Races

There are three civilized races: humans, gomans, and anu.

Humans resemble modern men and women on planet Earth.

Gomans resemble neanderthals. The average goman stands a few cm shorter than the average human, but a tall goman may tower over a short human. Gomans tend to be stronger and tougher than humans, but less agile and athletic. Their hair is usually red.

Anu range from short to tall. They tend to be slight of build. Most are empathic, intuitive, and graceful. Their skin ranges from pale to deep blue; their hair is usually black or silver. Anu tend to live longer than humans and gomans.

The three races can interbreed. Children of mixed race have characteristics of both races.

There are two races known to be hostile to men.

Inons are a race of tribal primitives from the cold northern wastes. They are taller and stronger than men, with primitive, animalistic features. They are covered with thick fur ranging in color from white in the far north to brown and black near the civilized world.

Inons breed like rabbits. The female gestation period is only three months, with the average birth producing five cubs. Inons mature in ten years, reach middle age at twenty, and die in their thirties.

Inonian hostility comes from passion. Inons are not very bright, but have powerful, overwhelming emotions. They are aggressive, suspicious, easily frightened, quick to anger, and prone to violence. They live in small, nomadic clans and raid civilized areas when food is scarce. Clans often war with one another.

Beyond the Blue Mountains, in the Great Eastern Desert, lives a race of snake-men called the Zon. They have bodies like serpents, chests and arms like men, and heads that resemble both. They are clever, quick, and strong. They breed slowly, but can live for three hundred years and grow to gigantic proportions.

Zon are born without empathy. They are calm, rational, and ruthless. Their entire society is built on domination; the strong oppress the weak, the numerous oppress the few, and the clever rule with brutality and guile. Zon can be powerful sorcerers.

Zon often attempt to invade the civilized lands. They have been known to kidnap entire villages for use as food and slaves.

Geography

The Silver River is an ancient waterway flowing from the Blue Mountains in the east to to the Bay of Hope on the coast of the Western Ocean. It is blessed with bountiful fish, surrounded by excellent farmland, and is the primary route for travel and trade in the civilized lands.

The Zevon Empire is centered around the Silver River. It is a beacon of light in a dark world. There is only one law: do no harm. There is only one tax: a low tax on land value paid by the landed lords. Revenue is used to build infrastructure and defend the empire.

The empire stretches from the Western Ocean to the Blue Mountains, over 800km. It is 500km from the northern wastes to the southern frontier. It expands slowly southward as clans and freeholders agree to join.

The Anu are the aristocracy. They own the majority of the land in the empire. They make up the bulk of administrators, magistrates, officers, and scholars.

Since landholders determine what is and is not permissible on their lands, large estates operate like small kingdoms, a second layer of government. Tenant farmers pay rents to lords that resemble taxes. Many estates have more restrictive rules than imperial law.

There are numerous human and goman freeholders, but their estates tend to be much smaller, like family farms and orchards. Most humans and gomans work for anu.

Half the population of the empire is human. Forty percent are goman. Anu make up the remaining ten percent.

The emperor administers the business of the empire, ruling by decree, but even he is not above the law. He relies on the support of the aristocracy to remain in power. When an emperor dies or steps down, the aristocracy selects a new one by approval voting. The emperor is always anu.

The high priestess rules over the imperial religion; she is always anu. The old anu religion recognizes three goddesses: Mon, the creator; Zu, the preserver; and Ko, the destroyer. Other religions are tolerated so long as they don't blaspheme against Mon, Zu, or Ko.

North of the empire is the frozen wastes, home to uncounted Goman clans, Inon tribes, and crumbling ruins from a time when the world was warmer. The northern border is heavily guarded, but raiders do slip through.

The Blue Mountains mark the eastern border of the empire. The range is ancient, with gentle blue-white peaks and numerous passes. The known passes are fortified against incursions from the Zon.

The Western Ocean is calm and placid, with plenty of fish and sea vegetables. There is much trade along the coast.

To the south is the frontier, consisting of new villages and the most recent imperial acquisitions. Beyond lies various small kingdoms and wandering clans.

Conflict

The most obvious threats are the Inons and the Zon, but the empire is a big place - not all of it is bright. there are many dark and lonely corners with corrupt lords or strange cults. Demented sorcerers occasionally release monsters on the world for amusement. There is plenty for adventurers to do.