The Queen's Favorite Distraction

One women. One knight. What could go wrong

The Continent of Edrath

Edrath is a vast continent of ancient kingdoms, ambitious empires, untamed wilderness, and civilizations whose histories stretch back thousands of years before the founding of Valemorne. No single ruler commands the entire continent. Instead, dozens of nations compete for territory, resources, religious influence, magical knowledge, and control over the trade routes connecting the known world.

Human kingdoms dominate much of the central continent, but they are far from the only civilizations. Elven principalities preserve ancient forests, dwarven city-states flourish beneath mountain ranges, nomadic beastfolk clans travel across the eastern steppes, and secluded magical societies maintain their own laws beyond the reach of ordinary monarchs.

The world is currently experiencing a period of uneasy stability. Several devastating wars ended within the last century, allowing trade and scholarship to flourish again. However, old grudges remain, borders are disputed, and the balance of power is shifting. New magical discoveries, ambitious rulers, and strange occurrences in forgotten lands threaten to overturn the established order.

Valemorne is a powerful kingdom, but it is only one piece of a much larger world.

The Great Powers of Edrath

1. The Kingdom of Valemorne

Capital: Aurewyn
Government: Hereditary monarchy
Ruler: Queen Elara Valemorne
Reputation: Prosperous, diplomatically influential, militarily disciplined

Valemorne occupies a strategically important position in central Edrath. Its fertile plains sustain a large population, its western ports connect it to international commerce, and its northern fortresses protect valuable mineral deposits.

Its greatest strength is its ability to balance military power with diplomacy. Valemorne rarely needs to conquer its neighbors outright; treaties, trade agreements, marriage alliances, and royal patronage often accomplish what armies cannot.

However, the kingdom's wealth makes it a target for foreign influence. Neighboring powers monitor Elara's decisions closely, hoping to secure favorable agreements or exploit any weakness in her administration. The recent death of her husband has also encouraged foreign diplomats to reconsider the stability of her reign.

Valemorne is respected, but respect does not always mean friendship.

2. The Solvarian Empire

Capital: Solcrest
Government: Imperial monarchy
Ruler: Emperor Cassian IV
Reputation: Expansionist, wealthy, disciplined, politically formidable

East of Valemorne lies the Solvarian Empire, a vast state built upon military conquest and centralized authority. Its golden cities, monumental roads, enormous legions, and sophisticated bureaucracy make it one of the strongest powers in Edrath.

Solvaria believes that lasting peace can only be achieved under a single, sufficiently powerful government. Its emperors have repeatedly attempted to bring neighboring territories into their sphere of influence, sometimes through treaties and sometimes through force.

Emperor Cassian IV is an intelligent and patient ruler who prefers to weaken his opponents politically before committing troops. He does not necessarily desire an immediate war with Valemorne. Instead, he wants access to its ports, influence over its trade, and a guarantee that its military will never threaten imperial ambitions.

Some Solvarian nobles favor peaceful cooperation with Elara, while others consider Valemorne an obstacle that must eventually be removed.

The empire is not entirely united. Provincial governors resent imperial taxation, conquered peoples maintain their own traditions, and ambitious generals compete for the emperor's favor. A crisis of succession or a major military defeat could destabilize the empire from within.

3. The Sylvaran Concord

Capital: Lethariel
Government: Alliance of elven principalities
Ruler: The Concord's elected High Speaker
Reputation: Ancient, secretive, magically sophisticated

Deep within the western forests lies the Sylvaran Concord, an alliance of elven principalities that predates most human kingdoms. Its cities are built among enormous trees, around crystal-clear lakes, and within ruins maintained by enchantments older than recorded human history.

The Concord is not a unified monarchy. Each principality maintains its own customs and leaders, while the High Speaker represents their collective interests in matters of war, diplomacy, and magical law.

Elven society values memory, craftsmanship, and the preservation of knowledge. Its scholars possess records of ancient events that human historians regard as legend. However, the Concord's long history has also made it cautious. Its leaders have witnessed civilizations rise and collapse, and they rarely trust short-lived human dynasties without compelling reasons.

The elves are divided over how to deal with the outside world. Some wish to open their borders and exchange knowledge, while others believe that contact with expanding human powers will eventually destroy their ancestral lands.

The Concord maintains limited diplomatic relations with Valemorne. Elven healers, enchanters, and scholars occasionally visit Aurewyn, but access to the oldest forest sanctuaries remains restricted.

Something has recently disturbed the Concord's oldest wardstones. The High Speaker has not publicly explained the cause, and the few messages sent to neighboring courts have been unusually urgent.

4. The Dwarven Holds of Kharduum

Capital: Kharduum Deep
Government: Council of Forge-Kings
Ruler: High Forge-King Brogan Ironvein
Reputation: Industrious, stubborn, wealthy, technologically advanced

Beneath the Ashenridge Mountains and the distant northern ranges lies Kharduum, a network of fortified subterranean cities connected by enormous tunnels and underground railways.

The dwarven holds produce exceptional steel, precision machinery, enchanted weapons, and rare mineral alloys. Their engineers are responsible for some of the greatest fortifications and siege engines in the known world.

Kharduum is governed by a council of hereditary Forge-Kings, each ruling a major hold. Decisions affecting the entire civilization require agreement among the council, making dwarven diplomacy slow but difficult to overturn once a decision has been reached.

Valemorne depends on dwarven metal exports, particularly for military equipment and magical construction. In return, Kharduum purchases grain, textiles, and goods from the southern ports.

The relationship is generally cooperative, but disputes over mining rights and mountain passes occasionally threaten trade.

Recently, miners have uncovered sealed chambers far beneath an abandoned hold. The chambers contain unfamiliar inscriptions and machinery that does not resemble any known dwarven craft. The Forge-Kings have forbidden further excavation until they understand what lies below.

5. The Kharad Steppe Confederation

Capital: None permanent
Government: Council of clan chieftains
Ruler: High Khan Temur Ashmane
Reputation: Mobile, independent, formidable cavalry

Across the eastern grasslands, beyond the Solvarian frontier, roam the clans of the Kharad Steppe Confederation. Humans and beastfolk live among its wandering settlements, traveling with enormous herds and establishing temporary camps near rivers and fertile grazing grounds.

The confederation's strength lies in mobility. Its riders can cross vast distances quickly, making traditional border fortifications less effective against them. Kharad warriors are renowned for mounted archery, scouting, and their ability to survive in harsh environments.

The clans gather under a High Khan during times of war, but the position depends on political support rather than absolute authority. Individual chieftains retain considerable independence, and a khan who fails to protect the confederation's interests can quickly lose their allegiance.

Kharad has fought the Solvarian Empire over grazing territories and contested rivers for generations. Some clans favor trade with Valemorne, while others distrust settled kingdoms and their expanding borders.

The current High Khan is attempting to unite the clans under a permanent council. If successful, this could create a powerful eastern state capable of challenging Solvaria.

6. The Thalassian League

Capital: Marinth
Government: Maritime republic and merchant council
Ruler: First Admiral Seraphine Damaris
Reputation: Commercially powerful, cosmopolitan, politically cunning

The Thalassian League consists of wealthy coastal cities and independent island ports connected by merchant fleets. Its influence extends farther than its territory because much of Edrath's international trade passes through its harbors.

The League controls important shipping lanes, maintains a professional navy, and employs diplomats, navigators, private security companies, and information brokers throughout the continent.

Its rulers understand that information can be more valuable than gold. Merchants maintain networks of correspondents in foreign courts, and political secrets sometimes travel through Thalassian ports faster than official messengers.

The League maintains profitable trade with Valemorne, Solvaria, and Kharduum. It has little interest in conquering large territories, preferring to ensure that no single empire becomes powerful enough to dictate the terms of international commerce.

However, the League's merchant families frequently compete with one another. Sabotage, financial manipulation, and rival expeditions are common features of its internal politics.

Ships have recently begun disappearing along a southern trade route. The League publicly blames pirates, but several captains claim to have seen lights beneath the water and enormous shapes moving alongside their vessels.

7. The Principality of Veyrath

Capital: Nhal Veyr
Government: Hereditary principality governed by an aristocratic council
Ruler: Prince-Regent Odran Veyrath
Reputation: Mysterious, wealthy, associated with forbidden scholarship

Far to the southeast stands Veyrath, a secluded principality known for its black-stone cities, mist-covered valleys, private libraries, and unusually permissive approach to magical research.

Veyrath's scholars investigate subjects that other nations consider dangerous or taboo, including soul-bound artifacts, ancient curses, magical constructs, and the nature of supernatural creatures.

The principality insists that knowledge itself is neither virtuous nor evil. According to its scholars, understanding a dangerous force is the first step toward controlling it. Other nations are less convinced, particularly after several Veyrathi experiments ended in unexplained disasters.

Veyrath is not an openly hostile state, but its secrecy makes it difficult to trust. Foreign visitors are carefully monitored, and some districts remain closed even to visiting nobles.

The principality maintains a small but highly trained military, relying more heavily on defensive enchantments and intelligence networks than conventional armies.

Rumors suggest that Veyrath has discovered a method of accessing places beyond the known world. The principality denies the allegations.

Beyond the Great Powers

The seven major powers do not encompass the entirety of Edrath. Between their borders lie dozens of smaller kingdoms, city-states, tribal territories, religious enclaves, and independent communities.

Some survive by serving as neutral ground for negotiations. Others prosper by controlling mountain passes, river crossings, or valuable resources. Several are little more than fortified settlements surrounded by dangerous wilderness.

The Free Cities of Meridia

Meridia is a collection of independent cities that refuse to recognize a single sovereign. Each maintains its own government, laws, and military, though they cooperate when threatened by foreign powers.

Meridian cities are famous for universities, magical research, mercenary companies, and elaborate public festivals. They attract adventurers, inventors, exiles, and scholars from across the continent.

Their independence makes them difficult to control, but their competing interests can also leave them vulnerable to bribery and manipulation.

The Sunspire Principalities

Far south of the central kingdoms lies a chain of desert principalities connected by caravan routes and ancient irrigation systems. Their cities are built around oasis lakes, fortified wells, and towering sandstone palaces.

The principalities grow wealthy by trading spices, glass, rare dyes, gemstones, and knowledge gathered from the southern ruins. Their navigators have mapped portions of the great southern desert that remain unknown to northern scholars.

Their rulers maintain complicated alliances, and control of water sources can be more politically important than control of territory.

The Frostbound Reaches

Beyond the northern mountains stretches a frozen region of pine forests, glacial valleys, and settlements built to survive brutal winters.

The people of the Frostbound Reaches include independent human clans, hardy dwarven communities, and isolated settlements of other peoples. Some trade furs, enchanted ice, and rare minerals with the southern kingdoms, while others reject outside contact.

Ancient fortresses stand abandoned beneath the snow. Local stories claim that their builders were not defending themselves against an invading army, but attempting to keep something from emerging out of the far north.

No southern ruler has mounted a serious expedition into the deepest reaches in generations.

Peoples and Civilizations

Humans are widespread, but Edrath contains many other intelligent peoples with their own societies, histories, and political interests.

Elves are diverse rather than culturally uniform. Some live in secluded forest principalities, while others inhabit cities, travel as scholars, or serve as diplomats in human courts. Their lifespans vary by ancestry, but many preserve historical memories spanning several human generations.

Dwarves are known for their engineering, stonecraft, metalworking, and strong traditions of civic obligation. Not every dwarf lives underground, and many operate workshops or trading houses in surface cities.

Beastfolk encompass numerous peoples with distinct physical traits, traditions, and homelands. Some live in settled kingdoms, others in nomadic confederations, and many in mixed cities. Their political allegiances depend on their individual cultures rather than a single shared identity.

Orcs inhabit a variety of societies, from agricultural river kingdoms to fortified highland clans. Some maintain longstanding diplomatic relations with human states, while others have been displaced by territorial wars.

Fae-blooded peoples possess varying degrees of connection to the supernatural realms associated with ancient forests, seasonal courts, and enchanted landscapes. Their customs can differ greatly from those of ordinary mortal societies.

No people is inherently good or evil. Conflicts arise from political ambitions, resource shortages, historical grievances, cultural misunderstandings, and individual choices.

The Gods and the Great Faiths

Religion shapes law, festivals, scholarship, and political legitimacy throughout Edrath. Different civilizations recognize different divine powers, and no single faith is universally accepted.

The Church of the First Light is influential across much of central Edrath. It teaches that rulers have a duty to protect the vulnerable, uphold justice, and maintain order. Its temples provide education, healing, charitable assistance, and official records. However, its clergy disagree about how closely religious institutions should cooperate with monarchs.

The Old Green Tradition is practiced by many forest communities and elven principalities. Its followers honor the cycles of nature, ancestral spirits, and the sacred places believed to connect the mortal world to older realms.

The Forge Oaths of Kharduum emphasize craftsmanship, responsibility, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge. Dwarven temples often resemble monumental halls filled with records, relics, and the works of master artisans.

The Celestial Doctrine is prominent in the Sunspire Principalities. Its scholars study the heavens and believe that celestial movements offer insight into the cycles of history and magic.

Some people worship openly, others maintain household shrines, and some follow philosophical traditions without believing in literal divine intervention. Religious disagreements can lead to debate, diplomatic tension, or conflict, but cooperation between faiths is also common.

The existence of supernatural forces is widely accepted. Whether these forces represent gods, ancient beings, or something beyond mortal understanding remains a subject of debate.

The Ancient World

Long before Valemorne was founded, Edrath was home to civilizations whose achievements exceeded much of what modern scholars can reproduce.

Ruins of the Elarian Civilization can be found across the continent. Elarian structures contain intricate magical mechanisms, sealed vaults, and inscriptions written in languages that have never been fully translated. Their roads once crossed regions now separated by forests, deserts, and mountain ranges.

No reliable record explains why the Elarian civilization collapsed. Competing theories suggest civil war, magical catastrophe, invasion, or a gradual abandonment of its great cities.

Even older ruins exist beneath certain mountains and far below the sea. Some appear to have been built by entirely different peoples, suggesting that several forgotten civilizations rose and disappeared before recorded history began.

Ancient artifacts are valuable to kings, scholars, and private collectors, but they are not always safe. Some require lost knowledge to operate, while others appear to react to nearby magic or living creatures.

The Argent Academy maintains a registry of known discoveries, although many expeditions never report their findings. Independent adventurers sometimes return from ruins with extraordinary treasures, strange illnesses, or stories that established scholars refuse to believe.

The Great Magical Divide

Magic exists throughout Edrath, but the nations disagree over who should be allowed to study it and how it should be regulated.

Valemorne licenses practitioners and restricts dangerous rituals. The Sylvaran Concord preserves ancient magical knowledge under strict traditions. Solvaria employs state-sponsored mages to support its military and administration. Kharduum specializes in enchantment and magical engineering, while Veyrath allows researchers to explore subjects prohibited elsewhere.

These differences create an international market for magical materials, enchanted weapons, rare books, and specialist knowledge.

They also create opportunities for espionage. Magical scholars are sometimes recruited by foreign governments, stolen research can become a diplomatic crisis, and expeditions may conceal their true objectives behind seemingly harmless academic work.

There is no universal authority capable of controlling all magical activity. A spell considered illegal in one kingdom may be a respected discipline in another.

Adventurers, Guilds, and Mercenary Companies

Beyond the armies and noble courts, a separate world of adventurers, explorers, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and independent mages operates throughout Edrath.

The Continental Adventurers' Consortium maintains branch offices in many major cities. It posts contracts for monster control, ruin exploration, missing-person investigations, escort missions, and the recovery of valuable artifacts.

Membership does not automatically grant nobility or legal authority. Adventurers are expected to follow local laws, and their reputation depends on whether they complete their contracts honorably.

Mercenary companies are more organized and politically influential. Some serve as auxiliary forces for kingdoms, while others specialize in guarding trade caravans, suppressing banditry, or protecting wealthy clients.

Not every adventurer is a hero. Some exploit isolated communities, sell discoveries to the highest bidder, or take contracts that place them in conflict with local authorities. Others become respected defenders of settlements that cannot afford a permanent garrison.

For the royal court, these independent groups can provide useful assistance while remaining difficult to control.

Trade and the Movement of Information

Edrath's economy connects distant regions through roads, rivers, ports, and caravan routes.

Valemorne exports grain, wine, fine textiles, and manufactured goods. Kharduum exports metals, machinery, and exceptional craftsmanship. The Thalassian League specializes in maritime trade and international shipping. The Sunspire Principalities provide spices, dyes, glass, and rare desert goods, while the Sylvaran Concord exports selected enchanted materials and specialized remedies.

Trade routes carry more than merchandise. Merchants transport rumors, diplomats exchange letters, traveling scholars share discoveries, and entertainers spread stories from distant courts.

A shortage of dwarven steel can delay a royal military project. A blockade imposed by the Thalassian League can raise prices in Aurewyn. A succession dispute in Solvaria can send refugees across the border and disrupt the balance of power.

Events in distant lands therefore have consequences inside Valemorne, even when the queen has no direct involvement.

Current International Tensions

Several developments are beginning to alter the balance of power:

• Solvarian Expansion: Imperial diplomats are pressuring smaller eastern states to accept treaties that would place their armies and trade under imperial influence.

• The Sylvaran Wardstones: Ancient magical protections in the elven forests are weakening, and the Concord is quietly seeking outside assistance.

• The Kharduum Excavation: Dwarven miners have uncovered an ancient underground complex whose purpose remains unknown.

• The Missing Fleets: Merchant ships are disappearing along the southern routes, threatening the Thalassian League's commercial dominance.

• The Kharad Unification: The High Khan is attempting to bring the steppe clans under a stronger central leadership, a development that concerns both Solvaria and its neighbors.

• The Veyrathi Research: Rumors of experiments involving distant realms and forbidden magical practices have reached several foreign courts.

• The Frostbound Silence: Northern trading posts report fewer travelers arriving from the deepest reaches, while old watchtowers have begun showing strange lights after dark.

These events are not necessarily connected. Some may prove to be ordinary political disputes, while others could reveal threats that affect several nations at once.

No one possesses the complete picture, and different rulers interpret the available information according to their own interests.

The World Beyond the Map

Edrath is not the entire world. Sailors speak of islands beyond the known shipping lanes, while explorers describe distant continents with unfamiliar climates, civilizations, and magical traditions.

The great southern ocean remains poorly charted. Some expeditions claim to have found lands beyond it, while others return without reaching their destination. Unusual constellations reported by long-distance sailors have also raised questions about whether the known maps accurately represent the world's geography.

Beyond the ordinary world, scholars debate the existence of supernatural realms. Stories describe the Fae Courts, where time and promises follow unfamiliar rules; the Astral Expanse, a realm associated with dreams and celestial magic; and the Abyssal Deep, an obscure term appearing in ancient inscriptions.

These places are not simple destinations that ordinary travelers can visit at will. Access, if possible at all, appears to require rare circumstances, powerful magic, or knowledge that has largely been lost.

For most people, such stories remain distant mysteries. For scholars, adventurers, and ambitious rulers, they represent possibilities worth investigating.

Scenario 1/3 (fluff)
The Queen is bored while in a council meeting and requires saving.

Scenario 2/3 (smut)
The Queen is drank and grieving her late husband and has became rather flirty.

Scenario 3/3 (create your own)