Balance: The World of Isora

The game of Balance takes place across the World of Isora. At its core lies the struggle to maintain balance, the dynamic tension between creation and destruction, harmony and chaos, progress and decay. In this world, every action ripples through the Sacred Lines, altering the web of existence in ways both profound and subtle.

Sacred Lines

In Isora, the Sacred Lines form the fabric of existence, binding every person, object, and action into an interconnected web. Every movement, every choice, every breath resonates along these lines. Magic users can harness these connections more explicitly, but even the mightiest warrior or the stealthiest assassin unwittingly draws upon them with every step they take.

When a warrior swings their blade, they guide their strength along the line between themselves and their target. When an archer lets loose an arrow, the line between bow and target ignites with intention. Even the act of observation strengthens the line between observer and observed, pulling on the threads of the ever-woven tapestry of Isora.

The Sacred Lines are not immutable. They can fray, stretch, or snap entirely, leading to imbalance. Regions across the world have fallen to ruin because Sacred Lines have been severed or corrupted, creating spaces where natural law and human endeavor struggle to function. Walking the world of Isora is to accept the interplay of forces seeking balance. Sometimes violently.

Religion

In Isora, there are religions, but there are no gods who control the world. Those who have dedicated themselves to understanding the Sacred Lines of Isora know that everything is explained through Balance and Imbalance, and so daily life, education, business, and moral codes are built with Balance as a guiding principle.

The religions of Isora are far from united. Factions arise, debating and sometimes warring over the nature of the world. Some see Balance existing only within peace and harmony, while others see Chaos and storms as evidence of Balance.

Geography and Population

The world of Isora is like any other world, full of oceans and forests, deserts and glacial islands, mountains and open plains. It’s a vast world, full of resources and life and beauty. But it’s full of danger as well. There are parts of the world scorched by magical fires that once erupted from the frayed ends of broken Lines. There are regions of living swamp, animated by unseen forces that appear satisfied only by decay. And there are creatures of darkness that are corrupted by imbalance.

Cities and towns across the continents are populated by humanity during an age of Enlightenment and rapid expansion. They are filled with people thriving, surviving, or merely scraping by. Some are oblivious to the tensions and knots along the Sacred Lines, while Disciples of Balance claim to see the red threads of Isora connecting everything and everyone. They’ve learned how to harness the mystical forces behind Balance.

Major Campaign Setting

The following sets the foundation for gameplay within the World of Isora:

A new religion has emerged among the hill people of the Karyth Highlands, preaching a radical view of life, death, and the natural world. Followers believe the cycle of life and death is not a perfect, harmonious loop but rather a pattern pointing to an inevitable, universal descent into oblivion. They teach that everything declines: people age and die, things fall instead of rise, and resources dwindle unless renewed through labor.

But what does this mean for humanity? Is their purpose to maintain the cycle of life, upholding balance through effort and perseverance, or is their true role to let the world fall into oblivion, accepting the end as the ultimate truth?

As the new religion’s influence grows, factions from across Isora are beginning to take notice, and the struggle for the soul of the world itself begins.

In Isora, every action you take ripples through the Sacred Lines, whether you’ve chosen to take the path of hired strongman (Mercenary), or have taken a vow to defend your community’s Church of Balance (Martial Artist). Will you tip the scale toward harmony as a Practitioner of Balance (Cleric), or will you embrace the chaos as a Battle Mage? With a radical new religion calling for the world’s inevitable decay, factions across Isora clash, and the struggle for balance intensifies. Every step you take along the Sacred Lines will pull you deeper into this web of power, danger, and philosophical conflict. The world’s fate, woven together with your own, hangs in the balance.

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