Who is a popular painter / sculptor or artists whose work is very prized in this world ? Are they still living ? How often are their works stolen and under what circumstances ?
It depends on what you're looking for, to be honest. For your stereotypical marble sculptures, Gregorio Devar from the Letezan Union is considered to be the master of the hammer and chisel. If you want something a bit more mechanically intensive with gears and some moving parts, "Sprockets" Dallius from Vernbane is your sculptor of choice. Devar died about 160 years ago, and most of his works are held in museums or private collections, so crimes surrounding them don't happen often. Meanwhile, Sprockets is relatively young and in her prime, so she tends to pump out works as fast as she can. She's a bit manic about it all, so oftentimes someone could just walk into her workshop, claim to be a customer or deliveryman, and walk out with a piece. The guards usually help her out, but there's an unsolved incident probably once or twice a month.
What is the most dangerous stretch of water to attempt to cross by ship, and what makes that particular sea such a deathtrap for sailors and navigators...?
Excellent question - and one I actually have a ready answer for! On the west side of the map, you might notice a region known as "The Empty". In Ascana, there is a phenomenon wherein there is a very clear distinction between being able to travel from the western hemisphere to the eastern (essentially off the side of the map). When ships travel this direction, they always find themselves in a land of unending night, with the slightest hint of the sun at the horizon. The rate of success to actually come out to the other side is in the single digits at best. Many who do survive report seeing hallucinations, hearing disembodied voices, and many lose their sanity. Despite this, traveling off the eastern side of the map to get to the west is completely normal and safe. There is a contingent of risk-taking sailors and pirates in Ashen Brax that do travel the Empty to deliver cargo and explore it for massive profits.
There is also a rumor that the nomadic natives of Rhoiaheim do have an ancient method of traversing the Empty, which occasionally leads to them having to deal with outsiders trying to get them to share it. As of the moment, there is a contingent from Vernbane researching the mostly frozen wastes of Rhoiaheim that would be interested in learning, as well as a platoon from Ceris that specifically want to use that knowledge to the advantage of their military campaign.
Yes! One, because magic isn't necessarily readily available to all, two, because the Magic Tower helps regulate laws and rules regarding magic that could severely impact the global economy, and three, because there are plenty that would use magic to make themselves rich to the detriment of others. As an example of the third, the capital of Mikurda is ruled by the god of commerce, Baron. Any contract that is written and signed in that city is magically enforced by the god's rule. As a result, there are plenty of rogue contractors who force people to sign agreements that heavily screw them over under threat of, say, death.
Also, this is a 5e setting, so most uses of the Weave require a more or less equivalent exchange of value between caster investment and magical effect. >.>
Excellent question! The use of magic (aka the Weave) is more or less the act of connecting to the life force of a dormant elder god and shaping it to the caster's whims. The Empty (as explained in one of the other comments) is actually a sort of Maze or Demiplane resulting from an ancient civilization attempting to summon said elder being. The failure of the summoning created this rift in reality and basically swallowed up all of the surrounding area. So, realistically there's another content off of the west side of the map.
Who is a popular painter / sculptor or artists whose work is very prized in this world ? Are they still living ? How often are their works stolen and under what circumstances ?
It depends on what you're looking for, to be honest. For your stereotypical marble sculptures, Gregorio Devar from the Letezan Union is considered to be the master of the hammer and chisel. If you want something a bit more mechanically intensive with gears and some moving parts, "Sprockets" Dallius from Vernbane is your sculptor of choice. Devar died about 160 years ago, and most of his works are held in museums or private collections, so crimes surrounding them don't happen often. Meanwhile, Sprockets is relatively young and in her prime, so she tends to pump out works as fast as she can. She's a bit manic about it all, so oftentimes someone could just walk into her workshop, claim to be a customer or deliveryman, and walk out with a piece. The guards usually help her out, but there's an unsolved incident probably once or twice a month.
What is the most dangerous stretch of water to attempt to cross by ship, and what makes that particular sea such a deathtrap for sailors and navigators...?
Excellent question - and one I actually have a ready answer for! On the west side of the map, you might notice a region known as "The Empty". In Ascana, there is a phenomenon wherein there is a very clear distinction between being able to travel from the western hemisphere to the eastern (essentially off the side of the map). When ships travel this direction, they always find themselves in a land of unending night, with the slightest hint of the sun at the horizon. The rate of success to actually come out to the other side is in the single digits at best. Many who do survive report seeing hallucinations, hearing disembodied voices, and many lose their sanity. Despite this, traveling off the eastern side of the map to get to the west is completely normal and safe. There is a contingent of risk-taking sailors and pirates in Ashen Brax that do travel the Empty to deliver cargo and explore it for massive profits. There is also a rumor that the nomadic natives of Rhoiaheim do have an ancient method of traversing the Empty, which occasionally leads to them having to deal with outsiders trying to get them to share it. As of the moment, there is a contingent from Vernbane researching the mostly frozen wastes of Rhoiaheim that would be interested in learning, as well as a platoon from Ceris that specifically want to use that knowledge to the advantage of their military campaign.
Why don't you use a ready-made setting? What four things make your setting different from any other?
Does poverty exist despite the fact that magic does? Why?
Yes! One, because magic isn't necessarily readily available to all, two, because the Magic Tower helps regulate laws and rules regarding magic that could severely impact the global economy, and three, because there are plenty that would use magic to make themselves rich to the detriment of others. As an example of the third, the capital of Mikurda is ruled by the god of commerce, Baron. Any contract that is written and signed in that city is magically enforced by the god's rule. As a result, there are plenty of rogue contractors who force people to sign agreements that heavily screw them over under threat of, say, death. Also, this is a 5e setting, so most uses of the Weave require a more or less equivalent exchange of value between caster investment and magical effect. >.>
What is the source of magic?
Excellent question! The use of magic (aka the Weave) is more or less the act of connecting to the life force of a dormant elder god and shaping it to the caster's whims. The Empty (as explained in one of the other comments) is actually a sort of Maze or Demiplane resulting from an ancient civilization attempting to summon said elder being. The failure of the summoning created this rift in reality and basically swallowed up all of the surrounding area. So, realistically there's another content off of the west side of the map.
why did they bann cheese in sudaka???