In the world of Tal, an arcane resource known as Salt has been discovered that has facilitated the production and use of powerful, magically enhanced firearms. All the major powers of the world have taken up arms in an effort to gain control of as much Salt as possible for their various purposes.

Gameplay Reasoning

The player is a member of The Warsworn, an elite mercenary group composed of people from all nations of Tal. Warsworn are Salt-enhanced warriors that fight in parties of three, capable of swapping out their Saltcores to gain different abilities; in this way, they can always be right for the job. Warsworn select their Saltcore augments based on the mission. World powers hire out Warsworn groups to tackle high-priority strike missions, generally for Salt recovery.

The Warsworn’s biggest clients are Qazareth and Caedria.

This explains the gameplay reasons for the mixed cultures and the ability to swap classes between matches.

Factions of Tal

Gameplay Reasoning        1

Factions of Tal        1

Caedria & The Imperium        2

Balgóa and The House of Valenço        10

Qazareth and the Order of the Smoking Scroll        14

The Un’jari Ascendancy & The Lord of Ten Rivers        16

The Norweald Triarchy and The Esters        23

The Yaokai Dynasty and The Artoans        29

Caedria & The Imperium

Inspired by Britain and France. Not especially tied to a religion or holy doctrine, The Imperium is focused on war and progress - and above all else, the hoarding of Salt.

“Progress is our faith. War is our tradition. Salt, our salvation.”

“The world is a furnace; we are the flame.”

The Imperium is ruled by a central authority called the Crown Technate, a non-monarchical governing body of Salt Lords and High Engineers. The great city-state itself, known as Caedria, is covered in soot and drenched in the acidic smell of boiled Salt. Its winding cobbled streets are lined with elegant gas lamps and colorful wall paintings, commissioned by each district’s council.

Though it is an industrial and smoggy place, its people are far from joyless. The proud citizens of Caedria are known for their love of theatre, tea, history and poetry.

From a very young age, Imperium children are taught that the world is a ledger for power. To be without Salt is to become dust beneath the boot of the southern kingdoms. Education systems for children include engineering principles, classical history, and the philosophy of progress. Literacy is essential and revered.

        All members of The Imperium bear a Saltmark on their collar, denoting their rank and position in the military - as, indeed, all of Caedria’s people are involved in its military, in some form. Before earning their official military Saltmark at eleven, schoolchildren wear a different kind of Saltmark which reflects their performance in school.

History

The Caedrian Imperium has a long and storied history, responsible for many of the wars in the preindustrial times as they tried (and failed) to expand their borders. After being essentially beaten into submission, The Imperium turned their eyes inward and focused on their own advancement - and with the discovery of Salt, this change in focus became their greatest asset.

        To become an Archivist and record the histories of Caedria is a great honor. One must train from a young age to even be considered for this role, and only eight are appointed at a time. They must take a vow of silence, but are allowed to read and write.

        The Caedrian people see Archivists as celebrity figures, and look to other nations with more oral histories with a level of disgust. The written word has power. Records have power.

Values, Obsession & Politics

Some of the most common values of the Caedrian people are intelligence, patriotism, and precision. These values are generally held by all people, but the governing bodies have interests that extend even farther.

The Imperium is dangerously obsessed with the hoarding of Salt. Many a time have they put themselves at risk in the endless pursuit of more Salt, and many a time have they been burned for it. But the fires of industry, as it is said, burn hot.

        The Salt Lords of The Imperium are hard people - there is no other way to rise to such a position in such a climate. Constantly at each other's throats, dissent is expected in this place.

The Tower of Ascension is the seat of power for the Crown Technate - a spiraling structure of dark stone that pierces the sky like a great finger from the earth.

Clothing, Fashion &  Civic Life

Despite the soot and steel of their city, Caedrians are fastidious dressers. Long coats with polished brass buttons, lace collars, and tailored silhouettes are common for both men and women. Fashion trends shift yearly, driven by the artisan workshops that still thrive.

A cultural obsession with boots exists in Caedria - leather is imported in bulk, and boot-polishers are considered respectable professionals.

        For men, neatly waxed mustaches are commonplace, and hair is kept short. Women are known to wear ostentatious hats and crinoline dresses made to give their form the revered shape of Salt crystals.

Fashion, for Caedrians, is a game of status. Keeping up with trends begins to become expensive quickly, and artisan tailors take advantage of the common desire to do so. Clothing is not only aesthetic for these people, either. Caedrians value precision and function. Many cloaks and coats have smaller compartments for various purposes, including the carrying of secret notes or smoking pipes, built-in letter openers or makeup mirrors.

The theatre is a favourite leisure activity for many Caedrians - when not working, it is common to find them watching a play or a poetry reading. Much of the content is focused on the history of Caedria and some of the older wars and rebellions.

Parades are an adored part of Caedrian culture, and often undertaken by military forces. People from all over the city come to the central squares of their districts to watch the fighting men march in their tight regiments through the street, throwing water crackers at their feet for them to crush with their mighty boots.

There is also a special parade that happens once a year in the month of May, where all the young women who have come of age will march through the street, just as the fighting men do, and the young bachelors are encouraged to find one who takes his fancy and invite her to dance. This festival is called The Walk, and is a huge event for the city. It normally lasts about five days.

The Teahouses of Caedria

Caedria’s tea houses are an abundant and welcome source of joy for its inhabitants. Not only a place to enjoy tea, as the name might suggest, tea houses are places of socialization, art, culture and music. They fill the role of taverns, music halls, community spaces and meeting places. Many such locations also include bookshelves full of interesting literature, and citizens are known to meet to discuss books and works of poetry.

Tea is a core part of Caedrian culture, and most teas are imported from the far East through Balgoan trade connections.

Though it is not common, some of the larger tea houses are known to put on the occasional small theatre production for their guests.

The Fulminary

Caedria’s vast army is known as The Fulminary, an unblinking force of thunder that sweeps across the lands of Tel. It is also known as The Arm of Caedria.

Every man and woman, from the age of eleven, is charged with serving The Fulminary in some capacity. On their eleventh birthday, children are given their first Saltmark, denoting their rank as Cadent, and it is common for families to host a celebratory dinner for this event with special Salt candles.

All start at the lowest rank, but those from privileged families are thought to have an easier and faster time climbing through the ranks to better ones.

There are five ranks in The Fulminary:

  1. Cadent
  2. Marshal
  3. Master-Regent
  4. Extractor-General
  5. Primarch Fulminus

The Fulminary itself is largely composed of five divisions: The Pales, The Brigadiers, The Cannon Knights, The Ferrenhost, and The Emitters.

The Pales, also known as The Fell Men, make up the bulk of most of the fighting force in The Fulminary. They are half-mindless men that have fallen to a strange sickness which swept across Caedria - but their dedication to The Imperium did not falter. Unable to use firearms, The Pales focus on simple melee weapons like swords and clubs, and overwhelm enemy forces with their reckless abandon and endless numbers. Seen as disposable, The Pales are rarely given armor and medical resources are not wasted on trying to save those that are injured in combat. They maintain a bloodthirsty zeal for The Imperium despite their poor treatment.

The Brigadiers are the basic line infantry of The Fulminary, comprising a large portion of most armies. They are incredibly disciplined, precision-drilled, and ruthless in combat.

The Cannon Knights are the specialized cavalry of The Fulminary, wielding hand cannons and riding into combat on warhorses.

The Ferrenhost is an elite division of The Fulminary that are heavily armored and highly trained. They are the front line of the army, marching into battle with large halberds and short-barreled scatter guns.

Emitters are a special caste of sorcerers found in Caedria’s army. They use gauntlets imbued with Salt filament to channel powerful magic on the battlefield.

Soldiers responsible for great deeds that further the developments of The Imperium are awarded the additional title of Salt Knight, and offered experimental augmentations that can vastly expand their combat abilities in service of Caedria.

The Caedrian Navy, known as The Garrison Absolute, is feared across all the realms of Tal.

Caedrian Warships are famous for their immense size; where the southern kingdoms' ships may glide and dance upon the waves, a Caedrian fleet moves like an unflinching mass of rigid geometry, billowing black smoke into the skies. Two core inventions assured their naval superiority: The Salt-Vent Engines, giving even their larger ships the speed of a small and sleek vessel, and the Chainfire Cannons, which use linked ignition to fire devastating barrages in mathematical sequence.

        In sea battles, The Imperium have a method of communication that uses smoke signals to deliver simple messages at range. Expert trained Ciphers are the only ones who know how to read such signals, and are responsible for relaying the messages to the War Captain of the ship.

The Grainwrights & Salt Refinement

An elite sect of alchemical scientists in The Imperium that push Salt to its theoretical limits. In ages past, men of this predilection were shunned and outcast; now, they are revered, almost religiously. The Grainwrights live in their own cloister of Caedria, known colloquially as The Grind.

The Crown Technate feeds the Grainwrights with resources and money beyond measure in an effort to not only discover the full potential of Salt, but to divine the answer to its artificial

synthesis.

Grainwrights are responsible for The Imperium’s greatest inventions, including the Street Sweepers, mechanical constructs that patrol the sprawling streets of their great city-state and keep the peace. These constructs run on Salt, but are a necessity, as the Imperium’s manpower is largely offshore fighting the Salt Wars.

But the greatest discovery of all, thus far, is the Grainwright’s process of Salt Refinement, using a special filtration technique to develop different strains of Salt which have unique properties. These include Red Salt, Blue Salt, and the famed and feared Black Salt.

When new Salt variants are uncovered, The Grainwrights often host unveiling events to the public, full of pomp and ceremony. These are revered by the people and often educational as well as light in tone.

Salt Madness

A mind-eating condition known to infect some of the Grainwrights that work closely with Salt. The official word is that it is a myth, but there is evidence to suggest its truth.

International Relations

Though the accord is at times a tense one, Caedria holds a longstanding trade agreement with Balgoa, and sources a lot of its heavy artillery from the House of Valenço. This partnership is founded purely on the basis that The Imperium does not see Balgoa as a threat with regard to their primary goal of harvesting and hoarding Salt; Balgoa, to The Imperium’s knowledge, is largely more interested in accumulating gold, and that is a trade that Caedria is more than happy to make.

        Other than this, The Caedrian Imperium is mostly isolated and self sustained. They have little love for outsiders and trust their own kind to fulfil all possible needs they might have. The Eastern powers, and any powers south of Balgoa, are seen as enemies of The Imperium.

Rebellion

Caedria has known and crushed many rebellions. Among them was The Glass March, a movement that sprang forth when an order was given that the state would occupy all independent workshops that were not dedicated to Salt synthesis. It was organised by disgruntled artisans and engineers, primarily from Caedria’s smaller towns on the outskirts of the city. The Crown Technate sent five thousand of The Pale forth to ravage these settlements entirely, which were then abandoned.

The Hour of A Hundred Knives was a mass-assassination attempt wherein a large group of lower caste citizens organized to take out a hundred important political figures during a reelection event. There were, in the end, nineteen political figures killed, and a thousand potential conspirators hanged.

         As if the people did not learn their lesson, there is rumor of a new rebellion, a movement being called The Ninth Hour, presumed to be led by a defector Primarch Fulminus who was said to have died in the Salt War, but many believe to still be alive and plotting against The Imperium.

Imperium Character Classes:

Balgóa and The House of Valenço

Admiral Baltasar Valenço of the House of Valenço is one of the wealthiest and most connected men in the larger world’s trade economy. He governs a number of small colonies throughout the southern world.

The capital city of Balgoa has an immense southern harbor to welcome all of the trader vessels that frequently make port to sell their wares to the many trade barons and aristocratic companies that call the city home.

The Balgoan people largely subscribe to a religion known as Tolinism, worshipping Lady Del Mar, a feminine deity of sun, sea and wealth.

The House of Valenço itself is a merchant company that takes a cut of all trade which is done in Balgoa, but specializes in the production of large artillery weapons like cannons. The company supplies many other world powers with their Salt cannons for significant sums of gold and silver.

The streets of Balgoa are lined with tiles formed from crushed seastones, which are known to absorb the heat of the burning sun. While painful, it is said to be good luck for travelers to walk barefoot up the winding streets, and very few pass up the opportunity to do so.

The House of Valenço

Tracing their lineage back to corsair nobility, the Valenço family claim unparalleled power in the city of Balgoa and rule over its aristocratic upper class with a quiet but firm hold. Their artillery workshop, known as Iron Saint Foundry, is responsible for the majority of their wealth.

Rumor says that Admiral Baltasar owns a secret pirate fleet known as the Veil Armada, whose ships are not registered to any nation. The same rumors suggest that this pirate fleet has been sent out a number of times to silence rival artillery manufacturers throughout the larger world.

The Court of Seven Masts

Balgoa’s wealthy noble houses hold a trade court on a weekly basis where debates take place over contracts and tariffs. Such arguments result in very constant changes to tariff rates that make trade in Balgoa an ever-changing beast that requires one's constant attention to do well.

The court’s physical location is built into the hull of an ancient and unfinished warship at the center of the San Aurelio harbor.

The Powder Saints

While often not directly involved in larger conflicts, Balgoa has a famous mercenary company known as the Powder Saints that other nations will occasionally hire out to turn the tide of important battles. The Powder Saints are wholly devoted to Tolinism and believe that the wealth they collect by fighting will please the Lady Del Mar and offer them a more bountiful garden in the afterlife. Their martial prowess with firearms is strong, but what truly makes them useful is their healing abilities that they access by channeling the power of Lady Del Mar.

The Powder Saints have their own limited form of language, a battle dialect that allows them to be organized and communicate on the battlefield without letting the enemy know their plans. The language, known as Maric, is tightly protected and nobody outside of their company is allowed to know it. Maric is not a fully fledged language, mostly focused on shorthand slang that is relevant to combat.

The Sisters Del Mar & The Tide Festivals

Outside of the Powder Saints themselves, the true worshippers of Lady Del Mar are largely all women. While men subscribe to Tolinism, they do not engage in the rituals as these women do - known as The Sisters Del Mar.

Once per month, in tune with the waxing of the moon and tide, the Sisters Del Mar gather at the San Aurelio harbor to perform the sacred dance known as Santenao. People from all over Balgoa come to watch the Sisters in their prayer-dance, and place coin offerings at the base of the great statue of Lady Del Mar that the sisters later collect.

During this Tide Festival, which lasts only one day, merchants bring their coin chests to the water and the Sisters place blessings on them by dipping them into the water at the harbor’s edge and saying a quiet prayer over the open chests. These blessings are said to bring about profitable deals in trading for the following month, and the Sisters performing the blessings are allowed to take three coins from each chest they bless, one for each face of the Lady.

Funded by the House of Valenço, the Sisters Del Mar live aboard ridiculously massive Temple Ships known as Sanctavela that sail the coastline of the Balgoan country, singing prayers and hymns to all of the smaller settlements along the coast as they go.

The Lady Del Mar

Often depicted as a tall and beautiful woman with three faces, Lady Del Mar is an imposing but revered idol. Her cloak is gold like the sun and she wears a veil made of seafoam, merging the three worlds that represent her. Her scepter is topped with an enormous seashell from a Bastidian, a mythological sea creature that was once said to terrorize the waters in Aurelio Bay before the Lady cast them out.

Lady Del Mar is known as a temptress as well as a protector, heralding the coming of wealth but also warning against the dangers of greed - though, this warning is often forgotten, it seems, by the trader kings of Balgoa.

The three faces are the Sun Smile, representing joy and protection, the Drowned Veil, representing storms and sorrow, and finally the Golden Eye, representing wealth, bounty and progress.

Character Classes of Balgoa

Qazareth and the Order of the Smoking Scroll (UNFINISHED)

Ruling from the Pyric Throne in the capital city of Qazareth, the High Caliph Khiram rules a strongly theistic desert empire. The Qazari people consider smoke to be sacred, carrying their prayers into the sky where God can hear them. By carving holy scripture into the barrels of cannons, rifles and other firearms, the Scriptorates of the Smoking Scroll imbue the empire’s weapons with divine power.

Qarareth is known as the City of Glass, built into an ancient volcanic crater where natural glass and obsidian can be found in great abundance. Its buildings are short but plentiful and constructed to offer respite from the Great Desert’s immense heat.

Warfare

The Qazari military, known as the Qazim’ar, is famed for its use of faith on the battlefield. War priests scream verses while they load cannons etched with holy scripture, firing waves of artillery at enemy lines. They are conquerors by nature, and they won their place in the world with bloodshed.

Warfare is at the core of Qazari society. It is accepted as the will of God, and the only path toward salvation.

The Qazim’ar is considered one of the most skilled armies in the use of firearms, rivalling if not superseding Caedria in this regard. They produce a lot of their own firearms, but do import some from Balgoa, adding their own holy script to the weapons when received.

During battle, a special sect of priests known as the Tal-if roam the battlefield with the sole purpose of burning smoke censers of Salt and blessing soldiers with prayers.

Religion & Customs

The only accepted religion in Qazareth is the Order of the Smoking Scroll. The nation itself is highly integrated with the religion, considering it mandatory for all citizens.

Temples, prayer gardens and other places of worship are in total abundance throughout the city of Qazareth, offering places for the Qazari people to perform their daily worship of Sumhet, The Smoke, though he is predominantly referred to only through the name God, and has no physical depiction.

The religion is based on a set of fabled scrolls that were said to have been found at the very center of the Great Desert - a region now totally uninhabited - and

Wealth & Global Influence

High Caliph Khiram

Societal Castes

Qazari society is deeply casted. Nobility is respected, and never interacts with the low caste, known as the Smokeless.

Qazareth Character Classes:

The Un’jari Ascendancy & The Lord of Ten Rivers

King Danake is known by many names; The Great Uniter, Sun King, Master of Masters, The Ascended Spear. But there is one which he prefers: The Lord of Ten Rivers.

As has been the tradition for a thousand years, the ruler of his lands must be beholden to the council of a Greatseer, one who has undergone the ancient ritual to become blind and gain the Spirit Sight.

Culture

The Ascendancy does not produce its own firearms, and relies on secondary trade from Qazareth to provide Balgoan-made guns to the Ascendancy’s enormous fighting force. In exchange, the Ascendancy offers its manpower to Qazareth when required.

A deeply spiritual but warlike people, the Un’jari hold themselves to strong customs that deal with nature, death, and rebirth. They believe that there is no such thing as good or bad magic, and that all power is worth the cost. This system of beliefs involves the Un’jari in some of the darker forms of magic such as demonology and necromancy.

Primarily, though, they are a warrior nation, making use of what arms come their way to outfit their mismatched army with power. They rely on brute force and their numbers to win wars.

Funeral Rites & Beliefs Around Death

When a warrior dies, their family and warmates gather at one of the Great Rivers to lay the body in the current. While they watch it float away, they drink a type of wine made from fermented roots and tell stories of the decreased bravery and conquests. When the wine is finished, they share a bountiful meal in honor of the dead, aiming to use the remainder of the person’s food stores and let nothing be wasted. This ceremony is often referred to as The Drowning Feast.

To the Un’jari, death is a celebration, so long as the life was lived with purpose. This is the meaning of life to the Un’jari. These people believe that all souls come from the River Beyond, and a purpose-filled life means the spirit simply returns to the river, ready to be reborn anew.

        But if a person wastes their life, their spirit is banished to a realm called the Drylands where it remains imprisoned for a time (some believe it is for eternity), never to be reborn. This is the greatest tragedy for the Un’jari.

Spirit Sight & Un’jari Mysticism

The Greatseers of Un’jari societies undergo a ritual of self-inflicted blinding, whereafter they undergo the remainder of their lives blindfolded, and are said to gain a power that is called Spirit Sight.

        Spirit Sight itself is believed to give the seer the ability to see past the mortal plane and into the world of the spirits, allowing them to commune with the forces of the beyond world. The Un’jari believe that while sometimes deceitful, these spirits possess great levels of wisdom. The primary function of a Greatseer is to decode the messages of the outer spirits, finding the slivers of truth between the lies, and in this knowing, offer counsel to the society’s leaders.

        Mushrooms are seen as a sacred plant in Un’jari society, and much of their art reflects this. Even their clothing and armor are made to reflect the patterns and shapes of fungi native to their homeland of Jalaa.

The Ten Rivers

In ages past, what is now referred to as the Un’jari Ascendancy was a scattering of various tribes, each with their own languages, customs and grudges. Now, by the will of Danake, they are united.

        These old world tribes were each bound to one of the Ten Rivers, great flowing currents that coursed through the jungle lands of Jalaa. King Danake, Lord of The Ten Rivers, now commands dominance of all these regions and their peoples. There is a sacred place where all ten rivers meet in a great cauldron - now the seat of power for the Un’jari Ascendancy, where their golden city is built. Here one can find King Danake himself, and the Sun Throne that he occupies.

        In an effort to maintain tradition, Danake has appointed ten Riverwardens, elite warrior priests charged with the upkeep and defence of each river and the bridges that have been built across them.

Demonology & Forbidden Magics

Many cultures forbid practices like demonology and necromancy; but not the Un’jari. These forms of sorcery are simply seen as different ways to harness the same latent energies.

        To the Un’jari, necromancy is not sacrilege - it is breathing new life into the bodies of the dead. After all, the souls have moved on. Would these warriors not want their bodies put to good use?

Customs & Beliefs

The Un’jari revere gold, but they believe that using it as currency is a disrespect to its very nature. To these people, gold is spiritually significant. They believe the metal hums with divine life, and is a gateway to connection with the beyond worlds.

To tell a lie while wearing gold is to taint one’s spirit. For this reason, Un’jari people will don gold mouthpieces when making pacts and negotiations, ensuring to one another that all words spoken are bound by spirit.

Dance is a core part of Un’jari society. It occurs in places that would confuse those of other nations - in the streets, in the morning, alone in one’s home, and even on the battlefield. As people of few words, they believe that dance is the ultimate form of expression, and for this reason revere music - with a particular love for drum music

Cuisine

Un’jari people live primarily on a diet of meat, fruit and mushrooms. While they do cook their meat, cooking is not viewed as an art form, and food is largely viewed from the perspective of its utility and function rather than its potential to be enjoyed.

Military

Even after their union into a singular nation, the Un’jari people are still prone to infighting. Several civil wars occur simultaneously across the vast jungle nation, but they do not tend to last long, and are often only involving small groups.

        The Un’jari do not like to involve themselves in wars on global scales. They love Jalaa. They do not wish to conquer more of the world. But their armies are often hired out to other powers, and they are particularly loyal to Qazareth as their primary benefactor. In this way, the Ascendancy’s forces are a sort of mercenary army; though they do not like to see it this way.

But as their lands are rich in Salt, it has begun to become necessary for the Ascendancy to join the larger conflicts. They will not cede Jalaa to foreign invaders, that much is certain.

The Un’jari army fights to the beat of war drums, and the war drummers themselves are revered both on and off of the battlefield. During combat, Un’jari warriors fiercely protect the drummers from enemy fire, and seek swift revenge when one is killed.

Crime & Punishment

There are few laws in the Ascendancy, but there are harsh punishments for breaking the ones that exist. People found guilty by Danake of treason, conspiracy or infighting are put to death and forbidden from accessing the regular funeral rites, binding their soul to the mortal world for eternity. Then, their bodies are raised into undeath by royal necromancers, forced to serve in the Ascendancy’s army until annihilated

History & Danake’s Rise To Power

Danake was born in a time of turmoil, when the wars between the Ten River Tribes were at their peak. His mother had silver eyes - a sign of connection to the beyond worlds - but died while giving birth to him.

        In his early adulthood, Danake began his quest to unite the tribes and form an empire that spanned all of Jalaa. He trained for years with the warmasters of his village, perfecting his use of the spear and his command of spirit.

        Danake did not burn villages to ash. He walked a fateful pilgrimage across Jalaa, from his home at the tenth river all the way to the first. At each river he would challenge the chieftain in single combat, and every time, defeat them - but spare their lives when they vowed fealty to him.

        It was not until he reached the first river that he lost a fight. Joula the Maw was a fierce woman, chief of the First River’s tribe. Her blade pierced Danake’s heart, and he died coughing at her feet. Danake did not live long enough to see his dream into reality.

        But it is said that Joula’s Greatseer, a powerful necromancer named Umbe, raised Danake’s body back to life before her. She stabbed him again, but he did not even seem to notice. He did not bleed. And Danake threw his massive weight upon Joula and strangled the life from her, claiming the First River Tribe as his own. From that day onward, Danake has ruled from the Sun Throne as the Lord of Ten Rivers, and Umbe has served as his Greatseer.

Some believe he is a god. Some say he has no shadow at all. Some say he is no more than a husk, held together by old magics. One thing is agreed upon by all: King Danake is eternal.

Danake’s return to the mortal world has not come without contention. Some claim that his cheating of death has robbed the River Beyond of a soul, and that there must be some retribution for this. Rumor exists of a plot to cast him into the river and return his soul to the beyond lands, lest the Drylands themselves merge with the mortal world and doom them all.

And beyond this, some of the older Un’jari believe Danake has grown too close to foreign powers - particularly Qazareth. They fear that their culture will be swept out from under them, and that they are now serving new masters rather than embracing the freedom that their cultures were based around.

Un’jari Character Classes:

The Norweald Triarchy and The Esters

The Norweald Triarchy is an alliance of three smaller nations east of Caedria. Their people are referred to as the Esters, and their capital city is known as Revenmark.

A place of worship called Caer Valen exists at what was the meeting point of the three separate nations of the past, now seen as a marker of their union. While late to the jump on firearms, Revenmark city now has a booming industry for the production of flintlock weapons and artillery, aiming not to rely on importation from Balgoa as Caedria does.

As the name suggests, the Triarchy is governed by a council of three - one from the heritage of each of the three nations which came together to form the Triarchy itself.

The Esters celebrate ancient traditions, revering the combination of nature, magic, and the deep histories of the individual cultures that came together to create them. While still a progressive nation, they are fundamentally connected to nature and do their best to involve it into their more modern lives.

In the current era, The Esters are seeking to acquire Salt to secure their borders against Caedria who they presume will one day seek to plunder their lands. It is also not uncommon for Un’jari pirates to attack the coastal settlements on the southern borders of the Triarchy’s lands, making tensions high at every border.

Revenmark itself is a scenic and beautiful city; rather than being built over the land, it is built around it. Dwellings, storefronts and roads curve around ancient trees and weave themselves between great stones and boulders.

The roads themselves are made from hand-carved runestones, said to swiften the passage of travellers. At week’s end, residents are known to leave offerings on the road for the wind spirits.

Mirendar and The Remembrance

The Esters of The Norweald Triarchy follow a religion they call The Remembrance. It is famed for its many festivals which take place not in the capital but all throughout the surrounding riverlands, among the trees and forests.

The Remembrance has a focus on the old ways, giving modern peoples a maintained respect for those that came before them and tamed the land they now live upon.

Notably, The Remembrance features many accepted gods, and different individuals are welcomed to worship in their own ways - but one deity known as Mirendar is the most commonly worshipped, and even those that choose to worship different gods under The Remembrance still acknowledge Mirendar.

Mirendar is depicted as androgynous, clad in flowing robes and antler horns, as the god of memory and rivers.

The Remembrance is less of a central doctrine and more of a living cultural force. One can find shrines built into hollow trees, hilltops and caves, all throughout the lands that the Triarchy governs.

Major Festivals

Bloomwake

The Bloomwake festival occurs at the beginning of each month, when the planting of crops takes place. It is a day for all to celebrate the land and spend time walking in the woods outside of the city. There are no specific traditions other than that people generally leave home in the morning and don’t return until after dark, spending all sunlight hours being held by the forest.

The Guiding

At the end of each year, families gather around Mirendar’s River and place handmade packages into the current for any relatives that passed away that year. Such packages are normally wrapped in grass, typically containing a favored item of the deceased in addition to some food items and a written letter.

This tradition is said to help guide the spirits of the fallen family members into the arms of whichever god the family is devoted to, as they trust Mirendar to guide them to the right place.

Civic Life

It is common for Ester families to keep what is known as a remembrance tree in the yard of their home, which are stumps or growing trees carved with the names and likenesses of all family members, past and present.

In the morning, an Ester household has a delightful smell. The matriarch of the family prepares a traditional herb bowl called a Lapta, while the patriarch prepares a drink made from milk, honey, salt - and a splash of beer - known as Garta. While the family drinks, the Lapta bowl is burnt in the center of the home, filling it with a comforting scent.

All families have their own special mix of herbs for their Lapta bowl, and all families swear on Mirendar that theirs is the best.

Political Structure

There are three High Seats on the Norweald Council; The Stone Chair, The River Seat, and The Wood Throne. Each is occupied by an elected official from a strong lineage of each of the individual nations that came together to form the Triarchy.

Before any law can come to pass, at least two seats must be in favor of it, ensuring that tyranny cannot occur in Norweald. The power triangle can, at times, make swift governance difficult, and it is not uncommon for citizens to be frustrated with the pace.

What is common, though, is for there to be many disagreements between the High Seats. The Esters are a non-confrontational people, largely because they entrust this responsibility to those in the High Seats - and for good reason. Debates are public, and are known to become heated.

Revenmark has known periods of political unrest, and there have been cases of council members being forcibly unseated from their positions. There have also been assassination attempts made on council members - the blame for which has always been thrown onto Caedria.

The Power of Story

The Esters have a deep appreciation for the power that story holds. A favored pastime of the Esters is to gather in small groups in the forest and trade folk stories.

While there is a wealth of written history and records, it is largely seen as secondary to the spoken or sung word. Esters prefer to listen than to read.

Echo Theory

There is a general theory that most Esters subscribe to which says that all things in nature, from rivers to trees to the ruins of old places, all retain a level of memory of the events which transpired there and the creatures and people that lived there.

Some of the more spiritually devoted engage in rituals known as the Echo Rites, which are an attempt to identify and commune with these memories, learning history first hand.

Military

The Esters have a substantial and powerful force of land infantry and are expert cavaliers. Their navy is lacking when compared to other large powers, but they excel at fighting in the forests that encompass their nation, making their defenses tight.

Recent developments by the Esters have led them to begin the creation of primitive combat aircraft in the form of aerial balloons which are outfitted with a single light cannon.

Norweald Character Classes:

The Yaokai Dynasty and The Artoans

In the Daola Steppes, a great and ancient dynasty called Yaokai has risen to power. Its people, known as the Yao, are proud and dignified, and terribly warlike. All across the rolling hills and terraced rice fields one can find Yaokai war camps, and the Yaokai Blood Riders upon their war beasts.

The Dragon Emperor Lhae-kun reveres Salt for its ceremonial and military purposes, as well as for the production of the sacred Salt ink. The Yaokai create Salt fireworks for their many festivals and build enormous land cannons for the eradication of enemies and the defence of their expansive borders.

All nations fear the Yaokai.

Yaokai savagery is a thing of legend. They conquered the east in a span of three years from their inception, and forced all the eastern kings into subservience or total eradication. The Yao people hold fire and rain in equally sacred love, and worship a dragon god known as Ba-fe. It is said that emperor Lhae-kun has raised the child of Ba-fe and keeps the fledgling dragon in a grand chamber beneath the Great Palace of Yaokai.

The Yao people far outnumber the populations of all other nations, even the immense Un’jari Ascendancy. It is only recently that they have turned their efforts outward, as for a long time they focused only on securing their own vast nation. Now, though, they have begun to travel offshore by land and have conducted sieges on the settlements to the east of Norweald.

The Yaokai value strength above all else.

Tattoos & Salt Ink

Body augmentation is core to the Yao culture, and warriors are normally covered in sigil tattoos that represent both their victories and defeats. These tattoos generally hold magical properties, and similar sigils are painted in special Salt ink over armor, weapons and buildings.

Inkmasters are a worshipped caste in Yao society for their ability to transcribe magical sigils with the use of Salt ink. The Yao people consider these sigils to be their greatest strength.

Military

The Yaokai army is known as Horde. It is not The Horde, and not A Horde. It is an endless, living thing; simply, Horde.

It is not broken into roles or subdivisions as some western armies are, and while there are commanders that organize troops, there is not a strong hierarchy other than the fact that all men are fingers on the emperor’s hand. No role is reserved for any one man or class of men; their job is to kill the enemy. They will find a way to do it.

Their combat styles are wild and brutal, seeing them charge into enemy lines like ferocious animals and rip foes apart. The Yaokai are skilled in the use of firearms, but every seasoned warrior has a love for the use of martial weapons. Axes are favored by Yaokai, and modern styles are inspired by old Artoan weapons from the mountain tribes west of the steppes.

One of the Yaokai’s proudest achievements are the Dragon Cannons. In a recent exchange, a rebel from Caedria sold the filtration recipe for Red Salt to the Yaokai Dynasty for a massive sum of gold and the assurance of safety within their lands. While their efforts to produce pure Red Salt have fallen short of success, Yaokai alchemists found something even greater. Their experiments produced what they now call Dragon Salt, a tremendously volatile and long-burning Salt strain that is used to fuel the Dragon Cannons which spray enemies with a buffet of burning Dragon Salt, like the breath of Ba-fe. The terrible substance sticks to the skin and armor, melting the enemies of Yaokai with its immense heat.

To operate the Dragon Cannons is a great honor. Such men are known as the Prophets of Ba-fe, and are looked to in dire times on the battlefield for their wisdom.

The Prophecy

The Yao worship the dragon god Ba-fe, who is said to have once transcribed an ancient prophecy into the Wisdom Stones which now rest in the gardens of the Great Palace. Citizens are invited to walk the public gardens and enjoy the telling of this great prophecy, which says ultimately that there will one day be an emperor who will unite the Daola Steppes and conquer the world in fire. Emperor Lhae-kun believes he is that emperor.

Ba-fe himself is said to serve the God Masters, a faceless group of deities believed to exist in the Outer Realms. They are feared creatures, but as the Yao believe these God Masters are all powerful, they seek to keep them happy, and largely do so through the service of Ba-fe.

Alliances & International Relations

A great nation known as Artoa once ruled the mountain ranges between Norweald and the Yaokai’s current lands. In their early conquests, the Yaokai warred against Artoa and eventually the Artoans agreed to join Yaokai’s empire, lest they be devoured by it.

Though they are quite physiologically different from Yaokai nationals, the modern Artoans are considered as much a part of Yaokai as any other member. Their brutal ways and aptitude for colder climates has influenced modern Yaokai culture and warfare tactics.

People of Artoan lineage make up a decent portion of Yaokai’s current armies, and they are widely respected in the dynasty’s warrior culture.

The Yaokai also have strong trade relations with Balgoa and often hire their mercenaries to fight offshore battles when border tensions keep their armies from the fray. Yaokai’s primary exports are sugar and tea, which are distributed through Balgoan trade routes.

Culture, Civic Life & Views of Women

Women of Yaokai rarely engage in war, unlike the women of the western nations. For a woman to fight is seen as an affront to the sanctity of battle. But the Yaokai place great honor on their women, and the role women play is often seen as of greater importance than the battles which ultimately seek to ensure the safety of that role.

Without the women whose job is to ensure the happiness of Ba-fe and the God Masters, there would be no reason for Horde to fight at all. The protection of these customs is their greatest goal. The Prophecy declares that it is the women who are truly connected to Ba-fe and the God Masters, and who can hear the Dragon’s Voice.

It is also forbidden for men to become Inkmasters, and as such, many women of Yaokai take up this mantle. Women are looked to for their wisdom, intellect, and ability to feel those forces which are lost to men.

Daily life in Yaokai is a thing which varies based on the individual, but there are some strong cultural traditions which bind them. Mid day, when the sun is highest, people gather in small groups to send prayers to Ba-fe. In Yaokai city, this is generally done along the palace walls, but all smaller settlements have Dragon Shrines for the same purpose.

Food is a core part of Yaokai culture, and cooking is done by men and women alike, but each kind of dish has a classification which denotes which gender is supposed to cook it. It is frowned upon, and said to be bad luck, for a man to cook a woman’s dish (and vice versa). No such restrictions apply to eating them, though.

Modern Yaokai cuisine also enjoys the influences of Artoan food, which was absorbed along with their culture when the nations joined together under Yaokai’s banners.

Customs

Yaokai hospitality is sacred, despite the savagery of its people. If a guest accepts tea, no harm can be done to them until the sunrise of the next day. To disrespect this custom is to attract the attention of the God Masters and bring eternal bad luck to a family’s lineage.

Another way to attract the unwanted attention of the God Masters is to touch a sacred or ritual object with one’s left hand. This is thought to mark a person for life, like a beacon for the wrath of the God Masters.

Yao people revere bones. When a family member, pet, pack animal or war beast dies, its bones are always cleaned and collected. Oftentimes these bones, along with a sum of gold, are given to an artisan crafter who will make them into a relic or sculpture that the family can then place at their shrines and use in ceremony.

The bones of each past emperor are collected in a similar way, but instead of being given to their family, the bones are added to a massive sculpture of Ba-fe which is being built into the center of the Great Palace. The figure is nearly complete, and it is known that Emperor Lhae-kun’s bones will finally finish it.

Personal expression through fashion is not seen as an important part of Yao culture, but wealthier families certainly opt for higher quality silks than poorer ones, and this is clearly evident. Jewelry is also common, primarily gold with insets of jade and ruby. A ring on every finger is said to bring good luck and reflect light into the eyes of the God Masters such that they cannot see you clearly enough to bring you misery.