Ethernealrus

The Kingdom of Time and Dreams fancies itself neither a part of Cerphixen or Xephixir, instead preferring to operate as its own entity. There are a few cities full of mortals who have settled there, and their human rulers maintain a castle in a place known as the Temporal Forest. Like Nintendria, its mortal population knows no true elemental slant, and all eight affinities can be found there. But Ethernealrus is special, in its imbuement with the mysterious Time and Dream Magics. It is unknown if there are any practitioners of Time Magic living among them, but there are a good few who practice Dream magic, from the mysterious Vaziranha of the Duskseal Forest, to Danil himself and his closest followers.

Many areas of Ethernealrus are shrouded in mystery, and others still are on different planes of existence entirely, but are still counted. It too has a very ranged landscape, due to its sheer size.

The Lower Plains:
A quiet savannah littered with small hills, travelers coming from Xephixir all come through the Lower Plains of Ethernealrus. The grass is as long as the pathways are well-traveled. There are few opportunities for ambush along these roads.

Crossroads Entryway
After entering the rift inside the Kingdom Crossroads in the center of the Eight Kingdoms area, you will find yourself in front of a simple yet decorated signpost, carved with symbols and elemental runes pointing in the general directions of important locations.

Ruins of Beginning
Also known as Twisgap. As old as the planets themselves, legend has it that this is where the elements were organized and created, but if you've ever been there, you will note that the elemental symbols seem... forged, like they were not originally there. As if there's more of a history here, that an ancient creator wanted no one to ever find. Seers have attempted to learn the past of this sacred place, but none have succeeded. The walls are covered in eroded scratches and explosion marks, as if it were deliberately destroyed.

Sonho City
The City of Sleep. As soon as you enter the threshhold of this city, you begin to feel hazy. Things here have a tendency to feel... unreal. Dream-like. Legends tell that this city has a very strong connection with the Realm of the Dreaming Dead.

Entry to the Dream Void
At the end of a dead end path lies a swirling black vortex. Should you enter this vortex, you will find yourself in the Dream Void.

Temporal Forest
A forest filled with tall trees and ancient plants, the likes of which have gone extinct on Xephixir proper. In the air hang many mystical glowing bits, which may be exotic pollen or may just be pure magic. Everything seems to stand still when you enter this forest. In its center is a tall and ancient castle, where the singular immortal queen of Ethernealrus lives. Said to be nearly impervious to corruption.

Ethernealrus Palace
Though less grandiose than Danil's castle, the spires of Ethernealrus Palace are grand and decorated in their own right. Milling about the area are attendees of all sorts; from human, to Shryien, to Kitsune, to Vaziranha, to even small dragons. The interior is littered about with webbing; this is for the comfort of the queen, one Irena Octavia Ethernealrus, a Vaziranha woman of the highest stature and the only known mortal to know Time magic.

The Mountains of Eternity
The landscape in and around these mountains looks much like a particularly realistic surrealist painting. The grass in the foothills swirls in many different colors, and the mountains themselves each take on a different hue. Time stands absolutely still here. The animals do not age or grow old, nor do the plants. This is one of the only two places accessible to Xephixireans where one can find wild dragons, and the only place where you can find them in any element besides Frost and Flame.

Témpor Eternidade
The City of Eternity. This city is very odd. It has no one set sort of architecture, instead sampling from all eight kingdoms, in all sorts of different ages, the old buildings from cities on Cerphixen before it was ruined, and even unknown sorts of building styles. Its people seem to age very slowly, sometimes growing even older than Terrantians tend to live to. Aside from that, it seems to by all accounts be a normal, modern city, as far as culture goes.

Dragonkeep
Nestled within a valley in the Mountains of Eternity is a city of vast proportions, where the cliffs and spires are dotted with caves and lairs aplenty. This is Dragonkeep, and it is where the largest colony of great elemental dragons call home. Only a few folks of the smaller races live here, as dragons can be tempermental creatures, and are prone to drive off intruders. It is a custom that whenever a new Royal Family is coronated, they are taken to Dragonkeep to find a dragon of their element to bond with, which will become a member of the royal court and a ceremonial mount.

Spectrum Pass
The only marked, and therefore the only safe passageway from the Lower Plains and Mountains of Eternity into the Wrathlands, Spectrum Pass cuts right through the mountains in the bottom of a canyon. Though not as numerous as the likes of Dragonkeep, one will occasionally spot the lair of a dragon, built higher on the cliff edges above the pass. The pass cuts directly through to Frostfire Ridge.

Duskseal Forest Area:
A deep, dark forest where the night is as eternal as Shadowrian and lights are important. The Duskseal Forest is home to not one, but two separate tribes of people. It is said that in its early days, the Forest was shrouded in a fog that blocked out all light. The legend states that Chaotionzella took that fog and condensed it into an orb of incredible power, that would cast eternal night onto the forest and all connected areas. This myth was later proven true after the closure of the Timeless Rift and the addition of the Four Lands to Ethernealrus, as she took the Night Orb and added the additional fog into it, strengthening its power.

The Village of Shryien
A small village, containing a small tribe of dark warriors. They practice dream magic, and are tasked with keeping the Night Orb safe. Their population has dwindled in recent days, however, and is thought to be linked to the mysterious happenings at the Lunardream Factory.

The Altar of the Night Orb
Set deep inside the forest, a large altar, built up with the bones of various dragons and beasts, stands tall. In the center, on a pedestal, rests a black orb, glowing red. It's said that this area is what keeps Shadowrian in its famous eternal night, as well as keeping the Duskseal Forest pitch black. It is usually guarded by various top Shryien warriors.

Vaziranha Settlement
Somewhere not marked concretely on any map, is a village containing the reclusive Vaziranha who run the Lunardream Factory. It is said that unless you know the path by heart, the forest itself will turn you around, leading you back out the way you came. When you start running into homes spun from webbing and enchanted tree sap, you know you've arrived in the settlement proper. The Vaziranha are reverent to any visitors, but quick to chase out hostile intentions.

The Lunardream Factory
This is the place that purifies the aether that makes up the dream bubbles in which we dream at night. It is normally manned by a mysterious spider-like race called the Vaziranha, but appears to have been abandoned in recent days due to an attack by a robot called the Dream Deferrer. The Vaziranha themselves live in an undisclosed village somewhere in the forest, not marked by any map.

The Wrathlands
A harsh tundra littered with crags and glaciers, the Wrathlands not only sport a vast system of underground lakes beneath its frozen earth, but aboveground lakes of lava, not unlike the harsher areas of Magmarne. Frost and Fire dragons prefer to call this place their home over the Mountains of Eternity, and mortal settlements are mostly small camps and villages, unmarked on most maps.

Frostfire Ridge
The main city of the Wrathlands. Homes here are cut right into the crags of ice that jut up from the landscape, padded and insulated with wood imported from the Duskseal Forest so as to make them livable as permanent homes. It is said that the mayor of this city is a dragon who lives beneath the ice in his preferred underground lake home.

The Upper Plains:
An emerald green highland stretches from the Wrathlands and Duskseal Forest all the way to the Field of Crystal and Soul and Danil's Castle. The area is noted for the constant winds gusting through its valleys - a good place for windboarders to learn to ride.

The Chaotic Spirit Tomb
Perhaps the tallest mountain in Ethernealrus. Inside, there are many branching caves and hallways, built out of onyx and ebony and lit up with violet torches. It foes pitch black before you enter, but it's quick to change over into the haunting purple light. When you are sufficiently deep inside, you are greeted with a branching pathway, in a room that has a shattered statue and pressured tiles that no longer do anything.

The rightmost passage is newer than the other two, and leads to a large hall of gravestones - this is the cemetary of the Chaos Reapers. The central passage leads back to the trail outside. The left, however, was unexplored until recently. There seems to be a barrier around the entry, which when you approach it displays the symbol of Balance centered within an unknown symbol shaped like a gear. This is a seal put in place by Ranthael, only breakable by he and the Temporal Sorceress.

The Grave of the Creators
Many thanks to Miss Astra for gathering this information. The Grave of the Creators lays beyond the left-most passageway in the Chaotic Spirit Tomb, eternally guarded by a seal that it's said only Ranthael can break. There is a small room just before the grave proper, with four odd tiles on the wall. These tiles once hid four keys needed to access the Timeless Rift.

The grave proper is a relatively small room, considering, with eleven human-sized statues standing atop large pedestals; one above the two entrances, three on either side wall, and four along the back. Most of these statues are grave markers, and the pathway, which fades into tile alternating gold and violet, takes great care not to disturb them. Only a single statue does not have a mound underneath it where a body lies - the statue of the Temporal Sorceress.

The four statues on the back wall, depicting the family in the legend who made it across the veil, each have one hand outstretched, and the two in the middle - the Temporal Sorceress and the Void Singer - have their hands joined in the exact middle of the room. If one were to place the four keys into the hands of the statues, the entryway to the Timeless Rift would be opened.

After the Sorceress ordered the rift closed, and all its contents brought out into the waking world, the keys and the gate were both stripped of their former use. Now, the statues are symbolic only, and the keys were taken by the Sorceress, as they were her family's favorite items and she wishes to hold them for them.

Eternal Tower
An ancient tower, but not as ancient as the likes of Twisgap. Said to be built by the goddess Serengarel, this tower is plain stone, with inlays of some sort of curious lavender stone. She is said to keep a set of curious artifacts closely guarded in there, artifacts that have only been brought out a few times in history. The lowest floor contains an archway in the dead center of the room with nothing inside of it - old textbooks say that it was once the equivalent of the Crossroads Entryway for those who lived on Cerphixen.

The Holy Spring
A large fountain, about the size of a small lake. with marble pillars rising out from the bottom at intervals. These pillars flow water from the statues at their peak. The waters of this spring are known to heal, and it is said that forgiveness is guaranteed to the wretches who visit it.

Danil's Castle
A giant castle, surpassing any that exist on Xephixir - even Zempheriea's. It is a tangled web of rooms and hallways, intended to house a good many people that he grants his favor to. At the peak is Danil's throne, and two tears in reality - one that leads to Hell, and one that leads to Heaven. You would need his express permission, and his power, to enter either one.

The Field of Crystal and Soul
Markedly different from a lot of its surroundings, the Fields of Crystal and Soul eternally give off an eerie blue light. As its name implies, crystals jut out from the ground everywhere here. Even the plant-like structures seem to be made of it. But even from being made of crystal, it all seems as if it is pulsing with life, like there lies a giant heart within the center, pumping soul into the land. Aura-seers like to make jewelry out of the crystals here, claiming itaids their powers.

Sonidades
The city of Time and Rest. A normal city in most rights... except the original denizens have all been asleep for hundreds of years. It is said that they may only be awoken again when a powerful enough entity enters our realm, but no one knows who laid this curse on them. In the meantime, stragglers of all sorts have moved in in their stead, and kept the city alive.

Crystalheart Mesa
This location positively glows with the energy of the souls who live in it. The crystals change color based on the aura of those who touch them. The homes in this curious little settlement are more like burrows, as this is the main city of the Kitsune who are native to the Fields of Crystal and Soul.

Heaven:
Mostly consisting of open fields, with a few wooded areas and ruins and such for exploration and interest, Heaven is quite peaceful and pleasant. Houses lay scattered throughout the fields, rather decently sized, with anything inside that you may need or want. The souls of the dead intermingle here and there. There are a few notable places here. One is a large courthouse made of marble and gold. Inside, souls are judged by the god Alastor. On a good day, you can watch the happy souls walk out and be reunited with long lost family members. On an off day, you can hear the defiant screams of evil souls as his acolytes send them down to Hell. Another notable location is the large golden palace that can be seen from quite a distance off. This is Lucentielle's personal villa, and she fills her rooms with the fallen that she personally takes a liking to. Off in the opposite dorection, you can see an even bigger structure, made of all sorts of lovely stones and metals - this is the citadel where all the gods of good may also call home, though it primarily belongs to Ranthael.

Hell:
A dark realm where the skies are always a dark, greenish gray. Skeletons line the ground, and any soul who wnters is turned to look undead. Those who are banished to Hell retain the mortal wounds they died from, to suffer that pain eternally. In the distance, at least from the entryway you enter from Danil's Castle, a tower is visible - this is the domain where the goddess Chaotionzella and her direct subordinates call the shots. That tower rests in the middle of a sea of deadly mist, only accessable by flight. At the top of the tower rests the powerful Black World Crystal, Chaotionzella's favorite jewel and an extraordinarily powerful artifact of Shadow magic. It was recently sealed by me and the rest of our group to prevent access to it by Danil's Impurity Fraction, at the expense of temporarily forcing my cousins to channel gods.

The Realm of the Dreaming Dead:


For mortals, this realm is only accessable through the Dream Void. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the dead do not go here. Instead, it is where the astral projections of sleeping people go, and where the ether produced by the Lunardream Factory forms the 'dream bubbles' in which we see our dreams. No one knows what the realm itself holds besides these bubbles, but the view from the Dream Void indicates a deep blue, starry... well, void. Like stars in the sky, the bubbles flicker in the distance. The Dream Void area itself keeps deep blue decals, and the central square from which you enter has a strange pattern on it, that resembles a sort of black hole-type thing. There are many towers floating along a street of stones levitating over the void, this is where those who are not dreaming find themselves when they sleep.

The Timeless Rift:
Once again, many thanks to Miss Astra for gathering this information. The Timeless Rift was the legendary plane, far separated from our own, where the Temporal Sorceress hid, mourning her family until very recently. According to the description gathered, the realm was split up into four sectors, each bearing a strong resemblance to some area in Ethernealrus. Each sector came with a trial, seemingly tailor made for eight specific people.

After all four trials were completed, the four pathways rose up to a tower floating in the center of it all, that notably had a house fused to the top of it. This was the home of the Temporal Sorceress. On the ground floor, there was a fountain - the only source of the Elixir of Life.
 * The first sector was a land of many colors, bearing a resemblance to the Mountains of Eternity. It appeared faded out, and the trial was a dance around a white stone, careful not to step off of the lines provided, else you started over again. This trial was completed by Miss Astra and Cameron.
 * The second was similar to the deepest parts of the Duskseal Forest. A dense fog coated this land. It was an odd fog, that appeared to seal out all light, requiring use of a 'second sight' - for example, Aura sight. The trial here was to match a phantom step for step, and to fill the mountains and rocky crags with a melody. This trial was completed by Angel and Zorana.
 * The third sector resembled the Fields of Crystal and Soul, if the Fields didn't have the strong Aura flowing through them. The idea here was to restore that Aura, and to play a duet with the reflection you saw in the largest crystal. Completed by Miss Vera and Denzia.
 * The last took after the Wrathlands, with frozen fields and magma lakes. This trial required defeating a guardian statue, seemingly crafted in the image of one of the Creators, as well as having the focus to see visions in the reflections in the ice. Completed by Ranthael and Itsuki.

This rift has recently ceased to exist, and its contents migrated elsewhere. The tower had the house on top removed and was placed in what would seem to be its original position, and the four trial lands attached to the places in Ethernealrus that they most resemble. The Queen of Ethernealrus is officially sponsoring settlement and exploration parties to map out and tame these new wilds.

The house on top of the tower was placed on the very edge of the Vargas Farmstead in Nintendria, where the owner of the Farmstead was gracious enough to grant enough land for a yard. This is hanceforth where the Sorceress lives.