Halcyon is a name given to the Prime Material Plane. It is where most of our adventures take place. It is a world where the lands are broken and scattered over the skies, floating above the open expanse of the Great Blue. You’ll see Skyships flying over the clouds transporting cargo and people from one city to another, each built on the many floating islands and continents of the world.
It is an ancient world, shaped by cataclysmic and ruinous events in history. Old flying cities from before the Cataclysm now lie ruined in the endless depths of the ocean below and both arcane and divine artifacts from elder times are scattered across the lands, waiting to be used again…
Naming
The name Halcyon became popular among scholars soon after the Cataclysm. The word itself means a time in the past that is remembered as better than today, characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity. The Sundered Age was, to most, a golden age, and after The Veiling, many yearned to return to that idyllic time.
History
From the oldest records of Aurora, it is assumed that the Deities created our world from the all-encompassing chaos. They created the Prime Material Plane and its sister planes. After the world was shaped, the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans were created by the gods and walked the lands, and after them, others followed.
The people were given the power of Divine Magic from the gods to help them protect themselves from their harsh and untamed world, giving rise to the first magic users of the world. Now that people had the power to tame the world on their own, it gave rise to the first sparks of civilization, like the city of Aurora. The deities also were given a more clear form after religion and worship became more apparent.
As time went on, the chaotic cosmos surrounding the planes only continued to grow in rage, culminating in an event called The Sundering. This event fundamentally reshaped the world, shattering its essence - it’s Aether - across the spectrum. What was once an enormous stretch of land only surrounded by water, became an uncountable amount of floating islands and continents, all flying high above the unknowable depths of the Great Blue. In a final attempt to fight back against the unstoppable chaos, Luna gifted mankind with Arcane Magic, which is the ability for man to create their magic, without having to depend on the Deities.
After mankind and the gods were able to push back against the chaos, civilization had to be rebuilt. It also created a schism between the gods, they separated into those that wanted to protect and preserve their children, the Prime Deities, and those that were so torn by grief and loss that they sought to abandon the world and return it to the cosmological chaos, the Traitor Gods. While only a tenth of the population survived the event, it did eventually usher in a golden age for the world, filled with magical innovation and new technology, pushing mankind to new heights.
It did, however, also exemplify the arrogance and selfishness of man. One arcanist challenged the god of death and won, taking his place among the Deities. Another became so disillusioned with the gods and the world that they lost sight of the meaning and purpose of humanity and the world, vowing to release the Traitor Gods and use their power to bring ruin and destruction. He succeeded in becoming so powerful to release the Traitor Gods from their prison realms. They consolidated their power after release and declared war on the Prime Deities and the world, leading to a chaotic arcane arms race that escalated to a full-on war, later named the Cataclysm.
The Traitor Gods were banished once more to their prison realms during the aftermath of the war. The world was in ruins once more and had to be rebuilt again. The Prime Deities took another extreme measure to eliminate the chance that anyone would get close to that amount of power and bring about another cataclysmic event. They created the Divine Veil, which barred any god from materializing in the world. They could only influence the world through their most devout followers, leaving the plane to mankind alone. It has now been centuries after the Cataclysm, and the world has begun to create a new history for itself. New nations were formed, and discoveries were made. Who knows what the future will hold for Halcyon.