Beyond the Summerland Uprising
The central island, even before the split, was named Achaea, the greatest of the five and forever to be the central hub for all commerce and community. The Imperial City sits at its heart, housing the Emperor and his wife. Guarded vigilantly by the legendary and feared Ghost Legion, “the greatest city of the Summerland” is possibly the most protected of all the cities of Achaea, the largest city by far and the most beloved. The other four islands, splitting off to the east and west, each took with them a part of their history and altered it to better suit the needs of their current needs at the time.
The Jade Empire, well-known for their beautiful silks and satins, breeders of warriors and skilled craftsman. Noted for their beautiful women, their borders are watched ceaselessly for any illegal renegades seeking entrance into their city beyond that of the normal routes. The most heavily-guarded of the five nations, they hold close to their near-worship of their Emperor whom, to them, is nearly a god. The most deadly of their soldiers being the skilled and relentless Jade Army, each man dedicated to the mission set before them and will never, against all odds and impossibilities, ever retreat or surrender. It is because of this they are nearly as feared as the fabled Ghost Legion of Achaea, many believing the strangely clad Jade warriors would put up quite a fight against even a single legion of Ghosts on an even field. The capitol, while hidden from outsiders, is the fabled Silver City, a bit of a letdown for those who had thought it to be jade as well.
The Republic of Snowhaven, the shallowest and least-threatening of the five nations, it gets by with giving the other nations the means of killing on another. Despite their lack of a great army or fabled squad of brave knights, they make up for it with metal constructs that effortlessly guard their borders and waters. The home of craftsmen excelling in the art of metalworking, they create metal automatons varying from the smallest cat, to towering behemoths designed for warfare and destruction. While they have no need for the art of war or combat, they happily supply the other three – the Jade Empire believes their constructs to be “abominations to the True Belief” and have nothing to do with them, and anyone of the Empire that is caught owning one is to be executed on sight – and watch as they war with one another. Led by esteemed Council of Logistics and Strategy, they have no single leader but a group of men and women dedicated to keeping the nation running and to protect it from foreign invaders. The capitol of Snowhaven is the city of Icepoint, the farthest city to the north of the center of Snowhaven, which is almost permanently covered in snow and ice due to Snowhaven being so far north itself.
The Kingdom of Freya, the home of chivalry and the belief that valor is gained by ones actions and behavior, ran by a diverse system of honor and heritage passed down from distant ancestors reaching back before the Cataclysm. Ruled by King Dalrein the Just and Queen Constance the White, Freya is by far the nation to be seen as an ally. They do not war on another nation unless that nation caused war to fall on Freya. Their borders are open to the world, but their streets are watched by diligent and devoted soldiers of the Crown. No Freyan has ever spoken harshly of their homeland, always speaking in awe of the valiant Knights of the Rose, legendary and fabled lords of combat and honor. In the ranks of the Ghost Legion – even at times being trained alongside the fabled Legion – they are the epitome of honor and chivalry. There is no land they are not welcomed, even so much as seen as angels within the Jade Empire. Protectors of the weak, the wandering men and women of valor are always seen as those sometimes above the law, allowed to kill the wandering criminal when found. The capitol of Freya is Blackmoor, found in the far west of the nation and the largest in the country.
Not very much is known of the Burgundian nation. The land of Burgundy is a whispered threat into the ear of a child when they behave in a naughty fashion. “The Burg’s will come to get you in your sleep if you don’t do this…” Always whispered, and almost always laughed about later on. No outsider is allowed within the borders of Burgundy, each killed and sent back with some nasty remark upon their hastily built casket. The last known history of Burgundy was remarked as being ruled by a faction of religious fanatics called the Hand of Rai, powerful men who believe that any who is not of Rai is not worthy of life on the face of the Summerland. As such, the people are kept under near-tyrannical rule and kept from leaving the nation. If any do, they are hastily and quietly either killed by the mythical Black-Hand – an assassin supposedly able to walk through walls and sense the souls of those who have left the land of Rai – or sent back for some horrible torture and subsequent torture. No true facts have been found of the nation of Burgundy, be they ruled by religious fanatics or just make stuff up to keep people away.
The last nation –and by far the most noted – is that of Arcanum. The land of magic, light, and music. There are few cities in Arcanum, namely only five. Moreover, they cannot truly be considered cities, but more districts in one huge, monolithic community. Each is the embodiment of one of the nations, the center being that of Achaea, the top eastern being Snowhaven, the bottom eastern being the Jade Empire, the bottom west that of Burgundy – basically where all the major religious cults and beliefs are kept, the closest anyone can get to guessing what that nation actually is – and the top west being, obviously, the capitol “city” of Arcanum. In the center of the “city” is the marvelous and awe-inspiring Academy of the Magical Arts. Every sorcerer, wizard, mage, sorceress, witch, warlock, healer, etc. that has ever lived has gone to that school at one time.
Many of the professions take more than four years to complete, but many – if not more – take barely a year to finish. Even then, those who have graduated from that esteemed college, they are more powerful than those who have not. Of course, it is rather expensive and time-consuming to go to such a school, so not everyone can get in. As for the other districts, they all mirror their respective nations – Snowhaven being rather smoggy from all the metalworking, the Jade Empire majestic and fluttering with colorful silks, Burgundy filled with giant cathedrals and beautiful churches, and Arcanum the home of all that is magical and other-worldly. The center, being Achaea and the Academy, is filled with all sorts of merchants, stores, inns, and theaters. Designed to entertain and inspire, everything in that portion of Arcanum is meant to make you happy.
Lord Arimor Darkheart · Thu Jun 16, 2011 @ 12:30am · 0 Comments |