Iscathia

Iscathia is a plane in which the mana flow is powerful, but corrupt. It was created by the Watermaker in 386 NKY and destroyed by him in 1633 NKY.

Origin
Iscathia used to be a barren plane, nothing but an endless desert under the brutal heat of three suns. However, when the Watermaker arrived, he decided to make it his haven.

The Watermaker began his creation process by creating five moons and shooting them at the sky in order to absorb part of the energy of the suns and reduce their intensity. Once this was done, he used his power in order to flood the entire world, creating the Great Ocean.

From there, he began raising landmasses around the plane in order to balance the land-to-sea ratio. Once he was satisfied, he built a tower at the center of the central continent and waited to see his effort yield its rewards.

For the next hundred years, life began to spread and thrive throughout the world, but the Watermaker wanted more. He wanted life that would be grateful to him for creating the world, so he went to the seas and created life that would, in time, develop sentience. Most sentient life in Iscathia evolved from these first creatures.

The Watermaker's Defeat
For the next few hundred years, the Watermaker lived happily in the world he'd created, but there was something he hadn't taken into account: planeswalkers. Though most planeswalker visitors were peaceful, some of them were intent conquerors, and battled the Watermaker in order to rule over the plane.

The Watermaker fended them off, until a planeswalker named Kettren, who could control nature, used the plane itself as a weapon against the Watermaker. Realizing he could do nothing to avoid defeat, the Watermaker feigned his death and retreated to an isolated location. In his self-imposed exile, he spent the next years seeing the evolution of Iscathia.

Much to his disdain, Kettren's rise to power marked a new era in the plane. From then on, Iscathia went on a path of corruption, where power-hungry people fought for absolute control, and ruler after ruler ended seizing power, only to lose it to someone else, destroying a fraction of the plane in the process.

The Five Leagues
As the years went by, five Iscathians decided to free the tyranny of their current ruler and establish their own goverments. Each fled to a different continent, followed by a group of supporters, and established a league to oppose both the tyrant and the other four leagues.

The War of Five
Eventually, the five Iscathian Leagues realized that they were more powerful united than fighting each other, so they joined forces and started a massive war with the forces of Anarka, the central continent. The war lasted five years, and in the end, the combined forces of the five Leagues was enough to overthrow the ruler. Realizing that no one leader could represent the interests of all five Leagues at the same time, they decided to rule together, forming the Council of Five, the only rulers since the Watermaker's defeat who sought what was best for all rather than just for themselves.

Velekren's Rule
However, peace wasn't meant to last. Less than a decade later, a creature of immense power known as Velekren invaded Iscathia. As he arrived, the raw power it took him to get him into the plane corrupted its mana flow and brought disruption that forever altered Iscathia.

Velekren confronted the Council of Five, killing them all and absorbing their powers, immediately developing a mastery of all five colors of mana. He spent the next decades shaping the plane to his will, using the new corrupt mana flow to empower his and his followers to ensure their loyalty.

However, the new leaders of the five Leagues decided to put a stop to his rule, this time individually rather than together. Each of them amassed an army which they used to invade Anarka. Over the course of a year, the entirety of Iscathia was at war with each other, but the war ended when Hathrik, leader of the Ebony Creed, killed Velekren and stole his powers, including his planeswalker's spark.

The Cleansing
With his newfound power, Hathrik, who'd always hated Iscathia and wanted to see it burn, used the power of Velekren and the corrupt mana flow to disrupt every living being, causing the extinction of some and the mutation of others. Allegiances and factions shifted quickly when the very essence of the Iscathians was altered, and the war intensified, leading Iscathia to a point of no return where it would tear itself apart, and nobody could do anything to stop it.

The Drowning of Iscathia
The Watermaker decided enough was enough, and forced himself to do something he'd spent years trying to avoid: destroy his creation. Realizing there was no way to redeem Iscathia, he channeled his power in one last spell. Water had been the beginning of Iscathia, and it would be its end.

His entire body became colossal, and he exploded in torrents of water that violently flooded the world. The only survivor of the massacre was Hathrik, who planeswalked away when he realized what was going on. Even waterborn creatures were killed by the violence with which the water struck them.

In the end, Iscathia was left nothing but a flooded wasteland, the Watermaker became one with the Great Sea, and he finally found peace of mind.

Anarka
Anarka is the central continent of Iscathia, where mana of all five colors flows freely. This mana flow is empowering but corrupting, enabling its users to push their boundaries but always be thirsty for more.

The Iridescent Tower
The Iridescent tower stands in the middle of Iscathia. It is the headquarters of the rulers, and the mana flow of the world starts at its foundations, spreading throughout the rest of the plane.

Ventrala
The northwestern part of Anarka is a country known as Ventrala. It is vastly covered by the Ventralan Forest, a massive woodland home to creatures of all shapes and sizes, including elementals and beasts. Anarkan scouts describe it as the most beautiful place in all of Iscathia. Part of the Ventralan Forest delves into Armonika, giving way to its thickets.

Garridia
Garridia lies to the southeast of the Iridescent Tower. It is a land of ice, where punishing snowstorms are constantly blowing. It is one of the harshest environments in the world, and members of the Crimson Guild head there to train under the most punishing conditions.

Mystros
The region known as Mystros is a vast tundra that covers the area between Ventrala and Garridia. In Mystros, the vegetation that sprouts from the plants of the Ventralan Forest is hit by the glacial winds that come from Garridia, generating a landscape with its own particular beauty.

Ravitrat
The country that lies south of the Iridescent tower. It is a blighted land that's home to demons and their followers. Though originally abundant, Ravitrat was corrupted and ravaged by its inhabitants. At the southernmost part of Ravitrat, just over the frontier with Necrosia, there is a giant cavern where Weavra, the queen of spiders, resides.

Fortariq
A rugged planice that lies to the west of the Iridescent Tower. It is the perfect training place for many Iscathians, and it's one of the most populated regions of Anarka because of that. Right on the frontier with Ravitrat, the Fortress of Heavenly Fire stands.

Luminit
The continent that lies to the north of Anarka. Those who can go through the mountain range that separates Luminit from Anarka are greeted by a vast, hostile desert, which receives most of the heat from the three suns. Though no oases have been found in Luminit, the Ivory Crusade has numerous outposts spread throughout the sands. At the northernmost part of the continent stands the Ivory Castle, headquarters to the Ivory Crusade.

Sapienta
Sapienta is an island that floats to the northeast of Anarka, separated from the mainland. Is it surrounded by the Deepwater, a hostile ocean in which sailing is extremely treacherous both because of the storms over it and the merfolk that lurk in its depths. A colossal bastion, the Sapphire Citadel, covers almost the entirety of the continent, and acts as the headquarters of the Sapphire Brotherhood.

Necrosia
To the southeast of Anarka lies the continent of Necrosia. The earth of Necrosia is sour and murky, as it is covered by swamps and marshes. Those who live in Necrosia know their way around the quagmire, and have built multiple settlements in safe spots. However, the most important location is the Ebony Catacombs, a massive underground network that covers over half the area of Necrosia. These catacombs serve as headquarters for the Ebony Creed, who realized it was easier to live underground rather than on the surface.

Pyrillek
The continent that lies to the southwest of Anarka. Pyrillek is covered in sky-high mountains and treacherous cliffs. Traversing it is highly dangerous and even residents have trouble doing it. The highest mountains are so gigantic their peaks can't be seen from the ground, which is rugged and dry, and rocky avalanches are constantly raining down. Despite being unstable territory, a building known as the Crimson Fortress (headquarters to the Crimson Guild) has been erected on a plateau atop one of the tallest mountains, known as Mount Pyrillos.

The Ivory Crusade
The white faction of Iscathia. They're a group of knights who fight in the name of the Light. They're a religious cult who believe the Light is the one true force driving life and that only those who follow it are worthy of living. They're led by Grillek, Beacon of Light, and live in a castle in Luminit, where they train each and every day in order to impose the Light on others.

The Sapphire Brotherhood
The blue faction of Iscathia. They're a group of erudites who seek enlightenment. They have the capacity of predicting the future and seek to know everything there is to know. They believe in culling the world from ignorance, abhorring it above all else. They're led by Therynissa, the Mastermind, and live in a citadel located in the island Sapienta.

The Ebony Creed
The black faction of Iscathia. They're assassins and rogues who believe in doing whatever it takes to survive. They're cutthroat to a point where they're even willing to kill their own members in order to prove a point and obtain what they want, yet respect each other for that, since at least they're honest. They're led by Hathrik, Master of Deception, and live in the catacombs under Necrosia, waiting for the right moment to strike at the rest of the world and seize what they want.

The Crimson Guild
The red faction of Iscathia. They're brutal warriors who train restlessly ever since they're young, and believe in power above all else. Weakness is not the way of the Guild, and only the strongest are allowed within it. They're led by Pyrillos, Bringer of Hellfire (direct descendant of the Guild's founder), and live in an impregnable fortress where their elders train them rigurously in multiple forms of combat and in pyromancy. They also patiently wait for the reawakening of Selereth, their dragon protector.

The Emerald Gathering
The green faction of Iscathia. They're druids that are mostly pacifistic in nature, although they will fight to defend it. They believe that Iscathia is a place that needs to be healed, and they're the ones chosen to do it. They're led by Melindra, Essence Ruler, and live in a grove in the Immaculate Forest. Melindra is actually an Anarkan-born Iscathian, but she chose to join the Gathering and guides it with actual knowledge of the rest of the world.

Golgorath's Legion
The demon Golgorath rules over Ravitrat with his legion of demonic servants and acolytes. They are relentless and bloodthirsty, defiling everything and everyone they can in their wake. They're sworn enemies of the Order of Heavenly Fire.

The Order of Heavenly Fire
The Order of Heavenly Fire is settled in the frontier between Ravitrat and Fortariq. Led by the angel Eryalla of the Skyfire, the Order is composed of soldiers who decided to stand against Golgorath and his corruption in order to put an end to the demon. Many of its members are former followers of the Ivory Crusade and the Crimson Guild, and the Order has adapted their fighting style to their own.

Deepwater Merfolk
The Deepwater is the name of the ocean that separates Sapienta from the other continents. In the depths of the sea, the merfolk, children of the siren queen Zhajyrah, sabotage the Sapphire Brotherhood and punish those who try to tread their territory.

The Kollanos
A new group of demons was spawned after the Cleansing, and they named themselves the Kollanos. They decided to separate themselves from Golgorath and his legion, and are trying to take Ravitrat away from them.

The Demon Hunters
With the increased number of demons brought by the Cleansing, survivors of the war, most of them former Ivory Crusade members, decided something had to be done about it. They joined forces and rose as the Demon Hunters. Led by the human Astralis, they use the combined knowledge each of their members learned from their former allegiances as weapons to bring down Golgorath and the Kollanos.

The Cult of the Necrolords
After the Cleansing altered their very essence, druids of the Emerald Gathering became devoted to death itself. They created the Cult of the Necrolords as a way to worship death and decay. They seek to learn from death in order to transcend it, and despite their previous worship of nature, they now seek to alter the workings of nature past its natural lifespan.

Notable Iscathians
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