The World of Edrith

[Iain]

Hi, Edrith is the world which I've been slowly developing and running games in for the majority of my GMing experience (about 100 hours of gaming over 6 years). I thought I'd post up what I've developed so far, so that people can look at what I've fleshed out(and maybe get some ideas), but mainly so that on the bits which I haven't fleshed out well (which is quite a lot of it!) you can all hopefully suggest ideas and give me some inspiration!

To sum up what I mainly need help with:

Things which I've got mainly in hand

Large scale geography
Large scale culture
History and international politics
Races (mainly)
Linguistics
Systems of measurement
Animal species
The magic system

Having said that, if anyone reads stuff I've written and wants to make suggestions of anything new for here, please go ahead: I'm not by any means saying that these sections are fully developed, just that I've done a lot more work on them than on some of the other bit.

Things which need a lot more work

Mythic stuff (very little)
The pantheon (weak - not much done. Haven't really got the gods or their priesthoods well developed).
Small scale culture: i.e. I have my culture developed on continent wide scales, but not on how different countries within a continent are distinct.
Should there be centaurs? (I want to put centaurs in, but don't know where to put them)
Guilds and organisations (got a few, but not very many: could definitely have more here).
Some areas of the world: for example, the islands surrounding Avalonia are totally undeveloped (I haven't even drawn a map); many of the kingdoms of southern Laurentia are also fairly sketchy at the moment.
No doubt there is quite a lot of other stuff I haven't developed well - I'm sure you'll spot things.

I'll probably be posting things in this thread quite rapidly over the next few days. This is because I've got quite a lot (but not everything) in my World pack; however, I need to "Strolenise" it. By this I mean two things: 1) put it in a form that is useful for this website, rather than for people who are about to be playing in it and 2) change quite a few names. I have a tendency (especially when I was starting) to, whenever I couldn't think of a name, just take one from a random fantasy novel and plonk it in (the place or person in question would usually have nothing to do with the original). This isn't really a great idea, so I'm using this as an opportunity to go through and change a lot of names.

Anyway, I'd really be greatful for comments and ideas on Edrith. Hope you enjoy what I've done so far.

[Iain]

This page won't at the moment make much sense, but it's a summary of the world at the moment. Basically, whenever I post something up, you should be able to relate it to something here, and it will help you keep track of everything.

Edrith

Three continents: Baltica (far west), Avalonia (middle) Laurentia (far east)

Sapient races: Humans, elves, dwarfs, orcs, cho-ja, gryphons, shadowspawn, rock trolls, great dragons.

Place within fantasy setting: technology similar to that of 17th century Europe (no gun powder); medium magic. It used to be high magic in the past.

Current year: 1770SS (or 424PC). A few of the following posts were written 100 years before this: they say if they were.

Context: It is 1770 years since the sundering of the Covenant; 424 years since the formation of the Triune Empire on Avalonia; 245 years since the foundation of the Variscan Imperium upon Laurentia and 109 years since the destruction of the Variscan Imperium.

Current world status: Baltica is a largely uninhabited waste land. The Triune Empire occupies almost the whole of Avalonia and is isolationist. The surrounding islands of Avalonia are occupied by independent kingdoms. Laurentia is a mish-mash of 37 different kingdoms, the four most powerful of which are Siluria, Torridon, the Elder Alliance and the "Empire" of Pelagos (no larger than the other three). The island state of Krinth-Turon (half way between Laurentia and Avalonia) is growing in power, and seeking to expand on Laurentia.

Tell me if there is anything else I should add to this summary.

[Iain]

Author's note: the majority of people upon Edrith, with the exception of a few scholars would not be aware of the information in this post.

THE WORLD (From the archives of the Geographical Society of the Triune Empire, Aarenis (Last updated 422PC))

It has been established that our world of Edrith is a sphere of radius 11 700km, and with an average density of 3000kgm-3. There is one moon, of angular diameter of 0.5°, which orbits us once every 28-29 days. Aarenis, the continent on which our Triune Empire is located, is situated in the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere, and is one of three known continents, the other two being Novindus to the west-north-west and Kerys to the north-east. It should be noted that due to the presence of strong magical fields, the climate of certain regions does not always correspond to that which would be expected in the absence of said fields.

Aarenis is approximately 600 leagues from west to east, and 300 leagues from north to south; Kerys is approximately 640 leagues EW and 560 leagues NS, while Novindus is 400 leagues EW and 700 leagues NS. The distance between Aarenis and Novindus is 1200 leagues at the nearest point, and that between Aarenis and Kerys is 1800 leagues.

Naturally, all three of these major continents have some islands near them. Aarenis is particularly rich in attendant islands, having a small archipelago of about a dozen major islands and more smaller ones off its northern shore. One other geographical feature of note is the island of Kierst-Isel. An island of approximately 100 leagues by 120 leagues, it is situated between Aarenis and Kerys, being slightly closer to Aarenis than to Kerys.

There are tales of continents in the northern hemisphere, but these cannot be reached, due to the wide torrid zone near the equator through which ships cannot sail.

Author's note: I'm afraid that I use metric and imperial units fairly interchangeably. If this annoys anyone, sorry: sometimes and for some things I think in one, and sometimes in another. I figure that on this site we probably have a fairly equal split in terms of who uses which system, so at least this way everyone will be happy some of the time!

[Iain]

Author's note: Throughout the rest of these posts I will almost always use either the Triune system (YB/PC) for Triune Empire events or the Laurentian system (FY/SS) for all other events.

A NOTE ON DATING (From the archives of the Imperial Historical library, Triune Empire, Avalonia (Last updated 422PC))

The calendar used in our Empire naturally dates time from the year of foundation of our glorious Empire; namely the year in which the great Charter of Unification was signed. Years are thus referred to as Post Charter (PC) or Year of Barbarism (YB).

The barbarous nations of Laurentia instead prefer to use as their starting point the sundering of the Covenantal Pact, choosing an arbitrary date in the decades in which it crumbled. They refer to dates as SS (Since the Sundering). Dates before this time are referred to by the archaic dating system NE (New Era) which was used by the Covenantal Pact.

The Variscan Imperium, during its existence, dated years from its own foundation: NF (Varisca founded) or PI (Pre-Imperium).

Evidence of three further dating systems was discovered on a ship from the northern hemisphere, that had evidently been attempting to cross the torrid zones (and had succeeded, though all of its crew had long since perished). These dating systems are Arenig Epoch (AE), After Rebellion (AR) and Meglaran Founded (MF). What these dating systems refer to is unknown; however, we have done our best to equate them with our own.

1SS = 2357NE
1PC = 1347SS.
1NF = 1526SS

1MF = 639SS
1AR = 1291SS
1AE = 2155NE

[Iain]

Author's note: I have two things to say here. The first is that, as you may have noticed, all these articles are written by people in one country. This means that there may sometimes be a small degree of bias. There is not much, and not enough to confuse the issue (I hope).

The second thing is that it may be noticed that I have been inspired in some of my races and creaturesby the works of various authors: notably perhaps JRR Tolkein, Raymond E Feist, Robert Jordan and Mercedes Lackey (in the "race" section). Though a race may be similar to one in a book, it is not identical: furthermore, the world of Edrith bears no (intentional) resemblance to any other work of fantasy fiction.

THE PEOPLES (From the archives of the Cultural Bureau of the Elder Alliance, Laurentia (Last updated 1769SS)

Our world is known to be home to at least seven civilised, intelligent races: humans, elves, dwarfs, orcs, cho-ja, rock trolls and gryphons. Though some other races are intelligent; notably the great dragons (who chiefly inhabit the Wormlands of southern Baltica), these are not usually classed as “civilised�, due to their isolationist individuality and habit of not forming any social structures or communities, either with themselves or with others. Similar objections apply to certain magical creatures such as unicorns: though intelligent and good, they cannot be considered “civilised� in the normal sense of the word.

Though creatures such as trolls and giants have some, limited, intelligence (and, indeed, are frequently capable of human speech), their intelligence seems to be little higher than that of an intelligent animal. For a different reason the shadowspawn cannot be considered civilised, as their sole goal is the slaughter of other life (including, if not controlled by a higher will, others of their own species). The same is true of other creatures inimical to all other life such as the wraith lords and the strange form of vegetative life known as triffids (which renders moot the hotly disputed point of their degree of intelligence). Finally, this report refuses to class intelligent magical constructs such as sphinxes as intelligent civilised races, due, among other reasons, to their lack of independence and their inability to reproduce.

Our classification complete, we will now return to a description of the six civilised races. The first important point is that elves, dwarfs and humans are by far the most numerous of these races, with humans being probably slightly more numerous than elves or dwarfs. There are still substantial numbers of orcs in certain parts of the world (particularly in Laurentia and western Avalonia); however, the cho-ja are mainly restricted to mountainous regions (though their numbers are quite high here) and rock trolls and gryphons are extremely rare. An approximate ratio of their numbers on Laurentia would be (humans:elves:dwarfs:orcs:cho-ja:rock trolls:gryphons) = 4300:3500:3500:1000:250:5:1, where the total population of Laurentia is around 50 million (data extrapolated from collaborative census of 1772SS).

The second important point is that the elves, dwarfs and humans (henceforth we will adopt the standard convention of referring to these races as the primary races) are almost totally intermingled throughout the land. Enclaves or regions of “all human�, “all elf� or “all dwarf� (or even “mostly� rather than all) are all but unknown, and the three races coexist on all scales, from the village to the metropolis. One exception to this is the two isolationist dwarf mines of Sedgwick and Phloem in the Meneth Scahas range.

This is not to say, of course, that our continent of Laurentia is free of conflict: far from it. With over 35 independent nations, this would be a miracle. However, warfare takes place between countries, not between races. A person, whatever there race, will normally feel far more loyal to their nation than to their race. Culturally and militarily this is also true: you are unlikely to find significantly more dwarven miners than elven and you will not find “the human crossbow regiment� in any army – it will simply be “the crossbow regiment.� Likewise, an elf from Allende will have more in common with a fellow human from Allende than with an elf from Acinace.

The situation in the Triune Empire on Avalonia bears a strong similarity to this, despite the fact that the Empire was formed in 1347SS by a series of treaties between an elven, a human and a dwarven kingdom. However, over 400 years under one government have done much to soften the boundaries between the races and though each of the three sectors is still primarily elven, human, or dwarven, there are large numbers of each race living throughout the Empire, with much cultural intermingling. The situation in Krinth-Turon is much like that on Laurentia with the difference that dwarfs are in the slight majority there rather than humans, and there are no cho-ja on the island. One point that should be mentioned is that the six races are genetically incompatible and any union between the races invariably fails to produce offspring. Any such union is also the subject of a strict taboo throughout the known world.

The situation regarding the other three races is more complex. In most places, orcs have achieved some degree of integration with the other races; however, due to their real and perceived lack of civilisation and innate tendency to be drawn towards evil (it is a sad but true fact that orcs are more prone than any other race to being persuaded in to following an evil leader) they are frequently viewed with some degree of suspicion and mistrust. Orcs frequently operate on the fringes of society and it is rare to find an orc in a high position of authority in a non-orc nation. The problem is particularly acute in Avalonia: it is only within the last hundred years that the orcish tribes of the north west have ceased their warfare and raids against the Triune Empire.

When not mixing with other races, orcish society tends towards the tribal and clannish. A large scale centralised government is almost unheard of, as are nations, and low key warfare and raids are common in most orcish societies. An exception is here in the Elder Alliance, where orcs, due partly to their contact with more civilised races such as cho-ja and gryphons, are much more peaceful (at least towards other members of the Elder Alliance) than is normal. Orc society is primitive compared to that of other races: orcs do not usually build large cities, sail ocean going ships and have advanced systems of magic and magical research, to name but a few examples.

Rock trolls, much like orcs, can frequently be drawn to the service of evil. Here in Laurentia, however, the situation is rather different: the majority of rock trolls live within the borders of our great Elder Alliance and thus are firmly in the service of good. This is something for which we can be most thankful, for rock trolls are fearsome enemies. Not only are they stronger and tougher than their lesser brethren, they are also more intelligent. Extremely powerful, rock trolls are not stupid, brutish creatures like most trolls; rather they are an intelligent race. Though they do not usually build large cities or towns, instead having a tribal or village existence; this does not stop them forging their own weapons and armour or making other simple goods they need. A rock troll will typically wear heavy armour and wield a mighty great sword or axe; in combat they are deadly and a company of rock trolls together will cut a path through almost any opposition. Rock trolls frequently command normal trolls when fighting: the brutish but powerful normal trolls can become much more of a threat under the leadership of their greater brethren. About the only weakness that rock trolls have is an almost total lack of magical aptitude: in this they are even more inferior to the orcs. Unlike orcs though, rock trolls do not have a superstitious fear of magic: rather, they seem to have little fear of it and will not let it prevent them from smashing their way through the heart of an enemy army.

The cho-ja, due to their hive structure, do not even attempt to integrate with the other races. Each cho-ja hive is a self-sufficient community and a cho-ja’s primary loyalty will always be to his hive. Though hives will frequently come together to cooperate (either with other hives or with non-cho-ja nations), it is not really viable for other races to live within a hive, nor do cho-ja wish to leave them (this is not to say, of course, that a cho-ja will never be found far from his hive: traders, warriors and ambassadors, amongst others, will need to leave the hive for periods of time; however, they would always return to the hive after a time).

Gryphons, due to their size, shape and character are also extremely isolationist. A gryphon will simply not fit through the door of most buildings designed for humans, and as flying, intelligent carnivores their wants and needs do not greatly overlap with those of the other races. A gryphon community will typically consist of 100-200 gryphons and is usually situated in the high mountains, far from the habitation of other races. As well as suiting the isolationist character of the gryphons, this also provides them with, amongst other things, a large range in which to hunt game. Though gryphons are tremendously powerful, both physically and magically, they will not usually fight except to defend their own territory (for one thing, their numbers are so few compared to that of other races that to engage in large scale warfare would probably soon spell the end of their race). An exception to this is that gryphons have occasionally been known to commit themselves against the forces of evil: in the attack on Krinth-Turon by the evil Variscan Imperium, an entire gryphon wing of 400 gryphons joined the defenders. Also, some young, more adventurous gryphons will sometimes join the army of one or another kingdom (much to the advantage of that fortunate kingdom); these however, are the actions of individuals, not of a gryphon community as a whole. The army of Torridon currently includes some gryphons. A final point of interest about gryphons is that they are all magical creatures and thus have the ability to cast spells to a greater or lesser extent. Gryphons divide themselves in to four categories – apprentices, journeymen, masters and adepts – depending on their innate ability to use magic. The approximate ratio of these categories in a typical gryphon population is 2:5:2:1.

[Iain]

Author's note: This is a brief introduction to the nature of society. More will become apparent in later posts. I couldn't think of a clear way to put this in "in character" form, therefore I refrained

Of the Nature of Society (Excerpt from “Dovie’andi se tovya sagain: A history of the world�, a mysterious manuscript discovered in the wreckage of a magical explosion. 2004AD).

The technology of the world in question is, in general, comparable to that in Europe in the 17th century, though there is no gunpowder. Scientific knowledge is at a similar level to this as well. Some areas of technology are, in some areas, higher than this: for example, the ships of the Triune Empire are comparable to those of the Napoleonic wars (though without gunpowder).

Magic is relatively common. However, whilst it is relatively easy to create large effects of short duration with magic, creating longer term effects and creating magical devices is much more difficult. This has the unfortunate implication that one of the most useful areas in which magic is used is in war, where short-term effects are usually all that is required. The ability to use magic cannot be taught: amongst humans and cho-ja approximately 0.5% of the population has the innate ability to use magic. Amongst dwarfs the proportion is slightly lower, amongst orcs significantly lower and amongst elves slightly higher. Gryphons can all cast magic (though the strength of the ability varies) and no shadowspawn are able to.

Due to the difficulty in creating long-term effects with magic, it is not a “substitute� for technology. You will not find dozens of magic items in the hands of commoners (such as never-blunt ploughs, automatic lifts, or other such devices). Magical spells could, however, be used in the construction of buildings to move blocks in to place, and things of this nature. Similarly, magic users can communicate across long distances (and a noble would be sure to have a mage advise to do this), but there is not a nation-wide communication network. Magical devices remain the provenance of nobles, rich merchants or (in the case of weapons), powerful (or lucky) warriors. In other words, some thing such as a globe of communication which can communicate with other globes does exist, but is rare enough that a rich merchant might own two: one for his main office on each continent. Incidentally, carrier pigeons are used extensively for communications.

In the more advanced nations, such as the Triune Empire, wizards’ universities exist which research magic. The extensive and efficient use of magic in warfare can make a such a difference that for an army with no (or little) magic to attack an advanced one (such as one from the Triune Empire or Variscan Imperium) is very similar to that on Earth when men with swords and spears attacked rifles and field artillery.

An interesting feature of the world is the nature of the gods. The gods are fairly distant figures and do not tend to intervene on a personal level; however, they bestow their divine favour fairly liberally. A large number of people become ordained in the worship of one or the other gods, and then will, over time, receive magical abilities of healing and other such matters for seemingly very little devotion. These “clerics� are quite distinct from the organised priesthoods of the gods and, in fact, almost all of the nobility, wealthy men, powerful warriors and almost anyone of any importance will be ordained in one or another of the orders.

[Iain]

Author's note: Many thanks here to everyone who gave me ideas in the "Gemstone magic" thread. The thread is here and there are many, many good ideas in it:
http://www.rpgcitadel.com/guild/index.php?topic=1240.0
This post is a collation of the ideas I eventually decided to use.

Of Gemstones (Extract from a teaching primer at the University of Linnarson, Laurentia, 1770SS)

     One of the major sources of magical power for the wizards in our world are gemstones. The ability to recognise and identify gems and the methods of extracting mana from them are fundamental skills for all mages, and should be mastered by you early in your training. Only the most flawless gems are suitable for wizardry, meaning the many almost flawless gems (that might, to the untrained eye, appear flawless) are available for their common use as jewellery and ornamentation.
     Only the most powerful nobles or royalty would be likely to have gems of magical quality as jewellery, and in such cases the gems would almost certainly be imbued with powerful magical spells. The royal regalia of a kingdom is frequently a collection of items of inestimable value. In fact, any magical item or artifact must contain a gem in order to anchor the spell.
     Unfortunately for us, gems are an exceptionally rare commodity in the world. This was not always the case: at the time of the Second Covenantal Charter, gems were far more common: this is largely the reason behind the great mastery of magic in this era. However, gems turn to dust once used, and in our age, a millennium and a half later, the gem mines have been largely worked out. Despite the constant search for improvements in mining technology, the quest for gems becomes harder each year. Some are, of course, still found, but the great lodes of yesteryear are gone for ever. Consumption has fallen of course, as the price and value of gems has climbed, and currently supply approximately equals demand. It is not difficult, however, to foresee a time – perhaps in another millennium’s time, that gems will have become almost non-existent and mages will have to rely purely on their own innate power. Many spells will become impossible to cast. It is for this reason that so much research is devoted to the quest for artificial gems: as yet we have only had the paltry success of mana crystals: colourless faux gems which are very costly to create and produce a pittance of mana; furthermore they are tied to no domain and so cannot be used as spell components. Nevertheless, there was a time, not so long ago, when even this would have been impossible so we retain our hope.
     The mining of gems is a difficult and dangerous task. Not only are the current gem mines so deep and inaccessible physically, there is also the fact that large concentrations of gems, especially uncut gems, attract magical creatures which feed upon the energy which they radiate. Elementals, wraiths and spectres are particularly attracted to these energies, and these are all dangerous foes. It is particularly difficult to defend against these magical creatures due to the difficulties of casting magic in mines. Anyone casting a spell near the presence of large quantities of uncut gemstones is playing with fire. Unless controlled extremely precisely, there is a strong likelihood that the magical energies of the spell will course the gemstones to resonate wildly, ultimately creating a devastating massive explosion. The more powerful the spell, the greater the risk of resonance; even the most skilled mages cannot cast with impunity. Ever since the Phloem disaster of 1368SS in which 337 people were killed and a fabulously rich vein of rubies was destroyed, any spell casting in mines has been banned in almost all of the nations of Laurentia.
      Naturally, given their power and value, almost all mines are directly controlled by the government of the kingdom in which they are located. The more powerful stones (such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds) are frequently subject to strict government control; it can be very difficult for private individuals to obtain such stones. The difficulty of otherwise obtaining gems is a major factor in prompting many wizards to work directly for their governments. It should be noted that a large black market exists in gems, both in conventional gems and in the illegal bloodstones.
      Naturally, of course, almost all governments stockpile gems for use in war. Though gems do not provide ultimate power (a wizard is still limited by the power of his spells), a plentiful supply of gems greatly increases the number of spells which can be used in combat, almost always deciding the day if the gem differential is high enough. In the civilised regions there is not usually a problem of magical creatures being attracted to the stockpiles (due partly to the fact that they are cut, and partly to the fact that we have cleared such hostile creatures from our lands); however, there have been cases of frontier regions suffering raids by elementals upon their gems.
    As you may be aware, there has been a small backlash against these phenomena, in the form of the Society for Simple Wizardry. The Society speaks against the use of gems in magic, saying that their use leaves inevitable to corruption, politicking and greed. Not surprisingly, the Society has little power and is mainly the province of young or poor wizards: in fact, the majority of its members are quick to recant once they become successful enough in their field to afford gems of their own. Nevertheless it must be said that the Society of Simple Wizardry has made some successful progress in researching and developing spells without gemstones: whilst as Society wizard is much restricted by his refusal to use gems, if you had no gems available then a Society wizard would likely prove much more useful and versatile than one more conventionally trained.
    Regarding the use of gems, it should be remembered that it takes several minutes to attune yourself to a gem before you can use it, though experience can lesson that time. It is thus usually not possible to touch a person’s gem and use it instantly. Many wizards find that setting their most valued gems in to staffs or rings (frequently only of copper or brass) in order that they may be more readily available, and to help protect them against pick-pockets. This, and the fact that a cut gem provides far more mana than an uncut one, means that many mages choose to learn something of the art of gem-cutting and jewellery. Remember: any jeweller you meet may really be a wizard. Due to the power of gems, many places require wizards to turn in their gems at the door (for example, many kings do not allow gems in their presence, in the same way that they do not allow people to carry weapons).
     Before we end, two special cases of gems should be mentioned. The first is the mood stone, an exceptionally personalised item of great value. Any wizard of sufficient power can create a mood stone; in fact, some of the most powerful wizards have been known to have as many as three. The process is lengthy and laborious taking several days; it is also extremely draining to the wizard, for it takes an irredeemable toll upon his vitality and life force. In the end though, a mood stone of imperishable and almost unbreakable crystal will have been created, which will give him a reasonable amount of mana. Furthermore, unlike ordinary crystals, the mood stone does not crumble to dust once used; instead, it can be recharged again and again by merely spending the amount of mana to charge it and applying a drop of the owner’s blood.  
     A mood stone is a personal object: it will change colour and appearance depending on its owner’s mood and personality. If calm and happy the mood stone will appear smooth; if angry then furious currents of energy will appear to move beneath the mood stone’s surface. The colour of the mood stone reflects two things: firstly, the domains chiefly used by the owner (power=gold, fire=red, earth=green, water=blue, air=white, mind=brown, conflict = orange, healing=yellow, death=black). Secondly it will reflect his sense of purpose and honour; the higher and more noble his aims, the brighter and lighter the colours will be. These two factors combine to give a variegated mix of colours through the stone. Finally, the stone will appear dull when uncharged and bright when charged. The highly personal nature of a mood stone means that a mood stones will crumble in to dust if their owner is killed; furthermore, if a mood stone is taken away from it’s owner for more than 24 hours then it will crumble to dust.
     Far more sinister than mood stones are bloodstones, used by those who practice dark magic. Bloodstones are formed by the last drops of blood "crystallising" when any draconic creature (including dragons, wyverns, basilisks and firedrakes) is killed in a way that involves bleeding. Especially given the fact that these creatures are usually intelligent, the use of blood magic, which is usually in any case used for dark purposes such as the creation of undead, is banned almost everywhere in the world. This does not, of course, prevent a flourishing black market in bloodstones – many mages are quite willing to compromise their morality in exchange for a more readily available source of power than common gems.

[Iain]

Of the Triune Empire (From an instructional text for trainee civil servants in the Kingdom of Avalle, near Avalonia. 422PC).

The Triune Empire, our neighbour to the north, has a form of government that can best be described as a constitutional bureaucracy. The Empire was formed after a series of treaties united the three major kingdoms of Avalonia, one of which was elven, one human and one dwarven. The races have since integrated considerably, though each of the three regions still has a majority, though not an absolute majority, of its native race.

The capital and largest city of the Empire is Wenlock, located at the joining point of the three former kingdoms (now regions). Each of the three regions has its own regional capital: Ketton (human), Ellesae (elven) and Regolith (dwarven). Other major cities include Ashgill, Bunbury, Ludlow, Farlad and Caradoc (human), and Thodar, Eclogite and Bathon (dwarven). The elves in the Empire tend to live in towns rather than huge cities. The regions all have a large degree of autonomy in deciding local laws; however, the Empire is fully unified regarding foreign policy and national laws: the central government can over-rule any of the regions.

Though the Empire is not a democracy in that people do not directly elect their rulers, ordinary people have a large amount of say in government through indirect means. City councils, guilds, universities, trading consortiums, local councils and almost any other collective organisation all have power in electing rulers, and all have some degree of local autonomy. Both the central and regional governments have large numbers of ministries and departments, and even at the town or province level committees, sub-committees, semi-autonomous bureaus and the like seem to be spawned with almost unbelievable regularity.
There is also a hereditary nobility, who have some say in national government and who are also powerful in the region of their lands. The exact balance of power between a local lord and the local city council, the farmer’s guild, the other guilds, etc. varies from place to place.

The central government in Wenlock is complex, and consists of large numbers of representatives elected and put forward in various ways by the regional and local governments, as well as by organisations such as the guilds and so forth. There are seven houses: the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament, the Senate, the Chamber, the Congress of Barons and the Grand Assembly. Varying laws require varying different consensuses both within each house and also may require varying numbers of houses to consent. The exact relationship of power between the varying houses, the central government, the regional governments, town councils, the provincial rulers and so forth is incredibly complex and uninteresting.

One may ask how is it, with such a bureaucratic system of government, that the Empire ever manages to get anything done? The answer lies in the Emperor. Contrary to what one might expect, the Emperor is not a single person but is rather a triumvirate of three people: one elf, one human and one dwarf. Once elected to the Emperorship, a person cannot be removed, though they may choose to resign. The central government can delegate and remove powers from the Emperor at will, saving only that it may not delegate the power to determine the powers of the Emperor. On any matter within his provenance the authority of the Emperor is absolute (within the Emperor, all decisions simply require a 2:1 majority – abstention is not permitted). For example, in a time of war, large amounts of power will usually be delegated to the Emperor, allowing the Triune Empire to pursue its course of action quickly and with great efficiency.

The culture of the Empire is one which is reasonably prosperous and benevolent, placing a high value on personal freedom. The majority of people have a reasonably standard of life. The central regions are reasonably safe, though banditry and monsters are not unknown in the periphery. A high emphasis is put on trade. The ships of the Empire are some of the greatest in the world. Within the Empire, its technology and buildings are some of the finest, and there are many centres of learning. Magic has perhaps reached its highest level in the Empire.

In former times, the foreign policy of the Empire was expansionist, and they had extended their sway over the majority of the surrounding isles though our kingdom of Avalle had remained more autonomous than most. However, since its attempted conquest of Laurentia and the Pyrrhic victory of the Variscan War 107 years ago, the Empire has been almost totally isolationist. The surrounding kingdoms have regained their autonomy, and even the Empire’s thirst for trade has slackened somewhat. Their army, however, remains the single most powerful in the world.

[Iain]

Note that the majority of languages in Edrith are national languages rather than racial languages

The Languages of the World (From the archives of the Geographical Society of the Triune Empire, Avalonia (Last updated 422PC))

Dalradian Dalradian was the language of the Covenantal Charter. The Covenant at its height covered the entirety of the known world, and though Dalradian never fully superceded other languages, it was widely spoken everywhere (often as a second language). Since the sundering of the Covenant, Dalradian fell in to disuse; more and more it became spoken only by scholars and historians. A number of new languages evolved in this period.

When the Triune Empire formed, the three kingdoms that united to form it could not agree on one of their languages becoming supreme in the Empire over the others. Instead, they decided to adopt Dalradian as the official language of the Empire. In the 424 years since then, almost everyone in the Empire speaks fluent Dalradian: in the dwarven section, it is frequently the only language spoken whereas in the elven and to a lesser extent the human, people are often bilingual.

Given the power and influence of the Triune Empire, in the island kingdoms surrounding Avalonia Dalradian is spoken by many people to some extent. The further from the Triune Empire and Avalonia you go, the less Dalradian is spoken: on Laurentia, Dalradian is still spoken mainly by scholars, historians and some traders and rulers (who might have dealings with the Triune Empire and neighbouring kingdoms). A few people do learn Dalradian because of its use: a Dalradian speaker will be be able to find a translator in any sizeable town or city, a fact which induces a few more people to learn it than would otherwise.

Avallan The original language of the human and dwarven sections of the Triune Empire.In the human section, roughly a 1/3 of the people are still fluent in Avallan (i.e. are bilingual) whereas the dwarfs have almost totally abandoned it. Avallan is spoken (and is the primary language) in Avalle and in some of the other neighbouring island kingdoms near Avalonia; as such, if people in the Triune Empire learn another language it is frequently Avallan.

Evvenyae High Elven. Now a dead language, spoken only by (usually Elven) scholars. It has not been spoken as a native language by any elves for well over 500 years.

Alanyae (Otherwise known as "Elven"). A hybrid language, composed of a mixture of Evvenyae and Avallan. It was the original language of the elven section of the Triune Empire and almost all elves in the Triune Empire (who live in the original elven section) are bilingual in Alanyae and Avallan. About 10% speak only Alanyae (or speak very poor Avallan). Alanyae is not spoken by elves anywhere else in the world; nor is it spoken (or learned) by almost anyone other than elves in the Triune Empire. Alanyae and Evvenyae are not very similar at all: it is unlikely that a historian who had learned Evvenyae would be understood by an Alanyae speaker, though they would probably be able to get the gist of what they were saying for simple conversations.

Falani Spoken in the land of Krinth-Turon.

Dwarden High and Low Dwarden are the two ancestral racial languages of the dwarfs. No-one has spoken either for well over 1000 years, and they survive only in the work of some of the dwarven rune smiths. A very few scholars learn them. If someone did learn Low Dwarden they would be able to understand High Dwarden fairly well, and vice-versa.

Scahanian Spoken in the Scahanian peninsular of Laurentia.

Menethion Spoken in the dwarven mines of Phloem and Sedgwick

Silurian This language is spoken in the majority of northern Laurentia, with the exception of the Pelagic "Empire". It is known as "Torridonian" in Torridon, though everyone else refers to it as Silurian. Silurian is the primary language in Torridon, Siluria, Cadomia, Cenoman, Linnarson, Valangin, Rhaetia, Berrias and much of the Elder Alliance. The western portions of Zechstein and Allende are largely Silurian speaking; the further to the NE you go, the more prevalent Rotliegendan becomes.

Variscan A mainly dead language. It was the language of the Variscan Imperium; however, Varisca did not rule for long enough to effectively enforce its language upon Laurentia; after Varisca's destruction and the total devastation of its capital Turriculatus, few people remained to speak it. Now, 100 years on, Variscan is only spoken in the port city of Atavus (on the edge of the Great Western Desert) and by a few people of Variscan descent scattered around Laurentia.

Namurian Spoken in Namuria

Pelagic Spoken in Pelagos (the Pelagic "Empire")

Minor languages There are a number of minor languages spoken by very few people; for example, the Yale Riders (technically part of the Elder Alliance) speak their own language, known as Gralbakha

Orcish: A mainly dead language; spoken by orcish priests and clerics. It is spoken by some of the orcs on Avalonia; the orcs in Laurentia tend to speak their national language, just as the elves, dwarfs and humans do.

Xkatxklax The language spoken by the cho-ja. A language of clicks and harsh vocal sound, accompanied by clacks of their claws. The human tongue cannot accurately reproduce the majority of sounds in Xkatxklax and the best phonetic representations contain large numbers of the letters x and k. All cho-ja who will need to speak to outsiders speak the language of the non-cho-ja with which they will be communicating; almost no non-cho-ja can speak or understand more than a smattering of Xkatxklax.

Dead languages: There are a large number of dead languages, some of which are not even known to scholars; i.e. a written script in a language none can translate. Some are known to scholars.

Other Laurentian languages

Santoni Spoken in Santon

Rotliegendan Spoken in Rotliengendes, Toarcia and the eastern portions of Zechstein and Allende. The further east you go, the more prevalent Silurian becomes. Rotliegendan is also the language of the two island nations of Aile Calyx and Aile Stratig.

Rodinian Spoken in Rodinia

Scandian Spoken in Scandia, Noria, Tacon, Carnia, and Longmynd. Along with Givetian it is widely spoken in Tournais. With Givetian and Benthish, spoken in Varangia.

Givetian. Spoken in Givet and Morraine. With Scandia, widely spoken in Tournais. With Benthish and Scandian, spoken in Varangia.

Benthish: Spoken in Benthos and Kyanite. With Givetian and Scandian, spoken in Varangia.

Grabendra: Spoken in Graben

Ilmenitian: Spoken in Ilmenite and Schist.

Bajoc: Spoken in Bajoc

Other national languages in the island kingdoms off Avalonia There are half a dozen of these, but we will not discuss them here.

[Iain]

The first of the history posts, this one discusses ancient history. The exact events described here would only be known to scholars; however, the general trend of what happened is an integral part of the history/legends of the world.

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD ((From the archives of the Imperial Historical library, Triune Empire, Avalonia, 316PC)

The Covenantal Pact: ???? – 1380YB

Less than 2000 years ago the three continents of Avalonia, Laurentia and Baltica were unified under one government, known as the Covenantal Pact. The origins of the Covenantal Pact are lost in the depths of time (it is known that it was formed over 2500 years ago), though the name suggests that it was formed by the alliance of a number of nations. At the height of its power, the forces of the Covenant dwarfed the mightiest armies in the world today and its magic was of a similar quality to that existing in the most developed countries, such as our own. All races and nations were unified under the Covenant, with the sole exception of the desert land of the great dragons, situated in the south of Baltica.

One of the few pieces of history that survives from the time of the Covenant is the fact that, in the year 1839YB, the Covenant launched a full scale invasion of the Wormlands in an attempt to bring the entirety of the known world under its banner. At this time, the Covenant was at the height of its powers, and the invasion force consisted of literally hundreds of thousands of soldiers, supported by thousands of wizards and clerics. In the attack, the Covenantal army was totally obliterated.

Fortunately for us, however, the great dragons chose not to exploit their victory. These isolationist beings believed, due to their exceptionally long lifespan, that the loss of even one dragon would not be worth any gain, and instead a treaty was formed, in which the Wormlands were forbidden to any members of the Covenant, provided the great dragons stayed within their own territory. This treaty was never broken.

The Covenant brought peace and prosperity to the land, all but destroying the shadowspawn, significantly reducing banditry and piracy, and forcing unintelligent monsters away from the habitations of the civilised races. Towards the end of its dominion, however, its military power had deteriorated almost to nothing, due to the lack of any opposition, rebellion or areas of foreign adventure.

Furthermore, in the century immediately preceding the end of its dominion there had been growing worries over the increasing scarcity of gemstones, crucial to magic. The heights of magic reached under the Covenant required a huge and steady supply of gemstones; under this demand, many of the mines were beginning to be worked out. As prices rose, tensions began to rise between the different regions of the Covenant. Whilst these tensions manifested themselves as economic and political struggles, rather than military conflict, by the middle of the 24th century NE the tensions and rivalry were both real, obvious and, it is likely, helped considerably to contribute to the fall of the Covenant.

The Sundering of the Covenant: 1380YB – 1254YB

c. 1380YB: Around this time a wizard, known to us solely by the name of Goridan, began to secretly make contact with the remnants of the shadowspawn in the mountains of central and northern Baltica. Using his magic he supported and controlled them, causing their numbers to increase and unifying them under his rule. Ruling the shadowspawn with an iron first, he carefully concealed his doings from the Covenant so well that suspicions did not even begin to arise of his existence or of the increasing threat of the shadowspawn.

1358YB: A shadowspawn army under Goridan pours down out of the mountains and besieges Ventral in central Baltica. After a swift but brutal siege, the city falls and is destroyed, its inhabitants slaughtered to the last man.

1358YB-1356YB: The Covenant desperately begins to rearm; however, minor pockets of shadowspawn uprisings all over Avalonia and Laurentia cause great difficulties in organising any forces to be sent to the relief of Baltica. Meanwhile, Goridan’s forces firmly occupy the mountains running westward across the centre of Baltica and north to the sea, cutting the continent in to three parts.

1355YB: Goridan launches a major assault in to north western Baltica, driving towards the city of Epifaun. Avalonia and Laurentia both send a small number of troops to support, and Goridan is halted, though not defeated, 45 miles SE of the city. Simultaneously, however, renewed shadowspawn uprisings, supported by Goridan, occur in both Avalonia and Laurentia. In Avalonia, much of the population of the western peninsular is massacred; in Laurentia, the devastation is less severe in any one region, but more widespread.

1354YB-1328YB: The Covenant begins to fracture. After the disaster that had followed the sending of aid to Baltica, the governments of Avalonia and Laurentia bilaterally secede from the Covenant, effectively splitting the Covenant in to three. A core principle of the new order is that no continent will send military aid to another while their own continent is threatened. Furthermore, the breakdown of swift, reliable communications between regions, combined with the continued depredations of the shadowspawn cause the people to put their trust in local leaders rather than in the Covenantal Council which had been so ill prepared for this threat. In particular, the continuing shadowspawn uprisings meant that no region within a continent was particularly willing to send troops elsewhere. The beginnings of nations were forming. On Baltica, Goridan’s forces continued to slowly encroach upon the north west quadrant.

1347YB: Act of Secession. (This date is used by the nations of Laurentia as the start of their calendar).

1338YB: A combined attempt by armies from Silesi (south west Baltica) and Westphal (north-east Baltica) to break through the leaguer of Epifaun is repulsed by the shadowspawn.

1336YB: On the island now known as Krinth-Turon (untroubled by shadowspawn), independence is declared, but the island quickly splits in to two warring kingdoms, who continue to feud over their common boundary until Imperial intervention in 246PC.

1332YB: Goridan completes the seizure of the entire north-western coastline, cutting Epifaun off from the sea.

1328YB: Epifaun falls. Goridan now controls almost 1/3 of Baltica. The two remaining sections are now totally cut off from each other (except by sea) and two new kingdoms are declared, with capitals in Silesi and Westphal.

1328YB-1300YB: Break down of civilisation continues. Laurentia and Avalonia split in to progressively smaller fragments. Races such as the cho-ja and the gryphons begin to become more isolationist. By the end of this period, the majority of the shadowspawn uprisings had been defeated upon Avalonia; however, Laurentia continued to be plagued. Forces under Goridan begin making probing attacks towards Silesi in the south west of Baltica.

1322YB: Loss of contact with Silesi. Westphal continues fortifying its borders but makes no move to counter-attack.

1303YB: An attack by shadowspawn into the territory of Westphal is repulsed. It is presumed that Silesi has now fallen.

1302YB-1281YB: Quiet on the borders of Westphal. Westphal continues to fortify; all attempts to investigate shadowspawn lands meet with failure.

1296YB: Last formal contact between Laurentia and Avalonia. From here onwards, almost no word is heard from Laurentia, though the occasional merchant does make the voyage.

1285YB: Though the shadowspawn are defeated on Avalonia, the continent has splintered and the new kingdoms will not agree on any reunification, each claiming that they have the right to rule Avalonia. The far west has been almost abandoned, other than some nomads and the cho-ja who refuse to leave their mountains, whilst the bulk of the continent is split between three evenly matched feuding kingdoms: one elven, one human and one dwarven. In the north-western hills (to the east of the abandoned west), tribes of orcs settle, preying on each other and the humans and elves to their east and south. The surrounding islands also declare themselves as independent kingdoms.

1281YB: Massive shadowspawn forces attack the border of Westphal. The defences are overwhelmed, and three huge armies spearhead in to Westphal territory.

1281YB-1275YB: The armies of Westphal fight a defensive war, constantly retreating.

1275YB: Despite his best efforts to prolong his life by magic, Goridan dies of old age. The shadowspawn assault falters, but does not stop.

1269YB: A merchant from Laurentia brings word that the shadowspawn upon Laurentia have been defeated, but that the continent is now riven with civil war.

1262YB: Westphal falls.

1254YB: Last refugees from Baltica reach Avalonia. They tell of a land totally over run by shadowspawn; however, with no leader they will fall to fighting amongst themselves, and are unlikely to attack the other continents (which appears to be true).

[Iain]

Author's note: This is one of the posts that was written 100 years before the current era. At the moment, the Scahanian Peninsular has been conquered by Krinth-Turon, much as the Triune Empire conquered it 100 years before (and then soon lost it). Krinth-Turon has not attempted to extend it's dominion north of the Meneth Scahas range.

Of the Scahanian Peninsular of Southern Laurentia (before the Variscan War)(Excerpt from a report to the Triune Empire prior to the Imperial invasion of the Scahanian Peninsular, 313PC)

The Scahanian Peninsular is a primitive region, consisting of various city states. There is no large-scale organisation – few rulers’ authority extends much beyond three days journey from their capital town. The major city states are the trade-city of Autigen in the far south-east, Laetoli in the north, close to the Moldan marshes on the banks of the Golbardis, Ludens and Hovius in the centre and the two port towns: Bouma in the north and Orcad in the south.

The inhabitants are, in general, more primitive than those of Avalonia; though the major city states have achieved some degree of sophistication, there are many regions which are less civilised. The inhabitants of the Moldan marshes are savages, and those of the Gorenfells and the Forest of Ludenec little better. Even in the city states, the true potential of magic is not appreciated, and our armies should be able to overwhelm their primitive forces with ease, even if we are outnumbered. It is unlikely that the city states will have the cohesion to unite against us.

The entire peninsular is only 120 leagues from east to west at the widest part, and 140 leagues from north to south. It is isolated from the main part of Laurentia by the Meneth Scahas range, which runs from east to west across the entire neck of the peninsular. A priority in subduing the peninsular should be to fortify any passes in the Meneth Scahas that would be large enough to permit an army passage: should this be done, the peninsular should fall in to our hands with ease.

Author's note: The Moldan marshes are the site of the Monastery of Moldan: http://www.strolen.com/setting/viewsetting.php?setting_id=44&offset=0&order=updated&dir=Desc&index=1

[Iain]

Of the Mainland of Laurentia(Excerpt from a geographical survey by Krinth-Turon, 434PC)

The continent of Laurentia is large, slightly larger than Avalonia to the west and certainly much larger than our small island. Currently it is divided in to over thirty separate countries. The Great Western Desert is largely uninhabited, and the region surrounding the ruined former Variscan capital of Turriculatus is inhabited mainly by barbarians. In the main though, the nations, though some are small, are of a comparable level of technology and magical advancement to ourselves or the Triune Empire to the west. This section of the survey will deal primarily with the differences between Laurentian society and that of the Triune Empire (our own culture is, whatever people may say, very similar to that of the Triune Empire.

In the first place, on Laurentia the three races of humans, elves and dwarfs are almost totally integrated. Even orcs, long shunned in Avalonia, are somewhat accepted in to society, though they often remain on the fringes. The cho-ja and gryphons, though both are still isolationist, have a much stronger presence and relationship with the other races than on Krinth-Turon or Avalonia: in consequence, humans, elves and dwarfs are used to dealing with the elder races.

Another major difference is the presence of to’raken. These large, flying animals (with a wingspan of 70-80ft) are native to Laurentia and were long ago domesticated. In consequence, Laurentia has commercial air travel at a price affordable to anyone with as much money as a moderately prosperous merchant. Naturally, these beasts, along with their cousins, the smaller raken, have been used in combat, primarily as transports (they are harmless).

Not so harmless are some of the other beasts of war used by the Laurentians. The inhabitants of the continent have managed to domesticate grolm, hrulgin and algroths, all of which are used to a greater or lesser degree in combat.

[Iain]

This post is one of those which was written 100 years ago. It describes what Laurentia was like then.

Of the Variscan Imperium (Excerpt from a government report of the Triune Empire, 315PC).

We have been able to determine very little about the Variscan Imperium. It is known that they control the entirety of Laurentia including, since our defeat at The Pass of  Froude, the Scahanian Peninsular. From their dating system we can deduce that Varisca rose to power 136 years ago, and since then must have swiftly subdued the entirety of the continent of Laurentia. Their rule is brutal.

Their government is, as far as we can determine, a brutal theocracy, with the Preceptor of the Dark Templars serving as the supreme ruler. Whether a country known as Varisca existed before the Dark Templars rose to power is unknown. What is undoubtedly true is that much of the Templars’, and Varisca’s, power stems from an ancient device, once buried, but now located in Turriculatus, the capital of Varisca. This fiendish device is used to create the Joinings, hideous blends of man and beast of unmatched strength, ferocity and speed. Almost none can stand against the power of the Joinings combined with the dark sorceries of the Dark Templars. It should be noted that the conventional forces of Varisca are well-armed, well-disciplined and make full use of magic in combat; they are also at least as numerous as our own.

[Iain]

This post (and the next couple) mainly concern the events of around 100-120 years ago, when the last major events which greatly influence the world today occurred. This was actually the background and setting for the first campaign I ran in Edrith - at the time, I was fairly inexperienced and didn't realise that it was unrealistic for the fate of a great empire to revolve around a party of level 2 characters. (OK, they were high level by the end). If this bothers you too much, then pretend that the words "The Farladan company" actually refer to a variety of different people, rather than the same group.

Another point is that the 1000 years or so between the Sundering and this time are fairly sketchily developed. If anyone wants to make up some history, either about Avalonia before the Triune Empire, the early days of the Empire or Laurentia before the Variscan Imperium (the countries then were similarish to now - I will post more about Laurentia soon) then please feel free to.

The Dark Ages: 1254YB-1YB

1254YB-26YB: The dark ages. The three kingdoms of Avalonia slowly decline in power and civilisation, due primarily to the intermittent but interminable wars between them. The orcs encroach further to the west (though they also are weakened by constant warfare). At some point around the eighth century YB, all contact with the cho-ja is lost and their very existence begins to fade in to legend. Banditry proliferates. Very poor records are kept throughout this time; furthermore, the records from each of the three kingdoms frequently disagree.

26YB-1PC: The charismatic ruler of the humans, Corithin Andar, negotiates a series of treaties with the elven and dwarven kingdoms that bring peace and lead the way to the unification of the three kingdoms.  

The Golden Years: 1PC-293PC

1PC: Charter of Unification signed. Triune Empire formed. Construction begins on a new capital, Wenlock, to be built at the junction of the three former kingdoms. Wenlock will quickly grow to become the largest city in the Empire.

1PC-50PC: The three nations become more and more integrated into our glorious Triune Empire. The Empire, at peace with itself, begins to regain strength, pushing back the barbarism and lawlessness that had begin to form in the far-flung regions of each of the kingdoms. The new government establishes itself in Wenlock and the military is reformed. Centres of learning gain prominence as the lost arts of magic are rediscovered, and trade blossoms throughout the Empire. (The ending point of this time is somewhat arbitrary).

37PC: The Great Uprising. A dire threat to the fledgling Empire appears on the north-western border. Many tribes of orcs, unifying under one leader, begin to move against us. Fortunately, however, a large temple of Order (originally founded to proselytise to the orcs) was located in the orcish territory, in the path of the invasion. The entire complement of the temple down to the last novice (barring one priest who was placed in a stasis field to communicate the news to the Empire later) defeated and destroyed the orc horde at the loss of all their lives (much use was made of the spell Starburst). The orcs were broken, never again to reform under one leader. Thus this threat to the Empire was rendered harmless and, in fact, was only realised when the temple (with its stasis-bound priest) was rediscovered in 294PC.

51PC-293PC: The golden years of the Empire. The Empire expanded, pushing back its borders on Avalonia and growing ever in prosperity and might. Its influence was extended over the various nations on the islands to the north, with almost all of these countries either being subsumed outright in to the Empire or becoming vassal states. Even the island of Krinth-Turon, 350 leagues to the east became a vassal of the Empire in 246PC when Imperial forces were asked to assist in arbitration of the long-standing dispute over the border between Krinth and Turon.

179PC: Variscan Imperium founded on Laurentia. (This fact was not known until over a century later).

[Iain]

292PC: A prosperous merchant of Farlad, a human frontier city on the western border of the Empire, finances an expedition to explore the lands outside the Empire in the far west of Avalonia. The expedition is successful; contact is re-established with the cho-ja, and a nation of nomads is discovered in the plains of the north. More worryingly, the presence of shadowspawn was discovered in the mountains of the far north-west.

294PC: In the spring of this year, large numbers of the orcs that inhabit the hills to the north and west of the Empire are seen moving southwards, overrunning any settlements in their path. However, it does not seem to be the act of a war, rather a mass migration: large numbers of women and children are also moving south, along with the warriors. In an attempt to discover the reason for this unexplained migration, the authorities in Farlad hire a mercenary band, (comprising of some of the explorers who had recently charted the far west and some other people) to investigate. From this point on, the fate of the Empire would seemingly be inexplicably linked with this band of mercenaries from Farlad: the Farladan company.

Upon going north in to the hills, the expedition quickly discovered the presence of large numbers of shadowspawn in the hills – thus immediately explaining the migration of the orcs, who were fleeing from the invaders. Once again, contact was made with the cho-ja and the beginnings of a treaty between them and the Empire was negotiated. The cho-ja told how the shadowspawn forces, arriving from Baltica, had left the hills from the far north-west and crushed the nomad kingdom on the plains of the north, with the exception of those few nomads who managed to make their way through the cho-ja held east-west mountain chain to the plains in the far south-west of Avalonia. The shadowspawn had then crossed the northern mountain chain in to the orcish lands, where they were in the process of crushing the resistance.

The Farladan company also managed to intervene in a skirmish between the orcs and shadowspawn, thus saving the life of a powerful orc chieftain. In recognition of this, he pledged friendship with the Empire, the first truly peaceful contact between the orcs and the Triune Empire in over 1000 years. With the power of the orcs broken by the shadowspawn, the Empire was far more willing to listen to overtures of peace, and the remnants of the orcs eventually established a client kingdom to the immediate south-west of the Triune Empire. One final point of interest about this investigatory mission is that the temple of Order that had broken the Great Uprising in 37PC was discovered (and thus the events of that time became known to us).

The Shadowspawn War: 294PC-297PC

294PC: In the late summer of this year, the armies of the Triune Empire bring the shadowspawn forces to battle northwest of Farlad. The Imperial army is triumphant, defeating the shadowspawn and forcing them back, first in to the hills, and then across the mountains. An alliance is formed with the cho-ja, and the mountains are fortified against a shadowspawn counter attack.

295PC: Throughout this year, several shadowspawn attacks are repulsed by the fortifications in the mountains. Though there seems to be no immediate threat that the shadowspawn will break through, the constant fighting is costing the Empire dearly in both lives and money, and the shadowspawn remain in too strong a presence in the far north-west of Avalonia for any to relish the prospect of counter-attacking in force. In short, a stalemate develops.

296PC: On Avalonia, the stalemate continues. Neither side shows any prospect of gaining any kind of decisive advantage. At this point, the Triune Empire decides to send an embassy to the Wormlands of Baltica, the first time any from Avalonia have been to Baltica in over 1000 years. The decision is made to approach the great dragons because, though they are unfriendly to the civilised races, they are not evil. It was also considered almost a certainty that, due to the power of the dragons, the Wormlands would not have been overrun when the rest of Baltica fell to the shadowspawn so long ago. The Farladan company is sent to negotiate, as they are considered to have the greatest first hand information on the situation.

Though the dragons are not particularly friendly, they are not overtly hostile, and are eventually persuaded to give information and to allow the very border of their land to be used as a landing stage (though they refuse to countenance the landing of huge armies). They tell how a mage, seeking to emulate Goridan, has established himself in power in the centre of Baltica, and has brought large numbers of shadowspawn under his sway. Though undeniably strong, his power is not even a faint shadow of Goridan’s, and his success in gaining power over the shadowspawn is largely due to the lack of opposition. Even then, large areas of Baltica do not acknowledge his rule, though they do not actively oppose him either. It is because of this mage that the invasion of Avalonia has been instigated.

297PC: Upon learning of the situation on Baltica, the Farladan company is dispatched from the Empire, with orders to penetrate through Baltica to the base of the mage, and then to assassinate him. Such an act would have been impossible, but for two things: firstly, the mage did not realise that any opposition was even present on Baltica and so would not have regular patrols out; secondly, the almost impenetrable defences of the base itself were circumvented by a magical artifact provided by the dragons: this artifact would transport a small party past all the magical defences of the base in to the presence of the mage himself, and would then transport them out again (after this use, the artifact would be drained and useless).

The plan was embarked upon and successfully carried out. With the mage defeated, the unity of the shadowspawn once again collapsed, and certainly any ambitions of invading other continents vanished. With no reinforcements from Baltica, the shadowspawn on Avalonia were soon defeated by the Empire, and peace once again reigned.

The Years of Quiet: 297PC-304PC

For several years, peace reigned in the Empire. Relations with the neighbouring island kingdoms and vassal states were peaceful, with the Empire seeking to extend its sway merely through diplomatic means. For mercenaries such as the Farladan company, jobs were scarce, with about the only opportunities for employment being tasks such as the rescuing of a minor lord’s daughter from bandits, serving in one of the minor squabbles between rival nobles, caravan duty, or serving on a diplomatic mission such as the embassy to Avalle. (This is a prime example of the type of affair that was commonplace in the Empire’s foreign relations at this time (and throughout its history). The Empire wished to increase trade links with the Kingdom of Avalle (located on a large island off the south coast), and also to station a small number of troops on the island (ostensibly to protect trade). After some discussion, the King and nobles of Avalle agreed, the benefits being better than the downsides).

One minor happening of interest was the discovery in an archaeological dig of a fluted black rod, an ancient artifact thought long lost that produced balefire. It was, however, of little use: not only was it dangerous and almost impossible to control, it also irrevocably poisoned the wielder, with the only known antidote being kept in a guarded underground vault in the wizards’ university of Caradoc. This being the case, the artifact was delivered to Caradoc for study.