☾ Geography & Environment

Climate: Foggy lowlands; river-crossed plains; ancient barrowlands in the northern hills; Mask-forge cities beneath Mirehold’s surface.

Notable Locations:

• Mirehold (Capital): Fortress-city of steel, stone, and recursion-shielded halls — seat of modern Damaine rule.
• The Red Barrows: Ancient Eithari tombs — now often used as testing grounds for Special Forces Mask/Card tactics.
• The Black Crescent Forges: Mask and Card forges beneath Mirehold — famed for stability and precision work.
• Lowspire Commons: Mirehold’s outer district — center of Driftline trade and political intrigue.

☾ Culture & People

Dominant Races: Eithari (majority); Veydrathi bloodlines rising in nobility; minor Driftline enclaves.

Religion:

• Mixed — traditional Eithari ancestor reverence among the common folk.
• Veydrathi Kaelvyrn cult influence among certain noble houses.
• Light orthodoxy presence fading — many reject recursion-based faith.

Social Structure:

• Ruled by the Council of Steel — Eithari merchant-noble council heavily influenced by Kaedrith-aligned factions.
• Special Forces units (often trained by Kaelvyrn or Orrek-linked masters) highly respected.
• Mask-smiths and Cardwrights operate as a distinct guild class — often more powerful than some noble lines.
• Internal political tensions — human identity vs Veydrathi/Kaelvyrn cultural influence.

Factions:

• Council of Steel — current ruling body.
• Veydrathi Noble Houses — strong influence in upper council.
• Threadborn Initiative — underground cells growing rapidly in Mirehold’s undercity.
• Independent Mask-smith and Cardwright guilds — aligned with neither Light nor Kaelvyrn fully.

☾ Magic & Combat

Common Magic:

• Air, Wyrd, Earth, Ash Breathforms.
• Mask & Card hybrid techniques — some of the most advanced and stable in Aethros.
• Special Forces Breathform training often incorporates Kaelvyrn Spiral / Rooted influences.

Combat Styles:

• Spiral / Rooted Hybrid Combat — taught to elite Special Forces units.
• Mask-Sync Combat — highly disciplined Mask/Card resonance style developed in Mirehold’s forges.
• Threadwalker-Informed Countertechniques — defensive methods developed to counter recursion and Threadwalker tactics.

☾ History & Legends

Damaine was once the heart of human power in Varethuun — a proud Eithari-led kingdom with strong ancestor rites. During the Light Crusades and subsequent Kaedrith expansion, Damaine became a land of divided loyalty. Many noble houses allied with Veydrathi powers for survival, reshaping the Council of Steel into a pragmatic ruling body. In the modern age, Mirehold stands as one of the few Mask & Card innovation hubs not fully dominated by Light, Kaelvyrn, or Driftline factions — a rare space of human agency in a shifting world.

☾ Current Status

Ruler: Council of Steel.

Current dynamics:

• Veydrathi influence rising — several council seats openly aligned with Kaedrith interests.
• Threadborn Initiative rapidly gaining underground support.
• Mask-smith guilds beginning to export precision Masks and experimental Thread-tuned Cards to select factions.
• Internal political instability likely — common Eithari increasingly resent noble capitulation to Veydrathi culture.

☾ Threats & Oddities

• Recursion corruption emerging in ancient Red Barrows — source unknown.
• Veydrathi cult influence — Kaelvyrn-aligned noble factions quietly pursuing forbidden Spiral techniques.
• Threadborn-backed uprising feared within Mirehold undercity.
• Mask/Card instability incidents increasing — suspected Sliver influence in certain new Card lines.
• Assassination tensions rising — elite Mask-Sync duels becoming political weapons.