Information about the world you live in

The country of Orannar:

A northern land located on a large peninsula. Not as wealthy as some southern lands but much harder to attack, so much so that you've remained on reasonably good terms with Carrillis, the country directly to the south for over 200 years. Orannar's greatest exports are wood, ores, furs and ships - which it builds in good numbers. The country tends to import more complex items and occasionally food or skilled laborers. Politically it's one of the most stable regions of the world - over 400 years since a major invasion or civil war, though there have been numerous riots and minor rebellions. The country is divided into three major duchies, each ruled by one of the great families.

The duchy of Aravein:

The most powerful duchy, located in the south. A little under half the kindgom's food is grown here. Aravein maintains a reasonable army in case of threats from the south or from the sea. The noble family of Arinel has ruled here for 120 years and have been royalty for just 50 years. Most of the royal and noble wealth comes from trade. Aravein has a narrow corridor between the end of the Fellstair mountains and the sea, providing a profitable yet defensible trade route south to Carrillis.

The duchy of Illennia:

The second most powerful duchy, also in the south. Illennia has a small border with Carrillis, but the twisting route through the Fellstair mountains is more difficult. This makes the route easier to defend in case of war, but also means most trade goes east, through Aravein. Illennia grows most of the rest of the food and also has a large industry that manufactures clothes from wool. Their noble line is old - unbroken for almost 400 years. Their complacency as a house probably cost them the throne, but their people are very loyal. They rarely raise taxes, which makes them popular with townsfolk and merchants. Their lands have some of the most industrious cities in Orannar, despite the long river routes needed to reach the open sea.

The duchy of Belmarr:

The largest yet least powerful duchy of Orannar, Belmarr consists of a series of useful pockets of ground separated by marshes, thick forests or glaciers. Belmarr's wealth comes almost entirely from fishing, trade in lumber and in furs. Due to the poor harvests in the north Belmarri citizens raise large numbers of goats, sheep, pigs and other animals that can forrage. In war they can be counted on to provide eager and well trained mariners.

The royal demesne, Salsimyr:

A heart shaped piece of land on the coast between Aravein and Belmarr that belonged to the former royal line. After your family's ascension to the throne fifty years ago the demesne and the capital city of the same name became the property of your family. At that time the King controlled both Salsimyr and Aravein, but thanks to old lines of inheritance their ownership has split once more. Beneath Salsimyr are the stone vales, deep mines which once produced an abundance of copper, mercury and tin. They are no longer considered to be a part of Orannar, though your family still gains some profit through tariffs.

The stone vales:

Until fifty years ago the stone vales served as both the perfect prison and the main source of revenue for the crown of Orannar. One of the only sources of valuable mercury in the north, the stone vales were mined continuously using labor. Those guilty of minor crimes or small debts could pay their way out, those guilty of worse were expected to die down there. Revolts were supposed to be impossible because food was kept above ground. Fifty years ago, suddenly, the stone vale cut itself off from the outside world. Over just a month the loss of metals bankrupted the noble family along with a half dozen trading houses. With no end in sight and no way to regain control of the land beneath his feet old King Garan went mad and threw himself out a window. He had few relatives to begin with and those that lived fled upon his , most fearing their creditors more than they coveted the throne. Your family took power and shortly thereafter the stone vales sent their first ambassador, who made it clear that they were now their own nation. Ever since there has been an uneasy, but continuous peace. Your family knows that trying to retake the stone vales would bankrupt the country, the stone vales know that on friendly terms they can get food and tools from the surface.

The country of Carrillis:

An on and off again warzone thanks to its three large and pushy neighbors. Carrillis tends to build up, get overrun and conquered, then overthrow its conquerors and reinstate the heirs of their old noble families. Its happened three times in recorded history. The last time they were invaded the Fethnians just took all they could carry and left rather than trying to control them. Carrillis is slowly recovering from that invasion and also from a nasty drought that followed it. None of the Carrillan nobles are considered serious possibilities for a royal match - in fact the Carrillans don't have a king, instead trusting a council of nobles to run the country. Given the questionable results no other nation looks ready to follow in their footsteps.

The country of Thacris:

If Thacris counts as a country then it is easily the most warlike country in the world. A nation with warbands instead of noble families the Thacris raid down river and retreat into their native forests when challenged. It's hard to say if they have a king as such, the best information about them comes only from prisoners captured during their raids and from minstrels, some of whom are able to travel reasonably unmolested in Thacris lands. They always speak of freedom, though obviously they mean freedom for themselves - the Thacris trade is alive and well. The fact the Thacris borders Carrillis is one of the main reasons for the state of that country.

The country of Navenath:

Far to the south lies Navanath. They control a widespread empire, all ruled from a long, mountainous island chain covered in fertile soil. They long ago conquered significant stretches of coastline on a few continents. Thanks to a series of powerful, vain, but reasonably fair, kings they managed to keep that territory and even won over most of the locals. Navanath is very cosmopolitan - anyone, from any of their territories, could become ennobled or wealthy. The navenathi people know this and most are proud to be citizens of 'the best country in the world'. The fine soils of their home islands produce the most sought after wines and spices.

But not everything is perfect. Navenath does have slaves - that's hardly uncommon. They aren't even treated that poorly and there are some basic laws to protect them from the excesses of their masters. Women however, get no such protections from their husbands. Women must obey their fathers and when they marry they all but become their husband's property. It's even possible for husbands to give their wife to someone else for money, something those in financial difficulty sometimes do. Widows have almost no rights - in most cases becoming wives of the closest male relative of their dead husband. The Collimite church in Navenath doesn't allow women to become sisters or priests, nor are female sisters or priests allowed to travel to Navenath.

The Collimite Church:

The principal church across most of the world. It is heavily divided across country lines. Ever since the sack of Treneth no central leader has been accepted by the world at large. The church's factions have, perhaps surprisingly, not fractured too much. Each faction instead works to maintain their privileges in each country where the church has significant followers. They are useful diplomats, though some popular peasant leaders and cults claim the church now spends too much time protecting themselves and too little protecting people - commoners and nobility - from the dangers of the dark forces.

Broadly, the Collimites believe that there are two Gods of civilization, one of fertility and finally one dark . There is Dastir - the God of creation; construction, smithing and law. He is the one who taught men of metals and created the first roads, ships and buildings. There is Halmus - the God of purposeful destruction; fire, war and the ocean. Though they often disagree these two know that only together can they reshape the world and witness the abilities of their favorite creations - humans. There is Mearah - the Goddess of life; fertility, growth and kindness. She is considered the flightiest of the Gods and sometimes her nature has aided the dark one. For that reason some branches of the Collimite church have the view that women must be protected from themselves or must be carefully watched as they are more easily tempted by evil.

Finally there is Suleth - the God of wanton destruction, corruption and chaos. According to the church Suleth was happy to watch the other three Gods cooperate on the creation of plants, animals and many other things, but grew jealous when they created humans - beings able to worship them. Suleth tried to replicate their various creations with his own powers and in his own image but failed again and again.

Furious that he was unable to produce something as wonderful and interesting as the other three he is said to have stolen Dastir's latest sketches, Halmus' store of prized materials and the newest cuttings and seeds of Mearah. He formed these together, not knowing the sketches were incomplete, the material ungraded and the seeds unready. None the less he succeeded - many branches of the church claiming he gained the kiss of life needed for his creations by playing on Mearah's kindness, others say he appealed to her curiosity. Yet others say Mearah was bored and came to help him willingly.

Whatever the reason or the method, Suleth's dark forces came to life - twisted animals, strange chimeras and potent demons. Almost all bore some flaw, etched into their nature in Suleth's haste. But they were all powerful creatures in one way or another - often with strange advantages that would prove most effective against the humans they were made to usurp.