Lore: Reader's Digest

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This is where I will be tracking the game's lore. This is mostly for my own reference, since I'll be making a lot of things up on the spot, and I need some way of keeping track of what I make up. Anything mentioned here can be assumed to be "common knowledge." Be warned, just because it's listed here, doesn't mean it's 100% accurate!

Age of Peace: Before the Kinslayer War, the Free Peoples (humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings) lived more or less in peace. The dwarves lived in the mountains in the center of the continent, the elves built vast realms in the great forests along the edges, the humans roamed, farmed and generally lived in the grasslands between the mountains and the forests, and halflings lived in the hills, or with the humans. Each race had an Immortal who guided them and served as their deity, with a single Immortal, the Overseer who oversaw everything as the "First Among Equals."

Kinslayer War: 327 years ago, the Overseer, having grown prideful, corrupt, demonic and evil, betrayed and murdered Cornucopia, the Immortal Mother of Halflings. He became known as the Kinslayer, and set off the Kinslayer War. His monsters, hideous deformations of the Free Peoples and the animals of the world, swept across the world. By present day, he had conquered all but the Last Refuge, and every Immortal but the Seer, Guardian of Humanity, had been slain. The war ended when the Seer led the Ten greatest warriors of the age in a desperate assault on the Kinslayer's fortress. Only the Seer returned, and he was comatose. But the Kinslayer was dead. With his death, his monstrous army turned on itself, ripping itself apart and ending the Thornwall Siege.

Seer: The Immortal Guardian of Humanity, and the last surviving Immortal.

Cornucopia: The Immortal Mother of Halflings, the first Immortal to be betrayed and murdered by the Overseer.

Anvil: The Immortal Craftsman of the Dwarves, the second Immortal to be betrayed and murdered by the Overseer.

Abora: Also called Greenleaf by some, the Immortal Queen of the Elves, the third Immortal to be betrayed and murdered by the Overseer.

Overseer/Kinslayer: Once known as the Overseer, now known as the Kinslayer. The leader of the Immortals, he grew dark and evil. He started the Kinslayer War when he murdered Cornucopia. Known as the Overlord by his followers.

Military Organization: I like the idea of using *select levies* as laid out here: https://acoup.blog/2020/05/22/collectio ... -of-rohan/. Basically, some number of households would pool their resources to field one or more soldiers (men or women, this is an equal opportunity universe!) with reasonably good equipment. Everyone would have some combat training, it's baked into their culture what with having fought a desperate war for survival longer than the US has existed as a country. Probably, when it was time for a region to offer up their levy, they'd hold a small tournament, and send the winner (plus second, third, etc. depending on how many levies they have to field).

Magic: Not all music is magic (not by a long shot!), but all magic is music. When Magic-Users, Clerics, Druids and Mountebanks, Paladins and Rangers cast spells, they're singing short songs of power. When they prepare a spell, they're effectively "charging" their souls with magic, which is released by their song of power. A magical duel between two spellcasters might look something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eWZCYuYR6s

Battlecry of the Refuge of Free Peoples: "Fear no fire! Fear no foe! For friend and family, home and hearth!"

Cornucopia's Tears: White flowers that bloom on the Thornwall in Sprintime, and used by Druids and Halflings to treat life threatening wounds. The flowers wilt quickly after being picked, and no process has yet been discovered to preserve them for use away from the Thornwall.

Taxes: Adventurers are expected to pay a 30% tax on treasure found or reclaimed, due within two days of acquiring the treasure. These taxes are paid *after* XP is allocated for treasure found. So if an adventure finds 10 gold, he gains 100 XP, owes 3 gold to Princess Flora's government, and gets to keep 7 gold.

Vault: The Vault is the basement of Thorncity Castle. It serves as a larval bank for the wealthier residents of Thorncity in exchange for a 10% fee on initial deposit. Thorncity (obviously) has no investment economy, so it doesn't do the kinds of things that modern Banks do. It just stores the coins in the most secure part of Thorncity. When a deposit it is made, the Castle gives you several copies of a script verifying how much money has been deposited (they have a copy in their records as well). There is even the early beginnings of a paper currency: when performing large purchases, the two involved parties will often come to the Vault and sign a script certifying the transfer of funds from one's account to the other, without the money ever leaving the Vault. It is a rather clunky process, and smaller purchases are still done with coins. Typically, this script exchange is only done for purchases of 10 gold or more.

Ritual of Plenty: An ancient, long lost class of magical rituals said to have once been conducted by Elves before the Kinslayer War. These rituals are powerful, and difficult magic believed to have enhanced crop yields, and improved the health of the Earth.

Order of the Thorny Rose: An order of Chevaliers dedicated to the protection of Princess Flora and her family.

Tindalal: The old capitol of the Elven Kingdom that ruled the Great Green before the coming of the Kinslayer. It fell a few decades before the raising of the Thornwall.

Greenspan: The capitol of and largest city in the Refuge, on the far western shore. It is here that the Seer's comatose body lays, the Seer's Church is centered, the Council of Free Peoples meet, and the King holds court.

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Flora's Speech from the LFP thread:

Record of Princess Flora's Speech Declaring the Death of the Kinslayer as detailed by Nathaniel James, Royal Historian, April 15 Age of Reclamation 1

The midmorning sun shone bright and clear on the city of Thorncity, a
fortress city hunkering just behind the Thornwall.

Soldiers of all sizes and races filled the central square in front of a wooden
stage, arranged in neat and orderly lines. Those few civilians brave enough to
live in on the frontlines leaned out windows, or clustered on rooftops.

Princess Flora Bastion climbed upon the stage. She was a human woman in her
forties, but tall and powerful. Her braided brown hair hung over one shoulder,
and her breastplate gleamed in the sun. A hush fell over the city,
so complete the rustle of the Princess' skirts could be heard. Her blue eyes swept
over the assembled soldiers and clustered civilians, bright and fierce in a face criss-crossed
with a spiderweb of fine white scars.

She spoke in a clear, powerful voice. "A year ago today the Last Immortal, the
Seer, the guardian of Humanity, gathered to His side the ten greatest warriors
of the age. He led them deep into the heart of the Kinslayer's Maw."

Princess Flora pointed behind her, to the clump of distant black towers looming
over the city. A great shudder ran through the crowd, as before an icy breeze.
"For four days, and four nights we waited, barely able to breath. On the
very day when the Kinslayer's army ripped itself to shreds, the Seer returned.
Comatose, His body riven with grievous wounds. Of the Ten who
accompanied Him, there was no sign--"

Princess Flora's voice broke, and for a moment she stood silent. It was well
known that her husband was the greatest Magic-User of the age. When she spoke
again, her voice was once more clear and strong. "For a year, the Seer's
Council, our greatest clerics, communed with His mind. We sent our best
and bravest scouts deep into the Maw. Finally, we could only come to one
conclusion, though we dared not hope it to be true."

Silence. A silence so deep, no one dared to breath for free of breaking it.

Princess Flora lifted her arms to the sun. "The Kinslayer is dead!"

A moment of gathered breath. A great cheer erupted from the city. Grimfaced
soldiers hugged each other, sobbing like children. Elves kissed dwarves.
Lupines let up a great howl.

Princess Flora dropped her arms and watched the celebration for a moment. She
held up her hand, and the celebration ceased. "The War is won. Begun hundreds
of years ago, when the Kinslayer slew his sister Cornucopia, the Immortal
Mother of Halflings. Fought all across the world, from the Amber Sea to
the Great Green. Always we gave ground, until here, on this small penninsula,
we made our final hopeless stand. Yet against all hope, thanks to the courage of
the Seer and The Ten, the War is won."

Princess Flora drew her sword and held it above her head. Silver flames raced
across the gleaming edge. The ring of bared steel filled the courtyard. Hearts
skipped a beat, and soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons. All their
lives that sound had meant one thing: fight! The enemies are at the gates! Fight
for your lives! Fight for your children! "The War is won, the Kinslayer's army
fallen upon its own steel and claws. It is time now to reclaim our homes! To take back
the Great Green for the elves, the Rust Mountains for the Dwarves, the Amber Sea for
the Humans, the rolling hills between for the Halflings! Join me now! The Kinslayer War
has ended. The Age of Reclamation has Just! Begun!"

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Order of the Clenched Fist: An order of clerics and priests of the Seer, commonly called "inquisitors." They are focused on rooting out and punishing evil, especially heretics who follow the Kinslayer. They are more than a little fanatical about it, and seem to show little concern for any innocents who may be swept up and unfairly accused in their investigations. Princess Flora expressly forbids them from operating within her lands (all the Thornwall, and about two-three days west from there). Nonetheless, they still have spies working in Flora's lands.

Order of the Weeping Eye: An order of clerics and priests of the Seer. Most priests and clerics in Thorncity and the surrounding lands are members of this order. They are primarily focused on healing those who have been victimized by the Kinslayer (and, increasingly, the inquisitors). Their Patriarch is High Priest Derek.

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Demographics, and People's Views of Outside

The Thornwall went up 25 years ago. This means that, realistically, anyone under 30 has no real memories of the outside world. Even for those up to 40, their memories are mostly of fear and monsters, fire and death, hunger and flight. Those older than 40 were old enough to fight, and fight they did. Fight and die by the thousands. Even for the survivors, they mostly remember the unstoppable approach of the Kinslayer's monsters. Of villages burned, entire peoples eradicated, of desperate losing battles. Furthermore, after the Thornwall went up, there was a pretty massive baby boom. People were the safest they'd been in 300+ years, plus they needed more soldiers. So everyone had a lot of kids. Plus, thanks to the expertise of the Druids and Elves, the fertile lands of the Refuge, and the low population density, those children mostly survived (Astrid's family, with only four children is unusually small. Most families probably have 7-12). So the majority of the population is under 25.

While the Refuge did occasionally send raiding parties Outside to disrupt the enemy, they were rare and often carried devastating casualties.

So there are as many horror stories, and conspiracy theories about the Outside as there are people in the Refuge. Some do indeed believe that everything outside the Refuge is a blasted wasteland. Even some of those who have looked out beyond the Thornwall insist that it's an illusion crafted by the Kinslayer to lure people Outside, or perhaps the Seer to give people hope.

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Church of the Weeping Eye

A description for the Church of the Weeping Eye, the primary Church of the Seer in Thorncity, and headquarters of the Order of the Weeping Eye:

Like darn near every other building in Thorncity, it's its very own miniature fortress with strong, thick stone with two layers of walls. The vestibule doubles as a killzone, with slits for archers on either end, and a trap door in the ceiling for dumping boiling water. The vestibule opens into the main worship space. The pews are made of thick, single pieces of wood that can be used to shield archers. They are arranged and angled so that it is easier to aim and fire over them towards the main door than it is deeper into the space. The isles between them are narrow and windy. They look rather uncomfortable, even by church pew standards, but anyone who cares about comfort lives far away from Thorncity.

The space itself is utilitarian, lacking in elaborate banners and other decorations that could be set alight. The only sign of ostentation is a stained glass window of the Weeping Eye above the altar. The altar and window, are on the East side of the room. In the morning, the morning sun shines through window and bathes the space in a magnificent rainbow of colors. It also means that the Seer's "Eye" is able to watch over the conquered lands of the Kinslayer.

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The Mark

The properties of Mordred's Mark: viewtopic.php?p=758081#p758081

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A common Lupine saying:

"Life kicks you in the teeth, you bite off its toes."

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Military Rank

I haven't fully worked out officer ranks yet, but those are going to be drawn from the nobility and veteran soldiers who've seen at least four three-year tours of duty. For everyone else, their rank is "Soldier." Informally/quasi-formally, "Soldier" is broken up into three ranks:

Recruit someone whose joined the army for their first tour but hasn't completed training yet.

Trained someone who has completed training but hasn't seen combat yet.

Blooded someone who has seen combat, and thus fought against the Kinslayer's monsters.

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Religion

These days, there are two main competing religions (for humans anyway): the Seer's Church, and the Druidic ways. The Seer's Church tends to have a stronger grip on the western side of the Refuge (where the Seer is, natch), while those on the Eastern side (so near the Thornwall) tend to be more Druidic (the Thornwall is a Druidic miracle after all, and most Druids are thus in the East, tending to the Wall).

Those who follow the Seer's Church believe that since the Seer created humanity, each human has a small piece of the Seer's essence inside them, and when a human dies, they go to rejoin the Seer, bringing with them all of whom and what they were. There is no guarantee that a soul can find their way to the Seer. Those who don't make it might just cease to exist, or wander the world in confusion as a spirit (or even get captured by a Necromancer enroute).

People who lived a right, just cause are integrated wholly into the Seer to enhance his own understanding of Humanity. People live on in the Seer basically. Those who lived a cruel and unjust life, or who sold their soul to the Kinslayer are believed to instead be eradicated by the Seer when they essence returns to them. People of the Seer's Church tend to cremate their remains. They believe that the flames and ashes upon the wind help speed them along (also, then they can't be raised as undead). Still, there is a sizable chunk who believe in burial. They believe that by burying the body, the soul does not have to be cast upon the wind to perhaps get lost, but can instead remain safe within the earth as it makes its way to the Seer.

The Druidic people believe that when you die, your soul is returned to the Earth, just as is your body, and you will be reincarnated as part of the Grand Cycle. Those who live a good, honest life filled with hard work and respect and gratitude for the Mother Earth will be reborn as humans, since they have proven good caretakers. Those who abused the Earth are reborn as insects to feed the Earth's other children. Those who were truly dedicated to the cause of the Earth are reborn as birds, and given wings to fly.

The Seer (if even he knows) has said nothing one way or another.

The other races had their own religions tied to their Immortals, but much of that was lost (save perhaps by the oldest of dwarves and many elves). Druids claim that all races are reborn in the Grand Cycle. Almost all halflings have become Druidic with Cornucopia's death, as have most Elves. Most of the remaining Elves believe that with Greenleaf's death, their souls will just wander the world, vainly seeking Greenleaf until they fade away or go mad. Some groups among Elves have sprung up that have replaced worship for Greenleaf with ancestor worship, believing that if they create beautiful shrines, and speak and remember their ancestors, then those souls will find a home there, in that shrine and will not become lost or mad.

Dwarves have said nothing about their believes one way or another. A tight-lipped folk.

While this was different in the Age of Peace, these days most in the Refuge view burying the dead with their stuff as something of a waste (the people of the Refuge have been fighting desperately for its life for a looong time). Indeed, burying someone with their stuff is considered a grave insult. You're basically refusing to accept the dead's last gift to the living.

Undead are considered a hideous abomination, and Kinslayer magic by almost everyone. Anyone who creates undead are instantly considered to be practitioners of Kinslayer magic and thus an existential threat to the Refuge.