Magic here is neither birthright nor miracle.
It is labor: distilled from creature, feather, and memory; weighed, traded, feared.
Those who practice it—Corsairs, Hunters, and the secretive Mwandishi—sustain civilization even as they risk repeating the sins that ended the last one.

Sayarii is a living archive: a world of study as much as adventure, where every legend is footnoted in blood and dust. Whether approached as setting, chronicle, or field of play, it invites both scholar and storyteller to test its truths, chart its contradictions, and add their own record to the ever-growing canon.

The world is awake again. The question is what it will remember of us.

Welcome, traveler, to Sayarii—an ancient world marked by extremes, where sprawling deserts stretch endlessly until they are met by the relentless embrace of vast seas. Life thrives in the delicate fringes where sand yields to saltwater, offering fertile ground for agriculture and habitable climates for diverse cultures. Meanwhile, nomadic peoples traverse the harsh interiors, trading scarce resources across the sands and seas, weaving communities together through necessity and ingenuity.

Sayarii has seen the rise and fall of two great civilizations. The current era, Ul'Eumr Il'Jadid (the New Age), has persisted for over six centuries, built upon the ruins of Ul'Mas Il'Saaqit—the Fallen Civilization—a technomagical empire that prospered for three millennia before its abrupt demise. This devastating collapse, known as Karithat ul'Qadima—the Great Fall—saw the wrath of the Old Gods unleashed upon the world. Cities were obliterated, entire populations vanished, and whole races were extinguished during a decade of relentless storms and floods.

The reasons behind this divine retribution remain a mystery. The Old Gods withdrew not only their favor but also the natural magic that once permeated the people of Sayarii. Survivors emerged solely from the "between places"—those traveling the seas, skies, or deserts, untouched by the catastrophic storms that erased civilizations overnight. These survivors forged scattered communities, piecing together a new existence from remnants and resilience.
 

Today, rare individuals who have rediscovered the lost art of magic, or come from other realms, rise to prominence, sometimes revered as new gods, whether they seek or deserve such status or not. Technology, though employed, remains viewed with skepticism, and magic—once prevalent and now exceedingly scarce—is rigorously studied through thaumaturgy. Academics painstakingly distill magical essence from the remains of enchanted creatures, an art now meticulously preserved and taught in universities across Sayarii. This delicate dynamic shapes societies where wielders of magic can be simultaneously admired, worshipped, and deeply feared.

Despite underlying tensions, particularly between the Ul'Harbiya Il'Sultaniya Saahilian—the Eastern Empire—and the Mchanga Hasira—the Twin Seas Coast, peace has prevailed for five decades. Trade flourishes, the arts are celebrated, and a burgeoning middle class enjoys unprecedented prosperity, though wealth remains unevenly distributed.

The inhabitants of Sayarii today bear the marks of the Great Fall. Humans and Elves constitute the primary surviving humanoid races. In the Bara Kusini region, humans and elves have extensively intermingled, creating a vibrant populace with mixed heritages. Pure lineage is rare, valued, and often a source of pride among the elite, such as the Elves of the Eastern Empire or the skilled shipbuilding elves of Bayt ul'Zaytun and Belanore Alari.

Alongside these familiar races, new beings have emerged: the mystical Djinn, the avian Fēixiān, the elusive Nephilim giants who roam the seas, and enigmatic insectoid races of the southern deserts, whose cultures and origins remain shrouded in mystery. Sayarii brims with potential adventures, waiting to reward the courageous and curious who dare to explore its depths and unveil its secrets.