Peoples

The Fair Kingdom is ethnically diverse. One of the Kings of the past encouraged migration to his lands after yet another war had depleted them of people.

The core stock of the Fair Kingdom are the Plains People. Their ancestors were horse nomads who came from over the forbidding Oriental Range and practised a shamanistic religion. They converted to the True Faith centuries ago but it is rumoured that some of them still invoke the spirits rather than the saints in times of trouble — such as these. Both the indentured serfs who toil the land and the petty nobles who lord over them descend from this stock. There is abysmal class difference between the nobles, clergy, and inhabitants of free towns on the one side, and the peasants on the other side.

In the mountains of the Fair Kingdom live the Mountains People. They are all free men, a status that was granted to them by the Kings of the past in exchange for guarding the mountain frontiers of the Fair Kingdom. The Mountains People are proud and warlike.

Despite the ever raging wars, trade is brisk between the empires, the petty fiefs of the Fair Kingdom, and the more distant lands in every direction. A rich class of burghers has appeared, who manages all this trade. They have built large cities on the rivers and along the main trade routes. They are nominally protected by the Emperor of the One Faith, and it is through the burgher class that the High Language has become the common tongue of all in the Fair Kingdom.

All the peoples mentioned above are equally split between the Old and the New Way of True Faith.

Two other, more mysterious peoples live in the Fair Kingdom:

1. the Gipsies are a travelling people who trade in used items and who repair furniture. They are often accused of many wrongdoings, but this has possibly more to do with their dark complexion than with any actual misdemeanors. Their women are held to be able to predict the future.
2. the People of the Herds are a semi-nomadic people who has recently arrived with their large herds of sheep from the Empire of the Crescent Moon. They however seem to have their own faith, and it is rumoured that they are ruled by a coven of witches. They seem to be well versed in ancient occult lore.

The Gipsies and the People of the Herds lie outside of feudal society. They are subordinate only to the king, and sometimes to the monasteries on whose lands they happen to dwell.

Note: this setting does not contemplate any demi-human player characters nor any sentient non-human opponents, i.e., no elves, no dwarfs, no orcs, no lizard-men.

War

As written in the previous post, there has been an internal fight for the throne ever since the death of the last King, and thus a state of almost civil war, with the greedy Empires just beyond the garden wall. Allegiances shift back and forth, the situation is totally confused, and at times everybody seems to be against everybody else.

Negotiating, Fair Kingdom-style.

As a result, war and violence are ever plaguing the Fair Kingdom. It is not an all-out war; it is the sum of all the warlike events or violent encounters the player characters may face:

• The constant war between the two Empires, much of it taking place in the Fair Kingdom
• Peasant uprisings, mercilessly crushed by the nobles
• Feudal skirmishes between the petty nobles
• Bands of marauding unemployed mercenaries, an oft-encountered hazard on the highways of the Fair Kingdom.

The Fair Kingdom

The Fair Kingdom lies between two warring empires: the Empire of the One Faith, and the Empire of the Crescent Moon.

The Fair Kingdom hasn't had a King for decades: the last King died without an heir, and the squabbling nobles, most of them with some claim or another to the throne of the Fair Kingdom, haven't managed to elect a new King. The petty nobles of the Fair Kingdom are also variously subordinate to the two empires by oaths of fealty, yet the two empires, being at war, cannot convene a Diet to settle the dispute either. This situation suits most nobles just right, so it's probably there to last...

Foes

Not only should monsters be uniquely designed by the GM; they should also be sparingly used. Anyway, the most frequently met foes are humans. They are the most formidable opponents player characters may encounter.

True Faith

There is only one religion in the setting: True Faith. However, it is interpreted differently by various people in the campaign setting. In the Fair Kingdom, people are almost evenly split between those who follow the Old Way and those who follow the New Way. As is alas men's character, they would more readily fight each other than fight the heathens or the devil worshippers. True Faith comes under yet different flavours without the Fair Kingdom.

Monsters

Monsters must be uniquely designed by the GM for each adventure: what sense of awe and bewilderment can there possibly be if the creature encountered is already well-known by the players? There are, however, monster categories, so as to have specialised weapons, spells, etc. Suggested categories are:

• Changelings/faeries
• Monsters from the pagan past
• Otherworldly monsters (e.g., demons)
• Undead

Creation

This blog will present a dark fantasy setting based on late 16th century/early 17th century Central European legends and lore.