A. THE WORLD

In the beginning, the world was quiet. There were fish and birds and beasts, but no men or monsters - then the gods came.

First came the great god UR, the creator. He mixed his own blood with the blood of the beasts who walked the land to create a new race of being, part god, part beast - the race of men.

Men worshipped UR as father and master, and served him for a time. When UR was finished with this world, he left his children to care for themselves.

Life was peaceful for a time, for there were no gods and few men in the world, and plenty of wealth and bounty for all. This was not to last, however, for other gods soon came and discovered what UR had done.

Some thought that the work of UR was monstrous - that men should never have been created. Others thought it fine that men were made, but thought that they should have been destroyed when UR was finished with them. These gods dedicated themselves to the annihilation of mankind.

Others thought the work of UR to be useful, and set about claiming various tribes of men for their own.

Still others thought the work of UR to be wondrous, and thought it vile for men to be made into slaves to serve the whims of gods. They demanded that the other gods reward men for their service, and a war was fought in heaven.

Mankind's benefactors won the war. From this time on, man would have free will. Gods would have to offer their own services in exchange for those of men.

This is what the legends say. Whether they are accurate or not, what is undeniably true is that gods exist today, and that their influence is felt in every aspect of world affairs.

Gods have the ability to raise men above their station, to bring the godhood out of the beast. Men who have been "touched" in this way have access to the powers of sorcery.

Some gods touch their favored followers, who are then expected to serve faithfully for the rest of their days.

Some gods demand sacrifices of gold or other wealth in exchange for their touch.

Some gods give their touch freely to anyone who is capable of passing a test.

Some gods are tricksters, and give their touch to newborn children at random.

Being risen by a god is not a simple thing. The process is painful and dangerous, and some do not survive.

Even contacting a god is an act requiring great amounts of effort and patience. The most devoted follower may spend a lifetime speaking to his god and get nothing in reply.

After the Firmament War, gods began to make deals with men for various reasons of their own. Some wanted gold, some wanted service, some wanted to encourage the development of certain kinds of men, and others wanted only the unconditional love of devoted followers.

Competing for scarce numbers, the gods began to order their followers to go forth and convert other men to their cause - or, failing this, to kill them. Many wars were fought in the name of faith.

There was a lesser god who was jealous of the wealth in followers of others, and his name was UTUK XUL. Desperate for servants, UTUK XUL was the first god to lay his touch upon a man and grant him the use of sorcery. This man was named Telal, and he became the first priest of UTUK XUL.

This action horrified many of the gods. In their eyes, it gave to men powers that should be possessed by the gods alone. UTUK XUL was made a pariah, and attacked by a host of enemies both in heaven and on earth. He lost the war in heaven, but, thanks to the powers of Telal, won the war on earth. UTUK XUL came down from heaven to form the kingdom of Keph, and reigned over it personally for hundreds of years before he was able to reclaim his place above.

To oppose the armies of UTUK XUL, other gods were forced to grant similar powers to their followers. So began the ascendence of sorcery in the world.

North of Keph was a cold and rugged land, and in this land dwelled a tribe called the Kothans. The Kothans valued dicipline, order, heirarchy, and uniformity. This value system caught the eye of a patron god, JURA, who set up a system whereby any man who passed a rigorous test would be touched by the god and receive great power.

The test was designed so that it could only be passed by men of great mental fortitude. It was also designed to destroy any challenger who did not believe in the value of order in all things.

Thus would the philosophy of the Kothans come to dominate the sorcerers of the region and, through their power, the land itself. This land would become the kingdom of Koth.

Many wars have been fought between Koth and Keph. It is not a great difference in philosophy between the gods or peoples that causes the conflict, but more the shared belief that there is room for only one religion and one culture in the world.

Some wars are won by Keph, some by Koth. Territory is gained and lost, but the borders never vary by too much. The land between the two kingdoms, south of the Dergroll river and north of the Lalassu, has become known as The Midlands, or just Midland. Though claimed by both kingdoms, it never stays in the hands of either for very long. It has its own people and culture, a mix of Kothan, Kephite, and a dozen smaller tribes, all hardened by centuries of war and deprivation. It is a land of xenophobic clans, bandit gangs, and outlaws.

East of the old kingdoms is a vast, tormented ocean. Sea travel is difficult and dangerous, making trade with the outside world uncommon. There is one island, however, whose inhabitants are skilled enough in seamanship to travel all over the world. They are merchants and explorers, and their skill has made their island very prosperous. This has led to the island being called Richland by the outside world. It lies sixty miles or so from the mainland, closer to Koth than to Keph.

West of the old kingdoms lies a range of enormous mountains known as the Hursagmu. Except for a few well-known passes, they are all but impassable. Legends say that some of the elder gods had homes up in these mountains, and rumors persist of strange things lurking in lonely places.

Across the Hursagmu range lies the barbarian lands. The only civilized kingdom in the West lies in a heavily wooded area directly across the mountains from Koth. It was originally settled by a tribe called the Kirks, so it became known as Kirkland. The Kirks mixed with other tribes, as well as outlaws and dissidents from the Eastern lands, to create a unique culture.

Beyond Kirkland, to the west and south, there is nothing but warring tribes of barbarians.

Koth

Koth is a highly ordered society. Everyone is assigned a specific rank and station, from the highest lord to the lowest serf.

Beneath the veneer of order, however, lies a little chaos. To most Kothans and outsiders, the land is ruled by a hierarchy of nobles - the local lord runs day-to-day operations such as farming and mining, a higher lord oversees several local lords and is, in turn, controlled by an even higher lord, and so on all the way up to the king. Local titles are hereditary, but higher honors are appointed by superiors based on merit. Kings are chosen by an assembly of all lords in the land, and are granted their title for life.

The true rulers of Koth, however, are the sorcerers. They control the nobles, and compete for them like the gods compete for followers. The sorcerers like to keep their machinations in the shadows, acting as the secret controllers. This way, they are never subject to acts of vengeance such as an assassin's dagger or a commoners' revolt.

JURA does not much care who is in charge of what, so long as everything is controlled by someone and order remains.

Worship of the god JURA is the official religion of Koth, and observance is strictly enforced. Believers are expected to attend service once per week and to donate ten percent of their income to the church (this is on top of what is already taken by the state).

Keph

Keph is a society organized around a religion. UTUK XUL ruled the kingdom in person for centuries, and this direct contact left a mark on the land.

The priesthood rules Keph. Priests are leaders of the material as well as the spiritual. The Kephite order is hierarchicial, much like the Kothan, but with priests and temples in place of lords and estates.

Some priests are granted the use of sorcery. These are generally the ones of higher rank and stature. The high prest of UTUK XUL has great power, especially in his own temple.

Observance of worship is lax. The priesthood does not concern itself with the spiritual development of its subjects, so long as they pay their taxes. Wealthy Kephites tend to live hedonistic lifestyles.

Midland

The Midlands are home to uncounted individual clans. These clans are based on roots and family ties, and tend to be very distrustful of outsiders - some are outright hostile. The clans work the land for whatever wealth they can manage, and often war with their neighbors over borders or water rights. Clans band together only when there is a threat large enough to unite them, and then only until the threat is finished or some clans find that they can benefit more by siding with the outside threat against their neighbors.

The armies of Koth and Keph move through the Midlands with impunity, taking what they want from the locals and killing anyone who opposes them. Clans survive by taking the side of whatever force is nearest, or by living in areas so remote or unwanted that they are beneath notice.

In addition to the clans and warring armies, there are large gangs of brigands that roam the countryside. Most of these men are deserters from one side or another, though some were simply locals who lost all they had or found that the life of a thug was preferable to an honest living.

The religions of Midland are as varied as the people. Each clan tends to have its own patron god, real or imagined, and paganism is the rule rather than the exception.

Richland

Richland (or Havlande, as the locals call it) is a society based on exploration and trade. Farming is difficult on the cold and rocky island, so the people must rely on the outside world for much of their needs. This has benefited them, however, as it has forced them to master the sea to such an extent that they now act as merchants and go-betweens for a large part of the known world. This has brought the island great wealth.

The government of Richland is informal. Order is maintained in the major cities by councils of the richest merchants, who raise money for the city watch by taxing commerce. The countryside is sparsely populated, so order here is maintained by the people themselves. It is a relatively free and peaceful society.

Religion is not a large part of life in Richland, as most people are too busy engaging in material persuits to concern themselves with the spiritual. There are occasional houses of worship dedicated to various gods, but religion does not permeate life to the extent that it does on the mainland.

Kirkland

Kirkland is an oasis of civilization in a desert of barbarism. To the north lie the frozen wastes; to the west and south, legions of savages with little knowledge of anything.

The society of Kirkland is unique. The distinct differences between the various peoples who settled the area required that they devise a different form of governance than the hierarchical model. Kirkland is a federation of independent city-states, rather than a bureaucratic empire. Each mini-state governs its own affairs in its own way - some with influence from the old kingdoms, some based on barbarian tribalism, and others based on individuality and equality. They join together only for the purposes of free trade and common defense.

Kirkland has no offical religion. Some of the states do, while others allow each individual to follow their own conscience.

Others

The lands to the west and south of Kirkland are uncivilized. Numerous small tribes compete against one another for the resources of survival.

Some tribes have advanced beliefs based on honor, generosity, kinship, or courage, while others are little better than predatory animals.

Tribesmen do make excellent hunters and fierce warriors, and those of the plains make excellent horsemen.

These lands have no societies to speak of, save the familial society of the local tribe. Religion generally consists of primitive nature worship, though some tribes are known to commune with gods.