Kaerwyn is more than the typical RP Nexus realm. We have built it into a rich, working environment with several "setting" choices for your characters to interact and play out storylines. We mistakenly assumed that we didn't need to give much information on Kaerwyn itself, however, the background behind Kaerwyn adds in that extra element of realistic restraints.  Please note, players, that no character will start with this information about Kaerwyn.

     Kaerwyn exists on the etheric plane. Well first you need to know some things about the "Etheric". Now anyone that's all new-agey would know that the "etheric" means different things to different people, so we'll explain to you what we think the "etheric" is. First, you need to know about the multiverse as a whole.

     The multiverse is made up of several layers of reality. They are organized by their physically realistic density. This is not a physical term, per se, but the physical nature of these planes is what causes their eventual organization. Beings who are as old as the universe are from the astral, the oldest of the planes. In the astral, there is no physical. Reality has no cohesion; it is literally a plane of thought and existence. This is quite boring when you've spent a few millennia there - Even if time does not pass as mortals experience it. These beings, which we shall call the dragons, decided they wanted to go on an extended vacation. But in order for beings without form to pass into physical realms, they needed to form some kind of ethereal vessels. The Etheric plane exists between the astral and the physical realms. It is a pseudophysical realm. Much like the astral it could be affected by thought, and much like the physical, it has a form true to itself. The dragons that formed Kaerwyn maintain Kaerwyn, and prevent others from "changing" Kaerwyn with thought to suit their needs. These dragons created Kaerwyn as a gateway nexus world. They were bored in the astral, they wanted to travel, see the multiverse! They wanted to live new lives and experience new things. Using Kaerwyn, they could obtain physical bodies, and visit physical worlds. They could leave Kaerwyn as spirits and be "born" to other worlds as well.

     But soon the rifts, controlled not by dragons but by fate, opened for others than the dragons. People from all times, worlds, places, cultures, et cetera started pouring into Kaerwyn over time. The dragons were nowhere to be found. They are still there, however, making sure the visitors don't step out of line... they however wish to keep themselves unknown to the otherworlders. The dragons allowed the mortals to build their own town on the lake, but that is all. Anything else the mortals tried to build would seemingly disappear, as if it never existed. The town, by appearance looks normal, however, by experience it is quite extraordinary. It is an obvious mixture of the ingenuity of several different races, times, and technique. Many of the buildings have electricity and running water, but there is no obvious source of such power. Some buildings use crystals for energy storage, some use a mix of magic and technology. The town itself has different types of businesses and residents. It has a library, some restaurants and pubs, many apartment complexes, clothing stores, weapon stores and just about anything else you can think of. Technology, however, is rarely found for sale in any business, for it is rare and people tend to keep their hands.... paws... fins... etc on them. As far as play goes, the town makes for a good plot device. You can have your character "live" in the town, get many "supplies" in town, and meet people in town. You should not however, put any kind of limits on the town, or make any definitive statements about the town that the administration of Kaerwyn have not approved.

     If you wander down the path to the south, you'll find yourself walking into a thick old growth forest. The path is rather large, definitely large enough to fit a full size pickup truck through. Your character might wonder why everyone is clustered together in the town, but then again who would ruin such a beautiful forest? There is very little to see outside of the town except for various untouched natural landscapes. If you walk about two miles away from town on the path to the south... you will find a small rustic tavern... just sitting in the middle of a clearing. Weird. The tavern is obviously old, but it looks like it's really well taken care of. The tavern is where most of the characters will interact, it's a great starting point. The tavern has several different "interior" settings. You have the bar, obviously, several open area tables, several secluded booths, a couch in front of the fireplace, a very private upstairs "inner balcony", kitchen, storage room, and even "guest rooms" upstairs. These are great settings for various types of character interaction. The tavern has a strange quirk about it though. If you damage it, it will repair itself. Now the tavern won't show any signs of healing. It'll stay damaged exactly as it was (assuming no one does anything additional to it) until people's backs are turned. When no one is looking, suddenly the tavern is as good as new. If you go around and damage the tavern often though, you might catch the attention of the dragons. This is probably not a good thing.

     If you keep walking down the path to the south, past the tavern, about 7 miles away, there's some ancient city ruins. It's mostly covered up by plantlife such as trees, vines, etc. It looks like an old Roman city. Crumbled pillars and broken walls litter the area. There is absolutely nothing of value here. You won't find anything special here.  It just appears to be the ruined remains of an ancient city.

     There are several other areas that your character could happen upon. Surrounding the immediate area are large mountains, they look somewhat like the "Rockies" of the US plains. These mountains have beautiful views if your characters feel like hiking. There are also caves in these mountains, no telling what's there just waiting to be found. There are many open grassland areas near the lake, and the lake has some sandy "beach like" areas. Overall it's a beautiful landscape that many would consider a paradise. The playable area is known as the “Kaerwyn Caldera”. This is the area between the mountains and the lake. Beyond the mountains is mostly unexplored.

-=+ The Kaerwyn Riftways +=-

     As everyone by this point undoubtedly knows, you get to Kaerwyn through point to point singularities, or “Rifts”. These rifts make for /instantaneous/ travel between point A to Kaerwyn. These rifts cannot be opened by unauthorized characters, and cannot be controlled in /any/ way by mortals.

     Characters on Kaerwyn will find they are “trapped.” This is to prevent people from wandering about, realm to realm, without any idea of what they’re doing. It also brings in several character interaction development scenarios.

     Rifts on Kaerwyn most commonly open up in the town, in the tavern, at the lakeshore, and at the crossroads. You may choose any place within the Kaerwyn caldera for your character to arrive on Kaerwyn, save the Dragon City Ruins.  We highly suggest brand new players put their characters in the Tavern Clearing when arriving.

The Map of the Kaerwyn Caldera
(The general area of play)

Scale: 1 block = 2 miles²
 

     Kaerwyn itself is littered with many different areas for potential play.  While the mountains are colored grey, they are much like the Appalachian mountains of the eastern US. (Mostly covered in Trees, few bald spots, but is rocky.)  There are many mountain paths and caves to explore in the mountain areas.  There are also some cliffs with wonderful views of Kaerwyn on the eastern side of the mountains. The lake, while it looks small, is actually the size of Lake Superior (One of the Great Lakes in the USA).  What you see here is merely a "cape".

The Full Map of the Playable Area
(Click for the full-size map with detailed information.)