Welcome to Anarand'aris
Amidst the endless expanse of Chaos, like a lotus upon a dark lake, rises the Blossom, within whose Core pulses the energy of Creation. With each pulse, countless new petals are born, while many aging ones, dying, fall away and are lost forever into the depths of Chaos. Each petal in the Blossom is an entire world, with its own natural laws, and sometimes even its own civilization of sentient beings.
In one such dying world—Anarand’aris—Magic and technology intertwine, forming the foundation of a unique society. Built upon the ruins of a once-great civilization, dozens of new kingdoms exist as vassals to the imperial capital Last Hope and its immortal lords, known as the Ran’a’shan. For four thousand years, the only thing that has protected this world from merging irreversibly with the realms of Chaos and total annihilation is a powerful artifact called the Heart of Anarand.
Cosmology
The Universe where Anarand’aris exists is like no other. Explore how it’s structured below to learn about the incredible Blossom and its infinite worlds.
Tol’vaaso (The Great Infinity)
Nothing is known about what lies beyond Niamaru and the Chaos that besieges it. Neither the race of the Et'eliani nor the Lords of Chaos have ever managed to leave these bounds or even glimpse what exists outside them, yet over time this hypothetical place has been given the name Tol'vaaso—the Great Infinity. For the inhabitants of Aartoh-Daggaras, the commonly accepted truth is that the Chaos simply continues endlessly, ever growing with each petal it consumes from the Blossom. Among the Et'eliani, there are many different theories, but the most popular one asserts that beyond the confines of their Universe, there are countless other Blossoms, each with its own natural laws and perhaps even some that do not suffer from the infection that is Chaos.
In any case, Moritan, being the very consciousness of Chaos, alone knows what Tol'vaaso truly is.
Adarisi (The Petals) - Beginning
With the conclusion of each Cycle from Elianno, a powerful surge of Creation energy is unleashed. From this surge, a varying number of new petals, known as Adarisi, are born. Each Adaris on Niamaru is, in essence, an entire world, governed by its own often alien and peculiar natural laws, and sometimes even home to its own civilization of intelligent beings. These separate worlds never touch, but where two or more draw close enough, thin Membranes of varying sizes always form. These are irregularly mirrored and distorted pseudo-worlds, directly connected to the adjacent Adarisi.
Elianno (The Core)
At the center of Niamaru lies the concentrated energy of Creation. This is the Core, also known as Elianno, and from its very inception, it pulses with a steady rhythm. A full pulse of Elianno is called a Cycle, whose duration spans across dozens of generations for most mortal races in the worlds of Niamaru. Even now, countless Cycles after the Blossom's blooming, the energy within the Core shows no signs of depleting or even weakening.
Elianno is the primal source and the eternal home of the immortal race of the Et'eliani.
Moritan (The Chaos) - Aartoh-Daggaras
It remains unknown whether the periodic death of the oldest Adarisi was the initial cause of the creation of Chaos, or if Chaos arrived from the Great Infinity with the intent to consume Niamaru, patiently withering it petal by petal.
Even the oldest members of the Et'eliani race do not recall when exactly Chaos appeared, but now it exists everywhere beneath Niamaru, like the surface of a bottomless black lake. Its interior is an amalgamation of chaotically connected fragments of countless shattered and slowly decaying worlds, constantly growing and changing. Within it dwell various intelligent and non-intelligent creatures of all kinds. This place is called Aartoh-Daggaras.
Moritan (The Chaos) - Overlord of Chaos
Chaos itself and everything within it is ruled by an exceedingly powerful being known as Moritan. It is believed that Moritan originates from the very essence of Chaos—a consciousness born from the decaying energy within, with the two unable to exist separately. No one is certain what Moritan truly is or what its real form might be.
At the dawn of its existence, Moritan created its own caste of immortal beings, known as the Lords of Chaos, to serve it in the eternal struggle against Niamaru.
Niamaru (The Blossom)
Everything that has ever existed or will exist in the future arises in one of the countless worlds of Niamaru—the Blossom. According to the legends of the Et'eliani, once, before the beginning of time, in the Great Infinity, a wondrous Seed was conceived. Some claim that it was the result of the deliberate actions of an unimaginable Creator, who imbued it with their own essence and then ceased to exist in their previous form. Others say that it appeared as a result of a natural process within the incomprehensible structure of Tol'vaaso, thereby creating the premise for a new, parallel Universe with its own laws.
Once it had arisen, the Seed found its place in the Great Infinity. Nourished by the free energy around it, it ripened, sprouted, and from it emerged the Blossom. Countless petals appeared in the first moment of Creation, thus giving rise to something new. The roots of Niamaru forever remained connected to Tol'vaaso, from where they continue to draw vital energy to nourish the Core.
Adarisi (The Petals) - End
There are Cycles where not a single Adaris is born, and others where dozens emerge simultaneously, pushing the older ones toward the base of the Blossom. Reaching that point, the oldest petals wither and die, sinking forever into the depths of Chaos, where they become an inseparable part of it.
The number of existing Adarisi is considered infinite, as no one has ever managed to explore even a fraction of them. For this reason, the Et'eliani often speak of the "countless worlds" of Niamaru.
The World of Anarand
Get to know the three main and vastly different regions of Anarand’aris.
Modern Anarand Empire
The Modern Anarand Empire is the spiritual successor to the ancient Lir’Anarand, founded shortly after the War for Anarand’aris. It was created as a last desperate attempt by the Ran’a’shan to preserve the remnants of the destroyed civilization of Anarand’aris and contain the increasing internecine conflicts between the newly emerging warlords, cults, and theocratic sects.
Today, the Anarand Empire is a loose confederation of thirty-six geopolitical regions called the Enlightened Realms. For the most part, the realms are self-governing, with minimal interference from the Empire. All realms are required to follow the Anarandian Sacred Laws, with the right to supplement and adapt them to local needs. In all realms, there is an established presence of the Tribunal—the judiciary body of the Empire—which by law hears all important legal cases and disputes, and can intervene in any judicial case at its discretion.
The Wastes and the Border
The Wastes are the collective name for the vast territories that lie between the Enlightened Realms and the Faithless Lands. These are the remnants of the incomplete fusion between Anarand’aris and Aartoh-Daggaras, which, even after four millennia, remain uninhabited. The Wastes are littered with ancient ruins, shattered cities, and long-forgotten sites from the once great civilization of Lir’Anarand. Bands of Faithless often roam the ravaged lands in search of old booty and passage to the bountiful lands of modern Anarand. Mutated creatures spawned by the corrupted land are another common danger to travelers and residents of the borderlands.
These are some of the reasons for the eternal vigil along the Border with the Wastes. A vigil that is maintained by border towers that surround Anarand. The towers are three hundred meters tall and were created with Magic in the years after the War for Anarand’aris. Each tower is equipped with a signal crystal whose light is strong enough to signal approaching danger to neighboring towers. Also, located on top is a powerful weapon called the terr’a’rashan, capable of incinerating any target within a five kilometer radius.
The Faithless Lands
Where Anarand’aris ends in the east, south, and west, the Faithless Lands begin. They were named so back in the time of Lir’Anarand because their inhabitants—the Faithless—refused to recognize the divinity of the Overlords and accept the new Anarand religion. Since then, the Faithless have been sworn enemies of the people of Anarand, and use every opportunity for brutal raids during which they kill and plunder indiscriminately. Even now that they have to cross the Wastes and sneak past the border towers, they continue to be a serious threat to the Enlightened Realms.
Little is known about how large the Faithless Lands are and what exactly is within them. If maps or books on the subject exist, they are owned by discrete individuals who have no interest in sharing them. The more educated inhabitants of Anarand know that somewhere beyond the Faithless Lands there are other different worlds, but no one has ever reached them or returned from there alive.
Explore Further
Calendar & Time
Anarand’aris has two suns, Niatema and Kalis, and two moons, Ria and Tot. However, they are not ordinary celestial bodies, but natural phenomena specific to the Blossom.
The Et'el Language
The et’el language—mostly known in Anarand’aris as ancient Anarandian—is the native language of the Et’eliani, and despite the passing of countless millennia, it has successfully preserved its structure and sound.
Coming soon
Magic Weaving
Magic Weaving is the manipulation of the energy of the Blossom to achieve various and often astonishing effects beyond the bounds of the ordinary.
Coming soon
Magitech
In Anarand’aris, magic and technology intertwine and work together to power all sorts of intricate mechanisms, collectively known as Magitech.
Coming soon
The Overlords
According to legend, the six Overlords of Anarand’aris created the world at the beginning of time from the elements of Creation and with the help of the mighty Heart of Anarand.