Twelve Towns | toddvanhooser

THE TWELVE TOWNS

The shattered world is bound together by the power of the Wheelhouse. What has been left behind in the aftermath of the Breaking is seemingly impossible—twelve sundered remnants of Mythren drifting like a dream amidst the debris of all that was. The twelve land masses that remain intact are separated by the Upfall—a mystical sea of ruin that rises up from a bottomless chasm. The Wheelhouse stands in the center of this destruction, connecting to each of the masses by means of a magical pathway that extends outward like the spoke of a wagon wheel. At the end of each path lies one of the Twelve Towns.

It is unknown when the Wheelhouse first appeared, but the Twelve Towns came some time after. They were established by vastrals, the animalistic guardians of the long-forgotten titans. Summoned to the Wheelhouse after the Breaking, the vastrals went about laying the first foundations of civilization following the cataclysm. Later, the gates to the outside world were opened and those that entered the Twelve Towns were promised the protection of the Wheelhouse. Eager to find not only safety, but a sense of unity in the chaos of the Remains, survivors made a home of the Twelve Towns.

The land mass, or drift, that each Twelve Town is a part of varies dramatically in size. Some of the masses are so large that they resemble small continents with great forests, deserts, mountains and seas. Others are more like collections of broken islands, connected by elaborate bridges that span the Upfall. The histories and cultures of these regions are reflected in the town itself, making each one a unique location in many respects. The one similarity between each of the Twelve Towns is the existence of a Cradle Sanctuary—this is the home of the vastral, called Makers within the Twelve Towns due to their hand in the creation of the bandiar. Built upon a mountain between the town proper and the portal to the Wheelhouse is a temple of colossal size and beauty. Crowned with an ornate stone carving bearing the semblance of the town’s Maker, the Cradle Sanctuary is a site like no other to be found in the world abroad. The temples predate the construction of the town itself by hundreds, maybe thousands of years and appear unlike anything else in features or design. It is here that the last of the vastrals dwell, and it is here in these ancient and hallowed halls that the bandiar are given life.

Lastly, although a dozen cities were first constructed, as the power of the Wheelhouse fails over time, so does that of the Twelve Towns. Their ability to defend themselves against the growing threats presented by the Out-World has diminished. Corruption grips many of the towns while others are mired in rebellion. The fate of the Wheelhouse is linked to the their endurance, but as the towns fall to decadence, deceit, or decay, the future of Mythren hangs in the balance.

The Twelve Towns of Mythren and their Cradle Sanctuaries

The Town of Aro and the Sanctuary of Skorus, the Lion

Status: Overthrown and now in ruin.

The Town of Brin and the Sanctuary of Veer, the Jackal

Status: Destroyed by fire, rumored to be haunted.

The Town of Caro and the Sanctuary of Beedle, the Tortoise

Status: Fell to decay and now abandoned.

The Town of Delv and Sanctuary to Toth, the Beaver