The World of Arkhos

[Zook Murnig]

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[Zook Murnig]

A Brief History of Arkhos

In time forgotten, there was Arkhos. A shapeless mass, Arkhos was evershifting. Then a thought touched its heart and rippled out, solidifying the world as it went. Oceans swelled and mountains rose. Storms wracked this early world. As the storms raged, the Sun grew overhead, and one final surge of shaping force threw the Moon into the sky. The Moon and Sun calmed the storms, and soothed the young planet and its seas. And life began.

Over eons, life evolved and grew, and Arkhos’ climates changed and stabilized. Finally, as mortals emerged all over Arkhos, from the various races, there was a will to shape the world once more. Mortals sought reason for their existence, and why the Sun and Moon hung in the sky, and, ultimately, why they must die. The gods were the eventual answer, and as belief in the gods grew, they became more than ideas and ideals. The gods lived.

Mortals served the gods faithfully, believing them to be the creators of Arkhos and mortalkind. The gods gave mortals magic in return to their most faithful servants. Mortals prospered in this Divine Age, and spread all over the world. In time, however, the gods grew weary of their work.

It was Nikkal-wa-Ib who first created the Fomor as worldly intermediaries for the gods. To these ancient giants she granted great strength and powers of evolution. El Elyon saw this and disapproved, warning the other gods against this course. Soon, however, the other gods saw the work that Nikkal-wa-Ib’s Fomor did and envied her luxury. Her husband Yarikh then created his own Fomor to tend the Moon and its nightly advance, and Dagon made his own to tend the world’s crops and the seasons. As the other gods grew more jealous of their fellows, each began to create their own Fomor to perform their duties for them. Soon only wily Lotan and wary El Elyon remained. El Elyon watched in despair as his fellows sank into lassitude and fell dormant. And as the gods fell, the Fomor struck.

Tiring of laboring without the reverence of mortals, the Fomor shattered their bonds with the gods and began their seige upon mortals. For a thousand years, the Fomor fought, enslaved, and twisted mortals. Only the most devout servants of teh gods stood any chance against their might. As the Fomor led their march on what would be the Veldt, elves of the clans Tylwith Teg and Tuatha rallied against them. Stories differ as to how they defeated the Fomor king and became the Sidhe, but the Fomor were driven back to the sea, where they have waited for millennia since.

Grateful for their intercession, El Elyon allowed these elves to maintain their stolen immortality, but as punishment they would forever be cursed to compulsively deal in bargains and never speak false words. And to prevent another rising, he cast them from the mortal realm. Though immortal and banished from the mortal realm, the Sidhe were mortal once and so could not be completely driven from the realm. Instead, they occupy Faerie, just on the other side of the Ethereal Veil.

With the Fomor gone, and the other gods still dormant, the Sidhe were allowed only dominion over those elements of the mortal realm that were first given to the Fomor. Knowing the work must be done, El Elyon set about creating the other immortal races, each opposing another.

The Sidhe served to oppose each other, as well as future incursions by the Fomor. Tylwith Teg became radiant Summer, ruled by the Summer Queen, Titania. Tuatha became the harsh Winter, ruled by the Winter Queen, Mab. The Wyldfae were born of those elves, not of either clan, who fought with Tylwith Teg and Tuatha against the Fomor. Arguably more dangerous than the Sidhe of either court, the Wyldfae were bound even more firmly to Faerie, and their power diminished more severely in the mortal realm.

To the demons, the Abyss was given, a smoldering realm of chaos and madness. The devils were given Hell, with its order and torturous landscape. The enigmatic daemons received Gehenna and its swampy wastes.

The celestials were seated in lofty Ysgard, watching closely over demons, devils, and daemons. Their power was limited and tightly controlled, as even virtue must be in balance.

Finally, the elemental princes, lords, and kings were throned in four separate realms, each of an element. There, the elementals barter endlessly with one another, amassing and expending their power.

When at last his work was complete, El Elyon withdrew in shame and grief from the world, leaving only Lotan behind. The serpent god, in his solitude, grew more troubled by this new world and the power growing in these immortals. Lotan resolved to trick them all, and any mortal who managed to outwit the immortals and amass enough power could turn to him and be released from their own tangled web of pacts by a loophole of his own devising. They would shed their mortality and be reborn as dragons.

In the centuries that followed, the kingdoms of mortals that had risen under the gods and weathered the Fomorian Uprising slowly crumbled under the politicking of immortals. Kings served daemonic or fae influences before they tended to their own subjects.

Coralen and Tharos alone stood the test of the ages, the former by inducting arcane knightly orders into the ranks of their military, and not into leadership. The latter by banishing pact bearers and renewing faith in the old gods.

In that time, the Blue Scale Empire rose briefly and fell to tribal feuds in the Dragon Tooth Expanse. Its dragon emperor, Azrokhan, fled to the north, hiding amongst the dunes and shifting sands of the deep desert.

Generations after the fall of the Expanse-spanning empire, Kar’Phan Drakeblood, rumored to be the last scion of the former emperor, stepped forward to tame and unite the tribes of the Expanse. The founding of Phan and its capital marked a new era, and the calendar began anew. Kar’Phan’s most loyal guards were risen to the royal guard, and their descendants came to found the Order of the Iron Fist. Those who remembered the ancient ways of the old empire began the rival Order of Blue Blood. As Phan’s supply needs grew, the royal guilds were formed to meet the demand. Long since removed from the monarchy, Wohop formed the parliament from their representatives and representatives of the people.

To feed the demands of the guilds, colonization was necessary. Colonies of Phan have been established all across the sea and down the continental coast. Trade with Coralen provides unusual materials, while Tharos often supplied schematics for new technology.

As influence from Phan grew, so did dissent in the ranks of the nobility of Coralen. Succession disputes and power struggles ended with island after island of the Coral Archipelago seceding from the kingdom. Now the Coralen Federated States, its status as a world power is diminished, and only a united Coralen can be considered as a true threat.

In the past 200 years, a strange power has been appearing in individuals around the world. Psychic abilities manifesting in clairvoyance, telekinesis, telepathy, voluntary mutation, and other unusual powers have been termed “Psi,” and its practitioners “Psions.”

Further, a new race of mortals has surfaced within the last century, drifting ashore one by one all over the world. The kith are naturally gifted with psi, and have no apparent memory of their pasts. With each passing year, more kith are discovered and work their way into society at large.

Tharos, once the last bastion of the gods, and a beacon of their teachings, has grown more isolationist in the last century. Their largely tolerant government has given way to prohibition of pact bearers. The only magic in Tharos is from the gods or wizardry.

As the borders of Tharos close, new mortals rise from the ocean, unprecedented power flows from mortal minds, and Coralen falls to infighting, it is Phan’s time in the sun. Go now and strike the earth for the guilds and your kingdom!

[Zook Murnig]

The Mad Gods of Arkhos

Anaat

The goddess of war and strife, Anaat and her priests revel in battle and aim to oppress those weaker than themselves. Others amongst their ranks foment revolution and fight to end such tyranny. A diverse group, the only thing they agree on is the honor and glory of combat.

Asherah

The goddess of the sea, Asherah is seen by some to be the “mother” of the other gods, a theory popular amongst the familist cults of the eastern islands of known Arkhos. Whatever the case, her servants are often found in port towns and cities, as well as protecting trade ships on their journeys.

Ba’al Hadad

The god of storms and weather, Ba’al Hadad’s clerics maintain that fair weather and foul must occur in balance, and that disrupting this balance by maintaining calm skies and gentle rain brings only destruction and despair on a still greater scale.

Dagon

The god of growth and fertility, Dagon’s followers often make their services available to farms and villages, greatlyimproving production and quality of life. These services are not free, however, and sacrifices, both to Dagon and in payment to the cleric, are the most common compensation.

El Elyon

Understood by many to be the greatest of the gods, and amongst familist cults viewed as the “father” of all of the gods, El Elyon has domain over knowledge and magic. Some theories state that he is not subject to the insanity that has afflicted his brethren, but has nonetheless withdrawn from the world in shame for some unknown crime. Others say he simply does not care any longer for the world. Still, some few turn to the Overgod for understanding of the deepest mysteries.

Kothar-wa-Khasis

The god of craftsmanship, Kothar-wa-Khasis’ devotees strive to perfect their various crafts, as well as innovate new designs and techniques. Many of the premier firearms specialists and smiths maintain small shrines to him.

Lotan

The god of serpents deals largely in mischief and double-dealing. He has few priests, but is revered as the spiritual father of dragons. All known dragons exist thanks to Lotan’s intervention in twisted, knotted, indecipherable deals between mortals and immortals.

Molech

The fire god’s priests often come from volcanic islands around Arkhos, and some few maintain shrines on those islands, working on behalf of the the people to tame his rage. Many of Molech’s oracles spend their time breathing volcanic fumes and divining the future in the flames and molten rock.

Mawat

The god of death and undeath, Mawat is seen by many as a dark and evil deity. However, like all of the gods, he is neither good nor evil, but simply is, and his power reigns over the souls of those passed on. Some amongst his clerics offer assistance with mourning, or even return the dead to true life. Others venerate their ancestors and the power of the soul. Still others, however, kill in the name of their master, taking lives and even raising the dead as unliving abominations.

Nikkal-wa-Ib

The goddess of orchards and the wilderness, Nikkal is more often associated with the hunt and wild animals of all sorts. Her priests can be found in smaller villages, especially on the frontier. In these places, the hunt is ever more present and important in daily life, from the feeding of hungry mouths to the protection of family and friends.

Qadeshtu

This goddess of love, lust, and healing has one of the most active priesthoods on Arkhos, owing largely to the need for healing magic in such a dangerous world. As well, due most likely to the juxtaposition of her areas of influence, many of her priests and priestesses carry out their duties through the profession of sacred prostitution, making use of their healing powers and blessings of protection through the acts of love.

Resheph

The god of plague and healing, Resheph and his priests take an unusual view of health and disease. According to the priests of Resheph, we all exist not either in sickness or health, but on a continuum of increasing and worsening health. Further, the more radical servants of Resheph claim that disease is important in making the diseased healthier and stronger later. For this reason, some of these priests will refuse to fully cure diseases, but instead treat the symptoms and ease the pain and suffering of the ill.

Shamayim

The god of the skies, Shamayim’s priests are a carefree lot. This god had been all but forgotten until recently, with the advent of airship travel. With new ways to feel more attuned to their master, the priests of Shamayim returned to the world at large from their mountaintop reveries and began to serve as navigators of the airways.

Shapash

Known as the “torch of the gods,” Shapash is the goddess of the sun and her priests promote the glory of the sun and work to inspire heroism in the masses.

Yarikh

The god of the moon, Yarikh represents the night and all the various dealings that take place in cover of darkness. He is the eye that watches over gamblers, murderers, thieves, and rebels. Some say that he is the husband of Nikkal-wa-Ib, blessing the leaves of her orchards with dew that they may survive the harsh desert sun come morning.

[Zook Murnig]

Power at a Price: Types of Immortals

Mortal access to magic is governed through the Soul Arts, the trading of a portion of your mortal soul to immortal entities and powers in exchange for power. These deals often result in a relationship akin to that of a feudal lord and his vassal, the lord granting power and status in exchange for fealty, loyalty, and service when required.

The following are the major types of immortals that may make themselves available for contact and contract.

Fey

The fey, or faeries as they are loathe to be called, are unfathomable and alien in their intentions, but ultimately power hungry. Though they often make deals amongst themselves and mortalkind in the interest of gaining magical power, their primary concern is command of free will without the direct use of magic. Their domains of power are concentrated in music, poetry, charm, illusion, and natural magic. They favor beauty in all things, and know how to use this beauty to lure mortals. While full of guile and double talk, the fey cannot lie outright, and abhor such inelegant forms of deception when used by mortals, especially against them. Their love of deal-making is both a boon and a curse, and those mortals who do not tread lightly in their dealings with the fey will find themselves ever more deeply knotted in their web. However, if one deals wisely and with great cunning, advantage can be had. Though most are in the service of one or the other of the Sidhe Courts (Winter, or Unseelie, and Summer, or Seelie), there are those Wildfae who are declared to neither, but act as free agents to whichever side serves their best interests at the moment, or no side at all. No matter the affiliation, however, all fey despise the Fomor and their agents, mortal and immortal, and work against their interests wherever they can.

Fomor

The fomor, are a race of elder giants, the precursors of modern giants and titans of all known varieties. Little concrete knowledge is available on the fomor, aside from their invasive tendencies, bitter rivalry with the fey, and proclivity for certain modifications made to their mortal servitors. What is known for certain is that they once threatened all of the land-dwelling races, mortal and immortal alike, but were banished to the seas by an unprecedented unified effort by the Sidhe Courts. The fomor cannot grant pacts any longer, and have not been seen in millenia.

Demons, Daemons, and Devils

The difference between demons and devils is largely academic, as they share many of their defining characteristics as related to mortalkind. Both are keen to corrupt as much of mortalkind as possible, but their methods differ. Devils will work to make intricate deals with a mortal, corrupting them by a measure at a time, ever offering that slight edge against whatever problem he or she may face. Demons, however, go for broke, granting maddening power to the most sociopathic mortals they can find, and driving them to perpetrate atrocities against their neighbors, spreading misery and destruction.

Celestials

Limited as they are by their own laws, celestials make very little attempt to spread their virtues of good and law through Arkhos, instead espousing that mortals are responsible for their own free will and what results from it. However, on occasion, a mortal of pure heart and devotion will step forward to champion their cause, taking on a mantle of pure divine power and might.

Dragons

The reptilian masters of magic and might, dragons of all colors and types take an interest in the affairs of mortals, even taking mortal form to walk among them. The only similarity in disposition amongst dragons is their desire for wealth and power, both political and magical, and to those ends they will dabble in the intrigues of men, and take on pacts with likeminded mortals.

Elementals

While most elementals care little for the lives of mortals, the various genie races (Djinn, Efreet, Marid, and Shaitan) take an active role on occasion. Vassals of these elemental races are often swept up in their intricate politics, and are quick to barter for alliances.

Gods

Among the most varied and powerful of immortals are the gods, who are believed by some to have first developed the Soul Arts, and from those first pacts came the ancestors of modern immortals. Most have since gone mad, though they still maintain their realms of influence and interests.

Natives

While not a true type of immortal race, this covers all those immortals who are native to the Material Plane with no true ties to each other. These free agents often choose only a single mortal each to share their power with, and demand complete obeisance.

[Zook Murnig]

Wizardry: A Study in Thaumaturgic Theft

Where witches and sorcerers gain arcane power through pacts of fealty and service, and oracles are cursed and clerics blessed for their devotion to a master, there are those who decline to yoke themselves to a higher power. These individuals study intensely in the theory surrounding magic, and its use, to find loopholes in the usual pathways to power, and are generally termed as wizards.

A number of methods of developing powers of wizardry are known, and some few are considered unsavory in polite company. One might trap a lesser demon or other immortal to study its biology. Another might eat the creature, absorbing its essence into their soul and body. Still others might subject themselves willingly to assault by a pact-bearer or another wizard with nonlethal, but nonetheless unpleasant and dangerous spells, in order to take note of the flow of those energies through their bodies. Whatever the method, it unlocks a potential in the individual to, through rigorous training and years of education, siphon power from immortals to power their own spellcasting. In all cases, the magic of wizardry is highly formulaic, and difficult to master.

Three major breeds of wizards exist: the summoner, the magus, and the slightly less specialized wizard.

Summoners practice a more dangerous facet of wizardry than most, summoning all manner of immortals to bind them into service for a time. For this reason, a summoner must have a strong will to bind the summoned creatures, in addition to the skill to bring them forth. Many of these summoners even manage to bind the pure essence of an immortal to their own soul, creating a sort of inverted relationship of a mortal master controlling an immortal puppet. These are the most reviled among the immortal races, as they have perverted the very power that holds their societies together into a mockery of their pacts.

The magus is another highly specialized class of wizard, blending combat magic with weapon mastery into an art all its own. Their evocations can be cast amid their swordplay to dance their way not only to victory, but domination in duels. Their ability with non-combat and utilitarian magic is stunted, however, and will never compare to that of other spellcasters.

Finally, the traditionalists that are true wizards have a broad base of spell knowledge, though some may eschew particular schools of magic in favor of specialization in another. These wizards are often found in the service of royalty and nobility, if not nobility in their own right, which affords them some protection from the jealous pact-holders, or the more zealous assassins and mercenaries employed by powerful immortals. Their skills are highly sought after by the general populace, as well, being that their broad knowledge affords them a more varied range of services than most other spellcasters can provide, from fortune telling to potion brewing, weapon enchantments to disjunction of curses. The only services they have no ability to provide are those of healing and resurrection, though some attempt to substitute this with the arguably legal practice of necromancy.

[Zook Murnig]

Major Mortal Races

Humans

The humans of Arkhos are among the most determined and ambitious of the mortal races. Their unbreakable spirit has led to their position as the rulers of kingdoms and the driving force of labor in industry and agriculture. Their adaptability makes them prime candidates not only for practice of the Soul Arts, but any number of martial arts. Barbarism, monasticism, chivalry, and any number of weapon styles, from swords, to axes, bows and crossbows, to firearms and siege cannons, are all within equal reach.

Dwarves

The dwarven clans of Arkhos have long and varied histories of interaction with the immortal races. In the long past fomorian invasion, many of the mountain halls were overrun, with entire clans enslaved by the hundreds. This history of slavery still defines dwarven culture into the modern era, with the alliances and grudges formed holding true to this day.

Those clans who accepted their new masters flourished briefly under the fomor. After their patrons’ forced exodus into the sea, however, these clans left behind their fortresses in favor of roaming barbarism.

Still other clans took up arms beside the fey, and fought in their armies to drive the fomor back into the sea, from whence they came. These clans keep the tradition of druidic arts and witchcraft alive, and many favor the Winter Court’s pragmatism over Summer’s idealism. Their mountain halls are often adorned with a bounty of fungi, many of which bioluminesce in blues, violets, and greens.

Finally, there are those clans who did not fall to the fomorian invasion, but simply toiled away under their mountains, perfecting their crafts as a matter of necessity in driving back the conquering forces. These dwarves have earned a reputation as mastersmiths, crafting the finest weapons and armors. More recently, they have even gained status as firearms experts, perfecting the unstable designs of the gnomes into working weaponry.

Elves

Secluded masters of nature and magic, elves are, as a people, tightly bonded with the fey. Traditional elven society removes itself almost completely from contact with the human kingdoms, living in hidden villages and treetop cities. These settlements, and many of those elves who hail from them, want little to do with the dwarves and gnomes, much less with their “ferromancy.” Instead, they prefer traditional weapons and living in harmony with their homelands of the Veldt.

As a foil to these woodland elves, however, are the increasing numbers of so called “urban elves.” These elven expatriates, and their descendants, often take well to the lifestyles provided by technology and wizardry.

Magically, woodland elves prefer druidic magic and witchcraft, making pacts with the fey more often than not, while urban elves tend more towards various forms of wizardry and the oracle’s mysteries.

Gnomes

The enigmatic gnomes of Arkhos are a strange and variable bunch. While as a people they have no single calling or mastered skillset, each individual excels at a particular ability, craft, or trade, and pursues it often to the exclusion of all else. This serves their communities well, especially in their harsh native lands in the Winding Gaps.

Most family groups live a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving from town to town every few years, though some have been known to settle down in the larger cities of the human kingdoms. These more urbane gnomes, growing up in human society, take well to the study of language and diplomacy, or study and development of new technology and black powder weaponry.

As some of Arkhos’ born innovators, gnomes are prone to taking huge leaps in advancement in any craft or profession in which they take part. However, these come at the expense of true understanding of the underlying concepts. This often manifests explosively and catastrophically, especially where alchemy, magic, and black powder are concerned.

With regards to magic, gnomes have little love for wizardry, preferring pacts with immortals, though they make difficult vassals to control. Their particular talents are in sorcery and oracular mysticism.

Halflings

Masters of the Arkhosian waterways, halflings are rarely seen in land-locked cities and towns, but a common sight in the harbors and markets of port towns of the Coralen Archipelago. They are well known as merchants and traders, and derive most of their livelihood from shipping the goods of other races.

As their size puts them at a disadvantage in most physical confrontations, they often must rely on guile and negotiation to remove themselves from unfavorable situations. This has led to a not entirely undeserved reputation as tricksters and thieves.

Halfings who take up magic do so most often not for personal gain, but for the betterment of their family and the community of families with whom they share their caravans and ships. They rarely take up wizardry, being superstitious and afraid of the wrath of the immortals. Those who do, however, tend towards the summoner’s art and general wizardry over the martial path of the magus.

Half-Elves

In human society, half-elves occupy a unique position, being most like their shorter-lived kin, but appearing far more like their exotic elven ancestors. Due to this perceived difference, many take up the bardic arts or the varied lifestyle of the rogue, often combining these talents with other skills.

Those who manage to focus on a single specialization tend to take from their elven blood a special skill in magic. Others focus their training on mastering an unusual weapon from their ancestry, forsaking the development of other talents.

Orcs and Half-Orcs

The orcish tribes of the ancient past have, for the most part, long been quelled by human kingdoms. These once barbaric peoples have adapted well to life amongst the other races, employing their strength in the menial tasks of city life. Many tribes have taken up the profession of porters and metalsmiths, while others have attuned their bestial nature into skill with livestock and beasts of war. Some of these latter tribes have even organized themselves collectively into local and regional “Handlers’ Guilds.”

Some tribes have forsaken their nomadic and tribal roots and reorganized themselves into monastic orders, striving to tame the wildness in their blood and find a deeper truth within themselves.

Unfortunately, however, there exist a number of kingdoms in which the original orcish tribes were not simply integrated, but enslaved. These chained lines remain so to this day, often serving as entertainment in gladiatorial competitions where they hone their skill with the very bonds that hold them.

Since their cultural integration with humans, there has been a steady process of genealogical integration, as well. These half-orcs now outnumber their full orcish kin ten-to-one, and many consider pureblooded orcs to be a dying breed, especially as half-orcs prove, time and again, to breed true, whether their partner be human or orc.

[Zook Murnig]

The Kingdom of Phan

Capital: Kar’Phan

Mainland Population: 3.5 million (40% human, 20% half-orc, 10% dwarf, 10% half-elf, 7% halfling, 5% gnome, 5% elf, 2% orc, 1% other)

Languages: Common, Orc, Dwarven

In the arid, untamed desert of the Dragon Tooth Expanse, the great kingdom and colonial power of Phan holds sway, and its capital in Kar’Phan has stood for two-thousand years. The nation is composed largely of humans and half-orcs, drawing from the native population of the Expanse. The majority of the resident dwarven population draws from one or another of the three major dwarven holdings in the vast desert, and all other population figures are either the result of immigration over the centuries, or approximations of migrant populations.

The kingdom was founded by its capital’s namesake, Kar’Phan Drakeblood, in a campaign of subjugation, alliance, and enslavement against and with the various clans and tribes of the Expanse, and the capital was forged in the heat of the desert, hammered into shape by Kar’Phan’s legendary iron fist, and cooled by the delta of the Crystal River. Since those ancient days, the kingdom has flourished and grown, and as greater supplies of minerals, wood, and other raw materials were required, the guilds of Phan stepped forward to commission the adventurers and sell-swords of the kingdom to establish colonies across the sea.

As the guilds grew in influence and power, it became clear that the kingdom could no longer be governed by a king and his court alone, and King Wohop, known for his occasional strokes of unusual brilliance, called for a parliament to be formed of representatives from all of the major guilds.

Industries

Phan’s trade guilds provide much of the production labor in the kingdom, and a high baseline quality can be expected from most of their work. These guilds span the fields of smithing, woodworking, and farming, and are delineated on strict sub-field lines. Smithing guilds are broken down into armorers, weapon-smiths, blacksmiths, metallurgists, and glass-wrights, and often also house or associate with stonemason guilds. Woodworking guilds consist of shipwrights, carpenters, and woodcarvers. Farming guilds provide almanacs, seeds, beasts of burden, and farm equipment to members, as well as serving as farmers’ markets for the general populace. Under the purview of the farming guilds are also those guilds who make immediate use of the raw materials produced by the farms, such as the weavers’, alchemists’, culinary, leather-workers’, and handlers’ guilds.

The entire guild system hinges upon the most critical element of Phan’s success: its colonies. On islands and mainland locations across the known world, the guilds have established colonies in the name of Phan, that new sources of ore, wood, and other resources may be procured for production. To this end, adventurers, mercenaries, and sell-swords from around the world flock to Kar’Phan’s harbors, seeking coin, adventure, and prestige, all paid for by the fat purses of the guilds.

Life and Society

The kingdom of Phan was founded on the principle of mortals ruling mortal kind, and its capital, Kar’Phan, was built without magical assistance, its economy based in quality handcrafted products, and its kings relying on the advice of mortal advisers alone. Since those early days, the kingdom has made little use of immortal power or influence, compared to their neighbors in the Coral Archipelago.

Since those ancient and noble beginnings, official and social policy on pact magic has relaxed. Clerics of Qadeshtu and Resheph tend to the wounded and ill, necromancers fueled by demonic power provide cheap labor for the mines, and druids of the Summer court offer their services in the fields. While the government makes only essential uses of immortal magic, it has crept inexorably into the culture and economics of the kingdom.

Nonetheless, in the past decades a new movement has taken shape, aiming to exorcise immortal involvement in magic weapons and armor, tools, and even food production. An entire market for mortal-made goods has surfaced, though prices are inflated on such products due to the increased difficulty in manufacturing. A few enterprising wizards, however, have taken up the call for non-immortal goods, and offer a middle ground solution: wizard-made goods and enchantments.

Government and Politics

Ruled by Queen El’vina Drakeblood (LN female human aristocrat 2/monk 3), Phan maintains the monarchic line it has had since its founding. However, during the reign of Wohop, a parliamentary system was enacted. Comprising two houses, the parliament handles the majority of day-to-day affairs in the kingdom, including budgets, economic controls, lawmaking, and the founding and funding of the colonies.

The first house, the House of Guilds (often known to the citizenry as the “Gilded House” or the “Guilted House”), handles the majority of economic concerns, and are at the beginning of almost every colonial motion. The Guilded House is made up of representatives from each of the major guilds of Phan, selected by guild leadership and serving at the pleasure of the crown. Should a guild representative displease the reigning king or queen, he or she will be dismissed and a replacement will be selected from their guild. For this reason, many representatives from this house spend their days at court, gauging the monarch’s interest and disposition regarding any motion before putting it to a vote on the House floor.

The second house, the House of Nobles, is somewhat misnamed. It once was filled with members of court and nobility, but those inheritors have since been slowly replaced with elected officials from the various colonies, cities, and provinces of Phan. This house handles the majority of legislation, sets taxes and budgets, and makes the final parliamentary approval for colonial matters. The representatives in the House of Nobles serve, like the guild reps, at the pleasure of the crown. However, there is much greater hesitation in the dismissal of an elected official, as such an act is not only a strike to the politician, but an offensive gesture to their constituents. Repeated dismissals will do little to engender trust and respect in the monarchy, and the affronted colony may well take actions of protest or, in extreme circumstances, secession, cutting the mainland off either temporarily or permanently from their much-needed resources.

Queen El’vina is in a difficult position, as her ascension to the throne less than a decade past made her the first Drakeblood crowned “Queen” in Phan’s history. As the only scion of her father, the late King Bornam, she took up the obligation and responsibility as the sole heir. While the kingdom has long been ruled with a gender impartiality stance, and the citizens rarely contradict this view, it is still a major break from two-thousand year tradition. As such, El’vina has conducted herself as much according to tradition and duty as possible, taking up the monastic arts like her forefathers under the tutelage of the Iron Fist monks, and attending court as stately and proper as her father. Nonetheless, there is some concern amongst the guilds and the laypeople of Phan about how the princess might handle whatever crisis may cross the kingdom in the decades to come.

Organizations

Scions of the Iron Fist

An ancient order of monks following in the tradition of Kar’Phan Drakeblood, these unarmed warriors train and teach in the mortal styles of combat employed by their namesake. Most Iron Fist monks serve in the highest echelons of the Royal Guard.

The Order of the Azure Storm

A more recent monastic tradition founded in the last several centuries, Azure Storm initiates display mastery of not only unarmed combat, but sorcerous lightning. These warriors sell their services, most often as law enforcement or guild bodyguards. The source of their sorcery is a closely guarded secret known only to the initiated.

The Royal Guilds of Phan

Not so much a single organization as an assortment of related and interconnected guilds, these economic powerhouses control the majority of business and organized labor in the kingdom. The guilds have representation in government, financial investment in the colonies, and employment of the largest total population of skilled craftsmen and artisans in Arkhos.