HISTORY AND FLUFF

CONTENTS
Important information. .................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 The Kingdom ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 The Sorcerers Guild .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 The Orthodoxium ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 The Merchants Guild .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 The Neighbouring Provinces. ................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Monsters and Magecraft ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Monsters ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Magecraft.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
THE KINGDOM
The Kingdom of Dracaelis; The Royal Kingdom of Dracaelis is bordered on the west by the ocean, the north by the Dragons Claw Mountain range and sea of Glass, the East by the plains and forests and to the south by the swamps of Eltreddin. This kingdom of the High Elves and humans has made itself home in the region for the past hundred years after the merger of the Draethoris and Caelailin Kingdoms through the wedding of the royal houses. The Kingdom is a Feudalistic Monarchy and ruled by a King, there are three Dukedoms of the Kingdom, nine Earldoms and 27 Baronies. There are forty cities altogether in the Kingdom and numerous small towns and hamlets whose populations rarely reaches even a hundred people. Of the army of the Kingdom each Duchy, Earldom and Barony maintains their own nominal force under the laws of their lords as allowed by the royal family. The Royal Family naturally maintains a larger regular army than any of its Liege Lords. It is said that the Royal Army comes to twelve thousand trained soldiery, of which two thousand are the Royal Guard itself. Additionally the Royal House is responsible for the laws of the Kingdom and is the reason that by law a Duke, Earl or Baron may only have a single court wizard while the Royal Family maintains the Coven, which consists of 13 individuals the Mages Guild feels is qualified to ensure the royal family remains safe from any possible magical attacks or events. The Royal Family; House Draethi was a human noble house of the Kingdom of Draethoris. It was as the name indicates the Royal house itself. This noble house was famed for its strict Patriarchy and close relations with the High Elven Kingdom of Caelailin and its Matriarchal structure. Over the centuries the kingdoms grew ever closer until five hundred years ago the two kingdoms formally merged with a marriage between the royal houses of King Antagone and Queen Aliaria. The new Kingdom was called Dracaelis and the united houses renamed Dracaelin and was a testament to High Elven and Human unity. It has been five centuries since that time and Dracaelin has seen 7 Kings and 6 Queens rule over it.

House Dracaelin has ruled strongly and steadily for much of that time, each Queen being married to a pureblooded human and each King being married to a pure-blooded elven woman. The current ruler, King Pracaedin Dracaelin the First and his queen, Queen Xailiaphanedra, have ruled for nearly twenty years since Pracaedins coronation in his Capital. Known and relatively well liked Pracaedin is seen as a stern powerful ruler who has trusted in his Dukes, Earls and Barons to largely see to their own affairs as long as they obeyed the Kings Law and paid their Tithes and Taxes. The Kings Hand, the shadowy organisation of spies who gather such information for him, serve him in keeping him well informed of the goings on in his Kingdom. But time stops for none and so house Dracaelin continues. But the King and Queen are not the only members of the Royal House, Pracaedin has three brothers, two are little more than fops and the third lay in exile in the Yevean Kingdom for inciting revolt. The Queen has numerous siblings of no little ambition, but naturally of next to no power. In the Royal Household itself the King has three sons and two daughters, his Heir, Prince Xaevin is the oldest at 17 years of age and is an accomplished swordsman and is known to be learning the trade of statecraft. His next son Tethian is 14 and is beginning to show the makings of a fine, but not exactly intelligent, man. His youngest Son, Olgosti is only 7 is showing a more apathetic temperament, but a fine head for numbers. Pracaedins daughters are beautiful but well trained in statecraft Eilana at 16 is known for being approachable, teasing, but well and truly out of reach. His youngest daughter Telia at 11 is known for deciding her life is horrible and daddy never gets her anything she wants.

THE SORCERERS GUILD

The Sorcerers Guild; The Sorcerers guild is the only organisation in the Kingdom permitted to have and use magic users, anyone thought to be capable of using the power inherent in magic is required by law to secure contract and entry into the Sorcerers guild where they are trained, and watched closely, for the public good. The acquiescence of Sorcerers, Wizards to these laws known to be the difference between their freedom or the Royal Family turning the Army on them. Or worse, allowing the Witch Hunters to declare open season on all magic users. Additionally the Sorcerers guild is good business for the mages who know full well they can practically command any price of non noble customers, and that the Kingdom pays for the services of those Wizards, Sorcerers or other magic users who serve in a nobles court. The Sorcerers guild is also the sanctioned protection of the Kingdom against matters magical. As with Court Wizards their symbol of office is the Aurum that is worn on the thick metal chain around their necks. Their nominal headquarters is the Spire of Ages. A tower within the city only slightly smaller than the highest tower on the Royal Palace (A political concession.), the Tower has forty men who serve as its guards, though most commoners are not certain whether it is to protect the people from the Wizards or the Wizards from the people. Though it is the nominal headquarters it is known that the Royal Coven has its own section of the Palace. Court Wizards; Under the auspices of the Sorcerers Guild these figures in their robes with their symbol of office, the Aurum, on thick metal chains around their necks are the advisors to each Noble House from the Sorcerers guild under contract to the Throne. These men and women regardless of their specialty are the Noble Houses authority on all matters magical. They answer only to the Sorcerers guild, though Court Wizards will often also obey, within reason, the dictates of the noble they are serving. They are, of course the eyes and ears of the Sorcerers guild and are looking out for the interests and benefit of the guild, but while they do have this, their responsibilities and duties extend beyond the guild. Court Wizards by their contract to the Crown are also required and obliged to investigate and put a stop to any magical phenomena, or people, that are dangerous to the Kingdom or are likely to be so. The power of the Sorcerers guild is not to be underestimated however. While they are not powerful enough to take control or mount a coup-de-tat they are most certainly capable of withdrawing what protection against magical phenomena.

THE ORTHODOXIUM
The Orthodoxium; The Orthodoxium is the religious heart of the Kingdom. It is responsible for the spiritual well being of the people. As one might expect it is often at odds with the Sorcerers Guild which it feels is too sacrilegious by daring to investigate the powers often viewed by the Orthodoxium as the province of the gods and their chosen only. Ruled by the Orthodont, who is always a Seeress. The current Seeress Anlysia is woman said to be of otherworld beauty, though those who have seen the Orthodont in person know better. The Orthodont is an old crone who spends more time overseeing the training of her heirs for the Contest to see which is worthy of taking over her role when she passes from the world. The Orthodoxiums belief system, and thus that of the Kingdom at large, is in the High Gods of Lanastrya. The God of War Kevaraton. The Goddess of Fertility Nymeris. The God of Justice Androcar. The Goddess of Death whose name is never spoken or written and is known only by her sigil of the skull. The Goddess of Wealth Myriana. The God of Weather Tracaris. The God of Beasts Leymander and the Goddess of Magic Enysyn. Aspects of the Gods and Goddesses. Kevaraton; Kevaraton is always depicted as a stern warrior. He represents honour, battle, destruction, pillaging, conquest and so on. Depicted with a Broadsword in one hand and a Skull in the other as tribute to his goddess wife who shall not be named. Nymeris; Nymeris typically is shown to have two faces. The face of the lover and the face of the mother. In either aspect she is depicted as beautiful, loving and caring. She is said to have a ledger of all those who will be born to the world and gives them to the most worthy. Any who live in the poorer quarters are inclined to disbelieve this notion. Androcar; Androcar is often seen as a brother to Kevaraton by Soldiers, he is always depicted a hooded blind man with scales in one hand and three arrows in the other with which it is said he strikes down the unjust. Death; Unnamed but known by all she is, oddly, depicted as an extremely beautiful woman of thin features and regal standing with a crown of skulls and a scythe. Her aspect is the taking, and care, of the dead. She is said to hate and loathe her duty and nature and during times of great need it is said that she may refuse to take a great hero giving birth to an immortal. (GM Note: This is false.) She is also known to be the wife of Kevaraton. Myriana; The Goddess of Wealth is basically the patron goddess of the Merchants Guilds. Considered a goddess of good by those who love money above all, many see her as a Goddess of Evil. And she is frequently depicted as an ugly overweight woman holding scales upon one side of which is a human heart and the other a sack of coins. There are those merchants who believe a man whose heart weighs more than his wealth when he dies will not be permitted entry into the afterlife. Tracaris; As one might expect Tracaris is depicted as a capricious god. Indeed, he is often depicted as a child with a thunderbolt in one hand and a cloud in the other. Many sailors consider him their patron god to whom they pray for safe passage knowing that such a capricious god is liable to change his mind at any time. Leymander: The God Leymander is never depicted as a man but as an unholy beast, most commoners and peasants consider Leymander the God of Evil and Monsters. This is a view held, and not held, by the Orthodoxium which regards him as both god of Animals AND Monsters. Enysyn; Depicted as an older woman in heavy robes that carries a bound book said to contain all the secrets of the universe the Orthodoxium believes that it is Enysyn that spills magic into the world through her forgetfulness in protecting her secrets from the prying eyes of man. Belief in the Lower Gods is permitted, but frowned on and those who believe in the Lower Gods must still, by law, pay a higher tithe to the High Gods on religious occasions.

Inquisitor Orthodoxia; The Inquisitors of the Orthodoxium are not the legal hand of the kingdom as many believe and they have no direct authority over the Nobles, their power is largely one of maintaining the faith of the people and exposing those who seek to undermine the power of the Orthodoxium and the Gods by sanction of the Royal House. But their lax rules and limited oversight does not come without a price. The Orthodoxiums Inquisitors are always accompanied by a unit of Templars or Crusaders, and these units are responsible for dealing with abominations in the eyes of the gods. Supernatural creatures like the Wulfen, the foul werebeasts who prey mindlessly on innocents to the unnatural living dead who rise from profaned cemeteries and battlefields. As such they have the greatest experience in these matters often second only to Monster Hunters themselves. The power of the Orthodoxium and her Inquisitors are their ability to effect and sway the popular opinion, a Lord or Lady whose faith seems lacking and acts against the Orthodoxiums interests just might find themselves with a peasant uprising on their hands.

THE MERCHANTS GUILD

The Merchants Guild; The Merchants Guild is pretty much what it says on the tin. It is a Cartel of Merchants who specialise in the buying and selling of goods across the known world. The Merchants Guild of Dracaelis is of moderate size and influence. It is also the omnipresent arm of the kingdoms moneylenders and traders. While not strong enough to contest the royal family its influence in lesser nobility is still felt quite keenly. The Merchants Guild also have a strong influence over the Artisans and Craftsmen in the more merchantile sectors and should a noble anger the Merchants Guild and not have the means to make up such a deficit the Merchants Guild can easily pressure businesses into moving or closing down in order to pressure the noble to do as they wish. Of course, there are limits to such. The Royal House will almost always step on the abuses of power should they begin to negatively effect the running of the Kingdom. In fact the last head of the Merchants guild now adorns the gates of the Capital. Merchants Guild Accountant; These are typically informal members of a nobles court and serve only to relay the wishes and information the Guild wishes, their power as individuals is nearly nonexistent, other than personal wealth and the backing of the guild they are just men like any other. But it is not their power as individuals that is of greatest concern. The Merchants guild is built to protect the profits of the Merchants and it is something they ensure with great skill. And as such, if a noble house is acting in a manner they feel would cut the merchants guilds interests or in any way interfere with the business of profits it takes little effort for them to arrange and pass the word. The word being sanctions, the Merchants Guild will happily pass the word and effectively shut down all trade with a Lord or Lady, though this has been known to backfire on the guild from time to time when the crown has interfered and fined the guild for taxes lost to their meddling.

THE NEIGHBOURING PROVINCES.

Several nations surround the Kingdom of Dracaelis. To the west of Dracaelis the Etterodontine Ocean spreads to the very edge of the world itself. Though out amongst the waves are the Isles of Velaise. A near mythical chain of islands twenty days sail in a good wind to the west of the Kingdom inhabited by the Goblin of Velaise, skilled sailors and coastal raiders. It is believed another nation shares the Isles but no more is known of it only that the goblins of the isles fear to tread inland far enough to lose sight of the sea. To the South the Ocean cups under the nation but continues down onto the Zlaecont Empire which shares a border with Dracaelin through the swamps of Eltreddin. An Imperialistic nation of Humans and Ogres it is a strong militaristic power, relations with the Kingdom of Dracaelis have not always been strong and only vigilance protects the border from incursions of parties on their Vox Obduco, a right of passage into adulthood. Neighbouring them are the Swordtooth Mountains. Mythical home of the Dragons and the Giants who serve as their slaves. To the East lay six nations in close proximity each sharing the border of the Kingdom somewhat. Goblins, Orcs, Humans, Elves, Ogres, Dwarves and Giants are known to exist in most of the nations the area being largely multicultural, and unstable. The six nations were once the Kingdom of Ged which tore itself apart in civil war over the Harem of Queens. The forests are extensive and so are the plains and mountains, it is a rich fertile land, but far too unstable to risk war with. For as much as the Six Nations wish to tear one another apart, ties as old as the land will cause them to band together against an external aggressor. To the North lay the sea of glass. A desert stretching for, well nobody bar the nomads who inhabit it know, and the nomads are always clothed from head to toe in thick concealing robes and headgear. It is long believed that to look on the true face of a Nomad is to face death itself. In the quiet corners of the kingdom the Nomad have another name. Reapers. For it is believed that the Nomads survive by feeding on those who set out to search for the mythic treasures of the deserts. Also the Deserts are made hard to access by the Dragons Claw Mountain range. While it has no dragons, at least that anyone knows of, the hill tribes that inhabit its lower ranges are known to raid and pillage.

MONSTERS AND MAGECRAFT MONSTERS

Monsters come in several types. There are the Least Monsters, these are small to medium sized creatures of no threat or are tameable, indeed, many nobles have a Least monster as a pet. From the Harmless Dragonling, which amount to little more than a dragon-shaped parrot, to the Dire Wolves. These monsters have little impact on the world. Some may even have a menagerie of such beasts. (Requires GM Permission, both to have and the type of monster/s.) Then there are the Lesser Monsters, these are man-sized creatures who are dangerous in any form, some of the monsters considered Least may even be mistaken with Lesser Monsters from time to time. Wulfen, the half-man half-wolf creatures, the Vampyr, a foul beast in countenance, mindless and ever thirsting for blood to even harpy packs. Lesser Monsters are a danger no matter how one looks at it, and putting them down will cost lives. There is also the Greater Monsters, Gryphons, Basilisks, Wyverns, these beasts are large and extremely dangerous and it takes mages or monster hunters to reliably kill such beasts. Other men could kill them as surely, but the lack of training and skill in doing so usually means many more would die in the attempt. In the end there are simply the Primal Monsters. These creatures represent a threat to the very Kingdom itself. From Krakens and Hydra to Dragons themselves. In addition to being incredibly difficult to kill, even for those trained to do so, such beasts are typically unnaturally intelligent. No matter how well trained the hunters, many will die in the pursuit of a Primal Monster.

NOTE: A monster attack, or even presence, is a random GM provided event and cannot be encountered deliberately by players. Some actions and activities may make Monster Attacks or Migrations more common.

MAGECRAFT
Magecraft is a rare rare thing, and illegal within the Kingdom unless one is a member of the Sorcerers Guild complete with royal permit. As such, other than Court Wizards and their apprentice(s) any magic user encountered will be a threat to the Kingdom and subject to termination for a reward. Mages usually come in several flavours. Hedge Wizard, these are your basic illegal wizards or witches, their dont have much power, indeed, most likely they discovered their power by accident. They are relatively easily killed or captured. Renegade Mage, these are not basic. These troublemakers are renegades from the Guild or established mages who have crossed the border for whatever reason. These mages are trained and wont simply submit if asked to do so. Capturing one is nearly impossible and killing them preferred. Necromancer, these are the worst of the illegal mages one is likely to come across, they do little direct magic themselves instead favouring reanimating the dead and using them for their dark evil purposes. The Orthodoxium is paying 100 gold pieces for every Necromancer caught alive to be judged by the gods. Magic itself is something barely understood. The power exists within a person and the potential is tapped when they come of age whether they wish it or not, most people have no potential for magic whatsoever, but those who do are in for an age of wonder while they learn what abilities their limited power gives them. For those who become apprenticed to the Sorcerers Guild this is a safe time. For those who are not it is a dangerous time when their ability and potential is as likely to kill them as do what they wish. Unfortunately, magic is not easily detectable unless it is in use. A person has no idea whether they have any potential for magic until they use it, even the most powerful Archmages of the Sorcerers guild cannot tell a latent mage from another person, in fact they cannot even tell a trained archmage without that mage using their power. However magic does have a mild compulsive narcotic effect. The more one uses it the more one wants to use it.