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[ The Regions of Orellic ]

xxxOrellic is an expansive continent comprised of six nations. Myrrade is centrally located and is driven by the ideals they hold toward their single god, Lenniss. It is Lenniss that focuses their ideals toward expansion, advancement, and truth. All the other countries profit from Myrrade, as it is the means for trading with countries that are not bordered with them. Each of them has a Myrrade run city at their borders. As for the borderland countries, Sull is found to the north, Kurokusk dominates the west, Swarin shares a border in the southwest, Merridan is to the southeast, and the islands of Cartrin are a short trip by ship to the east. In as passive a way as possible, the people of Myrrade are slowly taking over the world because everyone generally allows their presence and influence in some form or fashion.



Myrrade
xxxMyrrade is an expansive kingdom of plains, hills, and forests driven by the ideals they hold toward their single god, Lenniss. It is Lenniss that focuses their ideals toward expansion, advancement, and truth. The capital, the free city of Mylenx, is the center for trade for the entire continent. The people of Myrrade are perhaps the most civilized of the cultures, also having the most advanced technology, some of it even steam powered, such as their river boats which are one of the driving forces to their importing and exporting. The kingdom is inhabited entirely by humans and orkens. Myrradites tend to have pale skin tones.
xxxAll the other countries profit from the Myrrade Plains, as it is the means for trading with the countries which do not immediately border them. Each of them have a Myrrade run city at their borders: Yvwel by the frozen north of Sull, Zelasz at the foot of the Kurokusk mountains, Fodrejd near the southern savannah of Swarin, Nurym at a river leading into Merridan, and the port of Bimvolek is the gate to the islands of Cartrin.
xxxWhile the role of Lenniss in greater society is open to debate among his believers, it is generally agreed that he encourages a life full of newness. Trade and the acquisition of knowledge is the best way to do this. Trading with other countries allows for a greater possibility of seeing new things and meeting new people, all of which is beneficial to spreading the truth about Lenniss, in whatever form it may take. Technology is a means to create new things and learn about the world. In as passive a way as possible, the people of Myrrade are slowly taking over the world because everyone generally allows their presence and influence in some form or fashion.
xxxThe politics of Myrrade are largely feudal, though instead of ruling lords, a council of nobles typically makes the decisions for a given territory. Each of these councils sends a trustworthy representative to Mylenx to serve on a Greater Council which makes more widespread decisions for the whole of Myrrade. The Church of Lenniss provides their own representative to act as an intermediary between the various other members of the Greater Council.
Concept] Pseudo-European expansionism.

Sull
xxxSull is, to anyone but the inhabitants, a frozen wasteland too inhospitable to be livable. It is both a mirror and opposite to the sweltering deserts of Swarin. A majority of it is a frigid extension of the hilly plains of Myrrade, but the western portion is punctuated by the Kurosz Mountains. The people of Sull might be considered diverse if they weren't inclined to group together indiscriminately. The north is far too harsh an environment for infighting to be logical. There is no universally dominant tribe, either. All told, Sull is home to humans, orkens, dwarves, hoblings, and gremlings, and they all tend to get along well enough. Whenever one tribe happens upon another, it usually ends up turning into a short celebration which involves trading of supplies and impromptu betrothals-c**-marriages as a means to diversify the tribal gene pool. Sulli usually have ruddy or grayish skin tones.
xxxHowever, Sull is also home to less savory entities: the undead. For reasons no one really can say for certain, Sull is beset by roaming and restless dead. For sure, each tribe has their own theories on this phenomenon, but the reasons why are less important to them than the ways to deal with it. Considering the Sulli culture is based heavily on hunting and fishing for food, due to the lack of vegetation for most of the year, running into undead during hunting excursions is fairly common. For this reason, a shaman usually travels with the hunting party.
xxxWhen it comes to their interaction with the Myrradites, the Sulli are more than happy to trade whatever they may have of interest for the chance to get a hold of foreign goods. They are always looking for produce, wood, and metal items of any kind, and the Myrradites usually come away with arctic furs and blubber. However, since the Sulli don't usually have any set migration pattern outside of following the indigenous species, their interaction with Myrrade isn't as frequent. Typically, a given tribe will make their way to the Myrrade city of Yvwel on their own to trade a bit before moving along. It's rare that the Myrradites will venture into the dangerous territory to find potential business.
Concept] Similar to ancient Inuit traditions.

Kurokusk
xxxKurokusk is a country entirely consisting of forested mountains. It was once inhabited by many tribal societies with varying traditions. Some of the more brutal ones were known for raiding. Raiding each other, raiding across the border, it didn't really matter. Long ago, the tales of Kuskan raiders ravaging the plains of Myrrade were common fare. However, as the trading tradition of Myrrade grew, and their tendency to not trade with those tribes who would regularly invade them began to provide the other tribes with superior goods, eventually the raiding dwindled. The aggressive tribes were less equipped than the tribes who were trading with Myrrade. They couldn't trade with Myrrade to keep up, so the raiders couldn't even effectively raid within the borders of Kurokusk. And if they raided outside of Kurokusk, to complete the circle, it would ensure that Myrrade wouldn't trade with them. They had to reinvent their way of life.
xxxToday, the warrior traditions of Kurokusk have bred several different cultures. In general, the people of Kurokusk have never been particularly tied into any kind of typical religious practices. There are no formal deities recognized by the Kuskans. Rather, their religion promotes self-enlightenment and self-promotion. As an illustration of this point, the Kurosz Mountains are dotted with quite a few monastic temples. The teachings at each temple overlap to some degree, but each one has its own agenda depending on who populates it. Some of these ideologies are racially motivated or tied to a nearby kingdom, but others aren't quite as clear cut. Kurokusk is inhabited by humans, orkens, trolkens, dwarves, and gnomes, all of whom tend to have pale to yellowish skin tones.
xxxOther than the monasteries, there are two major societies within Kurokusk. The first is what became of the tribes that managed to adapt to the changing times. Several major cities mark the capitols of these various kingdoms. The way of the warrior is the way of absolute honor and dignity. The law of the land is restraint in the use of power. Each minor kingdom is ruled by a clan daimyo, and their authority is enforced with martial strength. Neighboring kingdoms still do not necessarily get along completely, but there hasn't been any kind of formal war in several generations. Beneath the royal families, their personal armies, and the royal servants are the common people. While those on the bottom rung of the social ladder may not have much pull in royal affairs, they are still the backbone of the community. Society wouldn't run without them, and so they are not necessarily mistreated. It is usually members of this caste that do business with Myrrade through Zelasz. Kurokusk is still a vastly rich resource of ore and lumber.
xxxFinally, on the fringe of society, and often located in the least hospitable regions of Kurokusk, are the barbarians. These are the small remnants of those tribes who could not adapt to the times. They are made up of mostly humans, orkens, and trolkens, and they tend to have a more animistic approach to spiritualism, but not enough to have any formal gods. The closest they come to that is a form of ancestor worship. The barbarian tribes are scattered, still mostly aggressive toward outsiders, and approaching extinction. However, they would not have lasted even this long if the ones that remained were not the most tenacious examples of their kind.
Concept] Buddhist monasteries, Mongolian warlords, and Far Eastern cultures.



Swarin
xxxThe harsh desert that dominates most of Swarin makes for a challenging homeland. The peoples of Swarin, while not always entirely friendly with each other, are all too aware of these challenges. Over time, some of which accompanied by great loss, the major tribes have come to a solemn understanding. In a momentous occasion which was initially brought about by the work of a Lennite priest, the six tribes worked out an agreement for truce. This agreement still stands today, even after several generations.
xxxThe agreement was essentially this: since the tribes of Swarin were already nomadic in nature, they would work out a system for organized migration. Each tribe would set up in a specific region. After a set period of time, the tribes would then rotate to a different region. Every couple of years, the details of this organized migration would be renegotiated via honorable combat in a sort of festival setting. The combatants who did more favorably would garner better negotiating rights for their tribe. This essentially negated the need for warfare between tribes. Despite the ability to choose the best lands with this privilege, occasionally a tribe will opt for less favorable areas. The tribes know that too long living in relative luxury could breed weakness, and no tribe is willing to fall too far behind their competitors in prowess. Also, because of the Lennite's role in fostering diplomacy between the tribes, whoever currently has claim to the lands nearest to the Myrrade city of Fodrejd has full rights to trade with the Myrradites. Swarin actually has a wealth of exotic resources, the most attractive of which to the Myrradites being fine silks and precious gemstones.
xxxThe six tribes are still separated largely by race, though some amount of blending has occurred since the negotiation festivals began. Each tribe also has a major deity to which they pay greatest respect. The human Dervish Tribe swears allegiance to Shimdjin, the goddess of wind and guile. The halfling Oasis Tribe reveres Wonden, the goddess of rain and fertility. The orken Inferno Tribe pays respect to Fahrakh, the god of fire and conquest. The hobling Mountain Tribe reveres Dromus, the god of earth and smithing. The Tribe of Day, made up of mostly humans and halflings, holds Sashmor, the sun god of healing, in high regard. Finally, the Tribe of Night is comprised of mostly orkens and hoblings, and they worship Yavash, the goddess of death and darkness. The Swarish people have dark olive and tan skin tones due to their desert upbringing.
Concept] Nomadic Arabian with a dash of medieval knights.

Merridan
xxxMerridan is a chaotic sprawl of thick jungles, winding rivers, and steaming swamps. Quite often these three aspects blend together into one. To go along with this confusion, Merridan is also the most racially diverse region in Orellic, hosting humans, orkens, elves, trolkens, goblings, gnomes, and gremlings. Even the dichotomy between the night and day races can be seen more clearly here, since the day races tend to be incredibly pale, while the night races are usually very dark-skinned. However, much like the tribes of Sull, there's no real division of race for the scattered tribes of Merridan, and despite all this chaos, Merridan is actually one of the best organized of the Borderlander countries. All the various small tribes and their chieftains are not completely disparate communities. They all answer to one person: The Witch King. The Witch King is something of a mystery to the people of Merridan. No one really knows much about him or even how to contact him directly. His edicts are handed out by mystical creatures and a chosen few elite. And if even the Merridanians don't know what his true agenda or capabilities are, he is ever more the mystery to foreigners, including the Myrradites.
xxxWhat Myrrade does know about The Witch King and his Merridanian followers is that he is apparently welcoming of the trade that Myrrade offers through their city of Nurym. This is at least encouraging, since the wet jungles of Merridan are bar none the best source of diverse herbs, both mundane and mystical, oil fields, and hard woods. This does not necessarily lessen the unease that the Myrradites feel around the average Merridanian. The swampy jungles are a very dangerous environment, and they breed equally dangerous people. A Merridanian tends to have a coiled spring mentality. They may seem calm at one moment, but they could just as easily jump to action at the drop of a hat. Their personalities mirror this tendency, as well. At least to the average Myrradite. In truth, the Merridanians are as diverse as any other people. It's their strong mystical tradition that drives them, and a tradition that is based on the savage world they inhabit would understandably alter their perceptions.
xxxThe Myrradites are better off not knowing the extent to which the Merridanians practice their beliefs. While they are fixated on aspects of nature, life, and fertility, they are just as fixated on death and corruption. And as inclined as they are on those natural fronts, they are just as inclined to study advancements in technology. Merridan boasts alchemists and engineers to rival even Myrrade.
Concept] The Amazon meets voodoo traditions.

Cartrin
xxxThe islands that make up Cartrin are mostly rocky protrusions seemingly pushed up and out of the ocean surrounding them, which makes much of the inner seas somewhat dangerous to navigate. The larger islands, however, while still emulating this feeling, host thick forests of various trees on their mountainous peaks. Most of the population of Cartrin, which consists of typically olive-skinned humans, orkens, elves, halflings, and goblings, is confined to the shorelines of these larger islands. It is because of this that a small country is made even smaller. This limited space has served to limit Cartrin's growth. If not for this, it's possible that the Cartir would rival the Myrradites in their ingenuity and advances. And one of the things that would fuel such a thing is the deep gold veins laced throughout the mountains.
xxxThe Cartir are a very intellectual and colorful people. If there is anything that they emphasize, it is shipbuilding and arcane magic. Even their deities seem to be focused on these things. In general, the Cartir are more than happy to trade with Myrrade's city of Bimvolek. Their islands lack many things that the mainland can offer, and their gold mines are more than equipped to pay for it.
xxxPolitically, each major island is its own established state ruled by a family of nobles, one of which is always the head. When negotiation between islands is necessary, either one side will visit the other, or a neutral location aboard a ship is arranged. The ocean is always independent of faction. This view of independence is one of the things that makes Cartrin less than perfect neighbors, as Myrrade views it. Piracy is not all that uncommon, and not always unsanctioned. What happens on the deep water has no bearing on a family's prestige on land. The Cartir understand this. It's everyone else who doesn't seem to get it. The balance, to them, is that only a good pirate can get away with it, and the bad pirates are doomed to be prey to the good ones.
Concept] Sinbad style ships, and swashbuckling pirates. Actually, now that I think about it, ever heard of The Pirates of Dark Water? A lot like that.

[ Racial Information Charts ]

xxx"Borderlander" is a catch-all term used by the Myrradites to refer to anyone who isn't a Myrradite. It also has a deeper connotation as referring to any non-human/orken, as well. This deeper meaning likely arises from the fact that, even though there are humans and orkens living in all of the border countries, there are no other races besides humans and orkens that call Myrrade home, which serves to make those races even more foreign-seeming.









xxxOne of the contributing factors to the Myrrade religious belief in a god whose facets are determined by aspects of night and day are the very races found in Orellic. There are five such races, but each one is split into two subgroups. One is associated with the day, and the other the night. Because of these distinctions, it was true that historically there was tension and conflict between the night and day races, but with the spread of the church of Lenniss, diversity came into a more positive light. Now it is such that all the races are treated more or less equally, and this attitude has pervaded even into Borderlander societies so that conflict is very rarely a result of racial influences. Which leads us to the next section:

[ The Religions of Orellic ]

Myrrade]
xxxThe Myrradite people choose to interpret their god in one of three distinct ways, but the center of their faith is the Temple of Light, Kashalenx, which is located on the eastern coast of Myrrade to be closer to where both the sun and moon rise. Some think that Lenniss is better represented by the sun for his illuminating gaze that searches for truth and traverses the sky to discover and claim new lands. Others liken him to the moon with many changing manifestations that ever serve to hide his true nature from man, making him a more mysterious creator. Depending on which of these is the deciding preference, the Myrradites will always be wearing some sort of talisman that they use to interact with Lenniss, usually a golden disk or a silver representation of the moon. However, every now and again, there will be those who carry both. They see Lenniss as an incomprehensible being at least worthy of recognition as the creator of the world. His motivations are his own business, and it's the job of man to live as interesting a life as possible to serve him as a form of entertainment.


Sull]
Hurall-hunting
?-fishing
?-weather
?-fire
?-birth
?-death
Kanahok-animals
?-plants


Kurokusk]


Swarin]
xxxShimdjin is the patron goddess of the mostly human Dervish Tribe. She is believed to be in charge of the winds of Swarin, a sometimes deadly element. She is at once abrupt and abrasive, but sometimes gentle and embracing. The wind is constant companion in the desert, and it can produce unexpected occurrences. No one truly knows what motivates the wind, but it's important to have her on your side. One thing the Dervish are certain of is Shimdjin's feisty nature. She is the most capricious of the gods, and she delights in using arcane tricks on her fellow deities. Her followers are eager to emulate her, be it her swiftness, her guile, or her talent for magic.
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Merridan]


Cartrin]
xxxYvora is the goddess of water. She is the ocean. The rivers, lakes, and seas are extensions of her body. To sail is to be borne upon her bosom. In fact, she encourages sailing as a form of worship. Shipwrights are beloved in her eyes, for they allow the landbound to worship her. Yvora represents all that is open and right and majestic. While they are not her domains, all that is life and nature could not exist without her.
xxxSangdin is the god of ocean life. All the fish, plankton, and sea monsters; the big and the small; are his charge. All life, really, originally came from the ocean, but Sangdin is the god who cannot bring himself to leave. He is forever alongside and within the waters that gave him life, and in return, he brings life to the waters.
xxxIlden is the somber north wind. As all the winds are the brethren to Yvora, Ilden is oldest of the brothers. His frigid breath brings winter. As the cycle of life seemingly ends with winter, so too does Ilden bring death. His powerful winds are not just a calm end to life, however. They are also a cold and uncaring death, without even the guarantee of rest.
xxxHinred is the youngest brother, the south wind. His hot and sometimes furious breath brings summer and the threat of violent storms. Hinred is the patron of violent methods and violent reprisal. When war is on the horizon, he will surely be there to bless it.
xxxGenuli is the east wind. The second brother is mischievous.
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