Power Schematic
Within a Heaven,
there are many different powers vying for control, and many branches of the
government one must contend with. Technically, the rank of Heavenly Commander
grants the right to seize control of a Heaven and all of its forces to that
person, but there are more Heavenly Commanders than there are Heavens. Usually,
one must ascend to the rank of Heavenly Lord General before being placed in
charge of a Heaven, and even then he or she will frequently find herself
impotent when it comes to affairs of state or culture.
Each Heavenly Lord
General sends reports to a Steward of Yesuria, who in turn reports to a Lord
Steward, who in turn reports to half a dozen more people before finally
reaching the Heavenly Steward of the Alyres - the Voice of the Teyrauror. The
Heavenly Steward handles the day to day business of the Alyres, but reports
interesting points and causes for concern to the Teyrauror - Lord Emperor of
the Alyres.
Civilizations and Organizations
Heavens are wholly
Yesurian, and no functional Heavens exist outside of the Alyres. High elves
make up 90% of the population of any given Heaven, while slaves of other races
make up the other 10%. In the Heavens, the only significant portion of the
Elysia on IIo can be found, but these are but a fraction of a percent when it
comes to the hundreds of thousands living on and in a Heaven.
Only those
organizations and peoples allowed by the Teyrauror can exist within a Heaven.
Some notable organizations that consider themselves outside of the Alyres are
the Fasara um Lithia (the Brotherhood of Elven Magick), the Unicorn Knights,
the Massians (dancers), and the Lysia Wardeis (Guardians of Lysia).
Defenses and Technology
Most Heavens have
stationary lith cannons, that draw upon the magicks of the leylines and lithia
batteries instead of wizards like the field versions of lith cannons. Usually,
10% of a Heaven's population are members of the Yesurian armies, not to mention
the forces on the ground below a Heaven. In times of emergency, forces can come
through the permanent Gates immediately from other Heavens, making them
practically unassailable. Strict regulation of their borders and steep prices
of travel further protects Heavens from any subversive elements within the high
elven race itself.
Known and Unknown History
Hundreds upon
hundreds of millennia ago, the only elves were the Elysia. A group of the
Elysia broke from their star worshipping brothers and began to follow the first
Teyrauror. Believed to be a fallen Star God, the first Teyrauror was obsessed
with reaching the stars again. In his arrogance and obsession, he commanded his
elves to build a mighty ziggurat - a tower that would touch the sky itself.
The other Elysia
looked down upon these builders, these elves so obsessed with touching the sky,
and began calling them the high elves. Finally, the ziggurat was completed, and
the first Teyrauror stood atop it, ready to reclaim his star. But the god Nova
would not allow it.
Nova's fury and rage
erupted, annihilating the ziggurat completely. But Nova could not contain his
magick and rage, and so erupted across the skies of Lysia, bathing the
creatures below in dangerous magickal radiation. At that same moment, but in
the dimension of IIo, dragons had summoned forth a great comet to destroy the
threat of dinosaurs. The two cataclysms on different dimensions were enough to
tear open a hole in the fabric between dimensions, and the First Gate between
IIo and Lysia was formed.
The high elves that
followed the first Teyrauror fled from Nova's wrath and magick through the Gate
and settled on IIo, but Nova's magicks had filled Lysia to the brim, and the
entire Realm shook as it struggled to maintain its existence. The Gate provided
the escape, and lithia poured through the Realm of IIo in the form of leylines.
At the site of the
First Gate, the high elves discovered the near infinite powers they now had
access to. Discarding the failed design of a ziggurat, the high elves ripped
their fledgling outpost from the planet to set it in the sky. They called their
new home Yesuria, and set about molding the planet of IIo to their liking.
Although the first Yesuria would eventually fall, and come to be known as
Atlantis, the concept of floating Heavens held fast in elven culture and
society, and remained in their legends even when humes overthrew the elves that
had created them and banished the high elves back to Lysia.
When the Seal
between the Realms was finally destroyed, high elves were quick to resurrect
the ancient legends in the form of the Heavens.
Beliefs, Legends, and Folklore
The First Gate and
the Legend of Atlantis captivated elven society for the nearly 20,000 years
they were banished from IIo. Although the location of the First Gate has been
lost and Atlantis is separated from the new leylines of IIo, it is believed by
many that the First Gate still contains the infinite power of legend that was
enough to fight off the might of the first gods of IIo - dragons.
This was never a
more cherished belief than when the Galtean leader overthrew the Alyres and
became the first non-elven Teyrauror. Millennia passed, and when all of the
races of the world combined to overthrow the galts, the need for the legend
faded, but never disappeared. Another 20,000 years would pass on IIo, and most
elves thought the Gate destroyed or lost forever.
Relations, Alliances, and Vendettas
There is no
relationship between the Heavens and any other force other than domination.
There can only be alliance when the other force is more powerful (and this is
very rare), but that alliance will never be honored if the opportunity came for
the Alyres to seize control.
Related Places
Modern-day Yesuria
remains the most powerful Heaven.
Most Heavens exist
on the continent of Aerth.
A few
Esolonian-controlled Heavens exist in and around the continent of Lujasila,
which would be surprising for the average elf to find out, as it would cause
him to question either the accepted story that Esolons are not the lackeys of
the Teyrauror, or that a Heaven can exist outside of the Alyres.
Aeruen, the Halyean
Sea and the Elfwall mark the northern borders of the Alyres, and no functional
Heaven can be found in Morin.