See "Matu'd'arum"

For a long time, Abaddon was believed to be lifeless and cold, covered with rusty sands, and criss-crossed with strange "canals". There are many areas on the surface with active volcanos, bubbling hot springs, and vents that let noxious vapors seep into the atmosphere.

The truth is that Abaddon is indeed capable of sustaining life, though not as well as Sinai by any means. At least in one area of Abaddon, there are several scattered colonies of races that parallel many prominent on Sinai, living in artificial "Life Domes", and with a higher level of technology that allows them the use of machines that would not be considered possible -- or safe -- on Sinai. The canals do indeed hold water and vegetation, but also are infested by disease and hostile creatures (such as the "Rotbiter") that make them far too dangerous to utilize by most.

In recent history (during the first year of the reign of Tahir Archelaus the First), a (relatively) small chunk of the Himar region (including the city of Elamoore) was transplanted by some sort of Exile technology onto Abaddon, resulting in the fertile "Pit of Himar" that may some day be the site of the largest Life Dome of all. Already, the combined efforts of several tribes on Abaddon have resulted in the Pit of Himar being spanned by a massive framework, slowly being covered against the inhospitable elements, and fitted with environmental controls.

Abaddon is very rich in metals, and Abaddonian iron is a popular commodity on metal-scarce Sinai. Abaddonian metal that has recently been brought to Sinai is known to have magic-resistant properties, though it has been observed that this slowly degrades as the metal "acclimates" to Sinai. This phenomenon does not seem to apply to all metal brought in from other worlds, though it is still very common - It is well known that meteoric iron has certain anti-magic properties, after all.

Access to the world of Abaddon is provided by an ancient Sifran structure known as the Gateway Tower. The Gateway Tower on Abaddon is within the domain of the human-dominated Kampfzengruppe, allied with the Khattan Emirate for its control.

"Abaddon" is also the name of the God of War, Fire and Destruction in the Olympian mythos.

While Abu Dhabi has its share of slums and places badly in need of repair like most every other city, it sports some very impressive architecture and public gardens -- testaments to the wealth and feats of engineering of the city. It is a city of high-rising towers topped with minarets, and of bold colors found in stone mosaics. It is also well-fortified, to defend against occasional assaults by the bolder (or less intelligent) pirate raiders.

Its primary exports are exotic spices and fine silks. It is rumored that, somewhere underneath the city, there lies a large underground "garden" that matches or exceeds the splendor of the gardens to be found above. It is also rumored that some bands of pirates find harbor here, with surreptitious sanction by city leaders.

The capitol of Aelfhem is Winterhome, a settlement of modest size that lies in a valley beneath the Sacred Orchards, where groves of sugarfir trees are ritually tended by an order of Aelfin monks.

In addition to the Aelfin, there are also small settlements of Eeee (migrated from Ashdod long ago) to be found in the area, and in recent years there have been sightings of three-headed dragons - In fact, it's rumored that the monks of the Sacred Orchard have one serving as a guardian of their holy ground.

In legend, from times when Aelfhem was out of contact with the outside world, Aelfhem was held to be a place of magic, highly regarded for its craftsmanship of magical artifacts. However, if such was the case, it is an art that has been lost long ago, for Aelfin products - while reasonably sturdy and well-made - are fairly plain and modest, and certainly not possessed of any magical properties.

Primarily found in the regions known as Aelfhem, on the continent of Ur, south of Ashdod.

Little is known about this race insofar as general knowledge. What is known is that they are vegetarians, and, whether or not they have magical powers, what legends there are often ascribe spell-working to them.

The whole island is considered quarantine under authority of both Rephidim and of Babel, and travellers give it a wide berth, especially since freak storms have a tendency to pop up in the area.

Spells of the Sphere of Air deal with the prediction and control of weather, with more potent spells dealing with the power of storms and precipitation (such as the causing of rain or sleet -- as the temperature allows -- or even lightning.) Due to the nature of the weather, even an Air Mage cannot perfectly predict the weather -- or perfectly control it. Spells of this Sphere, when interrupted, have a high chance of having disastrous side effects, proportional to the power of the spell and the energy already invested in it.

According to the theory of the organization of spheres most held by Rephidimite scholarship, the Sphere of Air is closely related to the Sphere of Chaos (Chaos, Sphere of), and is diametrically opposed by the Sphere of Earth (Earth, Sphere of).

Since the advent of the discovery of the Gateway Tower and trade with Abaddon, many airships have been replaced with semi-mechanical zeppelins, relying on complex propulsion systems. Although zeppelins on Abaddon move primarily with spinning propellers, Sinaian designs employ flapping wings, pumping bellows, and all sorts of seemingly unnecessary moving parts - which engineers insist are crucial to the functioning of such craft on Sinai.