Ill Fated Hearts- The Rules and Realm

Ill Fated Hearts is a twist on common Sword-and-Sorcery settings, containing elements of Steam-Punk and Mana-Punk. The world of IFH takes place across two broken, naturally formed Dyson Spheres. Fractured plates of earth, some so large they constitute three of Earth's continents and have oceans more vast than all of the water visible from our planet's surface, orbit a huge yellow star and in turn it's blue twin, which has it's own sphere of ever moving plates. The two spheres are separated by only a few miles of void, between which slight channels of atmosphere are exchanged. This passage is one among many perilous places in IFH, only passable by the largest of airships in existence.


The world of the yellow star, Epsilon, is where the bulk of Ill Fated Hearts will take place.

Across the Plates surrounding the yellow Epsilon and blue Incarna twin stars are a huge variety of races and cultures. Among them are the full run of DnD races, and several that are unique to the world itself. Ill Fated Hearts remains largely true to original mythology, and has it's own mechanisms of being and magic that separate it from DnD settings. Most of these mechanisms will simply be revealed to you through gameplay and story development, that's how this RP works.

LEYLINES: There is an ever-flowing grid of magical power 'lines', invisible to the eyes of most beings, that are the primary source of magic for most spells and creatures. They flow through and around all things, though there are definite 'gaps' of space between each one. Rarely, a line may be diverted entirely, or flow differently than in another place of the Sphere, making it possible to find yourself too far away from a leyline to draw magical energy for use.

TYPES OF LEYLINE:
Solar Line: The "Solar Line" is an oddity and marvel of magical geometry. A continuous spiral 'gyroscope' shape with several arms extending through the Sphere along it's axis of movement, the Solar Line is a source of incredible power, and the byproduct of Epsilon. Tapping into it is dangerous, difficult, requires extensive training, and is often fatal to those unprepared to deal with it's force. It is the "Divine Power" that many religious fanatics nearly worship.

Aether Lines: Aether lines are the common interlocking magic flows found in every plane of both Epsilon and Incarna. Many of them bind the plates to the star they orbit and create fountains of magic at their central point of connection. These are the sites of dragon roosts, temples, holy icons, colleges of magic, mage towers, and many strange anomalies.

Dragon Lines: These lines exist as rings cycling close to Epsilon, skimming the top plates, where dragons thrive. Called "Dragon Lines" because of their ancient and misunderstood power, accessible only to those of Dragon blood. Other lines can be used to power a dragon's special abilities adequately to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies or awe the masses, but only Dragon Lines provide them with the ability to operate at 100% of their potential.

MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS OF NOTE:

The White Empire: This single kingdom spans 87% of Epsilon, and has countless embassies and colonies across Incarna. There are several grassroots rebellions against them in Epsilon, though none have been successful. It is widely regarded as a 'beneficial beast', as many areas have prospered under the Empire's rule, however the senate has a habit of voting-down bills that are beneficial to abhumans. This has garnered a large amount of resentment among nonhuman parties, while producing support from several 'human-sympathizers.'

The Golden Crusade: A religious cult that predates the Empire, but has grown both more active and more dangerous as time has passed. Worshiping the sun and believing that inside it is a realm where the gods dwell, they perform dangerous rituals and magical rites to access the Solar Lines, and are devoted to destroying or enslaving all abhumans. In doing this, they hope to elevate themselves to godlike status and somehow gain access to the Palace of the Gods. Despite their monstrous ways and their habit of bombing entire plates when unable to 'purify' it 'peacefully', they seem to never run out of new recruits in the form of Human-Sympathizers. The Empire does not have the resources to deal with the Crusade, and trying would result in many times the current amount of bloodshed. When they meet in the sky there are often skirmishes between the two, instigated by the Crusade 100% of the time, but beyond this, The Empire does not deal with the Crusade, and the Crusade typically keeps their warships away from large Imperial cities.

The Black Spire Coven: The Black Spire is a huge stone and metal obelisk that outright pierces five plates, being hundreds of miles tall. The space inside this huge structure and across those plates it pierces is the domain belonging to creatures of the night. Here, Vampires, Dark Elves, Were-beasts and other similar people are able to live in relative peace, governed by the three vampire gods of the Spire. Kain, his wife Lilith, and his brother Cass, ensure that the Crusade cannot touch their shores. To further this protection, when a vampire has committed sins against their own kind, or experienced suffering beyond recovery at the hands of the crusade, a Judge- an extremely powerful vampiric entity that was not turned, but created -is sent to exterminate them. The Judge-Master of these creatures is a young and powerful descendant of Kain and Lilith, Seig, who is perhaps the most active of the Spire's protectors and administration, and thus the most feared.