Spellbreak Lore

The primary source for Spellbreak's Lore comes from Garrick's Journal and the on-going Chapters.

Spellbreak is set in a ravaged fantasy world filled with elemental magic.

You assume the role of a Breaker, a magically gifted outcast who comes to the Hollow Lands to take as much power and loot as you can and get out.

History
Spellbreak is set in a region once known as the Highlands on the continent of Velnor, but now is known only as the Hollow Lands.

The various fights for power and treasure take place after an apocalyptic event called The Fracture, which took place one year ago.

The Fracture and the Spellstorm that came along with it changed the face of the Highlands forever, making it not just uninhabitable but lethal to its former denizens. Including all animal life, excluding plant life.

During the event, a region known as the Stormeave Plateau broke off from Velnor. Only the fortress-city of Longwatch residing on it remained unscathed, where the majority of human refugees have taken shelter.

Within Longwatch is a Breaker-controlled faction led by Avira Emberdane. The player is first introduced to her in the tutorial, where they learn to travel to the Hollow Lands via portals, also known as Storm Hatches.

Garrick has written some of the important history related to the Highlands and what caused The Fracture in Garrick's Journal.

200 years before this event however, the wardens of each kingdom formed an alliance between them called the Five Hand Alliance.

The Five Hand Alliance
The five kingdoms of the Highlands* and their respective Hands at the time of the alliance's founding:


 * Halcyon Kinship – Alad Fieldbrand, Hand of the People


 * Longwatch Protectorate – Gryff Lawkett, Hand of Defense


 * Dustpool Conglomerate – Verec Grandwell, Hand of Commerce


 * Banehelm Academy – Kanah Grimtree, Hand of Knowledge


 * Bogmore Collective – The Shadehand, Hand of Secrets

The founder and architect of this alliance was Alad Fieldbrand, the first Hand of the People. He was a warden of Fort Halcyon, where the seat of government was formed.

The alliance was designed to prevent any one individual from ruling the Highlands as a tyrant. To achieve this, each Hand was given the responsibility of voting in matters that pertain to the entire region.

In, it is mentioned that the alliance was formed out of necessity to fight against a rising external threat that would eventually lead to the "Lost War".

Each Hand had their own individual responsibilities surrounding different aspects of the alliance, as can be derived from their titles.

The use of magic was widespread prior to the Vow Mandate, and curiously the alliance never formally recognized the Vowkeepers.

Not much is known about the times before the forging of the alliance aside from folktales of endless bloody feuds between the kingdoms.

*  (Description for each kingdom needed) 

The Tideseers
Chapter 1 revealed the existence an ancient order of scholars known as the Tideseers, likely of Banehelm origin. (Garrick, book 2, page 179)

According to Quincy's investigations, the order was studying the Spellstorm and its Spelltides from inside the famous Aegis Towers.

A Scavenger Hunt clue posted on March 19th, 2021 mentions them collecting and studying old magical relics. However, the exact nature of their work is still a mystery.

It can be inferred from a Scavenger Hunt clue posted on March 5th, 2021, that the map location "Forgotten Cloister" was once their home.

Furthermore, it tells us that the home had been maintained for generations by a long lineage of groundskeepers, up until The Fracture came and consumed the last heir.

Humans
The human race in Spellbreak is broadly divided into three factions:


 * Vowkeepers: Also known as Keepers, the Vowkeepers are a highly religious order that sticks to very specific set of rules established in the Vow Mandate.
 * They have taken a vow to never use magic in order to prevent the corruption of the soul that they believe accompanies it.


 * Vowbreakers: Also known as Breakers, they have chosen to break the sacred vow of not practicing magic. Quintessential to this act of defiance is the use of Vital Stones.
 * Unlike the Keepers, Breakers are only loosely organized in a series of sub-factions due to the use of magic being outlawed. They often work at odds with one another.


 * Vowguard: Also known as the Guard, were created by Venthim the Awoken & Ora Fernfall in order to enforce the Vow Mandate.
 * They act as the strong-arm of the Keepers, although they are formally lead by The Hand of Defense, with their own internal hierarchy. They serve as both a policing force, monitoring and preventing the use of magic, and as a military force, defending the Highlands from both internal and external threats. The Guard itself is specially permitted to use certain kinds of magic, such as Gauntlet magic, in order to bring Breakers to justice.
 * Formerly known as the Storm Guard prior to the influence of Vowkeepers, and the battle of the "Lost War". It can be assumed they were much more comfortable with magic use before the Vowkeepers rose to power. The Storm Guard was originally tasked with protecting Aegis Spires / Towers, and keeping general order across the Highlands. (Garrick, book 2, page 181)

Prisma
The Prisma are a separate race from the humans, and while they were once good allies of the denizens of the Highlands, the border between their nations was closed by the Five Hand Alliance.

Garrick mentions how a ledger he found describes their former trade partnership, exchanging Brilstones & opalesce ore for magical Runes. Their capital city goes by the name Vidallah.

Currency & Trade
Before The Fracture, Dustpool Hold was the home of mining operations, and as a result became the center of trade and commerce in the Highlands.

Wealth in the Highlands was measured both in regular gold coins as well as the trade of valuable items such as magic-infused runestones, Opalesce, Magnalt, Brilstones, and Vital Stones.

The value of Brilstones varies with the quality and the cuts of the gems. The mines of Dustpool is the only known region to find Brilstones in the world.

They are said to be imbued with magical properties, and are the presumed source of a Gauntlet's power.

Additionally, alludes to how the Gauntlets may have been crafted by an unknown race of great armorers.

A Scavenger Hunt clue posted on February 26th, 2021, suggests that a drink called Glowblush Brandy was a very popular trading good in the region:

''“Brewed from the sap of ruby-red trees, Glowblush Brandy was always among the region’s most popular drinks. Before The Fracture, the beverage was produced in such volume that a sizable underground warehouse had to be constructed to store barrels of it. Find the entrance.”''

Traditions & Holidays
Rosebloom Rumpus

When winter finally releases it’s icy grip on the land, lovers have traditionally given each other roses and rose themed presents to show their affection to each other.

These gifts could be a simple single rose, rose shaped jewelry, or bouquets larger than their lover’s head.

Towns all across the Highlands create sweet treats to keep their spirits up as winter comes to a close. Bakeries and confectionaries create elaborate creations.

Day of Remembrance

On this day, the people of Velnor traditionally honor their ancestors by guiding their spirits to the afterlife. Each kingdom has a different variation of the tradition.

Bogmore fills their rivers with boats carrying lanterns. Halcyon townsfolk light a candle in their windows. Longwatch shoots flaming arrows to light bonfires.

Banehelm keeps the candles in their libraries lit all night and reads passages about their ancestors. Dustpool burns incense of their departed one’s favorite scents.

But all share the common goal of beseeching the departed and asking for their blessings in the year to come.

Hymnwood Festival

When the leaves of the Hymnwood have grown, the music of the forest returns. The people sing loud, cheerful songs of triumph and merriment.

Towns are flooded with music, dancing, and beautiful flowers as everyone sets aside their troubles to celebrate.

The colorful costumes and playful masks of the festival celebrate the continuation of life in its many forms.

Elemental Magic
Elemental magic draws from the power of the world itself to manipulate the elements.

Specially crafted Gauntlets inlaid with Brilstones allow a user to attune to a specific element and wield it against their foes.

Breakers wield the elemental magic of Gauntlets when they scour the Hollow Lands for riches and artifacts in order to protect themselves from other Breakers.

6 days before launch, the official Spellbreak Twitter Account started posting mysterious pages from "The Journal of Quincy Poisewax", detailing each Gauntlet element.

Runic Magic
Runic magic involves activating the power of specially crafted runestones or runechips.

Amongst humans very little is known about runic magic, save perhaps by Garrick, a handful of Vowkeepers, and likely the Shadehand.

The Prisma presumably know a great deal about runic magic, considering their most significant export when trade was still open to the Highlands was runestones.

Runic magic seems to take a couple of major forms:


 * Scrolls that contain glyphs that alter a user's abilities
 * Runestones that channel runic magic
 * Runechips that serve simple tasks

Garrick has found several examples of runic magic in the vaults of the Vowkeepers as well as in the remains of the Hollow Lands.

Some Breakers use runic magic to augment their abilities while in the Hollow Lands and gain an edge over their opponents.

It is even said that some Breakers use runic magic to alter their appearance or taunt their foes.

Vital Stone Magic
During the tutorial, Avira informs us that Vital Stones are what keeps Breakers from being killed.

Vital Stones are incredibly powerful magical conduits that Breakers can attune to.

Once a Breaker has attuned to a Vital Stone, if they are ever injured severely enough to be killed, their body disintegrates and reconstitutes at the hidden location of their Vital Stone.

If a Breaker's Vital Stone is destroyed, they are as well. For this reason, the location of a Breaker's Vital Stone is their most closely guarded secret.

Vital Stones can also be used to extend a Breaker's lifespan far beyond what is normally achievable.

According to Vowkeeper doctrine, practicing Vital Stone magic is corrupting to one's soul, and it is believed that Vowbreakers' misuse of said magic caused The Fracture. (Garrick, book 4, page 186)

Controversially, Thadius Vanderun has claimed that Breakers are not the only users of Vital Stones. (Garrick, book 4, page 224)

Avira found evidence of an old research project taking place in Banehelm Academy, commissioned in secret by Ferec Snowlash.

According to Lyna Springflare's notes, they were trying to reconstitute the mythical Vital Stone of Gyle for some purpose. Avira believes this is proof that the Vowkeepers caused The Fracture. (Garrick, book 4, page 133)

Geography & Architecture
The story in Spellbreak takes place on a planet called Primdal, with one moon in its orbit, Sipra.

However, the artifact Arcane Astrolabe as well as, alludes to the existence of a second moon:

"[...] they had to complete a ritual which could only be done on a night where both moons were visible."

Within the continent of Velnor exists the Highlands and presumably other regions that have yet to be revealed. During The Fracture a region called the Stormeave Plateau broke off from the continent.

In, it's described how a specific topological quirk known as The Awning has protected it from the Spellstorm.

The overall geography of the Hollow Lands is still similar to when it was known as the Highlands, but the destruction caused by The Fracture has left enough changed that old maps are very inaccurate.

New, relatively crude maps have been created by Breakers for their own use in navigating the Hollow Lands, but also Ferec Snowlash and the Vowkeepers have acquired highly detailed maps through unknown methods.

Halcyon Kinship

The Kinship is the largest kingdom in the Highlands by far.

It stretches all the way from Ruby Grove in the east, to Edgewall Gate in the west, Gritfeld in the north, (formerly known as Charity Crossing) and Hymnwood in the south. (Highland History, Chapter 5)

We've learned through Quincy Poisewax's journal that Fort Halcyon was built and fortified by Stoneshapers.

The architectural style of the Highlands is a hybrid between Nordic and Japanese villages and castles. See Concept Art.

Chapter 1: The Spellstorm
While the exact cause of The Fracture remains unknown, popular opinion holds that a Breaker, or perhaps all Breakers, are responsible (Garrick, book 4, page 186).

During Chapter One, the player is sent out to scout the Hollow Lands for clues as to what caused The Fracture, in an effort to prove the innocence of the Breakers.

Avira believes that the best way to do that, is to study and eventually stop the Spellstorm.

Through Blackthorn, a former Bogmore Collective agent, the player learns that the Collective has uncovered something about the Spellstorm.

After locating and decoding a number of documents, the player delivers the information to Avira’s scholars, led by Quincy Poisewax. They find no mention of the Spellstorm.

Instead, the documents all refer to the Aegis Towers, ancient constructs originally designed to protect the Five Kingdoms against Spelltides (Garrick, book 2, page 179).

The Order of the Vowbreakers decides to investigate the Aegis Towers further. When the player interacts with the ruins of the Towers, there is a definite magical reaction.

In his research, Quincy Poisewax finds mention of an ancient order of scholars known as the Tideseers, who worked in the Aegis Towers.

Their name suggests that they might have played a role in predicting Spelltides, though what they did exactly remains a matter of speculation.

Quincy asks the player to recover old research files of the Tideseers, which reveal much about the Aegis Towers. They seem to have functioned as something like lightning rods: absorbing the magical energy of the Spelltides and dispersing it safely.

While the Towers were destroyed by The Fracture, the interaction between the player’s magic and the remains of the Towers suggest that some part of their old capabilities lingers.

Although the Order of the Vowbreakers is in no position to rebuild the Aegis Towers, the Tideseer documents did reveal something else - mentions of so-called “ Spellstorm Rifts ”.

Quincy theoreizes these may be localised ruptures in space and time caused by the Spelltides.

Additionally, he believes there is a link between these Rifts and the Mana Vaults  that occasionally appear in the Hollow Lands, and asked the player to help him collect more data.

Further experimentations suggest that the Spellstorm might be causing ruptures in the time-continuum – transporting the Mana Vaults directly from the past.

Whatever the case, understanding the Spellstorm’s effects on the Hollow Lands will be key in putting an end to it.

Using the data uncovered so far, Quincy was able to scan the Hollow Lands for disruptions similar to those affecting the Mana Vaults.

His work revealed the Spellstorm is causing Arcane Rifts, just like the Tideseer research mentioned – and they appear to be growing stronger.

The player is sent into the Storm to investigate them. Upon interacting with the Rifts, the player is infused with a surge of power, unlike anything ever seen in the Hollow Lands, suggesting that there is much more to learn about the Spellstorm.

While Quincy and his researchers studied the Rift data, Avira worked with her Breaker recruits to hone their combat talents and teamwork, fearing that the Vowguard is not sitting still.

She believes strength and coordination is what has kept the Order alive, and what any Breaker should strive for.

After several weeks of research, the Order’s scholars determined that the arcane energies of the Storm fluctuate strongly. They suspect that the Breakers are somehow connected to the fluctuations.

Based on more fieldwork, they were able to confirm that like the Aegis Towers, Breakers are absorbing energy from the Spellstorm. Why this isn’t causing the Storm to fade, however, is still unclear.

After the Rifts started to appear, the Storm developed another arcane phenomenon. Quincy calls them " Fracture Vents ", and once again sends the player to investigate.

The readings suggest that the Vents might be the final piece of the puzzle: just like how the Aegis Towers and Breakers themselves draw power from the Storm, the Storm in turn has been drawing power from The Fracture.

The arcane energies that emanate from The Fracture feed the Storm, and the Vents are just the most visible expression of the process.

If it hadn’t been for the Breakers’ activities in the Hollow Lands weakening the Storm, the situation would now be even more dire than it already is.

There’s no telling how far the Storm could grow if left unchecked – or what can possibly be done to absorb even more of the Storm’s power.

More than a month after the Order of the Vowbreakers began studying the Aegis Towers, something caused the Towers to activate – though not in the way Quincy anticipated.

As he predicted, the Towers are drawing power from the Storm, but that power isn’t being dispersed.

Avira believed that if Towers continued gathering energy with no way to discharge it, it might cause a second Fracture.

The player is sent to inspect the Towers and absorb their power, and manages to avert an immediate disaster.

At the end of the day, however, the Order is still faced with a legion of unanswered questions about the nature of The Fracture, the Towers, the Rifts, and the Storm itself – let alone the all-important question of how to stop it.

Avira's Journal
At the start of each week of Chapter 1, the official Spellbreak Twitter Account posted journal entries signed by Avira Emberdane.

Chapter 2: The Fracture
Chapter 2 Story Summary

Wanted Posters
At the start of each week of Chapter 2, the official Spellbreak Twitter Account put up "wanted posters".