Lyra
The Lyran Empire, Joint Electorate of Lyra
The self-titled "Bastion of Mankind", "Torch of Civilization", "Bulwark of Progress"
The heart of civilization, at least according to its inhabitants, Lyra lies on the fertile banks of the river Warraine and around the Worldsplit Straits, and has conquered numerous surrounding lands. Today, over 65 million people claim its citizenship, and numerous prosperous cities oversee the lands.
The climate of Lyra is temperate, cool in the northern reaches. All of Lyra is excessively rainy, with heavy snowfall in winter.
Most of the country is accessible via paved roads, winding between intensively cultivated lands.
*Khoratas:
the heart of the Empire, the Pearl of the Warraine is a city housing two million people. As to preserve the fertile black soil of the surrounding lands, the city has been built upwards, higher and higher towards the clouds. The structures at the bottom have long crumbled under the weight of those above. Sunlight and fresh air are in short supply at the lower levels, and the wealthy flock towards the surface, while the masses dwell in the shadow. A crown of this artificial mountain, the royal palace stands proudly at the top, from where the emperor and his wizards oversee the doings in his land, while older palaces lie buried beneath.
*The Heartland:
flat and moist, this is the breadbasket of the realm. The fertile soil and ample rainfall allow two harvests per year, which is necessary to feed the teeming population of the many populous cities dotting the landscape, where the wealthy merchant and citizen class is beginning an intellectual and cultural renaissance.
*The Highlands:
while Lyra lays claim to wide lands, in some areas the control is less tight. One of those are the highlands, where, though they are in the center of the empire, the king rules but the valleys, while independent dwarven cities, small ancient kingdoms, savage orcish tribes and mysterious beings rule the heights.
*The Academies:
Lyra has institutionalized the learning of magic, amongst many other arts. Three academies teach the gifted of the realm, serving the crown, but also fiercely competing and following their own agendas. Proud Annuli Dersa resides on a table mountain in the north, ever rainy and shrouded in mist; Ark-Hellen calls a gargantuan tower its home, secluded in a lush crater; and finally Twycross, a mighty fortress in the midst of a wasteland blasted by magical warfare, pervaded by arcane energies and the stench of the Abyss alike.
*The North:
long winters, seemingly never-ending nights and assaults by the untamed northerners, independent demi-human nations and fierce blizzards take their toll. This is really a place that forges a man into a stronger whole, or breaks him to pieces. Conquered only recently, many northern provinces retain their peculiar culture and nationalist feelings. The magistrates and legions stationed here most frequently consider it a punishment.
*The Colonies:
across the sea, Lyra has either conquered or befriended numerous seashores, and heavy war galleys as well as lumbering merchant vessels, a welcome target for pirates, cross the blue emptiness of the ocean, bringing luxuries, slaves and trophies to sate the hunger of the empire.
The heart of civilization, at least according to its inhabitants, Lyra lies on the fertile banks of the river Warraine, and has conquered numerous surrounding lands. Today, over 65 million people claim its citizenship, and numerous prosperous cities oversee the lands.
Fyndhalor: a Llyndhyran city that was recently conquered by Lyra, the walled port is a constant source of unrest. Unwaveringly loyal to their king, the Llyndhyran 'barbarians' occupy the wits of the governor, lady Ithiria Lilienfeldt, all day, every day. Vexed by taxation by a foreign monarch, the natives rebel incessantly.
Passive resistance, sabotage and outright violence erupt inside the city's walls, while the patrols outside, amongst the hills and farmsteads, fear to travel in units less than fifty strong, lest the highlanders tear them to shreds.
The lady had the natives' priests put to the sword, she had their chieftains dragged off as hostages, but nothing seems to break the will of the blonde giants.
Slowly, she is losing imperial favor as the city's much-wanted iron mines fail to consistently provide the desired ore, while throngs of Llyndhyrans and Dynahyrans gather on the border. Verily, the Lyran army may be the first thing to unite the implacable foes against the threat it presents.
Ungol Mirath, the Broken Mountain: once a dwarven enclave within the borders of Lyra, sovereign yet allied, Ungol-Mirath was taken over when the Lyran king fell too deep in debt to the Dwarven moneylenders to repay. Imperial mages split the mountain open; the legions broke any resistance. Today, the wealth of the hold flows to Lyra, while the Dwarves are in chains, one and all, toiling to repay the 'war crimes'. Lyran criminals too populate the pock-marked landscape, with most sentences handed out by Duke Coburg-Gotha being a term in the mines.
Anelien, the Blissful Bay: as a byproduct of a far larger campaign, the Lyran army annexed Anelien, an elven enclave on te southern Samean coast. The populace, enslaved and outnumbered by the newly-arriving Lyrans, is reduced to high-class servants and entertainment, displaying unearthly swordplay, singing ballads of unmeasurable beauty for unappreciative ears, being degraded by the lust of conquerors and dragged off to serve in Lyra as slaves. To Lyrans, Anelien is a symbol for their love of Elven culture, and generally a high-class place to visit.
Sil Cithandir: a protectorate of Lyra on the border of Arcadizar, the Elven city sided with the known evil in exchange for safety from the zealous theocracy. The prince of Sil Cithandir, Aentherion, is spending most of his time in Khoratas, embroiled in the high game of intrigue and diplomacy, to ensure a viable future for his people.
Gillian's Girdle: a string of islands along the Samean coast houses a bustling port city - both a gate to the riches of Samea, and busy point of commerce. The city itself is swarming with adventurers, scoundrels and pirates, mercenaries, enterpreneurs and merchants, and resonates with languages from all over the world. Lady Lintharis, a Tallarn Elven exile, runs the city for the Emperor with cunning guile and brutal efficiency. Ever desiring of power and status, Lintharis climbs the social ladder ruthlessly - by coin and guile preferrably (such as the marriage to the decadent duchess of Loewenfels), or by dagger and venom (such as the sudden vacancy of the governor's post).
***
The climate of Lyra is temperate, cool in the northern reaches. All of Lyra is excessively rainy, with heavy snowfall in winter.
Most of the country is accessible via paved roads, winding between intensively cultivated lands.
The land is a melting pot of cultures, and such is both their language and the appearance of the people. Lyra is a place of contrast – between the rich and the poor, between the good and the vile and between the different groups inhabiting it. Lyrans place great emphasis on personal freedom and independence, at least as much as they place trust in the gold coin, the most beloved object of many a Lyran.
Culture:
*Family: here it takes whatever form the members agree to live in – extended families are not uncommon, but singles with a child or two can also be encountered. Lyra is a place of endless diversity, and as such all forms of family are found here.
*Marriage and divorce: One can marry whom he wishes to in Lyra, and even interracial or same-sex couples are not unheard of. It is legally not possible to be married to more than one person at once unless certain conditions are met – either one of the partners is declared a concubine/lover, in which case he/she does not share the benefits of being married, such as inheritance if the partner dies, but the children sprung from such an union are all legal in all respects; if one of the partners is declared infertile, he is not counted against the limit, but all children will be attributed to the partner who was declared as fertile; a woman can also be married to a nobleman as a substitute mother, surrendering her children to the true lady, but acquiring temporary status one level lower than the true lady’s that is hers as long as she is married to the lord. Recently, nobles have been taking elven concubines, to gift their successors with an extended lifespan; being a half-elf is also considered fashionable.
Divorce is easy in Lyra, at least nominally. Any priest of the deity under whose patronage the bond was sealed can declare the couple divorced after a brief ceremony. The financial side of the parting is much more complicated and exhausting – it can take months or even years to arrange all financial matters, and this fact alone has prevented many a marriage from being cancelled.
*Adultery: unless the other partner takes offense in the matter, this is not considered a crime. On the other hand, if he does this poses a serious matter, for, depending on the partners’ relationship, the oaths that bind them and the person the deed was committed with, the punishment can turn out serious indeed, most of all if both of the offenders were of much lower social class than the betrayed partner.
*Women as adventurers: are possible and common in Lyra. If a girl has the stuff for a life on the road, nobody will take offense.
*Government: the government of Lyra is a combination of feudalism and oligarchy. As it is both possible to buy a title using money (quite common) or earn it through great deeds (actually rare), the ranks of nobility welcome many new members on a day-to-day basis. On the other hand, it is possible for a nobleman who has lost his fortune to descend in rank if he cannot back up his claim to nobility with hard cash. Some noble houses are excluded from this rule, mainly those who received their titles as a reward for services to the crown. These houses call themselves the “true nobles” and often bear their coat of arms with great pride despite being firmly held in the grip of poverty.
*Structure: the leaders are selected from the descendants of the deceased or retired leader by a group of four priests and nine other nobles appointed by the former lord. In the case of the descendant to the throne there are sixteen nobles - the heads of the elector houses, while the priests are the heads of their respective churches, additionally the heads of the three wizardly academies, and the Praetor of the most prominent knightly order (who also carries the tie-breaking vote).
If the former lord just abdicated, and himself wishes to vote, he is given two votes.
*Class Structure: at the bottom of the society stand the outlaws – bandits and outcasts. Next come the slaves and serfs, above them the free farmers and craftsmen. Mages are held in high regard, and any official graduate of any of the Lyran academies can gain a noble title simply by asking, being promoted to the status of knight, although he has to maintain it through regular service to the crown, a reason for many mages not to adopt such a title. This sort of title can only be passed on to a descendant who possesses the power of Magery, otherwise it is considered cancelled. Truly powerful mages can rise to the rank of baron or even duke if their service is of sufficient quality. Above the rank of duke is the rank of the elector, and the king sits at the top of the social pyramid.
*Etiquette and its enforcement: The nobility is fascinated by the Elves and their manners, and thus tries to duplicate them – with little success. The code is an elaborate collection of debased Elven rites and social conventions, spiced with native customs, as well as an odd piece or two of unknown origin. While the nobility follows this form of etiquette, the common folk are simply given as much respect as they command. A breach of etiquette in the upper circles will simply earn the culprit a bad reputation amongst his peers, and his company will not be welcome the next time, while a lack of respect can mean your death when dealing with the wrong sort of the common folk.
*Slavery: is common within Lyra – about fifteen percent of the society are slaves. There are many ways one can become a slave – as a result of being captured by the armies of Lyra in wartime, due to unpaid debts or simply being born as the child of a slave. One can also voluntarily sell himself into slavery for a fixed amount of time. Slaves receive as many rights as their owner grants them. While their owner can deal with them pretty much as he desires, others will usually not harm another’s slave – this constitutes damage of private property. A slave can gain freedom if his debts are paid, his contract expires or his owner grants him this privilege.
*Religion: the Lyran mythology believes the world resting upon four pillars, and their gods also number four – Ayatwah, Aataquah, Alivaanah and Avathimanah. Theirs is the power over the elements, and theirs are the character traits and concepts associated with each element: while Fire holds sway over love, chaos and rage, Earth is bound by honor and law, for trust and duty are its second nature. The Air symbolizes freedom, wit and commerce, but also mystery brought on the wings of the wind. Water is the life’s essence, and brings renewal and peace.
While the four powers rarely get involved into the matters, their presence can be felt in times of great turmoil – otherwise their favor or disfavor takes forms too subtle to be easily noticed.
The Lyran faith is tolerant, and thus other religions can coexist in the same area, provided of course they are tolerant themselves.
*Liturgical form: Lyran worship is at least as much a public matter as a private one. The most important ceremonies take place in the street, and the temples are constructed in a way reflecting this – roofs held up high by pillars form the entirety of a temple’s public area. Every four weeks, a ceremony is held at the temples, each of the four weekends belonging to another deity.
While at home, the faithful can also make use of a private shrine, consisting most often of a niche covered by a curtain, where a statuette of the deity is kept.
*Funerary custom: well aware of the dangers of necromancy and grave robbery, the dead are cremated in Lyra, and are not given any grave goods. All that is done in their memory is the construction of a pillar with a statue of the deceased. Nonetheless, there are ancient graveyards, dusty crypts and catacombs laden with bodies and grave goods of all sorts, reminder of a time when the customs of Lyra were quite different – the opulence of the goods discovered within wealthy graves points towards the greatest fear of a member of a society that places utmost importance in worldly belongings: the fear of losing it all when finally death claims you.
*Magic: Lyra is a normal mana area, and thus only mages may cast spells. Mages are highly respected in Lyra, but the concurrence within their ranks is merciless and often violent.
*Art-Graphic and Sculpture: he who can afford it will have his home decorated in some way just to show it – the wealthier the owner, the more elaborate will the artwork decorating the outside as well as the inside of his dwelling will be. Due to the lucrativity of the trade, many talented (and many more untalented) youths will choose the path of the artist. As well as that, many nobles will pursue artistic endeavors in their spare time. As with all other trades, a good artist can make a fortune in Lyra, but many more others fail.
*Music and dance: Lyran music most often makes the use of string instruments and wooden wind instruments. Most often the music is swift and merry, for the people desire it so. Song is most often used as secular entertainment, though at the height of summer, all churches make use of choirs counting hundreds of singers in their greatest ceremony. Dancing is a popular entertainment both amongst commoners and the nobility.
*Sports and games: very popular are horse and chariot races, as well as gladiatorial fights; also, given the nature of the inhabitants of Lyra, just about any game of chance or wit can gain popularity. A favorite are diverse board games, as well as card games of all sorts. Most Lyran inns seem to have at least half of their space dedicated to gambling, and the people gladly use the opportunity.
*Architecture: out of necessity, Lyran architects construct buildings mostly out of stone, for quality wood is not all too common in Lyra, and most of the time it is saved up for internal isolation and furniture. The structures are tall to be able to house many people on a small area, as well as to catch as much sun as possible. Due to the humid climate are all structures equipped with gutters leading to the vast sewer systems – Lyra is the only realm in which the cities are given this luxury on a regular basis – all the water has to go somewhere. As the stone buildings tend to be cold both in the harsh Lyran winter as well as the rainy summer, the architects were forced to become the masters of isolation. The aforementioned facts have other side effects – due to a lack of firewood are oil and coal in great demand, as well as furs for sleeping facilities.
*Cooking: while Lyra has its own rather heavy cuisine, many specialties from other lands can be encountered. The people share a certain fondness for eating out, so that a wide plethora of establishments of various quality, yet generally acceptable prices can be found.
*Clothing: the poor dress in cheap and readily available wool, while the rich wear the most exotic fabrics they can lay their hands on, complemented by furs and jewelry – wealth is a measure for status in Lyra, and jewels are a way of showing off. While in their well-heated homes, many noble ladies can be encountered wearing but a few skimpy patches of fabric along with extensive amounts of jewelry, for the same visual effect as if fully dressed. Those of knightly status wear elaborate coats of arms meant to instantly identify the wearer amongst his peers.
*Food: Lyra is literally covered with vast expanses of wheat, soy and rice fields, as well as grazing grounds for countless different forms of cattle. What the poor man eats reflects this fact – Lyran cooks constantly strive to invent still new kinds of porridge, bread and cakes. Besides these, dairy products are regularly on the menu, as well as the occasional bit of meat or a fish or two. The commoner’s drink is beer or rice wine. The nobles are not so restricted in their choices, and can afford to have their food imported – first of all real wine, as no-one has ever succeeded in cultivating wine in Lyra, for the climate is far too cold.
*Packs and containers: Lyrans use heavy wagons as well as sleds for transportation on land, or simply pack the goods on the backs of beasts of burden. Solid goods are transported in baskets or sacks. For the transportation of fluids, ceramics, glass containers or wineskins are used. As wood is expensive in the central lands, many of the wagons are built of bone, an amazing sight for a foreigner indeed.
*Boats: Lyra does not have many ships. The merchant fleets consist of heavy, broad and stable, yet slow and cumbersome vessels able to bring vast amounts of bulky goods safely to their destination. Most of the vessels are not truly ocean-going, and constrained to the fairly easy travel on the Channel. The war fleet’s numbers are few, but these ships are rightly feared – the steel-plated war galleys are amongst the fastest and fearsome of vessels, as they house three hundred row men each, as well as carrying numerous soldiers armed with heavy crossbows and weapons for close combat. Many heavy siege engines capable of causing utter mayhem on the coast or the decks of enemy ships are mounted on these giants of war.
*Airships: though only in early stages of development, hot air balloons and zeppelin are already in use in Lyra. Though their safety and reliability, as well as cargo capacity, leave much to be desired, they are gaining in popularity rapidly.
*Weapons:
*Missile weapons: both the crossbow and bow are in wide use in Lyra. The come in a variety of shapes and materials – bone, wood and metal are all likely to be encountered. Bows come in all sizes, from the short bow to the composite bow, and so do crossbows: small hand crossbows and titanic ballistae are all very popular. In times of war, every Lyran footman and knight will carry a missile weapon.
*Long swords and short swords are the preferred weapon of the Lyran soldier. Lyran-made steel is not of the highest quality, but the weapons come cheap, and they are quite good at doing their job.
*Other weapons: knights make also use of flails, heavy maces and lances, while the pike and halberd are pretty much popular amongst some foot troops.
*Weaponless combat: your average Lyran will resort to style-less brawling if encountered without a weapon, but this almost never happens – any Lyran, whether beggar or noble, will have hidden daggers, knives, shurikens and stilettos all over him. Thus the fists usually only fly in friendly brawls, for as soon as the fight gets serious, various edged and/or pointed items are drawn.
*Armor: the common Lyran soldier will wear a pot helm and a breastplate – the best compromise between weight, cost and protection. On the other hand, the knight will be encased in solid steel, and his steed will be much like him – clad in armor from head to heels.
*Shields: many Lyran footmen carry medium or large shields, and are highly trained in their use, being able to defend both himself and his peers with his shield.
*Military tactics: Lyra relies on its disciplined legions of countless footmen – after all, what Lyra has in abundance are people – people willing to fight for a copper or simply the joy of it (not that these would not demand pay). A substantial amount of Lyran men have already served in the legions. The footmen are backed up by small contingents of knights and numerous siege engines the men are able to assemble or disassemble in a matter of minutes.
*Economy and Trade:
