Seventhday 15th of Darkmoon
Mood: Suicidal
Weather: Freezing
Immediate Thoughts: I hate elves.

Deliberation on Agenda Item #27 began today, and while I wanted to make my feelings on the issue known, Senator Praeus decided that the Grand House was his personal stage again. We had to endure another long speech about supporting the elf conservatories, about establishing an elven state with sovereignty, about all sorts of other nonsense. In the end Senator Facious stood up and left the room, which is when Praeus finally seemed to realize how little any of us cared. You could see the look on his face – that “I’m never seeing another term after this” look.

The rest of my day was awful. Agenda Item #27 will be the death of me. I have not seen my husband or children in a week. I have had to eat while sitting at a desk reading tiny print for whole days. Quino tries to be helpful, but he’s very limited in what he can do. He is no greater spirit, but he makes a lot of effort.
* * *
Thirdday 18th of Darkmoon
Mood: Cheerful
Weather: Don’t want to know
Immediate Thoughts: I’m so happy I married a painter.

Arcline be praised! After Agenda Item #27 was toppled in the floor by a crushing 42 to 9 vote, I have finally managed to spend a night with my husband. Today even my children seem to notice the blush on my face. He said I was worthy of a painting when in such a state, which made me turn even redder.

Being away from Oomash, even if Lilicor is just as cold, being with my children and husband (and keeping the curtains closed and the glass windows bolted) makes everything better. I am so thankful that I decided to reside in Lilicor. The teleportation circle is so convenient.

Notable happenings: Agenda Item #27 is dead! Finally dead! No more talking about elves for the next year I hope! Praeus and his gaggle will likely vote against all my items out of spite, but that will only further show the people that while I try to create useful projects to them, all Praeus has time and inclination for are his maudlin pointy-eared friends in Selvage.
* * *
Sixthday 21st of Darkmoon
Mood: Annoyed and injured
Weather: Freezing
Immediate Thoughts: I hate elves.

Agenda Item #27 rises like the spirit-forsaken phoenix from the ashes, this time as the less ambitious but no less a waste of time, Agenda Item #54 (double of twenty seven, you are so clever Praeus!). This time, they have dropped the whole idiotic sovereignty angle (thank you Praeus, for realizing sovereignty is not a box of chocolates Andaliel can give to people on their birthdays) and have gone instead for a protectorate of Andaliel.

This is, sadly, less likely to happen than Andaliel spontaneously deciding to “create” an “independent nation” within, well, another nation. There was a bitter scrap between the elf-sympathizer minority in the senate and the elf-hating minority in the senate (despite sorely wishing elves would drop off the face of the world, I do not subscribe to this latter group). I was struck in the head with a wooden quill-holder and left the scene cursing loudly. I can already see the headlines in tomorrow’s Inquirer, quite likely to omit my bleeding head.

I foresee Agenda Item #54 will be trounced as well. But not before more taxpayer gold is wasted and time lost. I’m taking a vacation (my word for boycotting). I’d much rather spend the day sleeping than be struck with quill-holders.

~Karea Matriz, three-term senator of Andaliel.

ANDALIEL

“Let man, woman and child think not
about what makes us all differ
but about what makes us all the same.”
–Tecum Pilas, Senator

All Data based on last 5-year senate census, 1170 A.C.
(Numbers may later be revised)

Population: Approx 9 to 11 million (all population numbers approximate AND 5 years old).
Political System: Parliamentary Democracy
Key Political Figure: Prime Minister Ulysses Pathor
Capital: Oomash
Major Areas: Lilicor, Impel; the Southlands
Climate: Wintry (north, Hetuku mountains), Temperate
National Symbol: A stylized scroll being signed by a pen-shaped Pekor
National Colors: Ice Blue and Gold

Introduction

Andaliel was formed when the military threw down their spears and decided to become people anew. It was said to be the “last uprising of the people”. When the Eternal State of Man was drafted, the Aptoas Empire was dealt its final blow. This document proposed a radical new state that would diverge from all forms of government prior established in Eden – and it was dangerous, suppressed and its creators persecuted, but the words resonated so strongly that it could not be put down. The Eternal State of Man stoked the coals in the hearts of the citizens, sick of war and empire. The people rose up for a new form of government, free of rule by few or rule by sword. Heroes and scholars, peasants and merchants, all joined in one final fight, and the Emderuer Hegemony was torn asunder. With the formation of the vast republic, Emderuer lost its final chance to renew its Empire along with most of its territory, and the rest of the world received its glorious opportunity to finish off the imperial remnants in their territories and live as they will. This is how most Andalians choose to interpret the history of their nation, and it says a lot about what they feel as citizens and what they behold when they look around themselves.

Commonly known as the most advanced nation in Adel, Andaliel is a nation of opportunity and equality, or so the stories go. It has a stark division between the people in the large cities in the Hetuku mountains, the people in the hilly lands and valleys closest to the mountains, and the people in the flat lands, forest and plains divided from the rest of Andaliel by the meridian river, but otherwise still annexed to it. In the cities, intellectuals debate and discuss the issues of their time, the issues of other nations, and theories and solutions. The mages craft devices and device crafts that solve or lessen the discomforts of living in almost year-long winter climates in the mountains and help expand deeper into the mountain side and mountain interior. In the Southlands, people lead simpler lives. There are big trade cities nearby, but even these are rather simpler than the Mountain cities. They plow fields and tend crops in land owned by their fathers since the beginning of the nation, and in land newly acquired.

Yet, it is difficult to ascribe a single ideology to Andaliel or to describe its people in any one way, because the culture is welcoming of new ideas and has incorporated many over the years. It is a land of strange occurrences: normally nomadic Athirua have communities here, Damakran carve out lives in the frigid peaks, Dwarves and Haflings plow fields with Iomadi, Dromidae and Cuporo. There is only one identity – that of being in what they believe to be the greatest and proudest nation in the world.

The people of Andaliel tend to be accepting and educated, if complacent. They have seen too much to consider anything above the norm anymore. Andaliel is, even in a very magic-driven world as Eden, highly magical. Andaliel boasts more accurate teleportation circles than other nations, allowing quick and painless travel by its citizens to Oomash and Lilicor in the mountains, or Impel at the foot of the mountain, or the Southlands. It has magic guilds, however small, in every one of its 25 voting districts. Magic is readily available – the only limit is the scope of the magic you can afford. The Andaliel army, though possessed of powerful contemporary mechanisms of war, such as siege engines, flying units, well-trained soldiers, magical devices, and spirit backup, also has one of the most well-trained mage regiments in Adel.

Geography

Andaliel controls a vast block of land in the Northeastern to Central-Eastern portion of Adel. It controls large portions of the Hetuku mountain range. Its capital of Oomash is tucked into a niche in the mountains, thus making it a highly defensible area, but also making it difficult to access except through a series of tunnels or through teleportation circles. Lower down the mountain is Lilicor, a large city of much importance as a halfway point between Impel at foot and Oomash, and a residential area. Below the Hetuku, Andaliel controls the forested and hilly regions of Impel (with Impel city as the most prominent location) and further southeast, swathes of fertile land known as the Southland. It is divided from Periterim, Emderuer and Noshiki by mutual agreement – there are no real landmarks, and the border is only denoted by Andaliel settlements at the edges created to control the border lands.

Andaliel has control of small islands off its coast. These islands are in a protectorate relationship to Andaliel and are known as the “Fern Isles”, ruled by a monarchy. They have seen political instability in the past decade, with the assassination of many of their royalty.

Politics and Government

Andaliel is a democracy, the only one existing in Adel. It’s system is based on a parliament, with two senators from each of 25 voting districts across Andaliel’s territory. Each district votes for its two senators from up to five running notables. They can also vote for senators from districts within “reasonable proximity”, which will be listed in the government offices where the vote is administered. In this way, each local area is directly responsible for its national representation, and thus the people, so it is said, rule Andaliel. Though voting is done through scroll as traditionally, servitor spirits have nowadays begun to aid in a magical tally of votes, and the Nation Spirit is always aware of the vote.

The Senate is located in the Grand House in Oomash. The members of parliament are elected every two years, though they can serve up to four two year terms each. The members of parliament elect a notable person from the population as a Prime Minister – usually the leader of a major organization, or a local leader from a major city (quite typically, from Oomash).

The people can elect local leaders in community meetings, but these are unofficial. The Prime Minister has aides who are the official delegators of his and the senate’s wishes in the lands, over any local leaders elected by individual communities – but the unofficial leadership of these people is still recognized and their knowledge of the area and its people are of course advantageous and appreciated by the sometimes detached government in Oomash.

The Prime Minister can lend a spiritual vote to any deliberation by the senate, but it is only counted to break a tie. He can offer a veto, which sends the entire Agenda Item back to the table for restructuring (unless the Senate overwhelmingly votes over the veto). Prime Ministers are elected every four years – basically by every 3rd Parliament, it is said. The same Prime Minister can be elected up to 3 times, but it is rare to see the same person more than twice. Often if a Prime Minister is elected it is on the grace of certain majorities in the senate – if he or she performs poorly, those majorities will likely be voted out, thus keeping him from another term.

The Prime Minister has executive powers, but most, if not all, of them go through the senate first. Lawmaking power, declarations of war, budgeting, all has to be confirmed by the senate. About the only thing the Prime Minister can do without senate approval is appoint judges, and cabinet aides for himself. Therefore, the executive is rather weak. However, there is no impeachment system in Andaliel. Once chosen, the executive remains. A bad executive is quite likely to become a thorn in the side of the legislature by spending the term using vetos and delaying legislation out of spite, knowing he will not be re-elected. Another absent mechanism is the vote of confidence system, that though present in early sketches of the governing system, was thought to be pointless and inflammatory. The only time “no confidence” dissolutions occur is if a budget is not approved within a month of the new government taking power, which forces a re-election of the entire parliament. The new parliament may then choose a new Prime Minister as well.

Andaliel does not have a political party system, but there is a bit of coalition building that is done between senators. Anyone with a “record of experience in community service” can run for Senator. Often senators will band together to form impromptu groups such as the “Reformers” or “Liberal Coalition” or for specific issues such as Peace coalitions or Elf Conservation coalitions. This often gets either most, or the entirety of, these groups elected to the senate, and may become problematic if the agendas of these senators are too tight. This is typically what causes the now famous political scraps in the parliament, when one group uses legislative time to propose projects aligned with their narrow and focused issues, things the majority of the senate would consider a waste of time.

The High Judiciary of Adel is relatively low-key. Though they can “sue the government” to take down unsuitable laws that go against the Eternal State of Man, the basis for Andaliel’s constitution, this has never actually happened. Mostly, it has been civilian outcry that has taken down any unfair laws. This is also rather rare, as most of the citizens in Andaliel haven’t suffered major infringements upon their rights in their lifetimes. There are minor courts in each district, and at least one lawyer in each town or village that can help with disputes. Local disputes are often resolved locally. Only in grievous cases, or specific requests (typically by people with some degree of wealth), are the cases brought to the district courts.

Andaliel’s Army Of The Republic and Navy Of The Republic is drawn from the civilian population and led by experienced warlords or mages. During war times, the senate will choose a Supreme Warlord answerable only, and directly, to the senate, and give him broad powers within the military, including the ability to start a draft (which is later retroactively approved or disapproved by the senate, depending on whether the situation is going sour). Civilians can also register with the military – they are paid a small monthly stipend and kept in a reserve, allowing them to lead normal lives until they are needed. To enter the active military, a civilian must receive training, and this is treated more as a job or career.

Society And Technology

The people of Andaliel are known as Andalians. They have a strong tradition of independence and free thought, and yet are very trusting of their government, often coming off as naive or misinformed to people from other areas. In truth, most Andalians have no idea what their parliament does beyond scraps of information passed by word of mouth, pamphlets, and the Inquirer, Oomash’s newspaper (editions of which trickle down to Impel and the Southlands). Most of the population is concentrated in Impel and in the Southlands, and the people in these places are the most confident and proud in their government, despite (and perhaps because of) their distance from the seat of government.

Being the only Republic in Adel, Andalians are fiercely proud of their political system. They tend to be easy to spot while traveling to other areas. The gentry of Andaliel less so, but most Andalians are fairly outspoken about what they see wrong with other places, especially their sister nation of Emderuer. They can come off as annoying or ignorant to people of other nations. Common stereotypes see Andalians as brash hicks or sheltered professors. Despite this, Andalians all receive fairly decent education, allowing them to compare favorably with peasants of other nations (particularly farm areas of Periterim or Emderuer) intellectually. Sometimes they use this as a boasting point. Regardless, there is also a perception of Andalians as having money to spend, so they are treated with a (sometimes grudging) degree of respect and gentleness as potential customers.

City dwellers have universities for higher education closer and more accessible to them – the Southland doesn’t have a single one. But scholarships and donations from benefactors (often these donations are given to girls who catch wealthy men’s eyes, while scholarships are given to anyone that shows promise) allow for rural folk to travel and learn. Basic education can be found anywhere, however, and includes reading, basic math, history and certain studies of spirits, such as teaching children about local spirits and about the ways of spirits, as well as reading classic fiction. Children are taught from eight years old to ten or twelve years old. There is at least one school teacher in every area, however small – even if it’s a local spirit (and it often is). In cities or larger towns, teens might be given up for apprenticeships or sent to a university for more rigorous subjects. Rural children and teens are more often taught a trade after basic education.

Andalians are willing to tolerate intrusive laws if the Grand House gives them a good excuse. Andalians have a culture of relaxed civility with their officials. They often call their senators by first name when they meet them, and don’t hesitate to shake their hands or give them gifts, treating them as good friends. Andalians typically vote senators whom they feel some kinship towards, often the most well spoken or understanding of the candidates. They feel that the government is a friendly, protecting entity who would not wrong them.

Crime in Andaliel is not exactly low – it is merely civil. Gangs in Andaliel are organized and gentlemanly, well-versed in acting surreptitiously and cleanly. Most of their crime is bloodless. Black markets, laundering money, smuggling in illegal immigrants, scams, never too violent, never too loud. That being said, Andaliel does have a comparatively low rate of victims and practically no internal destabilization due to crime.

Some notable laws of Andaliel:

•Free healing is outlawed – at least 3 gold must be charged, though for the poor or in emergencies, healing can be administered, then a payment plan drafted.
•Andaliel has programs to put orphaned teens to work and get them lodging.
•Gambling and prostitution are illegal.
•Magic item sale markups cannot be higher than 15%.
•Andaliel has a social welfare system – anyone who earns less than 30 gold pieces a month (just barely enough for basic food, drink and lodging for the month) is given 25 gold pieces each month. The disabled or undead receive 35 gold pieces a month. The person who accepts social welfare is overseen by the government offices and must promise to work or search for work if possible. If work is found, depending on the quality of it, the amount given is gradually reduced. The person must find good work within the year, or the amount will be cut to 5 gold pieces (about enough for very poor meals for a month). This does not apply to undead or the disabled, who can live off of reasonable welfare for practically forever.
•Andaliel has a 10% yearly tax on the value of a property, and yearly income taxes on anyone with incomes of higher than 500 gold a year (2% for 500-1000; 10% for 1000-2000; 15% for incomes higher than 2000) or 5% of the incomes of those who own a business (whichever applies; or both of them). Farmers can instead pay just 5-10% of their produce that year depending on the quantity of produce and status of the farmer, as opposed to paying for land and then income. Churches are taxed 5% on their land and 5% of their income (if applicable). There are other minor tariffs on trade. Businesses can be treated as a single entity for the purpose of taxation, and business owners would thus qualify for a bit of a relief on their personal income taxes as a slight tax break from owning a business. The government has the right to levy other taxes “necessary for the continued function of the government in a time of war or crisis or extraordinary need”.

Andalians have a defined high class, middle class and low class. The high class are wealthy politicians and mercantile interests. The middle class composes of entrepeneurs, small traders, businessmen and community organizers. The low class are the tradesmen, peasants and lands-men (farmers, fruit pickers, laborers). Social mobility requires wit, luck and opportunity, but it is possible. Often a climb in status is helped along by a wealthy spouse or becoming apprentice or servant to a generous merchant or politician – who you know, as opposed to what you know.

Andaliel boasts a number of city utilities and magic technologies developed and maintained by the Points of Light magic guild in Oomash.

Personal spirits for the wealthy can provide plenty of energy for homes, with wood or coal burning or alchemical fueled heating systems taking the burden off the spirit, most of which cannot generate a spiritual field robust enough to keep an entire house alight AND warm AND its trinkets functional. For middle and lower classes, the purchase of arcane chemicals and burning wood keeps their homes alight and warm. Candles and lamps are more common for light among peasants.

Being the “magical capital” of Adel, Andaliel has built a number of useful devices. They were the original inventors of the Voice Box, for example, and the Prism Float. Many of Andaliel’s advancements have trickled down or been mimicked by other nations, in fact, but usually a little worse. The Prism Floats designed by Andaliel have already seen use in much of the world – usually lesser versions than Andaliel’s.

The greatest achievements of Andaliel were its incredible feats of engineering in the Hetuku, accomplished through collaborations with powerful spirits, and rituals that take months of preparation and many casters to properly utilize. It is unknown if such feats could be accomplished again – the spirits that aided in them have since waned, replaced by their younger and less powerful descendants, and few of the high mages of the past remain. Those that do are elves – and unlikely to help Andaliel again.

Expression, Architecture, Cuisine

It is said, that anything found elsewhere can be found, to a degree, in Andaliel.

Andaliel has a well established culture of the arts. Even out in the lowliest village in the Southlands, simple folk rhymes and songs are made up on the spot for village gatherings or festivals, simple paints and sketches are made and hung on shrines. In the major cities, established artists, especially portrait artists, can be in high demand and make a living off only their artwork. Andaliel’s artists are loathed to experiment. They believe that portraying Andaliel should be done in classical or romantic styles, rather than overly elaborate arts that can be found in Sargasso and Periterim. Famous paintings include portraits of the national spirits (the city spirit of Oomash and her descendants) and “First Congress”, a painting of the first convening of the Senate after the formation of Andaliel.

Stone carving and monument-making are not very strong traditions in Andaliel. Their great monuments are all buildings with other, more practical uses, such as Rashan’s observatory and the Grand House. There are few statues, and any war memorials are made as plaques inside the Star Chamber in Oomash. There are few great monuments outside of the big cities, but beautiful shrines, home to local spirits, can be found in every village and town.

Literature and Drama in Andaliel lies mostly in the realm of the romantic and folk tales. Scholars write about issues directly, and don’t use storytelling to make their points, so their elaborate views on the world are rarely put into fictional stories. Authors and playwrights create romantic or heroic stories in nature with morals being simple and direct. Tragedies are very rare, and villains always get their comeuppance. Other nations see Andalian fiction as purely escapist, naively idealistic and childish. However, some very beloved tales around Adel have come from Andaliel, including a large tradition of spirit-and-humanoid romance literature.

Music in Andaliel tends to be fast and upbeat. Being constantly smothered by the cold on the outside, the people in Oomash and Lilicor’s dance halls heat themselves up with vivacious, elaborate partner dance, though slow and melancholic ballroom is still preferred by the very wealthy and conservative. Folk dances in the Southlands tend to be simple, rote forms with repeating movements and an emphasis in group participation, and the music is quaint and stresses singing along. Important instruments include various hand-crafted woodwinds, along with the Lute, Piano and Violin – the last one is especially important, as there is a culture of fast solo violin playing, as a sort of artist’s duel, often seen on the dance halls of Oomash and Lilicor, that has become a cultural icon of the Andalian middle and high class in the cities.

Fashion in Andaliel is budding, but not as much as in tropical lands, and remains relatively conservative. Due to the cold conditions in Oomash and Lilicor, heavy furs are often worn, and only beneath can any sort of fashion statement be made. Some Athirua influence has crept in lately, with newer fashions featuring slit or high-cut skirts, open shoulders, detached sleeves, low necklines, perfect for the dance floor. In the big trend-setting celebrities, vibrant colors and dazzling combinations of fabric, jewels and accessories show off the wealth and daring of their owners. More conservative traditional dresses, suits, or elaborate robes, are more often seen.

Middle to lower class people are more often seen wearing simple robes or tunics with pants. “Summer robes” are common in the women (and female humanoid spirits) of Impel and the Southlands, folded one side over another in the front and then kept with a cloth belt, long or short-sleeved, cut to the knee. Rather than vibrant colors, soft tones and subtle patterns of flowers and waves are more often seen. Men wear darker, more subdued colors on their tunics and pants. Simple shirts, leather vests and such are also common.

Jewelry is abundant even among the lower classes – beads and shells (in areas close to the sea) on copper wire, especially those crafted or blessed by local spirits, take the place of expensive minerals and gold. Spirit “pets” are also fashionable, though only in the big cities, creatures with bright colors, half-humanoid and animal forms, and small, portable bodies. Such pets are typically shoulder-riders, and often sleepy in demeanor.

Archiecture in Andaliel is oft assisted by magic. The mountainside of Hetuku was sunk slightly inward many years back to make room for the city of Lilicor which now rests on a cliffside, staring majestically down at Impel. In Oomash, vertical construction is the norm to make best use of the space. However, not all construction is grand and tall, or involves powerful magic. Impel is a more traditional city, a city built on squat, simple buildings in units of four and five, built in a long sliver of land with a wide street through its center and another running across it. The Southland villages are simplistic and utilitarian.

Andaliel takes cuisine from all over the world. Its own traditional foods are simple, hot and hearty. Especially in the Hetuku, thick soups and stews were a norm, with jerky and root vegetables. However, this was at its earliest period – when it became possible to bring in food from other, less wintry areas, such as less hardy vegetables (around the time when the Teleportation Circles were discovered and activated), food in Andaliel became more varied. Today, the food culture in Andaliel showcases dishes from all corners of Adel.

Foreign Relations

Periterim: Several years of border disputes tainted the relationship between these two powers shortly after their respective births. But that is for the most part in the past. While Andaliel does not approve of the oligarchical profiteering government of Periterim and its military supporters on an ideological level, they keep this mostly to themselves. They believe Periterim is a good ally with some bad habits, and try to mediate between them and other nations whenever an incident breaks out. They recognize many good things Periterim has done for its people, such as its robust social welfare and high level of economic opportunity, and low (nearly non-existent) unemployment and vagrancy levels. Periterim, being closer to Andaliel than Sargasso, is a close and important trading ally for exotic goods and certain spices, and sugar. In turn, Andaliel exports technologies, cultural items and some of its prodigious grain harvest.

Noshiki: While disapproving of (most) monarchies, Andaliel keeps on Noshiki’s good side. They export many grains and vegetables to help prop up the mining nation’s poor agriculture, and in turn receive raw materials, including very important mineral ingredients in Arcane Chemicals and Prisms. Noshiki rarely gets into military conflicts with anybody, but nonetheless Andaliel has pledged them military support if necessary.

Emderuer: Andaliel has a very good relationship with the sister nation it vastly overshadows. Emderuer is almost an extension of Andaliel, helping its grain and vegetable productions (the help is mostly unneeded, with the vast and fertile Southland in Andaliel’s control) and exporting textiles, wood and other exotic products. Emderuer is the only monarchy that Andaliel has never criticized and would probably never think of criticizing. They are very much twin nations – what one does, the other does, who one attacks, the other attacks. Emderuer allows Andaliel free passage to Sargasso and Noshiki along its land and rivers.

Sargasso: The Holy Kingdom of Sargasso is too far to be of much use to Andaliel, and though they criticize its religious focus, monarchic theocracy and its constant military struggles with Periterim, Andaliel trades with them and offers them aid when necessary – but never against Periterim. In conflict between the two, Andaliel will choose Periterim always. This is curious, because compared to Periterim, the people of Sargasso have more civil rights and freedoms, and are closer to a democratic form of government, than Periterim. But the ideological similarities are not enough to overcome geography – Periterim is important, Sargasso is ultimately not.

Selvage: Andaliel does not consider Selvage a nation, which has drawn it certain criticisms. The reason this is so is to appease the vocal elf minority that wishes for Selvage to be their nation. However, at the same time, Andaliel repeatedly blocks attempts by elves to declare Selvage an elf nation under Andalian protection, and thus gain international support for their cause, by repeatedly voting down such proposed Agenda Items in their senate. While this is simply democracy playing out, and not a deliberate attempt by the nation at putting down elves, it is still a source of much grief.

Vedaria: Andaliel does not recognize the rogue nation, nor its claims on Selvage. Andaliel, along with Periterim, have been secretly arming the Selvage Council of Brothers for nearly a century, and even putting down Vedarian incursions with military force if necessary. However, Andaliel has to treat Vedaria with care – at times, Vedaria might ally with either Sargasso or Periterim in their squabbles against one another, and at these times they are untouchable. Vedaria, with its military government and reckless policies, are the anti-thesis of Andaliel – and yet, frighteningly enough, they keep growing richer and more powerful, and more efficient and nationalistic.

The Fern Isles: The Achilles Heel of Andaliel foreign policy. A protectorate of Andaliel, the Fern Isles saw quite a bit of instability when 10 years ago there was an attempted coup that was believed to have killed all the royal family but the current king, Thaedius Braal, who has great relations with Andaliel. The Isles are a false constitutional monarchy, propped up by Andaliel for its raw materials, including a great store of the needed minerals to produce Arcane Chemical, which are drawn from its vast underground tunnels. They have their own government and no voting rights to Andaliel, and are also not citizens of Andaliel. The islands are ruled by what many foreign powers see as a puppet monarchy. The Fern Isles, many point out, are proof contrary to Andaliel’s belief that democracy works anywhere, or they would have established a democracy in the protectorate instead or annexed it. If it turns out any of the survivors of the old monarchy remain, Andaliel’s ally monarchy could be toppled, putting them in quite a political pinch.

REGION OF OOMASH (4 voting districts)

Population: 800,000 (residents); 2 million (counting foreign and Lilicor visitors)
Major Religions: Arcline, Inunkuru, Kaehma (secretly), Ravindra
Common Races: Athirua, Iomadi, Cuporo
Important Minorities: Elf, Dwarf
Climate: Nearly Year-Round Snow

The capital of Andaliel, Oomash is a busy city. Its streets are covered in snow year-round – it is only the volume of snow that changes. It is a city of towering buildings, taking advantage of the lack of horizontal space by building vertically, with few buildings having less than four levels. Sturdy steel and concrete building, often built with the aid of magic, define Oomash, which is built concentrically to the Grand House. One central street runs north to south through Oomash, from the tunnel exit that opens into the city, up to the Grand House. Navigating the rest of the city can intimidate newcomers, as they mingle with a flood of people entering, exiting and passing from tower to massive tower.

Merchants, scholars, warlords, students of some wealth (or lucky peasants), establishment owners and entrepeneurs, and politicians make Oomash their home. It is generally middle to upper class, with a low class of people searching hopefully for an opportunity to climb, a slight bit of a homeless problem constituting people who have gambled or invested away their fortunes for naught, and a somewhat small but seedy underbelly. Oomash might seem like an ideal city to a newcomer, but especially at night, it is plagued by the problems of any other large city. Houses of sin and vice operate both openly and surreptitiously, sometimes legal, sometimes quite illegal and avoiding regulation. Practically any lust can be sated, however despicable, if one knows where to find the proper places. Oomash didn’t just build up – there is a lower area of Oomash that builds into the mountain, connected to the tunnels that lead out of the city. It is here that a lot of smuggling and gang occurs, as well as more unholy or evil acts.

Oomash sees a lot of activity. Its streets are slightly narrow and can become greatly congested, but this serves the masses just fine, as they can keep warmer that way. Citizens live in apartments and housing complexes in the towering buildings. Very few citizens own an entire building in Oomash. Even people of great wealth are restricted usually to, at most, half of a very tall building. Due to the vertical construction, many businesses set up symbiotic arrangements with each other, specializing in certain things and leading people further up or down the building to other businesses who might have what they need, rather than diversifying their own businesses.

An advanced city, Oomash has running water, proper magical (and ordinary) heating, and lighting. Such technologies are developed, polished and exported from here, and can be found throughout Andaliel – for the most part. It is relatively easy to find vendors who sell magic items in Oomash. The Magic Guild takes crafting requests, and vendors sell with a 10% markup: less on “used” items that they bought from desperate parties (or thieves), which they sell at market price instead…but there might be strings attached.

Being the seat of government, Oomash is a highly political place. Newspapers such as the Inquirer run scandal after political scandal, often making the politicians look more ridiculous than is true, or omitting any detail that would soften the story. All in the name of selling papers. The citizens are both appalled and mostly skeptical of such news, but they still read it. They are not overly concerned with it either – arguing and fighting like children seems to have become an ingrained part of democracy for them. The voice box programs run by the government are often used to clear up rumors made by the Inquirer. Underground Voice Box programs run illegally by secret thieves’ guilds are often highly critical of the government, but still supporting of democracy as a whole.

Notable Locations:

The Grand House – the senate building, located in the center of the city. It is a massive, beautiful building of white polished stone and concrete, rectangular and with an enormous dome rising from the center of the roof. It is three levels high and surrounded by a low adamantine fence and with four gates. The gates are a formality for the most part, though civilians are still not allowed on the grounds without permission. The lobby is breath-taking in scope, with two massive staircases leading to the second level, where the cabinet works. The third level is for senators and accessible only from the second. The first is a museum of sorts, and also for keeping of any records that are available for the public (with permission from the local government office.) It is said that the Grand House has many hidden passages and ways that could be used to gain access or escape it.

Oomash Government Office – easily spotted among the tall buildings in Oomash because it is only one level, and rather wide as opposed to tall. The local voice-box can be heard here, with enough room to seat about a thousand people. Permission papers for traveling to Grand House grounds can be gotten here, as well as other government functions. It has a small prison for petty criminals and houses a small police force.

Star Chamber – a makeshift shrine and memorial, it is made of blue stone with glowing arcane sigils and resembles a double cylindrical cupola with two levels. The first level is the war memorial, with plaques and stonework showing the hundreds of names of people who died in the comparatively short revolutionary war for Andaliel, as well as subsequent minor conflicts until recently; the second is home to Catarina, the city’s (and since Oomash is the capital, also the nation’s) spirit. Visitors are welcome. It is located on the outskirts of the city, to the far north, where civilization begins to meet the rocky mountain niche where it is located.

Rashan’s Observatory – overlooking the city from the west, the massive tower with the strange steel cylinder projecting from it is Rashan’s Observatory, where Rashan Dahl observes the skies at an angle, able to look over the mountainsides otherwise blocking the view. He can also turn it to look directly above. Visitors are welcome, but climbing up to the observatory might be dangerous without magical means, as it is built further up the niche in which Oomash is set in and requires some physical labor. A tunnel is in the works that would allow safer travel to the observatory.

The Points of Light magic guild – a castle-like construction of several towers and buildings on the east side of Oomash. It is oddly intimidating and foreboding, but inside, higher education is offered, mages are trained, new magic developed and new devices tested, and lobbying for certain magical reforms or laws is done with senators. The Points of Light guild is very influential, as it helps maintain and regulate magical neccessities such as the portals that ease travel around Andaliel.

The Inquirer – the offices of the Inquirer take up the top four levels of an eight-level business-owned spire in south Oomash. The lower levels include a courier service, a book store and a cafe. People can be seen coming and going, including reporters, young freelancers, sources with dirt to give out on local celebrities, and support mages who use a quick, special ritual that allows them to take a yellow, white and black picture to be included in the paper.

Aria Dance Halls – Owned by Madame Aria Hiblis and certain partners, the Aria Dance Halls are towering twin buildings decorated in glowing neon runes in east-central Oomash, unmistakable due to the many cylindrical projections between them, hallfways that connect parallel floors to each other (and that themselves serve as more rooms for dancing and festitivies). It is the is the place to be for both romantic (slow) and sensual (fast) dance and music, and one of the most popular spots in Oomash from evening to dawn. The atmosphere can change depending on the occasion – from slow and relaxed, to downright steaming.

Great cuisine is served in the first few floors, and the top few floors are private and can be rented, and both couples and singles are welcome. The middle floors are for dancing, singing, flirting and light drinking. Comfortably middle class, it is still frequented by the wealthy, and thus attracts lower class people as well, seeking connections. So long as you present yourself properly and behave in a civilized fashion, you can participate. Decorations and layouts change on the fly, with themed nights and holiday celebrations. Many wealthy men and women have investments in Madame Hibilis’ dance halls, investments they are not regretting in the least. It is one of the biggest moneymakers in Oomash, and Andaliel in general.

Archmage Theater – The bottom three floors of a distinctive crown-topped building with very tall levels in south Oomash are home to the Archmage Theater, the place for new and interesting plays as well as old classics. Comedy and heroism are on show – sometimes, a tragedy might be played out, ever since the theater came under new management. This both disgruntles and fascinates long-time visitors. The top floors are dance halls, violin enthusiasts (and duelist’s) clubs and purveyors of food.

Road’s End – The central road of Oomash ends at the Grand House. Directly behind it is an area where the buildings are squat and the streets a tangle. This is road’s end, an outdoor and indoor bazaar with goods from all over Adel, as well as being home to certain unsavory characters. If one would point at a place in Oomash where crime is highest, it would be Road’s End. This would not be saying much, as crime in Andaliel in general is restrained, but Road’s End is home to scam artists, pickpockets and expert smugglers. Yet, fashionable clothing, great produce, magic trinkets (and information, weapons and mercenaries) can all be bought here, and it is a very frequented place.

Rozzt Prison – The seat of police power in Andaliel and the largest prison, it is built into the western mountainside of Oomash’s niche. It has many levels and secret areas, and is even said to be haunted. Civilians can take tours of it, but few dare.

The Tunnels – As mentioned, Oomash sits on a niche, tucked away in the Hetuku mountains. Tunnels beneath and around Oomash run into the mountain. Mining is rarely undertaken near Oomash anymore except by private speculators. It is easy to become lost in the tunnels – unofficial ones are off-limits to people, but many still go. Official tunnels are marked with directions and patrolled, and lead out of Oomash and towards Lilicor. Others might lead to all sorts of things…

Sample NPCs:

Small List of Past Prime Ministers:

1170-78: Ulysses Pathor
1166-70: Marianne Trevor
1162-66: Euclid Cali
1158-62: Brutus Pillo
1146-58: Elizabeth Branch

Prime Minister Ulysses Pathor – A gentlemanly middle-aged Iomadi man, Ulysses is very well-spoken and a picture of government that Andaliel’s citizens are proud to have. His political career began in Oomash in its famous Point of Light magic guild and university. Over many years he became president of this body and under his oversight many projects were undertaken that helped the city improve its image further. In 1170 A.C. he was chosen as Prime Minister with remarkable citizen’s support (even though they had no say in the decision).

Ulysses is very ideological, and believes firmly that Andaliel should focus more on its foreign relations and try to export its success worldwide. Many critics think him an imperialist who would push the country’s borders if he had any power to do so. Contrasting the cynical view, most citizens who have heard of his quick disarming of bitter senate scraps or heard his smooth speeches feel he should be given more power over the lawmaking.

He has a female spirit named Caricola, whom he is contracted with. It is not known what his contract or ban with her are, but she does not seem too intrusive. She takes the form of a small humanoid, child-like in appearance, the size of a large cat, with green hair and brown skin, and feather wings for arms. She often rides on his shoulder, falling asleep during senate deliberations, but always awake for the vote. Caricola is therefore Symbolic Spirit of the Office of the Prime Minister. She is often ridiculed in the Inquirer for her subdued and disinterested demeanor.

Catarina – The 4th in the line of City Spirits for Andaliel’s capital of Oomash, therefore also the Nation Spirit. Catarina is a spirit of the ideology of Andaliel, not merely its democratic roots but its pride and intellect. As such she is a very collected, graceful and approachable spirit, though sometimes with an overt air of indifference to important issues. She lives in the Star Chamber, but might be anywhere in the city depending on the time and weather conditions. Some of her favorite places to be include Rashan’s Observatory, from the top of which she looks up at the sky on clear nights, and the Road’s End market. Her most common form is that of a good-looking ice blue woman with gold hair, dressed in a fur coat or gold and green senator’s robe, with a long tail split into two near the base.

Catarina’s more mundane duties include blessings and healing, and lending some of her power to keep the magic street lights and engines of Andaliel running smoothly. Her special power is an extraordinary one – every election year, Catarina can detect each vote being cast at official polling areas, and thus provide a fast, accurate record of the victors. To a lesser extent, she also knows what goes on in all senate deliberations, as she can detect any official vote being dealt in Andaliel. Critics argue that too much emphasis in placed on Catarina and her line in the political process, and that Catarina might skew the vote, especially since if official voting differs from her record, hers are used by default. Catarina is nonetheless a dearly beloved and admired symbol of Andaliel.

Bartholomew Aora – Owner of the Inquirer, he is a short cuporo man, once part of the military, now converted firmly to the side of the profiteers. He is a very rich man, and takes pride in his newspaper informing the people of the truth (despite how few times the truth is ever presented in full). He is said to have underworld connections, but nothing can be proven. Rumors fly about him, ranging from the depraved to the comedic. He has nothing but contempt for the senators, believing that all of them taint the image of democracy with their squabbles. He is not a particularly hard taskmaster, and rarely meets with any reporters or editors of his paper – as long as issues are sold and he can continue to feign like he cares about the truth, not much else really matters. To see him in the actual Inquirer building, as opposed to his 3-level apartment in North Oomash, would indicate a grave failure on the part of an editor or reporter.

Rashan Dahl – An eccentric among his people, Rashan is a stout old dwarf who always looks toward the sky. He would be a spectacle in a place like Noshiki, with his beard dyed a color each day, his eyebrows singed off from experiments. But there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest mages to ever live in Andaliel, close to two hundred years old, with an eidetic memory of his every invention, formula and especially his every achievement.

He lives in an observatory of his own design, but works in the Points of Light Guild, where he is head – he stepped down to allow a younger man, Ulysses, to take over for a while, but upon Ulysses request, he returned once “his boy” became Prime Minister. He dislikes work, because he often has to take on projects people ask him to, rather than projects he really wants to. He jumps from one project to the next, often leaving them half-finished, unless it’s a government request, which he grudgingly completes even when it no longer holds his attention. The one thing that he is most interested in is the sky. He uses a magic scope to look more closely at the Forlorn Void, and is even able to see Dromeda Sky Palaces within it.

Matthew Iazac – Eccentric young entrepeneur and one of the new owners of the Archmage Theater. He is the most visible out of the three partners who compose the new management of the Theater, perhaps because he is the only one who has a real love for theater. A young Iomadi, in his 20s, attractive, with slicked back dark hair, chiseled looks, and always fashionably dressed, Matthew is fawned over by many women in Oomash. He is rumored to be “flirting with” none other than Madame Aria Hiblis of Aria Hall herself. His favorite type of play are Tragedies in the styles of Periterim and Sargasso, which he is slowly introducing into the escapist literary culture of Andaliel. Another rumored rogue, who’s wealth he declares an inheritance, and is said to have come from Periterim. Perhaps the mystery is part of his appeal.

Aria Hibilis – A beautiful Athirua woman, who when asked will not disclose her age. She is wealthy, always a trend-setter. Slim, well-curved, blond-haired and blue-eyed, this indigo-skinned woman seems to know everyone in Oomash and everything that’s going on. Like most Athirua, every outfit she wears is designed to give people quite an eyeful. Despite this, she is relatively approachable, at least initially. She can find out smooth talkers in a second, and rejects any romantic advance – if she wanted to flirt, she’d start the advance. To others it seems like she’s dangling a dozen men by her wrist at once. She can be found in her dance hall, always ready to share a friendly drink or dance, if the person offering is careful enough with her.

Characters and Adventures in Oomash:

Oomash’s streets are pretty crowded. This is in some ways symbolic of the types of games you’ll want to run – the exploration will happen indoors instead, and be more urban. The players might diffuse political situations, topple criminal organizations, dig up dirt on wealthy residents for the Inquirer, visit the historical monuments of the city, and interact with the”beautiful people” in Oomash. It is recommended for players to train in Diplomacy or Bluff and Streetwise or History in order to take advantage of the social gameplay options present in Oomash.

That’s not to say all adventures necessarily have to be urban and indoors in nature. The tunnels and the mountain wilderness offer players options as well, pursuing beasts or aberrations, exploring long forgotten mines or braving the wintry mountainside to the Hetuku peaks. Any monsters with the Cold keyword, subterranean creatures, and burrowers like Bulettes, make excellent encounters in the wilds.

Depending on your game and story, you might want to create these characters with actual statistics appropriate to whatever tier you are playing. Statistics should only be created if the players will be fighting against that character, or if that character is a prominent aid to the PCs. Otherwise it is best to assume they aren’t any particular levels – if your PCs use their skills against them, assign DCs based on the situation, rather than having the NPC roll anything.

For example, trying bluntly to woo Aria Hibilis would be a rather difficult check of the PC’s level, using the DCs table in the Dungeon Master’s Guide – and perhaps even adjusting it to be more difficult than the usual “Hard” DC, thanks to Aria’s prospensity for blowing people off. If the PC is merely trying to be friendly with Aria, or shows only subtle romantic intent, a moderate DC would be more appropriate – Aria appreciates playfulness. However, if Aria is an antagonist or an important recurring benefactor for the PCs in your game, design a stat block for her that gives her suitable powers for whatever role you want her to play in the game, and allow her to use her skills and roll like any other character would.

Here are some suggested baseline “monster” roles, and class templates, to create the notable characters in Oomash.

Ulysses – Wizard, Warlock (Controller [Leader] base)
Bartholomew – Rogue, Warlord (Striker base)
Rashan – Wizard (Controller base)
Matthew – Rogue, Wizard (or multiclass) (Controller or Striker base)
Aria – Rogue, Warlock (Striker [Leader] base)

Other non-player characters you might want to consider including in Oomash stories are a Chief of Police, the other two partners of the Archmage Theater, an underworld leader or two, some judges, some senators, and a few cabinet members and department heads to assist the Prime Minister. You may also want to draft up a few competing establishments for places such as Archmage Theater and the Aria Halls, not as popular, but existing in order to make the city more vivid and varied. Simply come up with a name and a notable person associated with it, give it some color and give the players some choices.

Here’s an example you can include, which illustrates how to go about this:

“The Brass Dragon, home to the famous Athirua songstress Clarice Sillanno, located on southwest Oomash. Clarice is the key feature of the establishment, with a voice that is said to lull spirits into a lovestruck trance. Being young (clearly young, not just in an enigmatic way like Madame Hibilis) and talented, she gives the Brass Dragon a chance to compete somewhat even with the far larger Aria Halls, which lack a defining music talent to their name. Clarice is a gorgeous Athirua with wheat-colored hair and dark indigo skin, always in a short sleeveless red dress. Clarice is no Madame Hibilis, but she is a good bet on information regardless, being a very lusted after character, she has met a great deal of people and knows the city well. If the players have a difficult time at the Aria Halls, or if one of them offends or is not careful enough with Madame Hibilis and therefore cannot find out necessary information, developing a contact with Clarice might yield enough to get them going again. Who knows, she might even take a liking to one of them, opening up even more future prospects.”

Here are some sample hooks to run Oomash adventures. You can and should apply this same line of thinking to the other areas of Andaliel mentioned below and come up with good basic ideas for adventures that you can flesh out into something far more, and uniquely yours.

•Hooks
-The Prime Minister’s past is nowhere near as clean as anyone thinks, but now that he is in office, the information could destabilize politics in Oomash.
-There is growing unrest with the small elven minority and their treatment in the senate, and the issue of a sovereign elven state. Wealthy elven citizens have formed a hidden group, and have begun hiring drow assassins.
-Matthew Iazac is a penniless man, all of his money borrowed from and now owed to criminal interests who will soon act against him.
-Aria Hibilis is secretly the undisputed leader of a major criminal organization, with interests including illicit gambling, blackmail, money laundering and prostitution.
-The government is covering up that the Oomash tunnels lead to a major ritual site for the aberrant gods, crawling with monsters.
-A growing population of bulettes and other tunneling beasts are threatening the city with their haphazardly dug tunnels. Major collapses grow ever more likely.
-Rozzt prison is home to a cabal of necromancers who experiment on death row – and take any choice cuts as diabolic servants.

CITY OF LILICOR (4 voting districts)

Population: 1.4 million (residents)
Major Religions: Arcline, Inunkuru
Common Races: Iomadi, Cuporo, Athirua, Human
Important Minorities: Elf, Dwarf
Climate: Very Cold, almost year-round snow

Further down the mountain from Oomash, made plain upon the face of the Hetuku mountains, Lilicor is a mostly residential city, with a direct connection to Oomash and few large businesses or services. Lilicor residents go to Oomash to party, shop, dine out. If anything, Lilicor is like an extension of Oomash. Buildings are reserved and quaint homes. Lilicor’s establishments, unlike Oomash’s, are mostly private in nature, thus less popular and smaller in nature. The city is built upon a number of large terraformations in the mountain, which jut out to hold ten home units and a central plaza with small businesses or domed parks, kept environmentally controlled by magic to provide warmth, greenery and relaxation spots away from the cold exterior.

Home Units in Lilicor consist of homes with two to three levels, about two acres of ground space in all. They have heating and running water. Some buildings are much larger, and are residential complexes with many apartments and rooms, or inns for travelers. Often the wealthy have smaller homes built of more expensive materials as showcase of wealth. Lilicor has two levels – the lower cliff faces, and the more expensive upper faces. The lower faces have more modest housing, usually inhabitted by low class to low-middle class citizens who go to Oomash with some regularity, seeking to strike it rich, while the upper faces are the more ritzy areas. Travel between these is done by tunnel. In the vastness of the Hetuku, it is said that Lilicor is still visible from the foot. It is an amazing marvel of magical engineering.

Buying magical items in Lilicor is difficult. Perhaps from individuals, but there are no vendors. Expect high mark-ups if you try.

Notable Places In Lilicor:

Plaza Domes – There are a number of five or six acre parks in Lilicor protected by magic domes. As long as a nature spirit resides in each dome, the plants grow as though they had sunlight and water, and warm, breezy days can be simulated within the dome. This allows for small recreation parks to be made. Inside, any natural condition can be replicated, from comfortable days, to stormy weather (to spice things up). These serve as picnic and relaxation areas.

Notable Characters in Lilicor:

Herbert Wright – The mayor of Lilicor, he is an inactive and somewhat chubby cuporo with very long green hair. He rarely has to undertake anything of his own will regarding city policy, as general orders come down from above in Oomash as to where to develop, what to develop, what town codes need to be enacted, and so forth. He has little in the way of a police force under his command – Lilicor is so quiet that any violent crimes tend to come as major shocks to him. His wife is a human, Anna Wright, which tends to get them odd looks from foreigners – either because of seeing a human woman of all things, or seeing an average human woman of all things married to a chubby little cuporo. He has a small ladybug shaped spirit named Pippin.

Senators: Many senators live in Lilicor. You can use, for example, Karea Matriz the Iomadi female senior senator, a middle-aged yet vivacious woman who travels constantly between work and family, and very approachable to her neighbors and constituents, and who has a sore dislike for the elven minority in the senate. Or you can come up with your own important senators and their families and quirks.

Characters And Adventures In Lilicor:

Lilicor is very large, but it is not much of a city in game terms without you to populate it. Important characters for your game might live in Lilicor, or the players might have to go there to find a certain NPC or to deliver something. Your players might even purchase an apartment in Lilicor as a sort of home base. Lilicor has a Teleportation Circle to Oomash – this is about its most remarkable landmark. But it is not the only one – inns, bars, and other establishments of your creation can serve as meeting places with NPCs and further hooks, which you can create yourself as in the example shown for Oomash. Lilicor itself is not an epic adventure site, but it can lead players to greater things.

Setting a game in Lilicor is not difficult, but the adventure is likely to be short. While large, the city is not dynamic. It is strictly residential with small businesses to entertain locals. It is very much an appendage of sorts to Oomash. Unlike Oomash, Lilicor is not set into the mountain, but built right over its face. It is accessible only through tunnels, as the climb up the mountain from the face would be too steep. Therefore wilderness adventures are out. Social challenges, mysteries and information gathering are all legitimate adventures to partake in Lilicor. Many senators and society personages from Oomash live in Lilicor and travel to their businesses by way of the teleportation circle. So by extension if Oomash has important and interesting characters, Lilicor should too.

Another use for the city is to couple it with an Oomash adventure. Uniting the two in your game is very logical and doubles the area you can use. Most of Lilicor goes back and forth between their homes and Oomash, so it is only natural the PCs would end up following a trail here, or getting a lead from Lilicor to Oomash. In fact, Lilicor can serve as a slow introduction to Oomash, leading in from the squat, expansive yet quiet city, into the tall, tight and vocal capital city.

REGION AND CITY OF IMPEL (6 voting districts)

Population: 2 million (900,000 Impel City, then scattered towns and villages); Perhaps 3-4 million with visitors
Major Religions: Inunkuru, Paikar, Rashine
Common Races: Iomadi, Cuporo, Setah, Damakran, Dwarf
Important Minorities: Elf
Climate: Temperate; high chance of snow in the northern parts

Below the Hetuku mountains are vast swathes of forest, cut across by a major road known as the Sugar Road for its traditional use in the sugar trade, going from Periterim, then over Noshiki, and finally into Impel. Along the Sugar Road are many small villages and towns that cater to travelers and merchant caravans. This area is what is known as Impel, a series of forest villages and towns and stops along the side of the road, with quite a bit of forest between and around.

At the end of the Sugar Road is Impel City, located off-center to the north in Impel, an utterly vast, awe-inspiringly large city that sees trade from all the civilized world (that is, the world save for Vedaria and Selvage). Impel is surrounded by a fence of tall, sharpened logs joined with rings of steel, and iron gates funnel Sugar Road traffic into the mercantile capital of Andaliel. The buildings in the city are made of brick, wood and concrete and painted with earth tones. They are often squat and wide, with only water towers being more then two levels tall. Kiosks, wagons and rugs full of goods line the main streets, and the backroads lead to shops were specialties and curiosities that tantalize the eyes can be found – for a price.

Impel is a busy city. Its wide main street, the extension of the Sugar Road into the city, is nowhere as congested as a street in Oomash but still very busy and alive with people from all over the world. It is as though anything can be found and purchased in Impel. Many odd things do end up here – including stolen or black market goods, and illegal commodities the likes of which might make ones skin crawl. It is a raucous place to be sure. Due to the overwhelming amount of buying and selling that goes on, one can find used items at market price, and completely new items at very low markups, from 5% to 10%.

For all the things it is, Impel is also considered a very young city. One can see it in the faces of many of the people there. These are not the profiteering old men often associated with mercantilism, but fresh, young faces of traveling merchants trying to find some corner or niche in the market that they can exploit, a breach in the wall that will elevate them to success. Their lives are tumultuous, and many who stay in Impel have written literature, poems and songs about this. Traveling from place to place, buying low here, selling high there, figuring out the best – and safest – routes, dealing with bad faith, banditry and culture shock.

The farther one gets from the central road, the less there is to see. People who live in Impel leave their homes during the day to gather near Market Road and sell or labor. Homes are for the night periods. The residential areas become eerily quiet during the day.

Notable Locations:

Market Road – The wide central road which cuts vertically across Impel City. The Sugar Road becomes Market Road within Impel City before ending. All alongside it, all sorts of goods and food can be purchased, road-side shows watched, and interesting (or crushingly ordinary) characters met. People can be seen all around, busily moving ever onward even as they sell off any surplus stock or deliver goods.

The Back Streets – Anything you can’t find in the Market Road is definitely in the back streets. Only lightly patrolled and seemingly devoid of much humanoid company, it is an underworld haven. All doors are closed, until gold or contacts are presented. All windows shuttered or boarded up, until the proper words are spoken. Anything can be found, but at a price – magic items of rare types but with (comparatively) unfair markups from 20% to 40%, information for both gold and favors, the most vicious cutters in Andaliel up for hire. Many of the best establishments, with such business as stolen goods at lower than market price, are “invitation only”, requiring passwords passed on by word of mouth – mouths not very easy themselves to find and get to speak. They may open at specific times, for specific durations, before closing anew.

Guilds – A number of guilds operate in Impel, for nearly any trade. The largest, of course, is the Guild of Commerce, which doubles as a government office for Impel. The commerce guild oversees the signing of contracts, keeps records, and offers a certain amount of liability protection to merchants who sign up under it (in exchange, they get to levy proportional income fees from merchants). They also help with the sometimes utterly arcane paperwork that must be done for high income citizens and entities to pay their taxes, and help make reservations and set schedules for caravans that come and go frequently.

Food Carts – With so many people coming in, making food fast tends to make you money fast. There is a great culture of cart food in Impel, not only in Impel City, but in the villages, and even traveling along with the merchants. Those who can invest in an animated cart do not ever regret it – others have a spirt partner or (for the lowliest of low) mules pulling along a cart where food is quickly cooked by one or two people, typically out of sight of the customers, and given out. Things such as fried doughs, skewered meats and veggies, and quick cold drinks are common. It is less common for people to bring food prepared in off-time to be sold during peak hours, but it is a very profitable business if the timing is right. Mages and people with Prism-powered carts have the easiest time. They can use magic to prepare the food and even change the taste, making more money overall. Young prospective “cart cooks” often partner with inexperienced young mages who can provide the simple magic required to heat up food quickly, while not very able to charge high prizes for their mostly “unskilled” services.

The Sleepy Silvers Inn – There are many inns and taverns to cater to the very many people passing through Impel. This is a sample one. A competing establishment or two might be good in addition to this one in order to make Impel more organic for your adventures.

The Sleepy Silvers is a large building with small rooms. It plays to its namesake, and the rooms are little more than a bed and a set of drawers with a glass of water atop, with one window looking out. Despite this, it is a very affordable and kind establishment. The owner is a long-haired, cheerful Ainyu man named Art Shallow, who’s motes are named after days of the week. Travellers get a free (if small) breakfast if they stay the night, and cheap healing is offered by Art.

Notable People:

The Impel Council – Rather than a mayor, an elected council of five people govern Impel with delegated powers from the Senate. Depending on your game, they might be benevolent people tied up a city with a runaway market, that is growing beyond what anyone can control; or greedy profiteers pushing more and more foreigners in and more and more residents out, and catering to the organized crime in the seediest areas.

Sicily Blanche – Known as the “Goddess of Commerce”, Sicily Blanche is a very wealthy young wizard and the current head of the Guild Of Commerce in Impel, under direct authority of the government in Oomash. She is a grey-haired, dark-eyed, youthful and beautiful elf always clad in dazzling robes. She is known as one who “sides with humans” as very racist elves say, caring not about the state of her race and joining the world culture instead. Though only about a hundred and thirty years old, Sicily struck gold during her early years as an explorer.

Through judicious selling, buying and trading of treasures she eventually set up a strong business in magical items and has many investments with Points of Light in Oomash. Her adventuring days are since past, but she has learned a great many routes and seen a lot of the world. She heads the Commerce guild, and her duties include overseeing contracts and signing agreements and guild orders, as well as setting policy. She also chews people out and puts unscrupulous merchants in their place. She has a very strong belief that theft and scamming ruins the economy by bringing bad faith to it and lowering people’s confidence.

Characters And Adventures In Impel:

Impel is a location that allows for much more normal D&D style adventures than in Oomash or Lilicor. Though the highlight is Impel City, there is much wilderness and many small villages to be explored as well. This allows characters to mingle with the more common classes of Eden, people of faith and superstition, who keep large spirit shrines for their local spirit, who are less wealthy and not as educated, but still wise and canny in their own ways. One could say, that much more “down-to-earth” characters can be found in Impel. The young merchant who just struck out of his first wagon ride; the lowly tax collector or small lawyer in a town; the cutpurse in over his head; the young priestess of arcline, traveling from a far away land to do good and finding herself at odds with the laws that prevent her from doing so. Of course, wealthy, fabulous people can still be found – it is a place where many cultures meet, after all.

Impel can fit any adventure than a normal area in a D&D game can. You can hunt for monsters, find ancient ruins, confront villains, or even try to strike it rich along with some of the characters you might meet. Try to stress the multicultural feel of Impel by showing many of the exotic races, even if they are not represented normally in the races shown for that area. Give your players characters they can relate to on more emotional levels, even the villains. People in the back streets can serve for great conflict, because they are likely not a cut above anyone in Impel when it comes to wealth. The merciless assassin dogging your player’s steps may have a family to feed and may have made many mistakes that led to this path. He may be in great debt to a crime lord, or he may merely be seeking the easiest way he can fill his purse.

Any benevolent NPCs your players meet or team up with are probably in Impel seeking the opportunities of this rich land – they might express how more prohibitive it is to do business in Oomash, but how they wish they could get up there with all the celebs and politicians, and how Impel is their stepping stone to that. They might be startlingly young, perhaps a bit naive and ideological. Conflicting opinions on nations, ideologies, business, and so much more, can all clash in this vast melting pot of a land.

That being said, Impel takes a bit of work to run, because as the melting pot it is, it should be your city. Therefore not many establishments or characters are provided ready-made for your use. You should come up with your own characters and stories for Impel that fit your players and their characters’ backgrounds, ideologies and goals in interesting ways. They are part of the melting pot as well, and it should show. Some places to start include roadside kiosks and shops, the Impel Council members, maybe an overzealous guard captain or two on the trail of smugglers and mercenaries in the Back Streets, as well as said smugglers, and mercenaries – and their bosses.

THE SOUTHLANDS (11 voting districts)

Population: 5.8 Million
Major Religions: Arcline, Rashine, Paikar
Common Races: Iomadi, Setah, Damakran
Important Minorities: Elf, Human, Halfling, Dwarf, Athirua, Cuporo
Climate: Temperate to warm

The largest and least crowded area of Andaliel, the Southlands are a place of agriculture and simplicity. The wilderness stretches as far as the eye can see, with few big towns around. Small villages and towns are the norm, focusing on agriculture primarily, and then crafts, such as the making of clothing and other textiles, tools and weapons. Simple, hardworking people lead relatively peaceful lives in this area. The biggest shakeup in their lives is when a profiteer buys tracts of land and opens up more jobs for them.

Southlands villages are built either around, or nearby the shrine of a local spirit. They tend to be primarily (and mostly) wooden and simple to perhaps an extreme, with single family homes with a dining and family area that leads into smaller rooms. Couples sleep together, and there is usually one room for any children, and one room for any other adults. Often the houses might look very crude or haphazard as new rooms are built right into the side for cousins that might come to stay the season, or such situations. Shrines and churches are built to the taste of the spirit that will live in them, but are often even simpler than normal homes, at times with bare window holes and no doors, flat roofs or no floors. Villages are often framed by vegetation, be it tall forest or fields of crops. Common crops include wheat, legumes, root vegetables, vine fruits.

The Southlands are deeply spiritual. Many superstitions regarding spirits that will seem silly elsewhere are quite well alive here. People do not make contracts with spirits of the same gender – because when you make a contract with a spirit, it is believed to be comparative to a romantic relationship. People also do not keep spirits as “pets”. Whenever a lone Pekor lands on your window, feed it or suffer terrible luck. These are just examples. A deep appreciation, awe, and even fear of spirits exists in the Southlands. Local spirits are treated almost like having the very gods in your neighborhood, and great respect is afforded them. At times, the spirit might even grow weary of such treatment and leave, unless it is particularly vain.

Though not as cosmopolitan as the more developed areas, the Southlands are still quite welcoming. Exotic races and foreigners will have to put up with being referred to as city folk (regardless of their actual past circumstances) and with the light probing that Southlanders like to give such people, asking seemingly harmless questions on faith, conduct, nature, and other parts of rural living. Strength and wit are respected, and hard work and personal honor even more so. Until a foreigner becomes respected, he is often given a nickname based on appearance. More often than not, it is a pretty annoying nickname. Nonetheless, there isn’t any violence or real discrimination or persecution – or at least not obvious.

Unlike most relationships between city and rural, the Southlanders don’t believe themselves all that apart from the government. “Those folks are smarter than we are,” is a common rationale for why they trust the government. Its policies have yet to really offend. To them, cities like Oomash that they are unlikely to ever go to are just incredible places in the books and from where order trickles down.

Due to its vast population, there are a lot of soldiers and reserve in the Southlands. There is a culture of respect among them for their soldiers, and one of the few ways to really offend them is to say anything bad about the military. To them, the Army of the Republic can do no wrong.

Notable Locations:

Shrines – Every village and town has a shrine with a local spirit, decorated and build to the spirit’s character. Spirits draw charm papers to ward off Pekor swarms, help educate village children, and aid the village with magic. They participate in any major ceremonies. Things such as marriages, funerals and religious ceremonies will be handled at the shrine. Visitors are often requested to go to the shrine and leave an offering before exiting the village.

Government Offices – Small government offices can be found in many towns and villages. They range from one room affairs with a long desk and a voicebox, and a few seats for visitors, to buildings the size of the village homes with a bit more space. They handle voting for the district, and often need a lot of help from volunteers during election years. Often people might go to one even for things like relationship advice or even have the officer take care of children, simply because the officer behind the desk is likely the most institutionally educated person in the town, and by extension everyone believes him or her to be more intelligent. They accept such requests, usually because there’s not much else to do otherwise.

Characters And Adventures In The Southlands:

The Southlands are a prime area for major wilderness adventures. Classical D&D adventures, like clearing out kobold caves, stopping bandits, fighting dragons, and exploring undiscovered ruins, can all be staged in the Southlands. The land is vast, and it is not completely explored. There are thick temperate forests, deep lakes, low caves and underground tunnels, all sorts of wilderness features for you to use in designing adventures. The people do not venture into these areas – often it is these areas that venture towards the people.

More than that, there is a greater air of spiritualism and mysticism in the Southlands than there would be in the busy Impel or the urban Oomash. Folk tales aren’t about Gregory earning a coin, or romantic tales of princes and kings – they are about the queer sounds in the woods, the strange spirits out in the wilderness, things not fully understood and rightly feared. The simple people of the Southlands have a simple mindset to their lands that gives players a sense of mystery and wonder. When asking for directions, they will certainly be told of one or two places not to go to, and why. “There be bad spirits down that road, go around it,” they’ll say, or “You could cut across Hokke forest, but you’d be a darned fool to do so,” and perhaps these can all be true. Or maybe only halfway true.

The Southlands also offer players a greater sense of heroism, and their difference from the people. In other areas they are quite likely (if not guaranteed) to meet people with class templates and similar powers to theirs, or on their level. In the Southlands, this is not so, not to such an extent. The Southlands conform more to the D&D standard that players are unique. They are far more “Special” in this land, and with that comes some responsibility. They will not inspire awe, but they can earn it. That’s not very true of other areas of Andaliel.

When writing NPCs and villages for the Southlands, show the simplicity of the people in minor ways. Accentuate the family and the leadership of the town. Give the characters simple lives, contrasted with big dreams and perhaps terribly misunderstood perceptions of other countries and larger cities. Show their spirituality. Every town and village will have a good shrine and a town spirit they will be proud of. These spirits will also be characters, perhaps wiser and more intelligent than the villagers, perhaps not. Though the Southlanders may not have as much complexity to their character, this should not render them void of depth.

Create villains for Southlands adventures as you always would. These might be foreigners, cultists, necromancers, bands of goblinoids or kobolds, or large evil spirits or monsters. Cabals of political conspirators, and other such grandiose plots, are unlikely. Organized crime, perhaps minor pseudopods of it, but nothing major.