VOLUME 1: HELLO WORLD!
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
History, gods and common sense of the worldFor more than a thousand years, the continent of Revea was united under the prosperous rule of the Alidan emperors. However, fifty years ago, when Alidan Nevus took the throne, a reign of tyranny began. The young emperor abused and exploited his people, using the accursed Anathema to keep the population in line and crush any who would rise against him. So great was Nevus’ hubris that he even challenged gods, believing himself to be their better.
But his evil ways were not meant to last, for the Heroes arose all over Revea to challenge the tyrant, each wielding Divine Relics and leading a whole army against the hordes of Anathema which did the emperor’s bidding. There were 8 heroes:
After bloody struggle which lasted over many years, Heroes finally broke Nevus’ armies and forced him to wall himself within the Eternal City, the empire’s capital. Alas, Heroes were robbed of their final triumph, for the mad tyrant, loath to admit defeat, destroyed himself together with the city, cursing the lands for miles around it.
With Alidan Nevus defeated peace that many have given lives for did not return to Revea. With their common enemy gone Heroes turned to each other, carving their own countries out of the empire, waging series of ever escalating wars with ambition to one day become the new emperors of the entire continent.
But his evil ways were not meant to last, for the Heroes arose all over Revea to challenge the tyrant, each wielding Divine Relics and leading a whole army against the hordes of Anathema which did the emperor’s bidding. There were 8 heroes:
Yar- the Dragon of the Rainbow,
Shingen- the Crimson Knight,
Gurthal- the Lion from the North,
Tarsaiq- the Bravest of the Heroes,
Ilufar- the Arrow of Certain Death,
Tzianxi-the Son of Heaven,
Kisha- the Grand Alchemist
and Pelephon- the Master of a Thousand Spells.
Shingen- the Crimson Knight,
Gurthal- the Lion from the North,
Tarsaiq- the Bravest of the Heroes,
Ilufar- the Arrow of Certain Death,
Tzianxi-the Son of Heaven,
Kisha- the Grand Alchemist
and Pelephon- the Master of a Thousand Spells.
After bloody struggle which lasted over many years, Heroes finally broke Nevus’ armies and forced him to wall himself within the Eternal City, the empire’s capital. Alas, Heroes were robbed of their final triumph, for the mad tyrant, loath to admit defeat, destroyed himself together with the city, cursing the lands for miles around it.
With Alidan Nevus defeated peace that many have given lives for did not return to Revea. With their common enemy gone Heroes turned to each other, carving their own countries out of the empire, waging series of ever escalating wars with ambition to one day become the new emperors of the entire continent.
There are three major gods in Revea, but they are not part of the same pantheon. Instead each is its own religion and their followers only begrudgingly accept (or not all) any god besides their own as a true divine being. Below are only their names and some attributes associated with each god (because exact views differ from region to region).
Kilin- Sun, Light, Justice, Wrath, Valour, Eternal Curse
Worshipers of Kilin are referred to as “Kilians”. Most of Revean countries are Kilian.
Meya- Moon, Luck, Change, Knowledge, Cunning, Madness
Worshipers of Meya call themselves “Meyans” but everyone else calls them “the Others” because the religion is not originally from Revea. Today Meya is worshipped only in the Celestial Empire.
Rusvaatti- Earth, Spirits, Primeval Force, Joy, Fertility, Entropy
Rusvaatti is worshiped only by Fay. It is unknown if Fay are Fay because they worship Rusvaatti or they worship Rusvaatti because they are Fay.
Kilin- Sun, Light, Justice, Wrath, Valour, Eternal Curse
Worshipers of Kilin are referred to as “Kilians”. Most of Revean countries are Kilian.
Meya- Moon, Luck, Change, Knowledge, Cunning, Madness
Worshipers of Meya call themselves “Meyans” but everyone else calls them “the Others” because the religion is not originally from Revea. Today Meya is worshipped only in the Celestial Empire.
Rusvaatti- Earth, Spirits, Primeval Force, Joy, Fertility, Entropy
Rusvaatti is worshiped only by Fay. It is unknown if Fay are Fay because they worship Rusvaatti or they worship Rusvaatti because they are Fay.
These are the things that people in Revea will often mention completely certain that you'll know what they're talking about.
Language
The way language works in Revea is very simple- all followers of one god are able to fully understand each other without actually bothering to learn other person's language. Pay attention, this doesn't mean that they speak one language! There are dozens of different languages, but between leaving your mouth and entering the other person's ear, the words you speak are magically translated to the listener's mother tongue.
This works only for spoken words, written texts remain the language they are written in. Fortunately for worshipers of Kilin a script was developed during the days of the first Alidan emperors made out of symbols which represent concepts, so despite words sounding different in another language when pronounced the meaning of the written text will be understood. The Celestial Empire uses a letter-per-sound script while Fay don't write at all!
Normally, when speaking with worshipers of other gods you hear their words as they are meant to sound, so you'll have to learn their language, but for some reason you are able to understand and be understood by everyone so every religion thinks you are one of theirs!
Money
Money is simple in this world: 1 gold = 12 silver = 240 copper. Now, different countries have different names for each type of coin, but the Heroes didn't change much how coinage works from how it was during the Alidan Empire so the coins have more or less the same worth throughout Revea.
Fay
Worshipers of the god Rusvaatti, Fay inhabit forests of Revea. They are not governed by the same laws as mortals- they cannot die a natural death, they are not born like mortals, they have strange way of interacting with their environments through contracts and they all possess some kind of supernatural bane. Because of their mysterious nature Fay often do things which seem nonsensical or downright suicidal. It is impossible to reason with them because their reasoning and common sense is different than that of the mortal folk. This has created a lot of tension between Fay and mortals, and since the demise of the Alidan Empire these tensions are only increasing, escalating to outright war in the
Confederation of Marath.
Anathema
Once upon a time, before there was even the Alidan Empire, there existed a mortal tribe which rebelled against Kilian and even attempted to kill the god. For this crime they were cursed and banished to live in the frozen land to the east (since then named the Savage Lands) forever the outcasts. During the reign of the emperor Nevus Anathema returned to the heartland of Revea, and stories of their atrocities are told to this day. Fortunately, with the tyrant gone they were again cast out of the civilised lands.
Adventurers
Adventurer is anyone registered at the Adventurer Guild who does various quests provided by the Guild. That’s the simple definition, but today, after the Guild’s network of Guild Halls has been greatly damaged by war against Nevus and the subsequent wars between the Heroes, anyone who wanders between towns doing odd jobs, monster and treasure hunting will be called an adventurer
Monsters
Just like with the adventurers, there’s a simple definition for what a monster is, and then there’s reality. Monsters are all animals that are capable of using magic- that’s the simple part. However, depending on how it’s convenient to a person, he may even label sentient beings such as dragons, Fay and Anathema as “monsters”.
Dungeons
Dungeons are magic-filled places put in the world by the gods as a test to see who is worthy of wielding the Divine Relics (see below). Dungeons are usually filled with myriad of monsters and traps which strive to thwart and even kill any would-be explorer who dares to trespass in it. Still, the lure of owning (or selling) a Divine Relic is too great of a temptation for most adventurers, not to mention that there is other treasure besides the Relics, so every day a new party tries to test its skill and often fails and perishes.
Divine Relics
Items made (or at least blessed) by gods. They hold abilities of incredible might that make the one who wields them without peer, not counting other Divine Relic owners. Holders of the Divine Relics are also made immune to natural death, allowing them to live for hundreds of years. Strange thing about the Divine Relics is that you are not required to worship the god who made it in order to use its full power. Divine Relics are found at the deepest (or highest) parts of a dungeon.
Language
The way language works in Revea is very simple- all followers of one god are able to fully understand each other without actually bothering to learn other person's language. Pay attention, this doesn't mean that they speak one language! There are dozens of different languages, but between leaving your mouth and entering the other person's ear, the words you speak are magically translated to the listener's mother tongue.
This works only for spoken words, written texts remain the language they are written in. Fortunately for worshipers of Kilin a script was developed during the days of the first Alidan emperors made out of symbols which represent concepts, so despite words sounding different in another language when pronounced the meaning of the written text will be understood. The Celestial Empire uses a letter-per-sound script while Fay don't write at all!
Normally, when speaking with worshipers of other gods you hear their words as they are meant to sound, so you'll have to learn their language, but for some reason you are able to understand and be understood by everyone so every religion thinks you are one of theirs!
Money
Money is simple in this world: 1 gold = 12 silver = 240 copper. Now, different countries have different names for each type of coin, but the Heroes didn't change much how coinage works from how it was during the Alidan Empire so the coins have more or less the same worth throughout Revea.
Fay
Worshipers of the god Rusvaatti, Fay inhabit forests of Revea. They are not governed by the same laws as mortals- they cannot die a natural death, they are not born like mortals, they have strange way of interacting with their environments through contracts and they all possess some kind of supernatural bane. Because of their mysterious nature Fay often do things which seem nonsensical or downright suicidal. It is impossible to reason with them because their reasoning and common sense is different than that of the mortal folk. This has created a lot of tension between Fay and mortals, and since the demise of the Alidan Empire these tensions are only increasing, escalating to outright war in the
Confederation of Marath.
Anathema
Once upon a time, before there was even the Alidan Empire, there existed a mortal tribe which rebelled against Kilian and even attempted to kill the god. For this crime they were cursed and banished to live in the frozen land to the east (since then named the Savage Lands) forever the outcasts. During the reign of the emperor Nevus Anathema returned to the heartland of Revea, and stories of their atrocities are told to this day. Fortunately, with the tyrant gone they were again cast out of the civilised lands.
Adventurers
Adventurer is anyone registered at the Adventurer Guild who does various quests provided by the Guild. That’s the simple definition, but today, after the Guild’s network of Guild Halls has been greatly damaged by war against Nevus and the subsequent wars between the Heroes, anyone who wanders between towns doing odd jobs, monster and treasure hunting will be called an adventurer
Monsters
Just like with the adventurers, there’s a simple definition for what a monster is, and then there’s reality. Monsters are all animals that are capable of using magic- that’s the simple part. However, depending on how it’s convenient to a person, he may even label sentient beings such as dragons, Fay and Anathema as “monsters”.
Dungeons
Dungeons are magic-filled places put in the world by the gods as a test to see who is worthy of wielding the Divine Relics (see below). Dungeons are usually filled with myriad of monsters and traps which strive to thwart and even kill any would-be explorer who dares to trespass in it. Still, the lure of owning (or selling) a Divine Relic is too great of a temptation for most adventurers, not to mention that there is other treasure besides the Relics, so every day a new party tries to test its skill and often fails and perishes.
Divine Relics
Items made (or at least blessed) by gods. They hold abilities of incredible might that make the one who wields them without peer, not counting other Divine Relic owners. Holders of the Divine Relics are also made immune to natural death, allowing them to live for hundreds of years. Strange thing about the Divine Relics is that you are not required to worship the god who made it in order to use its full power. Divine Relics are found at the deepest (or highest) parts of a dungeon.
DRACONIC KINGDOM, LANGUA
Location of Velte, Mimori, Eri, Harmonic, Ranca and Tori.Unlike other Heroes who founded their countries after the demise of the last Alidan emperor, Langua was the realm of the Dragon of the Rainbow since the early days of the empire. Yar was given the western land known today as the Draconic Kingdom as a reward for his faithful service to the first emperor. Since then Yar has administered and protected his realm with dutiful devotion, never asking for more but also never allowing anyone to infringe on his domain. Even after other Heroes, led by foolish ambition, began waging wars against each other, the Dragon-king Yar only sought to protect what was already his, providing his subjects with safety and security in this time of the warring states. For this, the people of Langua are grateful to their king.
Social Order
The king Yar stands at the helm of the country, but he is aided in his guidance of the common folk by a great number of other dragons and the Dragonborn. These beings are absolute in the Draconic Kingdom and hold the most power, but beneath them the nobility also has some influence in the decision making. In return for answering the call to arms of their king, nobles get to rule small portions of the kingdom and can rise to become ministers or some other position of power. After nobles are the citizens- commoners who are free to live and travel wherever they wish and be as rich as their ability allows them, but have no say in how the country is governed. Lastly come the serfs, people tied to their land and servitude of the nobles and dragons.
All in all, it is a very feudal society.
Religion
People of Langua, together with their Dragon-king, are true followers of Kilin. Certainly, there is sizable Fay population within the kingdom, mostly in the Eleghur forest in the western parts, but the wise king Yar has made sure that they can’t destabilize the country.
Kilian temples in Langua teach that the dragons are the children of Kilin, and that it is the duty of mortals to obey and revere them. Their progeny is just as holy and an average commoner should treat them with the respect which befits their station.
Capital
Capital of the Draconic Kingdom is Verzales, probably the largest city in the western region of the old empire. It is only natural, considering that Verzales has not seen war in five centuries. This long period of peace has led to prosperity and with prosperity came the flourish of culture. Verzales is renowned across the world for its painters, musicians, writers and its theatres. It used to have a nickname Twice Second City, because it was second to Eternal City in culture and to Yazai in wealth. Today, after the destruction of Eternal City and the formation of the Cursed Realm, Verzales is the place where men and women of learning and talent from all over Revea gather.
Another thing Verzales is famous for today is the number of adventurers you can find, thanks to the fact that the Adventurer Guild shifted its HQ there due to Eternal City’s demise.
Common Sense
Dragonborn- any descendant of one of the dragons who govern the Draconic Kingdom. By their birth they occupy the highest positions in Langua’s society and it is expected of them to accomplish great things. Most Dragonborn marry others of their kind in order to keep the lineage pure, because those who have diluted the blood so much they’ve lost their draconic traits and power lose the status of the Dragonborn and become regular nobility. Although there are dozen Dragonborn families, four of them stand out due to their influence, age and wealth: Ardea, Ognien, Jashar and Ressi.
Fay- fortunately for the people of Langua, the wise king Yar has an understanding with Fay of the Draconic Kingdom to not disturb them and their forests as long as they don’t disturb the people of the kingdom and allow safe passage through their lands to anyone using the highway (anyone who wanders off the highway is considered a fair game for Fay).
CELESTIAL EMPIRE
Location of Dragon Rayo, Miyu, Orion, Takeyoshi and Sophia.Covering nearly the third of the old empire's territory, the Celestial Empire is Revea's largest and most powerful nation. There’s no other country which can match its splendour or the vastness of its armies, and it is all thanks to the wisdom, cunning and might of Tzianxi, the Son of Heaven. It is he who united the fragmented tribes and principalities in the eastern parts of the dead Alidan Empire, it is he who wrestled the control of Yazai from Pelephon and eventually killed the foolish Hero, and it is he who personally led the Imperial Army on great conquests, only stopped with the combined might of three other kingdoms. Yet, it is only a temporary setback, for the power of the Celestial Empire cannot be contained by mere mortals! Tzianxi is the Son of Heaven and he will see his Celestial Empire spread over the entire Revea. If the Alidans could do it with the guidance of their simpleminded god, then how could the child of Meya, a goddess whose cunning and knowledge know no bounds, not?
Social Order
People of the Celestial Empire are split into two groups: Meyans and everyone else. If you are Meyan, all paths to grandeur are open to you. Either through shrewd trade, bravery on battlefield or diligent and just work in the Imperial administration you can rise to reach positions of great power (and wealth) in the empire. There’s no nobility, only good and capable men and women who are willing to work themselves to the bone for the glory and might of the nation. If you are member of other religions, well, what are you waiting for? Accept Meya as your goddess and truly become part of the Celestial Empire!
Religion
The Celestial Empire is the only Meyan nation in the world, and it is Meyan through and through. Although it tolerates the presence of other religions within its borders (in fact, a third of the empire’s population is not Meyan), Meyans pay lower taxes, have access to all career paths, enjoy equal rights with all other Meyans before the law and they are not in danger of being suddenly conscripted on some big public project, such as building bridges, fortresses, public baths, etc.
Capital
Yazai, or the Greatest City of the World (or just the City), is the largest city in Revea, having more population than its next four competitors combined. Located on Feng Qi strait, which is a knot of several important trade routes in Revea (and beyond), Yazai possesses the riches beyond imagining of the people who have never been there. Even before the Eternal City’s demise Yazai had already surpassed it in splendour, but now no other city comes close to matching it. Despite the Meyan nature of the Celestial Empire, Yazai is filled with people of various religions, who come from all of Revea’s nations, making it also the most cosmopolitan city.
Sometimes, some outsiders would comment how the City, its customs and its citizens can be quite strange, even borderline insane on occasion, but who cares about the ramblings of the country bumpkins who can’t handle the lifestyle of a true city?
Common Sense
Festival of Regeneration- an annual festival which marks the birthday of the Son of Heaven. It is the greatest event occurring in Yazai where people from all over the empire come to see it, and even from other parts of Revea.
To Be Continued...