Rise of Aester World Info

Intro to RoÆ
Although this brief introduction barely scratches the surface, we hope it will provide a sense of the world as it exists after the Rise of Æster. For a more detailed chronology of events following the Rise, you can peruse the Timeline, which provides year-by-year descriptions of events transpiring until the year PÆ 80, and other forces acting to bring about the current world.

What is the Rise of Aester?
Imagine a steampunk world of adventure, an alternate history that never was…

80 years ago in 1862, the skies filled with a mysterious substance called “Æster”, blocking the sun’s light and destroying nearly all the green growing things on Earth. Enduring terrible hardships of the Rise, Mankind nearly perished, but now stands on the brink of a bright future.

Cities of Light with titanic Aeroplexes stand as bastions of civilization in permanent darkness under the Æster’s glowering, corrosive clouds. Above 10,000 feet, shielded æsterships ply the caustic skies suspended by the Draw, one of æster’s many strange properties. Below the æster floor, airships connect far-flung towns and villages to the cities of light. The flickering flame of civilization has finally kindled once again.

Although Mankind stands poised to enter a new age of prosperity, most of the world remains dark and filled with danger. Gigantic animals occupy the lands and seas, forever altered by the power of the Æster. Savage Nightmen prowl the dark lands beyond the cities; raiders and pirates prey upon shipping vessels in the air and the Æster.

But nothing is so dangerous as the Æster itself...

Powerfully corrosive, Æster can destroy the strongest structures or render a body to dust within minutes. It has transformed normal animals into monsters, and even changed some human minds into the feared, raving killers called Æster Mad.

For all the challenges and the dangers, a Golden Age stands right around the corner…

If we are bright enough,

If we are brave enough,

If we are bold enough…

..to seize it.

Who will you be after the Rise of Æster?