Welcome to The Library of Xendien!
Book I - The World
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This world is known as Gielinor.
The name appears in fragments of old texts, carved into stone beneath cities, and spoken by those who claim no authorship of it. No record explains its origin, nor why this name endured while others vanished.
Gielinor was not shaped for its current inhabitants. Mountains stand where no quarry was intended. Caverns stretch deeper than any need would require. The land bears signs of purpose long forgotten.
Magic flows through the world itself. It is not bound to a single place, race, or craft. It exists as a constant, as natural as soil and stone, yet far more dangerous.
Of Unexplored Lands
Only a portion of Gielinor is known.
Beyond mapped borders lie seas without names and lands without records. No official expeditions are recorded. What little is known comes from travelers who did not return, or returned unwilling to speak.
It is unknown whether these lands remain untouched, abandoned, or deliberately hidden.
Maps end not because the world does — but because knowledge does.
Of a World Older Than Its People
Cities are built upon foundations not laid by their builders.
Walls stand where no records describe their construction. Roads lead toward places that no longer exist. Entire underground systems predate the settlements above them.
The world does not feel ancient because it is old —
it feels ancient because it has outlived its creators.
Book II - The Ages
- The Age Before Memory
- The Age of Unbound Magic
- The Age of Fracture
- The Age of Survival
This age has no surviving name. Ruins buried beneath earth and stone originate here. Their craftsmanship surpasses modern ability, yet bears no recognizable method. Magic appears woven into structures rather than applied afterward. Creatures now considered rare or forbidden were present in great number. Dragons were not feared — they were expected. No records describe the fall of this age. Only its silence remains.
Magic reached its greatest extent. Power was pursued without restraint. Boundaries between realms weakened. Summoning, alteration, and experimentation became commonplace. Cities expanded rapidly, then vanished without trace. The appearance of demons in Gielinor is believed to originate in this age — not as invasion, but as consequence. This age ended violently. Many records from this time were deliberately destroyed.
The world did not end — it broke. Civilization withdrew. Regions became uninhabitable. Survivors sealed what they could not destroy and abandoned what they could not contain. The northern lands were lost during this age. Knowledge became dangerous.
This is the present age. Kingdoms exist, but they are diminished. Magic is regulated. Exploration is discouraged except by those with little to lose. The world continues not because it is stable, but because it has not yet failed again.
Book III - The Kingdoms
- The kingdoms of the present age are not great empires. They are responses to loss. Misthalin, a human realm built upon forgotten ground. Its capital stands above sealed tunnels and buried chambers. Order is maintained through guards and walls, though neither addresses what lies beneath. Peace is claimed often, yet vigilance is constant. Asgarnia, a land of law, stone, and discipline. Its cities are fortified beyond necessity. Knights uphold order with devotion that borders on fear. Beneath its halls lie dungeons not meant for criminals alone. Silence is valued here. The Desert Realm, a kingdom shaped by heat and endurance. Its people thrive where others would perish. Their customs are ancient, and their restraint suggests knowledge learned through loss rather than instruction. What they know, they guard. The Southern Lands - Jungles, islands, and forgotten shores. Civilization here is sparse. Ancient practices persist. Ruins remain undisturbed beneath foliage and time. These lands remember what others chose to forget.
Book IV - The Races
- Many races walk Gielinor, though none claim authorship of it. Humans, numerous and adaptable. Humans inherit rather than create. Their cities rise quickly, yet stand upon older stone. They survive by curiosity — and often suffer for it. Dwarves, masters of stone and metal. They delve where others fear to tread. What they uncover is guarded closely. Their reluctance to share knowledge suggests experience, not arrogance. Elves, rarely seen. Their history is hidden, their lands concealed. Their connection to magic appears older than recorded time. Whether they remember the past or choose to forget it is unknown. Gnomes, small in stature, vast in ingenuity. Their machines defy conventional understanding. Whether their knowledge was rediscovered or preserved is uncertain. Flight is not invention — it is remembrance. Giants, remnants of a harsher age. Their numbers are fewer, their strength diminished, yet they persist where others failed. Dragons, ancient and intelligent. They are not beasts, but survivors. Their restraint suggests memory of a world where dominance carried consequences. Demons, not native to this world. Their presence confirms that Gielinor is not sealed. That they are imprisoned rather than destroyed implies fear greater than hatred.
Book V - The Magic
- Magic flows through Gielinor as a fundamental force. It can be shaped, but not mastered. It responds to symbols, rituals, and intention — yet never fully obeys. In earlier ages, magic was unbound. The consequences remain visible. Modern practices limit its expression through runes and controlled forms. These do not empower magic — they contain it. Every great ruin is a record of misuse. Those who forget this tend to disappear, taking their discoveries with them.
Book VI - The Wilderness
- The northern lands are broken. They were not always so. Stone structures rise from ash and ruined earth. Roads lead into nothing. Fortifications stand without banners. These were built by those who fled. No law applies here. Violence carries no punishment. Death is frequent and unremarkable. This is not chaos by accident, but absence by design. Magic behaves unpredictably. Creatures appear endlessly, without origin. The dead do not always remain dead. Spells function, yet feel unstable. The land itself may remember what occurred. Castles with no history. Towers without purpose. Dungeons sealed hastily, if at all. Whatever was buried here was not meant to be recovered. No kingdom claims this land. Maps mark it clearly — not as unknown, but as avoided. This suggests knowledge withheld rather than ignorance.
Book VII - Empty Book
- "Nothing written here yet."