The Age of Adventure
Overview
It is the dawn of the Third Age of Man, 144 years having passed since the declaration of the new Age. Humanity has begun to explore and colonize further than it ever has in recorded history, and new lands are being discovered daily. The world, Avalyn, has not yet been circled, and there are many who yet believe the horizon extends infinitely. The sciences are a new and mostly unexplored vocation, but the seeds of knowledge are slowly beginning to spread. Astronomy is gaining ground as a useful tool for the sciences rather than just a spiritual and religious field of study for shamans and the priests of stellar deities. Herbalists and Alchemists serve as the medical providers for those without the aid of healing magic. The discovery of new smelting techniques has brought iron to the forefront of technological advancement. With the availability of iron, and subsequently steel, new tools have opened the door to a currently unimaginable future, dominated previously by those few who had been gifted with the ability to channel the flows of Essence. These new tools are benefitting agriculture, war, science, and everything in between, and are bridging the gap between those gifted with magic and those without.
The known World is heading toward an exciting and uncertain future, as it expands further and deeper into the horizon. New races are being discovered, and with them new technologies, faiths, customs, and secrets. Remnants of ancient civilizations hold clues to their rise, their advancements, and their demise. The treasures of these ancient peoples draw many to the life of an adventurer, but Bardic tales of beasts both awesome and deadly found within their borders keep most in restraint. New animals, minerals and plant species are driving a burgeoning trade industry, its earliest entrepreneurs reaping the rewards of this exciting and often dangerous endeavor. The discovery of ancient Magic Rituals are providing new insight into the realms of Essence, Channeling, and Mentalism, granting new abilities to those willing to risk their sanity and their lives to the controlled cultivation of this new power. New spell lists, both beautiful and dark, are being culled from these new techniques, spawning the creation of new Professions.
It is a very exciting and promising time for Humanity, and potentially very rewarding for those willing to risk the dangers that keep most humble folk at bay.
