Alphatian World Idea
by Joaquin MenchacaIn thinking about the licensing and what not, there's one area that hasn't been developed, and maybe this can be a unique campaign world outside the scope of Mystara, until one day the rights can be acquired and new material developed...
This area would be Alphatia/Flaem's homeworld before their apocalypse. There would be more than two orders of Fire and Air, as there would be Earth and Water. Each member of order is more than just a philosophical and religious following, but incorporates entire culture, way of life, as well as perhaps even race. The Air would have silvery white skin, The Fire azure-coppery skin, The Water light blue skin (think Kree in Marvel Comics), and The Earth with almost bronze color.
The planet they live on can be a unique world, perhaps similar to Mystara with an inner sun, except there wouldn't be just two openings, open rifts throughout the planet, where the light illuminates surrounding lands on the surface. The star that the planet orbits would be too dim to provide all light needed, especially in far orbit, so parts of the planet are in twilight. The land mass itself does not appear to have much water on the surface, as it mostly land mass, but there are reservoirs underground. I was toying with the idea of an artificial small water moon...
The Fire has the dominant control of resources, influence, and power, especially as the inner sun is needed for most crops on the surface. The other factions intermix in city-hubs, located near the light, with exception of capitals for every faction that is in their native element. All of the factions have supernatural power to resist or survive in their native element, and are able to shapechange into their native element, which they develop naturally over time, or develop the skills through active practice of arcane arts.
The Fire faction have developed connections with other worlds through creating portals between great distances and even dimensions. They have an advance commerce setup between extraplanar communities as well as other planets of the cosmos.
The Air faction have developed extremely advance magic that can create crafts imbued with a life force to not only sail the heavens, but even traverse the great void itself. They are said to have connections to entities that dwell in the void, and perhaps even some sort of exchange, but nowhere to the degree that The Fire have developed.
The Water are probably maybe considered the least developed in the arcane as known by the others, but few have witness enormous power and control of nature that The Water have wielded. The Water are known as preservers and abhor use of magic or technology that warps or destroys nature. They are often looked down upon as backwards and primitive by The Fire and The Air factions.
The Earth practice their own art in secret not well known to other factions. They combine and dabble with manipulating the Earth through both magic and science, and have developed technologies that are quite advanced, but uncommon. These endeavors are looked down upon by The Air and The Fire as all things that can be gradually created through science, are easily created with convenience through magic, yet their services are often required for more grandiose arcane contraptions and crafts used by both The Air and The Fire.
There are a few other groups beside the major factions, with Fire and Air being the most prominent, are the factionless and hybrids. Hybrids are a mix of the races and are disdained by all factions, they form outcast communities or are nomadic. There are a large number that are factionless, taking on a light grey skin color, untainted by any elemental allegiance. These people, could be considered commonfolk, and are not in the majority, as allure to one of the factions, especially The Fire or The Air, is quite strong. They fulfill an important part of the glue in society, acting as judges and officials in the government, and they have their own forms of magic, outside the realm of elemental magic. They are both respected and resented at the same time, as they can step outside the boundaries of the elements. It is always one of these that are elected to be the ruling monarch. And it is with when the King Alphaks, sides and grants too much influence to The Fire that causes the War of the Elements that rips apart the planet.
The Air flee through the void, searching carefully for new home to establish an empire ruled by Air, while The Fire, ports through the cosmos in search of a place to regroup and collect themselves, and establish an empire ruled by Fire. In it unknown what happens to The Water, and whether they had a means to survive with their preservation magic, or that happened to The Earth, and their advances into science.