Treacherous moors...

Towers of knowledge...

The birthplace of apocalypse...

races

Mixed

The highest good is knowledge
The most knowledgable person is the one who can dedicate one's life to learning
The most sacred life is the growth of knowledge
The most sacred duty is the protection knowledge
The most wicked evil is the destruction of knowledge
The most heinous crime is tampering with recorded knowledge

The Towers

The people of Dysmiridia do not regard themselves as Cities or States but Studies. The Towers serve not only as bastions of civilization in the damp and dangerous moors, but even more so, as centers of learning where one can dedicate his or her life to the study of any subject.

Natura : Biological Studies

The tower of Biological Studies is at odds with the landscape of Dysmiridia. Though these scientific druids try to care for the creatures that live within the moors, they are often attacked by the flora and fauna, making their studies the most treacherous and time-consuming pursuits in Dysmiridia.
Head Mentor: Phillip Stemishin

Cognis : Philosophic Studies

Built upon the bones of the monastic studies tower, Cognis, rose at the end of the Fathom Throne Era to devotes itself to a new breed of internal study: introspection and philosophy.
Founded by Erusidimus Içarà T'samaan, this first head mentor of Cognis worked tirelessly to establish a tower dedicated to the art of ideology unto his mental breakdown that forced him to retire to his home in Asahb'Olim. He later died in 1721.
Head Mentor: Clar Guj'n

Legis : Legal Studies

After the Scholar's Revolt, Dysmiridia's leadership ensured that no foreign dignitary would ever suffocate education again by establishing the legal studies tower in place of Regnus - the once Oceanic Guard outpost on the island.
Head Mentor: Cusarius Ahl Mehil

Melos : Creative Studies

Students of this tower dedicate their lives to the study and protection of the arts. Many of the denizens of the other towers regard it as an insensible endeavor, or perhaps they are simply sour that the artists of Melos frequently trounce the success of their sister towers in the form of powerfully magical music or prophetic paintings.
Head Mentor: Marcolm Melodier

Memoro : Historical Studies

Though it does not educate its pupils in any of the class studies, Memoro's function as a bastion of all recorded information since the founding of the Towers is a feat of great Recollection Magic and scholarship that rivals even the most impressive studies at the other schools.
Head Mentor: Y'vine Boundél

Astrum : Astrological Studies

There is much to be gained from learning the stars: patterns of the universe, the intersection of prophecies, practical navigation, and the ideal time for watching the sunset. The wizards of the Astrology Tower have always worked closely with the Prophecy Tower in sharing information regarding the stars and the universal answers hidden therein.
Head Mentor: Verrica M'perriza

Augus : Prophetic Studies

Do not take up the cleric's mantel of Prophet lightly - for the burden of foreknowledge is mournful and bleak. Though the requirement for enrollment to Augus is pure-blooded inheritance of one's prophetic abilities, few pupils come to Augus by pure choice. Most arrive desperate for relief from their afflictive gift for prophecy, others seek to control it and use it for good, and some have sought to train their talents toward tyranny.
Head Mentor: Luke Stanag

history

Monsters

Dysmiridia's great pride is its lack of development - its preservation of nature. It is also its great peril. The foggy moors of Dysmiridia are teeming with dangerous flora and fauna. Where Ëidine boasts the beautiful and vibrant aspects of nature, Dysmiridia hosts the terrible and dark facets of Amaura's creation. The most difficult of these resident monsters are the packs of werewolves that claim dominance of the misty continent, kept away from the towers only by the efforts of the Solus monks and the Natura druids. It was these werewolves who ultimately led to the untimely death of the Oceanic 8 Hero - Matthias Nasarim Nakhada.

In fact, the battle-ready monks of Solus and the inquisitive druids of Natura are the only towers that make regular ventures into the misty moors - the former to test their strength and the latter to study and understand. The rest of the scholars remain in the safety of their towers to study their subjects in safety. And despite the constant threat of attack, the code of the scholars forbids them from campaigning to conquer the island continent. Violation of the Sanctity Code - any sort of action taken to destroy the creatures of the island - results in immediate expulsion from the island.

Bartholomew Bellaflock

The wizened druid Bartholomew Bellaflock may not have been the most gentle Head Mentor in recorded history, but he was certainly the greatest. He took a toughened approach to his teaching style, and under his administration, the Tower Natura saw its characteristically lax system of druidic education rise to impressive standards.

And while Bellaflock would never be caught being called "soft" he certainly had a warm spot in his heart for each of his students. His dedication to forging his tower into a refuge for all persons who sought knowledge led him to make many improvements to the aid services of Natura, including the development of multiple scholarship programs, international recruitment, and even spear-headed the creation of the first school for the blind on the continent of Dysmiridia. But perhaps the greatest display of Bellaflock's unflinching love for his students was seen in his dedication to the young zoological prodigy - Matthias Nasasrim Nakhada.

When Matthias was conscripted into the Oceanic 8 by the order of the Continental Alliance, Bellaflock refused to allow Matthias pupil to face his father - Gildeerius - alone. He boarded the vessel with Matthias, leaving the care of the Tower Natura in the hands of Mentor Herbof Shrubisant until his return, and embarked for Asah'Ibolim at Matthias' side.

But despite all his good intentions, Bellaflock was quickly separated rom Matthias upon their arrival in Asah'Ibolim. When they reached port, Pax immediately isolated Matthias to begin drilling him for any information that might help in the quelling of the Nautilus Pieces. And while Gildeerius begrudgingly made provisions for Bellaflock to stay at the Nakhada estate near Matthias, the mentor was forbidden any contact with his student who needed to "devote his attention to saving the world."

But Bellaflock would not stand for Gildeerius' reluctance to return Matthias to him. Bellaflock fought by the best means he knew - research - to take down Gildeerius. Though Bellaflock knew nothing of law, he devoted himself immediately to its study at the Conservatorium, spending countless sleepless nights, pouring over Oceanic Guard texts and rules of conduct in gnomish culture to find some loophole that would free Matthias from his prison in Asah'Ibolim.

But one terrible night, a Seafolk raiding party attacked the city of Asah'Ibolim. More specifically, they attacked the Conservatorium. In the dead of night, countless artifacts, texts, tablets, and relics of Seafolk culture collected across the decades was ravaged from the Conservatorium. And Bartholomew Bellaflock - who again had been spending his late night studying in that cavernous library - was murdered in the wake of Seafolk's fury.

When Gildeerius and Pax brought the news to Matthias, the poor gnomish youth collapsed with grief. When Matthias finally regained himself, he was reborn with a newfound vendetta against the Seafolk to avenge his beloved mentor. And so, Bartholomew Bellaflock did pass from the world. Far from home and yet still in service to the students he loved more than his own life.

The Halcyon

This heroic vessel carried the Oceanic 8 on their voyage to save Amaura in 1500. Before and after the Nautilus War, the ship belonged to Pax, Prince of Sembre, and is the same ship he took with his good friend Gildeerius to traverse the world's many seas and continents after the conflict. The Halcyon would have been the only surviving member of the old heroes of the Continental Alliance, but after Pax died, the ship vanished. King Travian III and all of Sembre believed that the ship was sunk by the same villains who murdered Pax, and so it slipped both from memory and legend. Until . . .

The ancient wreckage of the Halcyon was discovered by the Heroes of the Apocalypse in 1624 beneath the northern mountains. Marooned in an eerie subterranean lake and guarded by a horde of ghastly naiads, time was not gentle with the old vessel. However, some of the secrets and treasures of Pax the Magnificent were still buried in this ghostly vestige of the Oceanic 8, including Pax' Casket.

How the ship came to be lost beneath the mountains is still a mystery, but one that shall soon be unraveled. Utilizing methods provided by the dwarves, preparations are being made to deconstruct the ship and move it to its home port in Sembre where it will be inspected.

Towers of Old

Over all the years of unfettered education, only two towers have ever been removed from Dysmiridia's pantheon collection:

Regnus : Oceanic Guard Outpost

Following the death of his beloved friend, Matthias, Pax insisted an outpost of the Oceanic Guard be constructed on Dysmiridia to protect its people and campaign against the monsters of the moors. The other towers did not recognize this Outpost as a legitimate tower of instruction, though, until it began to produce magically fluent paladin. Still the mission of Regnus to "tame" the moors does not sit well with many of the towers - especially Natura.
Head Mentor: Mentor-General Adamantus Rydel (deposed)
The tower was dismissed in the Scholar's Revolt in 1624 and the Oceanic Guard ejected from Dysmiridia, freeing it from the rule of foreign states. In it's place, the Tower was occupied by a legal studies curriculum and its name changed to Tower Legis.

Solus : Monastic Studies

Do not confuse monks with clerics. The hardened bodies of the pupils in the Monastic Tower are set for combat not care-taking. As one of the few towers that provides security for its brothers and sisters in the moors, the Monks are both capable fighters and spell-casters but require much time for meditation and solitude after periods of security service to restore their cherished internal balance.
Head Mentor: Coal (deceased)
This tower was razed by an old student - Rekië - in the Scholar's Revolt

champions of dysmiridia

Matthias Nasarim Nakhada

Dysmiridia should not have been forced to submit a Champion to the Oceanic 8. The scholars of the Towers owed allegiance to no continent and assumed that their lack of military prowess would protect them from having to sacrifice one of their own to the Continental Alliance. So when the Sembren Navy arrived with a summons to collect one of their scholars for immediate conscription, they were shocked. They were even more shocked when they learned who had been chosen.

Matthias Nasarim Nakhada was a young gnome as nervous and twitchy as he was brilliant. His fervor for excellence in druidic studies could be attributed partly to his love of learning but even more to his abhorrence of his heritage. Despite his efforts to distance himself from Asah'Ibolim, he could never fully remove himself from the Nakhada family name. When he was a child living in South Sembre, Matthias lived in constant fear of his father - Gildeerius - and his bouts of violent rage. With his mother dead and no siblings to protect him, Matthias found solace in caring for the animals Gildeerius bought his son to assuage his guilt for the way he abused his child. Matthias considered himself doomed to a life of private suffering with his pets until a gentlemen in his father's company, Arciborus Açah Ravajá, took note of Matthias' prolific intellect and zoological skill and suggested that the boy be sent to Dysmiridia to study. Believing his son to be perfectly useless in the world of business, and eager to have Matthias out of his way, Gildeerius agreed to this proposal and promptly shipped Matthias to Dysmiridia.

At first, Matthias struggled to assimilate at the Tower Natura, impeded by his lack of humility or trust. The Head Mentor of the druids, Bartholomew Bellaflock, took it upon himself to ensure that Matthias be stripped of his affluent cynicism and fully embraced him as an apprentice. With his attitude eventually humbled, Matthias began to excel in his classes, make friends, and become pals with Bellaflock. Soon, he had risen to the upper ranks of his class in the Druid Tower - proving himself a very capable zoologist and spell-caster, particularly in the art of barrier spells.

So it was that when the Sembren Navy arrived with orders to collect Matthias and bring him to Stormhenge, the scholars were aghast. When the military demanded entrance to the Druid Tower, Bellaflock blocked their path, demanding to know who had authorized the seizure of a student. But Matthias knew the truth even before the Guards could answer: Gildeerius Nakhada. Within a few hours time, Matthias was being escorted to the ships while the entire tower of students watched in disbelief. But Bellaflock refused to discharge Matthias into their care alone, demanding that he go as well. So it was that both Matthias and Bellaflock were taken from Dysmiridia...

Matthias dutifully served the Oceanic 8, providing invaluable information that saved the crew on multiple occasions and eventually led them to the discovery of the Seafolk's hidden city. When the heroes emerged from the Sea with Nautilus Pieces in tow, Matthias promptly sailed to Dysmiridia with his treasure - eager to return to his home and his studies. However, the loss of Bellaflock at the onset of the Nautilus War launched Matthias into a deep depression and he locked himself within his chambers in the Tower Natura for days on end. Pax himself eventually came to call on his poor friend, only to discover that Matthias suffered a sickness much worse than despair...

By the light of a particularly pale full moon, Pax entered Matthias chambers to find his friend mad, tearing about the room. Pax discovered that Matthias had been driven insane by the Nautilus Piece. He tried to save his friend from its corruptive power, but Matthias - in his frenzy - would not relent. Instead, he attacked Pax then tore from the room and raced into the moon-soaked moors. Pax pursued him, crying for him to return, but Matthias continued his mad dash - right into a vale full of werewolves. Pax froze at the edge of the clearing when he heard Matthias dying wails pitching across the moors amid the tearing snapping of canine teeth. Pax ran back to the Towers for help. A collection of monks and druids returned with Pax to drive out the wolves, but when they arrived, Matthias and the werewolves were gone, only bits of Matthias clothing and blood lay spattered around the otherwise empty plain.

Matthias and his Nautilus Piece were never found. In the wake of his death, Pax decreed that the Nautilus Pieces - which had claimed the mind and life of his dear friend - were too dangerous to be kept by mortal creatures and must be locked away. With the support of the newly created Oceanic Guard as well as King Travian III of Ensembre, the Bahal of Asah'Ibolim, and the High Council of Ëidine, Pax declared that all Nautilus Pieces were to be surrendered to the Oceanic Guard and sealed in Ëidine. And so did the Oceanic 8 begin to vanish from the world one by one, as they all fell in turn to the struggle for control of the Nautilus Pieces.

Albin Talquin-Mar

(Born in the 94th year of the Fourth Age, Augus Cleric: Second Order, Anchor of Solus, Guardian of the Westling Isles, Hero of Amaura, Servant to the God of the Sea, Died in the 59th year of the Fifth Age)

As a student of Tower Solus, Albin sought his entire life for the strength that comes from independence. What he found instead was the power that comes from a community united under the God of the Sea.

To his parents, Albin was a cursed child. To his mentor at Solus, he was a disappointment. And to himself, Albin was a mystery. Throughout much of their voyage together, the heroes agreed that Albin’s devotion to meditation and solitude betrayed a deep inner disappointment, a labyrinth that Albin would run in his introspective moments. When he was able to escape the forest of his own thoughts, Albin was thoughtful, mentoring, and kind, as well as a fearsome combatant. But his many inward journeys concerned the company. Yet when it mattered most, Albin broke free from his inner turmoil to aid his friends, and in that liberation from his despair he returned to life.

Self-renunciation for the sake of self-discovery is a dead circle, leading nowhere. But self-sacrifice for the sake of others—that is a living circle of the highest form. What Albin discovered in his encounters with the God of the Sea proved that no practice of solitude or introspection could compare with the power of Love that lays down its own life for others.

After the great adventure, Albin shed his mantel of solitude and instead devoted himself to pursuing his long-buried gifts of prophecy as a cleric. He returned to the isle nation of Dysmiridia where he came under the tutelage of High Mentor Milleora Mar. The two childhood friends kindled each other’s fascination with the Westling Archipelago and eventually returned there together to study and document the inscriptions on the Pillars.

Though he was a member of the Apocalyptic heroes, it was in these last decades of his life that Albin accomplished the most for himself and for Amaura. He successfully led a campaign to drive the desecrating monster populations from the Westling Isles, he escaped his haunting surname when he married Milleora Mar, and together - the two esetablished an the institution that would go on to complete their work to chronicle the Pillars.

Albin Mar was born a cur to his family, but completed his life as man filled with countless joys of love and true belonging. Yet for him there was no greater joy than the surpassing wonder of daily growing deeper in the knowledge of Amaura's history with the God who filled all its inhabitants with life and love.