The seat of power in Preachán, the crafty and sneaky race that facilitates trade between kingdoms. Watch your purse when you enter for there are no laws to safeguard you. These cunning folk hire caravans of Romani traders to haul goods between cities, but they bet on the outcome of whether the goods arrive.
The island city of Kenatos was founded to preserve the knowledge and culture of each disparate kingdom. It is a thriving city built in the center of a vast lake. It is the home of the Paracelsus order, those who have studied the ways of magic and science and learned to blend them together. At night, lanterns on the city streets miraculously begin to glow. Wonders await new arrivals in Kenatos. But beware those who would take advantage of the naïve.
The land of the noble Vaettir, the survivors of a race whose empire was totally obliterated by the plague. They came aboard ships across the vast seas, ferrying as many as they could save. When the ships returned for more, they found the plague had finished its deadly work. Above all they respect life and never needlessly kill any living thing. Their race has the innate gift of levitation. They can cross their vast woods atop the trees.
This secluded kingdom next to the trading nation of Stonehollow is known for their expert craftsmen, particularly the stone masons who build vast castles and cities. They are a private and distrusting people. They do not trust others easily. Some among them have the power of creating fire with their hands. Some say this ‘Fireblood’ renders them immune to the Plague. It is not a crime among this people to shed someone’s blood who possesses this power.
There are no roads or passes through the horrifying Scourgelands. No army has ever tamed it. No civilization has ever dwelled there in peace. It is a land of black trees and evil mysteries. Some say it is the birthplace of the Plague. Only one man has ever ventured into that lair and survived. And he never speaks of it.
While most are Vaettir-born, the Bhikhu are those specially trained in fighting and combat. They are the guardians and protectors of Kenatos and Silvandon from the barbarian hordes of Boeotia who wish to conquer the kingdoms.
These are those who have chosen to bind themselves to the land instead of nations or kingdoms. They live in seclusion in the vast tracks of woodlands, mastering the magic which allows them to commune and request power from the timid spirit creatures.
Very little is known about the Arch-Rike’s private assassins, the Kishion. Some say they are Bhikhu who have been especially trained to kill without regret. They walk in shadow and secrecy. The Arch-Rike’s personal bodyguard is known only as the Quiet Kishion.
These are the scholars and devotees of the wisdom of the ages. They are doctors and lawyers, scribes and bureaucrats. They dwell in Kenatos and supervise the many projects underway. They each wear a magic ring that lets them know when someone is uttering a falsehood.
Only the most brave and determined travel outside the safety of cities and fortresses. They have a rigid and patriarchal order. They are known to kidnap children and force them into servitude.
Very few understand how magic in this world works. But if you ask a Druidecht, they will tell you that there is an unseen world called Mirrowen inhabited by spirit creatures possessing powerful magic. Mortals cannot normally communicate with these creatures, but with the aid of a Talisman, a trained Druidecht can not only speak with them but they can perform feats of magic on their behalf. The lore of spirit magic is never written down but passed from master to student through the ages.
There are some who have learned how to entrap these spirits and harness their magic. They seek to learn the deep secrets of Mirrowen itself and discover if portals still exist that can take someone there.
A foundling Druidecht from Wayland. Trained under the wisdom of his mentor Reeder, he has learned the various forms of spirit magic and earned his Talisman. The only thing he knows about his family is that he has an uncle, the famous Paracelsus known as Tyrus. He also carries a secret.
A Romani girl approaching the age where she will be sold for the second time and receive the second earring of bondage. Her entire future will be dictated by whoever pays the next price for her.
A Bhikhu trained in the fighting arts in Kenatos. His self-confidence is only exceeded by his bravado. He would love nothing more than to escape the confines of the island city and see the world.
A young woman at the Winemiller orphanage in Stonehollow. She is Dryad-born, the daughter of a spirit creature of Mirrowen and a mortal father. She may be the only hope the world has of surviving.
One of the powerful masters of the Paracelsus order. The lone survivor of the Scourgelands. No one knows his secrets for trust is easy to break and can prove to have deadly consequences.
a race from the southern kingdoms of Wayland and Stonehollow. They are primarily fair-skinned with dominant and recessive traits for hair color, eye color, and complexion. Many consider the Aeduan as mongrels because of the variety of their physical characteristics (hair color, eye color, skin tone). However, they have proven to be very adaptable and most resilient to the Plague. The Aeduan were the principal founders of Kenatos.
a class primarily found in Silvandom and Kenatos. These are highly trained warriors that specialize in all forms of armed and unarmed combat and are trusted to preserve the peace and dispense justice. They cannot own treasure or items of value and treat life with the greatest respect. They are often mistaken for being cruel for they will punish and deliberately injure as a way of teaching their morality of painful consequences. The Bhikhu are typically orphans and nobility who have abandoned worldly wealth.
a race of tribes from the northern territories known as Boeotia. They have no central government, though purportedly revere an individual known as the Empress. They are nomads with no permanent cities and live off the land. They are strong and typically have brown or black hair and are prone to fight amongst themselves, pitting tribe against tribe. Their skin is heavily veined and tattooed, giving them an almost purple cast. They have sworn to destroy the city of Kenatos and occasionally unify for the purpose of attacking the island kingdom. Silvandom is the primary defense against Boeotia, for they have conflicting ideologies.
the seat of the Druidecht hierarchy, known as the Thirteen. These are the wisest of the Druidecht and they travel throughout the kingdoms to solve social and political problems and to represent nature in disputes over land. When one of the Thirteen dies, the remaining twelve vote to replace that person from a promising Druidecht who will join Canton Vaud and travel to kingdoms solving problems.
a small marked coin denoting the rank of thief. Showing it to another ensures cooperation in an activity as well as access to information and illegal items. There are purportedly only five hundred such coins in existence and so in order to acquire a carnotha, one must steal it from another thief. They are carefully safeguarded and hidden from authorities. There is one carnotha that identifies the location of all the others and can determine whether one is a fake. The bearer of this one is known as the master thief.
a lesser-known class found in Silvandom and only taught amongst the Vaettir and usually only to nobility. In addition to the martial aspects of the Bhikhu, the Chin-Na train their bodies to exist on very little air and have learned to harden their bodies and focus their internal energy to the point where even weapons cannot pierce their skin. As such, they do not float but their attacks are so focused and powerful that they can strike down an enemy with a single blow that damages internal organs. Only the most trusted and dedicated to Vaettir ideals are allowed to learn the secrets of the Chin-Na.
a race from the eastern mountains of Alkire. They have grayish-black skin, ranging in tone, with hair varying from pale blond to coarse gray. They are easily the largest of men, in terms of weight, not size, but not slow or ponderous. The Cruithne are known for their inquisitiveness and deep understanding of natural laws and spirit laws. They founded the Paracelsus order in their ancient homeland and transferred its knowledge to Kenatos.
a class found in every kingdom except Kenatos. Those in Kenatos consider them superstitious pagans, though harmless. The knowledge of the Druidecht is only transmitted verbally from mentor to disciple. It teaches that the world coexists with a spirit realm known as Mirrowen and that the spirits of that realm can be communed with and enlisted for help. A Druidecht cannot heal innately, but it can enlist a spirit creature that can. When a disciple has memorized the unwritten lore and demonstrated sufficient harmony with nature and Mirrowen, he or she will be presented with a talisman that will enable him or her to hear the thoughts of spirit creatures and be able to communicate back. The variety of spirit creatures is diverse and so Druidecht often only stay in one place for a few years and then move to another place to learn about the denizens there. The Druidecht are the only outsiders trusted by the Boeotians to enter their lands unharmed.
a spirit creature of great power known to inhabit high mountain country. Their presence causes fog and fear to disorient and terrify their prey. There are no recorded descriptions of a Fear Liath. They cannot tolerate sunlight.
a class found in nearly every kingdom, trained to search for lost items or people. They can track prints, discern clues, and are often hired as bounty hunters or guides. Finders trained in the city usually do not associate with those trained in the wild.
an innate magical ability possessed by a lost race. The race purportedly are the predecessors of the inhabitants of Stonehollow and are much persecuted. They appear to be a mix of Aeduan with some physical resemblance to Preachán for most have red or copper-colored hair. Their race is impervious to the Plague and for this reason they are distrusted and hunted during outbreaks and their blood dabbed on door lintels, which is commonly believed to ward off infection to the household. The real name of the race is unknown, but it is said they can conjure fire with their hands and that overuse of such innate ability renders them permanently insane.
a Vaettir word for the innate ability to produce miracles, such as healing, raising the dead, traveling vast distances in moments, and calming storms. The secrets of the Keramat are zealously guarded by the Vaettir and have not been disclosed to the Archivists of Kenatos.
a class originating in the island kingdom of Kenatos. These are the Arch-Rike’s personal bodyguards and administer the city’s justice on those convicted of heinous crimes, such as murder, rape, and treason. Only Bhikhu and Finders are chosen to be Kishion and are given extensive training in survival, diplomacy, and poison. They are unswervingly loyal to the Arch-Rike and to the ideals of Kenatos.
a concept and possibly a location. The Druidecht teach that the world coexists with a spirit realm called Mirrowen and that the inhabitants of each can communicate with one another. The realm of Mirrowen is said to be inhabited by immortal spirits with vast powers. There is little belief in this dogma in the larger cities, where they consider the belief trite and superstitious, a way of coping with the regular horrors of the Plague by imagining a state of existence where there is no death. The Druidecht suggest there is ample evidence of Mirrowen’s existence and roam the lands teaching people to be harmonious with nature.
a class from Kenatos and Alkire. Enigmatic and reclusive, these practitioners of arcane arts study the records of the past to tame vast sources of power. Some Paracelses excel at forging weapons of power to sell for profit in Havenrook. Others experiment with new sources of energy, which they harness into powerful gems to be used by the ruling class. Most Paracelses specialize in specific forces and phenomena and document their findings in great tomes that they contribute to the Archive of Kenatos. The Paracelsus Towers in Kenatos is the hub of their order, though many travel to distant kingdoms to continue unraveling clues from the past.
a terrible disease that strikes the kingdoms at least once every generation, destroying entire cities and dwindling the population. There is no documented record of the origins of the Plague and over the millennia the kingdoms have drawn closer and closer together for the preservation of their races. Documents discovered in abandoned towns and fortresses reveal that there are complete civilizations that have been wiped out by the Plague and races that used to exist but no longer do. The island kingdom of Kenatos was founded to be a last bastion for civilization and to preserve all knowledge and a remnant of each surviving race.
a race from the trading city of Havenrook. They tend to be short, brown- or redhaired, and have an amazing capacity for deductive reasoning and complex arithmetic. They also have a deep-rooted desire for wealth and the thrill of gambling. They employ the Romani to execute their trading system and are generally devoid of morals. The Preachán take pride that there are no laws or rules in Havenrook. Those who rule are the ones who have accumulated the most wealth and prestige.
a class who lead the island kingdom of Kenatos. They are often mistaken for a priesthood of Seithrall, but in reality they are more like academics, physicians, and lawyers. While many believe them to possess magical powers, their power comes from the artifacts created by the Paracelsus order. With such, they can heal injuries and cure Plague victims. They are frequently dressed in a black cassock, but the most telltale sign is the ring that they wear. It is a black stone that purportedly gives them the ability to detect a lie spoken in their presence as well as to compel a weak-willed person to speak the truth.
a class that has no country or kingdom. Romani can be of any race. They control the caravan routes and deliver goods between kingdoms with the strongest allegiance to the Preachán city of Havenrook. They are forbidden to enter or to operate within Silvandom. Romani are known for kidnapping and organized crime. Starting at age eight, they are sold into service at ten-year increments. Their value increases in age and training and usually diminishes with age and disability. Each decade of servitude corresponds with an earring, which they cannot remove under pain of death. Their freedom may be purchased for a single, usually large, lump sum.
a quasi-religion existing in the island kingdom of Kenatos. The term is a transliteration of the Vaettir words for “fate” or “faith,” as one being under the thrall of one or the other. While the Rikes of Kenatos do not suggest that the term connotes a specific religion, the populace of the city has given it a mystical quality as it is not possible to lie to a Rike who wears the black ring.
a class of Silvandom known for the keramat of healing. This ability is innate and comes from their closeness to nature and the ability to share their life force with others.
a spirit creature of Mirrowen that is tiny and can travel great distances and provide warnings of danger and healing.
a Druidecht charm, fixed to a necklace, which is presented to the Druidecht by the spirits of Mirrowen upon achieving a sufficient level of respect, usually achieved by adulthood. The emblem is a woven-knot pattern, intricately done, and it purportedly allows a Druidecht to commune with unseen spirits.
spirit beings of great power that possess the gift of moving people and objects great distances in mere moments. It is considered a keramat to be able to induce such spirits to perform this feat.
a Bhikhu philosophy and way of life that centers on the observation and discernment of the motives of others, and then acting in a way that validates or rejects the observation. Life is a series of intricate moves and countermoves between people and a Bhikhu who can make the observations and reactions faster than an opponent and will win a confrontation.
a race from Silvandom that values life above all. They are generally tall and slender, dark-skinned, with black hair. They do not eat meat and seek to preserve life in all its various forms. Their magic is innate and the wise use and practice of it is known as keramat. When they inhale deeply, their bodies become buoyant and can float. When they exhale deeply, their bodies become more dense and solid and they sink.
