Wisdom & Lore
The Table of Divine Gifts, wrought out of reverence for the high god, and then brought to the very brink of destruction out of pride and jealousy. The rancor of the gods has left their own power diminished in the world they created. Now the fate of Ault lies in the hands of mortal heroes.
The gods who were found are now lost again
Heart & Body
Part of the nature of Ault is the transmutability of its people. As the soul of an individual changes, so does their body. For good steady creatures this manifests itself as greater ability. With truly devoted people this can exceed what is considered normal, reaching heroic proportions. More extraordinary are the changes seen in creatures that deviate from their natural path. These beings may undergo a metamorphosis that alters their appearance and ability. These supernatural occurrences have divine origins. They can be regarded as a blessing or a curse.
Aults past included a time when the gods sent incarnations of themselves to the world. This mythology plays an important role in religion and society. Truly great heroes are seen as a reflection of the gods and may be referred to, and thought of, as another incarnation of a deity. This is especially true with those that wield powerful magic.
Heroes
Player characters represent rare and prominent positions in the simple cultures of Ault. Average folk hold even the lowest level adventurers in high esteem. In this primitive setting, most of the people toil long and hard just to scrape together a life. Adventuring is left to the fortunate few who, by rare chance, are blessed with the skills needed for their trade. Many will have received formal training by institutions that are well known in society. Characters are often recognized and honored by their home communities. While adventuring classes excel at their profession there are others, with less aptitude, to fill in. Warriors and footmen form the ranks of armies leaving fighters, paladins, rangers, and barbarians in elite and leadership roles. Barbers, physicians, and herbalists find ways to heal when clerics are not available. Priests that use sacred knowledge, instead of magic, comfort and instruct the masses. Adepts and wise sages do what they can in place of very rare arcane magic users. Player characters will find their adventuring skills in high demand.
Adventurers represent a very small slice of the community at large. Few have the exceptional skill or destiny to accomplish their heroic deeds. Therefore, they are looked upon with high regard. While gold and treasure are found in these lands, these things have little use to simple folk. They, instead, rely on the trade of useful items.
Magic
The nature of magic is derived from several elements in the world of Ault. First, is the passion of the six gods. Their feelings and emotions were used to forge the gifts that became all of creation. This divine origin is the primary source of magic in the world. The second element of magic are Staffs of Creation that were given to six of the gods by the high God Karsanthur. These powerful artifacts allowed these gods to create more intricate gifts, including sentient life. All the greater gifts, including the bright races, sprung from the passion of the gods and their Staff of Creation. Therefore, the seeds of magic come from the desires of the six gods and the power bestowed upon them.
Both living and non-living things may be imbued with the mystical power of the sental. This divine energy powers the magic on the world of Ault. Most things have some sentalic energy, but some are bestowed with enough energy to unleash extraordinary magic. Sentals are not common and difficult to perceive, they often go unheeded. Only those trained in magic know where to look and identify them. While some magic wielders have innate ability of detection, others rely on arcane knowledge.
Individuals that have received the blessing of the gods may perform various magical abilities. Some, may have a single power that manifests. The wielder of such ability may have little knowledge of magic. It is simply something they do. Those of more significant magical power may hone their skill in several different ways:
The wizard and arcanist seek out the nature of the sentals. Through study and practice they gain knowledge of the various materials and forms that sentals take. Specifically, they look to the mechanics and formulations that create synergies which will discharge magical energy. They use this understanding to attune to their own sentalic energy and the forces found in magical materials. Though these processes are difficult to master, the ability comes completely from the caster.
Clerics, Druids and the other divine casters of Ault, directly seek out the will of their gods. They delve into the sacred creation that brought about magic. Through humble supplication they ask their deity for the sentalic power of magic.
Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Bards are imbued with exceptional sentalic energy, they are one with the magic of Ault and innately understand it's power. Often their lives are guided by the power they possess. Unlike the trained users. the magic simple comes from within. A gift bestowed for reasons only known to the gods.
Naturally, magical objects vary greatly in strength. Lesser artifacts are known to spontaneously appear across the world. These are used to power basic magic items. These are useful in providing magic beyond the limit of the caster. Thus, extending their own ability, or in crafting an item that can be used by another. Mightier objects are crafted by powerful masters of sentalic energy. The most extraordinary items were constructed, in a time, long ago. These powerful treasures may be used to cast high level magic.
The greatest objects were forged by the gods, who were bestowed great power by the High God to create magnificent gifts. Each of the six gods were given a mighty scepter known as a Staff of Creation. These were used to create the most wondrous items, these are called master sentals.
Sentals may be useful as a component when casting magic. It often acts as a focus, allowing a caster to forgo other elements that would normally be required. They are most commonly used for crafting magic items. Spell casters can manipulate the raw energy of a sental into a variety of useful items.