t'Chador - 100 years after

The Kingdom: t'Chador

The Cities

Harbin

The city that was built around Castle Tohan. It contains the Lyceum Ingenire and is massively fortified. Harbin houses a reasonable sized guard/army for a city of it's size. Outside the city is a large dam who's power is used by the forges of the Lyceum Ingenire. In general the power within the city is held by strong families; Notibly the Tohan, Ru and Waichun. Castle Tohan was build in the foothills to the NW of Chen, and the city is entirely built on those hills, feeding off the farmlands to the South and the river Chryt.

Chen

The largest and oldest of the cities of t'Chador. The city is built on a slight hill surrounded by flat farmland. The city holds the Royal Castle, the large trade plaza, the Mage Academy, the Mercury Lane and many other attractions. The river Chryt runs next to the city.

Renwath

The old city of the Southern Holy Empire. Renwath was abandoned after suffering from the plague of demons and later Orc assaults. Most of the residents have fled to New Renwath.

New Renwath

The sole city of the Southern Holy Empire. Contact with New Renwath has been only just been re-established. The Southern Church is still, apperantly, in full control of the city. New Renwath was built against the sea.

Begwenchoi

The now burn and desolate trade town. It used to rest a couple days ride west of Chen, and a couple days ride North of Old Renwath.

Zefirworn

A small settlement lying about a days ride from both Harbin and Chen. This settlement is often used as a layover for travelers and traders between the two cities. It has but one inn (Haven's Lee) with a stable, and the local supply shop which is often used by the local farmers. The local farm land is very rich and prosperous.

Morquain

100 years before, Morquain was a prosperous port city on the Northern shores of the Great Southern Sea. It quickly grew in size, being the closest port to Chen. Once the floods began, no one heard of anything from Morquain, and every one supposed it was either destroyed by Demons or floods.

Neomorp'n

The underwater trade city, newly discovered, settled by the old inhabitants of Morquain. The inhabitants worship the Great Ocean Mother, who saved them from the demons who lived on the surface. They are very excited to open trade with those who still manage to live on the surface, and are pleased to hear that the demons were driven from the land by the Great Ocean Mother's blessed rains.

The Durgadin Stronghold

A dwarven stronghold located in the mountains to the East of Chen.

The Durgadin Settlement

A dwarven settlement located near the stronghold. Most of the Durgadin clan still occupies the Settlement, but some are moving back to re-occupy the Stronghold. The Settlement has enjoyed a short period of trade (mostly metal tools, weapons, armor) with the City of Chen.

Brindleford

A large, prosperous town East of the mountain range that the Durgadin's occupy. This town is a rich mix of all sorts of races, and is only just starting up trade with Chen.

Bloom in the South

A large costal city populated mostly by Halflings and Dwarves. It's South of Brindleford.

The Powers (ranked from most influencial to least)

Service merchants

These are the bar/inn/gambling-house owners, and other "service" related businesses. Lead by Guer Coni, decendant of Guer Li.

Trade merchants

Lead by Bivan Locule, and his right hand man Burtraun (and his mistress, Peni Ryng, and his friend, Gorine). The Trade merchants are growing ever more powerful with the recent discoveries of the cities of Neomorp'n, Durgadin, Brindleford and New Renwath.

Chen Nobility

The land owners of the richest parts of town. They maintain their own police force (the Royal Guard) and are funded entirely on the taxes/rent that they collect. The growing wealth in the town has boosted their wealth recently.

Warehouse merchants

These are the men who store goods for the farmers.

the Church of Obae

The God of Mother Earth. Chaotic Good. Plant, Water, Good

the Northern-Southern Church

The God of Sun/Authority. Lawful Good. Lawful, Protection, Inquisition. Recent splintered with the Southern Holy Empire has led to a little confusion in the church. Devotees of the church are currently searching for the holy artifact - Conrey's Seven Ring Sword.

The Lyceum Ingenire

Very powerful when people need to get large things done, plus a strong Old Boys network. Recent contacts with the Durgadin tribe has gone well, and Dwarves have been spotted in the Northern city of Harbin recently.

The Ru Family

One of the strong (ex-warlord) families in Harbin.

The Craftsmen

the Church of Way

The God of Commerce and Learning. Lawful Good. Travel, Knowledge, Trade

The Farmers

the Church of Lin Oizmara

The God of Revelry/Person-Success. Chaotic Evil. Trickery, Luck

the Southern-Southern Church

The God of Sun/Authority. Lawful Evil. Lawful, Protection, Inquisition. The Southern Southern Church is far more ruthless and intolerant than the Northern Southern Church. It recently lost one of its principal defenders - Xian Chion, who wore the Armor of Conrey.

The Waichun Family

One of the strong (ex-warlord) families in Harbin. They have lots of holdings in the local farms south of the city.

The Half Orc Patriarch

Has set himself up in the low rent districts of Chen. Most of the High rent nobles want him out of there.

The Orkish Followers of Drak

Drak is the Orkish Hero god (brother of the evil wizard god Eyndo). Chaos, Strength, Glory

the Church of Tiolinel

An Evil Church, seeking to unlock the powers of Necromancy to service their own ends. Death, Evil, Undeath. This church is very old, and has been found in the Chen undercity.

The Church of Tzurget

Another Evil Church -- Tzurget is the god of Massacres and Rage. Tzurget augments his few followers with demonic gifts. Destruction, War, Suffering.

The Dwarven Church of Mornvag

God of Smiths and Engineering. Earth, Fire, Metal

The Military

The Royal Guard

Originally just the guard of the royal palace... with the fall of the royal family (Ming) and the relative rise in power of the noble land owners, the royal guard is now employed to patrol the higher rent districts of Chen.

The City Guard

Originally charged with guarding the whole city of Chen, the City Guard stopped guarding the higher rent districts when the Royal Guard increased in size. Recently they've been ordered by parties unknown to stop patrolling the poorer rent districts. One of the friendlier members of the City Guard is Sgt. Wan Tuin.

The Blackwatch

An unofficial organization that patrols the poorer sections of town.

The Races

Human

Most of the lands of t'Chador are populated by humans.

Orc

The barbarias that did not follow Tohan out of the northern wastes when the demons started to appear learned to fight, live with, (and possibly eat) the demons. Over time it is assumed that these barbarians became the twisted souls that are now known as the Orc.

Half Orc

Upon learning of existance of the Orcs, the merchants of Chen hastely attempted to set up trade with them. This offer of prosperity essentially split the Orcs into two camps, those that dealt with the humans, and those that would continue to prey upon them. Many of the scouts and traders that dealt with the friendly Orcs found a beastial nobility and new way of life with them. Those that raised families with the Orc spawned this new breed of people.

There is a small getto of Half Orcs in the city of Chen, but they suffer greatly in the city, as the powerful wealthy rulers of the city do not care to have them in Chen and refuse to police the sections of the town they live in. Even the some of the lower and most of the middle class humans in Chen have a strong intollerance for the Half Orcs.

Gnome

The swamp people, have dissapeared after Lo'an Fou's routing of them, have re-appeared. It is assumed that their earlier alliances and dealings with the demons has wrought the change upon the swamp people. They seem to be far more proficient with magic than most humans.

Elves

Most of the humans in t'Chador (Harbin, Chen, Zephirworn) and the Holy Southern Empire do not recognize the elves living among them - often just considering the elves as humans born with birth defects. This wins the Elves no great standing in the racially intollerant cities of Chen and Renwath. The Elves of t'Chador have been brought up by their own to understand that they are custodians of the Earth, and they are there to help it heal from the time of the Demons. Most Elves encountered outside their forest hide-away are Druids or Rangers.

Dwarves

The recent Durgadin clan has made contact with the cities of Chen and Harbin. They are having much more luck with the city of Harbin, as they find much in common with the hill dwelling engineering-savvy barbarians.

Halflings

So far t'Chador has only encountered two Halflings, who traveled all the way from Brindleford to introduce themselves and negotiate the visit of the rest of their clan. Their clan is a nomadic merchants and entertainers (think a cross between gypsies and iron-chefs), that travel along the rivers and oceans from town to town.

History

Timeline

year 0
The demon plague was halted, the years of rain and floods began. Tohan and Ming liberate the city of Chen from the Southern Army. Starvation haunts the land.
year 5
The rains end.
year 6
Tohan officially founds Harbin city.
year 14
Increasing use of magic my all manners of people prompts Wu Li to found the Chen Mage Academy. A new breed of magician, the sorceror, is discovered. These people seem to have innate magical abilities.
year 17
Tohan founds what is to become the Lyceum Ingenire, a center for engineering learning and study. Windmills are used for the first time.
year 23
Tohan's son, Lo'an Fou, clears the swamp people from what as once (and is now) the plains.
year 28
Tohan Liu sets undertakes the great work, draining the plains, building the aqueducts, fortifying Harbin, constructing the dam.
year 44
Baron Tohan Liu is found dead in his workshop, at the age of 74. That same year Wu Li dissapears in a magical occlusion in his accademy.
year 53
Tohan Lo'an Fou, in an exploration of the Southern boarders of the Kingdom discovers the lost Southern Empire, now reduced to their main city of Renwath.
year 57
Traderoutes are established connecting Chen and Renwath. The tradetown of Begwenchoi is established along this route. This is the start of the rise of the Merchants.
year 66
House Jeraix attempts to seize control of the city of Chen, having won over large numbers of the Royal Guard to their side. They are unsuccessful, mostly through the actions of the Chen City Guard and the entire house are exicuted. General public distrust of the nobility in general removes more power from their hands.
year 73
A strange new race of hulking brutes, called the Orc, are discovered living in the Northern wastelands.
year 75
Tohan Di, oldest surviving son of Tohan Lo'an Fou, holds off repeated raids by these Orcs aimed at Harbin. Eventually trade is established with some of the Northern tribes of Orcs.
year 90
General prosperity in the lands of t'Chador lead to the first intercity games.
year 95
A massive Orc raid, unexpectedly from the Western wilderness, razes the new trading town of Begwenchoi. There are only two survivors and the town is abandoned.
year 96
Contact with the Southern city of Renwath is lost, as attempts at contact are met with Orcish bandit parties.
year 100 - September
Orc and Goblin scout parties uncovered in the lands around Chen (most notably moving in on the barely protected farmlands between Chen and Harbin). More desturbing is that the Orc forces are employing the aid of the Khairn (plague dogs).
year 100 - October
Contact with the missing city of Morquain/Neomorp'n established. The citizens of the new city are all water breathing aquatics.
year 100 - November
The city of Chen is alarmed at the closeness of the Plague beasts, and the encrochment of the Orc/Goblin forces. The ancient church of Tiolinel has been uncovered as practicing Necromantic arts.
year 100 - December
A relatively light winter.
year 100 - January
Trade established between the city of Chen and the Durgadin Settlement.
year 100 - Feburary
Trade established between the city of Harbin and the Durgadin Settlement. Dwarves seen in the city of Harbin and the The Lyceum Ingenire. Contact re-established with the Holy Southern Empire.
year 100 - March
Growing tension between the lower and upper classing in town. The city guards have stopped patrolling the lower income sections of the city, and there seems to be a plague of murders in the Half-Orc ghettos.
Trade established between the cities of Brindleford and Chen, New Renwath and Chen.
The Southern Southern Church and the Northern Southern Church attempt to re-unite.
year 100 - Present
to be seen

Famous People

Vass Ming

Was helped by Baron Tohan to retake the city of Chen from the Southern Army that had occupied it durring the time of the demons. His reign was slowly erroded from under him (as an emperor he was a terrific magician, but no political powerhouse), and he eventually left the throne to live a quiet life in Wu Li's mage academy.

Tohan Liu

Known as the "engineer". One of the four who traveled to the land of the demons and defeated the dark emperor (not exactly correct, but that's what people now believe). He Liberated Chen from the Southern Army, drained the swamplands, built the aquaducts and the dams, and erected the Lyceum Ingenire.

Lau Su

Baron Tohan's right hand man.

Tohan Lo'an Fou

First decendant of Tohan Liu. who lead Tohan's armies into the clearing of the swamp people, and the discovery of the Southern Kingdom.

Guer Li

Became a wealthy property owner, most notably of the first gambling house on the now imfamous Mercury Lane. He is an ancestor of Guer Coni. Guer Li was one of the Legendary Four.

Sanquine Bear

He was the shamen who both sent the four to the land of the demons, and who ripped them back after they had defeated the dark emperor. He has not been seen since the routing of the Southern Army in year 0, but rumours of appearances and visitations persist to this day in the lands around Harbin.

Wu Li

Founded the Chen Mage Academy, he dissapeared in a magical occlusion fifty years ago. Wu Li was one of the Legendary Four.

Animals

Farm Animals

The local lands don't have that many large pets or utility farm animals, being that larger animals are primarily seen food or pests. You'll have plently of cows, goats, mules, chickens (and even horse and dogs) raised as food animals, but not so many as herding animals, beasts of burden or pets. Riding animals in general is a rare skill, and only a few of the monarchy are really trained to do so. There isn't really any cavalry or mounted army in this universe.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule:

Wild Beasts

New Races

New Beasts

Undead