The Akashic Library

If you are curious to what you should know before leaving the sill of your door into the great beyond, those at the Library of the Interior have provided.

Written below is a compendium for those who have a yearning for that beyond their windowsill, past the rolling green hills into the otherworldly and the unfamiliar. This Tome Akashic stands as a summary of our storied lands of Volantis, as well as the entire sphere of Animus Liber. Equipped with the knowledge below, an aspiring mortal may have a great deal of paths to further their understanding of the world at large. With the full extent of this information being unable to sit comfortably within the worlds greatest libraries, all information has been greatly summarized, or in rare cases written is all that is known.

CONTENTS:

Cosmology
World
Peoples
Gods
Magicks
Materials
Flora/Fauna
Technology
History
Time and Calendar
Death

Cosmology

Animus Liber:
Animus Liber, of whom's name origin is unknown, is the entirety of the space in which our world inhabits. The planets, the stars, and all extraterrestrial bodies that hang in the skies above are included in Animus Liber. Some may refer the entire mortal world as Animus Liber, rather than including the space beyond. It is often called the Material Plane, or the Mortal Realm.

The Moon:
Oftentimes referred to as the seat of the Witch in the Moon, this blue celestial body has many moon phases, of which most notable is the New Moon, in which all but the center of the Moon envelops into full black, giving the appearance of an eye.

The Sun:
Object of worship for a great many religions, the Sun in Animus Liber is not a sphere but rather a rotating spiral that emanates from a center. From it, all life flows. From here does Artex the son of Solarius rule the heavens above, seated upon the Overthrone.

The Stars:
Dotting the far reaches of the sky, these unwavering spots of white light aid the moon in her illumination of the night, and are said to safeguard Animus Liber from a deep darkness in some cultures, to being ancestors reveling in the afterlife in others.

The Bridge:
A great astral bridge that spans the Sun and Moon, this peculiar phenomenon only occurs during a Full Moon, birthing a great deal of religious and scientific theories, of which is most prominent in these lands being the belief that Solarius sends his legions across the bridge to aid the Witch in her never ending battle with the night.

The Planes:
It is unknown if there exists planes beyond our own; only high mages registered with the Empire of Man may officiate such a claim, and as of Imperial Decree of the Arch Magister Horisulx Marid, no such planes exists. This has been the Official Standing for approximately 10 years, with this stance changing at least 5 times in the past tenure of the Arch Magister.

Hell:
Formally known as the Fundament, this comprises of a complex situation, with Fundament being fixed both below Volantis and yet not a part of Heaven, as Heaven is all-encompassing beyond Volantis. For those in the lands of the Empire of Man, all that is cared for is that these foul depths are the lairs of the Gods of Chaos, cast down by the Gods of Order for the betterment of all. All manner of foul fiends and devilish demons spawn from these deep festering pits, of which the souls of unbelievers in our Glorious God are sent.

Heaven:
Formally known as the Firmament, this comprises of all of Animus Liber that is not Fundament nor Volantis, such as the planets, Sun, Moon, and any other celestial objects. In the lands where this book is published, it is believed that the Gods reside there, though none have seen proof of such, not that proof is needed to justify faith. Those who hold faith in the Cynosurian Pantheon are sent to the bright heavens above for an eternity of worship.

The Planets:
Very little is known about the Planets, although all appear to be quite different to Volantis. They give insight to us however that there may be lands far beyond our own right here upon Volantis, but this has been a study officiated for further investigation.

Further Readings: The Musings of an Astronomeric Researcher

World

Volantis:
The Mortal Home, the Land of the Living, the Playing Field.
Volantis is the name of the known world, which stands as a continent with a wide array of peoples, flora and fauna, magics and locales. Within Volantis a tapestry of nations has been woven, unfurling into an epic spanning millennia. Volantis is a canvas of untold potential, sprawling with land both untamed and conquered. Not all of the lands are explored even in this Age, with some lands defying charting. His Excellency has graciously ensured that most, if not all settlements within the Interior are equipped with a map of the known world.

Further Readings: Imperial Map

Peoples:
In the land of Volantis, a great deal of races exist, all with varying beliefs, religions, ideologies and technological advancement stages. This has created a past of secularism in the majority of denizens of the land, such that the races and cultures of Volantis tend to be synonymous. While there are a number of interracial settlements around the continent, and hardly any settlement is a monoculture, a sharp trend prevails that racial groups gather together to form likeminded cultures. As such, often detailed are the Races, and then the Peoples of Volantis, which constitutes both the race as well as the most prevalent culture tropes for said race. Those of the Volkan "subrace" of humans are also predominantly part of Volkar Culture.

Further Readings: Races of the Realm Peoples of Volantis

Gods

Far above these lands, in seats of holy, reign our glorious gods. Though we have never seen them, and many doubt their existence at all, those faithful in the Empire know the Truth. By following the teachings of the Solar Pantheon lead by Solarius the Coruscated and his bright wife Luminara the Everburning, the Empire and her citizens have thrived. Whether or not the gods of the other religions around the world exist is irrelevant; none should be worshiped other than the one seated upon the Overthrone.

Further Readings: The Holy Teachings of the Empire

Magicks

Our world is one not of the mundane. There exist a great number of odd doings and deeds that the citizens of Volantis can only attribute to the works of magick, a term loosely used for anything unexplainable. This simple claim begets a winding web of energies that modern mages attempt to categorize into the following groupings, of which all are dangerous and highly regulated:

Deific
Magics of this Tradition are gifted by the Divine or other powerful beings both holy and corrupt. The most prominent of these Deific magics are the Templars and Paladins of the Empire of Man, who keep balance and order throughout the Interior. The Dark Arts are not to be spoken of in an official document of the State.

Thaumiturgical Arts
When no gods or higher beings are involved in the bending of existence's rules, one is dealing with the Thaumiturgical Arts. Common alchemical remedies as well as constructs are common sights powered by thaumiturgical means.

Further Readings (at your own discretion, as it was scribed by an elf outside of the state): The Enchiridion Magicka

Materials

Throughout the many continents of Animus Liber, the lands of Volantis bear great hoards of wealth and exotic treasures deep beneath the ground. Some of these materials find daily use in all mortal lives, while others are heavily used in particular cultures. Those of common knowledge are listed here, and are expected for any denizen of the mortal plane to bear knowledge of. Written at the footnotes of this compendium lays materials which exist only in legend; at least, to those who have not born witness to their mythical existence. Their existence may as well be mere stories, for few ever get to know truth from lie. While this tome exists as the writings of a drunken dwarf, this happens to be one of the most accurate accounts of forging and smelting one can find in these lands; if you can decipher through the ale splotches.

Further Readings: Excerpts from Drunken Ramblings of a Master Smith

Flora/Fauna

The locales in Volantis are as varied as the people that inhabit them, but the flora and fauna that fill these biomes are truly diverse. A great deal of common creatures abound in multiple biomes, and would meet the average traveler's expectations, but alongside these are creature exotica, plant life sprawling with diversity, and occasional alien landscapes.