The following is an excerpt from the inscriptions found on the legendary tower Invaldi; it's well-known among the folks of the Mystletainn Cradle that this tower has stood for thousands of years in the Fjallili mountains. Ever-enigmatic, few know how this ruin has managed to stand for so long - and fewer still are willing to share such knowledge. Inscriptions circle and track in all directions on the tower, the following section is one of many translated parts:
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
carved in these stones for all time to see.
Among the cliffs, and along the wind,
Invaldi glyphed, sheltering its kin
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
Carved in these stones for all time to see.
And in the night it'll burn alight;
A testament to our mystic might.
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
Carved in these stones for all time to see.
My pow'r within and throughout these verse
Does bind my whims to hold off all curse.
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
Carved in these stones for all time to see.
In lands so steep, powerless to keep
This build, well-known, as a house asleep.
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
Carved in these stones for all time to see.
So shall Invald' be a test in time,
To know, to hold, knowledge of Spring's chime.
Thus it was written and thus shall it be;
Carved in these stones for all time to see.
...
Morphic Natures and the Power of Belief
Home. Haven't seen this place in months. With as long as that dungeon was, couldn't be sure how long the way back would be; our route wouldn't be set in stone anymore by the trip back here. It took us a week of adventuring to get to the crystallized ruins, and two months to get back after we finished our research. - Kylvir Veil
Amorphous Landscapes
In Týndastr, the whole land's default state is amorphous - effectively, any patch of land can and will expand, contract, grow vegetation, conjure nonspecific ruins, create life, and so on. Unless the land has been crystallized, no details about that space are set in stone - if the path between two cities is still amorphous, a trip between the two could take anywhere from an hour to dozens of years, could be made up of terrain from oceans to volcanoes to jungles, and so on. Moreover, each group travelling between the two cities could have a different experience. Without any maintenance, all landscapes will return back to their amorphous state.
Notably, areas that are amorphous often still have a preferred type of landscape and rough size - at least, places where sapient creatures consistently travel are usually at least partially crystallized.
Crystallization & Rulership
Fundamentally, landscapes within Týndastr are crystallized by the bonds between sapient creatures - a wolf den and the associated pack may flip in and out of existence depending on the esoteric whims of the land, but a lover's cottage in the woods would be crystallized and constant so long as the lovers hold onto that memory and the bonds forged there (even if the larger wood is amorphous).
Additionally, the bonds which crystallize an area (landmark, region, etc) fundamentally affect the makeup of that area. For example, a mountain claimed by a red dragon and his minions, used as his evil lair, may be crystallized and subtly morph over time - over some years, the surrounding land may become barren and charred (even nearby amorphous area), the mountain itself will likely rather quickly become volcanic, and so on. Similarly, a good King & Queen with the trust of their subjects may slowly positively influence their kingdom at a fundamental level - a powerful, gentle, and generous king may end up with very bountiful fields and benevolent woods as his bonds with his subjects pull the landscape into their ideal vision.
Generally, an individual's or group's ability to crystallize an area and further influence that area depends on each sapient creature's individual power as well as the bonds - both quantity and quality. The individuals or groups who crystallize and influence regions are often referred to as "rulers," as they rule an area and often have significant fundamental power towards shaping their domain. Several hundred thousand soldiers whose only bond is that they're in the same army, with no clear, powerful leader figure may have significant ability to crystallize an area (though likely won't have enough shared will to significantly influence the region), while on the other hand a pair of very powerful True Lovers may each have the ability to crystallize a huge region and warp the region heavily. Notably, as the legend, story, and/or maps of a region are disseminated to more and more sapient creatures believe them and so on, a region may become even more tightly crystallized, even past the lifespan of any original rulers of the domain. Similarly, if the creatures who believe this also trust in or fear the ruler, that ruler's influence over the land will be exacerbated as more bonds and more powerful bonds are formed.
Thus, sapient creatures are the source of most crystallized regions in the world - some anomalous regions are crystallized, even without a ruler. Scholars have begun calling this phenomena of sapient creatures having the ability to claim dominion of an area and forge it with their bonds the "Rulership Factor."
Manifestation
Some examples of ways you can manifest Týndastr's amorphous nature in your games are:
Distances between locations, especially those with sparse traffic, vary on each trip - venturing to a whispered ruin might take one day to get to while the return trip takes a month.
Locations disconnected from civilization often appear and disappear arbitrarily.
Maps look very different based on a cartographer's experience, or even just the time it was scribed.
A creature's Level can be seen as a manifestation of that creature's Rulership, especially for sapient beings
Myth-Forgers
The first and most important principle a myth-forger must keep in mind is that the strength of a myth comes from the belief of the masses. From this principle we extrapolate rules of thumb:
The best myths start from a grain of truth; this anchors the myth and lends it a certain degree of believability
Myths are more effective when tailored to their audience
The most cunning of forgers layer small, individually believable myths to create sweeping effects over time.
- Excerpt from "A Forger's First Fib"
Following from the concept of Rulership, myth-forgers are a secret profession. At their core, a myth-forger is little more than a rumor monger. However, the law of rulership can turn a simple rumor into a keen and versatile tool for a clever mind. A myth-forger might convince enough people that their coffers are overflowing and to may find themselves rich, or perhaps spreads a rumor in a neighboring nation of fierce beasts stalking the land.
On Divinity
True deities in Týndsastr are practically unheard of. A single solitary god sits at the helm, but his years at the head have left old Odin lonely and disillusioned to the world. Despite his melancholy, he continues to maintain his realm in Valhalla while his three valkyrie still seek the souls of mighty warriors, seemingly to protect the realm from a yet-unknown threat.
Rulership and spare divine power floating through the aether also causes a phenomena called "Echoes of Divinity." These echoes seem to cascade from somewhere outside the known universe, scraps of divinity with no true will of their own but which seem to lend power towards certain goals. Scholars call the scraps "echoes" as their research suggests they come from past or alternate universes. The most convincing scrap of evidence pointing to this conclusion is that the names that appear in the hearts and minds of those who follow one of these echoes often have no linguistic basis or relation to the cultures they appear in. Additionally, some report visions of their deities alongside other echoes accompanied by feelings of nostalgia or melancholy.
Deities
You can use the following deity statistics for your Pathfinder 2nd Edition games. Aside from Odin, these statistics represent broad bases for religions which appear in myriad combinations - adjusting any of them is just as canon as the base block. For this reason, portions which are especially subject to change are listed as "Examples", including their edicts, anathema, and all the devotee benefits
Odin
Edicts Learn secrets, Prolong your life, Seek victory with Wisdom as well as Might Anathema Sacrifice without a purpose Areas of Concern Runes, Glory, Death
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution, Wisdom Divine Font Heal or Harm Divine Sanctification can choose Divine Skill Deception (?) Favored Weapon Spear Domains Ambition, Knowledge, Secrecy, Truth Alternate Domains Dreams, Fate, Glyph, Protection, Magic, Zeal
Heart of the Blaze
Those who epitomize the spirit of the blaze hold fire as their idol are empowered by primal flames such as volcanoes or wildfires. Example Edicts Harm your foes with fire, protect your allies and innocents from flames Example Anathema Douse an innocent fire Areas of Concern Fire, Volcanoes, Ashes
Meditating on the current running from the oceans to the mountains wield powers of the winds and waters. Example Edicts Douse flames, Sail Example Anathema Pollute waterways Areas of Concern Water, Rivers, Wind
Example Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Strength, Charisma Divine Font Heal Divine Sanctification can choose holy Divine Skill Medicine Favored Weapon Whip Domains Air, Confidence, Trickery, Water Alternate Domains Healing, Lightning, Luck, Moon, Travel, Wyrmkin
Portent of Cataclysms
Some characters follow or venerate various creatures known to predict disasters, like mothmen or banshees. While some follow such beings out of morbid fascination or to create the disasters, others seek them out to aid those who may inevitably find themselves in the foretold circumstances. Example Edicts Follow paths towards ruin, Aid or Prevent disasters Example Anathema Ignore an omen, Harm a harbinger of a disaster Areas of Concern Natural disasters, Fortune, Pain
Example Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability Constitution, Intelligence Divine Font Heal or Harm Divine Sanctification can choose holy or unholy Divine Skill Occultism Favored Weapon Warhammer Domains Destruction, Nightmares, Luck, Truth Alternate Domains Healing, Knowledge, Pain, Protection, Time, Toil
History, in brief
The mists of history shroud ancient events and bygone eras fade from the world. Through the fog, studious historians can piece together a handful of events which define the basic history of the Mystletainn Cradle & Týndastr as a whole. In ancient days, the only inhabitants of the cradle were the fae folk. None are sure how far back the calendar would truly track, and some of the architecture, inventions, and perspectives of the folk suggest that time wasn't quite as linear back then as we now comprehend it. One day, the cradle came under siege - over the Fyrignott mountains came a vast and terrible vanguard, armies composed of all shapes and sizes of giantfolk led by great oni generals. This invasion started the series of wars that ripped across the cradle now known as the Ogre Wars. Across the lands, fantastic and horrible battles waged. Death on either side was excessive — in one battle, the oni known to history as Thrym the Thunderous conjured the storm's fury to strike down the opposing battalion in one fell stroke; the tempest was so grand, the very stones were imbued with its fury and potency, later rising as the mighty Thyrlithr. In another, an otherwise-unassuming nymph now known as Sunna supposedly parted a sea of trees masking a jotun war-camp, allowing her wildfire dryads to incinerate an army before the ashes were once again swallowed by the forest. However, over a span of a few dozen years, the giants steadily pushed the folk from their ancestral homelands. Eventually the failing fey brokered a treaty, leaving them a sanctuary in their sacred forests of Ffynhonnelwig but otherwise effectively ceding control of their sparse remaining holdings. This day was known as Fey's Fall, and starts the yearly calendar in use across the cradle known as Ogre Reckoning (OR).
Now, at this time, humans, elves, dwarves, minotaur, halflings, and so on were little more than beasts. Certainly, many of those we now call companions were smarter than true animals, but they lived on instinct, without the spark of a soul and sentience that allows us to take the reins of destiny and shape our fates. During this time the giants populated the cradle and surrounding regions; cultivating land, building cities, developing their cultures and ideas, forming nations and waging diplomacy and war, and so on. In this manner, the world progressed under giantish civilization for nearly a thousand years.
The fey bound in Ffynhonnelwig similarly flourished, somehow opening gates to another lush realm to find a second wilderness for expansion. This aptly named "Second World" provides the folk a secret refuge and houses many peculiar beings, while two primary factions trade stewardship of Ffynhonnelwig on an erratic schedule.
Near the year 900 OR, a new phenomenon started occurring regularly - people like you and I began awakening. At many stages of life, it seemed, regular folk were gaining the spark, the soul of sentience to seize one's fate from the clutches of fate's grip. And over the next several decades, it kept happening. Humans, elves, dwarves, minotaurs, dragons, all across the cradle, these people were rising to defiant consciousness... and craving a land to call their own. In these years and those which followed, we would band together to build our own societies. At first under the noses of the dominant giants of the land, but more and more the giants took notice and sought to end the perceived theft of their lands. The battles which followed take many names; some call them "The Wars of Awakening" or "The Stirring Revolution". Others take them at face value and simply call the period the "Second Ogre Wars." Yet others have ascribed the mysterious name "Ragnarök" to the period, though none can place where the name originated. These struggles lasted for nearly a century; a meat grinder where only the most resilient of soldiers managed to live long enough after awakening to form any sort of coherent structure. Among the smaller folk, incredible heroes stood out and managed to amass grand power from their followings to stand toe-to-toe with the oni generals of the giants. In the year 1006 OR, however, the entire dynamic of the war flipped on its head, as though the giants' leadership and coherence snapped in twain. The rising heroes and their armies ousted the remaining giants in a matter of months, establishing the Mystletainn Cradle and surrounding lands as a bastion of civilizations. Records in many other regions corroborate the timing when giantish forces lost their organization.
Scholars pose many possibilities for this quick shift in the war; many believe that the giants simply turned on each other once victory became uncertain. Some suggest that perhaps one of the many heroic parties that ventured forth to disrupt key chains of command or supply accomplished their goal and crippled the giants' war effort; even that a single hero acting alone and in secret may have accomplished such a deed. Others assert that this day may have been the moment the awakened smaller folk outnumbered the giants, and their combined rulership broke the giants' advantage. Some take note that the Skylands and the Beast Queen's domain of Dirithlentir both seem to have sprung up in the weeks following this event, and believe this more than coincidence.
Whatever the reason, on the 15th of Fimmtan in the year 1006 by Ogre's Reckoning, smallish folks quickly pushed back remaining giantish forces, and claimed the Cradle - and their fates - for their own. With their newfound freedoms, the people set across the land, establishing kingdoms, empires, and domains of their own. That was 116 years ago.
