Terrak

[Jallorn]

Warning Large images
Map with country borders
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/221/d/f/terrak_by_jallorn-d5ai46f.jpg
without
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/221/b/1/terrak_by_jallorn-d5ai4k6.jpg

Terrak is a world of many dangers. The incumbent powers don't take too kindly to new factions, and if you join one of those old powers, the rest will want you dead at some point or another. And if the politics don't get you, criminals, psychotics, and dangerous, mystical monsters are waiting in the shadows.

That's not even considering the secret evils that are biding their time till they can destroy everything.

Races

Humans
Humanoid (Human)
Medium: As Medium creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
+2 to any one ability score, Humans are versatile, but not quite as impressive as the other races. Where an elf makes an excellent ranger or rogue, or a hobgoblin an unparalleled fighter, humans can field all of these, though they won't be nearly as talented.
Bonus Feat: Humans gain a bonus feat at first level. This feat may be any that he qualifies for.
Skilled: Humans gain 4 additional skill points at first level, and 1 more every other level.
Automatic Languages: Human. Bonus Languages:
Base Land Speed: 30
Favored Class: Any

Raptorans
+2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con
+10 racial bonus to Jump checks
+1 racial bonus to Spot and Climb checks every other level
Gliding/Flight

Raptoran Subrace
Still under construction

Elves
+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Wis
+1 racial bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks every other level
Low Light Vision
Free Martial Weapon Proficiency with the Handaxe, the Battleaxe, the Longbow, the Shortbow, the Composite Longbow, and the Composite Shortbow
Immunity to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects

Orcs
+2 Con, +2 Cha
Orcs gain different benefits based on their caste

Dwarves
+2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Dex
+2 racial bonus to Craft and Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering)
+1 racial bonus to Appraise checks that deal with one Craft check (chosen at character creation) every other level
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against Skeletons
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison
Darkvision
25 speed no armor penalty

[Jallorn]

The Kingdom of Aureos

The easternmost of the four Human kingdoms, Aureos is a Feudal Monarchy, set apart by its "House of Commons." In the Kingdom's earliest history, long before the Dwarves came north, or the Elven raids, Aureos was the greatest military power of the region. Characterized primarily by their weapon and armor quality and their training from hell, Aureos was nigh unbeatable on the battlefield. Of course, thanks to their lack of large metal veins, they also sustained a lucrative trade alliance with Hespyx. At their height, Aureos controlled everything from the Middle River east, though much to their frustration, Auster managed to keep them from advancing to the mountains and the metal they so wanted.

Everything started to change when a large number of Aureos's metalworkers left, selling their services, and their metalworking secrets, to Arcteas. With Aureos no longer able to purchase the same volume of metal from them, Hespyx merchants began selling in Arcteas, and the Arcteas-Auster alliance began taking land back from Aureos. The king of Aureos instituted the House of Commons to keep their craftsmen from leaving again, but the damage was already done.

By the time the Arcteas-Auster alliance fell apart, Aureos had lost about half their territory, including their one time capital and regional holy city. For a while they seemed to be dying a slow death, as their economy faltered and their army's strength and skill wained. In fact, it was largely due to several heroes over the ages, and a sudden resurgance of nobles' dragonblood that they managed to keep their borders from shrinking much more. That did not, however, protect them from enemies within, and the criminal element that eventually formed the ironically named Thieves' Guild got it's start at this time. Then the Dwarven Empire came north, expanding through the native tribes. They found that trading for local resources was both cheaper and faster than trading south, and when Aureos established a trading post on the south end of the Thirsy River, the Aurean economy received a much needed boost.

Then, just when the Dwarven Empire was crumbling from political corruption, slave rebellions, and so called barbarians at the gate, a new trading partner was discovered, the Orcs. Between the only effecient trading route being accross the Vestyan Sea, and the Dwarven Empire being in chaos, the quickly growing, former Aurean city of Urbisolvi soon became the number one hub for the new, exotic goods the Orcs had to trade. Even the secession of Urbisolvi barely impacted the new growth of Aureos' centers of trade.

Centers of Power
Aureos has two primary dominant cultures, the Dragonblooded nobility, whose blood strength has waxed and wained over the years, and the merchants whose power and influence, while having a grounding in the origins of the kingdom, is still fairly new.

Nobility

The Noble families are ranked by Dragonblood strength, and while it doesn't happen often, Bloodline strength can be challenged. In the past, when the Dragonblood was still fresh, and every family had at least one sorcerer, this was commonly settled by a mage's duel. Eventually that transformed into a duel of family Champions, and while that method is still available, it is more common and more accepted for a challenge to be settled in court. Each family makes a case for their Dragonblood's strength based on what they've accomplished in recent years. In cases of extremely high profile Noble families, such as the Royal family or the High Lords, a church Oracle is called in to render judgement, and whichever family is dubbed lesser must pay the church for the Oracle's very large fee.

Inheritence is also based of the strength of one's Dragonblood, which, with the exception of the rare Sorcerer, means that inheritence is largely meritocratic. The child who goes out and accomplishes the most, usually the first child, is granted the title, the privelege, and the responsibility. Nobles also make up the Aureos army, which happens to be a very good way to prove your blood strength.

Merchants
Each Aureos's cities has a powerful Merchant guild. The top members of the guild are often also members of their city's government, and at least one member from each guild is a member of the House of Commons. Although still inferior to the nobility as a whole, certain merchants at the top actually have a significant amount more power than some of the lowest wrung nobles.

Thanks to their political influence, each city's merchant guild has made it illegal to sell wares without a guild license, though any Aurean guild license will do. There are also heavy tarifs on any foreign goods even with a guild license. Of course, a moderate sum, usually smaller than any tariffs, paid to the guild can get you a permit and reduce your tariffs to a more manageable sum.

Merchant guilds also dominate the pollitically weaker craftsman guilds. On the flip side, they have a strong relationship with the mercenary guilds, even though said guilds don't have any political power.

Craftsman Guilds
With their members filling up the rest of the House of Commons, the Craftsman Guilds are almost completely secondary to the Merchant Guilds, though that doesn't mean they're powerless. There are, however, three types of Craftsman Guilds that nearly rival the Merchant Guilds in power, the Armorer Guilds, the Weaponsmith Guilds, and the Swordsmith Guilds. Although Aurean smithies still like to claim their superiority, the truth is that Arctean smithies are pretty much equal in skill, with one exception. Thanks to an influx of ideas through trade, in addition to the goods, Aurean swordsmiths combined their own ingenuity and secrets with many of the Orcish techniques to create the very best swords in the world. This has lead to Aurean swordsmiths forming their own guilds, and constant taunting of Aurean armorers that they were never able to glean Dwarven armor secrets.

The Church
No longer the political power it was in Aureos's heyday, the church is nonetheless an important part of Aurean life. Tithes are still collected, even from merchants, and the rituals of faith are very important to Aurean life, but the voice of the church seems to be ignored a little more every year in national politics. The church has been unable to prevent a decrease in the tithes master merchants pay. It's gotten so bad, that there are rumors that the Church will petition for seats in the House of Commons soon.

Thieves' Guild
No longer at it's peak in Aureos, the Thieves' Guild is still holding on in the cities of Aureos, especially the trade cities. They function primarily as Fixers, matching criminals or goods to a client. They also run protection rackets on Craftsman Guilds, though they tend to be much quieter than they were at their peak. Smuggling and fencing are also done through the Thieves' Guild, sometimes through Merchant Guild members, sometimes not. Probably the only place you'll find an Elf in Aureos outside of the Mercenary guild.

Mercenary Guilds
Another byproduct of Aurean trade, Mercenary Guilds were invented by Orcs, although the job's value goes back a ways before that. In the wake of the Arcteas-Auster alliance, Aurean nobles saught to supplement their ranks with mercenaries. While these mercs came primarily from their own peasants, Elven and Dwarven mercs eventually became common enough. By the time the first Mercenary Guild was created, mercs were being used by the now wealthy Merchants as well, mostly as guards, but sometimes for other purposes. Now, the Mercenary Guilds are an inextricable part of Aurean life, and they have strong relationships with the Merchant Guilds and the Thieves' Guild. They also continue to serve as an auxillary army for the Nobility, for the right price of course.

However, because most mercenaries are not citizens of Aureos, they don't have any political representation.

Peasants
The laborers of the nation, Peasants are only partial citizens due to their lack of landowning, and are therefore bereft of any representation in governance. They are to be loyal to the noble who owns the land they work, and are to obey his laws and the laws of the realm. The only real chance for upward mobility for a Peasant is as a mercenary, but ninety nine out of a hundred peasants who try, end up dead on their first job, or never get paid better than a guard.

Guardsman is the next best thing, but it's not entirely safe either, thanks to rowdy mercs and the Theives' Guild, and has hardly any chance for upward mobility unless you prove yourself a real asset, which always involves real risk. The other problem with being a guardsman is the training; a guardsman has to train for several years, and in that time he's not providing his family with any money. Besides that, there are only so many spots in the guard, and the position only exists in cities, villages have militia, and hopefully the grace of their lord.

[Jallorn]

Kingdom of Auster

The Kingdom of Auster lies in the south of Human lands, bordering the Raptor Mountains. Although they are still more culturally similar to other humans, Auster's culture has been shaped largely by their frequent association with the Raptorans. Before the dawn of civilization, Austerians were hunters and herders alongside the Raptorans, and since then have had a mostly cooperative relationship. As they moved into cities and unified as a people, they kept a sort of council of elders, although they did follow a monarch. Over time, this evolved into the Austerian Senate, and turned the king into a unifying piece of the government, rather than the government itself.

This state of government put them frequently at odds with the other nations in the region, especially since they were practically devoid of dragonblood. Severely outnumbered, they did the only thing they could, they vanished into the wilderness, hitting the enemy when they were most vulnerable and disappearing again. After some time, the danger of Aureos overwhelmed any fear of Democracy in Arcteas, and an alliance was formed. The Alliance was of little signifigance by that point, but it eased up the pressure on Auster and allowed them to successfully keep Aureos from Auster's hidden mines, with help from the Raptorans.

When Arcteas acquired several of Aureos's smiths, the war turned, and Auster began providing a large amount of metal to Arcteas, and the country became a lot wealthier. However, even as they pushed back Aureos, Hespyx took the opportunity to claim much of their ancestral land. Finally, it was too much, and the alliance broke as Arcteas refused to aid against Hespyx. Auster pushed Hespyx back a little ways to the natural barrier of the Middle River, and agreed to a peace settlement, they were tired of war, and wanted to use their newfound wealth to grow.

Grow Auster did. They expanded their mining operations, even coming into conflict with a couple Raptoran cities occassionally, and became the dominant exporter of metal in the region. They also sell most of the gold they mine to the Raptorans, along with armor, weapons, and wood.

Centers of Power
Monarch
The position of monarch, be it king or queen, is hereditary, but also limited in power. Austerian government seeks to combine the advantage of a leader trained since birth with an egalitarian system, so while the monarch has a lot of power, and is certainly deeply respected, the only time when he or she can make decisions without being ratified by the Senate is during war. Nonetheless, the Monarch is still the single most powerful individual in Auster. In some ways, though, the Monarch of Auster has more power than others due to the unprecedented centralization of Auster.

Senate
The check on the power of the Monarch, the Senate is elected from the upper classes, although everyone has the right to vote. Senate terms last for nine years, and most Senators choose not to serve consecutive terms as their salary as a Senator is generally less than they would otherwise make. However, about a quarter of the Senate is incumbent, using their political connections to support a close family member's business, simply enjoying being in that position enough to make do with being lower upper class, or, rarely, because they actually seek to champion a cause. The Senate is also elected a third at a time, meaning that elections happen every three years.

The Rangers
An elite section of the Austerian army, the Rangers police Auster outside the cities, keeping the Thieves' Guild well out of Auster. In times of war, the Rangers form small, elite groups that focus on doing the greatest amount of damage for the least possible cost, taking out targets of high value. It has often been joked that if they wanted to, the Rangers could overthrow the government, and no one could do a thing to stop them.

Merchant Guilds
Although Austerian merchants are far from the most successful, Austerian Merchant Guilds have the strongest protection policies. They don't recognize foreign guild badges, and charge much more money for foreign merchants to operate in Austerian cities. This is helped by the fact that Auster has the most precise census in the known world. At least a third of the Senate is filled by merchants.

Philosophers
Thanks to their booming economy, Auster boasts a number of Philosophers sponsered by the wealthiest of the kingdom's merchants, and the Royal Family as well. These Philosophers are often elected to office in the Senate, and a few are those incumbents who really want to make a difference.

Craftsman Guilds
The Craftsman Guilds are not terribly powerful outside those members who are a part of the Senate. However, it costs craftsmen more to be members of the Senate than Merchants, so it is far less common for them to serve more than a single term.

Mercenary Guilds
Throughout most of Auster mercs are in no better position than they are in Arcteas, however, the capital has a larger population of mercenaries. The Senate finds use of mercs, mostly as bodyguards, and as such the capital has not just one, but three competing mercenary guilds.

Peasants
Despite their part in Austerian politics, most Peasants are more loyal to the Rangers who keep them safe than the government they supposedly have a say in. Of course, so long as the Rangers are loyal to the government, there's no problem.

[Jallorn]

The Kingdom of Arcteas

The Kingdom of Arcteas sits to the north, and has been characterized, since its inception, by the Royal Family having the divinely mandated right to rule. When the human champion Letadius ascended to godhood, there were three fundamental reactions, though they weren't exclusive by any means. The first, was that all of humanity should be unitied under one banner, and this led to the Aurean expansion. The second, humans now had an advocate, and therefore would not be looked down upon by the dragons any longer, but could operate as equals. The third said it was proof that humans were more divine than dragons, since, while dragons were created in their god's image, no dragon had ever ascended to godhood.

As the dragons were driven off, and the Kingdom of Aureos began to conquer the other humans, a prophecy was delivered by the last living, mortal follower of Letadius when he was mortal. It was said, that so long as any human bore the blood of Letadius, they would have both the power, and the right, to rule over his fellow man, and that his nation and people would flourish under the benevolance of Letadius. Countless people in the region flocked to the banner of Letadius's son, Arcin. He was slain soon after, but his sister stepped up as Queen, and the Kingdom of Arcteas was born. Even as opponents of Arcteas pointed to their continual retreat in the face of Aureos, the people of Arcteas suggested a war between the gods of man and dragon. They pointed to their continued survival in the face of overwhelming odds as a success, and they pointed to the undeniable fact that despite the frequent wars, they were flourishing.

Arctean farmers have long been considered the best in the world, though it seems as much luck, as skill. They can pull more from the soil and their plants than anyone else, and always have a large surplus when hard times hit. Indeed, it seems like every drought or famine has been sandwiched in between periods of great bounty, so much so that when a period of bounty comes, Arctean people tighten their belts in apprehension of the famine to come, and celebrate the first harvest that shows signs of it with the surplus they've saved.

Thanks to this bounty, Arcteas has also been characterized by the largest population of the human kingdoms for most of it's history. Even when Aureos was nearly three times the size of Arcteas, they had comparable populations. As such, they've been able to field the largest, if not best trained, army throughout history. This numerical advantage was one of the driving forces behind the Aurean mercenary economy. Their army quality was helped immensely by the defection of several Aurean master crafters of weapon and armor. In fact, that proved to be the turning point of the generations long conflict, a conflict that has been largely set aside in the wake of Aureos transformation into a trade based economy.

Now, Arcteas is in many ways the religious center of the human world, and the Arctean royalty is funded largely by the pilgrims that flock to the holy city. They also have skilled craftsmen, including armorers and weaponsmiths that rival Aureos's, but import a good deal more than they export. Also, in recent years, the Elven raids have hit Arcteas hardest, dealing a heavier blow to the nation than many are willing to admit.

Centers of Power

The Royal family of Arcteas holds absolute power, and the only other influence as significant is that of the church.

Royal Family
The Royal Family of Arcteas holds far more power than any other Human Royal Family. The monarch is entitled to make any laws he desires, and the rest of the Royal Family is not strictly held to the same laws. While any action would have to be answered for to the monarch, there is a general trend of forgiveness as long as the act wasn't politically damaging to the family.

There are rumors that the Royal Family keeps an elaborate family tree somewhere in the castle, and that they know every individual who has so much as a drop of divine blood. It is well known that male members of the family tend to be very promiscuous with the girls, and even the occassional female of the family is equally promiscuous.

The Nobility
Nobles in Arcteas are mostly drawn from branches of the Royal Family, less holy, yet still worthy of ruling. As such, they have less power than the Nobility of Aureos. They serve much the same purpose though, making up most of the standing army, and all of it's officers.

The Church
The Arctean church is considered to be the definitive model. Although the other three kingdoms all have a seperate church organization, those churches tend to follow the lead of the Arctean church, and a good deal of the Arctean church's money comes from pilgrims making donations, rather than natives making tithes. The grand cathedral in the holy city brings even nobles of other countries in to pay their respects.

The church supports the Royal Family, and it's members get many priveleges under the law. Even those laws that do apply to the church are often "forgiven" when breached. Besides that though, many of the Kingdom's most heinous offenses are equally horrendous crimes to the church. Treason, for instance, can be grounds for full excommunication, thus bereaving the traitor of an afterlife reward.

Theives' Guild
In what is one of the most ironic twists of history, even as Arcteas conquered valuable land from Aureos, they also took in the bulk of the Theives' Guild. At least a full 50% of Arctean merchants secretly work for the Theives' Guild as smugglers, and the Guild maintains a very healthy protection racket throughout the lands of Arcteas.

Lastly, the Theives' Guild maintains a close eye on theives in Arctean cities, making sure that the Guild gets a cut of any theft, especially from pilgrims, and that not too much is taken, so that the pilgrims can still give to the church. It's a delicate balance, bleeding the church's income just enough so that the church doesn't get the Royal family to hunt down the Guild with full zealous fervor.

Craftsman and Merchant Guilds
Arcteas has some very skillfull craftsmen, and their armorers and weaponsmiths are valued greatly by the Royal family, enough to have their ear when a favor is needed. Other guilds are less lucky, however, and due to Arcteas's weak export economy, the guilds largely have very little influence on national politics, being constrained primarily to city level politics. This is equally true about Merchant Guilds.

Mercenary Guilds
An import from Aureos, Mercenary Guilds are nowhere near as successful in Arcteas. The Arctean standing army is small, but is supplemented by conscription and the paladins in times of war, and they have little need of any but the best mercenaries. In times of peace, however, the best mercs won't find work of their caliber. The church has their own paladins, and merchants and craftsmen in Arcteas just don't have as much wealth to provide the mercenaries. Work can still be found, there are bears and other animals that need killing sometimes, for example, but it's just not as steady or lucrative as in Aureos.

Peasants
Arctean peasants don't have an easy time of it; they have to pay protection to the Theives' Guild, tithes to the church, taxes to the state, and still support their families. However, the church and royal family do more to protect peasants' basic rights and digneties than in other states, and taxes and tithes are, for the most part, reasonable. Not to mention that Arctean peasants are good workers with a knack for growing things, though peasants of other types aren't quite as relatively lucky as farmers.

[Jallorn]

Kingdom of Hespyx

In the west, Hespyx was created by the last two dragons before they were ousted. In a last ditch attempt to remain in control of the humans, these two dragons created a human nation with them in charge. Instead of merely demanding tribute for protection, they took an active part in shaping human lives, ostensibly for their own good. It failed to keep the dragons in command in the long term, and the last dragon fled after his partner was slain. However, shape human culture they certainly did.

By the time the dragons had been ousted, the other three nations were firmly established, and so Hespyx settled into the role the dragons had slated for it, selling iron to Aureos. Hespyx growth has been relatively uninterrupted since then, including taking land from Auster. There are, however, frequent conflicts with the Raptorans, interspersed with periods of a lot of trade. Also, despite relatively little war with the other human nations, Hespyx is not very liked, calling themselves the Noble People due to their universal dragonblood, though it rarely shows any strength in the lower classes these days.

Centers of Power
Royal Families
The two ruler system established by the dragons has been inherited by the humans of Hespyx, to the point of having two seperate royal families. The two families do occassionally intermarry, but since Hespyx is always ruled by two Kings, this causes no real problems. The two families represent the two strengths of the dragons, magic, and might.

The Church
Much to the other nations' surprise at the time, Hespyx welcomed the church. They saw the ascension of a human as proving that humans were at least as powerful as dragons, and that they, therefore, were superior to both, combining the strengths of humans and dragons. Despite this, the Church is more under the control of the Royal Families than the Royal Families are under its influence.

Merchant Guild
Merchants are the closest thing to a nobility that Hespyx has, and almost all of them are skilled warriors, and a few are even sorcerers. Many of the richest merchants rarely leave Hespyx, serving as administrators even as they manage their trade companies, hiring other merchants to travel for them.

Philosophers and Artists
Hespyx is most known these days for it's rich culture. Countless philosophers and artists live successful lives, and the cream of those are known by name even to Orcs. Their art is valued above even some precious metals, and their writings are circulated throughout the known world. Philosophers also make up most of the government's higher eschelons, though this does make for a very slow system. The first schools of the Human world are just now forming in Hespyx.

Craftsman Guilds
Although the guilds are more focused on practical applications, they aren't exempt from the artistic reputation of Hespyx, and the best Master Craftsmen have an elegance to their craft. Hespyx armor and weapons are more often ceremonial than practical, but they do have a secret metal the dragons showed them called mithril.

Thieves' Guild
The Guild has made an impressive wealth in Hespyx. They've discovered a most lucrative crime, counterfeiting. When a counterfeiter's work has been denounced by the artist they copied to the surprise of the owner, they know they've made it.

Peasants
There aren't very many Peasants in Hespyx, as that role is mostly filled by slaves. In fact, most Elven raids avoid Hespyx purely because they'd rather die in battle than be enslaved in Hespyx.

[Jallorn]

The Raptoran City-States
Most raptorans can't do more than glide, but that doesn't stop them from using this unique apendage to their advantage. Raptoran cities are almost all built into the mountains, designed around the ability to glide. This makes it hard for anyone other than a raptoran to move around them rapidly, and makes it even harder for anyone to take the city. This is the primary reason that raptoran cities have stayed as independant states. Although they all have unique cultures, there are some defining characteristics.

Centers of Power
The Family
Raptoran city-states are ruled by a large extended family, and every raptoran under their command is considered a part of this family. The exact structure depends on the city, but generally the elders are an integral part of the system.

Hunters/Warriors
Raptoran hunters are still an integral part of the culture. They are masters with spears, and in recent generations, archery. They provide more security than food these days, since they also serve as guards.

Merchants
Raptorans don't have guilds, since everyone is part of the Family, but they still fund most of their economy on trade. Mostly they move goods across the mountains between the Dwarven Empire and the Human Kingdoms. Most of the cities that border Auster have a human section, where the construction design makes it easier for people without wings to move around. A couple southern cities have the same kind of design for dwarves as well.

Crime
Crime is an inevitable part of any society, but it's disorganized and somewhat less common than other nations. Most crime seems to happen to outsiders, in fact.

Religion
Raptoran worship the sun. While this is characterized by a raptoran sun god in human religion, the raptorans have no belief that the sun looks like them. They also worship the stars to a lesser extent. Raptoran cities are vast necropoli, with people living and working alongside monuments and places of rest. Raptoran religion is broken into a handful of sects. The first and most widespread believes in cremation, to free the essence of the spirit from the shell of the body. The ashes are released to the winds, but every person gets a monument of some kind inside the metropolis, with the wealthiest and most important getting full, lifesized statues. The second sect believes that bodies must be preserved, so that when the sun raises the dead to live again, they have a body to live in. The final and least widespread sect believes that undeath is the ultimate true goal of life, but not any mockery of life like the dwarven skeleton army, but full, intelligent undeath. Needless the say, conflicts are inevitable.

Peasants
The vast majority of raptoran peasants are herders, though there are some farmers.

Chiroptans
A sub-specie of Raptorans, Chiroptans are a small section of almost every city, except for the two cities they hold all themselves. A fraction of the Raptoran population, they are treated as second class citizens, though there are no bars to their acquisition of wealth, which is good, since they do most of the mining for Raptoran society. Culturally similar, there is one fundamental difference to the Chiroptans that needs to be mentioned.

Religion
Chiroptans worship the stars the way Raptorans worship the sun. They see the sun as simply the closest and most involved of the stars, but all are worthy of praise and respect, not just the primary lifegiver. What exactly Chiroptans do with their dead is a matter of heavy speculation among Raptorans, though not something you would bring up in polite society. Rumors range from mass graves, to cannibalism.

[Jallorn]

Dwarven Empire

The Dwarven Empire is all that remains of a once massive Empire that fought it's way north, conquering the native tribes of dwarves and humans. It shares much of the infrastructure of the old empire, but the culture underwent a revolution when the rest of the empire was descending into chaos, to the point where it is recognized as the successor to the first empire, rather than a continuation of it.

Between rampant political corruption, infighting, and so called "barbarians" both within and without the gates, the old empire was doomed. The aristocrats of the old empire sought to shelter in the far more stable north, but they were unprepared for the alliance between the opressed and the not-so-opressed. Several of the leading members of dwarven society that weren't aristocrats, philosophers mostly, had come to the conclusion that the empire's failing was due to corruption at the top, and unethical treatment of those at the bottom.

The revolution was a success, in as far that it changed who held the power. However, it was only marginally progressive in actually changing the system. Although the lowest classes were elevated by the abolishment of those classes, thanks to the implementation of Skeletons as the unskilled workforce, the actual structure of the Empire remained largely unchanged.

[Jallorn]

Urbisolvi
Urbisolvi history begins with Aurean explorers looking to make their fortune. These brave explorers attempted something that hadn't been tried for generations, to find the source of the Thirsty River. While some accounts have the adventurers slaying the fearsome spirit of the river and others have them striking an accord with it, all that is known for sure is that they secured the passage, and claimed the site of Urbisolvi.

However, while they were permitted to own land and found the region's merchant guild, dominion over the forming colony was given to a member of the nobility, and a degree of resentment was fostered in the region. The colony soon grew into a town, and then a city, on dwarven trade, but not as quickly as it could have thanks to heavy taxation. Then, as the Dwarven Empire crumbled, the merchant's guild, now controlled by the descendants of the original founders, mobilized the populace, forced out the nobility, and took control. The nobility of Aureos sent a token force to retake Urbisolvi, but it was pushed back, and the Royal Family dubbed it of too little value to make any further effort, and signed a peace accord.

Much was their shock when the guild revealed a new trading partner a few short months later, the orcs. By this time, the city-state was well organised, and any further attempt to retake it was doomed to be far more costly than either side wanted. However, what could have easily been a mutually destructive relationship was saved by the almost revolutionary level of egalitarianism in Urbisolvi's market. Although there was certainly still a notable level of protectionist policy, they record low tarrifs, even on goods simply passing through to Aureos. Instead, Urbisolvi's economy was built more on ship repair, travel supplies, and inns. They also have a fairly large number of native merchants of their own.

Centers of Power
Merchant Guild
The Merchant Guild runs Urbisolvi, and as such, their methods have changed somewhat. Their main interest is still wealth gain, but in order to join the ruling body, one has to have ratification from not only the ruling body, but from the majority of the merchants currently in the guild. The ruling body has some additional priveleges as well, but also some extra responsibilities. A portion of the taxes and tarrifs go to them, but in times of trouble, they're expected to cover any expenses the guild coffers can't. They have command of the largest standing force in Urbisolvi, but since most of the city-state's forces are hired by the many merchants of the guild, their forces aren't that large.

Mercenary Guilds
Urbisolvi's mercenary economy is the largest one in the region. So large, in fact, that it can manage two guilds in one city without too much competition. Most mercs get hired to guard convoys or ships, but there's also a number hired to keep the borders clear of monsters and dangerous animals, and some of the standing forces are mercs. There isn't really an Urbisolvi army, making the mercs almost always part of the first line of defense, but individual merchants keep small armies of security forces, most ex-mercenaries, and they form the command structure of the army.

Craftsman Guilds
Most Urbisolvi goods are imported, with the major exceptions of food, most wood based goods, and wine. Of particular note are the shipbuilders, who are known as the best in the region, under the authority of the oldest and richest elf in human lands. He has spent over a century mastering shipbuilding, and still refuses to do more than teach, claiming that he will only ever design one ship, and it will be the finest ship ever built. However, his students have no such limitations, and are responsible for most of the ships that sail the Inland Sea.

Thieves' Guild
Unfortunately for the guild, they've found it nearly impossible to acquire a monopoly on crime in Urbisolvi. They have a presence, and it's certainly lucrative, but they've been unable to crack down on freelance criminals, especially pirates. About a fourth of all the mercs in Urbisolvi have at one time or another served as pirates, and everyone knows it.

The Church
The church doesn't have as much influence in Urbisolvi as the rest of human lands. Merchants still go for worship, pay their respects and their tithes, and the peasants are certainly devout, but Urbisolvi interests are economic long before religious, and so the church just doesn't have much power. It is, however an official extension of the Aurean church, rather than it's own branch.

Peasants
The peasants of Urbisolvi are among the wealthiest of the region, getting paid a little more for their work. There are benefits to a wealthy economy that are felt even by the lowest wrung. It also helps that the peasants showed their power in the Rebellion of Secession, and ever since, one of the top priorities of the Guild has been to keep them happy.

Empire Fragments
For brevity, and because their influence is minor in the region my first campaign is set in, I will be merely summarizing each of the countries formed after the collapse of the First Dwarven Empire. All are at the south of the map.

West-most
Boisterous Dwarves with a culture distinct from the Russian/Byzantine blend of the Dwarven Empire. Probably a mix of Scottish, German, and French. Although technologically competitive, they still have some outdated customs as they formed from one of the "barbarian" tribes that overthrew the "first" Empire.

Center
Human ex-slaves of the Empire and native "barbarian" tribes who worship death and hate Dwarves. They are known for strange powers, and there are rumors that they dabble in dangerous magics, or make deals with demons.

Bordering the Forest
A country led and protected by Dwarven Monks who have turned away from imperialism towards a much more religious bent. They serve the gods so as to make the world better for all. The monks have a mix of monks and psions as far as classes go, and are culturally a mix of Asian Acetics, Christian Monks as preservers of knowledge, and Russian culture.

East-most
A mix of human and dwarven. Humans are from the north (traders and the like), from native tribes, and from ex-slaves. Culture uncertain, probably Germanic/English. Trades with Urbisolvi and the Orcs. Once had heavy conflict with the Monks, but since the last peace accord left the two governments managing a half of one trade city split by the river, the tensions have cooled and the two states are starting to become somewhat friendlier. It also helps that the center state is a major nuisance.

[Jallorn]

Elves

Vikings, basically.

[Jallorn]

Orcs

Little is known about the orcs, they are exotic and mysterious, and have rules that don't seem to apply to other races. They have a strict caste system based on religious beliefs.

Castes
Religious Caste

Warrior Caste

Land Owners, Merchants, and Craftsperson Caste

Peasant Caste

[Jallorn]

You may now post, not that there's much to post about yet. Also, I intend to use this as an information source for my players, as such, certain secrets I don't want them to know yet will not be posted here, although they are intricate to the setting. So PM me if you want to know what's up.

It's important to note that while the Theives' Guild has a central authority of sorts, that authority is based purely on the threat behind his or her power, and different groups of the Guild are far from friendly with one another.

[Jallorn]

So that's two countries with, I think, sufficient descriptions in as many days. Should have the generals of the setting done within the week at this rate, and be able to start working on the city my first campaign will be set in by the time I'm back at college. Give that maybe a week, what with needing to get my player's PCs together and all, and by the time everyone's all settled in, I'll be ready to start my campaign.