The Kingdom
Theoretically a large shard, the exact nature of the Kingdom is unknown; it's been magically protected by its ruling spirits since long before the Shattering, and while logic would suggest it became a part of Genesis along with the rest of the shards due to the fact that it hasn't been revealed by the modern technology of the Old World nothing about the place has ever been well-understood. It currently stands as it always has: a beautiful, otherworldly land located somewhere along the Mediterranean's northern coast, protected by encircling mists that keep all outsiders from crossing its borders.
A towering, needle-sharp peak jutting out of the cluster of mountains in the Kingdom's center, the Spire is thought to have once been the home to the Kingdom's guardian Spirits and currently serves as the location of the royal court. The slender mountain is honeycombed with tunnels and encircled with precariously built buildings that hug its outer faces; it's generally understood that it's magic as much as anything else that holds it together, reinforced by generation after generation of spellwork being poured into its maintenance. The lower levels of the Spire belong to the palace-city's service staff, housing them and the work that keeps the whole place running, while higher levels belong to the nobility with the great Audience and the royal quarters at the very top. There are many openings in the mountain's sides all the way from base to top, allowing its winged inhabitants to come and go freely between levels.
Said to be the place where the Cormorant first set foot on the Kingdom's shores, Cormorant's Landing is marked by a small shrine on a bluff above the ocean. Myth says he returns there often, and people will often leave written prayers there in hopes that Cormorant will carry them to the spirits. KORIAN'S STAND
A series of irregular, jagged ridges in the land at the Kingdom's far northeastern border. The air is thick with visions and half-formed illusions here, wavering like a heat mirage, and it's understood that anyone venturing into the Stand risks madness or worse. It's said that this is the place where the first queen of the Kingdom was granted the power to repel an invading army, back in the days before the spirits hid the Kingdom away from the world, but the meaning behind its name has long since been lost to time. THE MIRROR OF THE MOON
A still pool deep in the northern forests near Alunai, the Moonsmere is an area of deeply concentrated magic and believes to be sacred to the unnamed place spirits of the Kingdom. Mages trying to work complex spells will often visit here, holding vigil for several days and using the earth's power to stabilize their workings. THE MISTY SHORE
Unlike most of the Kingdom's shoreline, the far western edge of the sea is frequently shrouded in mists. Many find it unsettling, and those who've spent time there will almost always have a personal story of unsettling visions seen in the fog when walking the shore alone; in many cases it's the sight of a great city burning, floating far out over the water among the mists. STORMPEAK
The dark mountain where Stormcrow is said to sleep during the summer months. Stormpeak is circled by perpetual storms and often half-shrouded by rain, and considered strictly off-limits to mortals. The weather patterns that center around the mountain are considered the source of the Kingdom's great western river. SUNPEAK
A volcanic mountain of reddish stone, said to align with the rising sun when looking east from the Spire. Sunbird is said to sleep here during the winter months. Like Stormpeak, it's strictly off-limits to mortals, and its occasional rumbling or venting of smoke and gasses are thought to be a sign that Sunbird's emotions are turning violent.
Climate and Geography
Seemingly chosen by the Spirits for its idyllic nature, the Kingdom is the epitome of a Mediterranean climate and spends most of the year as a sunsoaked, pleasantly warm paradise. Winter rains soak the land but never drop the temperature below freezing, making it yield enormously bountiful harvests that easily sustain its population. Most of the shard is rolling grasslands, a vast valley ringed by mountains on three sides and the sea to the south; the mountains are the only place where the weather swings towards dangerous, with storms frequently brewing between the tall, sharp-sided peaks that reach far into the sky. The land is forested at the base of the mountains and sporadically further in towards the valley's center, providing game and timber.Population and Governance
The people of the Kingdom, known as the Kingdomborn, are a unique race found nowhere else in Genesis. They follow an instinctual, deeply ingrained caste system based on individuals' inherent level of dominance and reinforced by everything from culture to their own unique form of magic. For the most part this means that there's little conflict. The land is divided and subdivided; the lowest caste serves, the middle caste governs smaller towns and settlements, and the highest castes govern overarching territories encompassing large areas of land and the towns within them. The highest power in the land is a matrilineal royal line, descended from the Kingdom's first queen who was chosen by the Spirits. There are approximately fifteen to twenty territories within the Kingdom at any given time, with the number adjusting upwards or downwards depending on how many members of the rare Seraphim or Nephilim castes are currently capable of ruling. Roughly the same in size but not necessarily the same in prosperity, they divide the Kingdom into neat portions with the Spire in the center. Each territory will typically hold several smaller towns and villages, with the estate of the ruling lord serving as the administrative center responsible for tallying the harvest, enforcing law as needed, and the symbolic heart of the area.Capital
THE SPIREA towering, needle-sharp peak jutting out of the cluster of mountains in the Kingdom's center, the Spire is thought to have once been the home to the Kingdom's guardian Spirits and currently serves as the location of the royal court. The slender mountain is honeycombed with tunnels and encircled with precariously built buildings that hug its outer faces; it's generally understood that it's magic as much as anything else that holds it together, reinforced by generation after generation of spellwork being poured into its maintenance. The lower levels of the Spire belong to the palace-city's service staff, housing them and the work that keeps the whole place running, while higher levels belong to the nobility with the great Audience and the royal quarters at the very top. There are many openings in the mountain's sides all the way from base to top, allowing its winged inhabitants to come and go freely between levels.
Other Notable Locations
CORMORANT'S LANDINGSaid to be the place where the Cormorant first set foot on the Kingdom's shores, Cormorant's Landing is marked by a small shrine on a bluff above the ocean. Myth says he returns there often, and people will often leave written prayers there in hopes that Cormorant will carry them to the spirits. KORIAN'S STAND
A series of irregular, jagged ridges in the land at the Kingdom's far northeastern border. The air is thick with visions and half-formed illusions here, wavering like a heat mirage, and it's understood that anyone venturing into the Stand risks madness or worse. It's said that this is the place where the first queen of the Kingdom was granted the power to repel an invading army, back in the days before the spirits hid the Kingdom away from the world, but the meaning behind its name has long since been lost to time. THE MIRROR OF THE MOON
A still pool deep in the northern forests near Alunai, the Moonsmere is an area of deeply concentrated magic and believes to be sacred to the unnamed place spirits of the Kingdom. Mages trying to work complex spells will often visit here, holding vigil for several days and using the earth's power to stabilize their workings. THE MISTY SHORE
Unlike most of the Kingdom's shoreline, the far western edge of the sea is frequently shrouded in mists. Many find it unsettling, and those who've spent time there will almost always have a personal story of unsettling visions seen in the fog when walking the shore alone; in many cases it's the sight of a great city burning, floating far out over the water among the mists. STORMPEAK
The dark mountain where Stormcrow is said to sleep during the summer months. Stormpeak is circled by perpetual storms and often half-shrouded by rain, and considered strictly off-limits to mortals. The weather patterns that center around the mountain are considered the source of the Kingdom's great western river. SUNPEAK
A volcanic mountain of reddish stone, said to align with the rising sun when looking east from the Spire. Sunbird is said to sleep here during the winter months. Like Stormpeak, it's strictly off-limits to mortals, and its occasional rumbling or venting of smoke and gasses are thought to be a sign that Sunbird's emotions are turning violent.
map of the Kingdom
Quick Facts
Approximate Size: ~22,000 sq. milesNumber of Entrances: unknown
Capital City: the Spire
Dominant Race: Kingdomborn
Approximate Population: ~100,000
Type
Territory
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