Introduction Greetings, noble traveler! Within the following pages, you will gain a brief understanding of Undorbis and some of its more prominent features and people. Given that we here at the Order do not know the extent of your knowledge, we have tried to make this guide as comprehensive as possible, explaining even the simplest things we all take for granted. In addition to simple yet overarching explanations, you will also find wonderful diagrams by one of our Mages, as well as the occasional reference to documents that go into the specified topic at more depth. So please, traveler, read on and discover what makes Undorbis an amazing place!

The Tide There are a number of unique features to Undorbis, but perhaps the biggest is the tide. You see, the tide rises and falls by about 1,000 feet. The rise or fall of the tide happens at about 3:00 AM on the first day of the week, and it is quite sudden; the entire movement of the tide takes only about 15 minutes. This is controlled by the 2 moons (which I will explain later). When the Enchanted Moon and the Misty Moon exclipse each other, the tide rises. For reasons unknown, the tide stays at this height, until exactly one week later, when the moons are on opposite sides of Undorbis and the tide lowers. This whole process then repeats. You can see this illustrated in the following sketch. This sketch may be simple, but it illustrates the point well. Due to these tides, many cities have interesting docks. Some will have a pair, one at low tide, and one at high. Other cities will just have one dock. If they have one dock, it will usually be at high tide as the dock is then closer to the city. This of course means that if you happen to arrive at low tide, you will unfortunately need to wait until the tide comes in to access the dock.
Some interesting things to develop because of this tide are things known as "Sublisles". These are islands that only appear at low tide; during the high tide they are completely covered by water. Over the years, many pirates have buried treasure in places like this simply due to the fact that there are so many Subisles, no one would ever be able to find the one with treasure.

The Moons There are 2 moons that orbit Undorbis. The larger of the 2 is known as the Enchanted Moon. This moon glows a pale green, making it look like a spell has been cast over it, thus giving it its name. The smaller moon is called the Misty Moon. This moon is pearly white in color and appears completely smooth. Diagrams of both moons appear to the right.
The Enchanted Moon has an interesting history. In the past, many have theoriezed that this moon is the source of all magic. Given the green glow, it's easy to see why this belief has pervaded for so long. However, more recent theories suggest that this moon is not the source of all magic, but rather a cause of it. Instead, most now believe that at some point far in the past, some great magic was enacted that caused the moon to be suffused with magical energies. What could have happened is unknown, but whatever the cause, we now have a moon that poets and lovers revere, and adds a soft green glow to the night sky.
The Misty Moon is still an enigma to us. With its pearly color and lack of any features, our best theory is that the whole moon is shrouded in mists and fog. Quite the enigma! There have been many fanciful tales of people living on this moon, but this is nothing but imaginative fancy. It's unkonwn how one would even get to this moon, nonetheless live on it. So until more can be discovered, the Misty Moon will have to retain its secrets, with us content to recieve its pearly light and wonder.







Magic and the Emblems Magic is a fascinating and complex topic. It's hard to boil it down to a synopsis, but I shall make the attempt. The best place to start would be with the Emblems. Emblems are small magical devices that fit in the palm of the hand. By stacking a few - in the palm or on a surface - a mage can bring forth Spells. Each Emblem is a small triagular construct of special stones and metals only accessible by the Order. When the proper Emblems are stacked in the proper way, the mage need only will the Spell to be cast and it is done so. Currently, there are 275 known Spells and 25 Emblems. New Emblems have not been discovered or created in many hundreds of years, but there is always the possibility of finding more. These Spells and Emblems are divided up by difficulty to cast. There are some Spells that are so powerful only one person every 1,000 years has the ability to cast them. On the other hand, there are many Spells so simple that people are born every day with enough talent to make them work. It is unknown how men discovered the Emblems or how to work magic. Maybe it was divine inspiration. However it came about, we know for sure that the sentient races would have no ablility to cast magics if not for the Emblems. Below, you will find a copy of a document detailing magic. It is on the 25 Emblems and what they represent.
Description of Emblems

The Order and SpellSpire The Order! Bastion of Magic! Housed in the mighty tower SpellSpire, the Order oversees all magic. Founded over 2,000 years ago by Draelius Pantaganna, the Order manufactures Emblems, employs and congregates those who have magical talent, oversees the use of magic across the world and stands as the ruling force over the city of Pesaphena and the Isles of the Sorcerer. As of current, there are roughly 25,000 members of the Order, with about 15,000 of those within the walls of SpellSpire at any given time. There are five ranks within the Order, with members being arranged according to skill and experience. The lowest of these are the Order-Initiates. They are the bright young pupils of tomorrow. Those who are just beginning to learn their magical talent, or who exhibit low potential. Next are the Order-Adepts. These are students who show a firm grasp of magic and have at least moderate potential. They still are treated as Initiates, but they are given a little more freedom in their studies and what they are allowed to do. Next we reach the types that most people associate with the Order. The Order-Mage. These individuals have passed rigorous tests of magical skill and prowess and demonstrate a strong knowledge of magic, its uses and responsibilities. They are allowed to leave SpellSpire to partake jobs on behalf of the Order, spreading its benevolence. Truly powerful are those yet above them, though. The Order-Wizards. Relatively few in number due to the large inherent talent needed to reach this rank, the Order-Wizards usually serve in advisory and research positions. They are allowed to come and go as they please to forward the progress of magic. Finally, the head of the Order, the Warlock. This position is currently held - and has been for the last 344 years - by a man named Semmis Blackbow. The Warlock is chosen for his wisdom and leadership, and there have been few times indeed where that choice ended up being a poor one.
The building the Order is housed in - SpellSpire - was built 3,099 years ago by the Sorcerer. He had it constructed as his fortress from which he ruled the known world for over 700 years in the Age of the Sorcerer. Of course, as we all know, when he was destroyed by Enreetha the Liberator in 1 A.E., the tower was left vacant; A symbol of a vanished tyrrany, hulking in the center of a liberated city. That changed in 47 A.E. with the founding of the Order. Rising 2,500 feet above the city, SpellSpire is a majestic and awe-inspiring structure. Tempered with thousands upon thousands of castings of the Reinforce Spell, this structure is near-indestructible. SpellSpire is a mighty testament to all sentient magic and will probably stand for all time.



Earthmagic While the magic of the sentient races is fascinating, it is by no means the only magic. There is natural magic in Undorbis known as Earthmagic. This ranges from things as simple as springs which seem to never run dry, to the Zones, where distance stretches out oddly, making an island only a handful of miles across somehow seem like dozens or hundreds of miles across. The Zones do this, stretching distances within them impossibly. And the Zones constantly move and change, never in the same place or stretch things the same way twice. The Zones are also quite common. With the larger islands, it is nearly impossible to walk from one end to the other without running into at least one Zone. But there are other forms of Earthmagic. Wuendheim is one, but its properties are not understood at all. The Isle of Mortality is another, but due to its location, it also is not understood. Perhaps some day we will understand Earthmagic better, but until then, it remains a source of fascination and study.

World History Ah history. To study the past to learn about the present. I will not go into too much depth as there are nearly 6,000 years of recorded history, but history can be divided into 4 Ages. The oldest of which being the Age of Chaos. Records of this Age are sparse, but from what we can gather, this Age mostly consisted of the various intelligent races discovering and getting into wars with each other. A violent and aptly-named Age indeed! It is known Maloreth and Pesaphena had several wars, and that the Dwarves and Elves got into a 300-year war that created their certain, ah, racial prejudices for each other. This Age ended with the infamous DeathWar in which the Necromancer Black Chakram led his armies of undead against all the races and nearly conquered everything and everyone.
The next Age was the Age of Kings. This was a fascinating time of exploration and battle. Times were rough, and many islands were unexplored, but through a handful of brave explorers, the world finally began to settle become a less wild place. The most memorable Age was the next one, the Age of the Sorcerer. There isn't a soul alive who doesn't know about the Sorcerer, and how at the beginning of this age he wielded mighty magic to bring all under his dominion. For 700 years, he ruled the world with an iron fist, giving name to the Isles of the Sorcerer, and banning the title "Sorcerer" for all time.
Finally, we come to the current Age, the Age of Exploration. This is the Age of enlightenment, where there is peace far more often that not, and where ships are sailing farther than ever before, exploring new territories and settling new lands. When, under the discretion of the Order, new Emblems are being discovered. Yes, this current Age is one of magnificence, an Age that will never end.

Black Chakram Black Chakram... just the name of this individual sends chills through even the toughest of warriors. For the final 200 years of the Age of Chaos, he brought all the sentient races into war against him in what is now known as the Deathwar. Even with aid addition of the mighty dragons, he almost defeated everyone. No one is sure why he in fact didn't win. For the final 20 years of the war, he all but did nothing, and then in the final year simply vanished. Some speculated that he had lived and was in hiding, but roughly 300 years later, a powerful mage cast a spell that would check to see if Black Chakram was alive and it appeared that he was in fact dead. He was a fascinating individual who was so powerful that some of today's most potent magics are named after him.
However, as far as the man himself is concerned, very little is known. One must keep in mind that records from the Age of Chaos are very sparse indeed. The only thing about the Age we really know well is the Deathwar because it was so monumental. Of course, the founding of the Shrines is well recorded, as well as a few other wars, but by and large, we know very little about Black Chakram. Why did he launch his massive attacks? Where did he get his power? Perhaps we'll never know and should just remain content in the knowledge that he is dead.

The Sorcerer While not quite as powerful as Black Chakram was, the Sorcerer was nonetheless a more successful conqueror. The Age of the Sorcerer spans his entire rule over the known world. At the end of the Age of Kings, he began his conquests. Through shrewd tactics and an intelligence that few have matched since, he pitted his foes against one another and conquered those who remained. After 30 years of conquest, every sentient nation had fallen under his power. This wasn't because he has particularly strong armies with which to repel enemy attacks, but rather due to the fact that he knew his enemies' weaknesses and kept all in line through fear. While he was, of course, an evil tyrannical ruler, his rule did have one good effect; Through his rule a peace was achieved that allowed the Age of Exploration to be what it is after he died. His rule did indeed bring everyone together, even if they did not want to be and had to watch every word they said with extreme caution, lest the Sorcerer's secret police take you away, never to be seen again.
While an amazing individual, equally amazing is the woman who finally ended his reign. We all know the tales of Enreetha the Liberator and how in the final days of the Sorcerer's power, she scaled the entirety of SpellSpire using ancient and arcane Earthmagics along with her companions to reach an entrance into the Sorcerer's Sanctum. Whereupon she found him deep in the casting of the Immortality Spell and ended his life. After all, as all the stories make reference to Enreetha being a more powerful caster than the Sorcerer. She was in fact rumored to be able to cast the 10th level Spells. Not many indeed through history who could do that! At any rate, so the Sorcerer died and Enreetha was praised as a mighty hero. But strangely, after about 20 years, she vanished. Many looked for her, but she was never found.

The Storm of Anguish The Sorcerer's legacy. The Storm of Anguish is a gigantic storm sitting on the former route between Maloreth and Pesaphena. Back before the Sorcerer, direct travel between these two cities was possible, and only took about 2 weeks. However, since the advent of this Storm, travel between Maloreth and Pesaphena now takes at least a month. The Storm of Anguish was created by the Sorcerer in 57 A.S. to keep blocade runners from getting supplies past to needy citizens. The early strategies of the Sorcerer included cutting people off from supplies so they would realize that life itself was dependent on the whims of the Sorcerer.
To date, no one is really sure how the Storm has lasted so many thousands of years. The magical power required to make a perpetual storm would be enormous, and it is well known that the Sorcerer wasn't powerful enough of a mage. What most suppose is that he found the exact place where wind currents and sea currents would naturally be able to support such a storm once started. Not a very sound theory, but it's the best that anyone has been able to come up with.


The Sentient Races As everyone knows, there are 5 intelligent races. Unless you have been living on one of the more remote islands for the majority of your life, you will have encountered them. However, for the sake of completeness, I will go over each of the races in detail.
Humans: Slightly more numerous than the other races and far more volatile, humans are highly adaptable. Humans are by far the most adventurous of the races, and it is mainly human explorations that define the edges of the known world. Humans also adapt to their surroundings easily, and thus you will often see humans living among the other races quite happily.



Elves: The elves can be defined as being simply stuck-up. While a bit of an overstatement, this is more or less true, and any elf will admit it. Elven society is more in tune with nature and the world around them. Elves are not much for exploring and will usually stick to their islands to the south. One will see the occasional elven trader selling some of their unique, delicate wares, but this is an oddity.


Dwarves: Stout, drunk, and joyful; This describes the dwarves. Known for their incredible beer-making abilities, everyone has long accepted the fact that any bar run without a dwarven bartender is likely to be substandard. The dwarves are a little more adventurous than the elves, but they prefer to explore down into the earth rather than along the wide seas. It has also long been known that the dwarves and elves do not get along well, so you will rarely see them associate if they can help it.

Dragons: Ah, the noble dragons. Oldest and wisest of races, the dragons usually stay clear of the other races. They say this is mostly due to a long war everyone had with the dragons back in the Age of Chaos. No one but the dragons remember this, but as the saying goes "doubt a dragon, welcome death". The dragons are not adverse to visitors, but few ever visit the Dragonlord Isles.



Pliit: Strange to say the least, the pliit are an odd-looking, odd-mannered bunch. With no skin on the top of their heads and tips of their hands and feet, as well as their slightly blue toned skin, many mistake them for undead on first sight. If that weren't enough, the pliit also have the odd ability to control luck to some degree. No one is sure how it works or to what degree, but the pliit are not allowed in casinos since they have the knack of always winning. Their natural luck gives them a strong carefree attitude that to some is almost eerie, and certainly takes some getting used to.

Religion and the Shrines God is very poorly understood. People are divided on what they believe. Some believe that there is only one God with 3 aspects or moods. Good, neutral, and evil. Others believe that there are 3 distinct gods of Good, Neutral and Evil. All that we know is based off history and oral tradition. It is said there are 2 realms of death: The unpleasant one is called the Netherealm. This realm we know to exist as it is where demons and undead come from. The nicer one is known as Mynnestrya and is supposedly where you go if you are a holy enough individual. Unfortunately, without direction from whatever powers that be, this is hard to define. The only direction we have are 10 Shrines that have been built around the world. The story of constuction for each is odd, and it is believed that each one was built by some avatar of the deity or deities to help guide us. For this reason, holy men are usually seen as those who follow the 10 Shrines with equal measure. A confusing and vague topic indeed!

Society Such a complex topic... where to begin? There are currently 2 human nations and a nation for each of the other races. We'll start with the 2 human nations as they have had an interesting past. The human nation centered around the city of Maloreth has usually been home to knights, adventurers, rogues and bards. The city is dynamic, accepting most who enter. For this reason, you will often find members of all the sentient races here. The city is ruled by a line of kings that has gone back thousands of years.
The other human nation, centered around the city of Pesaphena, is home almost exclusively to those of the Order and those who provide them with the goods and services they need. Here you'll find a huge amount of diversity as the Order brings in all sorts regardless of anything except their ability to cast magic. The city has a fierce loyalty as there is a single thing to unite all its citizens.
As for the other nations, things are a liitle simpler. The dwarven nation fights with the elven nation; the dragon nation keeps pretty much to itself, and the pliit nation is so integrated with the human nations that the only place it seems to be autonomous is on the island of Pliitaania. Wars have broken out amongst all the nations at various times, but for the time being there is peace. In fact, things have been going so well that the human nations have set up 2 outlying cities. Kekilek: the city of ice, far to the north, and Tonatis: the desert city far to the south.
Currency: This is a topic that amuses historians to no end. Due to overuse of the Transmutation Spell throughout history, gold and silver are now worthless as currency. Instead, monetary worth is found in high-quality precious gemstones. Of course, these would be impractical to carry around, so with help from the Jewel of the Earth Spell, people carry around small flawed gemstones to represent the real ones. To prevent counterfeit, the flaw in the flawed gemstones is shaped very specifically using a special technique known only by the Order. A diagram of the various gemstones and their relative worths is displayed to the right. While they are thin chips, they have been magically treated to be more resistant to damage. It is quite fascinating to look back at old records to see how people placed value in raw gold. Nowadays, of course, gold is only worth something when it has been shaped and smithed.









The Known Islands There are 16 major islands in the known world. I will not go over any of them here as that would take far too much time. Suffice it so say, it is not known what is beyond the outer waters, or even if there are any other major islands. I have included a rather large map of the known islands that details the various currents and the times it takes to travel between locations.
The Known Islands

The EarthHeart and EarthSoul What power and grandeur is stored in these 2 artifacts! Discovered only a scant 100 years apart from each other long ago in the Age of Kings, these 2 items brought much power to the Elves and Dwarves. The EarthHeart is a flawless magic ruby six feet across and it has many strange and wonderful powers. The EarthSoul is a 6-foot shaft of smooth wood from Orenthis - the world tree. Many of the powers of these artifacts are still unknown as both were lost shortly after their respective discoveries and were only re-found a short year ago. However, I am sure we will see the Elves and Dwarves do mighty things now their crowning discoveries have been returned to them!

Colloquialisms There are many odd sayings among the peoples of Undorbis. As no one person or culture uses or knows them all, I will explain most of them here, even though most readers will know these. If you don't learn a new saying from reading these, then perhaps you will enjoy at least seeing the history behind some of them.

"Saw it true" - This saying comes from the Zones. Often, if one is standing just outside a Zone and looking into the distance, you can see what should be only a short journey away. However, once you enter said Zone, these distances distort, and what looked near now becomes far. The term "saw it true" arose to mean that something went as planned. It was originally used when people took a journey and the distances were as they normally are, without any intervening Zones to mess up the distance that was seen. Nowadays, this phrase is pretty much used by all cultures to signify that things went smoothly and as planned.
"1,000 feet deep" - This saying is a combination of two things. It usually means that someone is both stupid and in a lot of trouble. It comes from what would happen if someone was standing at the shore during low tide, right when it switches to high tide. The unfortunate individual would be both an idiot for standing in such a place at such a time and in a lot of trouble as they would soon be 1,000 feet under water. Hence the phrase.
"Drop a Dwarf" - This crude saying is used solely by the Elves as a euphamism for the elimination of solid bodily wastes. Very crude and intentionally used whenever a Dwarf is within earshot, the Elves concede that this is one of the only things that mars their "pristine culture". No one is sure from whence this saying came, but irregardless it is now deeply entrenched in Elven tongues.

Conclusion I hope you have enjoyed reading this brief tour through some of the more interesting points of Undorbis. There is, of course, so much more to learn and explore and I have barely scratched the surface here. However, I hope that I have piqued your interest to learn more. So please, by all means, let this not be an ending for you, but merely a starting point. Thank you.