Song of the Pale Stone is an Augur’s Lore Fantasy RPG setting in which society and technology exists similarly to our own ancient histories, with a few notable distinctions. Primarily, the world looks far different in this time. There are several sentient species–referred to as “the civilized peoples” in the game–all inhabiting the same world. Civilized peoples pride themselves on having created civilization, what they praise as their more permanent form of existence that separates them from the beasts of the natural world. But how that civilization is defined depends on where in the world one travels.

Thelea’s provinces are home to the largest collective human populations on earth, but humans share their Empire with several other sentient species—referred to as “the civilized peoples” in the game. As the name implies, the civilized peoples created society—the more permanent form of existence that distinguishes people from the beasts that inhabit the natural world. But depending on where one travels throughout the Empire, they will find that civilization in Thelea is not monolithic, nor is it always harmonious. Societies shape themselves in diverse ways, and sometimes the fundamental truths of one community clashes (even violently) with those of another. Each of the civilized peoples are distinctive in ancestry and appearance, but have integrated into various societies and contribute to numerous distinctive cultures throughout the Empire. The people of Thelea tend to identify more strongly with their provincial communities than they do with their ancestral origins.

The title is a reference to the dangerous and legendary substance that is believed to have emerged from the halfhollows; it is extremely light in weight, brightly-colored, slightly warm to the touch, and thought to be the source of all mystical power. While it is frequently discussed often throughout the Empire, it is very rare. What’s more is that Pale stone is incredibly dangerous to most people and no one quite knows why or how. The mythical origins of Pale Stone–the deep halfhollows–are the dark underworld below, believed to be the domain of the primordial gods. Legend states that many of the primordial gods were trapped in the underworld when the halfhollows were created, when the god Bailiea twisted the flat world into a hollowed globe. What lurked beneath the world was trapped, inverted in the underworld and lost to time. The primordial gods are said to rule the halfhollows and all within under malicious torment. Those who travel into subterranean locales are warned to be cautious of such a world.

The stories of the ancients and the halfhollows below are often considered superstitious nonsense in the eyes of many of the more wealthy nobles in the civilized world. For most in the upper echelons of society, the legends and the gods are fantastical tales people tell their children, nothing more. The inner-workings of the economic and political structures of the Empire are of more import to these nobles than some silly myths and legends. Still, some prefer not to mock the gods or fate, and keep a close ear on those tales; there may be some truth to them, even if only the truth that they might make for themselves. The Augurs envision a dark and mysterious world where adventurers can shape the course of the Empire. What will your adventures reveal?