Information and Lore on Antova
Luxhallow & Blessed Goddess Chii’Falla
Below is a wealth of detailed information on lore surrounding Antova and the region it commands. Use the quick links below to find specific topics for your convenience!
The beginning of our species was shaped with the touch of Chii’Falla, our blessed goddess of Light. She gave us hope and wisdom, and helped us follow a path of growth. Without Chii’Falla, we would have no way forward. Without Her, we would not be able to grow to face the new challenges our world gives us, and be lost forever in the dark. It is through Her that we have the gift of healing, which can save and mend our flesh, and the gift of Purification, which cleanses corrupt magic and keeps our souls safe from such taint.
For Chii’Falla carries the blessed Egg. An egg that shines brighter than the sun. Of which grants those worthy of holiness the powers to inspire true light, and blinds those who may use the power for evil. Those that bring life and heal will be forever immortalized in the eyes of Chii’Falla, for she is the embodiment of everything pure and good. Those that turn their eyes away from Her light will doom themselves forever to the dark, lost for all eternity.
Luxhallow is a Wyngro religion that believes the prophecies of “Chii’Falla”, the Goddess of Light Magic.
Chii’Falla is portrayed as a glowing, winged Wyngro holding an egg that shines like the sun. She is noted for bringing hope and wisdom to Wyngrew, her blessing is said to heal and give life a place among the heavens for all eternity after passing.
This religion is one of the most recognized in all of Wyngro society anywhere, and is almost solely recognized among the Antova Kingdom.
Antova citizens are very religious and pray to Chii’Falla for strength often.
While smaller towns may not pray as often or practice the ceremonies like those in Antova do, most still believe in the Goddess or in the very least, are aware of Luxhallow as a whole.
Wyngrew are often seen quoting things like, “Help me, Chii’Falla” when struggling with something, or taking her name in vain such as “For the love of CHII, stop!”
King Zenith
Suraci Zenith
"The Immortal Ruler"
The highest god to ever grace our humble physical realm. He graces us every day, our burden he carries for us, and we thank him for his presence. We do not deserve such a leader and a god, so pure and so absolute. Please lead us through the path so that we may see the light from which you hail from.
King Zenith is the ruler of Antova and all surrounding towns. Although the city is his main concern, he watches over all settlements that his nation controls.
He is a benevolent king, while still able to make tough decisions to protect his country.
He is considered an “Ancient One”, embedded with the power given to him by the blessed goddess Chii’Falla, long ago. This deity granted him immortality, which allowed him to grow much larger than a normal Wyngro and obtain powers beyond those of a mortal.
Hundreds of Years Ago...
King Suraci Zenith began as a normal Wyngro, born of a simple egg like any other.
His grandfather had built Antova from the ground up, and the Zenith family was prosperous and vast. The family practiced the graceful art of Light Magic, and healed its citizens of disease and injury so they could shape the village into a bustling city.
One day Wyngrew from the West with odd, long bodies came to Antova, and offered to teach the family a powerful kind of magic in order to settle there. They called it the “Art of Shadow”. These Wyngrew were strange but their magic was powerful, so Suraci’s grandfather allowed the tribe inside the city. These odd Wyngrew called themselves “Imperials”.
The Imperials grew in number within Antova, flourishing within the safety of the city.
But then, something wicked happened.
Suraci’s father became enthralled with Shadow magic, and soon the power consumed him. He became an entirely different Wyngro overnight. The dark magic consumed his soul, and he slayed Suraci’s grandfather, the current King, causing the Kingdom to go into a state of chaos.
A trick! The Imperials had given the family a terrible tainting magic, and for that, they were accused for the murder of the King.
Young Suraci, thrust into the role of ruler now that his grandfather was dead and his father gone mad, assumed the role of King and stood as judge for the tribe of Imperials after the guard had rounded up as many as they could find. Most pled innocent to any crime, but Suraci saw through their tricks.
The Imperials, proud as they were, refused to take blame, and instead left the city to create their own paradise, rather than admitting they were wrong. However, Suraci was left with a heavy burden after the Imperial Wyngrew took their leave.
This cursed “Shadow” art had already corrupted several citizens and was destroying the city from the inside out. With his corrupt father imprisoned, our new King Zenith ordered anyone practicing the newly dubbed “Dark Magic” to be restrained.
This didn’t work well for very long. With the evil power of Dark magic, Suraci’s father and several other prisoners got into the minds of guards and moved through the shadows to escape, wreaking havoc upon their escape of the city.
These were the darkest times for Antova, as an internal war waged for many years between the city and the corruption of Dark magic. No prison could hold these cursed Wyngrew once captured, and so it was with a heavy heart that Suraci implemented the death penalty upon any Wyngro caught using Dark magic for evil. It was the only way to stop the chaos, and so Suraci took his own father’s life to save his city.
King Suraci Zenith was forever changed that day, and vowed to put a stop to any Dark magic creeping its way into the city by force. Public executions were held in a massive scale to send a message. Even public lashings and removal of limbs were used to punish those who were merely caught practicing the Dark magics.
King Zenith cried for his citizens, and prayed to the goddess Chii’Falla for strength.
“Why great goddess, must my Wyngrew suffer like this? Am I only to watch them perish slowly? Help me, please!”
It was then that Zenith saw a light that led him outside the city.
“Come, o King that wishes to cease the pain. Come with me to seek your solution.” Chii’Falla called to him. And so Zenith followed. He journeyed far beyond the lands he was familiar with to find this strength.
When the King returned to his city of Antova, he claimed to have touched the blessed egg of the goddess and was endowed with the power to “stop the pain”.
He touched the heads of those that were accused of Dark Magic and a heavenly light appeared. When the light dimmed down, the Wyngrew he touched were removed of their magic glands. A feat never before seen. They were released from their evil magic, and made to live peacefully alongside the citizens, instead of being killed.
The Wyngrew of Antova knelt before the great King Zenith, as he had proved his worth as a disciple of Chii’Falla by healing those that had become corrupted or injured.
After the decline of the Imperial Empire in the Western Desert, King Zenith was forgiving and humble enough to take them in, despite past grievances with their ancestors. It was this humble gesture that saved the entire species from going extinct.
His majesty continues to be a forgiving leader to this day, by giving Imps wonderful opportunities within the grand city of Antova.
“The Ancient Ones” & King Zenith Today
King Zenith is rumored to be over 300 years old, as his immortality comes from the blessing he received from Chii’Falla. Although no Wyngro alive can prove this for sure. Several stories tell of “Ancient Ones”. Wyngrew who are given the gift of immortality by their gods, and grow larger than an average Wyngro while also tending to grow singularly unique traits. These Wyngrew are usually kept under heavy guard by their respective communities and only see individuals who have gotten permission.
He has been known to cure the incurable wounds, such a growing back limbs and severe magic diseases. But getting permission to see him about this is very rare and difficult to do.
King Zenith has an extensive family line, and has had many wives and children during his reign. It’s the extension of this family that usually does all of the public sightings and works in the community. The royal family is regarded as kind and loving.
The Ban on Dark Magic
Any citizen that is found to have used Dark Magic will be considered a traitor to the kingdom, and treated as such. Full and capable adults are greeted with the most severe of punishments, while younger Wynglings caught born with these abilities may only have a mark upon their heads for the rest of their lives. The parents of these Wynglings may be fined or punished, however, if their children are not kept in check.
Death & Punishment History
When the ban on dark magic was first put in place, the kingdom was vicious about sending a message, and would implement public lashings and removal of limbs to strike fear into anyone curious enough to tamper with the dark arts. When this was not enough, public executions were implemented to the worst offenders.
This was a dark time when dark magicians would wreck havoc and murder throughout the city, and the kingdom's response was equally as brutal to counter the crime and protect its citizens. The king was in great pain over these executions and the loss of so many of his people to the darkness. While the evil trying to corrupt the city needed to be cleansed, the king could not stand for this much death any longer, and so he made a journey to the far reaches of the lands to train and find a power that could help his citizens. To prevent more loss of life. And thus, he was blessed with the power that he calls “The Banishment”.
"The Banishment"
The Banishment was a magic discovered by the King, blessed upon him by Chii’Falla: the goddess of Light. It is through Her great mercy and choice of our King as Her immortal vessel that a nonviolent method of punishing those tainted by Dark Magic exists.
The Banishment is a punishment which strips a Wyngro of their Magic Glands and in extension, their ability to use magic completely. This punishment can only be administered by the King himself.
A Wyngro Without Magic
Wyngro, as a species, are extremely intertwined with the magical energies of the world around them, whether or not they actually learn to use magic.The loss of Magic is also akin to the loss of any other sense (sight, smell, touch, etc), leaving many of the Banished emotionally distraught at the sudden feeling of ‘disconnect’ from the feeling of Magic in the world around them, and inability to perform any magic themselves.
All Banished Wyngrew are often shunned from society since they are so clearly marked as traitors by their lack of visible Magic Glands. Most are homeless or live on the outskirts of society, jobless and magicless.
A Wyngro stripped of its magic tends to be more likely to get ill than other Wyngrew, and will just be generally sickly. Most do not live for more than a decade after being Banished before some bad bout of illness kills them. That, or sheer depression.
A Wyngro stripped of its magic is also sterile and cannot breed.
Lack of Dark Magic Resources
Once the Ban was imposed, all books and written records of how to learn Dark Magic were seized and burned.
A few select books were preserved and are kept in the Royal Library of Antova’s Private Collection. Only a very few of the King’s select and trusted Guard can read these books, to better understand how to best defend themselves and their fellow guards against Dark Magic.
For the public, books only briefly mention Dark Magic now: mostly to state that it’s banned or to detail the atrocities done with it’s power. Finding anything even remotely informative enough to learn how to practice Dark Magic is, frankly, near impossible within the Kingdom.