outdated Some General Information about the World of The Other World

[Wonders of Eros]

Magic is common enough in TOW that everyone in the world is at least somewhat aware of it, but the absolute vast majority of people do not know how to use it, and may never even have seen anyone else use it either. That being said, it is much more prevalent in some parts of the world than in others, and certain races and groups have a much stronger affinity to it than others.

 

Fantastical creatures are common enough in TOW that few truly doubt their existence. Their prevalence and the frequency of encounters with them vary considerably depending on the type of creature, time in history, and part of the world you are dealing with.

 

There are many different religions in TOW - with most being polytheistic - but whether the gods actually exist or not will remain undisclosed for the time being.

 

One thing that I can say unequivocally is that people and things have a sort of fate in TOW. It is not your typical concept of fate, where something is 100% predetermined, but rather, something more malleable. You see, there are these beings in TOW called Ellaari, which are superficially similar to the Maiar of Tolkien's world in that they are tasked with bringing a set outcome to fruition. They are neither good nor evil. They just see to it that fate happens. In other words, if a homeless woman is predestined to become a queen, the Ellaari will TRY to make it happen, by their own hands if they have to. Likewise, if some innocent, little girl's fate it to be quartered and beheaded, then the Ellaari will TRY to make it happen. The Ellaari themselves come in many different forms, with some taking the shapes of animals and people, others the shapes of trees and fungi, and others still the shape of natural forces, such as the wind or heat.

 

Political intrigues and military conflicts in TOW can get quite complicated, just like in real life. Everything from regular politics (such as lineages, territory or control of resources), to ethnicity and religion may play a part. The degree to which magic and fantastical elements play a role can of course vary in the extreme.

 

In terms of architecture, weapons, clothing and armor designs, TOW likes to dip its toes (unintentional pun there) into both high and low fantasy. It definitely leans heavily in favor of high fantasy, with some civilizations/cultures being pure high fantasy, but most fall somewhere in between a realistic, medieval/ancient look and the stuff you see in LotR or a 90's computer game. As such, think of Minas Tirith (LotR) or the Imperial City (TES) before you think of a more realistic looking city (while still acknowledging that they exist in the world), and for armor, think of things like towering knights in shining golden armor or skimpily clad Amazonian warriors before you think of a traditional, medieval knight. Do keep in mind that TOW is far from just medieval in its themes. there are actually multiple Ancient-Egyptian-inspired civilizations and many other types of highly distinct cultures with their own customs, architecture, attire, languages, political systems and customs.