A chronicle of the lost kingdom, whispered on the winds of the Aethel.
Before the sundering, Aeridor was a beacon of arcane mastery, nestled within the heart of the Obsidian Peaks. The Aethel, a people bound to the very rhythm of the earth, ruled with a wisdom forged in millennia of communion with the land. Their power stemmed from the Leylines, shimmering rivers of raw magic that pulsed beneath the kingdom. But knowledge, like water, can erode stone. The Order of the Silent Stars, a zealous sect obsessed with purging 'unnatural' energies, began to preach of Aeridor’s hubris, claiming its connection to the Leylines was a corruption, a siphon of the world’s vital force.
The Aethel utilized a complex system of glyphs, interwoven with their magic. These were not merely symbols, but keys to manipulating the very fabric of reality. Only fragments remain, etched into crumbling stones and whispered in forgotten lore. Here are a few examples:
Each glyph represents a different facet of the Aethel’s power – from manipulating the weather to drawing strength from the earth. Their precise meanings are lost, but their presence hints at a civilization far beyond our current understanding.
Centuries after the fall, rumors persist of survivors, warped and twisted by the lingering energies of the Aethel. They are known as the Shadowkin – spectral warriors bound to the ruins of Aeridor, eternally guarding the secrets of the fallen kingdom. Some say they are not entirely evil, but merely echoes of a people consumed by a tragedy they could not comprehend. Others claim they are monstrous reflections of the corruption unleashed by the Order of the Silent Stars.