Interracial Relations

[Haldir]

This is some of the background information I've recorded for the world in which my current game, "Interracial Relations", is taking place.

Azulda- Empire of the Gods

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"No part of the world is uncivilized, for there is no land that the Gods have not walked."

Those who created this world sought, in their divine wisdom, to rule it. And for eons untold, they did. From the white steel ramparts of Azulda (city), the Gods commanded and coordinated the vast populations of the world.

As the Gods machinated against each other and for the unique material wealth of our world, war and strife constantly wracked the Empire. But the strength of the Azuldans (those Gods who reside in Azulda) was absolute for nearly four million years. Until Haldir, designer of our world and the greatest of Gods took pity upon the suffering of the mortal races, and respecting our sapience and our claim as the true inhabitants of this earth, left Azulda forever and returned home to Celestia.

Having lost Haldir and his many powerful followers, Azulda was powerless to keep it's empire from fragmenting into many millions of parts. After a short time of chaos, the remaining Gods achieved some level of power consolidation, and thus began the Age of Twelve Armies. Many of the remaining Gods had no interest in seceding Haldir, and fearing the devastation that was to come, followed Haldir back to the peace of Celestia, marking this time as the Divine Exodus. The Twelve Armies battled for a short three thousands years before, suddenly and inexplicably, the Gods remaining on the earth disappeared entirely. With their departure went all semblance of any globalized society. Knowledge of other lands and peoples across the sea became a distant, often idyllic or misconstrued memory.

The Global Powers

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Naren

Naren is one of the oldest and most well established states in the world. A Consulship that sought and won independence from godly influence over fifteen hundred years ago, the Narenese are renowned for military might and political intrigue that kept them from being absorbed back into the fold for so very long.

Over time, much of Naren has shifted, some of it being conquered away, while other parts have expanded outward and grown. It's Government seat sits at the mouth of the Narenway, which empties into the Great Sea. Since antiquity, many goods from many countries have passed down the Narenway and into the Narenese captial of Verise before being shipped out to exotic ports around the world. This position as a hub for merchants and goods has caused Verise and Naren to become extraordinarily wealthy.

Naren is governed by a complex Republic that consists of a council of eight leaders, each representing an equal portion of the population, and from this Council, an Archminister is selected. The Archminister is responsible for delegating to and running the Council, which decide on all affairs of the nation.

Naren is currently engaged in political and military struggle with Halding, it's northern neighbor, over the valuable Whiterock Valley. Despite having considerable farmland and Lake Pernai in it's southern reaches, Naren still desires the Whiterock Valley for it's fertile farmland and as a tool to overcome the ambitious Halding. Naren recently established the city of Verdance along the Whiterock River in an attempt to strengthen their hold on the Whiterock. Verdance serves as a base of operations for the military powers of Naren in the Whiterock Valley.

Government Type: Republic

Leader: Archminister Leonus Selene

Capital: Verise

Major Geographical Features: Whiterock Valley in the north continues downward into flat and open farmland. The Narenway runs through the northerly half of the nation before emptying into the Great Sea at the city of Verise. In the south, the expansive farmland is marked by Lake Pernai, which serves as a source of food and water much of the nation.

Main Export: Crops, Fishing

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Halding

One of the most successful and respected states of the Old World. Halding is a thriving culture that has achieved greatness under a feudal state. The Monarchy, founded by King Harrand I several centuries ago, rules the country absolutely, but prides itself on it's just and honorable system of law. Haldings capital, Lordkeep, is built using elements of an ancient Azuldan city, which include Blackstone Castle, the residence of the King and the seat of law for the entire nation.

Lordkeep has become known as a bastion of modernization. Featuring several mages guilds, a military headquarters, and the political seat of the nation, the King and his officials have the benefit of the widest array of ideas and power available to any nation anywhere. Because of this, mages are actively involved in military and political affairs and vice versa. As well, in an effort to beautify their city, a recent string of artists and architects have been commissioned by the King himself.

Currently, the Whiterock Valley stands as a major point of contention for Halding. A border dispute has erupted between Halding in the north and the nation of Naren directly to the south. The Whiterock serves as a crucial supply of food and agricultural resources for both nations, and both are attempting to make claims on the valuable lowland.

Government Type: Monachy

Leader: King Alexander XI

Capital: Lordkeep

Major Geographical Features: Low mountainous region in the north marked by sparce forest at it's foothills and, low rolling plains in a large southern valley. Forst River flows from a source in the highlands down the center of the country, before draining into the Whiterock River. Most of the waterways in the Kingdom feed into the Forst.

Main Export: Worked metal and agricultural products.

The Colonial Peace Accords

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The Colonial Peace Accords-

A society of notable men convenes on this day to arbitrate an end to a century of bloodshed and suffering.

The Church of Matlev, respected and dignified as just peacekeepers in all nations of men, demands an end to to the needless killing.

The Priesthood of Haldir, noble interpreters of our Creator's wisdom, decries the folly of a conflict of such massive destruction.

In the time since the Halds first rediscovered those distant lands of legend, hereafter referred to as Caprica and Duriel, untold violence has erupted between the Narenese and the Halds, approximately calculated at two and a half million souls lost in the Whiterock River Valley alone.

On the authority of the righteous disciples of Matlev and humble worshippers of Haldir, it is decreed that exclusive rights of colonization, importation, exportation, trade, commerce, political alliance, and travel on and concerned with the northern continent of Caprica is given to the Kingdom of Halding. Likewise, such exclusive rights of colonization, importatation, exportation, trade, commerce, political alliance, and travel on the southern continent of Duriel are reserved for the Republic of Naren.

The exact center of the Whiterock River shall hereafter be considered the formal and official border between Naren and Halding. No claims by Halding on territory south of the Whiterock, nor any claims by Naren on territory north of the Whiterock shall be considered valid.

Each nation shall agree to respect the sovereign nature of it's neighbor and the ideals of peace in the Whiterock Valley by maintaining no more than one thousand armed defenders within the valley itself.

Any violation of the above provisions is considered to be a hostile act. Each body undersigned -the Church of Matlev, the Priesthood of Haldir, the Republic of Naren, and the Kingdom of Halding- shall consider any violation of the above provisions to be a criminal act of the highest order in their respective courts.

The Metarium

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A metarium is the maximum distance that any spell can maintain its form, function, or power (~10 kilometers). Because no amount of energy added to the system will allow the spell to exceed the metarium, it serves as an important constant. Many of the vital measurements needed to create spells are systems mathematically derived in some way from the metarium.

Azulda is a world in transition. The creation of tools imbued with the power of spells started with airships, which allowed the humans to reach other continents, a feat that has never been achieved without the intervention of a God. Airships symbolize the power and influence of mages, and a revolution of advanced learning and spellcrafting has spread all throughout the human continent as a result.

Globalization, power, and modernization (by the dissemination of "technology") are the main themes that this world should attempt to tackle.

[Haldir]

Note- This information was written for my players, and represents only knowledge that is commonly known or accepted.

[Haldir]

If one were to look under "Orc" in a dictionary commonly circulated in Halding:

Orcs are a widely disbursed race of sapient beings. Orc populations on both Duriel and Caprica are quite large, which indicates a very successful reproductive and migratory pattern. Agriculture would seem to the strongest indicator of a cultural success, and like the humans, orcs excel at tilling the earth. Farming and herding are the most widely practiced profession among orcs, yet every orcish culture, even those geographically removed, maintain groups dedicated exclusively to hunting. These groups are primarily seen as a source of social cohesion and necessary to ensure the tribe is capable of adequate defense.

Physiologically, orcs are distinct from humans in many key ways.Orc skin is of a dark color, but stiff hairs of many color varieties grow all over the creatures body. An elongated jaw ends with a flat, snout-like nose with nostrils pointed directly forward. Generally, Male orcs can immediately be distinguished from the female by the presence of a set large of fang-like protrusions that grow from the center of the lower jaw, and extend forward out of the mouth. There are few other distinctions between the male and female of the species. Sex and waste organs are located in roughly the same location as humans. The orc hand possesses only three large fingers, each capped with a hard conical claw, featuring a concave surface on the anterior side of the hand, approximately [5 cm] in length.

Orcs birth live young, and mothers feed their infants in much the same manner as humans and other mammals. Similar to domesticated animals, the female orcs milk-producing organs are small protrusions located on the pelvis. Orc young reach physical maturity roughly ten years after birth, and the typical orc weighs anywhere between [80 to 150 kg] and stands roughly [2 - 3 m] in height. This produces exceptionally strong and sturdy individuals.

(Play Notes: There are no half-orcs. Reproduction between the two species is impossible. Orcs racial traits are exact to the Monster Manual, except as a surface dwelling race on the planet of Azulda, they neither suffer from Light Sensitivity nor gain darkvision. Neither do they receive intelligence nor wisdom penalties. Charisma penalties only apply when dealing with races other than orcs.)