Post by Game Master on Aug 21, 2016 15:19:04 GMT
The world that the game takes place in is called Atollamu. As of the time period that the game takes place in, there is only one known continent on the face of the world, so it is simply called Atollamu, the Elven word for world.
There are nine nations in the world of Atollamu:
At the center of the continent is the empire of Caeril. Caeril is made up of mostly humans, though it has a melting pot of minorities as well, and functions as a center of cosmopolitan culture for the human race. Other nations of humans generally get what's fashionable from what the nobles of Caeril are wearing.
The empire is largely in decline since they kicked off a war with their neighbors to the north, the viking-esque nation of Norra.
Norra is home to a large number of loosely affiliated human settlements, as well as the largest concentration of mountain Dwarves in Atollamu, whom the Norran humans get along with well through trade and mutual defense.
Until the last two years, Norra has been a client state of the Caerilian Empire, but the deposing of their last Yarl (tribal king) for demanding lower taxes has incited a revolutionary war.
The current Caerillian Emperor, Lepus IV, ordered a legion of Imperial soldiers to suppress the incursion, and the troops have occupied Norra since. The legionaries have met with mixed welcomes everywhere they go, with a sizable minority of Imperial loyalists thankful that they're there to restore order, while the majority resent the occupation and wish for independence.
Norran guerilla fighters harass the legionaries wherever they go, and their numbers now dwindle in the hundreds. The Empire is currently pondering legislation to surge more troops into the region, but they have other problems to deal with as well.
To the west of both Norra and Caeril is the desert nation of Jorrar. The Jorrari humans have made their capitol city, Jor, along the biggest river in the entire continent (and Jorrar's only major water source), the Rell. Living in their oasis city, the swarthy, practical Jorrari trade with traveling caravans of Halflings and Elves, send caravans out for wealth themselves, and enjoy cordial, if cool, relations with Caeril.
They keep a wary eye on their eastern neighbor, as in the far past Jorrar and Caeril have come close to war over the status of unaligned colonies on their borders. The Jorrari are careful to ward off any incursions of colonialism, while the Caerilians seem content to let the Jorrari have their slice of the world... for now. The Sultan of Jorrar, Salahadin III, is old and enjoys the prosperous wealth of his nation in peace. His son, Hakim II, has garnered a reputation as a nationalist and a proponent of expansion. Many in the international community do not look forward to when he assumes the throne.
North of Jorrar and west of Norra is the Emerald Sea, a series of vast hills, plains, and forests that are collectively under the protection of the world's Druids. The land is wild and largely untamed, with the only settlements being the occasional Elven tree city, hill dwarf colony, halfling village, or even rarer, human encampment. The forest elves, also known as the Wu'mera, typically rove in packs of rangers to protect the area from any attempts at taming.
Human contact is rare, and the humans that do live in these wilds are largely farmers, pilgrims, tradesmen and wanderers. If they don't pose a threat to the balance in the area, the Wu'mera allow them free range. Otherwise, interlopers and other "scouting parties" tend not to be heard from again. Rumor has it that the reason Emperor Lepus IV is so keen on holding Norra is that he plans to use it as a staging base for the eventual conquest of the Emerald sea. Rumors abound of secret monasteries and wizarding schools deep within the Sea, but these are largely unconfirmed.
To the north and east of Caeril and Norra is another Empire, the ancient Shinji Dynasty. A name that loosely describes the hundreds of villages and tribes in the area, the Shinji people are, as a whole, completely loyal to their Emperor, Mokuto the Blue Sun, whom they revere as a deity.
The Shinji have a long tradition of innovating martial arts, as well as making many advances in pact magic too. Abbeys dedicated to studying fighting disciplines are common across the country, and the Shinji have a reputation as a disciplined people.
Honor means everything to the Shinji people, something that has bred a mutual respect between them and the Norrans. The Caerilian Empire enjoys prosperous trade with the Shinji Empire, and the two appear to be on friendly terms. However, citizens of both nations suspect that there is a cold war brewing between the two empires, with spies and assassins taking center stage instead of knights and soldiers. Some say that Shinji are vying to intervene in the Norran conflict, others say that the Caerillians plan to launch a wide scale exploration of the world, and the Shinji want to beat them to it. Rumors abound, and who knows where the truth lies.
To the south of Shinji, and the southeast of Caeril, lies the craggy canyons and plateaus of Dracilon. Dracilon is a nation that is ruled by a mixed-race Senate, comprised largely of Gnomes and Dragonborn. The manic gnomes are natural innovators, and their curious tinkering has lead to many magitech innovations that the nation uses for trade. Much of the actual politics are dealt with by the Dracilonian State's dragonborn senators, whose traditionally tribal mentality is applied to the whole nation when representing the State internationally.
Trade relations with other nations have, for the last 700 or so years, been largely prosperous. Everyone looks at the Caerilian Empire with suspicion, and the Dracilonians are no different. They trade mostly with them and the Shinji, though some of their trade ships and caravans go as far as Norra, Jorrar, and Toole. There are some small settlements of both humans in Dracilon, and as long as they contribute to the economy in some way, they are allowed to stay.
There is a major exception to their goodwill, however: The mountain dwarves of the Norrans mountains absolutely hate the dragonborn of Dracilon. A thousand years ago, the dwarves and dragonborn were at war, and the dwarven battlemages were incredibly strong. They could concoct incredible feats of maegerie, and the dragonborn were losing badly. Utilizing their alliance with the gnomes, the dragonborn were able to create a weapon of incredible power: The Word of Severance. This was a ritual that, when completed, robbed the Dwarven race of the ability to touch the Weave, that plane from which all magic flows. Now, no dwarf born in a thousand years has ever performed so much as a cantrip. The dwarves lost the war, and retreated under the mountains. Dwarves now have a healthy grudge against both gnomes and dragonborn.
Many Imperial economists estimate that Dracilon is actually the richest nation in the world at the moment, although they don't flaunt it. Instead, the Senate has (rather wisely) invested much of the income that the State receives from its merchant caravans into further gnomish research, as well as hiring large companies of mercenary soldiers to act as a pseudo-national guard.
Some speculate that as many as 30% of all professional sell-swords in the world are employed by the Dracilonian State, and the nation is a popular place for warriors seeking coin. Aside from the Grand Arena in Caeril, some of the largest pit fighting arenas in the world can be found in Dracilon. The government is largely laisse faire, allowing almost any sort of vice as long as there's a tax attached. In fact, the only complaint that many citizens of Dracilon have against their government is the absurdly high tax rate, which at last count, were at 20% on general goods, and more for specialty items.
To the south of Caeril and west of Dracilon, separated by Bard's Bay, is the region of Toole. Largely an agrarian area, Toole is a client state of the Caerilian Empire, much like Norra. Toole is almost entirely made up of farmland, and the land is worked by farmers who give a large percentage of their crop to the Caerilians as "tribute", since they are part of the Empire. The land and settlements are scenic and beautiful, and the condition of the settlers is testament to the fact that the Empire does show some restraint. Farmers are largely halflings, with a good smattering of humans and other races mixed in.
Indeed, the area was the historic home of the halflings before the Empire subjugated the region, but for most of them, life hasn't changed much. As long as provisions make it from Toole into Caeril, the farmers and villagers are under the protection of the Legion. They need it too, since their neighbors to the west, the restless Dach'mari barbarians, make a habit of occasionally raiding Toolean settlements and stealing food, supplies, and women. Usually they can be chased off by the local contingent that the Empire leaves to keep the peace in Toole, but the raids have become more frequent lately, and some settlements are considering hiring outside protection.
On the subject of Dach'mar, the name refers to the entire region that is southwest of Caeril, directly west of Toole, and south of Jorrar (separated by the Surda Channel). Dach'mar is the orcish word for "homeland", and the area was once settles by bloodthirsty orcs. In time, costly raids against Jorrar, coupled with the might of the newly minted Caerilian Empire, have driven pure-blooded orc tribes to near extinction. Now, Dach'mar is largely a nation of outlaws. Various bandit groups, barbarian tribes, and other criminals from all nations have made their homes in Dach'mar. Many Dach'mari are half-orcs, the descendants of the region's original inhabitants, but a good number are exiles or deserters from other nations.
Rumors abound of one tribe that is seeking to unify the others and march on Caeril, but such a thing is unlikely, since the various factions fight each other almost as much as they attempt raids on the other nations. The Caerilians and Jorrari have, on occasion, sent troops in to exact retribution when one tribe or another tries to push the boundaries of their power. Many Dach'mari become pirates, and attempt to hunt the waters between the mainland and Summerpoint. Some sailors make a living as pirate-hunters in the service of one country or another, escorting trade ships and passengers across the Western Sea.
Across the Mezmer Sea, west of the mainland across a stretch of water the size of Texas, lies the Isle of Summerpoint. Home to the lofty high elves, or Ali'mera in their tongue, the island is protected at all times by a contingent of Eldritch Knights, specially trained fighters who weave magic into their attacks. The Island is largely theocratic, with the Church of Juliar ruling over almost every aspect of life. While not traditionally the most forefront of the Atollamian deities, Juliar is regarded by the high elves as the Heiro'mer, or the "elf-father", since his domain (magic) is a large part of elven life. In addition to Juliar, many of the other Celestials are highly honored in Summerpoint, and visitors to the island are often struck by how many temples there are in the country.
Elves have long lives and even longer cultural memories, and while they trade with every region in the world (barring Dach'mar), the Ali'mera maintain a superiority and a coolness that tends to make diplomacy with them a frustrating experience. Largely insular as is typical of both elves and islanders, the high elves rarely involve their government in the affairs of other nations, though the Emerald Sea has on more than one occasion merited expeditions. Many Ali'meran scholars and mages believe that artifacts of great power reside in the deep forests of the Emerald Sea, as well as in other isolated places across Atollamu.
In addition to its large number of churches, only Caeril (with its vast cities and huge populations) has more arcane universities than Summerpoint. Indeed, many mages, scholars, researchers and adventurers travel to Summerpoint to attend one of their many acclaimed magical academies, and Sunspire University, the oldest school of magic still standing, holds the distinction of being the world's most greatest institution of magical education. Of course, the faculty at the Caerilian Imperial Academy of Magecraft would contest this, as would the Shinji - based Royal Weaver's Circle, and the Xavian School for the Magickally Inclined in Dracilon.
Many half-elves, uncomfortable in the world of either species, have made their home in a unique settlement in Summerpoint called Halfhaven. Halfhaven is a large town/small city comprised of entirely half-breeds, mostly half-elves with the occasional half-orc or (even rarer) tiefling or Aasimar to be seen. The Church of Maya maintains a strong presence in the town, and disputes are few and far between.
Apart from these countries/regions, the rest of the world remains largely unexplored. Some say that Atollamu is the only world there is, while others speculate that there are other continents, planets, and even dimensions beyond their own. But who can say for certain?
There are nine nations in the world of Atollamu:
At the center of the continent is the empire of Caeril. Caeril is made up of mostly humans, though it has a melting pot of minorities as well, and functions as a center of cosmopolitan culture for the human race. Other nations of humans generally get what's fashionable from what the nobles of Caeril are wearing.
The empire is largely in decline since they kicked off a war with their neighbors to the north, the viking-esque nation of Norra.
Norra is home to a large number of loosely affiliated human settlements, as well as the largest concentration of mountain Dwarves in Atollamu, whom the Norran humans get along with well through trade and mutual defense.
Until the last two years, Norra has been a client state of the Caerilian Empire, but the deposing of their last Yarl (tribal king) for demanding lower taxes has incited a revolutionary war.
The current Caerillian Emperor, Lepus IV, ordered a legion of Imperial soldiers to suppress the incursion, and the troops have occupied Norra since. The legionaries have met with mixed welcomes everywhere they go, with a sizable minority of Imperial loyalists thankful that they're there to restore order, while the majority resent the occupation and wish for independence.
Norran guerilla fighters harass the legionaries wherever they go, and their numbers now dwindle in the hundreds. The Empire is currently pondering legislation to surge more troops into the region, but they have other problems to deal with as well.
To the west of both Norra and Caeril is the desert nation of Jorrar. The Jorrari humans have made their capitol city, Jor, along the biggest river in the entire continent (and Jorrar's only major water source), the Rell. Living in their oasis city, the swarthy, practical Jorrari trade with traveling caravans of Halflings and Elves, send caravans out for wealth themselves, and enjoy cordial, if cool, relations with Caeril.
They keep a wary eye on their eastern neighbor, as in the far past Jorrar and Caeril have come close to war over the status of unaligned colonies on their borders. The Jorrari are careful to ward off any incursions of colonialism, while the Caerilians seem content to let the Jorrari have their slice of the world... for now. The Sultan of Jorrar, Salahadin III, is old and enjoys the prosperous wealth of his nation in peace. His son, Hakim II, has garnered a reputation as a nationalist and a proponent of expansion. Many in the international community do not look forward to when he assumes the throne.
North of Jorrar and west of Norra is the Emerald Sea, a series of vast hills, plains, and forests that are collectively under the protection of the world's Druids. The land is wild and largely untamed, with the only settlements being the occasional Elven tree city, hill dwarf colony, halfling village, or even rarer, human encampment. The forest elves, also known as the Wu'mera, typically rove in packs of rangers to protect the area from any attempts at taming.
Human contact is rare, and the humans that do live in these wilds are largely farmers, pilgrims, tradesmen and wanderers. If they don't pose a threat to the balance in the area, the Wu'mera allow them free range. Otherwise, interlopers and other "scouting parties" tend not to be heard from again. Rumor has it that the reason Emperor Lepus IV is so keen on holding Norra is that he plans to use it as a staging base for the eventual conquest of the Emerald sea. Rumors abound of secret monasteries and wizarding schools deep within the Sea, but these are largely unconfirmed.
To the north and east of Caeril and Norra is another Empire, the ancient Shinji Dynasty. A name that loosely describes the hundreds of villages and tribes in the area, the Shinji people are, as a whole, completely loyal to their Emperor, Mokuto the Blue Sun, whom they revere as a deity.
The Shinji have a long tradition of innovating martial arts, as well as making many advances in pact magic too. Abbeys dedicated to studying fighting disciplines are common across the country, and the Shinji have a reputation as a disciplined people.
Honor means everything to the Shinji people, something that has bred a mutual respect between them and the Norrans. The Caerilian Empire enjoys prosperous trade with the Shinji Empire, and the two appear to be on friendly terms. However, citizens of both nations suspect that there is a cold war brewing between the two empires, with spies and assassins taking center stage instead of knights and soldiers. Some say that Shinji are vying to intervene in the Norran conflict, others say that the Caerillians plan to launch a wide scale exploration of the world, and the Shinji want to beat them to it. Rumors abound, and who knows where the truth lies.
To the south of Shinji, and the southeast of Caeril, lies the craggy canyons and plateaus of Dracilon. Dracilon is a nation that is ruled by a mixed-race Senate, comprised largely of Gnomes and Dragonborn. The manic gnomes are natural innovators, and their curious tinkering has lead to many magitech innovations that the nation uses for trade. Much of the actual politics are dealt with by the Dracilonian State's dragonborn senators, whose traditionally tribal mentality is applied to the whole nation when representing the State internationally.
Trade relations with other nations have, for the last 700 or so years, been largely prosperous. Everyone looks at the Caerilian Empire with suspicion, and the Dracilonians are no different. They trade mostly with them and the Shinji, though some of their trade ships and caravans go as far as Norra, Jorrar, and Toole. There are some small settlements of both humans in Dracilon, and as long as they contribute to the economy in some way, they are allowed to stay.
There is a major exception to their goodwill, however: The mountain dwarves of the Norrans mountains absolutely hate the dragonborn of Dracilon. A thousand years ago, the dwarves and dragonborn were at war, and the dwarven battlemages were incredibly strong. They could concoct incredible feats of maegerie, and the dragonborn were losing badly. Utilizing their alliance with the gnomes, the dragonborn were able to create a weapon of incredible power: The Word of Severance. This was a ritual that, when completed, robbed the Dwarven race of the ability to touch the Weave, that plane from which all magic flows. Now, no dwarf born in a thousand years has ever performed so much as a cantrip. The dwarves lost the war, and retreated under the mountains. Dwarves now have a healthy grudge against both gnomes and dragonborn.
Many Imperial economists estimate that Dracilon is actually the richest nation in the world at the moment, although they don't flaunt it. Instead, the Senate has (rather wisely) invested much of the income that the State receives from its merchant caravans into further gnomish research, as well as hiring large companies of mercenary soldiers to act as a pseudo-national guard.
Some speculate that as many as 30% of all professional sell-swords in the world are employed by the Dracilonian State, and the nation is a popular place for warriors seeking coin. Aside from the Grand Arena in Caeril, some of the largest pit fighting arenas in the world can be found in Dracilon. The government is largely laisse faire, allowing almost any sort of vice as long as there's a tax attached. In fact, the only complaint that many citizens of Dracilon have against their government is the absurdly high tax rate, which at last count, were at 20% on general goods, and more for specialty items.
To the south of Caeril and west of Dracilon, separated by Bard's Bay, is the region of Toole. Largely an agrarian area, Toole is a client state of the Caerilian Empire, much like Norra. Toole is almost entirely made up of farmland, and the land is worked by farmers who give a large percentage of their crop to the Caerilians as "tribute", since they are part of the Empire. The land and settlements are scenic and beautiful, and the condition of the settlers is testament to the fact that the Empire does show some restraint. Farmers are largely halflings, with a good smattering of humans and other races mixed in.
Indeed, the area was the historic home of the halflings before the Empire subjugated the region, but for most of them, life hasn't changed much. As long as provisions make it from Toole into Caeril, the farmers and villagers are under the protection of the Legion. They need it too, since their neighbors to the west, the restless Dach'mari barbarians, make a habit of occasionally raiding Toolean settlements and stealing food, supplies, and women. Usually they can be chased off by the local contingent that the Empire leaves to keep the peace in Toole, but the raids have become more frequent lately, and some settlements are considering hiring outside protection.
On the subject of Dach'mar, the name refers to the entire region that is southwest of Caeril, directly west of Toole, and south of Jorrar (separated by the Surda Channel). Dach'mar is the orcish word for "homeland", and the area was once settles by bloodthirsty orcs. In time, costly raids against Jorrar, coupled with the might of the newly minted Caerilian Empire, have driven pure-blooded orc tribes to near extinction. Now, Dach'mar is largely a nation of outlaws. Various bandit groups, barbarian tribes, and other criminals from all nations have made their homes in Dach'mar. Many Dach'mari are half-orcs, the descendants of the region's original inhabitants, but a good number are exiles or deserters from other nations.
Rumors abound of one tribe that is seeking to unify the others and march on Caeril, but such a thing is unlikely, since the various factions fight each other almost as much as they attempt raids on the other nations. The Caerilians and Jorrari have, on occasion, sent troops in to exact retribution when one tribe or another tries to push the boundaries of their power. Many Dach'mari become pirates, and attempt to hunt the waters between the mainland and Summerpoint. Some sailors make a living as pirate-hunters in the service of one country or another, escorting trade ships and passengers across the Western Sea.
Across the Mezmer Sea, west of the mainland across a stretch of water the size of Texas, lies the Isle of Summerpoint. Home to the lofty high elves, or Ali'mera in their tongue, the island is protected at all times by a contingent of Eldritch Knights, specially trained fighters who weave magic into their attacks. The Island is largely theocratic, with the Church of Juliar ruling over almost every aspect of life. While not traditionally the most forefront of the Atollamian deities, Juliar is regarded by the high elves as the Heiro'mer, or the "elf-father", since his domain (magic) is a large part of elven life. In addition to Juliar, many of the other Celestials are highly honored in Summerpoint, and visitors to the island are often struck by how many temples there are in the country.
Elves have long lives and even longer cultural memories, and while they trade with every region in the world (barring Dach'mar), the Ali'mera maintain a superiority and a coolness that tends to make diplomacy with them a frustrating experience. Largely insular as is typical of both elves and islanders, the high elves rarely involve their government in the affairs of other nations, though the Emerald Sea has on more than one occasion merited expeditions. Many Ali'meran scholars and mages believe that artifacts of great power reside in the deep forests of the Emerald Sea, as well as in other isolated places across Atollamu.
In addition to its large number of churches, only Caeril (with its vast cities and huge populations) has more arcane universities than Summerpoint. Indeed, many mages, scholars, researchers and adventurers travel to Summerpoint to attend one of their many acclaimed magical academies, and Sunspire University, the oldest school of magic still standing, holds the distinction of being the world's most greatest institution of magical education. Of course, the faculty at the Caerilian Imperial Academy of Magecraft would contest this, as would the Shinji - based Royal Weaver's Circle, and the Xavian School for the Magickally Inclined in Dracilon.
Many half-elves, uncomfortable in the world of either species, have made their home in a unique settlement in Summerpoint called Halfhaven. Halfhaven is a large town/small city comprised of entirely half-breeds, mostly half-elves with the occasional half-orc or (even rarer) tiefling or Aasimar to be seen. The Church of Maya maintains a strong presence in the town, and disputes are few and far between.
Apart from these countries/regions, the rest of the world remains largely unexplored. Some say that Atollamu is the only world there is, while others speculate that there are other continents, planets, and even dimensions beyond their own. But who can say for certain?