sundering

When the world spheres began to separate in the great sundering many changelings fled into the dreaming. However a splinter faction formed of a smattering of houses joined together in an enormous sacrificial ritual. It is said that they sacrificed a piece of their immortality to tie the land permanently to the dream and in the process become something different than changeling. Able to still wield the powers of yore but now afflicted with a mortal body.

they became fae

Throughout the years fae have slowly infiltrated the upper echelons of society using marriage and deals. Until the entire empire was ruled by the houses.

Humankind began to accept that certain people were simply chosen by GOD to rule with powers beyond most mortals' comprehension. Religions started to intermingle with these chosen few. Fairytales and myths were closer to reality than in most other places. Each family developed differently taking on the aspects of their seasons and thus creating strong beliefs and traditions around the months of the year.

However there was a predicament. Their bodies now ageing, albeit slower than humans, the average Fae would only live
200 years before the creeping banality took over and withered them beyond salvation.

Whenever a Fae found themselves outside the borders of the Empire they'd age at the same rate as the common mortal. Leading to many clever Fae expanding the borders at all costs to prevent their inevitable demise.

Others found crafty solutions elsewhere and relied on frequent visits to the dream, where time passed differently. This came with its own price, for the dreaming is hungry to reclaim what's theirs. As the fae subjected themselves to the land of dreams their mind would wander into forbidden places until it was no longer their own.

world map

We would be remiss to not mention the great conflict enveloping Europe during this time. France had come into new rulership after the revolution. With this new rulership, they left behind republican ambition and replaced it with imperial ambition. The war this led to was devastating for Europe and required the cooperation of several great powers to stop.

regency era

This is the regency era. a period of large-scale wars and small scale, intrigued with everything in between

While the rich are frolicking in opulent vices and battling thru courtly intrigue, the peasantry is starving. The winds of progress that came with the enlightenment are still blowing, but an air of fear of the bloodshed which was seen during the revolution underlines it. There are other ideas also taking root. National pride and the idea of the nation-state are growing in popularity while colonialism is fueling the great powers of the world. The tension between the west and the east is growing, and no one knows when the next conflict will erupt...

In fiction, we often see the regency era depicted from the perspectives of the aristocracy, playing their vain games to stave off the boredom of being at the absolute top of the social ladder. These games are games of romance, gossip and fake smiles. But don't be fooled, these games are very serious and a matter of life and not just for the nobles who play them, but also for the thousands of presents who are used as pawns.

To some nobles, the population of the region is only a number, indicating the amount of power they hold and the tax they can collect. Other nobles take great pride in being a good leader who rules justly, although even in these cases, the nobles often see themselves as above the flock. The masses are, after all, uneducated, unwashed and don't know what is best for them.

What is not as often discussed among the beautiful dresses and elegant etiquette of regency fiction are the many wars for colonial land going on throughout the world. All were scrambling to expand their borders to what they saw as the far reaches of civilization. This, of course, is not the entire truth, as the people already residing in the so-called far reaches often experienced great suffering due to their overlords. From the great powers' side of things, these ventures would often be justified in the name of spending modernity and civilization. Naturally, the resources that came with this were just a nice cherry on top.

regency text

seasons & ruins

conflict

The cycle of conflict seen in the seasons below is characterised by war/revolution (spring), the structure that is built after the revolution (summer), the intrigue and cold war politics that grow within a structure (autumn), and finally, dissent and stagnation that become the seedbed for new ideas to spring forth (winter)

magic

The cycle reverse represents the birth and evolution of magic from the dreaming aka glamour. Beginning in the early winter months and late autumn as banality.
Then from early autumn throughout summer closing into late spring as glamour.
Lastly, the glamour degrades into bedlam which marks mid-spring to late winter. Making the winter equinox of dire importance as that is where banality and bedlam is the closest. Depending on which months you are born you will suffer different difficulties

WINTER

Stagnation

SPRING

Revolution

SUMMER

Structure

AUTUMN

Intrigue

BEDLAM

BANALITY

GLAMOUR

influence leaderboards

Each Duchy has different characteristics. This is represented by 9 different influences. Each of these influences come with different mechanics detailed in the Rulebook. Here we have the current rankings of each Duchy by name and category.

Rank	Military	Education	Economy	Culture	Law	Food	Religion	Infrastructure	Magic
1st	Evander	de Leon	Wormwood	Valda	von Adler	Savage	vaRich	Wormwood	Valda
2nd	Von Adler	vaRich	de Leon	de Leon	Groan	vaRIch	Bolkonsky	Evander	Borgia
3rd	Khiteeve	Evander	Khiteeve	von Adler	Valda	Deveraux	Groan	Deveraux	Khiteeve
4th	Groan	St. Arcadia	von Adler	St. Arcadia	Bolkonsky	Borgia	Borgia	de Leon	Bolkonsky
5th	Savage	Deveraux	Deveraux	Borgia	St. Arcadia	Tides	Grail	St. Arcadia	Groan
6th	Lost	Borgia	St. Arcadia	Deveraux	Lost	St. Arcadia	Khiteeve	Savage	Wormwood
7th	Bolkonsky	Grail	Tides	Tides	Savage	Lost	Savage	Groan	St. Arcadia
8th	Tides	Groan	Groan	Lost	Evander	Khiteeve	Lost	Grail	Grail
9th	vaRich	Valda	Savage	Bolkonsky	Wormwood	von Adler	Tides	Lost	Deveraux
10th	Grail	Savage	Evander	Wormwood	Borgia	Bolkonsky	St. Arcadia	Bolkonsky	Tides
11th	Borgia	Lost	Valda	Savage	Khiteeve	Wormwood	Wormwood	vaRich	Lost
12th	de Leon	Tides	vaRich	Groan	Tides	Evander	Valda	Tides	Savage
13th	St. Arcadia	Bolkonsky	Lost	Grail	Deveraux	Grail	Deveraux	Borgia	vaRich
14th	Deveraux	Khiteeve	Bolkonsky	Khiteeve	de Leon	Groan	Evander	Valda	von Adler
15th	Valda	von Adler	Grail	vaRich	Grail	Valda	de Leon	Khiteeve	de Leon
16th	Wormwood	Wormwood	Borgia	Evander	vaRich	de Leon	von Adler	von Adler	Evander

notable organizations and individuals

The Empire has for many a millenia been ruled by a royal family. These royals are chosen by god and gods word is voiced by the chosen patriarch of the church. In the year of our lord 1762 it is Petyr of the Empire that rules our lands. He is surrounded by his advisors and the Inner Circle made of the Dukes and Duchesses of his Empire.

There are a few notable members of the Inner Circle with significant duties to perform.

There is the Valiant Warchief who updates the Emperor on whats happening on the different conflicts around the globe.
The Spymaster whos duty is to keep the Emperor and his family safe from plots to dethrone him and the powers that be. Also to gather intelligence both foreign and domestic.
The Diplomat is the Emperors first and foremost connection to the people. Their task is to organize and bring fourth concerns and topics from important powerstructures that are not ruled by nobles such as the guilds.
The Patriarch the leader of the Orthodox church and the mouthpiece of gods will is the highest position within the clergy and functions as the emperors moral and religious advisor in all matters of state. He is also there to make sure the emperical line is furthered in gods design.

THE
EMPEROR

petyr of the empire

EMPIRE TBD

HIS
AUNT

the aunt

EMPIRE TBD

INNER CIRCLE

THE WARCHIEF

THE SPYMASTER

THE PATRIARCH

THE
DIPLOMAT

The great and prosperous city of New Concordia rests its success and rapid growth on the shoulders of the three guilds that have taken up shop in the city.

Each guild is filled with only Nockers as they are the only one possessing of the magic thats needed to makeup a large part of the Empires wheels of trade.

Within these guilds there are Nockers of exceptional skill who are elected as guild ambassador by their piers.

Always at odds with each other the three guilds all have their own expertise and political leanings.

ARTISANS

CRAFTSMEN

JEWELLERS

The Jewellers are the few chosen Nockers have spent the larger part of their life learning how to create heirlooms. With an immense responsibility the jewellers serve the nobles closely as the 16 Houses are the only ones that can wield Heirlooms. Most Houses have their very own Jeweller but all of them belong to the guild. Jewellers go through a rigorous apprenticeship spanning several years to gain the mere right to create an official Heirloom. At the Guild they keep meticulous records of every heirloom that has ever been created or destroyed. In the forefront of Heirloom innovation stands Tansey Borage, widely admitted to be the foremost expert on heirlooms. She is sworn to house Valda famous for their heirloom prosthetics and keeps her workshop in one of the many towers of Valda Castle. With a colourful background she is a woman obsessed with figuring out the true mechanisms behind magic and the complex past of the Fae. She can seldom be reached as the Duchy of Glass is a distant and isolating place however her assistant and apprentice Fern Woodruff carries the duties of communications with the rest of the guild when she is busy tinkering away behind locked doors.

The Craftsmen are the bread and butter of the empire. They tirelessly produce and construct everything that could be considered a necessity: horseshoes, shields, wagons, barrels, tools. The list goes on to infinity. Pragmatic and down to earth the craftsmen supply the people with practical things and see no need for frivolous decorations. Their leader Anshelm Seagel is a entrepreneurial man with his sights set on a future where good old traditional craftsmanship is appreciated as a reliable and stable necessity in every household. His personal store is located in a quaint village up north in the Duchy of the White Sea known for its large woods and abundant bird population. He does not harbour a taste for travelling to New Concordia every other month instead he relies on the vast connections he has built up with the help of the guild. Just like everyone knows each other in a small town, every single blacksmith, cobbler, saddlemaker are all part of the guilds communications network. If a man purchases a pair of shoes on the other side of the Empire, Anhelm knows what size he bought and the exact sum of coins he got for change.

The Artisans create Treasures of great renown. Weaving Dros right into the very fabric and material of their treasures. They believe that whoever can afford their goods should have the right to purchase it no matter if their blood is blue or not. Lead by the master artisan Amanprat Singh. Adviser and close friend of the late Alejandro de Leon whom he swore to always protect and stand by his side, now that his friend has passed Amanprat still protects House de Leons interests to make sure that Alejandros legacy lives on. He is a man of immense wealth always adorned with glimmering gold and a ginormous turban. He is a follower of Sikhism and has his personal quarters in the Duchy of Gold but regularly travels to New Concordia and around the Empire to oversee the intricate trade net of the Artisans.

THE GUILD

THE
LAW

THE
CHURCH

TBD

FEUDAL SYSTEM

TBD the Kiths in society our system of inheritance and rank

BOGAN

ESHU

NOCKER

POOKA

REDCAP

SATYR

SLUAGH

TROLL

RANKING IN FAE SOCIETY 1. Aristocrats 2. Diplomat / Heralds (nobles) 3. Scholars / Adv. mages / Priest (nobles) 4. Bureaucrats 5. Healers / Midwives 6. Lore keeper / Bard 7. Seers / Fortune tellers 8. Landowners / Landlord 9. Minor officials (not noble) 10. Thane 11. Assassins 12. Artist \ Jewellers 13. Artisans 14. Merchants 15. Mercenaries 16. Scribes / Stewards 17. Craftsmen / Tradesmen 18. Muscle / Guards 19. minor street merchants 20. Entertainer / Jester 21. Animal Keeper 22. Servants 23. Miners 24. Farmer 25. Prostitutes 26. Labourers 27. Menial labour Street sweepers Latrine cleaners 28. Migratory workers 29. Beggars 30. Tricksters 31. Thieves 32. Highwaymen

HERALDIC RANKING 1. DUKE/DUCHESS 2. MARQUEES/MARCHIONESS 3. COUNT/COUNTESS 5. VICOUNT/VICOUNTESS 6. BARON/BARONESS 7. GENTRY/KNIGHTS