The world of Alteria is comprised of three major continents: Furgasta, Delucia and Mystiven.
The continent of Furgasta is known for its balance of order and freedom. All towns are governed by a lord who must answer directly to the king. Meetings between the king and the lords are held every 30 days to discuss matters, morale and concerns of the lords and of the people of the lords. The king also employs spies in each town to keep the lords honest. It is also in Furgasta where Mount Godspeak lies. It was said that Ra, Creator of all came down and blessed Jayson Silvermyst to unite the various tribes of Furgasta into a unified and coexistent country where peace and prosperity may grow. Slavery exists, but there are laws that ensure the safety, health and welfare of slaves.
The continent of Delucia is a stark contrast. The land is ruled by the Ragnok family due to powers granted to them by demonic pacts. Crime is a part of everyday life, and the tribes of the land are united through fear. In years past, they put on an act for the rulers of Furgasta to make it seem like they were a ruling family that struggled in keeping order, but after the demon war, there was no more facade to hide behind. Despite their military losses against Furgasta's navy, they seek nothing more than to conquest of Furgasta and from there, to wage war on the Gods themselves in a bid for immortality and power. Slavery, murder, theft, all part of everyday life.
The continent of Mystiven is unknown to either ruling families. The thick fog surrounding the large landmass and the jagged rocks make approach by sea impossible. The constant and almost eternal thunderstorms make flying dragons inside almost impossible, and a strange energy prevents spells from working and blocks teleportation. A scarce few have ever made it to the continent and lived to tell about it, but they never managed to journey far. In fact, once they finished walking through about a mile of fog, they would find themselves back where they started from when they landed, no matter what direction they traveled.
Measurements of Time
Time is measured in seconds, minutes days, weeks, seasons and years. Each year begins by divining what deity holds the greatest sway over the year, which in turn helps predict possible hardships and blessings for the year. The number before the Deity's name shows how many rotations of all of the gods and goddesses they have gone through before starting back over again.
Each season is comprised of 90 calendar days. There are fifteen weeks to each season, and 6 days to each week. The last day of the week is set aside as a day for rest for all except the most required of work: farming, medical clerics, military and law enforcement. Each season begins and ends with a festival, saying goodbye to one season and then welcoming the next.
Technology
Furgasta and Delucia are mostly medieval in technology, but they also have steampunk touches as well. Many houses are heated with steam energy, and things like light bulbs and lamps do exist, along with electricity powered by waterwheels and enchanted lightning stones. Cannons exist as well as flintlock pistols and rifles. However, most of the armed forces rely more on melee weapons. Bows are still widely in use as they are easier to reload then flintlocks and the arrows can be enchanted by specialty rangers. Horse drawn carriages are the main mode of wheeled transport, while steamships are the main form of naval passage. Dragons can be raised and trained for aerial transportation and combat. Also, every town has a teleportation center for single individual use. However, use of these are managed by the Mage's Guild.
Races
There are a total of 20 races known as tribes. Tribe is the word that is used in place of race/species. They can be a collective of a certain genus or specific. All tribes are anthropomorphic. There are feral animals as well as monster races as well, but they are not of humanoid intellect as tribes are.
Wolven: All variety of wolves
Vixani: All variety of foxes
Anubian: Jackals
Dogel: All varieties of domestic canines
Tiligo: Lions and tigers
Catala: Variety of small and medium-sized wild cats
Felipur: All varieties of domestic cats
Ringling: Ringtailed animals (Racoons, Red Pandas, Lemurs, etc)
Burleyra: Mice and rats
Lupali: All variety of rabbits/hares
Equana: All variety of equines
Ursal: All variety of bears
Sharik: All variety of sharks
Dregal: All variety of dragons
Kang: Kangaroos
Otts: Otters
Stralip: Skunks, chipmunks, squirrels
Ushi: Bovines
Sheelep: Sheep/goats
Avali: All varieties of birds
Magic
There are several schools of magic. Depending on what continent you live in, some schools of magic are considered forbidden
~Divine~ This school of magic belongs almost exclusively to clerics. The only exception to this is the Silvermyst bloodline, who are born with inherent natural talents for divine magics even more powerful than most clerics. Divine magic focuses primarily around healing, curative, protection, divinations and offensive power against evil beings. While anyone can school to become a cleric in Furgasta, only those chosen by the Ragnok family or the cults can become clerics in Delucia.
~Elemental~ This school of magic focuses on harnessing the five elements of the known world: earth, fire, wind, water and lightning. These casters are mostly combative, but they can also use spells to shape elements to create or transport, as well as even using them in defensive means.
~Druidic~ Unlike elementalists who seek to harness the power of nature, Druids seek to work alongside it. Their magics allows them to work with their natural surroundings, letting the plants, earth, water and other aspects of nature aid them. They can also summon feral animals to their aid. However, because this type of magic is seen as submissive to Delucians, it is forbidden in Delucia.
~Arcane~ Arcane casters work with ether in the surrounding environment to create spells of force energy. This energy can then be transmuted into the caster's own body to empower them, used for defensive barriers, pushing and pulling objects or used to teleport people or objects.
~Enchant~ Enchanters usually take this school along with a second school of magic. While these casters do not directly involve themselves in combat, they can enchant weapons, armors and items with special properties to enhance them and give the wielders new abilities.
~Necromancy~ Necromancers focus on manipulating the life energies of a living person, as well as giving and manipulating life energies on a corpse. In Furgasta, necromancy is closely regulated and reserved for therapy healers and mortuary workers. In Delucia, it is one of the most widely used magics, especially is the royal military.
~Demonic~ In Delucia, Demon cults and the Ragnok royal family have sole access to these forbidden magics. They can cause small, temporary tears in the fabric of reality to gain demonic powers, focusing on destruction, plague, disease and death This school of magic is strictly forbidden in Furgasta.
The History of Furgasta
Over three thousand years from present day Furgasta, the land was divided into tribes of different species. These tribes often came into conflict with each other. During this time, two tribes, the Wolven and the Felipurr, had a tentative peace between them as they lived at the base of what is now known as Mount Godspeak. In an act straight out of Romeo and Juliet, the daughter of the Felipurr medicine man and the son of the Wolven chief fell in love. Both were punished by their respective tribes, forbidden from seeing each other. One night, the two of them fled to the mountain, only to be found dead, both stabbed repeatedly.
This act of murder angered Amun-Ra, the God of Creation, and a severe drought befell the land. Both of the tribes blamed the other for what happened and a war between the two began. During this era of strife and famine, a young boy named Jayson Silvermyst was born. He was raised to hate the Felipur, and yet the idea driving that hate didn't seem to click with the young wolf. Upon a trip into the woods, he came across an injured young Felipur girl. They were distrustful of each other, but when she told him her tribe's version of what happened in the mountain, it didn't match what he was told of what happened in the mountain. He decided that he wanted to find out the truth.
Under cover of darkness and in violation of tribal law, Jayson snuck out and climbed up the mountain, a treacherous climb that lasted several days. He faced lightning strikes, falling debris, ferocious winds and brutally cold nights. Upon the third day, Jayson reached the top. It was there that Amun-Ra appeared before the boy, a shimmering mirage of a golden humanoid hawk with the sun upon his crown.
The boy prostrated himself, begging the deity for forgiveness and asking for the truth of the crime that started the war between the two tribes. Amun-Ra agreed, but only on the condition that Jayson would put right the wrongs that occurred and start shepherding the many tribes into one unified tribe. Without hesitation, Jayson agreed.
Amun-Ra could see the purity of the boy's heart and produced for the boy an anvil, a forge, a hammer, and a slab of metal, the kind never before seen in the world. The truth was revealed to the boy that it was the working of two tribal advisors. Both despised each other and desired war to bring about the end of the other, but their leaders desired peace. By killing the two interlopers, each brought about their own story and proof to back their story to the leaders of their tribes, igniting the war.
Jayson was put to task, ordered to forge the metal into a sword that reflects his own justice, a tradition that would be passed down through the Silvermyst bloodline for years to come. The mountain became unapproachable with jagged rocks and brutal winds to prevent any from climbing. At the top, for three years, Jayson hammered at the metal. he was kept sustained by food and drink provided by Amun-Ra Himself, each meal and drink filling the boy with divine power. Upon completion, the sword he crafted resonated with his very soul, dubbing it the Wolfspirit Blade.
Amun-Ra provided garments for the boy to wear before sending the boy back down. The earth around the two tribes cracked open to prevent them from leaving. Upon arriving between the two tribes, Jayson used his new powers to force the warriors apart. He then called out the names of the traitors and announced aloud their crimes.
Dumbfounded by Jayson's sudden display of power and his words, many dropped their weapons. However, the two advisors rebutted the claims, bringing out their evidence. However, he refuted the evidence presented, explaining how each dagger was exchanged between the two advisors to be used as evidence to start the war. He also forced the two of them to admit their own agendas and the driving forces behind their hate by using the spell, Zone of Truth.
Both advisors were put to death as a result. However, the Felipur advisor was the father of the young Felipur girl he had met. A girl who went by the name of Olivia Ragnok. From that moment, she bore a great hatred for the boy that had helped her. While she did not believe fully in her father's war, she loved her father dearly. Once the land resettled, she and those who shared her father's vision fled.
Jayson began his crusade, using diplomacy, shows of divine favor, and in some cases military might to try and bring each tribe under his banner. As he did this, Olivia sought out to turn other tribes against Jayson's growing unified tribe. In an act of desperation, she took several captured tribal slaves and sacrificed them, summoning the first demon to the world. This demon promised to give Olivia a means of exacting her revenge by giving her the power of eternal rebirth, allowing her to carry knowledge and power over from each rebirth, as well as giving her demonic power. In exchange, she would serve Apep and find a way to shatter the barrier between the mortal world and the demon realm. From that day, a pact was forged, and Olivia proceeded to summon forth a group of demons to assist her in her war against Jayson's tribe.
Olivia's attack was vicious and unrelenting. However, the power Jayson held, and the holy power of his blade helped lead his people to victory. Feeling a great sense of sorrow and pity for her over what she had lost and what she had become, he chose not to put her and her followers to death. Instead, they were given a boat and supplies and were exiled from the land of Furgasta. The land Olivia and her followers landed upon would in time be called Delucia.
Jayson finally united the tribes in full, but he had been so badly wounded in the war that by the will of Amun-Ra alone was the reason he remained alive. He took a wolven bride named Jasmine. Upon the birth of his son Artorias, Jayson was allowed to die in peace, painlessly in his sleep. From there his son was raised to be a fair, just and compassionate ruler. Throughout history, the Silvermyst bloodline has been highly regarded by both the nobility and the citizens alike. While there have been attempts by some corrupt nobles to overthrow them, all attempts have been foiled in the end, often by the citizens of the country rather than by the royalty themselves.
Slavery
In both known continents on the world of Alteria, slavery does exist. However, slavery is treated differently in each continent.
In Furgasta, there are two kinds of slaves that can be bought and sold: Soft slaves and Hard slaves.
Soft slaves are those slaves who enter into slavery either by selling themselves or being sold through an approved trader. These people are generally looking to clear a debt, currently live in poverty, have an interest in the lifestyle or wish to gain a good amount of coin to use later on in life. These slaves are treated with respect, despite being a soft slave rank. Soft slaves are allowed several rights. Misuse and abuse of a slave beyond what is agreed upon when the contract between slave and owner is made is punishable by law.
Within the Soft slaves, there are two forms of contracts that one can enter into: Long Term and Short Term. Contracts are filled out before a magistrate and are stored away in the repository. If any issues, violations or if the slave and owner wishes to change terms or length on a contract, the magistrate can withdraw those records as needed.
Short term slaves define the length of time they will serve a master or mistress. Upon signing, if the slave has a third party to have the money given to, that transaction will occur between the purchaser and the designated recipient. If, however, the slave is selling themselves with intent on keeping the money for their purchase, that money will be stored away under the slave's name, only to be given to the slave upon completion of their contract. Short term slaves cannot be sold by their owner unless the contract allows for this contingency.
Long term slaves sign into the lifestyle with the intent of living most to all of their lives within the role of slave, and can be sold between different owners. At the minimum, slaves seeking to sign on as long term slaves will often have a minimum of twenty years in their contract. If payment for the initial sale is to go to a third party, then it occurs upon signing, same as short term. However, if the slave selling themselves is to be the recipient, they are given the option of having funds stored in the bank and withdraw over time, or a stipend is paid directly to the slave for each month of service.
Hard slaves are those who are sold into slavery by the legal system. These are criminals who have committed crimes such as rape, domestic violence, multiple counts of theft, temple desecration and other strong crimes, not including murder, genocide and treason for which the punishment is death.
Hard slaves have fewer rights than soft slaves. Owners are only required to give one to two meals per day and a roof over their heads. While soft slaves cannot be harmed beyond anything agreed upon in a contract, Hard slaves have no such protections. Sale of hard slaves is between the buyer and the government. They are often cheaper than soft slaves. Unlike soft slaves who can determine the length of a contract, contracts concerning hard slaves have length of time to match the sentence given by the courts. Once a contract expires if it is not a life sentence, the owner is to bring the slave to the local guard captain where the slave will spend a year in rehabilitation before being released. Any Hard slave caught trying to escape or harm their owner can be put to death either by the owner or by the local guard.
In Delacia, slavery is more rampant and holds no laws in how a slave is gained. Often enough, people are either born into slavery or captured during raids by slavers. Some are kidnapped from Furgasta and dragged over to Delacia by ship. Slaves are used for many things, and some are bought to be used as sacrifices by demon cult leaders or the royal Ragnok family.
Marriage
Marriages are held in one of the many general temples around Furgasta. Every town has a temple for public worship, marriages and funerals. Deity specific temples may or may not be available for weddings depending on the deity involved.
Age: Those seeking marriage must be at least eighteen years of age.
Genders: Marraige in Furgasta is not limited by sexualities. Any gender can marry those of the opposite or same gender.
Slaves: Owners can marry Soft slaves. However, the slave is referred to as consort rather than husband/wife. In a relationship where an owner marries a free fur and a soft slave, the free fur will become the prime partner, even if the owner married a soft slave first. Soft slaves can marry other soft slaves, but both must be owned by the same person. Soft slaves cannot marry commoners or soft slaves owned by someone else until their contract with their owner ends. Family of the owner can marry a soft slave owned by their family member. Hard slaves are not permitted to marry until their sentence ends and rehabilitation is complete.
Multiple consorts: One person can have more than one marriage partner. However, a prime partner needs to be decided upon before the weddings if one is marrying multiple people at one time. Otherwise the first marriage partner is considered the prime partner. Others after the first are considered consorts regardless of whether they are soft slaves or free furs.
Arranged Marriages: These are prohibited as a new ruling by King Robert Silvermyst. No child shall have a marriage partner arranged for them.
Rules of status marriages: People are allowed to marry outside of their class. Commoner, Knight, Lord/Lady, Cleric, Royal, High Royal can all marry regardless of class. Those of lower class will be raised in class rank to the status of their higher-ranked partner. The exception of this is the class of Cleric, as those marrying a cleric do not become part of the clergy, but they are held in esteem similar of a lord/lady.
The concept of marriage in Delacia is used as a passing formality, only practiced by the nobility and upwards. Outside of noble lineage those of lesser rank are treated as sub-tribe and unions are not recognized by the nobility.
