The Jorthus System
The orbits of Jorthus and Quorrelles are similar in that they are elongated ovals with the summer seasons marking when the planet is closest to the sun, but the second sister’s path is much larger though she moves around it at a comparable pace to Jorthus. From one angle their orbits seem too close, but Quorrelles is actually on a higher level when seen on a cross-section. Gerellus’s path circles far out at a more perpendicular line to her sisters.

Jorthus & her Sister Worlds
The energies and essence of being called Majiks flow through the planets much like blood through a living organism. They strengthen the ability of the world to nurture the living things that exist on its outer shell. They are its life. On Jorthus, the energies flow in and out of vents such as volcanoes and the open cracks of the Djinn Lands to affect the peoples on her, but it is also a vital link to her Sister and Brother worlds that are spread across the Universe. Each essence of each world has a distinct voice that is not heard by the ear, but felt in the heart. And as worlds come and go in the eons of time, their voices are heard by their “sibling” worlds and are missed when they fade to silence. The essences form the invisible bond between the worlds, the path along which some beings can travel, but as the voices grow more distant, the bond grows thin and much like muscles in a body, if not exercised, that bond can shrivel and become useless. The users of Majiks help exercise the flow and strengthen the bond, but as fewer and fewer beings use the majik, and the voices of Jorthus’s siblings grow harder for her to hear, she grows more silent herself. If her “voice” dies as well, Jorthus and her sisters, Gerellus and Quorrelles, will become just three empty rocks floating in space.

Jorthus

Verdiallia Long ago the continents of Jorthus were divided by many seas, but after a catastrophic battle of Majiks, the volcanic ridge that had formed a line of islands off the western coast of Verdiallia erupted and rose to unnatural heights and the waters receded to the south where they froze. This spectacular event created the Dead Lands and the Ice Mountains.

Now the continent of Verdiallia, a lush land of green meadows, thick forests, and tree covered mountains is separated from the other land masses of Myretrae, Cordilleran, and the Unknown Lands by a barren, salty wasteland. Its closest neighbor to the north is the frozen tundra of Glacia. Verdiallia has many city-states that cooperate as long as it is advantageous for each, but wars have flared many times throughout its history. The Mandruian empire stays out of these “petty squabbles” and is reluctant to lend its massive army to any one side. Likewise the Faerlins stay within their forests and defend their borders harshly. One kingdom in the mid portion of Verdiallia exists because an alliance with the Kingdom of Yarna was formed long ago for trade purposes, and the elected ruler of the city-state of Quithai married one of the princes of Yarna and was crowned as his queen.

Myretrae Myretrae has a variety of terrain, hence its name, but it is also divided into almost as many ruling parties. The southern human lands that comprise much of the Midlands to the border of Cordilleran are a Kingdom ruled (in name) by King Albero of Laiwa. Within Laiwa is the independently controlled Northern Fae Wood, so called because there used to be faerlin settlements to the south in the forests of Cordilleran and the faerlins do not recognize the borders of human lands. To them the lands of Myretrae and Cordilleran are one.

	Yarna & Cordileran The lands of Cordilleran have a unique terrain that seems to vary in stripes that run from the north to the south. This has caused the areas to be divided by peoples and occupations that are specific to those terrains, and they have little structure politically.
Most cities are controlled by whoever has the biggest private army. The western lands of Cordilleran hold many towns, too many to count, that care little for alliances and are excellent for those that wish to not be found. The beacon of order, as decadent as it is, on the continent is the Kingdom of Yarna whose power and defense lies within its strong military and army of magdas.

To the north west, the Midlands fall under the jurisdiction of the Principality of Caulderon and this extends from the plains and farmlands both north to the Arbin Forest and west to the coast. Most of its cities are governed independently but when a higher authority is sought to settle any disputes between cities or in a matter of high treason, the Councilmen of any area must defer judgment to the Prince of Caulderon who live in the palace of the Great Caulderon. At the time of the Dawnstone Tale, the Prince Daegon is ruler of these lands.

North of the Arbin Forest lies the Kingdom of Glacia that extends down onto Myretraen lands because of prudent and necessary land purchases. The King of Glacia has promised his daughter in marriage to Prince Daegon. The peoples of Glacia are viewed by the southern lands as barbarians covered in furs, but they are actually very structured and civilized, but can be a fierce enemy if provoked.

Quorrelles
The second planet out from the sun is slightly smaller than Jorthus and composed of mostly water. One large landmass stands like an enormous island covered from its mountainous west coast to the flat, forested grasslands to the east. The flora was lush and wild when the three indigenous races were set down to act as custodians for their life-giving, and essence-sharing world.

Quorrelles’s vast ocean was home to myriad creatures, but the mer-folk were the first. They were the guardians and caregivers of the sea. They were called the Delphy’wertan and they communicated telepathically. More fae than fish, they were covered in colorful scales, but could mimic almost any shape and often appeared to sea-goers as half-person, half-fish. Above water, their voices could sound like whale song or the music of birds.

The forests and grasslands were watched over by the mighty centaurs, called Equi’dorians by the fae. Fierce and protective over their borders, they were hunters by nature so few outsiders dared to tread onto their lands without bringing a worthy “gift”. But to see them thundering across the land, their hooves vibrating the very ground below, was a sight that many counted as worth their lives to risk seeing it.

The mountains and sky were home to the most beautiful of all fae. The Bridaver’engealbis, or winged fatae. Cousins to the faerlins, they were tall, fair, and had a keen intelligence. They lived in peace within their high places, soaring on the breezes with their lovely, feathered wings that reflected light like onyx. Their hair was dark and their skin as bright as the clouds.

The majiks on Quorrelles were allowed to flow freely, the custodians asking very little of it in the form of order or structured schedules. The seasons came and went; and as long as their was enough to eat, no one bothered to ask for more. Until the faerlins came...

Twelve Doors had stood on the land since as far back as any of the inhabitants could remember and they had always been open. Visitors came and went, trading goods and sharing their knowledge with the natives, who were curious enough to barter, but not interested enough to leave their wonderful home. Many newcomers would see the various species and representatives of the major races once, maybe twice, when they first arrived and then the flying fae, centaurs, and mer-folk would disappear back to their own hidden homes leaving the explorers to rest or battle the elements as best as they could until they would get tired of the chaotic wilderness that refused to be tamed, and they would leave the world. It was very similar to a vacation destination on our world, seen as primitive to some, but free and exciting to others.

 

Gerellus
Farthest out from the sun, on an orbit that crosses those of the other two planets, is Gerellus. She is the smallest of the sisters, but what is lacked in size, her inhabitants made up for in ingenuity. There were far more mountains on this world than open spaces, so the care-giving races carved their homes out of the rock and devised pumps to bring up the waters that were hidden deep within the ground.

Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, and Elves were born to Gerellus, along with many minor species. These races worked together for many generations to raise up tall buildings of intricate workmanship. Their machines grew increasingly efficient and they drew less and less from the majiks until their world, deprived of attention, gave less and less back.

Technology replaced the reliance on mystic forces and faith took on a different meaning as their world has receded and crumbled around them. Many pilgrims sought lives elsewhere, some traveled through the Doors to seek aid and never returned. Regardless, the leaders of the peoples united to take control of their environment and an administration arose to forbid the desertions. The Doors were locked and hidden from the populace and people’s attention was redirected to working hard and keeping the machines working to save their planet.

 

The Yearly Calendar of Jorthus
The Jorthian calendar is recognized and used by all the races and countries on the world. Its months names are taken from the original “Faerl Count of Days” and they follow the patterns of the moons’ cycles, from new moon to full moon then back. As there are two, the month names vary depending on which is waxing or waning.

The prefixes of Rie/Rha, Sie/Sha, Vie/Vha, and Kie/Kha denote a season. The syllable Kian or Khien are feminine or masculine words that mean approach or birth. Naer, Naor, Nadi, and Nad refer to expanding, the variations relate to the differences in the agricultural cycle.

The prefixes of Mei and Dae mean aging or dying, referring to the season reaching its close. And finally the suffixes of the last two months of each season tell which stage the moon Rhaes or Unara is in during that time.

The year is also marked by holidays or festivals that follow the agricultural/sun cycle. Ennaeg marks the rebirth of spring so that is the start of the new sun cycle as well as the “birth of the spring moons” so it is counted as the new year. Kalean naegh and Kalean gaem, along with Fae’Aestel all mark the changes from one season to the next, but the remaining Honored Days fall on the two equinoxes and two solstices of the year.

Some towns celebrate quietly, some have a small festival day, while others have days of celebration. The Fae honor these changes in the year and the cycle of their yearly lives with rituals and dancing, though deep inside the privacy of the Wood, other races can only guess what actually takes place during such times.