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Kingdoms

The History of Kingdoms Creation

??And from the North they came, proud and brave knights.

And they founded kingdoms of their own on the ruins of the old world, and their people came with them. And they started to cultivate the soil, and breed the cattle. Towers rose over the fortresses, and the holy land began to shine in its glory ??

? Court chronicler of King Sigismund II

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The kingdoms were founded on the territory of the former Eolian Empire roughly five hundred years ago. Back then, the Empire was crumbling underneath the weight of endless internal wars, exorbitant luxury amongst a rich few and a lack of supplies amongst the rest. In time, new lords came down from the northern boundaries ? squads of Tirolingians, led by brilliant and noble knights (which were referred to as savages and barbarians in Eolia).

Having easily defeated the ?invincible? legions, the Tirolingians captured the capital and declared all the provinces to be under the control of a new religion.

The irony of it all was that the victorious ones brought a slightly modified variant of Saint Marcus?s religion with them. Almost 200 years of bloody religious wars have passed since that time, making the Saint Marcus Church the one and the only, reforming the boundaries of the kingdoms into what they are now.

Derenhalle

The kingdom of Derenhalle lies to the south of the former empire. The nature in this land is lush, and its climate temperate; as such, Derenhalle could have been the best place in all the lands, were it not for the constant threat of the orcish raids. The fortification wall that was built by Emperor Claudius separates the kingdom from the Verks Wastes, but the green-skinned ones still manage to penetrate deep into the country, annihilating everything in their path. This is why every adult male in Derenhalle undergoes military training, and why every village reminds one of a fort.

Freiburg

?Me, a miserable monk, I am bowing my head to this stone warrior, whose glory,

although it has risen up high, will never fall.?

? Advitius, monk of the Talimian order

Like unapproachable cliffs, these rough stone towers rise high above the furious river. Their towering walls look as though they grow from the very rock they stand upon. Narrow archer openings, like never-sleeping eyes, attentively peer into the distance. The leaf bridge made of the blackened wood is always elevated, in an ancient tradition. Freiburg is ready to counter all enemy attacks any day or night, be it in the cold of winter or in the pouring rain. The fortress stands guard for the lands of the king and the Holy Church, much as it did in the times of yore. The Freiburg King?s colors proudly flutter over the giant main bastion.

Leranse

To the north of Derenhalle lies Leranse, the most powerful of all the new kingdoms, and the former central province of the Empire. It is the center of high life and religious pursuits. The magnificent knightly Leranse cavalry is rightfully considered to be the best army in the world. The main fortress of the Inquisition is also located here. The residences of the king and the Pope are located in its capital, Verson.

Verson ? The City of Kings

?Truly great and glorious is the city of Verson, the capital of Leranse. So many wise kings ruled in it, so many genuine knights feasted in its halls, so many saints preached in its churches, that its walls and its stones became the stronghold of holiness, knighthood and monarchy.?

Oh, Verson! This city is rightfully considered to be one of the world?s wonders!

Where the Versa and Saine rivers merge, a town of kings towers over the hills: Verson, the ancient capital of the Gillangian Dynasty. The town was built upon the ruins of the first Temple of Marcus, and has been rebuilt over the period of four centuries. These days, its beauty is the stuff of legend. Its outer wall was built in the recent years of calm, which is why it is not particularly high, but is quite beautiful ? bleached stone begirds the town like a bride?s belt.

Merchant facilities clad in red-brown tile roofs, multicolored signboards and shops filled with various goods start their rows right behind this wall.

The old town fortifications rise beyond the trade area. Their walls and towers also used to be white, but now the plaster has a fractured pattern.

However, their beauty is not about the plaster, but the scars which were inflicted upon these walls when they protected the heart of Verson ? the Saint Marcus Cathedral.

The Cathedral is the most beautiful building ever built by the humans (It is prohibited to compare the Cathedral with the academy of the heretic mages in Sylent ? Priest?s note). Its white walls are made of pure marble, inset with silver stained-glass windows, and its spire is adorned with bas-reliefs. Of course, there is also a five-meter-high statue to Marcus, which lets us talk about the Cathedral as a man-made wonder created in the spirit of glory.

The residence of the Leranse kings, the Lariv Castle, is located near the

Cathedral. This castle is far and away the most powerful one in all the land, and is fortified with the greatest walls and towers. For ten generations, the Gillangians have ruled the country from this castle.

Mirralia

Plains interchange with woods on the northwestern frontier of Leranse. The lands of the Great Dukes of Mirralia start here. Ralin, the capital of the dukedom, is known as a town of culture and knowledge, as the best artists, poets and scientists work there. But beyond its limits, in the woods and on the coast, gangs as well as pirate conclaves and mercenary armies (quite often they combine these types of ?business?) are doing very well?

The Free City of Sylent

On the coast between Mirralia and Leranse lies the free town of Sylent. Gold is the most precious thing in this town, where one can buy and sell just about anything. It is a place whose treasures have attracted the close attention of the neighboring countries for quite some time. However, the walls of Sylent are guarded by the best mercenary army money can obtain. What?s more, the Magic Academy is located here ? the last remaining school of magic, where the most powerful and bravest magicians who survived the Priest?s hunt now study and teach. These two factors are serious obstacles for the kings of Leranse, who are eager to seize the free town.

Sylent

?If you had visited Sylent, then you saw all towns of the world!?

? Haigred Silver-Tooth

Those who climb the highest tower of the Academy will witness a fabulous view over Sylent.

One will see the ever-fussy port, where masts and heaps of goods compete with each other in height, where the bubbling of the sea drowns in the screams of drunken dock workers, and where anyone can find a resting place at night.

One can see the main square, always full of various people, half of them professional pickpockets; the trade council building, where the proceedings always take place and the speeches can always be heard; endless rows of shopping stalls, where one can buy something vital for almost nothing or pay a fortune for some trifling object; guilds and workshops, manufacturing anything one can imagine ? from candies to gelatin capsules with cyanide. Only in Sylent can one see everything at once, and only here are things humming day and night, in any weather.

Larid, Tersh and Parsa

The lands of Larid, Tersh and Parsa stretch over the northern and western horizons.

These kingdoms can only boast that the course of life has not changed there for two centuries. Hunts are followed by feasts, feasts are followed by tournaments, and tournaments are followed by peasant rebellions. The politics of these countries depend on their elderly neighbors.

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