The Relics: Lore

[Ellri]

Note: The lore contained herein is outdated. It can now be found here

Lore storage thread for The Relics.
Map of Azukhar
Map of Amaryth
To be filled in over time.

[Ellri]

Relics
Some sort of common thread(s). Relics should probably have wildly different end powers, but what makes the powers work should be similar.
Types of powers:
Blood/lifeforce - These make sense to be the more war-like.
Life/death - Surely something could be based on this? To give life, you have to take it. Possibly related to blood/lifeforce.
Elemental (fire/earth/water/air/spirit) - It would make sense for these to be strong in one element but weak to its opposite. Draw from nature itself, maybe? Mind control would be in under spirit.
Gifting - These relics grant a significant bonus to theirs owners, then a certain percent of that to those the Evoker gifts with it.
Light/dark - Not sure about power source, but these are intangible. You can’t grab light or darkness.
Attraction/Repulsion - This can be used in so many ways. Maybe this will be powered by self?
Relics could use just one of those or several, but no one would have access to more than a few. For balance and all that.
With the Relics stemming from the era of the Old Kingdom, it is likely that there was some sort of aptitude common to the people of that era towards the relics. When that realm fell, the people intermingled with others, causing the ability to link with relics to spread among almost everyone. In some, it is more common than in others.

Azukhar
Seasons: When it is winter in one part of Azukhar, it is so in all other parts of the continent as well. (Granted, in the warmer climates, the winter might be more of a rainy season, but still…)
Moons: The world upon which Azukhar exists has three moons. Reliquia (lunar cycle: ten days), Gammel (lunar cycle: seventeen days) and Forlorn (lunar cycle: thirty-two days).

Language: While all languages on Azukhar originate from the language spoken in the Old Kingdom, over the course of a thousand and three years, each region has developed its own language. It is however rather easy to learn different languages (especially from neighboring countries) due to their shared linguistic origins. For the sake of communication and trade, an easy common language has been developed a few centuries ago. All people with a basic education are at least taught this language.

Kalesian Empire

Location: East of Othea (red on map), beyond the impassable Karak Claw mountains.
Relics: Evokers who loyally serve the Empress (may she live forever) are treated well by most Kalesians. They are, after all, agents of the Empire. Those who do not do so, are hunted and distrusted. If such a person should be captured, he or she will be put through “reeducation” so that (s)he can correct his/her ways. If this fails, the evoker is never heard from again, but rumors persist of a mysterious place deep inside the Older parts of the Empire where evokers are supposedly bred.
Culture: The Culture of Kalesia is well-balanced. Men and women have equal rights. Membership in the nobility is merit-based rather than inherited. While the Kalesian borders aren’t closed the way the borders of the Dominion of Idris are, not much is known about the workings of the empire within Othea.
Military: The Kalesian war machine is massive and advanced. It relies heavily upon creatures native to the Empire, including Mauler cavalry, Soldiers mounted upon the bear-like Bargals and Kalbeasts, who are essentially walking armored battering rams (they resemble a scaled-up crossing of rhinoceroses and Elephants). They also field massive armies of infantry and expert siege engineers. But even with these fearsome elements, it is the imperial war evokers who are most feared by nations sharing a border with the empire that isn’t made up like the impassable Karak Claw Mountains.
Climate: The climate and terrain of the empire is varied.
In the north near the mountains the climate is colder, dominated by evergreen forests.
Further south vast, lush grasslands are dominating, broken up only by the numerous rivers.
The southwestern region, commonly known as the riverlands, is extensively farmed by the empire and is commonly known as the “Breadbasket” of the Empire.
Political Climate: Stabilized. The Empress (may she live forever) rules supreme. The nobility, which is merit-based, is well-respected and the army in firm control. The citizens are on average very pleased with the situation.
Religion: In Kalesia, there is only one goddess, of whom the empress is the corporal incarnation. Worship of the Goddess is simple, which is why religions in assimilated nations rarely survive many generations. Procreation (and attempts to do so). However, it is considered blasphemous if one party in the worship is unwilling (i.e. rape).
Vocators: Rumors exist in the Empire of a mysterious order of Imperial agents called Vocators, but little is known about them. They are essentially unknown outside the borders of the Empire. Exactly what they are, how many they are, who they are and where they are based is unknown. All that people in authority know is that they answer directly to the Empress herself (may she live forever).

Vocators expanded

Vocators:
The vocators are a sort of secret society within the empire, who answer only to their superiors, a select few in the imperial army, and the empress. If they have heard of them at all, people in the empire never really know much about them, and half of what they do know is partially or entirely wrong. The only thing that is certain is their unflinching loyalty to the Empress (may she live forever). Outside the empire, they are no more than a myth, with any who have seen them assuming they are some sort of branch of the Imperial army.

All estimates put the Vocator order at around forty-five members at any one time, with one commander, for lieutenants and forty subordinates. However, keeping track of this is almost impossible, for not only are they dressed identically, but their personalities are almost identical, and they prefer not to answer to their birthnames. Its not because of shame or anything like that, but rather because they like to add to the mysticism surrounding them.

All vocators are female, and they are all dressed in form-fitting black leather armor. This armor, while it covers everything except their heads, leaves no doubt as to their gender. They might wear robes, cloaks or similar on top of the armor to conceal it, but they do not like to be seen in public not wearing it.

Vocators are trained to wield a plethora of weapons, from knives to swords to axes to throwing blades. But the signature weapon they are trained with is the sovnya, a long polearm with a viciously curved steel blade on the end. It has happened on more than one occasion that a single vocator has slaughtered an entire unit of soldiers using this weapon.

While most Vocators themselves aren't evokers, they all are connected to a relic, that of the Vocator commander. The commander's relic is one of the rare “gifter” relics, capable of transferring some of its power into another object, which then imbues another person with that power. This ability is limited, which is why there are only forty-five vocators at any one time. However, when one vocator dies, the power fades from the object they carry, and the commander can imbue another object with said power. At the vocator sanctum, there are hundreds of women training to become vocators, ensuring that whenever someone is raised to become one, she will be the best of the best. This also means that while vocators may on occasion die, the ranks of the Vocators never drop for long.

Most often, the object used by the regular vocators is an unadorned ring or bracelet, while the lieutenants have a necklace. Whatever the object is, it is concealed beneath the ebony-black leather armor. What this gifting grants the vocator is increased strength, agility, endurance and so forth. For the regulars, it is ten percent, while the lieutenants have a twenty-five percent increase. The commander has a fifty percent increase.

The goal of any vocator, beyond serving the empress of course, is to rise through the ranks. So long as a vocator has her artifact, her personality and behavior will slowly be molded, ensuring that if she should get the chance, she is capable of bonding with the commander's relic. After a few years of being a Vocator, a woman's personality and behavior has changed to such a degree that she is in many ways identical to all other vocators, and is capable of taking up the relic. The only way to advance through the ranks is through a highly formalized system of challenges, where one vocator may challenge a lieutenant, or a lieutenant may challenge the commander. Exactly how this goes is unknown, for no one outside the vocators (and the empress, may she live forever) has ever observed one of these rites. One can only assume that if the challenger wins, the loser does not survive.

Kalnach

Location: North/Northeast of Othea. (Light green on map)
Relics: Among the lower classes, Relics are typically a road to a quick death unless some noble has use for you and hides you from the church. For women of any birth, being an evoker is a death sentence. No matter how noble your blood, the Inquisitors will see such a woman dead. In this, The Order of Idris also has full support from the nobility, who do not wish their power to be threatened.
Culture: Male-dominated. Women are hardly more than property, with the men of their families (or their husbands) having all the rights in society.
Dowries are common among the higher classes. The lower classes have severely limited rights in conflicts with the higher classes.
Serfs belong to the land, which in turn belongs to some noble. This essentially makes them property. Not quite as low as a slave, but effectively much the same. They cannot be traded the way slaves can, but come with the land, so when a Noble daughter is wed with a dowry of land, it will come with serfs to work it. Some nobles treat their serfs better than others, but none treat them particularly well.
Slavery is utterly forbidden in Kalnach. Anyone even accused of dealing in slaves is leaned heavily upon by the Kalnachi Inquisitors. This leaning is generally very changing for their dealings, or rather deadly, depending on how harsh the offense was. Sure, Serfdom, which is very much the practice in Kalnach is not much better, but a serf has some rights, a slave has none. Female serfs have particularly few rights.
It is not unusual for some nobles to use their female serfs basically as whores. Children born of such unions generally adopt their mother’s caste, unless the noble has other wishes.
Crime, when done against the lower classes, is rarely paid much attention to by the higher classes, provided it does not inconvenience them.
Military: The Kalnachi are decent when it comes to their military, but they are no geniuses. Among the Nobility, minor wars and large tournaments are
They are notorious for certain military traits:
Assaulting fortified positions (i.e. Siege)
Defending fortified positions
Mounted close-combat cavalry
Archery. Kalnachi longbowmen, who train from early childhood, are the greatest archers in all of Azukhar. Mounted on tall fortified positions, they can hold off whole armies with remarkable ease. It is these in particular who have made the Kalanchi a nation not to be trifled with. The unclaimed border territory between the Kalesian Empire and Kalnach far to the north near the coast is known as the field of bones because of these archers’ skill.
However, while the above traits are areas they do well, they have never been experts at fielding regular infantry or extended mobile campaigns. They are generally too busy fighting each other for any attempts at expansive invasions to work out. As such, The borders of Kalnach have essentially remained static for several centuries, safe for the years of the Oragos Dominion.
Climate: Temperate. Fields, mixed forests and what comes with that.
Political Climate: Remarkably steady. The society is feudal, with a small royal family and decent-sized nobility. The classes below the noble class are larger. The largest caste is that of the Serfs.
Religion: The most notable religion in Kalnach is a derivative of the Church of Idris. Though they essentially worship the same god, they do not feel beholden to Idris. The Inquisitors of Kalnach hold firm dominion over the lives of the common people. Anyone showing any hint of being an evoker, proven or not, is of great interest to them. No matter what class they belong to, female evokers hunted down and executed.
Since not all means can kill all evokers, the inquisitors are thorough about being sure someone is fully slain.
First of all, they burn the prisoner at the stake. Then they are drawn and quartered. Their bones are ground to meal, and their flesh, if any remains, is put in jars. Inquisitors take extreme pleasure in performing this rite.
If they can’t destroy the relic themselves, they will ship it to Idris for them to try destroy it, or if that too fails, for safe storage where none can get at them.

Othea

Relics: Evokers are usually left alone by the commoners in Othea, although the Royal Relic Constabulary hunts down evokers for the sake of employing their service for the good of the realm. The actual royals have tried to remain neutral on the issue.
Gender: Women are treated with respect, have the right to own their own capital and are seen as heirs. However, the gender equality doesn't go all that much further than the economic aspect of life. Women do have chances to join the army, though are usually associated with weakness, so it will harder for them to climb the social ladder.
Climate: I was thinking that they would have a temperate climate, combined with the fertility of the soil makes Othea a blessed country to live in. Perhaps a combination of meadows, farmlands and forests. The forests would be mainly in the slightly less fertile areas near the mountains (in which a variety of local tribes live).
Political Climate: Othea was very warlike in the past, especially after they gained their independence from the Oragossi dominion (which was about 200 years ago.) but the last few kings have successfully brought their country peace. Aside from a few skirmishes now and then on the Oragossian border, the Kingdom has enjoyed peace for a few decades. The current king is not very popular, but the prince and the other members of the royal family are respected much more.
How is the nobility viewed? The merchants? The “rabble”?

Religion: The current king is very faithful to the church of Idris, who have helped him stay on his throne. As a non-evoker with power, he is ever fearful of being supplanted by some random person with a relic. The Archons of Idris, the leaders of the church, have used this to great effect to gain influence in Othea.
However, the crown prince, Aral, (Milian?) has seen with disgust how the church manipulated his father and curries favor with the people, hoping to unite the kingdom even further upon his ascension to the throne. Exactly how deep their faith in the royal family is, can be questioned. The more the king curries favor with the Church, the further the less fanatic portions of Otheans are alienated.

Map of Amaryth

Oragos

Location: West of Othea, East of Da-hyun.
Relics: The Oragossi government, being essentially puppets of Idris, tend not to want anything to do with Relics and Evokers, gladly passing them over to the Order of Idris. They care not what happens after that.
Culture: Women have an increasingly worsening position in Oragossi society. In many ways, they are hardly more than slaves and livestock, having no rights to property. Rape is virtually without punishment, especially if the man responsible is in any way associated with the Conclave or the Military. The culture is very much signified by the rule of the strong.
Military: The Oragossi military is plagued by highly inefficient bureaucracy. It has potential for greatness, and has proven its worth during the time of the Oragos Dominion, but with the current political leadership, it won’t be possible for the nation to extend its borders.
Climate: Oragos is a country dominated by rivers, canals and embanked grassland. These lands used to be boggy peatland, until the Oragossi developed a way to drain water from the multiple marches, leaving very fertile grounds. Because of these fertile soils, the number of inhabitants is relatively high. The system of drainage has also been used the other way around as a military tactic to create flood large pieces of land used for defensive purposes. While not utterly impassable, deep trenches hidden under the water surface0 makes advancing far into Oragos extremely difficult, with high losses to be expected for any invader.
Political Climate: Oragos used to be a great empire. That empire lasted about a hundred years, after conquering much of the western half of the continent. Upon the assassination of its emperor and all his heirs, the empire fell apart. The nations who broke out of the Oragos Empire at that time still look upon Oragos with suspicion, if not outright hatred. The leaders of the now-shrunken Oragos, try to regain their old power and glory. It is not unusual for them to attempt issuing commands and proclaiming to their former subject nations, but these decrees have no real effect beyond alienating them further.
The Oragos Conclave, all that remains of the Empire’s ruling body, has widely fluctuating membership, frequently plagued with assassinations.
However, should a single ruler once more rise to power without being toppled, the chances of Oragos reclaiming some of their former glory is quite possible.
Religion: These days, the Order of Idris is basically the only religion with any power in Oragos, after a treaty they made a few decades back. Before the order came to Oragos, the only religion that was present in Oragos was a small cult of nature worshippers. They were soon supplanted by the more organized, militaristic and religiously fanatic Church of Idris.

[Sundered Echo]

Echo Lore

Kalesian Nobility

The nobility of the Kalesian Empire is hardly the standard when it comes to the upper echelons of power. Where in many lands the nobility are envied or even hated by those below them for often arrogant or cruel behaviour, the class generally known as ‘nobility’ in the Empire is far different. The Empire does not value bloodlines so much as it values competence and the willingness to contribute to the good of all Kalesian society, thus, those that bear a title in the Empire have very likely earned it.

In order to be declared a noble, a Kalesian citizen must have the approval of the existing nobles as well as the Grand Imperial University and the governor of the closest city. The stringent and demanding standards these groups will hold people to ensure that only individuals that can truly live up to Kalesian ideals will join the highest echelon of society. The only exceptions to this are either the favour of a Quaesitor or the Empress herself. Furthermore, once a Noble, one must continue to prove one's worth in academic, economic or civil areas. A noble proving particularly lax for any length of time will have their title stripped and will not be able to regain it, encouraging dedicated service to the good of the Empire. The Empress possesses Veto power on both the instatement and demotion of nobles, but rarely is this power used.

Bloodlines do exist among the nobility, and the Empire is not without long standing noble families. Children of noble parentage (where only one parent need be a noble) are considered to be noble until the age of eighteen (unless confirmed as nobility earlier), though lacking titles throughout this time. At the age of twelve, their actions and temperament begin to come under a review known as the Titling trial. If they consistently meet the standards against which they are measured for two years, they will be granted full titles. Should a noble child have failed to live up to the standard for at least one year by the time they reach eighteen, they are demoted back into the common citizenry. This means that the oldest a noble child may be granted full titles is nineteen, though it is rare that the successful ones have not proven themselves before this. Those that do not make it at this time will conditionally be either banned from attempting to regain their position as if they’d been stripped of title or allowed to regain it in the future. Such a rule is to ensure that those with late blooming potential are not penalised, while those that clearly are unworthy of a privileged position are never allowed another chance.

The tradition of naming within noble bloodlines is one that ensures the nobles names continue. A child of one noble and one commoner bears only the nobles name, regardless of genders involved. The child of two nobles will carry both the nobles family names, with the order determined by their gender. A female child will have her mothers name first and fathers second, while a male child will have his fathers first and mothers second. In the case of a parent that bears two names, they will pass on only the first of their family names, a rule instituted not long after the modern practice of nobility was established to ensure that names did not become exceedingly long, as well as to dissuade dynastic tendencies somewhat.

Quaesitor:
Individuals who bear this title wander are generally well into adulthood by the time they gain it. They might be men or women, gender is of no relevance. While the title tends to move in families, its not exactly hereditary. The traits most common to Quaesitors are often hereditary, but also a bit cultural. If your father (or mother) is extremely fond of wandering the land, chances are you might end up sharing that interest.

Their role, is to wander the empire and find individuals suited especially for different services to the empire, be it military, research, government, or virtually any other. The attention of a Quaesitor is sufficient for individuals of otherwise no chances in life to reach the highest ranks in Kalesian society. If your family are the poorest of farmers, its not normally likely you’d have much chance of being anything else yourself. Changing that is the very goal of the Quaesitors, given that you show the potential for it. According to imperial policy, low (or high) birth should not be a barrier.

Quaesitors can also assign new noble names if they deem it necessary. Or they can ‘recommend’ that a certain noble family adopts someone particularly suited to their favored field. While a noble family can say no here, most generally do not. Quaesitors do not bear family names, as they might come from any origins within the empire.

Kalesian Siege Engineer Corps

The Siege Engineer Corps in the Imperial military is a small and oft-overlooked section, whose importance to the Kalesian war-machine is smaller than most similar groups in respective militaries across the world. From the very beginning the engineer corps has had to deal with the overshadowing influence of the battle-evokers that are employed on the front lines of the Empire, as well as the brutal effectiveness of the Kal beast. These factors combined with the militaries policy of preserving enemy infrastructure as much as possible have forced the siege engineers into a very much supportive role.

The siege engineer corps is responsible for several things in the war effort, first and foremost being tunneling. The excavation techniques used by the engineer corps are far beyond any other country, and on the rare occasion that the Kalesians need to bring down an enemy wall they will turn not to the catapult and trebuchets that usually typify such a task, but rather the quick but careful digging of a tunnel under the wall, followed by its rapid collapse, bringing whole sections of wall down without any obvious attack being made. Perhaps the most ambitious application of this skill, however, has been the recent bypassing of a mountain range, allowing a surprise of attack of unprecedented effectiveness on the Othean capital Amaryth. The task combined the skills of the Engineers and several Evokers, the Evokers doing the majority of the actual digging while the Engineers directed them and reinforced the tunnel behind them. It is considered the crowning achievement of the engineer corps to this day, and even now a sizeable portion of the corps is engaged in efforts to turn the tunnel into a permanent passage between the Empire and Othea.

When the engineering corps is called to participate in direct battle, they employ expertly crafted ballistae that incorporate elevation control and the capacity to launch both long impaling spears and moderately sized rocks, all on a quickly set up platform. These weapons are not particularly effective against walls, but the engineers make use of range finding equipment to ensure they are at least fairly accurate.

As well as this, they have a variety of payloads to maximise the effect they can have on an enemy army. As well as the plentiful rocks and spears, they employ shot containing volatile oils to create firebombs, as well as thick flasks containing flesh searing acid extracted from a particularly deadly giant snake found only in the southern reaches of the Empire. Tests with more exotic compounds have always resulted in disaster however, and while the corps is always on the lookout for another edge to match evokers, they avoid anything even remotely unstable or dangerous to their skilled personnel. Better to use safe and reliable methods than have to spend years training more men. Any research into the field of explosives has been abandoned due to being too dangerous.

The members of the Siege Engineer Corps tend to be highly motivated over-achievers - a direct result of fulfilling such a marginalised position in the military. They force themselves to succeed as spectacularly as possible in an effort to match or exceed the results the battle evokers tend to attain with what they perceive to be ‘incredibly lazy methods.’

[AlidaMaria]

Other GM Lore (almost finished)

The Free Cities of Harra

Location:
The Free Cities of Harra is a federation of independent city-states, located in the far north-west of Azukhar. (Marked orange on map though still being discussed)

· The City of Muaador:
Muaador is often called the Western Hill, or the Last Hill, because the city rests upon the westernmost of the large hills within Harra. Its territory stretches from the sea in the west to [the lake] in the east.
· The City of Aslordan:
Aslordan is the southernmost country of the Free Cities. It's foremost known as the trading hub of Harra and has a strategic location, bordering [insert name for the country that is now marked on the map as 'Harra'], Muaador, [the lake] and the sea.
· The City of Ovesh:
Hidden in the densely packed hills to the north, lies the city of Ovesh. It borders [insert name of the light purple marked country] on the east, the Frozen Seas to the north and [the lake] to the south

Relics:
Harra has a rather strange way of dealing with evokers. They have no prejudice against them as all Harrans crave power, however, they will not allow them to go free. If an evoker refuses conscription into the military or another place where they can be of use, they are exiled, not executed. Which is more dangerous for the evoker, as many nearby nations hold stringent views on evokers. Evokers are seen as a status symbol amongst the cities, with each government trying to gain as many as they can. Sometimes, evokers are even bought, sold, or traded between other cities like bartered goods.

Culture:
Through ocean-based trade with nations like Kalesia, Harran policy towards women has mellowed noticeably when compared to their land-based neighbors like Kalnach. It is not as liberal as that of Kalesia, but it is still worlds fairer than the policy in Kalnach. This tendency is more visible along the Harran coast, though. Further inland (and near Kalnach), the tendencies are not nearly as noticeable. There, women are treated only marginally better, having just a few more rights than within Kalnach. Many Harran women take to the seas as traders because of this. On the great trade vessels, gender has very little importance.

But there is one way that Harra stands out in practicing. Slavery. In Harra, men and women alike are enslaved, having no rights whatsoever. Unless the owner is thoroughly inconvenienced, crime against a slave is unpunished. Even then, it is the owner that gets reimbursed, not the slave. Typically, such reparations are up to half the value of the slave on the open market. Despite this, Harra is well-known for taking pride in how open and liberal they are compared to Kalnach. They do not see their treatment of their slaves as contradictory to this claim. Any attempts by their neighbors and trade partners to change this is met with unyielding opposition.

While the slave trade flourishes in the triangle of nations formed by Oragos, Da-Hyun and Harra, it is not approved of in other nations than these.

Other nations

In Kalnach, slavery is forbidden. They do have Serfs, which is only marginally better than slavery, but they do not allow slavery. A serf family is a single step above a slave family, being connected to a piece of land, so that when that land changes ownership, so does the serf’s loyalty change. Kalnachi inquisitors deal harshly with anyone they even suspect of dealing in slaves.

In Othea, there is a number of so-called “indentured servants”, who are most often bought slaves. These are generally treated well compared to slaves elsewhere, but they are still property. having an “indentured” evoker servant is seen as a particularly high prize for any rich or powerful Othean.

Harrans trading with Kalesia have learned never to bring slaves to those shores, as it is a death sentence to own a slave within Kalesian borders. Despite the difference in policy here, Harrans keep coming back to Kalesia for trade due to the rich pickings available from imperial traders.

Idris is about as strict concerning slaves as Kalnach. Some claim that they are even stricter, laying the death penalty on any who claims to own another human being. Some foreknown Harrans have commented once that death is something far more accepted in Idris than pragmatism. Their extreme stand on slavery seeps through to the nations they influence, and while Da-Hyun has managed to keep slavery legal (since Idris’ influence isn’t that large there and it’s extremely profitable), slavery in Oragos is rather illegal, though not as heavily punished as in Idris. However, the illegal slave business is still blooming in Oragos, which isn’t too surprising since it’s a long standing part of their culture and tradition.

Harrans have numerous ways to acquire slaves, and it is not unusual to see Harran slavers in the vicinity of major zones of conflict in the western parts of the world. rumors persist of Kalnachi who sell their serfs, but proof is rarely found by anyone other than the inquisitors.

Each city also has a distinguished own culture:
- Aslordan is a city whose culture is driven primarily by money, it is the largest of Harra's trade cities and everything from clothes and herbs, to coal, wood and slaves pass through its port.
- The plains of Muaador breed some of the fastest horses in western Azukhar, and make Muaador famous for their swift light cavalry.
- Ovesh is a land rich in minerals and ores which produces most of the armor and weapons to come from Harra. It also employs the greatest number of slaves in all of the 'Free' Cities.

Military:
Harra as a whole fields a large number of simply trained slave soldiers, primarily as pikemen and archers. They focus primarily of operating as a unit, rather than individual skills and are typically either used for the easiest assignments, or those with the greatest casualties. These slaves are either trained for a few years before they are forced to join the army and/or picked according to their skills in battle.

Climate:
In the south, especially alongst the coast, Harra has a very pleasant, temperate climate where from time to time enormous storms flood the area. These lands are famous for their oustretching and overall unhindered forests. The Harran soil is very fertile, especially the north-eastern mountains of Ovesh, which are volcanic. Due to the fertility of their lands and their good (although perhaps slightly misplaced) reputation as cities of opportunity and wealth, the three major cities of Harra have a relatively large population. However, there are some notable differences per city state.

The territory surrounding Muaador is somewhat dry compared to the other Harran city-states, and has flat plains which spread unhindered until they reach the moist coastal lands.

Aslordan is the southernmost and in general the most fertile of the three. It has a temperate climate, quite similar to Othea and Oragos, with the exception that the coastal areas have milder seasons and more rain due to their location.

Ovesh is by far the most northern, and thus the coldest of the three. Here the climate is comparable to Kalnach. The winters are harsh and the comfort of the fire is said to be one of the land’s largest blessings during those times. They're the smallest producers of food of the Free Cities, for which they make up with their production of minerals and wood.

Political climate:
The Free Cities of Harra is a collective of independently governed city-states which act collectively when dealing with foreign powers and influence. Despite their constant aggression towards each other, they are like brothers in that as soon as an outside force threatens them they forget their rivalries and band together to deal with the enemy.

Aslardan's forces are primarily comprised of mercenary companies and privateers, conscripted for good pay to defend the city and the surrounding territory. This means that the military strength of Aslordan is in a constant state of flux. They may not be very virtuous, but your word and your sword are what people in Harra value most so it is extremely rare that mercenaries once bought would turn on their employers.

Ovesh is very well fortified, and the other Free Cities consider its position impractical to assail during their regular conflicts so most of the infighting done with Ovesh is performed near the borders of its territory with [inset the name of the red-purple country] and Muaador.

Muaador is known for its swift cavalry, which is of used during internal conflicts in Harra.

International Relationships

Da-Hyun: About three decades ago, a peace treaty was signed with Da-Hyun, resulting in Harran coastal towns no longer being plundered and Da-Hyuni merchants being less hindered by export tariffs. The trade between these neighbors is very prosperous, and their diplomatic relationships are only improved by their common mistrust towards Oragos.
Oragos: While most Harran slaves originate from Oragos and Harran’s history as a province of Oragos, the two countries currently (still) have a friendly relationship. While the Oragossi are less focussed on trade than their neighbours and Kalesia, Oragossi merchants are still a common sight in Aslordan.
Othea: While Othea isn’t their neighbour, the Harrans still maintain trade routes with this nation as well as a friendly diplomatic relationship between the Harran Majors and the Othean Royal House.
Kalesia: Being by far the greatest exporter of eastern, exotic goods, The Empire is an important, respected and greatly appreciated trade partner. Due to their warm relationship, Harra has become the greatest distributor of exotic goods on the western part of the continent, which has resulted in an enormous raise of annual profits for the Cities.
Idris: The Harrans harbour by far the coldest feelings towards this nation. While the Cities try their best to maintain positive diplomatic relationships, a large number of conflicts concerning Inquisitors who overextended their diplomatic immunity, have arisen over the last few decades.
Kalnach: Kalnach is mainly known as an transporter of Kalesian goods, Harra also has some trade routes with the Northerners, though relative few.

Religion:
The city states each worship a large amount of natural deities (for example, the spirit of rain, the spirit of trees the spirit of the sea, the spirit of commerce etc. etc. etc.). Each individual is allowed to worship his or her preferred deity. Due to this tolerance and hate of strict regulation, the Holy Order of Idris has so far not been able to create a foothold in The Free Cities. Through the ocean trade, there are some smaller enclaves of the Kalesian faith in the coastal cities of Harra, helped along by their more liberal view of women. Da-Hyunin and Oragossin make up a rather large minority of the Cities, and due to this, the Faith of the Nine (though this is solely practiced by Islanders) as well as the old naturalistic Oragossi religion and the Faith of Idris have spread considerably.

Mythology:

Founding Myth

The three forefathers of the three Harran city-states have been said to have been three brothers, As, Ov and Mu. The three were very different from one another and had been blessed accordingly. Through their brotherly rivalry, each developed their own specialism and became masters of their trade. As became a merchant who is said to have gather more riches on Azukhar than anyone had since the fall of the Old Kingdom. He founded a city near the southern coast, which soon transformed in the center of commerce of the western side of Azukhar.

His brother Ov had become a smith, who is said to have transformed his own tears into the legendary blade Vesh, that harvested a thousand souls after the death of his beloved wife and youngest daughter. After slaughtering the cruel tribe that killed half his family, Ov settled in the northern mountains. People traveled to his small shack to learn from the master crafter and soon a city had formed.

Mu did not want to create a city as his elder brothers had done. His spirit was too free to be bound to one place. Instead, he lived with the wild horses of the western plains, feeling at home in his freedom. He tamed the wild Kidor, a race of horses that are said to be faster than the wind and became the best archer of Azukhar. The Kalnachi are said to be descendants of him as well. When he died, his children buried him in the Last Hill, overlooking his beloved plains. There, a city was founded where the nomads could return during the bitter Harran winters.

The three brothers had each perfected their crafts, driven forth by their competitiveness and desire to improve themselves. Year after year, they came together on the lake’s beach to test one another’s skill and see who had improved the most. This tradition has never ceased to exist and to this day, a large festival is held where the apprentices and masters of all three cities come together near the lake to show off their skills. Together, while being so different from one another, the brothers had formed the greatest country that Azukhar had ever laid its eyes upon.

After this story, and the fact that their three cities are so strong together, a common Harran saying is “Asjiala wa kuaharra”, meaning “All perfect things come in threes”.

The Dominion of Idris

Location:
Southern Peninsula

Relics:
Anyone who is revealed to be an evoker in the Dominion, will be killed. There are no exceptions made and rumours of terrible executions have even spread to Othea.

Culture:
Not much is known about this southern nation in Othea, besides the fact that the Holy Order of Idris origins from this Kingdom. They do not allow people who are not of the faith deep into their territory. In fact, traders only get to trade at a few select trade outposts by the land and sea borders.

As has been common since time immemorial in many regions, the Dominion is male-dominated, with women having fewer rights and options in life.

Military:
The core of Idris’ armed forces is the Knights of Idris, but they also maintain a significant fleet of warships and merchant vessels to control the waters surrounding their peninsula. “Recently”, the skilled engineers and infantry of Oragos has strengthened their forces as well.

Political Climate:
National political climate is unknown, but most believe the church holds absolute power. The only thing that's certain is that the Dpminion is trying to expand by forging allegiances with other nations, no matter what the people in those nations want.

Climate:
What is known of the Climate in the Dominion of Idris is mostly conjecture. Outsiders haven’t really seen much. It is presumed to be fairly warm, with lush forests, fields and low hills.

Religion:
The Kingdom of Idris worships one god, The Eldest as they call him. Their belief is focussed around Idris the Messenger and the Heroes of Old that came after him. The ultimate goal of The Holy Order is to create equality and peace in the world once more by the complete annihilation of all evokers and the obliteration of all Relics.

The following is categorised as mythology, by no means verifiable by any sources. It is one of the first of the Order's thousand holy tomes (a great number of tomes telling of legends and the Order's dogma). Judging from its content, the story of this tome took place around the time of the fall of the Old Kingdom (1003 years ago).

The main actors in this tome are:
- Idris the Messenger, the first messenger of the gods, who supposedly was the first normal human to fight evokers. He was also the one who founded The Holy Order. The highest figures in the Holy order of Idris are those whose lineage goes straight back to The Messenger himself. They see themselves as agents of the Eldest, who still exists as long as he's remembered.
- Urrkan, the legendary relic user who supposedly fought Idris, though there are no records to confirm his existance outside the holy tomes.

From this tome, one can conclude the reason why the Holy Order fights evokers so fanatically as well as their idea of why the Old Kingdom disappeared. A sidenote: seeing how their gods are called "The Old gods", some outsiders have speculated that there might be 'new gods' as well, but thus far the Order hasn't confirmed nor denied that statement.

Mythology

In the beginning, there were three hundred gods who dwelmed in the “Other Realm”. The Old gods looked upon the sinfulness in the Old Kingdom, where humans were attempting to become like the gods by crafting their relics. These creators seized the godly powers for themselves, which they were not supposed to have, these powers which the gods had chosen not to bestow upon their humans.

The Eldest, the foremost and the first of gods, sent Idris the Messenger to Azukhar to pass on the message that the wrath of the gods would strike all relic users. He would become the first among humans to pass divine judgement upon those who had sinned.

However, there were gods who did not assent to this course of action. They defied the decision which the Eldest had made in all of his wisdom, and bestowed powers upon the human Urrkan. And so an enormous battle raged on Azukhar between Idris the Messenger and his enlightened followers against Urrkan and the hated evokers.

In the Other Realm, a war raged as well. On one hand were the hundred Old against the two hundred traitors. The Old were in the minority, but they were wiser and stronger than their brethren. In a battle which lasted a thousand years, only the Eldest remained. His brethren, sisters, children and grandchildren... all had slain one another. In his grief he used the last remains of his powers to bring doom and destruction upon the civilization which had started it all.

The Eldest disappeared, as did The Kingdom. However, humans remained as well as the dreadful relics. The descendants of The Messenger are still continuing their fight to cleanse the world of the sinful relics, so that equality will exist once more amongst humans. War and suffering will be a thing of the past when the day comes when the last relic is destroyed.

Alida Lore

Da-Hyun

Location:
The Isles of Da-Hyun, commonly referred to as “The Nine Islands” or simply “The Far Islands”, lie on the far west side of Azukhar. (white-green on map.)

Relics:
Generally, Da-Hyun is thought to have a rather neutral stance towards relic users, as long as they prove themselves useful and don’t break any of the local laws. The recently increasing influence of The Holy Order of Idris however, is changing things.

Culture:
Da-Hyun is a male dominated society, although women are allowed to join their army. Each Island has its own distinguished semi-culture, but only a few are hospitable to any who aren’t in Da-Hyun to trade. The only manifestation of Da-Hyuni culture you might come across in Othea, are the traveling bands of Da-Hyuni musicians and dancers.

Military:
The Da-Hyunin are famous for their impressive navy, which is said to be the best in Azukhar (if you can believe the rumours). They don’t often engage in battles on land, except when raiding, so there isn’t much known about the way their military is organised -if they even have one-.

Climate:
The Isles have a temperate climate and are a combination of woods and meadows. Due to the low level of fertile soil, the Da-Hyunin have become a nation of traders and pirates, for which they are known best.

Political Climate:
Da-Hyun currently has an exceptionally strong leader (to their standards), called Jok Lu. He is the first in a long time to truly unite the nine Islands under one banner and he is now focusing on strengthening foreign relationships with any but the Orogassi (which isn’t too surprising, seeing how the two nations have a rather violent history together).

As for international relationships.... You will have to find out in time...

Religion:
It is said that the Da-Hyunin have a traditional religion concerning nine gods whom they worship with certain rituals and prayers. The islanders however don't like to explain the details to outsiders and so not much is known about their religion.

National (Secrets/Secret) Organizations:
While Da-Hyun is made up of nine clans (corresponding to the nine Islands, there is said to be a tenth clan that operates in secret. None actually believe it's existance, as they are said to have gone extinct long ago, but the Yuushinto Clan still exists and acts as a secret spy-and-assassin-network for the sake of protecting Da-Hyun. I'll later on post more information regarding this shady organisation.

Mythology:
None available unless your character is a learned man or woman, specialized in Da-Hyun (or simply a Da-Hyunin).

[No Bite and All Bark]

Elenoir

Location: Island north of Kalesia, east of Kalnach
Relics: Relics are considered a part of everyday life, as the country is considered a sort of refuge from the church of idris, as it is one of the farthest points from the dominion. Evokers are generally treated with more respect and sympathy then the general populace, which has led to many citizens holding contempt towards the evoker population.
Culture: The culture is predominantly separated, as many who come to Elenoir wish to stay with their own people, and districts are often unspokenly populated by specific people from diffrent countries, like a district with mostly othean refugees, or one with people from kalesia. The country seems heavily divided and restless.
Military: The Navy is relatively small but ruthlessly efficient, in comparison to the land troops,who are poorly equipped and unprepared for invasion. The island is heavily defended by the well-equipped naval force, lead by some of the most notorious former pirates and naval officers who abandoned their country, making the navy very well led.
Climate: The island is mostly humid, and the most northern area experiences snowstorms, making the southern part of the island much more heavily populated. the trees and animals found on the island are quite different from the ones found on the mainland, due to many years of isolation. However, many refugees have brought breeds and animals from their own countries, creating plenty of cross breeds that exist only in Elenoir.
Political climate: The current leader of Elenoir is considered weak and many do not believe he can lead the country as well as others. Many have challenged the leader but have failed in duel combat with The leader, who has proved to have a strong power not known by the public. The Evoker population is intertwined with the rest of the public, but is generally disliked due to the fact they are treated with more respect and given more sympathy from the nobility and government.
Religion: Religion is considered open to the public but any topic relating to faith is completely ignored in government.
National Secrets/Secret Organizations: A secret branch of naval military unofficially controlled by the leader, consisting entirely of bandits and criminals un-connected to the country, often employed to attack targets that Elenoir cannot directly engage.
Mythology: There is a legend that two groups of nobles first came to the island with the same idea of a safe-haven from the church of idris. The island divided, the son from each family challenged each other to a duel. But once the battle began, each of the kids had been disarmed and began to fist fight. After each son had become too exhausted to fight, they made amends and convinced the nobles to work together, one of the kids eventually even married the others sister. This created a tradition of fisticuffs as a way to settle disputes, rather then deadly dueling. A battle is also traditional to occur during a wedding, between a relative of each person getting married.

[Ellri]

We'll add in descriptions of the fictional animals so far.

Bargal

Large, bear-like creature. Known for its bad temper and vicious claws. Predator.
Used by the Kalesian Mauler cavalry as mounts. Can be domesticated somewhat, but not completely.

Kalbeast

Large animal with armored hide. Resembles somewhat a crossing between a Rhinoceros and an Elephant, but is considerably larger and heavier than both of those. Herbivorous.
In the imperial army, these beasts serve both as beasts of burden and as living battering rams. If you repeatedly slam fifteen or more tons of beast into a gate, it will eventually break.

Karak

Unknown exactly what it looks like, other than that it has claws and guts.
We would not at all mind if someone made up what it looks like.

Here's more Kalesia stuff:

Kalesian Military expanded

Compared to the military of most other nations, the Kalesian war machine is quite advanced. On certain fronts, it is centuries ahead of other nations, but it is not flawless. The most notable trait that differentiates it from other nations' armed forces, is the fact that men and women have equal opportunities. Granted, there are other nations where women serve in the military, but it is not common, nor with the same opportunities for advancement.

The principle behind the Kalesian military doctrine is that skill and capability outweigh all other traits. The only other trait they put extra value on is loyalty. This loyalty is naturally to the Empire and the Empress (may she live forever).

Organization:
There are numerous distinct branches within the military. While it exists and is fairly extensive, we won't be covering the navy now.

The most notable branches of the military are these:
Infantry (archers, heavy and light close combat)
Cavalry (Bargal-mounted maulers, both heavy, light and reconnaissance)
Support and battering (deals with all supply elements and fields the Kalbeasts)
Siege engineering core (see Echo's lore for this)
Tactical (The men and women in this branch have been taught everything they could about military tactics and are often only mediocre at actual combat.)
Imperial Intelligence (Espionage & Ambassadorial services)
Special services (Evokers)

Education:
Virtually all Kalesian citizens get a certain amount of military training, even if it is just a few months to a year. This not only helps maintain the loyalty, but ensures that even an isolated farmstead can protect itself from both brigands and the more frolicsome wildlife found throughout the empire. This education is taken care of at the military academies found throughout the entire empire. For most, this education starts at the age of twelve, though some start earlier or later if they're not planning on going for a career in the military.

Within the first year, a good third have moved on to non-military academies and jobs. After two years, the percentage of citizens still enrolled at the military academies has been reduced to forty-six percent. It is at this point in their education that they go from a generic training program and over to the more specialized programs that will groom them for a single branch of the Kalesian War Machine. For most, this would be either the infantry, cavalry or support and battering. Only the best six percent join the specialized branches like the siege engineering core, the tactical branch or the Imperial Intelligence. And of course only Evokers can be part of the special services.

While this can make it seem like the Imperial army is unnecessarily large, this is not entirely true. The support and battering branch is very much involved in the commerce within the empire, and of course the cavalry serve as a messenger service and maintain the peace. The infantry, when it is not engaged in combat or guard duty, will frequently be found serving at the great construction sites. The makeup of their units is perfect for large construction projects. It is through their efforts that the imperial road system has become as extensive as it is.

The Special Services branch is entirely made up of Evokers and can frequently be found serving in the middle of other branches, all depending on what sort of skills their relics provide them with.