The world of Eterna

Eterna is an ancient world. Its inhabitants, the children of the Veil, people of warm blood and brief lives, move through labyrinthine tunnels carved into rock, among living cities and silent ruins. For ages, empires have risen upon corpses and crumbled upon their own bones.

The passage of time follows a cycle of light and darkness. During Fulgor, white light floods the entire sky and arrives from every direction. This brightness fades over the course of the cycle until it vanishes in Soturno. Cold spreads across the land, paths freeze and much of life retreats, awaiting the return of light.

The inhabitants attribute these changes to the Veil: the fabric that surrounds the world and runs through everything that lives or once lived. As it thickens, it obscures the light; when it thins, the world grows bright again. The phases guide planting, travel, rites and the time spent beneath the earth.

Some can perceive and manipulate this fabric. They are necromancers, able to channel vital energy, move dead matter and reach beings that exist beyond the Veil. In the Empire of Zimarod, this knowledge sustains the power of a minority over those called Opaques.

There, a body can keep working long after its last breath. The dead are collected, preserved and returned to service. For their families, securing a grave is a privilege.