Drawing inspiration from the cinematic essence of 1980s icons like Ladyhawke, Legend, Willow, and Dragonslayer, Taluma is a fantasy realm where the supernatural has faded into the shadows of night and the wild, ancient forests. While those within fortified cities often dismiss old myths in favor of their faith in the Luminaeries, inhabitants of the boundary lands--villages and farms--maintain a primal dread of the wilderness, wary of the dark mysteries that still linger there.
Taluma, a continent on the planet Eost, is a temperate region home to many different nations, cultures, and people. It is primarily home to men, dwarves and elves alongside other allies and many enemies including the orcs and goblins, ogres and trolls not to mention scores of other creatures all battling for their own place to call home.
Magic has largely vanished, persisting only as a "ghost" within forgotten texts or hidden societies. In this low-magic era, survival depends on cold iron, personal grit, and the protection of a hearth fire. Geographically, the continent is a study in contrasts: the Maessus Gyre warms the southern lands while the north remains bitten by extreme cold. Emerging from the ruins of the Aymirian Empire and the scars of the Necro Wars, the current social order is a patchwork of nationalistic territories.
Non-human "Folk" have retreated from the nations of men,, with only the fidgety Urchins remaining as urban scavengers in the sewers and cellars of human strongholds. Meanwhile, in the south and east, the social hierarchy is dominated by the surviving Pythian and Aymirian populations.
In the land of Taluma, the classic adversaries of myth and legend—mythical beasts and hordes of undead—have largely been vanquished. Now, the mortal races, once united against a common foe, find themselves separate and alone. The landscape of Taluma is shaped by newfound competition among the nations of men, where recent allies navigate a delicate balance of power struggles and shifting allegiances.
Magic exists today only as a lingering "ghost," sequestered within the shadows of secret societies or the pages of forgotten books. Modern inhabitants must instead depend upon their own resolve, cold iron, and the meager protection of a hearth fire to hold back the encroaching night.
The continent of Taluma is a temperate region defined by stark environmental and social contrasts. It is shaped by the Maessus Gyre, an oceanic current that brings warmth to the south while leaving the northern reaches to endure harsh, biting cold. In this low-magic era, the landscape is a patchwork of insular, nationalistic territories rising from the wreckage of the Aymirian Empire and the devastation of the Necro Wars.
Daily life in these nations is governed by the flicker of the hearth and the iron fist of the various nations asserting control. In this era, the non-human "Folk" have largely disappeared from the view of men; only the fidgety Urchins (Smalfolk) remain, dwelling in the cellars and sewers of human cities, while the proud human nations continue to vie for dominance in a world of fading myth.
Taluma is ruled over by four main cultures of men across seven nations. The Aymir rule over the former empire of Aymiria in the south as well as Taerun and Chyros which were part of the old empire but have broken off. The Lokk rule over Lokkland and Joterhaan in the north and west. The Pyth rule over the largest current nation of Pythia expanding from the east, growing in size in recent decades to nearly rival the Aymirian empire. The Skann are the most populous and broadly settled people of Taluma; however, they hold no lands themselves but for the city-state of Gaithewaite.