Sout Lai-Ys

Sout Lai-Ys (SOUT LIE-iss) stands at the western edge of the Camdry desert. Originally built as a port city to the treks across to desert to the City of Camdry, it soon became a place to be as family members stayed behind in the city waiting for their loved ones to return from their business across the sands.

It didn't take long for inns, shops, and restaurants to pop up all over the city. And with the competition came showmanship and style to coerce customers inside. The city prospered and people from all over Caelir started traveling to the city.

The inns grew bigger and often bought out shops only to include them in the inn itself. Some started to employ wizards to light off fireworks and provide other forms of magical entertainment. This only sparked more growth in the city and more travelers to the city.

At the height of its day, the inns had taken on the forms of famous landmarks across the continent. The most extravagant was The Palace which was built as a replica of the wizards towers from Mardell. The five towers stood at the end of The Boulevard, the main street of the city and its owner built a moat around the entire structure. The area became known as the regal district as only those rich like kings could afford to stay there.

The Boulevard was lit brilliantly during the night, the massive inns and their magical lighting shedding nearly the entire city in multicolored lights.

As the Deathdays set in, however, the travelers slowed and eventually stopped. The inns' business got slower and many closed down. Their magnificent attractions going into ruin and their dazzling lights fading leaving only eerie shadows behind. The general population had a hard time taking the Deathdays seriously. They lived on the edge of a desert; a hot day wasn't anything too out of the ordinary.

By the time they allowed the clerics place the wards on the buildings, the clerics powers had faded. Instead of shielding individual homes and buildings, the clerics decided to ward the inns. Each cleric chose an inn on the boulevard and invited people to move in to the various rooms. Then as a council, they warded The Palace and used it as a neutral meeting place and appointed representatives from each of their inns.

Years passed. Few alive today even remember hearing stories of the great city's sights from grandparents, and most can only stare at the behemoth buildings in wonder, their magical lights long since faded. The government the clerics set up took hold and the inns became as a series of clans. Publicly, nothing distinguishes the clans apart from each other: all races, professions, and devotions could be found in everyone. Privately however, well that's only known to clan members.

World Overview

Since the beginning of time, the two Primevals have been at war. Zuul, the Goddess of Light, and Orok, the God of Darkness, tirelessly try to vanquish the other and rule the universe. However, one can't exist without the other, and their blindness threatens the entire universe.

One of their first tactics was to create an army of the heavens. They each gave birth to two generals. Arga and Aret were birthed from Orok, while Zuul beget Asor and Afre. The offspring created grand armies and their battles shook the heavens.

As the battle waned, however, the four generals suddenly understood the implications of victory. They immediately called off the battle and banded together to form a barrier between their parents. The world of Caelir was born and given over to the remaining soldiers.

The soldiers procreated and populated the world. As they matured, civilizations blossomed and fell through the course of history. But all the while, they paid tribute to their four Patron gods: Afre the Goddess of Fire; Asor the Goddess of Air, Arga the God of Water, and Aret the God of Earth.

But as the world matured, there became too much work for the four Patron deities. The solution was to invite more beings into the heavens to take on different roles. The gods looked at humanity, and when they found an individual that embraced a certain aspect of life, they raised that person to the heavens at death and gave them the title of Lesser God. Each Lesser God was sponsored by one of the Patron Gods and the Lesser's power was related to the Patron's.

From that point the world prospered and the Patron Gods with the help of the Lesser Gods and the occasional champion kept the Primevals at bay. Until the Deathdays anyway.

No one is sure what caused the Deathdays. Eventually, the days started getting longer and the nights shorter. And with the longer days, fewer clouds, a hotter sun, and blistering winds. Many people died of heat exhaustion in the early years of it. Then one day, the Lesser God of Defensive Warfare appeared to his clerics and explained that Zuul was taking control over the heavens. Before he departed back to the heavens, he bestowed the power to place wards of protection on buildings that would fight back Zuul's merciless heat, air, and light.

Different cities handled the news differently and many called it a bluff. But as the heat climbed and the naysayers fell to the heat, the general population understood the importance of the clerics' tasks and safe houses were built.

Now, 200 years later, the Deathdays continue. People sleep during the day out of habit and do their living at night. All is not safe and sound, though, for beasts still lurk in the shadows, and the shadows are long in the dead of night. The celestial battle rages on but few champions are able to stand up to Zuul or her minions.

The world is in despair, but is all hope lost?