The Reclaimed Lands

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1. #1Setting

   Setting: This story takes place in a fantasy world called Verik where magic is common; most magic is on the low level, sufficient to aid in daily life or give a tactical advantage, but some rare magic is powerful enough to win wars or decide the fate of nations.

2. #2The Reclaimed Lands

   Keys: continent, The Reclaimed Lands

   The Reclaimed Lands is a large sub-continent. Formerly controlled by the Kingdom Of Tsrun, over a century ago it was devastated by a demonic invasion known as the bloody tide. The invasion was turned back within a decade. Now, most of The Reclaimed Lands are owned by the civilized races. Uncivilized races lived in small pockets, often as client tribes or have been assimilated. Small demon rump states exist in the north east, having been abandoned a century ago by their leaders. Kingdoms in the reclaimed lands are dense; the highly fertile lands means that populations are easy to feed and finding good land for a new farm is as easy as walking for twenty minutes. However, most of the population is still rural with few true cities; most people live in castle towns of varying sizes.

3. #3The Civilized Races

   Keys: The Civilized Races, Civilized

   A group of races generally considered to be civilized. Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings, and a small collection of other settled peoples.

4. #4The Uncivilized Races

   Keys: uncivilized, The Uncivilized Races

   A group of races generally considered to be uncivilized. Many small groups have been assimilated into larger cultures, however none have developed a unique culture of their own which the larger society considers to be civilized. Orcs, minotaurs, centaurs, goblins, hobgoblins, and broadly any monstrous species that is intelligent but lacks cities or advanced social structures.

5. #5Farmlands

   Keys: Farmlands, fertile lands, harvest

   The Reclaimed Lands are incredibly fertile; not only do fields never need to be laid fallow for more than a week or two after harvest (which are abundant), but the forest will begin to reclaim abandoned land within a season. Abandoned settlements are swallowed up within a few years.

6. #6Towns

   Keys: towns, cities, city, castles, castle, Town

   The settlers of The Reclaimed Lands are densely placed together; while true cities are rare, most castles (which dot the landscape; a decent sized mountain will let someone see multiple castles at once) have castle towns of thousands and capitals often have a few ten thousand.

7. #7Khevell

   Keys: Khevellen, Khevelli, Khevell

   Khevell is an adventurer kingdom established in The Reclaimed Lands by Draik Ilinan. May also refer to the capital castle or capital city which are also called Khevell. Currently led by Queen Elriel. Mostly Elven led, but like all Reclaimed Lands nations is quite cosmopolitan. Mostly a feudal kingdom, divided into regional duchies which are divided into counties, and lords who only own their own castle are called Barons. Has a relatively straight forward title system, as it hasn't had reason to add in more specialized titles yet. Has seven duchies - Uthar, Menhir, Sora, Tashk, Velt, Wan, Survik. Loyalty is fluid; a lesser lord might decide whether their loyalty to their Duke or Queen is higher for each situation as it comes up.

8. #8Magic

   Keys: Magic, mana

   Magic is quite common in the world. Most mages do not go far beyond the personal level; they may find utility or tactical advantage. Those who wish to go further usually must rely on rituals which let them use reagents and stored power to surpass their own limits. It is incredibly rare but known for some mages to be powerful enough to be a strategic force on their own; such mages are highly sought after and well compensated for their power, or may even found their own nations.

9. #9Nalon

   Keys: Nalon, Naloni

   A neighboring nation of Khevell, mostly human led though quite cosmopolitan. During a regular border skirmish, accidentally killed King Draik of Khevell and routed the army. The Naloni general, seeing opportunity, made a beeline for the capital, which was not ready for a siege. No one expected the conquest, even the Naloni general; part of the reason the occupation was so gentle is because Nalon realized the situation was likely untenable in the long run. While relations are somewhat frosty, they will likely calm down later. Led by King Roderick.

10. #10The Conquest Of Khevell

    Keys: Conquest of Khevell

    What began as a normal border skirmish, the sort that happens constantly whenever nobles decide they need some glory, turned into an opportunistic conquest when King Draik Ilinan was killed in the battle of Suran; something that should have been a minor skirmish but turned into a rout. This cascaded all the way to the capital. Queen Consort Seras signed the peace treaty between the two nations, formally surrendering the crown in exchange for her and her daughter being exiled instead of killed and the traditional structures of Khevell being retained. The occupation of Khevell was a gentle one; culturally and historically, Nalon and Khevell were cousins, and despite their constant skirmishing many lords and merchants retained good relations.

11. #11King Draik

    Keys: Draik

    King Draik Ilinan founded what would eventually become The Kingdom Of Khevell during the Reclamation Wars. The name is meaningless; he originally intended to abandon the fort and simply picked a name out of a book so his soldiers would have something to call it. He missed his opportunity to push forward, but saw greater opportunity in expanding what he already had, turning a temporary settlement into a the basis of a settlement. Rather than expanding in a bubble, he made deals and alliances with similar settlements, creating a web of support around the fort of Khevell. These similar settlements would later become the duchies of Khevell. Died 12 years ago in the Battle Of Suran.

12. #12Seras

    Keys: Seras, Queen Seras

    An Elf who migrated to Khevell eighty years ago. Originally an archaeologist who wished to study the remains of Tsrun, her intelligence eventually won the interest and later heart of King Draik. They were married for many years without an heir, as King Draik considered Khevell too tumultuous for a child. Once he was convinced that things were settled, they tried for a child and had Elriel. Accepted exile for herself and her daughter when Khevell fell. Remains in a relatively close kingdom, out of The Reclaimed lands but close enough for messages and travel, and has a sanctuary prepared if Elriel needs to flee.

13. #13Elf

    Keys: Elf, Elves

    A race originally made as servants to Dragons; they were tired of learning new names for servants and altered some humans to make them live longer. Most Elves no longer live under Dragons, though some continue to serve. Elves are typically tall, over six feet (182 cm)

    Elves grow to adulthood at the same speed as humans, and then their age slows down immensely. Elves are socially seen as teens until age 30, and typically only ever have one child at a time, only having another when their first child is grown and settled. This is a social issue, not a biological one; in settler scenarios, Elves may have children as quickly as humans and in situations where inheritance is important they may have children early. Elves age slowly; a 300 year old elf appears much like a 40 year old human. As they approach their natural lifespan of 400, they age more rapidly. They usually only have a decade or two of senility, much the same as humans.

14. #14Demons

    Keys: Demon, Demons

    Demons are monsters from another plane of existence. They have a caste based society. Demonic Clans often attempt to invade other planes. If their leadership dies, the invasion collapses as the lower castes don't have any personal interest in continuing the conquest. The demon rump states in The Reclaimed Lands are reasonably peaceful; though mostly warriors with only a small labor caste, their lack of leadership means they have no impetus to war. The general opinion is that they are to be studied and learned from, so that if there is another invasion the world will be better prepared. They are not necessarily trusted, as they are truly alien, but they are not hated; all nations in The Reclaimed Lands have fought the civilized races far more often and recently than they have fought demons.

15. #15Noble Culture in The Reclaimed Lands

    Keys: Nobility, Nobles, Noble

    While there is some variation between nations, broadly speaking Nobles in The Reclaimed Lands are new houses, or younger branches of established families. They seek glory, influence, power, and are easily slightly. Their saving grace is that they primarily rely on their own forces; calling up peasants to fight a war over honor is considered to be missing the point. They will settle their many petty issues with duels, or tournaments, or if worst comes to worst they will gather the knights of their house and fight as one. Otherwise, they have similar habits to most nobility; parties, hunting, and the like.

16. #16Quests

    Keys: Errant, Quests, Questing

    Lesser Knights, Knights Errant, or untitled nobility will often quest in The Reclaimed Lands in effort to earn glory and ideally lands. This is dangerous, but quite profitable. The rulers of the reclaimed lands are fine with it, because it provides an outlet for their nobles so they spend more time killing monsters and bandits and less time killing each other. Some Adventurers also adopt this terminology, though most simply treat it like a job.

17. #17Dwarf

    Keys: Dwarves, Dwarf, Dwarfs

    Dwarfs are short, stocky humanoids. They are often mountain or hill folk; their stout bodies make quick movement difficult, and they get around this by living in and adapting to hard to move around environments. They often live for around 200 years. They require much more food than humans due to their dense bodies. They do not usually live underground, but do build fortifications right into natural features such as hills or mountains.

18. #18Tsrun

    Keys: Tsrun

    The Kingdom Of Tsrun was the first and only nation to control all of what is now called The Reclaimed Lands. It was formed as a confederacy of many nations, tribes, and cities that gradually cemented its control. It was mostly human but highly varied in culture, with over thirty distinct languages and dozens of dialects within its borders. It was relatively peaceful, and its economy was based on exporting luxury foodstuffs.

19. #19Ransom

    Keys: Ransom

    The nobility of the Reclaimed Lands practice the custom of ransom, wherein defeated opponents are not killed but are taken alive and sold back to their families. Depending on the nature of the ransom, this may include additional provisions such as no longer participating in the current war.

20. #20Weregild

    Keys: blood price, Weregild

    A weregild is the payment for an unlawful killing to the family of the deceased (and potentially to the government). For commoners it is measured in terms of time; how much they could produce in a given time frame. The less justified it is, the more is owed; striking down a man in cold blood without any justification is usually measured as twenty years along with either execution or exile. On the other hand, killing a man during a brawl in which both parties knew they were in danger might only be measured at a few months. For nobility, it is usually measured by their rank, and usually expressed in terms of a multiple of a normal ransom for someone of that rank.

21. #21Lance

    Keys: Lance

    A Lance is a military unit common in The Reclaimed Lands, consisting of a Knight, two light cavalry, two infantry (sword or spear), two ranged troops (archer or crossbow), one support mage, and one combat mage. The quality of the troops varies greatly from elites to levied peasants. They are usually broken up (A broken lance) in large units during campaigns, however they are usually well experienced together and when only a few lances are brought often fight in their familiar units.

22. #22Khevell Council

    Keys: small council, the council, council, Khevell Council, privy council

    The Khevell Council is a private group of advisors to the ruler of Khevell. Included are representatives of each duchy (who may be a member of the house or a retainer), along with direct members of the administration such as the chancellor, steward, and spymaster, as well as advisors. When at peace and not in an emergency, the full council typically meets once a week, with smaller meetings handled as needed (along with informal meetings when one councilor seeks out another for a quick word). This model is common across The Reclaimed Lands, even if the members vary.

23. #23Geography

    Keys: Border, nation, trade, nations, borders

    The Reclaimed Lands are shaped something like a slightly circular rectangle and divided into four large regions. The Interior - The west and south, closest to the old world. Settled, relatively peaceful. The Exterior - The central-west, what most people think of when the reclaimed lands are brought up; constant low level warring between petty kingdoms, opportunity abounds. The Borderland - The central north-east, relatively sparsely settled; not as wealthy as the interior, not as bloody as the exterior. Rugged individualists. The Demon Lands - the far north-east, a small group of rump states formed from demon military commands. Peaceful, stagnant.

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