for themselves, such as Atnali, Omaka or Ishkane.

Eru Peninsula– The knuckle of land on the northeastern edge of the Ibien continent of Deseria where the Eru people have lived for thousands of years and where the refugees from Darna settled, becoming the Starlans and establishing Starla.

Fading, The– The name for a wasting disease common among people who live in Starla City, especially those who live below ground. In its early stages, it causes chronic fatigue and one’s skin, hair and eye color to take on a pale gray hue, eventually consuming the body and leading to death. It also makes one more sensitive to magic. The Fading’s effects can advance rapidly and in some cases cause mutations, tumors and death.

Flow, The– The source of magical energy for those using Illu magic, believed to come from All-Mother Illu herself.

Gahnee– A card game popularized by the Mercosi but now common in Starla, parts of Noriz and even ports in other lands.

It is played with a deck consisting of seven suits (water, wind, earth, sun, life, death, and spirit* [*changed to the flow in Starla to avoid censorship as a pagan game]). Each suit has common cards numbered one through five and then four quality cards: the thief, champion, healer and mage (maega in Starla). There are also two wilds: the virgin (All-Mother in Starla) and trickster (Shadow Lord in Starla).

A number of winning-hand combinations are possible, the highest being a run of quality cards of the same suit plus the virgin or All-Mother (best) or trickster or Shadow Lord (second best).

Gemwire– A system of communications built by the great Illu House Kjosa using lines of crushed dwimstone and specialized gems, allowing agents of House Kjosa to send messages between stations on the gemwire network.

Golnari– The realm of the orcs, an insular people with a strong connection to nature. Across Deseria they are acknowledged as the finest bladecraftras. Their lands are in the northwestern part of the Ibien continent.

Golnari Lockboxes– Extremely popular devices, these boxes are crafted to resist damage from magical and physical attacks and are reputed to be immune to safecracking efforts; they are nearly impossible to move once their magic is active.

Gnolls– See Cursekin.

Gnomes– The short, insectoid humanoids who mostly live in Arotak along the southwestern part of the Elen continent of Deseria.

Heallheim– The heaven-like paradise where Waylighters believe they will go in their afterlife if they are judged as worthy by All-Mother Illu.

High, The– A term used to refer to the elites of Starla, particularly those who are associated with one of the great Illu houses.

Highman– A term for a man among the high.

House Anlaith– One of the great Illu houses that is known for producing devices and magics that aid in healing.

House Bilala– One of the great Illu houses known for producing items and magics destructive in nature, often utilizing light and fire.

House Corasee– One of the great Illu houses known for producing items and magics that aid in growth, particularly for agricultural applications.

House Gesuleen– One of the great Illu houses known for items and magic related to architecture and construction.

House Keylani– One of the great Illu houses known for producing weapons and defensive items both magical and mundane, as well as clothing, often magical in nature.

House Kjosa– One of the great Illu houses known for devices and services aiding in communications, such as the gemwire network and memory ambers.

House Hussana– One of the great Illu houses known for producing items and magics related to transportation, such as the dwimrail network across Starla and the street cars in Starla City.

House Merta– One of the great Illu houses known for producing goods for a range of industries, particularly makery implements, agricultural machinas, trinkets and wands, and other items, mostly magical in nature.

Idias– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who traditionally farmed and herded in the dry lands along the eastern part of the Southern Reaches.

Ibien– The western continent of Deseria, home to the humans of Starla, the trolls of Schlud, dwarves of Dawon, goblins of I’tan, orcs of Golnar and olumay, among others.

Ikkin– Also known as the Great Wolf, Ikkin is the numen god of the Ikkina.

Ikkina– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien, the Ikkina hunted the grasslands along the eastern and southern parts of the Southern Reaches and into the Cursekin Badlands. They are noteworthy for being able to move safely within the Cursekin Badlands and for never being conquered and colonized by the Starlans.

Illu– More commonly known as All-Mother Illu, this is the goddess of the Illu faith but can also refer to the religion of those who worship this deity.

Illu Houses– The powerful groups, originally organized around a family or group of families, and using Illu magic to drive industry. Each of the great Illu houses possesses a circle of maegas whose magical works produce incredible wealth for the house.

Illu Magic– Magic granted to the faithful who serve and worship All-Mother Illu, most of these magics involve fire, creation and healing.

Ishkane– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for foraging, farming and fishing the wetlands in the northwestern part of the Eru Peninsula.

Kaling– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for foraging, farming and fishing the rainforests in the northeastern part of the Eru Peninsula.

Kanari– The organization of men who can use maega and dweoma magic. They are tasked with protecting against harmful magics and investigating unlawful uses of magic in Starla.

Kekosi– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who traditionally farmed the semi-arid grasslands on the western edge of the Southern Reaches.

Lightbound– A small sect of fanatics who believe all magic is evil and that it threatens the natural lifeforces of Deseria. They have singled out the magics of Starla as the greatest evil, trying to turn the world against Starla and its pernicious influence. In response, Starla has labeled the Lightbound a terrorist group and works to root them out wherever they try to establish a base of support.

Lightbound Rebellion– Beginning in 991 Starlan Era (SA), the Lightbound established an independent republic on the southern border of Starlan territory, naming this settlement First Light and proclaiming it the capital of a new Lightbound Republic.

From this base the Lightbound called on all Eru to escape their lives under their Starlan mastras and join a new utopia free of Starlan manipulations, where the Lightbound would lead a revolution to reclaim the land and glory of the Eru past. Instead, the Starlan army attacked the settlement, destroying most of it and killing and imprisoning the Eru who’d come seeking a new future free of Starla.

Long Silence, The- What the Eru call the time when many spirit magics began to fail and the people could no longer communicate with the numen gods.

Lumes (Currency)– The intermediate denomination of Starlan currency, lumes are silver coins with bronze rims. Twenty lumes make a star while ten bobs make a lume.

Maega Magic– One of the two types of Illu and spirit magic. Maega magic involves the user drawing on energy from the flow or spirit world to power a making. Roughly five in one hundred have the ability to use maega magic.

Notes: Practitioners of maega magic are often called maegas. The other type of Illu and spirit magic is dweoma magic.

Makery– The name for a facility or set of facilities where goods are manufactured.

Making– The name given to most acts of magic, a making involves some sort of sigil, a source of magic and in some cases other reagents (objects used or consumed to produce the making).

Notes: In Illu and spirit magic, the sigil can be physical, usually markings on an object, gestures or words spoken by someone creating a making, or even a mental image. The energy needed for a making is drawn from another realm, such as the spirit world or the flow, either directly (by someone with maega–magic ability) or through an object that stores such energy (in the case of dwimstone or coppa as used by someone with dweoma–magic ability).

Malis Naur– The realm of the ogres on the large island of Tral in the Orkala Sea. Malis Naur is extremely dry and arid although it is surrounded by some of the most treacherous seas in Deseria.

Matron– A term of address for Starlan women in good standing (upper- and middle-class women), it doesn’t just refer to mothers but all such women, who are seen as the mothers of the Starlan nation and its people.

Mercos / Mercosi– An island nation of mostly humans in the northern part of the Ulara Sea, closer to Elen than Ibien.

Nerrea– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for farming and herding in the dry lands in the south of the Southern Reaches.

Noriz / Norizians– A nation of mostly humans living in the western part of the Elen continent as it approaches the Arou Isthmus, which connects the Elen and Ibien continents.

Nuisan– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien, known for being hunter gatherers in the forests at the heart of the Falanin Mountains of the Southern Reaches.

Numen Gods– These are powerful beings from the spirit world that serve as guardians and protectors for the Eru peoples.

Olumay– A squirrel-like species of small humanoids who live in the Cursekin Badlands. They have developed systems of traps and lures to herd the cursekin gnolls away from their settlements, which are mostly built high up in giant oaks and ancient pines so the savage gnolls cannot easily attack them.

Omaka– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who lived and farmed riverlands in the western part of the Southern Reaches before the Starlan occupation claimed their lands. The Omaka are noteworthy as being the only people on whose ancestral lands coppa grows.

Orkala Sea– The sea south of the Arou Isthmus separating the Elen and Ibien continents.

Presidio– The island prison where men who could use magic were sent, located in Starlan Bay. The Presidio eventually became the Kanari’s base of operations (in addition to continuing as a prison).

Questioners– An order within the Church of Waylight dedicated to defending against those who would pervert, corrupt or deceive the faithful. The zealous application of their efforts led to bitter tension with the Eru of northern and central Starla. As a result, they were relieved of their role as primary investigators of magical misuses throughout Starla with the Kanari taking their place.

Rings– A game using several hoops hanging from the branches of a tree. The hoops swing back and forth in front of a target. Each person throws a knife at the target, scoring points depending on how close to the center they get and how many hoops their blade passes through.

Salea– A large, flightless bird similar in size and shape to an emu.

Salsan / Salsani– An island nation in the Ulara Sea between the Ibien and Elen continents, south of Darna and southwest of Mercos; it is comprised mostly of humans and ruled by half elves.

Saykeb– Dancing exhibitions held between Eru nations, usually during Tiwokans.

Semat– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known as farmers and herders working the semi-arid grasslands on the central-southern part of the Southern Reaches.

Sigil– The language of magical makings as well as the conduit through which the makings come into being (serving as gateways for the magic). A sigil could be a physical symbol, an image held in the mind, gestures forming the shape of the sigil in the air or even spoken language.

Understanding the language of sigils for a particular type of magic can take days, weeks or even years, but once the user understands this sigil language, they can make sense of most sigils with that sigil-magic language (e.g., Illu magic or spirit magic).

Note: Some magic users tattoo sigils on their bodies or work them into objects they carry, such as wands or staves.

Silverbark– The bark of the bleachpine tree, which grows in high elevations across the Starlan Federation and is valued for its qualities as a hallucinogen and anesthetic. Generally, it is smoked to achieve its effects.

Skaedas– The name for those who worship Du’kel, the Shadow Lord. In Starla, any discovered following Du’kel are executed as heretics, enemies of Starla and the Illu faith.

Soalee– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known as fishers and hunter gatherers working the lush forests and coasts along the northeast of the Eru Peninsula.

Sorelen Sea– The sea north of the Ibien continent.

Southern Reaches– The name for the region of southern and western Starla between the Falanin Mountains and the Cursekin Badlands.

Spirit Magic– Magic drawn from the spirit world. Spirit magic is a type of magic used by many Eru peoples, though when the Starlans conquered the Eru Peninsula, they prohibited the use of spirit magic, killing any found using it.

Spirit World– The home of the Eru ancestors and other spirits, such as the numen gods.

Starla City– The great capital city of the Starlan Federation, home to three million people from all over the world, and the base of operations for the great Illu houses and most of the lesser ones as well.

Starla / Starlan Federation– More commonly known as Starla, the Starlan Federation is the richest and most powerful nation in Deseria, established by refugees who came from the island nation of Darna after a series of catastrophes devastated the land and drove its inhabitants into exile. Starla occupies the Eru Peninsula.

Starlans– The name for the citizens of Starla. It mostly refers to those of Darnan ancestry.

Stars (Currency)– The major denomination of Starlan currency, stars are made from star silver (ground dwimstone and silver) and have a gold rim. Twenty lumes make a star; two-hundred bobs make a star.

Synod– Also known as the Synod of Thirteen, the Synod rules both the capital Starla City and the federation (with twelve members, one for each of the twelve great Illu houses and a thirteenth member representing the high priestess of the Church of Waylight).

In essence, the Synod represents the magical elite, the oligarchy controlling much of the wealth of Starla. The Synod technically enacts the will of the Assembly, which in turn speaks with the voice of the Starlan people.

Tarshi– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for farming the dry lands in the southeastern part of the Eru Peninsula.

Teotona– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien traditionally known for hunting the grasslands of the central-eastern Eru Peninsula.

Terla / Terlans– A nation of mostly humans living in the northwestern part of the Elen continent. Most Terlans worship the sun god Ela, the sacred flame of life. It was a sect of Ela-following Terlans who founded the Lightbound.

Tiwokans– The name for regular festivals among different groups of Eru peoples, usually involving trade, feasting, dancing, competitions and other ceremonies.

Tower of Gerla– Also known as the Broken Tower of Gerla, it was once the capitol building of Starla, a floating tower built in the heart of Starla City. For hundreds of years it was seen as a shining example of the tremendous progress and boundless possibility Starla had brought to the Eru Peninsula and the refugees who fled the destruction of Darna.

The Tower of Gerla was destroyed by male maegas during the Breaker Insurrection, leading to the outlaw of magic by men throughout Starla.

Ulara Sea– The sea north of the Arou Isthmus separating the Elen and Ibien continents.

Umpa Numuku– The lake of grass, the Ikkina name for vast prairies in the Cursekin Badlands, stretching from the Eru Peninsula to the interior of the Ibien continent.

Unala– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who traditionally farmed the dry lands in the southeast of the Eru Peninsula.

Waylighters– The name for those who believe in All-Mother Illu and follow the Illu faith popular among Starlans.

Yantra– One of the Eru peoples of Ibien who traditionally subsisted as hunter gatherers in the Falanin Mountains of the Eru Peninsula.