Notes about Arvan (original fantasy worldbuilding)

Karlov · Aug 15, 2025

I decided to use this site to publish my own ideas for a fantasy setting, which I work on in my free time. I have accumulated a huge number of notes on this setting, on its various parts, on societies and cultures, and I am trying to force myself to structure them. And perhaps my ideas will be interesting to someone. For now, I will start by listing the main principles on which I build the setting, so that it is roughly clear what it is about.

I have been working on this setting for quite a long time, more than a year, trying to create a sufficiently comprehensive and well‑developed setting so that I would like it myself. So I hope that it will arouse your interest and perhaps certain questions.

Tone

Arvan was conceived from the outset as Nobledark in tone, and it is partly why I am publishing this on this site.
The world is far from modern morality for many reasons. It leans more toward equality than our world in the early Modern Era, but it is far less just than the contemporary world. Oppression by gender, race, culture, religion, and social status is regular and varied. Likewise, colonialism, slavery, and similar phenomena are facts of life in this setting, as in real history.
There is no objective morality, and some cultures have rather questionable practices. Gnolls have their own moral justifications for cannibalism and demon‑worship, for example. Those answers make sense to them, but others do not necessarily agree.
The world is Dark because it is dangerous and unjust. But the setting is Noble because changing something is genuinely possible, unlike in Grimdark. Your victories are unlikely to change the whole world, but leaving your mark is realistic. Moreover, that mark can be left not only by heroes but also by villains.

On religion and the divine

I dislike classic D&D‑based fantasy for its approach to the divine. Morality in the universe is objective, and the conditions for reaching Heaven are relatively clear. In such a world, there is little reason to be a villain given the certainty of punishment and the accessibility of communion with higher powers.
Instead, in my Arvan setting, divinity is undoubtedly real, but there is no clear information from the gods, and there is no objective morality. The gods do intervene at times, but their actions often allow alternative interpretations; hence even within a single religion there is no full unity of opinion.
Religion in this world remains a matter of faith—whether you believe the priests' words and their truth about the gods' stance in the world. This is intentional on my part: no one knows the whole truth, though many believe they do.
Mythology and stories of the divine often share an obvious common origin or plots, yet many details contradict one another. Consequently, as in the polytheism of Late Antiquity, many hold that the gods of one land are alternative interpretations of the gods of another. Moreover, some believe that all tales of the cosmos's ancient history contain a certain share of truth, but no religion can claim a complete understanding of the nature of existence.

On inspiration from the real world and the level of technology

I have always wanted to create a setting that would at least make a certain amount of sense to me, as a person who has studied history, demography, and geography. And I had problems with this when studying most TTRPGs based on D&D, as they have very big problems with numbers. I try, as much as I can, to make the setting make sense from a scientific point of view.
I originally conceived the setting as geographically resembling Earth, but with some changes. Thus, individual regions on the planet have their own inspirations from real cultures. I do not intend to deny this, but rather to try to make them cool.
The setting is in the era of the very end of the Middle Ages and the early Modern Period, the exact era depending on a specific area on the world map.
At the moment, the possibility of training mages has restrained the development of firearms in many parts of the world. This does not mean that they do not exist, only that their active use is localized. Plate armor is still in use in some places, while in others there are arquebuses.
Magic is a powerful tool, but it is not omnipotent and does not replace ordinary means. In most of the world, magic is expensive and accessible only to the aristocracy and other comparable individuals. It cannot scale to universal accessibility.
At present, the world is undergoing a technological revolution due to the development of arteficiery— attempts to achieve magical effects through items created by non-mages and usable by non-mages. At the moment, the potential of this science is obvious, but it is still too complex and unstable for mass use. This is a matter of technological limitations. Give the locals a century, and arteficiery will outshine both magic and conventional firearms.
The world has already entered the Age of Great Geographical Discoveries. The New World has been discovered and is gradually being colonized, but local Australia is still extremely distant and almost nothing is known about it. A distinct and active world trade system is gradually taking shape.
At the same time, for various reasons, the scale of colonialism has taken on a smaller aspect in terms of huge colonial empires. This world is still inspired by classic adventure fantasy, so many colonies in the New World are organized not by colonial empires but by free settlers. Likewise, as a departure from the real world, the local Europe never had an overwhelming technological advantage over the rest of the world.

On sources of inspiration from fantasy

Overall, my sources of inspiration were several major settings, which I will list in order of increasing importance. I love them all and hold them in high regard for their various elements.
Warhammer Fantasy Battles

This is the most clearly expressed aspect of an alternate Earth among all the presented options.
In addition, it is relatively the closest setting to mine in terms of my desired tone and technological level.
Among the aspects of the setting I absolutely adore I would include: Skaven, Ogre Kingdoms, Ulthuan, Vampire Counts.

Pathfinder

Arvan was conceived by me primarily as a setting specifically for this tabletop system, and therefore I created it focusing on the various races and other aspects available in the setting.
I have rather complicated feelings towards Paizo's work, as for me it is a relationship full of both love and hate. Their work has made me fall in love with certain concepts with incredible intensity. But at the same time, I dislike the fact that in their pursuit of mass popularity, Paizo abandoned any provocation and darkness in their work. I agree that many early concepts were dark for the sake of darkness, and the new content also possesses interesting depth, but in my opinion, abandoning all controversy was excessive.
I do not particularly like their setting from the standpoint of realism. The numbers barely make sense, as does the history.
On my list of favorite concepts from the setting: Cheliax, Mwangi Expanse, Impossible Lands, Rahadoum, Kelesh, Numeria.

Anbennar

A setting of great depth, created as a modification for EU4, which I respect immensely. The authors at least do not hide the dark aspects of real history, and I can respect them for that.
In terms of correspondence to real history, there are only a few things I dislike in this setting: the absence of a clear Byzantine analogue, and also Japan. These are the only two major cultures I feel are missing.
At the same time, I deeply respect the setting for many of its ideas: the development of gnolls beyond mindless destroyers; the realms of sun elves as an analogy to the diadochi states; Command and Escann; and much, much more.
Essentially, my setting began as an attempt to rethink and create something based on Anbennar with several differences. The main difference is time. Anbennar covers four centuries of the Modern Era and gradual historical change, while Arvan is a setting in a single moment, with a backstory but open to the future. In addition, Anbennar is built largely around entire states, leaving fewer opportunities for the exploits of small groups. To this I also wanted to add many things I loved from Pathfinder and simply interesting elements from the real world — and thus Arvan gradually came into being.

Brief introduction to history:

Humanity became the dominant civilization in the world of Arvan when, in ancient times, the young human civilization of Amantis, with the support of numerous allies, crushed the serpentfolk and established its colonies on both sides of the Sunset Ocean.
Centuries of relative peace and prosperity later, the people of Amantis undertook a magical project that ended in the catastrophe of the Descending, which devastated Amantis itself and destroyed their civilization. The Descending was named so because, in the first years, the inhabitants of the world believed that the gods themselves had descended into the world and destroyed Amantis, given the scale of the destruction.
During the chaotic times following this catastrophe, a great hero and archmage of Amantis, Amandar, appeared, helping the survivors and becoming a deity. His cult became the most powerful force in the analogue of Europe, Irimon, over the centuries rising to the head of local polytheistic cults. When speaking of him, think of a mix of the Emperor of Mankind and Aroden.
The centuries after the catastrophe were spent recovering from it by the former colonies of Amantis and the civilizations of other peoples. This era is known as Antiquity; during it, at least partial functioning of magical infrastructure was maintained.
Antiquity ended when several powerful dragons united against the continent's civilizations and almost destroyed them. As a side effect, they also triggered a great migration of barbarian peoples, which led to the collapse of the old empires and the creation of relatively small barbarian kingdoms relying on feudal nobility and militias, rather than on legions and city mages.
The age of barbarian kingdoms drew to a close when a powerful wizard, who went down in history as the Witch-God, began his campaign of conquest across the continent, crushing kingdoms with the horrors in his service.
To stop him, an elven fleet led by Latariel Dawn's Glory arrived to aid the continent — political exiles seeking to establish their own states. Through joint efforts, the Witch-God was defeated, and the elves settled on the continent, founded their own states, and intermarried with the human nobility. The influence of elven culture and philosophy refined the barbarian cultures of the continent and pushed technological development forward.
In 1914, the world was gradually recovering; however, without any obvious reason, Amandar, the god mentioned earlier, disappeared. This caused mass religious hysteria across the continent, the start of civil wars, and an orcish invasion that took advantage of the continent's discord.
Out of the chaos of the war with the orcs emerged the heroine Alaria, who managed to stop the orcish invasion and eventually ascend to godhood. Think of Corin, Iomedae, and the general archetype of Joan of Arc.
A few years later, the inhabitants of the continent received a prophetic vision of a conflict between three gods for the role of protector of this world, a role previously fulfilled by Amandar. Alaria was one of these three gods.
A couple of years after that, a battle began in the heavens across the world between various gods. Only a few participated in the conflict, but the consequences were still frightening. The most notable result was that the god of war, Brennus, was killed in this conflict. His divine ichor rained down upon the world, leading to various strange effects, even in regions where Alaria and the other claimants to the role of world protector were unknown.
Thus the world entered its modern stage. In Irimon and many other places, the religious vacuum was replaced by religious tension, and entire countries now stand on the brink of large-scale religious wars, while the consequences of the War in the Heavens affect many other regions of the world. What only a few decades ago seemed like the beginning of an era of peace and prosperity is gradually turning into a new era of great chaos and strife.

Karlov · Aug 17, 2025

Irimon in my setting is an analogue of Europe at a crossroads of eras, as the continent enters a new age. The time of feudalism is gradually coming to an end, and the age of relatively centralized states is beginning. Artificiery is gaining more and more recognition, and the network of trade connections spans the entire world, giving its inhabitants an unprecedented advantage over all others. For many centuries, world trade was controlled by the elves with their fabulous tariffs, but now the development of seafaring allows others to travel between continents independently.

As required of classic fantasy, the continent is inhabited by many different races, between which the relationships are quite complex. The general perception on continent is built around the dichotomy and division of races into monsters and non-monsters. Non-monsters include humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings as the main folks. At the same time, monsters are hobgoblins, gnolls, strix, and some others.

Humans

Humans, as in the Old World as a whole, are the dominant and most numerous people on the continent. I do this deliberately — different peoples dominate only locally, unlike humans, and in most cases they are forced to occupy certain roles in society.
Naturally, the people of the continent are divided into large ethnic groups. This should not be considered an exhaustive list, but rather a high-level picture, like grouping Italians, Spaniards, and French together on a linguistic basis. Of course, within them there are also further divisions.
Southwestern Irimon is inhabited by the Legurians. This is a mix of colonists from ancient Amantis and the local population, who once formed the Ligurian League. Their closest real-world analogue would be the Romance peoples — Italians, Spaniards, and French.
Central Irimon is controlled by the Altanians. They are descendants of the barbarian tribes whose migration was caused by the Dragon Interregnum, and who founded their numerous barbarian kingdoms. These are primarily the various Germanic peoples.
Northwestern Irimon is inhabited by the Skagerdians. They are close to the Altanians but historically separated from them by the Amber Sea. These are primarily the peoples of Scandinavia — the Vikings and the like.
Southeastern Irimon is inhabited by the Itiolans, descendants of local independent cultures. Many of them eventually did not even preserve their own languages, but their features are still visible among the local population. They are generally analogous to the Paleo-Balkan peoples — Illyrians, Dacians, and Thracians.
Northeastern Irimon is occupied by the Sclavinians. As is obvious, they are the analogue of Slavic peoples. Some of their lands were among the last pagan barbarians on the continent. In general, they are characterized by fair hair and gray eyes.
Finally, in Eastern Irimon live the Baradanians, a people without a full real-world analogue. They are unique in appearance — among them red hair and freckles are extremely common. In this case, the reference is not to the Celts but to the Mari people in Russia, another nation with a high concentration of red-haired individuals.

Elves

Elves in Arvan are aliens. They are newcomers arriving through portals that connect the continent with the world of Cetra. However, they do not come as conquerors but as political refugees. The fact is that Cetra is ruled by an elective monarchy, and after the election of a ruler, his opponents in the elections are sent into honorable exile together with their allies to another world, so that they do not threaten the power in the metropolis. Many of them take this opportunity to establish their own states in the new world.
For Cetra itself, such a policy is profitable. They control the system of portals they built, which connect both continents and different worlds, and they themselves are located right in its center. They don't even need to do anything — wealth flows into their hands by itself, and all they need to do is impose tariffs. And waging wars against the inhabitants of other worlds is a thankless and unprofitable task.
The elves in Irimon played a decisive role in the victory over the Witch-God, and as a result they were given many war-ravaged and depopulated lands to settle. There they built their elfrealms.
The greatest heroine of the elves of Western Irimon is considered to be Latariel Dawn's Glory, who led them to the continent. They revere her as a great leader, diplomat, and valiant heroine, but this image is far from the truth. Latariel was rather cold and harsh. After the death of her husband, the king of Floraine, she took regency over their underage son and raised him into a completely spineless king, ruling in his stead. And then in the stead of her grandson. And only with her great-grandchildren was her life prematurely cut short, but with her death the empire she had built ended as well.
Elves in the world overall are wealthy and influential, but since the death of the first generation of leaders who brought them here, they rarely hold true power. They are an old aristocracy, but one that has gradually lost its dominant position in favor of half-elves.
Possessing elven blood is almost a necessary attribute for recognition as nobility, which is why some elves deliberately enter marriages of convenience with newly ennobled humans lacking elven ancestry. For obvious reasons, they live longer than humans, and some of them remarry after the death of their spouse. And then again, and again.

Dwarves

Dwarves, before the arrival of the elves, were considered the most influential minority on the continent, as they were often invited as advisors to human kings, and even the empires of antiquity valued alliances with them. But with the arrival of the elves, they gradually pushed them out of politics.
Most dwarves on the continent are descendants of refugees. They once lived in the Marodax Range, a vast mountain chain dividing the Old World into two parts, but during the Descending many of their strongholds were damaged by earthquakes, and the great migration of orcs from the deeper layers of the underworld forced most of them to flee to the surface.
Since then, the traditional structure of dwarven society has been gradually declining. They no longer have their kings — or kazgors, as they call them — instead, their society is organized around clans of artisans and the cartels that unite them.
The few exceptions to this rule are the holds founded back in the days of their ancient empire, in which monarchs still rule.
The largest banking clan in the world belongs to the dwarves. It operates throughout Irimon, has its own colonies in the New World, and is even able to intervene in politics.
After the orcish invasion of Eastern Irimon and their mass migration from there, the dwarves began sending expeditions into their under-mountain strongholds in an attempt to reclaim their homeland. Mentioned above dwarf bank sponsoring them in such re-conquests.
In addition to their diaspora in human lands, dwarves live in the Silver Peaks (the Alps) and Skagerdia (Scandinavia), and they also have one unique stronghold in Albionis.
Culturally, different groups of dwarves on the continent are inspired by various European highlander peoples — the Swiss, Highland Scots, and some others.

Haflings

Halflings are one of the most tragic peoples of the continent, since in Irimon they have been among the most oppressed for centuries. The reason is simple — they are physically weak and cannot defend themselves. A human fighter has an enormous advantage in strength, size, and body mass, which makes a halfling almost helpless. In the conditions of the feudal military aristocracy, halflings simply had no chance to preserve their own independence.
Halflings still have their own traditional aristocracy, but it plays a rather indirect role. Their aristocrats are essentially a means for human kingdoms to claim halfling lands. Formally, a halfling rules, but de facto everything belongs to humans.
Naturally, the halflings themselves dislike this, which has led to hatred toward most of their aristocrats. In the view of the common folk, the aristocrats exist only to allow humans to plunder their lands and wage wars in their name, which the halflings themselves will pay for. The creation of a country of halflings for halflings is one of the greatest dreams of the halflings of the continent.
With the development of artificiery and the early emergence of firearms, many among them are gaining hope that this new weapon will allow them to resist traditional knights and thereby win the struggle for independence.
Other halflings believe that defeating humans is impossible, that their old homeland is lost, and that all they can do is create a new home somewhere far away. For this purpose, colonies were established in the New World. Others went to fight orcs to claim depopulated lands. Still others allied with dwarves to settle in mountain valleys.
Overall, halflings of Irimon in my setting are deeply traumatized people. Their desire at any cost to stop their own trauma drives them to inflict trauma on others. In their view, almost any means of fighting for their interests is justified.
Culturally, the halflings in the setting are based on the Netherlands, and they occupy a corresponding geographical position.

Gnomes

Gnomes in my setting are people with an ancient history, native to this world, but now they live here only as a minority. Originally, they were mutated halflings, and they are the only ones capable of producing offspring with them. These are the gnomlings, who live even longer than long-lived gnomes, but are sterile.
The gnomes once inhabited the islands in the northwest of the continent, and initially they sought to colonize other planes, creating vast colonies in the Feyrealm and Shadowrealm, but they lost control over them and were forced to abandon countless colonists in other planes.
Later the gnomes created their Technate — a technocratic state built around powerful mages and artificiers. Their state survived until the Dragon Awakening, when hordes of kobolds burst forth from underground and seized most of the islands.
In these events, most of the gnomes of this world perished, and the majority of survivors were those living in colonies in Albionis or on the continent. Since then, they have been a rather small people with incomparable technical knowledge.
However, after the Descending, when the Feyrealm and Shadowrealm became closer to Arvan, gnomes from these worlds gradually began returning to the material world. They had been changed by planar magic and acquired talent for corresponding magic, as well as nominal immortality. While gnomes lives mostly in Irimon and some in New World, these planar gnomes live in different places on planet, where is common gnomes are unknown.
Gnomes from the Feyrealm are famous for their hyperactive character and impossible hair and eye colors. Technically they are immortal, but outside places close to the Feyrealm they gradually fade without intense emotions.
On the other hand, gnomes from the Shadowrealm have a calm temperament and talent for illusion magic. They are also somewhat immortal, but under the influence of Shadow magic all creativity and individuality is drained from them until they become almost soulless mechanisms, sunk into routine.
Now these dwarven peoples, often unaware of each other for millennia, are finally making contact. It is a somewhat traumatic experience for them, as all sides see each other through the lens of their shortcomings. The extraplanar dwarves see the small numbers of their continent-dwelling kin, who once rivaled the greatest human empires on equal terms. And for the dwarves of Arvan, it is hard to see how planar magic has warped and made their brethren dependent.

Half-elves

Half-elves appeared on the continent en masse only four centuries ago, after the arrival of the elves. This was the result of a deliberate marriage policy to help elves adapt to the continent and be accepted by the locals. But since elves were often warrior-aristocrats, their marriages were made within that stratum.
As a result, by the present time practically all aristocracy on the continent is, to one degree or another, half-elven. This creates not only a legal but also a very real biological division between the aristocracy and the common folk.
It is precisely in the hands of this half-elven aristocracy that most of the political power on the continent is concentrated now, even though there are only a few places where half-elves dominate the population. Usually they are spread thinly across the continent.
This is a potentially interesting question from a self-definition perspective. Half-elves generally see themselves as part of the human races to which they belong, as many of them rule over them. However, these subjects often do not reciprocate this recognition. It is a complex issue that is closely tied to class identity.

Karlov · Sep 21, 2025

In the tradition of Irimon, the rulers of land are various kings and other monarchs of similar rank, regarded as independent. Until recently, they were predominantly crowned by the priesthood of Amandar, with some exceptions depending on the regional connection to a different god. Such high positions are occupied by a relatively small group of dynasties, most of which are of half-elven origin. They descend from the marriages of Lanariel and her elven officers with local human monarchs, producing the first noble half-elves, or else they are related to them.

Within the civilized lands of the continent, only a few royal dynasties remain without significant infusion of elven blood, and they rely on their traditional legitimacy dating back to the times before the elves' arrival. It is half-elves who embody the nobility of the continent, despite the continued existence of purely human or elven aristocracy, as well as smaller groups of nobles of other races in their own states.

Even lesser nobles, ruling duchies, counties, and baronies, often possess a notable share of elven blood due to the century and a half of elven dominion over the continent, during which marriages between elves and humans were the norm. Without an ancient lineage, an aristocrat is recognized as truly equal on the continent only through marriage ties with an elf.

Naturally, this is less strict regarding the lower categories of nobility, which include various landless knights, receiving noble status through state service, university education, or magical talent. Yet the difference between such service nobility and the hereditary landowning aristocracy remains vast.

Parallel to the states lies the system of various continent-wide cults, united under a common council of the churches of the Amandaric Pantheon. Irimonic traditions hold that the church should not rule over land, and even less so over the worldly lives of mortals. Thus, the local churches own far less land than the Roman Catholic Church, and even on their territories the population is not enserfed but exists as free tenants. Church holdings still exist, but they are exceptional, usually sanctioned directly by higher powers for the management of certain lands.

At the same time, as in real life, the church is a meritocratic institution, enabling a rise from peasantry to the heights of power. Moreover, in this world the church is even more meritocratic than in reality. The ability of priests to cast spells, and the risk of losing this gift should they stray from their faith, provides a clear and indisputable source of legitimacy for the clergy. For this reason, one cannot fill the church with priests' children or younger sons of nobles, for without divine blessing they cannot attain high rank. This ensures far stronger legitimacy of the church in the world of Arvan, since no monarch can place a wholly obedient priest into power if that priest lacks divine sanction.

On the other hand, the church's refusal to own land means that the world is still ruled by relatively familiar estate-representative monarchs, not by paladin-orders akin to the Teutonic Knights, only with direct divine blessing. This is a necessary condition for maintaining a degree of resemblance to the real world.

Alongside these two estates, there is also the gradually growing merchant class and the cities. The church is by nature far more meritocratic than the nobility, which is built first upon blood ties and second upon the ability to fulfill military duty. The cities lie somewhere in between, offering members of any race a chance to rise, but with limitations. In cities there are many crafts requiring precise handiwork, which halflings or goblins can perform just as well as humans. Moreover, halflings and goblins are far smaller in size than humans, meaning they require much less food and other resources, making their subsistence easier and themselves more valuable as workers.

Nevertheless, humans and other tall folk are still needed by the cities to protect their independence. A halfling or gnome, due to their small size and physical weakness, cannot fight effectively in close combat or use the longbow. The crossbow, firearms, or artefactoric devices somewhat level the field, but they cannot yet fully eliminate the need for melee troops, and so the cities cannot rely on them alone.

Another estate is that of the mages, who in Irimon traditionally form closed and elite guilds, preserving highly sacralized knowledge of magical practices. The techniques of each guild are often unique; they are willing to trade the results of their work but keep their methods secret. Magic in the world of Arvan is powerful, but suffers from scalability problems, as it depends on the limited number of those with magical talent. Thus, mages have fused closely with the nobility, acting as allies, dependents, and servants, and often combining these roles. There is no natural conflict between the two. With the arrival of elves on the continent, they brought their own paradigm of magic, which they spread freely, damaging the old occult circles. Yet even the free spread of elven knowledge did not solve the issue of requiring actual gifted individuals. Such guilds often serve as corporate vassals to kings or other lords, granted the right to recruit the magically talented and to sell their services in exchange for serving their patron lord.

On the other hand lies the young and still-emerging arteficiery. At its core is the idea of creating magical items usable without the direct presence of mages — for example, through enchanted tools that can be operated by non-mages, with an entire production cycle already established. Arteficiery have not yet revealed their full potential: they are often expensive, unreliable, and overly complex. However, these are technical rather than fundamental problems. Crucially, artefactorics have no inherent issue with scaling up. Arteficiery are traditionally tied to the cities, where artefactor workshops are located, and at present they have almost no independent representation as an estate.

Finally, at the very bottom of the system lies the majority of the continent's population — the rightless peasantry. Most of it lives in serfdom under feudal landowners, with limited rights. The majority of humans, and nearly all halfling peasants, are serfs. The oppressed position of halflings stems from the fact that until relatively recently, with the development of firearms and artefactoric weaponry, they had no realistic way to integrate into the continent's military system, aside from irregular auxiliary roles. Such peasants lack genuine rights and freedoms, such as freedom of movement or the right to bear arms.

By contrast, on temple lands live mostly free tenant peasants, many descended from runaway serfs. In addition, there is a certain number of free human peasants who are in fact impoverished former nobles — they have lost their noble status, but still own their land, retain the right to bear arms, and owe military service to the crown. Their closest historical analogy would be the English yeomen.

Among non-humans, dwarves are rarely peasants, and are usually free, as they tend to practice herding in mountain valleys where feudal authority is weak. Furthermore, when elves arrived on the continent, land was granted to them in their own possession, making them a kind of micro-feudal lords serving their local ruler in exchange for paying taxes and military service. Thus, even elves and half-elves engaged in farming are personally free.

Overall, the governance of most countries is arranged as estate-representative monarchy. The monarch sits at the top of the hierarchy, and the other estates pay taxes, but for major undertakings the monarch often needs additional resources and the support of the estates, which is why he relies on the activity of parliament. In recent centuries, however, there has been a trend toward centralization of power, thanks to the rise of non-feudal estates. Monarchs ally with them to undermine the autonomy of feudal lords, with the eventual goal of, once the feudal nobility is broken, limiting the freedoms of the remaining estates as much as possible and concentrating authority in the hands of the crown.

Karlov · 2025-09-28T11:03:49+0100

Terminology

Prydain – the largest of the three main islands of Albion, located in its eastern part.

Gibernia – the second largest island of Albion, located in its northwestern part.

Iohia – the third largest island of Albion, located in its southwestern part.

Sexland – the Altanian kingdom located in the southern part of Prydain, one of the largest powers of Albion, named after the tribe of the Sexons who founded it.

Tal Riada – the second state on the territory of northern Prydain, a historical rival of Sexland, which has now turned into a republic.

Redeg – the southern seceded part of Tal Riada, a confederation of communes that struggles for its own independence.

Raskordan – a dwarven fortress built on the islands in the first years after the Descending, at the foothills of the Balor mountains.

Tordak – a young stratocratic state of hobgoblins and other monsters in the Balor mountains.

Atl Clud – an autonomous northern possession of Sexland under the patronage of the local High Lord.

Cymren – another autonomous possession of Sexland, but this time in the west of the island.

Westshire – autonomous halfling possessions within the territory of Sexland with self-government.

Ioholododin – a gnomish kingdom with a mixed population on the island of Iohia.

Ailech, Urumhain, Bréifne, Osraige, Tír Eoghain – the five largest and most stable Small Kingdoms of Gibernia.

Balor mountains – a mountain range stretching from the western coast of the continent in the northwest and occupying the entire north as a high plateau.

Thornewood – a magical forest strongly influenced by the fey in the north-central part of Prydain.

Lundonia – the capital city of the kingdom of Sexland.

Lyhn – the capital city of the kingdom of Ioholododin.

Eidyn – the capital of Tal Riada.

Cliath – the largest city of Gibernia under the rule of a local Small King.

Churles – the designation for the peasantry of Albion.

Gesithes – the traditional designation of the nobility in Albion, modeled after the Saxon tribes.

Earl – the traditional title for the landed aristocracy of Sexland.

Witenagemot – the parliament under the king of Sexland.

Taoiseach – the traditional title in Tal Riada and Gibernia for the landed aristocracy, ranging from a count or duke to a minor king.

Ri – the designation for a fully recognized king in the local language. The High King of Gibernia and the King of Tal Riada in the past bore this title.

Daingean na bhFathach Deamhanach – the cursed ruins in the northern part of the island.

Timeline

-xxxx – the giants, losing their war against the dragons and lizardfolk, attempt to turn the tide of a lost struggle by summoning the Demon Lord Balor into the material world. The storm giants rise against them, aided by some dragons and the elves (called Tuath de Danan on the islands), while the giants who fought in Balor's name gradually turn into fomorians, merging with the mountains that would bear his name, as Balor himself is chained and imprisoned beneath Gibernia.

-xxxx – the ancient halflings, including the ancestors of the gnomes, are displaced into Irimon, into the swamps of the Small Kingdom, and onto the Storm Isles.

-xxxx – the beginning of the formation of the gnomes as a people distinct from the halflings, and their rapid development under the influence of an unknown power.

-xxxx – a mysterious conflict destroys the storm giants who inhabited Albion and its neighboring lands, leaving no trace. Some time later, storm giants from other parts of the world attempt to resettle the ruins of their kin.

-1x00 – the gradual formation of the Gnome Technate and its research expeditions into Albion and continental Irimon, establishing the first outposts to trade with the native inhabitants.

-1500s – Amantis enters into war against the serpentfolk, and the Gnome Technate joins among other allies, focusing on expelling the serpentfolk from Albion and the Small Kingdom.

-x00s – the gnomes slowly but steadily establish their power over Albion, striving to maintain good relations with the local population, relying on the native tribal aristocracy, but not allowing them any role in politics.

-x00s – the founding of Lyhn.

-x00s – the founding of Lundonia.

1 – the Descending, when a tsunami causes immense damage to the coastal cities and shatters the control of the Gnome Technate, taking several years to restore. At the same time, magical catastrophes destroy much of the Technate's infrastructure.

70s – the beginning of large-scale wars against the fauns dwelling in Prydain and their fey allies, who refuse to submit to the gnomes and their restructuring of society and traditional order. The fauns are defeated and flee into Thornewood. During this conflict, the gnomes extensively employ cold iron, devastating to the fey.

150s – the Technate entrenches itself along the entire coast of Floraine, establishing control over it.

174 – the first war between the Ligurian League and the Gnome Technate for control of the continental territories.

213 – the Gnome Technate, seeking to increase agricultural productivity, launches a program to resettle halflings into Iohia and southern Prydain to reform agriculture, granting the colonists extensive land allotments.

238 – the first war between the Gnome Technate and Baradan for control of modern Nephreton.

267 – the three-sided conflict between the Gnome Technate, Baradan, and the Ligurian League.

341 – the second war between the Gnome Technate and Baradan.

374 – the second war between the Technate and the League.

400s – the Gnome Technate, waging war on the continent, draws ever more resources from Albion, while population growth there leads to gradual land shortages.

447 – the second large-scale three-sided war between the powers of Irimon.

526 – the third large-scale three-sided war.

530s – the beginning of two decades of riots and uprisings in Prydain, caused by poverty, years of crop failure, and special requisitions for military needs.

684 – the beginning of the Dragon Interregnum through a magical ritual, bringing severe cooling across Irimon, which results in years of famine and hunger.

686 – an outbreak of plague in Albion, decimating the population.

687 – the kobolds emerge from underground, for which the gnomes are entirely unprepared, leading to the collapse of the Technate in 689 and a massive refugee crisis in Albion, barely contained by the colonial administration.

689 – the colonial administration becomes effectively useless in northern Prydain and Gibernia.

694 – the beginning of invasions by Altanian tribes into southern Prydain. They gradually seize land, but have not yet fully destroyed the local administration.

702 – the end of the Dragon Interregnum with the killing of the last active dragon who participated in the attacks.

704 – the capture of Lundonia by one of the tribes, marking the final collapse of the colonial administration in Prydain and the formation of local tribal kingdoms based on the invading Altanian tribes and local militias struggling to defend themselves in the face of invasion.

756 – the High Priest of Amandar from Abaluk sends a major delegation to Albion to attempt to crown local rulers. Facing resistance from the population, they move on to Gibernia, where the priests of Ardvin, Elenve, and Silvenna are more favorable to being integrated into the pan-continental cultic system.

846 – the formation of the empire of Florak in the territory of modern Floraine. The administration of Iohia formally swears fealty to him.

852 – the head of the Iohia administration, with the agreement of Florak and the patriarch of Amandar, formally adopts the Amandarian Pantheon as the main faith of his lands. He declares himself king of Ioholododin, is crowned by a priest of Amandar, and other gnome administrators (whose offices had effectively become hereditary) are formally ennobled as aristocrats.

913 – the beginning of two decades of small-scale but brutal wars among the kingdoms of Prydain, which drain their strength and devastate the land.

954 – the fomorians in the Balor mountains open a portal to the former domain of their lord and summon fomorians dwelling there to aid in conquering Albion and freeing their patron.

956 – the fomorian hosts march forth from the mountains, crushing the weakened kingdoms of Prydain.

957 – the formation of the kingdom of Tal Riada in response to the fomorian threat, uniting the tribes of northern Prydain.

962 – the fomorians lay siege to Raskordan, but fail to breach the dwarven fortress.

968 – the fomorians besiege Lundonia, but the Altanian tribal armies defeat them with reinforcements from Iohia.

969 – the council of Lundonia, attended by representatives of most Albion communities, convenes to coordinate the struggle against the fomorians. A decision is made to send a group of heroes against them.

971 – the destruction of the portal to Balor's domain, cutting the fomorians off from reinforcements.

975 – the turning point in the conflict with the fomorians: they are broken and driven back into the mountains.

982 – after a period of relative recovery from their losses, the kingdoms of Prydain launch a punitive expedition into the Balor mountains, aiming to exterminate every one of their inhabitants.

997 – Sexland begins a campaign to subjugate neighboring Small Kingdoms, gradually expanding. The aristocracy of the Sexons becomes the landholding lords of the newly conquered lands, while the local population retains their ancestral lands but is now obligated to the new nobility. In 1021 Atl Clud is subdued, and in 1054 Cymren.

1010s – the first raids on the coasts of Prydain by Skagerdian vikings, who plunder primarily monasteries and temples of various cults, since there are no wealthy cities yet. These raids continue for decades, as the locals are powerless to resist such a threat.

1030s – the raids spread into Gibernia, while Iohia successfully repels the sea-raiders.

1073 – the first of the wars between Sexland and Tal Riada, this time ending inconclusively.

1112 – the first Skagerdian invasion aimed at conquering the lands of Sexland and turning them into settlements of their own.

1124 – the second war between Sexland and Tal Riada, in which Sexland installs a puppet king.

1137 – the Skagerdians launch an even more successful invasion of Gibernia, seizing the estuaries of major rivers and establishing towns there to serve both as trading posts and as centers of colonization and plunder of the local population. Founding of Lyhn.

1187 – the beginning of large-scale settlement of the Balor mountains by hobgoblins migrating through underground passages beneath the continent, for whom these mountains become a relatively peaceful refuge with the opportunity to raid the lowlanders.

1229 – a massive Skagerdian invasion of Sexland, in which they successfully defeat the kingdom's army and seize a significant portion of its northern lands.

1234 – an uprising in Tal Riada overthrows the foreign dynasty.

1278 – the kingdoms of Gibernia unite under the leadership of a High King and defeat the Skagerdians, expelling them from most of the island except for the environs of certain towns, which they are forced to pay tribute.

1317 – in Thornewood a strange disease appears, affecting the trees of the forest and the fey within, but not ordinary mortals, slowly spreading through it. Yet none yet understand the nature of this affliction.

1345 – Ioholododin invades Sexland and establishes a protectorate over Cymren.

1412 – a humiliating defeat against the Skagerdians forces Sexland to pay tribute to their konungs.

1428 – Theiran, queen of the fey of Thornewood, realizes that the source of the affliction is the seepage of power from one of the Demon Lords, seeking to break into the material world. Knowing she is the only one able to oppose him, she confronts him but is captured. He uses her body as a conduit for his magic into the material world, yet thanks to her power and resistance the spread of corruption is only slowed.

1435 – Ioholododin invades Gibernia, seizing control of coastal towns and beginning a gradual expansion inland, which is met with fierce resistance.

1500 – the arrival of the elves into Irimon to aid in the Great War.

1504 – the elven fleet and the continental powers launch a massive expedition into the North Sea and Skagerdia, sacking Skagerdian towns and ports in an effort to cleanse the northern sea. Taking advantage of this, Sexland begins its invasion against the Skagerdians cut off from their allies in Prydain.

1512 – Sexland completely expels the Skagerdians from the island and restores its rule over the northern lands.

1543 – war between Ioholododin and Sexland for control of Cymren, with Sexland victorious.

1573 – the central regions of Thornewood are finally abandoned due to infection by strange red-and-black fungi, which not only corrupt the fey but also warp space itself. Druids resist the magical corruption with protective charms, temporarily halting the spread.

1612 – an invasion of Sexland by Tal Riada, turning into a long and ruinous ten-year war.

1642 – this time Sexland invades Tal Riada, installing a dependent monarch.

1672 – the beginning of the North Sea War between Ioholododin and Sexland for control of the sea and dominance over Gibernia. The war ends with Sexland seizing towns in Gibernia but failing to secure a foothold on Iohia itself.

1680s – the beginning of Sexland's systematic conquest of significant lands in Gibernia and the building of towns.

1736 – a massive pandemic in the Old World kills huge numbers of people. In Gibernia, urban colonists suffer the most, while the native population loses relatively few.

1741 – a large-scale uprising in Gibernia under a new High King shatters Sexland's rule over the island, reducing the coastal towns to tributary enclaves in exchange for their survival.

1750 – Ioholododin withdraws from struggles with the other island powers, instead turning its attention toward Amantis, to which safe routes are once again opened, establishing a colony there to absorb surplus population.

1800 – Sexland turns its attention to continental struggles alongside Gibernia, beginning the subjugation of the Small Kingdom.

1910 – the king of Tal Riada initiates a policy of active Amandarization of the realm, which is met with hostility by nearly all locals. A Lord Protector is appointed to declare the king insane and remove him from power, but he flees and sparks a civil war.

1914 – the Disappearance of Amandar.

1915 – the end of the civil war in Tal Riada, with the execution of the king. The Lord Protector refuses to appoint a new monarch, instead establishing a republican government under his dictatorial power, focusing on building a strong army and bureaucracy.

1916 – Ioholododin concedes to colonist demands for autonomy, creating from the colonies of Amantis a kingdom in personal union with Ioholododin.

1917 – the opening of the first parishes of the Single Faith, which rapidly spreads in the cities of Sexland, especially Lundonia.

1923 – a band of adventurers ventures deep into Thornewood, freeing the local fey queen and sealing the breach for the Demon Lord. The forest begins to recover slowly.

1925 – the king of Sexland dies in battle on the continent, leaving the throne to his far less charismatic and grief-stricken widow. The kingdom effectively withdraws from active politics.

1931 – the end of the War of the Bloodied Crescent on the continent. Hobgoblin mercenaries, having been paid for their campaigns, return to the Balor mountains and establish their own state of Tordak.

1936 – a battle between Tordak and the local dwarves, unwilling to have such a powerful and hostile neighbor. The dwarves are defeated, losing most of their holdings in the mountains, though not beneath them.

1937 – the beginning of a conflict among the local dwarves over the reconquest of their old lands and the possibility of reopening the ancient portal leading to a now-lost stronghold in order to reclaim it.

1939 – local cultists of forbidden gods in Atl Clud reach out to the local High Lord and convert him to their faith. Soon after, they begin slowly turning their lands toward darkness.

1941 – the War on the Heavens and the ensuing Porphyry Downpour weaken the chains of Balor, allowing him to act more actively. Gibernia becomes shrouded in near-constant mists, nearly severing its connections with the outside world. Through these mists, fomorians begin to infiltrate, though even they do not fully understand the cause. Among children, the number touched by demonic influence grows. Most believe this to be merely strange aftereffects of the gods' war, not yet realizing that Balor's bonds beneath the island have weakened.

1943 – in Thornewood begins the phenomenon later called the Blooming: winter disappears from its central regions, replaced by an eternal season of blooming blood-red flowers. The fey fall under its sway and feel a certain influence upon their minds, though they do not become its slaves. The event causes widespread concern, but its source remains unclear.

1944 – a coven of hags becomes more active in Cymren, led by one disguised as the wife of the local High Lord, whom she has enthralled in order to sabotage any efforts against them.

1946 – the current date. Facing the country's dire straits, the citizens of the capital increasingly blame the weak queen for her inaction and failure to fulfill her duty, speaking openly of expelling the royal power from the land altogether and establishing a republican regime.

Climate

The Isles of Albion are located to the west of Irimon, northwest of Floraine, separated from the continent by a relatively narrow strait. The islands themselves lie within a temperate maritime climate zone, characterized in most cases by rather mild and warm winters, as well as moderately warm summers, with large amounts of both rainfall and sunlight. Even the northernmost lands of Albion possess a comparatively pleasant and mild climate compared to Skagerdia, while in southern Albion snow may scarcely fall at all throughout the entire spring. The region's climate is ensured by the movement of warm air masses from the Western Ocean, which also carry precipitation that abundantly moistens the soils. Nevertheless, in Tal Riada and Gibernia the climate is harsh enough that the enserfment of peasants has proven impossible, for under heavy levies and on infertile soil, during years of famine the churles would either perish or simply flee.

Most of the vegetation on the islands consists primarily of deciduous trees, especially oaks and beeches, with conifers becoming common only in the north, in the Balor mountains. Large portions of the plains of Prydain and Iohia have now been ploughed into peasant farmlands, while the forests still remain the domain of dangerous monsters. The most perilous woodland is Thornewood, though its dangers stem more from magical influences upon the roads than from the monsters themselves, whose numbers in recent years have declined more and more. Iohia, indeed, has now been almost entirely stripped of true wilderness where dangerous beasts might dwell.

Gibernia, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of the other islands, being comparatively little developed, still home to vast primeval forests, though untouched by magic. Here populations of certain "northern beasts" still survive — such as mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, northern lions, and giant moose. However, all but the mammoths (which have been domesticated) are threatened by hunting and the sale of their body parts as trophies.

Another dangerous region of the islands is the Balor mountains, sparsely populated, and thus still home to many perilous monsters, the most notorious being the local drakes. They are especially infamous for swooping down from the mountains to steal sheep from the flocks of shepherds on the plains of Prydain. Once they also lived in Cymren, and remain its national symbol to this day, depicted upon its banner — though they have long since been exterminated from those lands.

Cultures and Peoples

Imvrians, humans – the most ancient human group, inhabiting the isles for so long that no trace of their original homeland remains. Once their kindred peoples dwelt in the regions of modern Floraine, Liguria, and Terrenia, but they were assimilated by the colonists of Amantis, becoming the modern Ligurians. On the isles of Albion, however, they survived far better, since the gnomes did not apply such pressure to assimilate humans into their state. Today, various Imvrian peoples inhabit Tal Riada, Gibernia, and Ioholododin, though all have experienced some degree of gnomish influence. Their traditional faith was the veneration of a pantheon of gods, of whom the most popular by now are local versions of Ardvin, Elenve, and Silvenna, who in local tradition are invariably depicted with human features.

Sexons, humans – a people of Altanian origin, who during the Dragon Interregnum migrated into Prydain, founding its greatest kingdom, Sexland, which is also one of the most powerful states of all Irimon, though it suffers political turmoil. They bear their Altanian heritage and culture, yet adopted the cult of the local god Uze, which dominates their society, coexisting with the cults of the Amandarian Pantheon, and in recent times also with the Single Faith.

Skagerdians, humans; jotunn, harpies – descendants of the Skagerdian invasions of Albion in the years before the Great War. In Sexland they were largely assimilated into the local culture, while in Gibernia they retained their identity as inhabitants of a few coastal trading towns.

Whitecliff Gnomes – the gnomish group inhabiting Albion, forming the ruling minority of Ioholododin, and at the same time one of the largest gnome populations in the world. These gnomes abandoned many traditional elements of their culture, such as secular oligarcho-technocratic rule, in favor of adopting the customs of the surrounding world, embracing continental cults and the institution of monarchy. Moreover, they no longer care greatly for the fate of their old homeland, having found a new one on Iohia. Even so, they remain quintessential gnomes, and their state remains one of the world's foremost centers of artificiery, where the application of such technologies is widespread.

Greenfoot Halflings – halflings resettled into Albion during the age of the Gnome Technate, now dwelling in Westshire or in Iohia. These halflings experienced even stronger gnomish cultural influence, gradually adopting their language entirely. Despite inequality compared to the gnomes of Ioholododin and the humans of Sexland, they were not so harshly oppressed as their kin on the continent, and their lands were rarely devastated by war. Thus, they never developed the same drive for independence as the inhabitants of the Small Kingdom. In both realms, the Greenfoot Halfling is seen as the archetype of the honorable peasant.

Mottled-scaled Kobolds – a certain minority of kobolds lives among the people of Ioholododin, having migrated there during a great pandemic when the land faced a sharp shortage of labor, and gradually adapted to the local culture and traditions. They integrated successfully into the local science of artificiery and the island's mining industry. These kobolds either abandoned their dragon-worshipping cults entirely, or syncretized them with the Amandarian Pantheon, blending into local culture. Yet beyond Iohia, they still face persecution, for to most continental peoples the idea of civilized kobolds is difficult to accept. Some even journey back to the Dragon Archipelago, seeking to bring the achievements of civilization to their kin.

Brass Dwarves – the dwellers of the dwarven stronghold of Raskordan, near Tal Riada in the Balor mountains, as well as in that kingdom itself. Despite their distance from the Marodax Ridge, these dwarves have preserved much of the social order of traditional strongholds and the rule of their kazgor. At the same time, they have adopted many customs from the locals, such as wearing kilts. On the isles they are still seen as master craftsmen, upon whose labor Tal Riada long relied, falling behind in crafts due to dependence on dwarven work.

Oathbound Hobgoblins – the primary population group of the young state of Tordak, which was founded by hobgoblin mercenaries little more than ten years ago. Like all hobgoblins, they have a tendency to form militarized hierarchical groups bound by some guiding idea. In the case of the foundation of Tordak, this idea was the creation of a state for all those whom Irimon perceives as monsters and beasts, resulting in a rather diverse population within the young republic.

Orcs, goblins, gnolls, minotaurs, kobolds – a mixture of various races, present as minorities within the state of Tordak. The republic is glad to accept all those facing persecution, granting them a safe home so long as they remain loyal to the state, willing to fight for its defense, and work for its prosperity. These groups often conflict among themselves, yet value the presence of their newfound home.

Damned Peaks Strix – the main group of strix in Albion, inhabiting the Balor mountains and Thornewood as the local population. Those living in Thornewood have entered into close contact and alliance with the native fauns, while the inhabitants of the Balor mountains long remained isolationist peak-dwellers, trading only occasionally with hobgoblins and dwarves. Eventually, they were subdued by Tordak and, in the end, merged into it, accepting it as their new home.

Western Fauns – one of the smaller, scattered groups of fauns in western Irimon, preservers of druidic culture. Most of those in Albion dwell in Thornewood, though some also live in Gibernia. Both groups adopted the language of the local human Imvrians, while in turn passing on their Green Cult and druidic traditions, which remain widespread among them to this day.

Selkies – the waters around the continent are home to a large number of selkies, who trade and conduct diplomacy with surface dwellers, and even form alliances with them, occasionally producing offspring with humans. They are a relatively peaceful people of the underwater world, preferring to maintain good relations with all inhabitants of the surface.

Storm Giants – a small number of these giants still dwell on the isles off the northwestern rocky coast of Prydain. They remain largely isolated from the politics and events of the wider world, rarely involving themselves in the affairs of lesser peoples except in cases of supernatural threats. Of all the smaller folk, they maintain their best relations with the selkies.

Religion

Amandarian Pantheon – One of the most widespread systems of belief on the continent, the Amandarian Pantheon and the cults of its gods remain highly influential. However, since only Ioholododin formally recognized the supremacy of this cult, in other parts of the isles the local cults differ with many regional traditions, localized names of the gods, and mythologies that do not align with the classical cosmology of the Pantheon. The local people have from ancient times venerated their versions of the gods of nature and agriculture, Ardvin and Elenve, as well as their daughter Silvenna, who battles the fomorians. There was also a local cult of Brennus, which in time absorbed influences from the Skagerdian cult, though no worship of other titans was present. Even in Ioholododin, the worship of Amandar was always rudimentary, little more than a symbol legitimizing the ruling dynasty, so his Disappearance was endured without great turmoil.

Cult of Uze – The largest cult by number of individual worshippers is the cult of Uze in Prydain, which maintains its own separate cultic hierarchy on the isle and rejects incorporation into the Amandarian Pantheon. This divergence has even influenced the cosmological views of both cults. Uze is regarded as the grieving lord of the Western Ocean, mourning since the death of his wife. Ever since, he lies upon the ocean floor, sorrowing, stirring storms and tempests. Mortal islanders grant him offerings to appease the mourning god and calm the sea. All who depend even partially upon the sea pray to him — from fishermen to merchants, and even to ordinary farmers — for none can deny his dominion over the weather and the rains that sweep from the sea, which may give life to crops or destroy them.

Single Faith – A young religion, having fully arisen only a few decades ago in the city of Abaluk by the Starfall Sea. Since then, it has spread rapidly across the world through global trade networks, attracting followers among the urban poor and the middle classes with its religious syncretism and liberal social ideals. In Albion this faith has spread into the cities of Sexland and Ioholododin, drawing the interest of masses desiring social change, as well as artificers, with both groups amassing ever greater power.

Teaching – A relatively secular worldview concerning the divine, devised by the gnomes, and still highly popular among them. It argues against blind devotion to any single power in a world where many gods exist, and whose commandments often contradict one another. They seek to derive the best possible religion for worldly life upon the basis of rational logic, while acknowledging that many separate religions may carry benevolent intent and should be tolerated, so long as their adherents care for the good of society. Beyond the gnomes, this system was also embraced by the hobgoblins of Tordak, who must govern a diverse and turbulent society of varied faiths. Such an approach allows them to maintain order and stability.

Green Cult – An ancient druidic tradition, primarily upheld by the fauns of Thornewood, though also present among the local peoples of Gibernia and Tal Riada. This doctrine teaches that all things arise from impersonal nature, to which all living beings return in an eternal cycle. Its druidic circles still persist and operate in these lands, though their influence has waned.

Dwarven Pantheon – The traditional religion of the dwarves, shared by the dwarves of the isles and of Raskordan, which they brought with them from the Marodax Ridge. It is a classic ethnic faith, into which outsiders are rarely initiated, unless raised within dwarven society. Even when dwarves call upon other gods, they maintain reverence for their ancestral traditions.

Languages

In Sexland, the primary tongue is Sexon, a dialect of the Altanian language, with the exception of the holdings of the High Earls.

In those lands, as well as in Tal Riada, Redeg, Thornewood, and Gibernia, the native language of the Imvrians is spoken.

On Iohia and in Westshire, the gnomish tongue is used, which also serves as the regional lingua franca for communication among the different cultures.

The hobgoblins and their allies employ a diverse mix of tongues, using the Altanian language for intergroup communication, or else their traditional hobgoblin speech.

The Skagerdian language survives only in the coastal towns of Gibernia.

The language of the giants has by now largely vanished from daily use outside of the giants themselves, becoming instead a tongue of antiquity.

Society organization

Sexland

In Sexland, a system of feudalism developed close to that of the continent, though somewhat less harsh and rigid due to historical factors. The system in its current form emerged only after the rapid expansion of Sexland and the conquest of other kingdoms, which resulted in the displacement of the old nobility and the formation of an aristocracy drawn from the Sexon tribal elite. From them descend the modern Earls of Sexland, the principal lords of the land, who received their holdings in scattered parcels throughout the realm, so as to prevent the centralization of resources that might allow the organization of rebellion.

At that time, permissions were also granted for the seizure of communal lands in conquered territories and the enserfment of the local peasantry. Only in the original heartlands of Sexland do the churles of true Sexon descent remain personally free, possessing their own land and the right to dispose of it, paying tax to the crown and, in time of need, raising troops from their communities. On church lands, peasants are primarily tenants without true control of the soil, of course.

Urban self-government in Sexland is weak, for aside from the capital Lundonia, it had no truly large cities, and even the modern towns with rights of self-rule only began to appear after the expulsion of the Skagerdians a few centuries ago. Nevertheless, Lundonia itself is a self-governing city despite its status as capital, and its citizens managed to bargain for substantial rights from the crown — including their own courts and administration, the election of a Lord Mayor from the guilds, and reduced taxes. One of the strangest privileges of the city is the right to deny the monarch entry at will. Since most of the kingdom's trade and cargo traffic flows through the city, its influence is disproportionate to its already considerable population, allowing it to outweigh the collective power of many of the Earls.

Magic in Sexland is traditionally represented by many magical cults, as well as secular magical associations, also known as the Old Tower or the Royal Magical Society. The largest and most influential of these was founded by Æthelwine Dunstanwyrt, and all are brought together into a single judicial chamber under the nominal leadership of the royal court wizard. In addition to the religious cults and the Old Tower, there is also the Westshire Magical Association, several druidic circles and witch covens, as well as independent magicians, mostly aristocrats with the gift of magic, who are not legally counted as members of any association. On the other hand, artificiery in the country is neither regulated nor recorded, yet it already enjoys a strong alliance with Lundonia, where artificers' guilds have been established.

Separate from most of Sexland's territories are Atl Clud and Cymren, two holdings of the High Earls, who were influential local leaders that swore loyalty to Sexland in exchange for the right to rule not only their own lands but also to exercise jurisdiction over nearby lords. Their domains remain traditional strongholds of Imvrian culture. Another special domain is Westshire, a kind of self-governing council of halfling communities, most of whose administration is determined by the mayor of the largest town, though nominally ruled by a line of halfling Earls whose power is now much diminished, limited to parliamentary representation and control of the local militia.

The Witenagemot is the official name of the Sexland parliament, where representatives of the landed aristocracy, free peasant communes, temple-landholders (their numbers being greater than on the continent due to the Cult of Uze and the Single Faith), free towns, and Westshire all gather. Despite constant conflict among these estates, the crown has never managed to fully subjugate the parliament, for Lundonia is too powerful and has allies, ultimately leading the opposition to royal authority itself rather than serving as the monarch's ally against the feudal lords. In a sense, for the supporters of the cities in parliament, it is not even entirely clear why one should retain the traditional aristocracy and monarchy at all, since the governance of the realm could well be managed by a bureaucracy alone.

Ioholododin

The traditional system of government in Ioholododin today is monarchy, though it has preserved certain principles from the era of the Technate. Despite the existence of a hereditary aristocracy in the form of gnome counts and dukes, the territorial division of the realm is stable and follows the Technate's legacy, with laws in place preventing any single person from inheriting multiple titles. This is both a safeguard against the concentration of power and a way to preserve the health of the aristocracy, for due to their inability to have children with other races, the gnome nobility is isolated from the continent and not bound to it dynastically. Over the centuries, the aristocracy has effectively merged into one vast family with countless cadet branches, which from time to time still intermarry.

The aristocrats are hereditary rulers of their territories, yet the royal power firmly sets limits on their authority over the inhabitants of the kingdom. Thus, it is more accurate to say that the aristocrats in Ioholododin function as hereditary bureaucrats, receiving a share of their region's taxes. The churles are personally free and may own land; the meaning of feudal domains lies not so much in control of the land as in control over judicial authority, taxation, and the army, all within the framework of royal law.

Full landed aristocracy is reserved for gnomes, but members of other races in the kingdom can gain non-hereditary nobility through officer rank, bureaucratic service, education in secular sciences, magic, or artificiery.

The Church in Ioholododin exists alongside the common population and lies within the authority of the lords, though it enjoys certain freedoms in its activity, as well as oversight delegated by the king over matters such as the pursuit of cultists of dark gods.

Unlike in many other states of Irimon, artificiery and magic here are equally regulated by law. Artificers are responsible to the local branch of the Artificiers Association, while magicians fall under the national magical guild, one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the world.

The exception to feudal control are the royal cities, including the capital, which are governed by a Lord Mayor elected by the local citizens and guild councils. Yet even their self-government extends only to daily life, without any authority to alter royal law.

The parliament of the kingdom exists as a unified council, its deputies divided into many categories — lords, the noble estate, magicians and artificers, the towns, and special representatives of certain cults. Parliamentary approval is required for the passage of laws and for extraordinary appropriations of funds, such as for war.

Tal Riada

The former northern kingdom in Prydain, extremely ancient and once mighty, now bereft of its monarch. Historically, no strong hereditary aristocracy developed here; most of the population was personally free, while the king built his authority directly upon the communes, which traced their origins to specific tribal groups. Aristocracy did exist, but it was personal rather than hereditary, and status did not necessarily pass between generations. This produced a relatively egalitarian society with a strong clan identity and militarization, for one of the defining rights of a free citizen was the right to bear arms. In recent centuries, the kingdom gradually shifted toward a more modern form of governance — royal bureaucracy exercising control over the land.

When the monarchy was overthrown and power transferred to the Lord Protector over the newly founded Commonwealth, the administration of the country remained close to its earlier form. However, in the past decades the Lord Protector has gradually expanded his power over the realm through appointing new loyal officials and building up an army personally loyal to him. This required higher taxes and levies, and in order to avoid seeking parliamentary approval, elections were abolished and the previous parliament was dissolved once its term ended, some twenty years ago. Since then, de jure, the Lord Protector's authority in the country has been absolute. The only forces outside his control are the temples, though oversight over religion and magic lies with the Cult of Uze, beyond which he has no authority.

Since then the realm has effectively become a republican dictatorship, its final stage being the fusion of military and bureaucratic offices, with executive duties passed to local officers. The state has shifted from being a "state with an army" into an "army with a state." Urban self-government in the Commonwealth was never strong, due to weak craft guilds, and was thus easily suppressed; rural communes were even weaker. Citizens remain equal before the law, though military service grants significant privileges and exemptions, particularly in taxation.

The current Lord Protector is already old, though still vigorous and in good health. Yet he clearly understands his time is nearing its end. He has decreed that the next Lord Protector, in the absence of a parliament, will be chosen by a council of army commanders. Several potential candidates already exist, some of whom might even resort to force if they cannot secure the position otherwise.

The army itself is the chief source of wealth for Tal Riada, for both monarchs and later the Lord Protector practiced hiring out their disciplined infantry forces to continental states, receiving significant payments that sustain the national budget. With constant conflicts raging across the continent, this has proven to be a lucrative source of income.

Redeg

The Confederation of Redeg comprises the southern territory of Tal Riada, historically lying within the northern portion of Thornewood, as well as a relatively narrow coastal strip lacking forest but containing several fortified port towns. These parts of the realm were burdened with harsh new requirements of quotas and taxation, far exceeding what had once been demanded.

The uprisings that broke out some twenty years ago led to the government effectively losing control over this part of the country — and failing ever since to regain it. They cannot seize Thornewood, for only locals and specialists can navigate its shifting paths, while any attempt to take the coastline is met with raids and strikes from within the forest. As a result, Redeg has stagnated in a state of permanent low-intensity conflict: the rebels lack the strength for final victory, but Tal Riada cannot overcome the terrain factors that work against it. Under other circumstances, intervention by Sexland might have settled the matter, but the current queen has been barred from intervening on either side.

This "state" (though it can hardly be called such) is a confederation of southern settlements, most often organized along clan lines, weakly dependent upon one another and uniting only in the face of invasion. Originally, it was merely an attempt to resist levies and force the Lord Protector to grant concessions, but soon deputies from the dissolved parliament fled here and radicalized the populace toward independence. Today, it has become a refuge for a diverse crowd — from peasants in debt bondage to criminals fleeing justice — making the region extremely unstable and chaotic.

They have, in practice, no true code of law, no taxation system, no border guard, nor many other institutions, for it is simply a confederation of separate communes and towns. The local leader, traditionally styled as the Sheriff, is ruler only of the largest town and commander of the host in times of invasion. Even so, he is powerless to raise forces for an offensive into Tal Riada itself, for he must win the approval of the communes, and he has no real means of coercion. Warfare remains in the hands of separate bands of raiders, who act upon their own initiative.

Gibernia

In Gibernia, a fully developed system of government akin to that of the continent never took root. Even now, the structure of authority on the island retains remnants of its clan-based traditions, out of which rose the local chieftains and petty kings, the taoiseachs, over whom stands the High King, the Ri. His role is largely ceremonial, though he leads the island in war when faced with external threat. Yet he is powerless to prevent conflicts between the various clans and Small Kingdoms. At present, five recognized true kingdoms exist — Ailech, Urumhain, Bréifne, Osraige, and Tír Eoghain. It is among them that the title of Ri passes with each generation.

While the offices of the Small Kings are hereditary, the leadership of clans is often elective, with the right to vote held by every adult who maintains a household. The population is entirely free, and serfdom never took root here, though only with the arrival of the Amandarian Pantheon was the practice of enslaving war captives finally abolished.

Until relatively recently, there were no true towns in the region, and even now most are confined to the coasts, ethnically distinct from the inland population due to the large number of Skagerdians among their inhabitants. These towns remain today, effectively separated from the surrounding countryside under the rule of local kings. Instead, the kings merely levy tribute from them for the right to occupy land and trade with the people. Conflicts over the right to collect this tribute are frequent.

Instead of towns, the main centers of craft and trade on the island have long been monasteries and temples of the religious cults. Monks engaged in crafts, while fairs were held around their precincts where people sold harvests and bought necessary goods. Temples of the Pantheon (or more traditional faiths such as the druids) also played the vital role of keepers of law. A developed legal system is absent on the island; instead, trial is conducted by the community, establishing guilt, while priests preserve the laws and permissible punishments.

Tordak

The young stratocratic state was founded by a group of mercenaries who chose to settle in these lands and gather the local population around them, building a kind of state by leveraging their reputation and training as mercenaries to establish a large-scale enterprise of selling their services. The state is organized along stratocratic principles, with its territory divided into holdings of different communities, often grouped by race.

Since the state was founded by hobgoblins, it inherits their tradition of constructing hierarchical systems around a central ideology. In the case of Tordak, the guiding idea was "a home for those deemed monsters." This produced a strikingly diverse population, composed of many races, some of which had never before been seen so far north.

Each community is obliged to provide a certain number of warriors, who both defend the young state and subdue dangers in the Balor mountains, as well as serve abroad as mercenary units hired by continental states. They are not lone mercenaries who might desert and reinvent themselves under another name. For them, loss of reputation means the end of all contracts; as a result, their units display far greater discipline and steadfastness on the battlefield. Moreover, they are expected to seek out new ways to win renown for their band, thereby earning greater income.

In return for providing mercenary troops (and, through them, revenue to the state's budget), each group gains representation in the form of their commander or delegate on the general council, which holds the authority to pass laws and is the principal governing body of the republic. Unfortunately, the state remains extremely young and unstable. Its founder, General Ardegi, strives to present herself only as first among equals, yet in practice she exercises near-total control thanks to her personal connections. She is fully aware of the fragility of such a system: once she steps aside, the unquestioned authority capable of resolving crises may vanish. Thus, she seeks to leave behind a stronger legacy of statehood.

Otherwise, the economy of these lands remains primitive. There were no true towns, the population consisting mostly of mountain herders and raiders. Only with the founding of the state did industry begin to emerge, though still in its infancy.

Raskordan

This dwarven kingdom lies at the foot of the Balor mountains, having existed and expanded for nearly two millennia. By now it has become one of the chief centers of crafts and industry on the isles, with local crafts long lagging behind the continent, as the inhabitants relied on dwarven goods. The dwarves themselves provided the mining of most resources and the crafting of goods from them, in exchange consuming food, timber, and certain overseas products from humans. With the rise of the human kingdom of Tal Riada, a practice of constant trade warfare emerged, with both sides inflating prices for their opponents.

Dwarven society is highly urbanized and clan-based, organized into separate clans linked with particular craft guilds. Ruling over them is the monarch, the kazgor, who governs with the support of these guilds or powerful clans, relying on them as his council. In extreme cases, he must also yield to the will of the popular assembly. Such a structure of government is standard for dwarven strongholds and is in many ways a direct continuation of the traditions of the old fortresses of the Marodax Ridge.

Unlike traditional dwarven strongholds, the local dwarves have long been intimately acquainted with artificiery, thanks to two thousand years of close contact with it. For them, it is intertwined with religion and under the dominion of two gods — one presiding over magic, knowledge, and runic mastery, and another over more worldly engineering. This led to the organization of local artificers into a distinct dwarven guild, built upon hereditary clan ties, which operates under partial religious oversight and enjoys full rights to appeal to the kazgor on par with traditional wielders of magic.

Gatherer

Lundonia is a vast city that also serves as the capital of Sexland, and is perhaps the largest city in all of Albion, rivaled only by Lyhn. Originally built by the power of the Gnome Technate, the city expanded under Sexland's rule and became its capital. Its success was aided by its highly favorable geography: it lies on a navigable river not far from the coast, making the city a natural center of trade.

The central district, the heart of its self-government since the Technate's time, remains walled off within the city. Inside are the guildhalls of the oldest and some of the younger guilds, as well as the Guildhall itself, where all guilds gather to address issues on behalf of the city corporation and to deal with the monarch. This district has the right to maintain its own guard and, even without the monarch's approval, to elect its Lord Mayor — currently Wulfstan Cenricson. Among the few inhabitants who reside directly within this quarter, a significant share are gnomes, old residents from the Technate era, who still keep private artificiery workshops here. It is the district of wealthy townsfolk and merchants, who can afford a prosperous life. When the gesithes arrive in the city to purchase goods, it is here that costly hand-crafted works are acquired.

This old district also lies along the river, linked to the southern bank by its famous large stone bridge. So massive is it that, beyond the roadway wide enough for two wagons, entire buildings and rows of shops have been built upon it, creating a constant bustle of commerce. Though at first sight these structures may seem half-collapsed, in truth the trade here is immensely profitable due to the sheer numbers crossing the bridge each day.

Royal power is divided between two residences: the fortress complex and the palace. The fortress is more a symbol of power, housing the city garrison and the royal prison, which looms darkly over the surrounding buildings. The palace, on the other hand, is hardly fit for military purposes: it is the residence of the current queen, Æthelflæd Godwinesdōhtor, and the place where the Witenagemot convenes.

The eastern quarter of the city contains the port, through which Lundonia trades with the outside world, and where many foreign trading companies maintain their offices. The sheer volume of money flowing daily through the port and its mercantile houses exceeds what any single earl might see in an entire year.

In the western and southern parts of the city, new guildhalls and manufactories are being built, many making use of artificiery. Working conditions within them are harsh, the technology itself unreliable, and workers suffer from exposure to chemicals and frequent accidents. These laborers are not guild craftsmen with voting rights and a share in production, but hired poor, while the manufactories are entirely owned by a single magnate. Despite the imperfections of these methods, they bring immense profit to their owners and spread the use of artificiery.

In the southern part of the city stands the new cathedral of the Single Faith, the largest religious structure in Albion, with a towering spire rising high above the city. The Single Faith quickly attracted both the poor — through charity and its doctrine of salvation through patience and labor — and the modern liberal public, through its support of artificiery, as well as free trade and the exchange of knowledge.

At the base of this cathedral lie the city's sprawling slums, home to Lundonia's numerous poor. Most are newcomers to the city, living in a dangerous quarter rife with crime, ruled by gangs of fellow peasants who extract tribute from workers. The conditions of life are appalling: squalor reigns, and the wooden buildings are a constant threat of devastating fire. The fire service has long tried to secure their demolition, yet every attempt has been met with fierce resistance from the slum-dwellers themselves, for neither the city nor the crown intends to provide them with replacement housing.

In the southwest of Sexland lies the lowland district of Westshire, which once consisted of tangled marshes. Through the painstaking labor of gnomes and halflings, it was transformed into one of the most productive agricultural regions of the Old World, thanks to carefully planned principles of land use that have allowed its fields to remain fertile for centuries. When the rest of Sexland fell into ruin after the Dragon Interregnum, the old knowledge of selection, drainage, and crop rotation here endured, and so the lands continued to prosper rather than fall to neglect.

The native population consists of halflings, the largest such community in all of Sexland, and the only place where halflings enjoy legally enshrined status, not being bound as serf churles. Their rights are guaranteed by a royal charter, and for their representation an earl-halfling was appointed — the current titleholder is Douwe tar der Veen. In fairness, in matters of internal administration, the earl rarely interferes. Most local affairs are handled by the mayor of Halfton, the largest town, along with the postmaster and sheriffs who settle most disputes and conflicts.

This has given Westshire the reputation of a pastoral utopia among the peoples of Albion and halflings throughout the world. To Albion's inhabitants it seems remarkable and enviable that the local halflings reap such abundant harvests, rarely suffering famine, and always eat their fill — often without noticing the legacy of carefully preserved ancient practices. The halflings themselves, however, know this well, but instead envy the political freedoms and protections from human feudal arbitrariness that they enjoy here.

At present, the traditional rural commune in Sexland is undergoing crisis. For example, profits from sheep breeding and wool trade surpass those from agriculture, and so churles who lack their own land are often expelled by the gesithes, forced into poverty in the towns. Yet the productivity of Westshire's agriculture still allows the halflings to live comfortably within their old framework, though they acknowledge that "the good old full-bellied times are over."

Across the bay to the north of Westshire lies hilly Cymren, an autonomous domain within the lands of the Sexon crown, ruled by a local High Earl. While wars with the fomorians devastated much of the island, the people here managed to survive relatively unscathed, sheltering in the hills. These mountains are not especially high, mostly covered with forests, yet the wealth of the principality lies not on the surface but beneath: it has long been a source of iron ore and coal for the entire kingdom.

Though the fauns and their druidic culture were driven out centuries ago, this rugged land became a refuge for other supernatural beings. For generations, cargs haunted the region, tormenting the population and parasitizing them, while also creating puppet witch-covens among the locals. Their existence is no secret to the people, and as a result, a deep fear of magic has taken root. In local eyes, magic should belong only to heroes, priests, or royal wizards; an ordinary person gifted with magic is seen as a potential ally of the witches and may be persecuted.

To combat the cargs, the locals rely on a great number of folk traditions, though not all of them are effective — some only work against particular kinds of cargs, often without the people realizing this.

Matters grew far worse three years ago, when the cargs began a campaign of outright terror against the province. The army proved utterly powerless against them, as though the cargs were forewarned of every plan. Even countermeasures against divination magic failed, and the cults carried out ever bolder attacks, depopulating larger and larger settlements. Disappearing villagers later reappeared as cadavers — grotesque amalgamations of human bodies with animal parts. Many fled outright, and work in many mines ceased entirely.

The secret of the cargs' effectiveness is simple: one of them, under human guise, took the place of a local noblewoman and became the wife of the High Earl himself, Colm Ó hAodha, living in that role for years, even bearing him a daughter. Now that her plans have come to fruition and her husband has inherited the title, she has bewitched him, turning him into a puppet of her designs. She now seeks to raise the stakes further by attempting to transform her daughter into a new carg — though this may prove the key to her downfall, should the girl reject her mother's call and refuse the inheritance of such a legacy.

On the northern frontier of Sexland lies the domain of the Earl of Atl Clud, Cuthbert Oswaldson, another autonomous principality within the crown. It has long served as a stronghold of the local culture, and remains one of the most important centers of the Cult of Uze. These priests may own land and draw income from it, yet the precepts of their church bind them to support the state to the fullest of their ability, especially in all matters tied to the sea.

This duty takes many forms: blessings for fishermen setting sail, prayers and rituals to calm or summon storms. Such magic is known and attainable through arcane means, but few can perform it with the same natural ease as these priests. Beyond that, the clergy organizes the construction of the fleet, drawing upon the mighty timber of the nearby forests, cut from the fringes of Thornewood. A pact of old stands between the local fey queen, Theiran, and the priesthood of Uze, allowing them to harvest timber from the edges of the forest for shipbuilding. As cynics would remark, it was foolish of her not to set maximum quotas — for over the centuries the numbers have grown many times over.

Many local churles without land are tied to shipbuilding. The northern part of the earldom lies on the border of Thornewood, while closer to the sea the land becomes rolling green hills covered with fields. Here other churles own land, but they are touched by the growing shift from farms to sheep pastures, so that with every passing year more flocks of sheep and fewer peasants are seen. As the locals bitterly put it: "the sheep have eaten the churles." Yet this problem troubles them less than the disappearances of villagers later found mutilated at the sites of blasphemous rituals. The priesthood of Uze has tried to root out the cult behind these acts but has found no success.

The truth is that the local church itself has been compromised at the very highest levels. Followers of one of the Outer Gods, strange and terrifying entities, infiltrated the hierarchy for decades, slowly expanding their influence until one of them, Madog ap Cadwaladr, was chosen as the head of the church. Since then, their doctrine has spread rapidly.

Internal investigations are compromised, for they are led by cultists themselves, and leaks are swiftly silenced. Their boldness only grew after they managed to convert Cuthbert Oswaldson himself. Now they are secretly preparing a grand ritual intended to manifest the will of their patron and reveal it to the local people. The ritual will indeed succeed as they foretell, yet the human mind cannot withstand such alien truth, and it would bring mass madness in many forms.

Moving north from Sexland, one enters the realm of the fey and the native peoples of the isles who refused to bow first to the gnomes, and later to the changing ages. Thornewood may be a comparatively small forest, yet it is closely bound to the Faerie Realm. One is unlikely to leave this world by accident, but the forest has the power to deceive those within, its paths shifting day by day, so that one may easily lose their way and wander deeper, never to emerge. Special skills, whether mundane or magical, are needed to resist its influence. Those born in the forest, however, have a measure of resilience to its effects, enabling them to navigate more easily, at least in the outer reaches.

These outer parts of the forest are home to a significant population. Many are the few remaining fauns of Prydain, preservers of ancient druidic culture, who know how to traverse the woods freely and can even reshape its paths. By such means they held their independence during wars, either denying their foes entry into the forest by leading them out again, or else trapping them deep within, where they might wander for years on a small patch of land. In peacetime, the locals were glad to share the forest's bounty, including rare and precious alchemical ingredients.

Other inhabitants include the ordinary folk of the isles and the Damned Peaks Strix, some tied to the druidic culture. Their numbers were swelled over the centuries by runaway peasants. Bandits and poachers, however, are scarce, for the forest itself turns against them, and those with any sense avoid provoking so mighty a power.

The forest is ruled by its self-proclaimed queen of the fey, Theiran, a powerful and generally benevolent glaistig, who only a few decades ago was freed from captivity and is still regaining her strength. To the druids she is not a goddess to be worshipped (for they worship nature itself), but rather a ruler and, in some ways, a teacher. She herself welcomes this, for she never desired worship. Once she was mighty enough to stand just a step below the Lords and Ladies of the Fey, but she has yet to restore her divine strength. What power she does possess is now devoted to cleansing the forest of the demonic taint that long poisoned its heart. The people suffered grievously, but until recently they had been slowly reclaiming their home.

Trouble began with the onset of the strange, unending Blooming, when the heart of the forest became covered with blossoms and their sweet, intoxicating fragrance. This effect slowly spreads to the fey themselves (though it is harmless to mortals), not enslaving them, but binding them in some obscure way to the unknown source of the phenomenon. Theiran tried to trace its origin, but all her divinations pointed only back to herself, leaving her baffled. Meanwhile, in other parts of the forest, sightings occur of another glaistig, the very likeness of the queen herself — but shrouded in the same crimson flowers.

The true cause lies once again in the demonic threat. The Demon Lord used the stolen essence of the glaistig to fashion her double — not wholly under his control, yet driven to destroy and replace the original, spreading her own lesser but still sinister corruption. Whereas Theiran is kind and compassionate, her twin is cruel and proud, yet equally beautiful — a rose with thorns. She slowly prepares to seize control of the forest and expand her dominion within it, ready to press her claim. Though born of evil and knowing nothing else, unlike the demons her very nature is not bound to that force.

Twrlispark Fort – This great fort was built by the gnomes in the northeastern part of Thornewood many centuries ago, during their attempts to subdue the forest and its inhabitants. In time they abandoned it, recognizing that the struggle with the fey brought little real gain. For long years it stood deserted, sometimes serving as a hideout for bandit chiefs, until it became the military center of Redeg's forces, where they now prepare for confrontation with the armies of Tal Riada.

The walls of the fort are long broken, with gaping breaches — but what use are they, when the enemy cannot even reach them? Within, a permanent community of smiths, tanners, and many other craftsmen live and labor in small workshops, producing arms for the struggle against Tal Riada.

Here the bands of fighters from the southern confederation come to replenish supplies, rest, and train recruits. To the northerners they are merely brigands, yet unlike common bandits they never prey upon the allied communities scattered through the forest. Thus they find shelter and food here. Between Thornewood and the domains of Tal Riada there has formed a nearly uninhabited no-man's land, for any settlers would swiftly become targets. Even the soldiers of Tal Riada dread the thought of raids launched under cover of night.

Though this is the largest fort, it was once part of a whole network of smaller strongholds that marked Thornewood's eastern border under the gnomes, later reclaimed by the forest. These lesser forts are still used by the locals as rally points in times of disaster, whether monster attacks or enemy raids, and by ranger-militiamen as bases for their operations. Each time Tal Riada attempts to seize Redeg's capital, they must march a long way along the eastern fringe of Thornewood, and though the militia cannot truly stop them, capturing the city is the easier task. Holding it is far harder, when supply lines are constantly harassed and even large, well-armed convoys are sabotaged.

Tor Redeg – The largest city of the young confederation — from which it takes its very name — was once a mighty fortress along the border of Sexland, guarding the northern approaches from invasion. But now its gaze turns northward, though little remains of the old city. Once it was a stronghold of stone walls and buildings, but in the last twenty years it was captured several times, and with each retreat the armies of Tal Riada burned it down and razed its structures. Today, the old city is but a heap of stone ruins, scavenged for building material.

The new city has risen nearby, built entirely of wood. Less confined in space, in its present form it is only five years old, yet already it has rebuilt most necessary structures, housed the returning populace, and constructed wharves. The people have no fleet of their own, but they welcome merchants willing to risk trade with them, especially for the rare alchemical ingredients of Thornewood.

Two buildings stand out as the city's great structures.

The first is the parliament hall, where representatives of the many communities of Redeg meet to discuss affairs, and where dwell the few "professional politicians" of the land — fugitive members of the dissolved parliament of Tal Riada. Some have become permanent delegates of certain communes, while others devote themselves to agitation, stirring the people's revolutionary spirit. They call themselves the last lawful representatives of the state, for the Lord Protector refuses to summon estates.

The second great building is the sheriff's bailiff: a large wooden hall that houses the city prison, the arsenal, the watch, and the office of the Sheriff herself, presently Myfanwy ferch Cadwaladr. Since the city's first sheriff supported the uprising, the parliamentarians vested executive power in him, beginning the tradition of a succession of Redeg sheriffs who lead the city and its forces in resistance against the northern invaders. Each is regarded in the north as the worst kind of rebel and traitor, making the office dangerous indeed. Each new sheriff is usually chosen by their predecessor with the approval of parliament.

Though the city may seem unimpressive at first glance, being built of wood, its structures are solidly made, its streets broad, and no slums mar its quarters, unlike in most great cities. Its temples are adorned with finely carved façades. Each autumn, during the harvest, a great fair is held here, where the folk of Redeg trade and barter, joined even by merchants from Sexland. Yet such times are no reason to lower one's guard, for it is precisely then that Tal Riada most often launches raids, striving to seize the city and cast its people into the forest for the winter, bereft of home and sustenance.

Eidyn, the capital of Tal Riada, lies upon the shore of a narrow gulf that thrusts deep into the land. By the standards of Albion's greatest cities it is not vast, yet for Tal Riada it is by far the largest and most important settlement. Its most striking feature is the royal castle, built upon the summit of a near-monolithic volcanic crag. Once the seat of kings, it now serves the republic: the residence of the Lord Protector — Geraint ab Owain — and the Privy Council, as well as the meeting place of Tal Riada's generals when weighty decisions must be made.

From the castle a long, narrow road descends, lined with multi-story houses. This is the wealthiest quarter of the city, once home to the grand workshops serving nobles and the wealthy. Today, however, many of these workshops languish, for much of the realm sinks into poverty, with wealth confined to soldiers and bureaucrats, while the rich flee abroad if able. Yet the city itself remains remarkably well-kept, its streets cobbled, its quarters clean.

Despite its size, Eidyn lacks major fortifications. The reason is geographical: much of the city is hemmed in between the coast, a lake, and marshes, so only certain approaches are fortified, while within the city a strong garrison is always present. Here the army of Tal Riada conducts its mass training. Instruction is simple: not to fashion universal warriors out of peasants, but obedient instruments of their officers' commands, unthinking and unflinching. The stereotypical soldier of Tal Riada is the steadfast infantryman, holding the line against knights or monsters alike. For this reason, continental powers continue to hire local mercenaries even after the monarchy's fall.

Much of the city's industry — and thus the life of its common folk — is likewise bound to the army's needs. Weaving houses turn wool into cloth, tailors sew uniforms, tanners make long-marching boots, carpenters craft what wood can supply. All was first built for the royal army, but the growth of production and the presence of skilled workers soon enabled surpluses for trade abroad. The realm's largest port is here, dispatching these goods alongside the wares of the Brass Dwarves. This, in turn, has spawned an entire trade in counterfeit dwarven crafts, sold to unwary foreign merchants.

Across the lake lie the ruins of a monastery — remnants of the last king's attempt to impose the Amandarian Pantheon upon the realm, raising a cloister for its priests and founding a settlement about it. There was brought the stone upon which kings once swore their coronation oaths, that the next might be crowned in Amandar's rite. When the monarchy was overthrown, the monks were slain or driven out, the stone returned, and the cloister burned. Since then, only a few great merchants of Amandar remain in the city, engaged in trade with foreigners. The chief temple belongs instead to the priests of Uze, who bless the sailors before they set out to sea.

Alata-Castra is a relatively small coastal town in the north of Tal Riada, whose military role is chiefly to guard against raids from the sea and from the Balor mountains. Modest in appearance, it holds an ancient fort, whose foundations predate the Descent itself, though only with the rise of Tordak did the state truly prepare its defenses here.

Its current commander is Colonel Rhiannon, sent far from the capital yet maintaining her unseen hand there. She is, in truth, the official head of the Lord Protector's spy network, tasked not only with rooting out disloyalty and infiltrating Redeg, but also with conducting foreign intelligence. Her posting was intended to remove her from the capital, yet it also enables her to observe Tordak more closely and provide a comprehensive report — not merely on military matters but on cultural and social ones, to assess the stability of that strange new republic. She brought with her a flock of trained ravens, nesting in the fort's tallest tower, used to bear urgent and secret messages back to the capital.

In the months since, she has made herself at home, leading skirmishes against the "monsters in the mountains", repelling their raids and launching counter-raids with success. Not enough to provoke escalation into war, but sufficient to protect the town and its surroundings. The sight of soldiers returning victorious has brought her popular acclaim as the guarantor of safety and order. This was reinforced by her public exposure of several notoriously corrupt officials, and now the townsfolk clamor for Rhiannon to remain as their permanent protector.

Yet in her absence from the capital she is beset by endless tasks sent by court officials eager to keep the head of state security as far from their intrigues as possible. Though she values the seclusion and quiet of Alata-Castra, such transparent attempts to sideline her verge on insult. Should she find capable agents, she may well seek a way to punish her enemies in spectacular fashion, and return to the capital in renewed glory.

The tallest peaks of Albion, the Balor mountains have for centuries remained closed to civilization. First they were the domain of the fomorians, and after the accursed giants were destroyed, the Damned Peaks Strix and hobgoblins settled here — the latter in recent years even consolidating into something resembling a true state. The old fomorian ruins still dot the range, many of them holding treasure but also powerful wards steeped in demonic magic. These hoards can be reached, but countless raiders perished in the attempt.

Here too lie the many entrances to the vast underworld tunnel network, running tens or even hundreds of meters below sea level and spanning the whole of the Old World. It was by these passages that the hobgoblins first reached the isles, lacking seafaring of their own. Through them, Tordak now dispatches its mercenary bands to continental wars in exchange for coin. Today most of the tunnels are charted and either collapsed or sealed with fortified outposts, for the hobgoblins know well they are not the only ones who roam the deeps.

The young republic is more a collection of personal holdings of mercenary groups and their dependent locals, bound by agreements of mutual defense and shared finance. Led by their "General" Ardegi, the hobgoblins adopted a policy of openness to all those regarded as monsters in Irymon, forming many new communities in the mountains that had never before been seen here.

Kobolds answered the call from the Dragon Archipelago, settling near drake nests and learning to tame and ride them. Orcs and goblins were freed from passing slavers' ships: the orcs proving excellent warriors, the goblins often gifted at mechanics and siegecraft. Gnoll corsairs came by sea, laying the foundation of Tordak's fleet with their converted raider vessels. Lastly, there are minotaurs, few but disciplined and reliable. These peoples rarely live in harmony with one another, yet all receive equal representation and equal opportunity to contribute to the state. Each is expected to prove its worth through ingenuity and strength.

At first the locals met these changes with resentment, but in time they recognized their effectiveness. Tal Riada could no longer send troops into the mountains to seize flocks of sheep under the pretense of "overdue taxes." With wealth earned by mercenary labor, they themselves could build settlements resembling towns and purchase what they needed. The young state maintains armed neutrality with Tal Riada and Sexland, but through Redeg it has access to their markets, and in recent years the Brass Dwarves have even allowed the hobgoblins to trade outside their stronghold.

Relations remain most strained with the isolationist tribes of strix, many of whom fiercely oppose changes to their ancient way of life, while others see the new republic as a kind of tribal league. The General personally oversees negotiations with the strix, seeking to win their cooperation. She does not require their support as such, but strix tribes are bound by close ties, and she dares not risk turning allies into foes through missteps. In some ways she even contemplates bringing in outside mediators to help secure peace.

The only dwarven stronghold in Albion is also one of the youngest in the world: Raskordan, built by the Brass Dwarves after their flight from the Marodax Ridge. It cannot compare with the former wealth and splendor of their homeland, but here they found a new refuge and a chance to live without looming threats.

Though they call themselves Brass Dwarves, the name is more a nod to the old tradition of fortress-names in the ancient empire. On Albion they are best known for smelting superior steel and forging it into tools. Unlike most peoples, they preserved the secret of coking coal, allowing them to avoid devastating the forests for charcoal and instead draw upon Albion's rich coal seams. In this one stronghold — itself nearly the equal of Lundonia or Lyhn in size — enough metalwork is made to supply half of Albion.

Like other surface strongholds, Raskordan is a marvel of construction, nearly impossible to take by storm. The fortress is hewn within a monolithic rock face, offering no true vulnerabilities to besiegers. Stone quarried from its heart is used for the outer fortifications and for the stone town outside, home to part of the population in peacetime, as well as to human traders eager for dwarven craft.

Within one of the great halls of its upper levels lies one of the most legendary of magical relics: a portable set of mobile portal gates. It was through these that the dwarves escaped from the deep beneath the continent after the Descent. The craft of their making was so closely guarded that even in Amandis' time only a few knew it, and now it is wholly lost. Yet today the gates are the source of political strife within the Brass Dwarves of Raskordan, for elsewhere in Irymon other dwarves have begun reclaiming their fallen halls.

Many now call for the gates to be opened from this side, for they were designed to be activated only from one end. Yet no one knows what awaits on the far side. Once it was their home, abandoned with its treasures. But who may have claimed it in the centuries since? And do the gates even still function? The question is not only one of risk, but of identity.

Are they first and foremost Albion's folk, like the local halflings, gnomes, and humans? Or are they dwarves above all else, bound to the great people scattered by the Descent? Is Albion their true home now, after nearly two millennia — or are they still bound to restore their ancestral halls, even if the abandonment of Raskordan is unthinkable?

Along the northwestern coast of Prydain, off the Balor mountains, lies a jagged shore of fjords, beyond which stretch the Thunder Isles, domain of the few storm giants still remaining on Albion. Once, they were mighty and numerous enough to rule the seas and wage war against dragons, but their kind has dwindled, losing both power and influence. Now they are but remnants of a once-great civilization, too few to alter the course of history and too unyielding to adapt to the changing world.

Since ancient times they dwelt upon these islands as their guardians, defending them against threats from the depths below and from the world above. Their castles perch upon small rocky islets, often inaccessible from the sea due to crashing waves and the lack of harbors. The giants descend to the shore only to meet their favored guests, the selkies, while between their fortresses they travel astride colossal rocs.

Mortals seldom come here. The rare visitors are eccentric pilgrims of the sea god Uze, who believe their deity bore no enmity to the titans and thus need not be foes of his servants. The storm giants themselves harbor no resentment toward the gods for their defeat, and they willingly share their wisdom with spellcasters. Yet they are quick-tempered and proud; a careless word about their fallen kin may drive a giant to fury, even though he will later regret it but struggle to admit fault.

Their last great act in history was the war to purge the fomorians, when they sought to banish their corrupted brethren from the world. After that campaign, their numbers dwindled further, and year by year they grow fewer still. Their youth often leave to join the society of cloud giants, abandoning ancestral castles. Those who remain are deeply troubled by the stirrings in Gibernia, having heard rumors of fomorians' return. They suspect this is tied to Balor and the Crimson Rain, but the truth eludes them. Still, they are willing to take adventurers on quests to Gibernia, and if needed, they possess relics valuable enough to reward even the most seasoned heroes.

Lyhn, the largest city of Iohia and the capital of Ioholododin, is a masterpiece of dwarven city planning. Unlike most cities of the world, which grow haphazardly, dwarven settlements are planned decades ahead, from street layouts to water sources. This tradition arose from the cramped conditions of their original archipelago, but it endured even in colonial realms.

Most buildings here are of similar design: three or four stories, with shops and storerooms occupying the ground floors and basements, and dwellings above.

The city is one of Albion's most cosmopolitan centers, rivaled only by Lundonia, though smaller in size. Humans make up only half the population. Large minorities of halflings, gnomes, and kobolds also live here, along with travelers from the continent drawn by trade. It is often likened to a northern version of Abaluc, where a stranger in exotic garb raises not alarm but the desire to drive a hard bargain.

Overlooking the port stands the royal palace, built on the banks of the river. Locals joke it is the smallest royal palace in the world — for much of it was constructed to dwarven, not human, scale. Here the royal family dwells most of the time, though they maintain a second residence in Amandis.

From the palace one sees the port, alive with ships arriving and departing daily — linking Lyhn both with colonies in Amandis and with the wider Old World. Notably, many vessels sail light or even jettison cargo at sea. This stems from the policy of the Lyhn Royal Trading Company, which prizes speed and short-term profit, sending half-empty ships so they can arrive first and sell goods at inflated prices in times of sudden demand.

The city also houses a cathedral dedicated to Ardwin and Elænwe, the gods of agriculture, most beloved by Albion's common folk. Kings of Ioholododin are most often crowned here before their altars. Lyhn also hosts large shrines to Calistra (goddess of trade and cities, without whom no great metropolis can stand) and to Nephretia (goddess of magic and knowledge, whose sphere here encompasses artificiery). Yet the cult of Nephretia is now under strain, as the Single Faith gains ground, capturing minds with its liberal economic, social, and political ideals. Some even predict that the next king will inevitably be crowned under its rites, ending over a thousand years of Amandarian tradition.

One of the city's greatest landmarks is the Lyhn School of Artificiery and Magic — not only among the largest centers of artificiery in the world, but also one of the few institutions that still teach the gnomish magical paradigm, now almost vanished elsewhere since the Dragon Interregnum.

If the magical branch does not draw hundreds of foreign students, the artificiery certainly does: applicants pour in with only a letter of recommendation from a recognized artificer. The influx is so great that even fresh graduates easily find work in the school itself, helping manage the flood of new pupils.

Beside the school stands the Association of Artificers, one of its two oldest surviving chapters, largely unchanged until the recent boom. On Iohia, artificers traditionally focused on food security, since the Thunder Isles are poor and barren. It was here that the famed artificer's solution to that problem was first devised.

As expected, the school is rife with intrigue and adventure. Spies constantly seek to steal gnomish secrets, prompting the crown to employ both official agents and hired adventurers. Rival states do likewise, while within the school artificers compete to outdo one another with inventions. All this mixes with the vibrant atmosphere of student life — full of rivalries, duels, and the birth of bold new ideas.

The Duchy of Ayr, one of the largest duchies of Ioholododin, is also among its most productive territories, ensuring the competitiveness of its lands. In some ways, the duchy has experienced an economic renaissance in recent decades — paradoxically thanks to the reduction of its population.

For generations, Ioholododin knew neither famine nor major wars. Its population grew steadily, until the kingdom faced a simple problem: there was no longer enough free land for the churles to till, while the towns could not absorb, feed, or employ the influx of surplus people. The limitation lay in the lack of resources for large-scale craft expansion. As a result, plots of churles were fragmented, and the population impoverished.

To resolve this, the crown initiated the colonization of Amandis, resettling the surplus population in colonies where arable land lay vacant. At the same time, land at home was bought back, redistributed among those who remained, or else dedicated to research projects of the last decades.

It was here that the Association of Artificers of Ioholododin turned to the study of agriculture and its potential development. Their latest project is Gnome-Modified Organisms — or GMOs. Magic has sometimes been used to increase crop yields, but this was limited to high-value crops, such as vineyards. The challenge was the scarcity of trained mages, making scaling to a national level impossible. The artificers sought a solution: to bind magic directly into plants, without the need for spellcasters. They began to craft hardier, higher-yield crops, able to withstand poor light, excessive moisture, disease, and pests. Here in Ayr, attempts are underway to introduce and mass-cultivate these new crops.

Examples include efforts to grow spices, cacao, and other southern produce in this far northern climate. These plants are designed to be harmonized with the local magic, unable to grow beyond the island — thus protecting them from theft or smuggling abroad. Should the project succeed, it could herald a new economic era for Ioholododin's agriculture.

The peasants themselves welcome such efforts, though they must work unfamiliar crops — often new ones each season. Yet the outflow of people to the colonies reduced the rural population and raised the value of each worker's labor. This has pushed landowners to pursue increasingly efficient ways to use farmland, leading directly to the GMO experiments that now define Ayr's fields.

Cliath, the largest city of Gibernia, stands as a testament to the penetration and survival of Skagerdian culture on the island. Once it was the center of their colonization efforts, as they sought to settle Gibernia's fertile lands. In time, the locals drove them back from most of the island, sparing only the fortified towns along the coast. Taxing these foreigners and trading with them proved more profitable than wiping them out. The same pattern later repeated with the invasion of the Sexons, who too were driven off, leaving Cliath behind.

The city is well-fortified by Gibernian standards, though its defenses are modest by continental measure. Wooden palisades, an earthen rampart, and watchtowers guard its ten thousand mixed inhabitants, descended from waves of Sexon and Skagerdian colonists. Administration is conducted in Altanian, but the everyday language of the people and the market is Skagerdian. Cliath is a vital hub of trade between the islanders and outsiders. Its exports include wool, grain, honey, wax, and hides, while imports include crafted goods, iron, salt, and wine — traded both with Sexland and Skagerdia itself.

The city's population also includes foreigners rare elsewhere in Gibernia: jotuns, harpies, and halflings all dwell here. Within Cliath, such diversity is accepted; beyond its walls, it is viewed as strange. The city also holds rare pagan shrines of the Skagerdians, where titans are still honored.

Public life follows Skagerdian tradition. In the center stands the longhouse and a mound crowned with an oath-stone, the site of the ting, the people's council, where any free inhabitant may speak their mind.

Yet the city now faces grave peril. The ever-thickening fogs that shroud Gibernia make seafaring nearly impossible, and countless ships are dashed upon hidden rocks. Weather magic offers little remedy. For most of the island this matters little, but for Cliath, whose lifeblood is trade, it is ruin. Without commerce, the city cannot procure provisions, which are abundant on the island but offered only at extortionate terms. Worse still, the local Ri demands tribute of the city merely for occupying Gibernian land.

This crisis undermines the authority of the local earl, appointed by the king of Sexland to oversee the holding. The townsfolk are ready to depose him, especially now that no punitive expedition from the crown seems likely. Hunger itself may soon drive the Skagerdians of Cliath to desperate measures — even raids upon neighboring settlements for food. The earl himself seeks above all to uncover the source of the fog, so that normal trade may resume before catastrophe strikes.

The Armagh Monastery, one of the largest on the island of Gibernia, is also the center of the local monastic network, which spreads its influence across much of the land. Its tradition developed far from the continent, where landholding by the church was seen as undesirable. In Gibernia, by contrast, monasteries became among the greatest landholders, rivals even to the taoseachs. At times they even supplanted the petty tribal kings themselves.

Monasteries served as gathering places for the educated — men who could read and write, craft books, and practice skilled trades. Thus, they became the chief centers of craft and trade in Gibernia, attracting markets and internal commerce. Parish churches, by contrast, were almost unknown in Gibernia, owing to the lack of true towns.

Armagh holds not only wealth and power but also great ceremonial importance. According to legend, it houses the sword once gifted to the people of Abaeluc by Amandar, later brought to the island by monks. For centuries, oaths have been sworn upon this blade by the taoseachs and, especially, the Ri of Gibernia. To swear upon it is a high honor. Yet in recent decades the tradition has waned, particularly after the Disappearance of Amandar. After all, the god of human civilization never held strong sway so far from the wealthy, civilized south, being venerated here mainly as a symbol of royal power. Today, kings more often turn to Ardwin, the god of hunting, farming, and the male right of rule.

With the coming of the sinister mists and the raids of fomorians breaching the island's shores, refugees have begun to gather near the monastery. Their numbers are not great, yet their presence terrifies others, spurring a broader flight to monastic lands. The monks struggle to house and feed all who seek protection, even as the mists deepen and the attacks grow frequent.

The monks themselves are powerless to halt the threat. They understand that the anomaly began with the Crimson Rain, but refuse to acknowledge the possibility of Balor's release. Not out of denial of his existence, but out of doubt in the literal truth of the myths describing how mortals struck him down. To the monks, these tales are allegories, not prophecy. Thus they ignore the warnings of druids. Instead, they hold that the true cause lies in a weakening of the barriers between planes — a magical rift awakened by the Rain. They believe that if they can discover the source, they might mend it. However misguided, their search could yet bring them to the truth.

The Daingean na bhFathach Deamhanach, the cursed ruins of colossal size in northern Gibernia, were once the fortress of the Demon Lord Balor, raised when some giants summoned him into the world in the time before history. A fortress of unnatural magnitude by mortal standards, it was later seized by storm giants in their campaign to cast him out. They left it ruined, but never fully cleansed, for the citadel stood upon a nexus of ley-lines which Balor had twisted to feed himself.

To divert and purify these corrupted currents, the giants raised megalithic wards: massive rune-carved stones redirecting the magical flow. Legend holds that these wards inspired the archmages of Amantis in their own great works, long before the Descent. But the giants are long gone, leaving the Imvrian tribes to maintain, in a halting way, what enchantments remain.

For millennia the citadel lay mostly empty. At times weakened barriers allowed strange creatures to slip through, but the wards usually held them back. From time to time, reckless treasure-seekers braved its halls, ignoring the warnings of druids and giants alike. Many relics left behind were cursed, abandoned with good reason. And always, cultists of Balor found their way there, drawn by dark purpose.

Now the citadel is the very heart of the island's peril. Unlike elsewhere, it lies perpetually drowned in mist — mists through which the fomorians come. Once present, they labor to profane the wards and shatter the megaliths. None know precisely what this serves, but none doubt it bodes ruin. The druids cannot guard the barriers unceasingly, for the fomorians may strike at any moment.

Within the citadel itself, Balor's cultists gather from across the island, drawn by prophetic dreams sent by their master. Rarely does the Demon Lord command his followers directly; instead, he lets them act out their own wicked ambitions. But here they converge, aiding the fomorians in their assault upon the wards. Should word of this reach the wider island, the people of Gibernia would surely rally together to stop the fell designs of the Demon Lord — whose will so rarely manifests so clearly.

Trade

Albion is deeply integrated into the wider trade system of the Old World, belonging to the so-called "Northern Trade Ring", which encompasses the Northern and Amber Seas, stretching from Albion to the Stolgrad Tsardom and from the Little Kingdom to Skagerdia. Within this network Albion trades actively with all its neighbors.

Iochlododin and Westshire are major exporters of surplus foodstuffs, much of which flows northward to Skagerdia. Meanwhile, the wool produced in Tal Riada and Sexland supplies the growing textile industry of the Little Kingdom. Gibernia and the Balor Mountains provide luxury goods such as honey, hides, and mammoth ivory, while Redeg contributes small but highly valued shipments of alchemical wares. Albion's major cities maintain direct ties to the large port towns of Skagerdia, the Amandaran March, and the northern coasts of Nefretil, with both local guild representatives and foreign trade houses maintaining offices on either side.

Tal Riada exports the bulk of its surplus in the form of salt, grain, and meat to the dwarven stronghold of Rascordan, receiving in return high-quality metals and crafted goods. This relationship is marked by dual dependence: Tal Riada's smithing is notoriously poor, forcing reliance on dwarven wares, while the dwarves, locked beneath the earth, cannot survive without surface supplies of food. Despite their underground cultivation, they would suffer terribly from malnutrition without trade. As a result, periodic trade wars erupt, with embargoes on both sides until one yields to a lopsided treaty. Then trade resumes, each stockpiling in preparation for the next conflict. By now, the cycle is half-predictable.

Iochlododin maintains close ties with Amantis, where it holds a massive colony producing high-value crops — in recent years even attempting to transplant them back to Albion.

For both Tal Riada and Tordak, a central pillar of their economies lies in selling their soldiers for hire to continental powers. This tradition emerged during the protracted War of the Bloodied Crescent, fought for over a century in intervals over the throne of Florein, which created a constant demand for mercenary troops. During the lulls, Tal Riada's rulers relied heavily on loans. Though the last decade has been relatively peaceful on the continent, signs are growing that new wars loom: the spread of Alarism from the east threatens to ignite religious conflict within the Amandaran Pantheon itself.

Coinage circulates primarily in four hubs — Lundonia, Eilin, Linn, and Rascordan. Eilin's coin is the weakest, undermined by the kingdom's recent economic woes and the flight of wealthy burghers and artisans. Rascordan's currency is the most trusted, though often difficult to use during sieges and blockades of the dwarven stronghold. Sexland's coin is widespread but volatile. By contrast, Iochlododin's treasury is formally independent of the crown, preventing the monarch from financing deficits through reckless minting. Its currency is among the most stable in the North, maintained deliberately for the long-term prosperity of the realm.

Population numbers

Sexland – ~3,000,000 inhabitants

85% Humans
13% Halflings
2% Gnomes
Capital Lundonia: ~65,000 residents

Westshire – ~350,000 inhabitants

95% Halflings
5% Humans

Kimren – slightly over 250,000 inhabitants

95% Humans
5% Halflings

Atl Clud – slightly over 250,000 inhabitants

95% Humans
5% Halflings

Thornwood (Ternolesye), outside Redeg – ~100,000 inhabitants

30% Humans
40% Fauns
20% Strigoi (Owlfolk)
10% other Fey beings

Tal Riada – ~800,000 inhabitants

98% Humans
2% Dwarves

Redeg – slightly over 150,000 inhabitants

90% Humans
10% Fauns

Rascordan – ~50,000 inhabitants

~100% Dwarves

Tordak – ~150,000 inhabitants

65% Hobgoblins
25% Strigoi (Owlfolk)
2% Gnolls
3% Kobolds
1% Orcs
3% Goblins
1% Minotaurs

Iochia (Iochlododin) – slightly above 2,000,000 inhabitants

5% Gnomes
10% Kobolds
20% Halflings
65% Humans

Hibernia – ~1,000,000 inhabitants

85% Humans
12% Fauns
3% Skagerdian races (such as Jotuns and Harpies)

Characters

Æthelflæd Godwinesdōhtor (human female) – The current Queen of Sexland, a distant cousin of the late king. After his death, she inherited the throne as his closest living relative. Unlike her late husband, she lacks both the charisma that allowed him to dominate parliament and the cunning to play rival factions against one another. She had once excelled as his supporter and regent in his absence, but on her own she cannot exert the same authority. This has led to the current weakness of the royal power in Sexland. Though urged more than once to remarry, she has passed childbearing age, and none of her children survived infancy. She sees herself as a transitional monarch, preparing the way for her successor—without realizing that what the kingdom needs most in this moment of parliamentary opposition is a strong ruler.

Wulfstan Cenricson (human male) – Lord Mayor of Lundonia and head of the Guildhall, effectively the leader of the anti-royalist opposition. Formerly master of one of the great guilds of the Old City, he rose to prominence as an orator, turning his voice against the crown's weakness. His politics are careful and deliberate: he seeks to disarm the monarchy without abolishing it, forging alliances with allies such as the halflings of Westshire and assuring the earls that their privileges will remain untouched. Unlike the radicals, he has no interest in overthrowing the monarchy—only in neutralizing it.

Cyneswith Oswaldsdōhtor (human female, wizard 14) – High Magus of Sexland and head of the Royal Magical Society. Once an adventuring heroine in her youth, she has become a stern, sharp-tongued matron, quick to curse the "damned aristocrats who think they understand magic." The only branch of sorcery she avoids is the divine, which she deems a wise decision. Though she sometimes dreams of retirement, she stays in office out of the hard knowledge that few others in the kingdom could match her wisdom or authority.

Cuthbert Oswaldson (human male, warrior 5) – Earl of Atl Clud, drawn into the cult of the Outer Gods. Once a solid and resolute lord, he is now plagued by paranoia, suspicion, and erratic mood swings. Few know the truth—that his descent comes from forbidden magic gnawing at his sanity—and instead blame stress and exhaustion.

Madog ap Cadwaladr (human male, cleric of Khaa'Ariss 9) – High Priest of the Cult of Uze, the most popular faith in Sexland and Tal Riada. Secretly, however, he serves one of the Outer Gods, having infiltrated the priesthood decades ago. Several years ago, he maneuvered himself into the highest rank of the cult. Now he carefully expands his secret sect, using his authority over the inquisition against cultists to recruit new members. Only a fraction of Uze's clergy are in fact cultists, most of them in Atl Clud, but Madog prepares a great ritual to seek "true revelation" from his dread patron.

Douwe tar der Veen (halfling male, ranger 3) – Earl of Westshire and its formal lord, though in practice he avoids active governance. As the only halfling noble of high rank in Irimon, he cannot withdraw entirely from leadership. Like his predecessors, he sees himself not as ruler but as guardian of Westshire before the law, and in return enjoys a comfortable life from the rents of its fertile lands.

Colm Ó hAodha (human male, ranger 9) – Earl of Cymren, stripped of true power under the spellcraft of his wife, Róisín Nic Carthaigh (hag), who concealed her nature and bewitched him. For nearly a decade, she has held his will in thrall, making him a pawn of her coven. Were he freed from her control, the horror of realizing what he had done under her domination might well drive him to madness.

Gráinne Ní Colm (human female, changeling, champion of Silvenna 6) – The only surviving daughter of the Earl of Cymren. Drawn home by a dire premonition, she found her ancestral lands in ruins, contrary to her father's reassuring letters. She suspects enchantment or compulsion but does not yet realize the truth: her mother seeks to awaken the changeling blood within her, transforming her into a hag. Instead, Gráinne rallies the militia to resist the covens. Her fate will hinge on whether she embraces her mother's legacy or rejects it to stand as a true champion of Silvenna.

Aodh mac Briain (faun male, druid 11) – A powerful druid of souther Thorhewood, independent of Redeg's rebels, and by birth a faun. He is the High Druid of Prydain and Keeper of the Forest, who has forged an alliance with Queen Theiran of the fey and aids her in cleansing the land of demonic corruption. With the rise of Teiran's doppelgänger, he has become one of the few mortals with both the knowledge and the power to resist her, yet remains shielded from her influence, for as a faun he is mortal and not of the Fair Folk.

Myfanwy ferch Cadwaladr (human female, swashbuckler 8) – Current Sheriff of Redeg and head of its executive power. Like her predecessors, she earned her post by daring resistance to Tal Riada's armies and by her successful leadership of a small warband. Yet, like them, she is ill-prepared to govern a "state" composed of half-independent communities that obey the whim of their mobs. In her own eyes, her work is "an endless attempt to quench a blazing inferno with a single bucket."

Rhys ap Gruffudd (human male, statesman) – One of the most prominent deputies of the long-defunct parliament, who fled Tal Riada after its dissolution. He has spent decades in the north, traveling the settlements of Ternowood, persuading them to resist the Lord Protector's will. A hardened veteran of politics, he has survived numerous assassination attempts, and swears he will not retire until the Lord Protector is overthrown—or until death claims him.

Geraint ab Owain (human male, guardian 12) – The current Lord Protector of Tal Riada and its de facto ruler, under whom the realm has become a near-absolute stratocracy. He is past seventy, but still physically active, though keenly aware that his strength may fail at any time. To him, seizing power was a way to remove an inept king and rule more rationally. He is baffled that so many now resent him—for in his eyes, he has only improved the life of the common man. At his age, retreat is impossible: all that remains is to continue the path he has set.

Rhiannon ferch Rhys (human female, rogue 10) – Colonel of Tal Riada's army and one of its most influential officers, responsible for both internal and external intelligence. Barely past forty, she looks boldly to the future. The Lord Protector's regime gave her opportunity and authority; though she cannot inherit his post, she could become the guiding power behind his successor.

Dagrim Rockhardness (dwarf male) – King of Raskordan, another traditional dwarven monarch on Albion, who rules by balancing the power of guilds and clans. For centuries, only moderate competence was expected of a Kazgor; yet now he faces a crisis of identity among his people as debate rages over whether to reopen the lost ancestral stronghold through their ancient portal.

Ardegi (hobgoblin female, commander 11) – Once a captain of a small mercenary band, now ruler of the young state of Tordak. She hides her humble, ignoble origins, preferring to shroud them in mystery and cultivate a cult of personality. A skilled tactician and charismatic commander, she has built a mercenary republic of monsters in the Baloran Mountains. For now, the state rests half upon her personal authority, though she strives to secure its survival beyond her lifetime.

Tjerk tar Leeuwarden (gnome male) – King of Iohiododin, a figurehead of the tangled knot of noble dwarven families who rule the island. In fifty years of reign, he has quelled a colonial crisis through personal union and now seeks to make his kingdom a global hub of artefactorics. Unlike many gnomes, he is sober and pragmatic, uninterested in magic or artefactorics themselves, seeing them only as resources for the kingdom's prosperity.

Willemke Fokkesdochter (halfling female, inventor 10) – Rector of the Linn School of Magic and Artefactorics, one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of mago-technological study. The concept of Gnome-Modified Organisms (GMO) was largely her brainchild: she secured funding and drives the project forward, intent on basking in its triumph. Ambitious and somewhat arrogant, she nonetheless has reason—her achievements are remarkable.

Máire Ní Dhomhnaill (human female, cleric of Elenwe 8) and Pádraig Ó Súilleabháin (faun male, druid 7) – The two most powerful spellcasters on Hibernia today. Máire is abbess of the Armagh Monastery and priestess of Elenwe; Pádraig is a leading druid. Each commands the faith and loyalty of their own communities, yet between them burns a long-standing personal enmity. Their sharpest quarrel: Máire's refusal to acknowledge the threat of Balor's return, a denial partly born of spite. Since then, they refuse to meet, each rallying their flock in isolation as the island faces crisis.

Caradoc ap Madog, Dafydd ap Hywel, Cadoc ap Rhys, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh, Tadhg Ó Ceallaigh – The taoseachs of Hibernia. Among them, Caradoc holds the title of rí (High King). Dafydd and Cadoc are followers of the Green Cult, while Caradoc, Ruaidhrí, and Tadhg uphold the Amandaric Pantheon.

Kingdom of Darlacad

Beyond Albion lies the kingdom of Darlacad, yet it remains inseparably bound to the lands of Albion, and thus it would be impossible to describe Albion without touching upon these territories, given how deeply they influence Ioholododin. This kingdom was established decades ago in order to grant full self-governance to the inhabitants of a vast colony in Amantis, soothing their discontent with the lack of any real means to affect decisions in Parliament, unlike the citizens of the capital.

Now it is the second gnome kingdom with which Ioholododin is joined in a personal union. Each of the two kingdoms governs the greater part of its internal affairs, and the only matters they are compelled to resolve together concern foreign policy, military affairs, and the shared trade system.

Over the years of its development, this kingdom has become no less influential than Ioholododin itself, with a population roughly comparable, not only due to migration from Iohia, but also thanks to the invitation of settlers from various parts of the Old World. From the customary lands of the metropolis they differ primarily by the complete absence of a traditional landed aristocracy — the class of hereditary nobles replaced here by a stratum of bureaucrats of noble rank. Nobility in the kingdom is thus personal rather than hereditary.

Through such measures, most of the local desire for independence has been quelled. Now the people's attitude toward the crown is generally benevolent, albeit rather subdued. Because of this, the stance of the majority is almost invisible compared to that of a small yet radical faction which demands a complete severance of ties with the former metropolis. They claim to value the grant of such broad autonomy, but argue that their kingdom is still bound to Ioholododin in military matters, and thus may be dragged into unwanted wars, as well as forced to contribute its resources to the upkeep of the united army — which they regard as an unnecessary waste.

For now, this issue remains a fairly localized conflict among politicians and agitators. Yet behind the scenes, daggers are already being drawn, and political assassinations prepared, to rid themselves of unwanted opponents. Anything may enter the struggle — even planted candidates meant to divide the opposition and weaken it.

Wake of Balor

The Demon Lord Balor, in ancient times, when the titans had already lost the war against the gods, was summoned by desperate giants who desired victory at any cost. They opened a way into this world for a mighty demigod, who transformed them into his warriors, the Fomorians, and waged a long war against the remaining storm giants of the islands, as well as the few dragons who came to their aid. It was as a consequence of those wars that Albion was left without the so-called "lesser giants" — the Jotunn and ogres were almost entirely exterminated.

When Balor was defeated, he was imprisoned in a secret underground refuge deep beneath Gibernia, and by means of mighty sorcery the location of this place was erased from memory, forbidden even to be spoken of, so that no one could ever reach it. Since then, this prison has remained sealed, and the dominions of Balor lay empty, for he could not break free.

Everything changed during the Porphyry Downpour. The divine ichor somehow affected the magic of the prison, weakening it enough for Balor to begin weaving his designs. He seeks to corrupt the ley lines beneath his old fortress, so that through this magic he may break from his bonds and return to the material world. He is not overly concerned with directly warring against the dwellers of the mortal world; returning to his own dominion would suffice.

To this end, he has cast strange mists upon the island, through which the Fomorians of his realm slip into this world. Most of them do not at once realize where they have arrived, and often return without doing harm. Others plunder small villages, and a few fortunate ones strive to desecrate the island's shrines. In addition, these very mists have made navigation around the island exceedingly difficult, rendering attempts to reach it or depart from it problematic, and so most trade has ceased. The island's inhabitants notice these mists and their connection to the Fomorians, yet they do not yet know that they arise through the will of Balor, who has gained a measure of freedom.

This influence would be more obvious were it not for the fact that the number of newborns touched by Balor's demonic powers has increased severalfold: children with grey skin, often bearing but a single eye — clear marks of the Fomorians' and Balor's influence. Yet most locals do not connect this with a global magical effect upon the island, but rather with the rise of Balor's cultists, for such births are most often the result of dealings with demonic powers, whether by fleshly unions or by pact-making. Thus, parents are forced to abandon these newborns in the forest, hiding them from their neighbors, lest they be judged demon-worshippers and suffer accordingly.

War betweed Redeg and Tal Riada

Between the two great states of northern Prydain, war has raged for nearly twenty years, born of an uprising that became a stalemate. Tal Riada possesses significant superiority in military strength, by which it holds most of the territory outside Thornewood itself and the settlements within it. The supporters of Redeg are left with nothing but guerrilla actions against the forces of the lord-regent.

Yet the lord-regent himself is powerless to enter Thornewood and occupy it, owing to the forest's magical nature. Its peculiarity is such that the paths leading through it shift over time, making it easy to become lost, or to emerge in entirely unexpected places. Only those who have lived there for most of their lives possess a subconscious ability to orient themselves within the forest, or those properly trained, such as the druids. Neither category is inclined to cooperate with the lord-protector, especially the druids, for guiding enemies into the forest would violate their oaths and cost them their magical power.

To this end, the lord-regent attempted to use criminals native to the forest, offering them release from prison in exchange for guiding his troops. But by the time he resorted to such attempts, the Queen of Thornewood had already been freed. As the mistress of the forest, benevolent toward the rebels of Redeg, she possesses the power to render the wood impassable to nearly anyone — even its own inhabitants and the druids — for she is a being of semi-divine might, bound to the forest.

Since then, a relative equilibrium has settled upon the conflict: Tal Riada has proved powerless to overcome the rebels, while the glaisting herself is unwilling to intervene directly and openly in the war, even though she sympathizes with them. She shelters the rebels, but will not kindle a full-scale war.

Adventurers that fought against fomorians

When the invasion of the Fomorians came upon Prydain, a band of heroes was gathered from across the island to finally suppress them and close the portal to the former dominions of Balor. The aim was for a small yet elite group to slip behind Fomorian lines and complete their task. It included representatives from every people who had joined in repelling the threat.

Tjalling Uyttenbogaert — a gnome artificer who arrived on the island with the forces of Ioholododin, an experienced practitioner of artificiery for martial purposes. According to contemporaries, he was distinguished by a bloodthirstiness most unusual for a gnome, as though he were a human barbarian.

Ailithern Brennos — ruler of the young kingdom of Tal Riada, chosen to lead his people. His place in the group was motivated above all by his desire for renown and to weave a legend around his name that would allow him to unite his folk.

Morcant Dumnos — a faun druid of Thornewood, who volunteered to guide the group through the forest's depths, into which even the Fomorians dared not enter, rightly fearing its magical influence.

Eichasha — a scout and archer of the Damned Peaks Strix, who had been driven from the Balor mountains by the Fomorian invasion and forced to ally with the peoples of Prydain to resist the threat. Chosen as the champion of her tribe, she bore no love for her "allies," desiring only to reclaim her people's home.

Æthelwine Dunstanwyrt — a mighty wizard of Sexland, tutor at the time to its still youthful king, and beyond doubt one of the strongest sorcerers of his age. He joined the expedition chiefly because he could entrust something so perilous and vital to no one else.

Nynke Uijttewaal — a rogue of the Greenfoot Halflings of Westshire, who was orphaned in her youth by the Fomorian invasion. She spent long years surviving and fighting them before finally aiding a military band and joining them as a skilled infiltrator and saboteur, one who understood the enemy perfectly.

Utmor Hardrock — a dwarven paladin of his people's stronghold, specially dispatched to the council to offer his services in the struggle against the Fomorians. In the name of his duty, he joined the fight to repel the threat.

Notes about Arvan (original fantasy worldbuilding)

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Karlov

Not too sore, are you?

Karlov

Not too sore, are you?

Karlov

Not too sore, are you?

Karlov

Not too sore, are you?

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