Book One: FATE -The Land, Lore, And Locations
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Table of Contents
LAND
Four Kingdoms (land00)
Kingdom of Atra (land01)
Marshlands (land02)
Great Forest (land03)
Central Mountains (land04)
LORE
Man (lore01)
Lis (lore02)
Dau (lore03)
Brood (lore04)
Wildlife (lore05)
Magic and Magic Spheres (lore06)
Church of Risolis (lore07)
Church of Katerano (lore08)
Story of the Iris (lore09)
LOCATIONS
Samilo (loc01)
Old Man Copper's (loc02)
Wrathe (loc03)
Cattra (loc04)
Wex (loc05)
Tentra (loc06)
Noctern (loc07)
Tillsen (loc08)
Land
Four Kingdoms (land00)
Within the world of Pesmega there are four separate lands controlled by different types of leader or government. The exact dates each kingdom were formed has never been recorded, or if it ever was it was lost between the two time periods known as BCT (Before Chaotic Times) and CT (Chaotic Times).
The names of the Four Kingdoms are; L'Carn, Atra, Sarento, and Vail.
The most commonly accepted currency (but by no means the only one) by the Four Kingdoms is referred to as coin. These coins are fashioned from some common metals and rarer ones to denote higher value and come in a variety of sizes. While coin is agreed on for the most part, simply trading goods of agreed equal value is still very common as well.
Kingdom of Atra (land01)
Atra is a prosperous land ruled by a monarchy for many years. Compared to the other kingdoms it is relatively small, but well situated between two of them (L'Carn to the west and Sarento to the east) for expansive trade routes and exploration. Being between two such varied climates of the kingdoms on either side it has the benefit of changing with the seasons and winds as the year goes on. As such, it can experience months of warm weather at a time and then chilly air or even snow depending on the weather in neighbouring lands.
The military strength of Atra matches that of any of the others, though they do not rely on Magic Spheres and instead prefer heavily armoured knights wielding well made weapons for major assaults and mounted cavalry for swift advances. It has been many years since the full military might of Atra has been tested but this has not led to complacency. With Sarento eyeing the boarders to the east and strange goings on to the west the bulk of the army is spread thinly between the two. Towns and villages within the various counties of the land are always garrisoned at least by a small force or town guard and there are also checkpoints between major locations to act as staging areas should anything major ever happen.
The current ruler of Atra is King Leonard Nega who has a wife and son and has ruled for over thirty years. He is considered a good, strong leader by most. There are those, however, who disprove of the monarchist reign on the kingdom and entire cities have threatened revolt if they are not granted independence from the crown. The most famous example of this is the city of Noctern, which successfully left the banner of the Kingdom of Atra just over ten years ago. Since then, a smaller town called Tillsen has also sought independence.
Despite pressure on King Nega to force these two places to remain under control of the crown, he opted not to protest. This may seem like a kind thing to do, however he made it clear that no place that refutes the crown would be protected by it. All knights under the charge of the king were recalled from Tillsen and Noctern and they were left to govern themselves. This may yet come back to haunt King Nega as, now that Noctern goes under no kingdom's flag, the neighbouring Kingdom of Sarento seeks to expand it's boarders...
Marshlands (land02)
Despite being a prominent mark on the land of the western half of the Kingdom of Atra, there is very little to see in this wasteland. These dangerous marches all seem connected and essentially cut off some of the more distant areas of the kingdom. There is one known safe road through the middle of the Marshlands that traders will take, but that is not to say that it is the only one. Going the long way around the south or north tips of the Marshlands is most definitely the safest routes but both add days to travel time that merchants often cannot afford.
Many people have lost their lives stepping off the one known safe path directly through the Marshlands and even those trying to stick to that can often become lost or step wrongly without an experienced traveller to guide them.
The dangers posed by the Marshlands has always been a huge problem for many, but especially for troop movement to reinforce the western boarders, villages and counties. Plans have been in place to try and find alternate routes through the marshes or to construct large bridges to allow hundreds to travel at once, but as of yet nothing has been confirmed by the crown.
Great Forest (land03)
Besides the Marshlands, the Great Forest is the other most well known landmark outside of the man made wonders of the Kingdom of Atra. It is a huge forest spreading across much of the north of the kingdom, stopping only a short distance before the road leading into the Central Mountains and essentially cuts off one quarter of the land.
There is little in the way of guidance on how to pass through the forest with haste, only small paths made from worn down dirt by those who went before and as a result many people become lost trying to traverse the Great Forest without any kind of guide.
Due to the expansive trees forming a canopy that allows very little light to pass through even at the height of noon, the Great Forest has become home to many animals and creatures that prefer living in near total darkness. Before Noctern's bid for independence from the crown it was a safe enough place to travel through despite the near constant darkness as there was a lot of traffic but since that day the paths went unsoiled for weeks.
Central Mountains (land04)
Every one of the Four Kingdoms has at least one thing in common; they are connected via at least one route through the Central Mountains. This harsh range of tall mountains is snow covered all year round and is prone to storms. Many Dau clans chose to live in these conditions and have become survival experts as a result, but anyone untrained trying to do the same would often end up dead.
The indigenous creatures to the Central Mountains all are usually thick furred and are able to go weeks on end without a meal. There are stories of more dangerous creatures dwelling in mountains and of a place that no one who has stepped foot on has returned from, but only the Dau know for sure.
LORE
Man (lore01)
The dominant race and founder of the Kingdom of Atra. It is not known where the race was first born into and much has changed with the passage of time, but Atra has since become the main location for the race of Man to dwell. The dialect originally created by this race has become the main one spoken by every other race that also dwells within Atra, despite never being given an official name. Although technically being inaccurate, races within the other kingdoms simply refer to the universal language spoken in Atra as Atraian. This trend now largely applies across all of the Four Kingdoms and leads to offence for those who speak the less well known languages.
In the distance past, many of the races split apart in search of new locations to live, explore and conquer. Years later, as the Four Kingdoms were formed, many returned from adventures with tales to tell and were finally eager to settle down in a place filled with their own people to raise a family and make a living. Though no text documents remain from those times, this is the most wildly believed history of the forming of the world today by Man.
With an average life expectancy of between sixty and seventy years old, they live for a moderate amount of time. Some other races consider Man to be warmongers, as any battles or skirmishes between kingdoms prior to recent events involved them in some way. Such actions has given the race of Man a poor reputation, particularly with those from the Kingdom of Sarento. Atra and Sarento are involved in numerous deputes and some believe this has more to do with racial differences than politics. King Nega officially labelled the Kingdom of Sarento as underhanded expansionists during a speech in retort to claims of warmongering by his kind.
Lis (lore02)
There is a joke amongst the race of Man that if you are a coward then you and every other Lis have something in common. A submissive race with little interest in fighting, Lis often find jobs serving households in larger cities or small time jobs on the outskirts counties rather than in military service. There are, of course, always exceptions to this, but Lis in military service as knights or the like are very few and far between. Most are scared off during training by their peers or harsh instructors.
The most distinguishing features of the Lis are thick skin rimmed eyebrows which hang over their eyes with stretching bases which connect under the neck and just below the chin. These thick rims also spread down their spine and along the back of their shins. To the casual observer they can always appear quite short, but this is because they have developed a tendency to hunch over.
The Kingdom of Atra has always been the homeland of the Lis and they have always coexisted with Man. They like moist weather and stayed near the Marshlands to the west most of the time. It is believed that once, long ago, they had their own language and culture but that these died off as they submissively accepted the ways of Man. Their average life span is around fifty years. Though this is not old in comparison to other races, Lis rarely die before their time. This may be because they actively avoid danger where possible, but also because they seem to have a natural protection against illness and disease.
Dau (lore03)
Dau are not so common within any of the Four Kingdoms, preferring instead to stay deep within the Central Mountains. Groups of Dau often stay together and form clans, which move from time-to-time between cold fronts and to change hunting grounds with the different seasons. That said, there are also those who abandon clan life and chose to live within one of the Four Kingdoms.
The most obvious feature of a Dau is their height, for they are often no taller than four feet once they reach adulthood. They often sport large beards and copious amounts of body hair and this is believed to be part of their physiology to protect against freezing temperatures with natural warmth. They also live far longer than any other known race, some living to as old as one hundred and forty.
Some consider the Dau to be a living paradox. They are well known for two completely opposing traits; as being largely devoted pacifists and being the most skilled weapon smiths in the entire world. They would say in reply to such a statement that a finely crafted blade is not a tool for death until it is wielded by killer and can simply be admired as a thing of beauty.
Despite pacifism being one of the primary drives of most Dau and their clans, there are those who do not follow this ethos. On occasion, whole clans have swayed away from pacifism, but this is mostly frowned upon by the rest of their race.
If you find a Dau within a town or city chances are that they will be in a position best suited to their former clan skills. Most become smiths of some type, sometimes working directly with the kingdom's military to provide the best quality weapons for the troops. The Kingdom of Atra actually made an effort some time ago to commission every stray Dau that they could find seeking employment, aware of their limitless skill in weapon forging.
Brood (lore04)
Though largely thought of as monsters, Brood cannot truly be classed as a specific species. Brood itself is more accurately a vampireic disease passed from an original carrier years ago to another each generation in order to create a group of servants for a main leader. Negative side effects of this disease include intense sensitivity to light and low circulation as well as loss of inhibition. Positive ones include increased muscle tension and skin hardening leading to more physical strength, endurance and agility. The key trait of Brood leaders, however, is that their ageing slows to almost a complete halt. Leader and servant alike feast largely on raw flesh, be it of animal or person.
The name Brood was given to these diseased creatures due to the discovery of how mindless puppet like servants, often used by a leader or his creatures, were created. There is very few recorded cases, but it believed that they are developed in egg-like containers in total darkness. Besides puppet knights, strong Brood infections are served by haunting spirits that screech and claw their victims apart. The name thought to be given to these spectres is Wraith but their exact origin or process of creation is completely unknown.
The largest Brood families hide within the Central Mountains, though that does not mean the disease cannot spread elsewhere. There have been numerous cases of Brood infections spread by a host hidden within each of the Four Kingdoms. It is a recognised problem by all four, yet no effort has been made to team together to remove the issue once and for all.
The only way to be sure of removing all threat of an infected area is to kill the host carrier (leader) before they can pass on their blood to a new host, starting the cycle again. Killing servants created by the host will not stop the disease and death from spreading.
Any time an infection has been found within the Kingdom of Atra the area has been immediately quarantined to the best of the armies abilities and then Demon Hunters from the Church of Risolis called in to remove the threat through any means necessary. In the recorded history of the kingdom there has only been two large scale infections and at least a dozen stopped before they could spread.
Wildlife (lore05)
The Kingdom of Atra is home to many different species of animal ranging from common insects to predatory beasts. Livestock and cattle specifically are raised in farms all over the kingdom and provide meats and dairy which are amongst the most exported trade goods to the kingdoms with much harsher year long climates. Dyes for foods and cloth are made from plant and insect extracts as well as any number of discovered salves and medicines for wounds.
Pets come in the form of inem, a breed of hound that can be aggressive if brought up in the wild, and various species of bird or cat. Some consider horses to be pets although to most people they are purely a means of transportation.
Aggressive animals that cannot be tamed and are a problem are fewer in number but still an issue. Largely, if wolves or slightly larger mammals ever start preying on a trade route or less defended village or town, additional knights will be called in. In extreme cases where it is believed rarer monsters are to blame then the Church of Risolis is immediately contacted and Demon Hunters commissioned to deal with the issue.
The largest recorded beasts across all Four Kingdoms are two species of dragon. Orca are white dragons that are now thought to be extinct, but in their prime were peaceful things of beauty. Scythe are still common in this day and age (though largely as young whelps rather than fully grown dragons that can live for centuries) and were either born from a corrupted Orca or themselves at some point corrupted. Necromancy is thought to be to blame for the first Scythe dragons but no documented proof of this exists.
Magic and Magic Spheres (lore06)
As just mentioned, Necromancy is a recognised form of magic within the Kingdom of Atra. It is dark in nature, working with the mechanics of death and corruption used largely to cause pain. Actually, it is illegal and any studying it are often arrested but it is still thought to be the oldest form of magic to have existed.
Magic, in terms of studies carried out by scholars of Atra, is classed as 'the inheritable ability of an individual to form elemental properties using their body as a channel between this world and the next'. Other kingdoms and races hold other beliefs in regard to magic and no one can be sure that they are correct. No matter how much research is done it has never been determined why one individual may have magical ability and another may not.
Other than Necromancy, the only other recognised school of magic is Elemental. Though many have tried, not even the strongest magic users have ever been able to apply their ability to heal the sick or wounded.
Elemental users can channel 'magic' and turn it into the elements of the world such as fire, wind, water, and so on. Since Atra's military does not rely on magic there is no livelihood to be made by Elemental users looking to become battle mages, instead they are encouraged to learn to channel elemental magic into the form of Magic Spheres.
Magic Spheres are as strong a part of Atra's economy as any other nation. These are small spherical objects created by those with magical ability that can be activated by anyone. These can range from fire element spheres which cast out a flame when commanded, light spheres that act like a lit torch, or water spheres that provide liquid. Many of these brands of sphere are part of the essential equipment for travellers, traders, or anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. Camping out is made a lot easier by having access to an instant source of fire, a light source, or drinking water. Some spheres can even be used as a weapon, such as the lightning brand or even the fire spheres if they are well enough made.
The brand of sphere and elemental strength held within depend on the strength of the latent power of the creator. How many uses one sphere will give or how powerful the effect once evoked are entirely dependant on this and this leads to a marketplace with many different brands on offer. Those with powerful connections to magic that can create high quality spheres that last through many uses are able to charge far more for them.
Research and studies into the creation of Magic Spheres has raised questions over the safety of spending a lifetime creating them. Elemental magic users who make a living selling spheres always seem to die young or are prone to serious illness, leading people to believe there is some hidden cost to creating them. Despite these fears, Magic Spheres continue to be created every day.
Church of Risolis (lore07)
A secluded church hidden somewhere beyond the Great Forest, Risolis was started hundreds of years ago by a group of powerful warriors with the goal of training others in their ways of fighting. This eventually grew and the warriors trained by this church became known as Demon Hunters.
Demon Hunters are dispatched to handle problems that cannot be handled by the general training given to any normal knight. They are respected by many people and feared by many more. The most telling trait of someone who has been taught by the Risolis doctrine is the absence of obvious emotion. This is part of the gruelling training prospective Demon Hunters go through from a very young age in order to remove feeling from battle and leave only cold logic to assure victory.
For reasons known only to the king, the Church of Risolis is now far more involved with the running of the kingdom than they once were. King Nega has never explained why, but more and more trust has been placed in Demon Hunters for the hunting of dangerous wild beasts or to handle bandit uprisings in the more secluded counties. It is said that this connection with Risolis is now so strong that they despatched a Demon Hunter to serve directly under King Nega.
Church of Katerano (lore08)
Some time ago, buildings worshipping under the name Katerano were everywhere. For a variety of reasons many seemed to vanish, especially over recent years, and now there are few left. Of the main Katerano churches in the Kingdom of Atra only two remain. One is in the city of Noctern and the other in the town of Tillsen.
The teachings of the Church of Katerano is not of a creator god, more to worship a demi-god who had descended upon Pesmega hundreds of years ago and sacrificed herself to create a blood line of warriors who would one day save the world.
At once point Katerano had thousands of worshippers but this has dwindled and now only a few hundred people attend church once a week and barely a dozen who remember and teach the original scripture the church was based upon are still alive. It was rumoured, at one point, that Leonard Nega the King of Atra used to attend a church of Katerano that has since vanished.
Story of the Iris (lore09)
It is believed by fortune tellers across the Kingdom of Atra that the iris of any person is God's Mark, a guide to a prospective path given to the person by God. The story of the iris for each person is thought to be different and followers of this belief often share out advise to those seeking more information (at the cost of a little coin).
There are those who not only disagree with this belief of the story of God's Mark but even violently oppose it at times. They believe the implication of a plan for every life suggests fate is in control and choices made are redundant or damning if you stray from the path supposedly laid out for them.
Locations
Samilo (loc01)
This small village community is located on the eastern end of an unnamed island off the south coast of the Kingdom of Atra. It sits near the shoreline and is in the shadow of three tall hills, which are part of a whole range that cover the southern edge of the island. There are many fields, small patches of forest and some caves in the close vicinity.
Despite only having a small community, numbering no greater than sixty at any one time, it is largely self preserved. The hills and fields are littered with animals which are hunted for meat and skins. The waters nearby are filled to the brim with all many of sea life. Wheat and vegetables are grown in the fields during the best seasons and there is a large orchard filled with apple trees as well.
The unnamed island that Samilo is part of was colonised many years ago by settlers sent out from the main land. The first location they landed on later became the town of Wrathe. Samilo then grew from inhabitants of that town exploring further into the island.
In many ways, Samilo has been long forgotten by the Kingdom of Atra and even most of the people in Wrathe has nothing to do with any of the community. To maintain their seclusion, only a select few from Samilo's community become traders to buy and sell goods on behalf of the whole village.
It is often joked about, in the taverns of Wrathe, that if someone ever wanted to disappear from the world, all they had to do was travel east to Samilo and never look back.
Old Man Copper's (loc02)
Copper is an elderly gentleman who insisted on running the point of contact between the village of Samilo and Wrathe's trade wagons alone. The official title for such a place on the main land is a checkpoint but this one consists of a single large building. Essentially, it is a place to get a meal, have something to drink and rest after a day of travelling before setting off again.
Samilo's traders arranged deals in Wrathe and then travelled home, usually stopping by Copper's for a break or just a drink and chat with the old man. A few days later the goods they bartered for would be delivered to Coppers and then villagers would come and pick them up.
Without any spouse or sibling, Copper is alone inside the large building for a lot of the time. Despite his apparently grumpy attitude to anyone who ever pays him a visit, chances are he really actually enjoys the company.
Wrathe (loc03)
The first colonised location of the unnamed island, Wrathe started life as a few scattered tents. It did not take long for these tents to become meagre homes, which eventually grew into a town. It grew so big that the north-western tip of the island was all but taken over by it.
Years later the shoreline became a dock, with the hope being that many people from the main land would want to visit the island. Despite this never really becoming a reality, the dock remained and was largely used to allow trader barges to collect skins and supplies unique to the island to sell on the main land.
In comparison to Samilo, Wrathe kept in touch with the main land far more and had a much greater part in its trading economy. It farmed and hunted the goods that traders would come looking for, but rather than self-sustain, they sold them for profit.
Money is more important in Wrathe and everything is said to have a price, which is very much the way things are done in the Kingdom of Atra. Proof of such is the existence of its Commercial District, one of the three district areas around the town (the other two being docks and residential). This Commercial District is full of vendors, stalls, shops, pubs and inns, forever hoping for visitors from the main land with pouches filled with coin.
Given that it still followed the teachings of the economy of the main land, Wrathe was despatched a group of militia to keep the peace. Many trade meetings and deals were bartered for in the town and as such a certain degree of policing was required to ensure deals were not broken.
Cattra (loc04)
A long established sea side fishing town located in the southern section of the Kingdom of Atra, Cattra is a busy location all year. It is home to a few thousand people and a rest place for thousands more. Traders, travellers, and adventurers pass through this place at all times of the day and many bars never close. The more determined merchants also try to stay open as late as possible to grab sales from those out wandering late at night.
The colonised unnamed island out at sea grew from settlers that originally set off from Cattra. The island was first spotted by a group of fishermen who had gone out further than usual on a particularly long haul to cast out nets. The knights garrisoned in Cattra were informed of their discovery and an explorer was commissioned to scout out the island. It was officially made part of the Kingdom of Atra and a colonising party was dispatched soon after the explorer reported back.
Over the years that followed the town of Wrathe was born and years later Samilo was also created, yet the island was never given a name. There are far too many stories heard around Cattra to be sure which is the right one. Some say the explorer wanted to name the island after himself and was refused by the king. Others say that wild speculation of strange beasts and creatures on the island scared people off, essentially leaving the original settlers to their own devices and none of them ever considered a name.
Wex (loc05)
Checkpoints are common around the Kingdom of Atra. These small areas are usually situated near or on main roads between inhabited areas (towns, villages, and cities) separated by considerable distances and offer accommodation, supplies and the like. Trader carts travelling in both directions are available to hire from the checkpoint town in order to reach destinations far faster than walking. In Wex's case, the road it bridges goes between Cattra and the capital city of the kingdom.
These checkpoints spread throughout the kingdom are usually never extensively defended, but are garrisoned by at least one squad of knights. At least one building within the boarders of the checkpoint is reserved for this garrison to stay in. This unit must often stay there for weeks on end, before being reassigned as a new unit gets given this rather unwanted shift. In Wex's case this is especially true, but in other checkpoints along the boarders of the kingdom attacks by wild animals or raids by bandits are common.
The garrison in Wex is never larger than five. This is due to it being so close to the capital city and as such it is often used to train up newer recruits by giving them easy active service and training. Only one of the five will be a senior ranking officer and the rest will be as green as grass. The building assigned in Wex for the garrisoned knights is unique compared to other checkpoints in that it been filled with extensive training equipment and practise dummies.
Tentra (loc06)
The city of Tentra is a testament to the skills of the greatest architects in the Kingdom of Atra. It is the hub of the kingdom, the place form which every other town, village, checkpoint and county is controlled. The massive city is visible from far in every direction, spanning many miles in length and perched at the side of a roaring river along a hilly range.
Tentra is a city built to hold thousands of people at any one time, as well as a large military garrison. It is built to be pleasing to the eye and to face the fiercest of sieges against the walls. In the heart of the city lays what many would call the heart of the kingdom itself; the royal family, who dwell in a large castle.
The walls defending the city are well known for being quite odd in design. A set of three separate walls surround the city with three sets of gates between each located at the four compass points. Between each wall are courtyards lined with stone and mounted with guards. The city is defended three times over, giving more than enough time to prepare for an attack and to whittle down the endurance of an attacking army.
Throughout the city are barracks and officers for the knights employed to protect the people. There are a certain number assigned in each district. Knights will often joke that going to such lengths to protect the city from attacks is pointless, as to reach the capital much of the kingdom would have to be crossed and if that were to happen then the battle would already be over. Commander Xeno, the man in charge of protecting the Kingdom, scolds anyone he finds saying such things.
A Grand Registry inside the walls of the royal castle holds details on every person that dwells inside the city. No other kingdom has gone to such extensive lengths to keep track of their people, but the king thought it right to do so – and rarely does anyone argue against his words.
Noctern (loc07)
The city of Noctern was once a beautiful sight and was marvelled by all those who looked upon it. Some even said that it far outweighed the craftsmanship and design of the capital city of Tentra. Things, however, changed over the years.
Noctern was the first city within the Kingdom of Atra to request liberation from the crown and to become independent. It was granted what the people wanted some years ago and was essentially cut off for quite some time. Trading on a small scale continued, but not much else.
A terrible tragedy struck the city of Noctern not long ago. Many do not speak of it and instead are happy to go on living in blissful ignorance, never admitting that it ever happened. However, there are those who still remember.
Tillsen (loc08)
Like Noctern, Tillsen also seeks independence from the rule of any of the Four Kingdoms. It is located on the western side of the Marshlands and is prone to rain. It is far smaller in size, but despite this it is still home to a surprisingly large number of people. It is protect by a single layer, but very tall, outer wall. Within the walls there are many tall buildings and often the steeples can be seen from a great distance away.
Tillsen once held a large garrison of troops as it was a suitable rest station for large numbers of troops travelling between the capital and the western boarders. Since seeking liberation, troops have instead had to make do with their own supplies or one of the two very small checkpoints nearby.
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