“A people divided, and yet one people. Everend is all of you, and yet it is no one of you.”
Testament of Aaramus
When people resettled the land after the Time Before, they picked locations rich in natural resources and defensible positions. What started as a trickle of repopulation and exploration turned into lines drawn in the sand and warring factions. When the dust settled, seven great nations dominated the continent, which they call Everend.
Everend is a sprawling landmass featuring raging river lands, magically blighted fields, seemingly endless deserts, towering mountains, frigid wastelands, and strange borderlands. The people are as diverse as the landscape, many born from the land and tempered by its wilderness. While the nations in Everend share a history and a continent, their individual people, cultures, approaches to issues, and problems are distinctly unique.
Caparanite is a nation of hardy people who have carved a living out of harsh tundra. Orydonia is conversely a relatively peaceful nation of farmers and crafters who have tamed bountiful lands. The Federation of Eves is a group of island nations who recently won their independence and struggle to find an identity in continental politics. Invesse is an isolated nation that is dealing with its first ever invasion. Selacha is a confederation of rich coastal city-states who have banded together for mutual defense. Talpidium sits in the highest mountain range on Everend and boasts some of the best metalsmiths anywhere. Vitrumaria is a nation of determined people who have learned to tame the desert and now, daemons.
The past year has thrown what was once a relatively peaceful continent into turmoil and strife. The discovery of daemons has impacted every nation, from Caparanite to Eves, and everyone is struggling to come to terms with it. Daemons destroyed an entire mountain in an explosive show of force yet unrivaled in Everend’s history. Since that fateful day, every nation has raced to match the might that Vitrumaria demonstrated with that act. Since then, a terrifying blight has struck at the heart of the continent’s grain belt, creating massive food shortages, and putting a strain on all nations. Refugees flee from war and hunger creating instability in the nations they end up in. Squabbles over resources, land, and borders have escalated into saber rattling between once peaceful nations. These crises have forced nations to look inward at their own troubles, while fearfully glancing at their neighbors expecting them to strike.
For the common people of Everend, the advent of daemon summoning has caused unrest and a disruption to everyday life. Many Orydonian farmers are out of work due to the blight and seeking their fortunes elsewhere. People in warring nations are reminded daily that their normal life is not returning any time soon. Vitrumarian citizens struggled under a tyrannical leader and a group whose outspoken resistance paints a target on everyone’s back. Invesse’s people must choose to flee or fight, both options a dangerous proposition. Caparnite’s warriors see opportunities in these conflicts, but also know that their own fates aren’t so easily won. Something dangerous is encroaching on their northern border, which could mean danger for everyone. Selacha’s people worry about yet another war so soon after they were expelled from Eves. While Eves worries that supporting their allies might turn Vitrumaria’s eyes in their direction. Talpidium’s people fear that their monarch’s refusal to research daemons will lead to their eventual destruction, but at the same time fear that unchecked research could spell their doom.
Behind all that is the excitement of learning about the unknown. More and more people are taking up the mantle of summoner, researcher, and adventurer. Everend holds expanses of unexplored lands, ancient relics buried in long-forgotten ruins, and untamed magic. People who were once content to make their living in a pastoral setting are now looking to these wonders for glory and fortune. Anyone attempting to take advantage of these must contend not only with rival explorers, but the very political powers of Everend who each have their own agendas, needs, and ambitions.
What follows is a high-level overview of the most important concepts and ideals held within a nation and the philosophies and circumstances which drive the people living there. Secret societies, grand conspiracies, local rivalries, quarrelling lovers and more are found within and give a flavor of the sorts of adventures that could take place there and the sorts of characters you are likely to meet. Furthermore, the political context of the nations of Everend is key to the ongoing crises which drive the people living there to action. This provides fertile ground for the creation of stories which will be both fulfilling and exciting to experience and participate in as each character plays their role in the developing lore of each land.
Caparanite
“The way of the shepherd is the way of survival. It is easy to call ‘barbarian’ one who must fight to survive.”
All-Khan Tristan Beard, Leader of the Caparanite Clans at War
Survival against the odds. If a single phrase could sum up a nation, the Caparanite clans would carve these words in stone upon the borders of the barren, frigid wastes they call home for all to see. Caparanite is a complex political animal comprising a vast network of clans and small nations, each with a distinct culture, united by their common goal of mutual survival in their harsh homeland.
The hard lands breed hard people and Caparans are recognized across Everend as some of the finest warriors on the continent. Their militaristic way of life and their harsh, yet straightforward, code of law make them a nation of serious people who are honest, forthright, and blunt in conversation. Their way of life leaves little room for intrigue and backbiting. It is strength and the ability to survive which Caparans respect above all. These diverse people consist of mostly goat- and mole-people, along with a variety of other humans.
Caparanite warriors proudly and openly wear the furs and fetishes taken from defeated enemies and bear weapons as a matter of course wherever they go. As serious as they can be, they also value the sanctity of each moment and often have a devil may care attitude when celebrating or enjoying the company of friends, baying loudly of this or that battle fought many years ago, and proudly showing the scars they gained on that day and the lessons taught by those wounds.
Caparanite also possesses powerful mages from across its vast territory who, unrestricted by a hierarchical structure overseeing the use of magic, have mastered many arts that aid in their quest for survival. Any magical mishaps that have caused disaster there would be largely unnoticed as the uncountable peoples of the far north are often disconnected from their counterparts in the south. If word stops coming from a remote settlement, it’s as likely they died in the cold or to an attack from the savage beasts that roam the Outlands as any magical disaster.
Despite these many advantages, the reality of Caparanite is a people to whom living to see another day is the highest honor and who view ownership as “if you can protect it, you can keep it.” They are highly prized as mercenaries, but also feared as ferocious raiders. Since the major clans united under a single Khan, they are a threat to those neighbors whose fertile lands could secure a living for all the people of the north.
The Federation of Eves
“No price is too high for freedom.”
Representative Elise Finnley
The confederation of islands to the east of Everend, the Federation of Eves, is a young nation of seafarers, fisherfolk, and divers. A long and grueling war with its neighbor, Selacha, hardened this group of islands into a single nation, determined to take its place amongst the great nations of Everend so it can never again be trampled and treated as a prize to be conquered. The Federation has only considered itself a nation for ten years and Everend’s other nations (with the reluctant inclusion of Selacha) have only recognized it for half that time.
Two factors bind the federation together. The first is mutual protection against Selacha. The second is the Well of Creation. It’s the reason the federation was never a united nation before, and why it must be one now. The islanders believe the Well is the source of all magic in Gaia; it’s too powerful and precious for any one nation to control. The small island nations kept one another in check for generations, agreeing that no island should be more powerful than the others and thereby claim more control over the Well. Selacha coveted the Well, and conquered island after island to encroach on it. Only the islands’ decision to unite, becoming the Federation of Eves, stopped Selacha from rolling over them and taking possession of the Well of Creation.
The islands’ people reflect the wondrous variety of fish, sea mammals, and birds that inhabit the archipelago. Bright plumage and sharp beaks are common sights, as are shimmering scales and translucent fins. Shark-featured pirates crew sleek, rapid ships and serpent-folk defend their sandy, stony, or thickly forested homes.
The Federation is still reckoning with what it means to be a single nation: to cooperate, to balance one island’s needs against another, and how to define themselves. Each island has its own values, heroes, and legends and as the war that united them recedes into history, scholars, thinkers, and other ambitious individuals race to determine what, beyond defending the Well of Creation, will keep the new nation together as it enters the next stage of its development.
Invesse
“We are at war, but we are neither cowed nor defeated. If our invaders thought they would have an easy time of it, they severely underestimated the mettle of an Invessan.”
General Bash Bransom III
A peninsula on the southeastern edge of Everend, Invesse is bordered by Vitrumaria to the northwest and Selacha to the north. This swampy, heavily forested nation has densely packed population centers along its coasts separated by nearly impassable jungle land and pockets of Outlands. The eastern city centers have thrived for ages as hubs of sea trade, lumber manufacturing, and fishing, allowing them to grow into sprawling urban environments. While in the western and northern areas of the peninsula, a more rural way of life has prevailed with simple farms and fishing villages. Invesse is home to many bird-, lizard-, and fish-people, though several other peoples have settled there over the years.
Invesse’s northwestern border was protected by a mountain chain that stretched far into Vitrumaria’s south. That is until S’kallah the Dustbringer flattened the mountains and allowed Vitrumarian troops to swarm into the nation. Now they are embroiled in a war with an enemy who has them outclassed and outmanned. Tukila Swansong, Invesse’s leader, has sent a call for aid from Everend’s other nations, but few have responded. Each has enough of its own problems to spare troops or supplies to aid the fight. Swansong believes a simpler truth lies beneath the other nations’ inaction: No one wants to be the next target.
Invessans aren’t totally outmatched, though. Vitrumarian forces have only pierced the northern and western parts of the peninsula, incapable of making their way deeper due to their lack of knowledge of the Outlands and jungle terrain. Invesse’s forces harry the invaders, deflecting attacks to lead Vitrumarians deep into the jungle or into Outlands they aren’t prepared for. They have locked up Vitrumaria into a long and costly war, and for Invessans, the stakes are their homes and way of life. They aren’t backing down, even if they don’t have help. Swansong knows the first gate was found in Invesse, and has no compunction of using it to build up her own daemon army if that’s what it takes.
Orydonia
“From within and without our society, our land is under constant assault. We must defend it, but also remain true to the values that make it such a prize.”
Luisa Drosser, President of Orydonia
The beating heart of the continent of Everend, Orydonia was once a picturesque, idyllic expanse of rolling hills and fertile plains. At least, until a magical blight destroyed much of the viable farmland overnight. Since then, Orydonia has been thrown into disarray and the balance of power on Everend is upended. The abundance of food and water had previously elevated Orydonia to primacy among the nations of Everend. Its people enjoyed a state of satisfaction not found elsewhere which allowed them to develop both culturally and politically beyond their neighbors. Orydonia’s democratic socialist nation had systems to manage food, housing, and resources to ensure that nobody was left wanting. Now, that same system is stuck in deliberation as they fight over how to respond to the unthinkable, as people go hungry and many lose their livelihoods, their homes, and in many cases their lives.
Orydonia is a cosmopolitan place, seeing people from across Everend settling in its lush lands. In the deep country, fox- and rabbit-people speak in broad local dialects and nod sagely at talk of the passing seasons. In the cities, keen eyed bird-people wear elaborate togas complete with finely crafted brooches and tiaras, their plumage dyed in colorful hues to attract attention. People of all stripes hawk their wares on city streets, and debate philosophy in tea houses across the nation.
Under this veneer of calm lies a nation facing several crises without a good path forward. As Caparanite seeks to overtake what little fertile land remains untouched by the Blight, refugees spill into the border from Invesse, and their own populace sits near total economic collapse, internal politics grow heated on how to deal with these issues. Orydonia is a nation on the brink. A stricken power, clinging to its ideals of democracy and equity for all, while being torn apart by forces that it struggles to contain.
Selacha
“History? All history is good for is proving nothing lasts forever.”
Regna Eliza Romanelo
The nation of Selacha occupies the eastern coast of Everend. It’s composed of nine separate, self-governing city states, united by trade deals and political marriages.
The Nine Crowns
Selenese is Selacha’s capital, where the Council Regnant meets to discuss matters of government that affect all the city states. Selenese, Valenta, Trieve are known as the Three Great Crowns. They’re the largest, the most powerful, and the loudest voices in the government-of-governments, the Council Regnant. They also bore most of the cost of the recent war with the Federation of Eves, so are the most financially precarious. Below them are four other cities — Solente, Aseda, Vielle, and Callandia — which make up most of the country. The other cities are outsiders: Palancia, always poor in relation to the others, and Agathine, which has fallen so deeply into debt it’s now owned by the banking house of Olentrave.
Selacha runs on luxury, and it always has. Whole communities of divers retrieve beautiful pearls from the bottom of the ocean; dyers process rich, lustrous tints from shells, crustaceans, and ocean flora; and pirates capture and commandeer the cargos of merchant ships up and down the coast.
This league of quarrelsome city states is in a precarious position. Some might say their best days are behind them — but only in private, because patriotism and a breed of stubborn optimism is the current trend in public discourse. Selacha’s still recovering from a grueling and expensive war with the Federation of Eves. Not only was the war costly, losing their former protectorate cut off many revenue streams, like the rightly prized purple dye produced on one of the Evesian islands.
They’re close to bankrupt with little sign of recovery, and Caparanite looms on their northern border, threatening to take the most valuable asset Selacha has left: the city of Palancia’s aaramite mine. It’s a testing time for Selacha, and rather than cooperating, each of the cities is turning inwards, looking out for its own interests at the expense of the nation.
Talpidium
“Our people strive to look beyond, and sometimes they miss what is right in front of them.”
Lyca Sapphire, Queen of Talpidium
Talpidium is a nation built in stone, and as unchangeable as its foundation. Ranging all through the Dawn Palisade and ending at the Barrier Sea to the west, Talpidium’s borders are tight and defensible. This has left the nation largely unassailable through the multiple wars that have plagued the continent since the Reconstruction.
This mountainous region is home to miners and delvers, comprised largely of mole- and crystalline-people and others suited to the subterranean dwellings. Along the coast, brave explorers with weather beaten scale and fin make a living hauling fish and hunting fabled sea creatures.
Talpidium has long been an isolationist nation, making trade deals with neighbors only for hard-to-find foodstuffs or aaramite. Anything else they make for themselves or do without. Situated in a hard-to-reach place has made the nation complacent of its place in Everend, which has made dealing with new threats a difficult transition.
War between Vitrumaria and Invesse might not normally even spark interest in the broadsheets, but the devastating daemon attack that leveled a mountain has given the whole nation pause. If Vitrumaria sets its sights on Talpidium next, no amount of natural border can stop them. The Monarchy has taken a traditional approach to this threat, hiring Caparan mercenaries to defend the southern border, and increasing funding for weapons research.
Many in the nation believe Talpidium should look to securing their own daemons if they want to have a chance against their aggressive southern neighbor, but Queen Lyca refuses, considering the magic far too chaotic and dangerous to play with. She has put forward a prohibition against daemon summoning, considering their chaotic magic too dangerous to play with.
Vitrumaria
“Everyone wants power, but only those who can take it and hold it are fit to keep it. If someone takes your power from you, you weren’t mean to have it in the first place.”
Harold Hollister, Vitrumarian President
Located on the southwestern side of Everend, Virtumaria is dominated by a vast desert on the leeward side of the mountains separating it from Invesse. Despite Vitrumaria touching the Barrier Sea, the nation’s biggest cities are found deep in the desert mining the aaramite found there. People live in elaborate cities built from the magical material placed precariously on the shifting sands.
The nation is currently controlled by a tyrant who has designs on empire building, President Harold Hollister. For generations, lizard-, bird-, stone-, and bat-people have enjoyed prosperity under Vitrumarian democracy. Fueled by a culture that glorifies self-reliance and determination, these people aren’t taking their oppression laying down, even if that means partnering with what would be otherwise their strongest enemies.
After discovering daemons in Invesse’s Outlands, President Hollister used the entities to invade the nation in hopes of recruiting more creatures to his side. The war is not proceeding as planned, taking far too long to quell the peninsula. Expert strategists have assured the president that Vitrumaria would win eventually, the cost in troops, resources, and the devastation daemons bring to the land aren’t worth it. Hollister has no plans to stop his invasion though and has locked up or killed anyone suggesting otherwise.
Public sentiment is dictated by propaganda, which declares the war a roaring success. Unfortunately, despite carefully placed broadsheets and public displays of victory, a resistance movement has arisen by the name of the Anti-Hollister League. This former activist group has turned into a militia bent on disrupting Vitrumarian war efforts, smuggle refugees out of the nation, and find allies among the other nations. While information leaving Vitrumaria is highly contained, the AHL hopes that if others learn of public discontent, they will be more willing to assist in overthrowing the government. Additionally, a third party in the form of the Aaramite Court, wealthy oligarchs who own the aaramite mines, works at the upper levels to temper Hollister’s advances. While they don’t support the populist Anti-Hollister League, they do sometimes support their actions to weaken their shared enemy.