Anuirean

THE SEVEN KINGDOMS OF ANUIRE

Once ruled as one by the High King Alec of Ambercand from the Phoenix Throne in Valón, the Kingdoms have fragmented since the Breaking. They are now the Shattered Kingdoms.

  • AQUITAINE - Mightiest of the Shattered Kingdoms, ruled by House Elendsa from the Lion Throne; Aquitaine was the first kingdom to be re-founded and rebuilt after the Scourge, thus the current reckoning system of the Seven Kingdoms is based on FA (Founding of Aquitaine).
  • CALDOR - A peaceful and sleepy land of brave knights and beautiful damsels; not since the Orc Wars sixty years ago has Caldor roused itself to massed action.
  • EMELRENE - A mysterious land of misty mountains and secluded vales; Emelren is the sister country to Melderyn and both are steeped in the occult and arcane.
  • FURYUNDY - Second only to Aquitaine in size and might, Furyundy is a land of taigas and jagged mountains. Beyond her borders live the barbaric Ivanians and other, even less savory, neighbors.
  • KANDAY - Bordering the only major pass into the Sea of Ash and the dwarven nation of Throal, Kanday is always ready to defend her borders. It is a nestled kingdom of prosperity and order amid a sea of expansionist nations.
  • MELDERYN - Known as the Wizard Isle, it is home to the oldest known school of magick in the Seven Kingdoms; dating back to its founding by Mithröde.
  • VALÓN - Ancient seat of the Phoenix King; held now by the Reagent until his prophesied return. Valón is the center of the faith of the Light, shining like a beacon of hope against the night.

HISTORY

Anuire and its people, the Andu, were subjugated by the Lantlean Dynasty during its imperial phase. The Andu were barbaric clansmen who raised cattle and sheep, and used some rudimentary agriculture to support themselves. The Andu raided one another constantly and warfare was not uncommon, though rarely on a large scale.

The Andu and the elves of the region had an uneasy truce, with sporadic raiding and limited trading. The Andu script of Old Cerilic is based on Sithilic, the elven script. The Andu were respectful of nature and did not despoil the land for the most part. Their religion was one of god-heroes that has lived on into modern times as the Old Faith.

When the Lantleans conquered the region and pacified the tribes of the Andu, it was to despoil the land of its natural resources of lumber, fur, slaves, and ores. Much of this was accomplished by installing governors over large regions and civilizing the Andu. This worked to a point, but put the tools of rebellion into the hands of a restless and proud race.

As the population and civilizations grew, it put them in direct conflict with the elves, who up until this point in time, had remained secluded. The elves and humans of the region fought in open warfare, leading to the elves defeat and retreat

ANUIREAN RACIAL TEMPLATE [0]

The Andu tribes of the Anuire region were subjugated by the Therans some 1200 years ago. After almost a century of strife, the Anuireans were able to throw off the yoke of Theran oppression and free themselves. Almost immediately, they fell to bickering amongst themselves. From these conflicts arose the Seven Kingdoms, whose influence has somewhat stabilized the region.

Personality

Anuireans have a strong sense of independence mixed with a respect for authority. They are confident of their ability to spread civilization and hold back the darkness. They have a pioneering spirit and a will to succeed. Anuireans identify strongly with their lords, and the dealings and alliances of noble families are the topic of discussion throughout Anuire.

Physical Description

The ancient Anuireans were a fair-skinned, red-haired people, but over centuries of extensive contact with other cultures, Anuireans have lost most defining physical characteristics.

Comfort range for humans is 35°to 90° F.

Relations

The Anuireans are sure of their superiority, both in their religion and their society. This can often lead to conflicts with their neighbors. Those willing to admit the Anuirean way of doing things is best are readily accepted and racial prejudices are uncommon. Relations between each of the seven kingdoms vary, but watchful tension is the most apt description.

Alignment

As with all humans, alignments range the full gamut. A typical Anuirean farmer is law-abiding and puts the welfare of his village and family ahead of himself, making LG and NG very common.

Lands

Anuirean society is semi-feudal and based on a class of free farmers and craftsmen. The Seven Kingdoms of Anuire are: Aquitaine, Caldor, Emelren, Furyundy, Kanday, Melderyn, and Valón.

Religion

In the years following the death of Alec of Ambercand, the Phoenix King, at the Battle of Starfall, a new religion was born. The masses huddled in the living stone of the earth found new faith in the Light. This religion spread quickly after the Scourge was declared ended, and in the intervening centuries it has become the de-facto state religion.

Prior to the death of the Phoenix King, the pagan gods were worshipped in all of Anuire. Now, the pagans are rooted in the rural communities of the land. Most peasants and rural lords pay them homage. In many places, the pagan gods are worshipped along with the Light, but in others, the worshippers of the Light persecute the followers of the old ways, creating a schism between the nobles and the commoners.

Language

Anuireans speak Anuirean, a language descended from Andu, the language of the Andu tribes. It includes many Theran and Elvish words. The Anuireans use the Cerilic script, a variation of Elvish script. Many regional dialects exist.

Names

Male: Marik, Tristin, Gurney, Roblair, Mordenheim, Durlame.
Female: Vonda, Aniki, Chalindra, Rose, Bronwyn.

Adventurers

Anuirean adventures include all the base classes, though berserkers are not common.

Racial Template [0]

Racial Qualities

  • [0] Attributes: Anuireans are humans, which are assumed to be the base creature from which to measure all others. As such, ability score modifiers are not appropriate. Anuireans are in tune with higher forces, perceptive, and willful; yet this contemplative nature can sometimes make them slow to react.
  • [0] Size: Anuireans, as humans, are SM+0.
  • [0] Senses: Humans do not have any special senses.
  • [0] Required Advantages:
  • Suggested Advantages:
  • [0] Required Disadvantages:
  • Suggested Disadvantages:

Cultural Qualities

  • Native Language: Anuireans speak Anuirean. Literacy is not prevalent, but those that learn to read understand the cerilic script.
  • The Anuireans have a civilized culture; Developing, Dynamic, Stagnant, and Decadent. Tribesman of Anuirean descent can be found scattered in the wilderness of all the other levels.

Bonus Languages
Anuireans are exposed to many other languages depending on their country of origin.

  • In Kanday: Vos, Orcish, Ivanian, Elven, Goblin, Sylvan, and Dwarf.
  • In Aquitaine: it is rare to hear a non-human language, but Ivanian, Eastern Lantlean, Midani and Theran are heard on occasion.
  • In Caldor: Eastern Lantlean, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Dwarf, Sylvan, and even Hss-tathi are not unknown.
  • In far Furyundy: Ivanian, Vos, Gnome, Goblin, Elven, and Dwarf are common.
  • Residents of misty Emelren often hear: Theran, Ivanian, Gnome, Eastern Lantlean, and Elven.
  • On Melderyn, the Magic Isle, residents are exposed to: Theran, Eastern Lantlean, Ivanian, and Lantlean.

RELIGIONS OF ANUIRE

Two major religions vie for the souls of all Anuire: the old ways of the Andu tribes and the younger worship of the Light that has sprung up only in the last thousand years.

THE CHURCH OF THE LIGHT

During the Scourge which followed Alec of Ambercand’s death, many began to worship the Light while huddled in the dark underground. When humanity re-surfaced after centuries, it was this faith that drove back many of the Horrors due to its restrictive cosmology as opposed to the cosmology of the Pagan gods.

The religion gained its greatest credence in Valón after the death of St. Heironomous, but soon other saints were recognized and the religion spread to the other Seven Kingdoms and beyond. It is now recognized as the official state religion; though some pay it more heed then others. Pagan worship still continues, but mostly in rural areas, causing a schism between the nobles and the peasants.

The Light is a monotheistic religion which is the antitheses to corruption, darkness, chaos, and evil. True faith in the Light is capable of holding back all these forces, and potentially destroying or driving them from this world.

Worshippers of the Light, or rather those who give it more then lip-service do not recognize an organic living world in the sense that pagans do. This is what gives true faith in the Light such power; however it also limits the world view of a devotee of the Light to a very strict us-or-them, good-vs.-evil, light-vs.-dark mentality.

Three main clerical Orders have emerged since the faith’s founding, each tasked with a different facet of the Light. They are the Order of the Bringers of Truth or the Enlighteners; the Order of the Seekers of Truth, or the Inquisitors; and the Order of the Students of Truth, or the Illuminators. Each sect is made up of Templars (clerics), Priests, Fighters, laity, and support personnel. Some rivalry exists between the three sects, though it is mostly friendly.

  • The Order of the Bringers of Truth, or the Enlighteners as they are more commonly known, serve as both missionaries and as the founders of most permanent churches. The majority of its members are clerics and priests, though it does sponsor several fighting orders to provide protection for its holdings and its missions.
  • The Order of the Seekers of Truth, or the Inquisitors as they have become infamously known, serves the church as an internal policing agency, and as a military arm. It consists mainly of fighters and templars, with some paladins and priests filling out its ranks.
  • The Order of the Students of Truth, or the Illuminators, are a mostly scholarly order who serve the church as record keepers, librarians, sages, and keepers of Knowledge-Man-Was-Not-Meant-To-Know. Many of this order's members are priests and even wizards, though they maintain several chapter houses of templars and fighters for when the need arises for direct action in the recovery of an item or piece of knowledge.
  • Another Order exists beyond these three, known as the Order of the Knights of the Realm. This is an elite order of all paladins who foreswear all allegiances save to the higher power of the Light. They answer only to their own and the highest levels of the church. No border is closed to them, no door barred to them, and no Horror safe from them. Knights of the Realm exist only to combat the Horrors wherever they are found.

The servants of the Light are spirits (saints), but the Light itself is an abstract, an absolute, which is a unique religion on Arcallis. Worship of the Light is a modern phenomenon, post-scourge. It has taken root among the nobility and only spread somewhat into the lower classes. A schism exists between the two religions.

THE OLD WAYS

After the third Scourge and Mithröde’s failure, the humans have begun to turn to the Light, and the old ways are waning. The pagans give worship to several gods and goddesses.

Clerics of the pagans are called Ollaves, meaning “praise-singer”. Ollaves travel from place to place bringing a physical representation of their god so others can experience the god’s position first-hand. The day-to-day ministering is generally done by Druids while Bards serve as the eyes and ears of the pagans, bearing news and messages. A Great Druid is one who has levels in each of Ollave, Bard, and Druid.

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