A Planeswalker's Guide to Halitoth: Introduction

For 1,000 years, the Empire has held total dominion over Halitoth.

The entire civilized world is contained within the Empire's borders, and imperial forces strive to monitor and control every aspect of each citizen's life. The guards are a constant and oppressive presence in the streets, and imperial telepaths allow them to "punish" those who are guilty of thinking criminal thoughts. The people of the Empire face a choice: submit themselves to brutal Imperial law, or be cast out of the civilized world. Given what lives outside the Empire's borders, most choose to submit.

Recently, however, there have been signs of change. Little by little, cracks are forming in the Empire's stranglehold over Halitoth. Criminal syndicates have grown in reputation and prominence. Illegal cults attract greater numbers by offering an escape from dreary Imperial life. And there are even rustlings of a great uprising from outside the Empire. 

The Empire shows no signs of falling. Few on Halitoth dare to dream that it will ever fall. But for the first time in ages, it does show signs of weakness.

A Sixth Color
The Empire's lasting domination can be explained at least in part by their control of Halitoth's most precious resource: purple mana. Often called "the cosmic magic," or "the cosmic power," purple mana allows mages to perform incredible feats of magic. Even a small amount of cosmic magic can transform an ordinary spell into a world-bending invocation.

If anyone on Halitoth knows how purple mana came to be a part of the plane, they are not making it public knowledge. Most sages and wizards assume that it is as much a fundamental aspect of the Halitoth as are the other five colors of magic. A few scholars believe that it was created long ago by a powerful archmage who lived and traveled among the stars, which might explain why it is called "cosmic." Whatever its origins, no one who has used purple magic could deny that its power can decide the fates of battles, wars, and worlds. And, for as long as anyone can remember, purple mana has been in the Empire's hands.

The Resistance
Halitoth is home to many who are unhappy with Imperial life and who wish to see the Empire fall. The malcontents can be divided roughly into two groups: those who still live within the Empire, and those who live outside its borders.

Resistance Within the Empire
There are no politically-organized nations or factions to oppose the Empire. Those who wish to oppose it must do so privately or in secret organizations. 

The laws of the Empire are ancient and oppressive. Unauthorized citizens are forbidden from traveling, from trading goods, and from any form of protest. Criminals risk their lives to win that which they could never obtain legally-- whether it be wealth, or knowledge, or reputation. Thievery and smuggling are the most common offenses. Most of the world's riches are stored in massive Imperial storehouses, where they are likely never to be put to use. The Empire has no need of gold for trade (it has no trading partners) so most treasures are simply stored indefinitely. The Empire also controls vast stores of more mundane goods, like food, in case of emergency. Of course, because the Empire has no true rivals, "emergencies" almost never arise. 

Poor citizens who live in the shadow of storehouses must either learn to live with their resentment, or become criminals.

While some criminals choose to work alone, most become members of secret organizations. These loosely-organized groups provide information, resources, and a limited amount of security to their members.

There are three major criminal organizations on Halitoth.

Alley Rats
The Alley Rats are the least formal of all criminal organizations on Halitoth. They have no shared ideology to connect them beyond their frustration with the Empire, and they are organized only by convenience or by family ties. Still, Alley Rats rely on one another to provide tips about guard patrol movements, to train aspiring thieves, and to provide backup on particularly ambitious heists. 

The Midnight Coven
The mysterious Midnight Coven is as much a cult as it is a haven for thieves. Members of the Midnight Coven have made a religion out of their hatred for the Empire. They revere everything that the Imperials condemn, with a special emphasis on personal achievement, ambition, and ruthlessness. Midnight Cultists worship black mana itself, believing that it is the pure embodiment of their drive to destroy the Empire. They also strive to rediscover the lost art of necromancy, which was driven out of the Empire centuries ago.

Seekers
The Seekers specialize in gaining access to purple mana. Unlike other criminal organizations, the Seekers have specific long-term goals beyond personal gain or the fall of the Empire. They aspire to make purple mana accessible to rebels of the Empire. If this goal could be realized on a large enough scale, it might be possible for rebels to gain the upper hand. Unsurprisingly, the Seekers are the most zealously persecuted of the criminal factions. Citizens who join in with the Seeker cause are generally either very brave or very foolish.

 

Resistance Outside the Empire

Contrary to official Imperial doctrine, there are vast lands outside of the Empire's borders. Superstitious and fearful citizens of the Empire believe that those lands are filled with roving monsters and savage bands of nomads. As it happens, they are correct.

Most people have no knowledge of the geography outside the Empire, so they refer to everything outside the Empire as "the Outwilds." The Outwilds a few different types of potential threats to the Empire.

Monsters

Long ago, the most vicious creatures of Halitoth were pushed out of the Empire. Since that time, they have only grown in strength and ferocity. The Outwilds is home to a wide variety of thriving and competitive ecosystems where plants and animals have evolved to survive brutal conditions. A comparatively pampered imperial citizen who is exiled to the Outwilds usually doesn't stand a chance.  Most new exiles in the Outwilds meet their fate at the hand, claw, tooth, or tentacle of one of the Outwild's monstrous denizens.

Nomads

However, some exiles have managed to survive, and their numbers grow each year. A new exile's chances of survival increase dramatically if he or she manages to find a nomad band. There are no nations in the Outwilds, and individual bands of nomads rarely have much in the way of an established culture. However, some individuals raised in the Outwilds have begun to rediscover forms of ancient shamanic magic which could never be practiced in the Empire.

As the denizens of the Outwilds grow in strength and number, they spend less time and resources on pure survival. Recently, there have even been reports of semi-organized attacks on towns and villages on the edge of the Empire. It's been centuries since the Empire has had need to bring its full might to bear on an enemy. But that time may be approaching once again.