Kingdom of Arnhelm

Arnhelm is located midway along the Western Coast of Brasnir, on a peninsula formed by the mighty Dragon Sea to the North-West and the Bay of Maresco to the North-East. The Kingdom is bordered on the East by the Shaken Mountains, across which lie the Undying King and his Drachimier. The Kingdom is bordered on the West by the Hjalten Straits, sometimes called the Narrow Straits or simply The Straits, across which is the Sarr continent of Asula. The Southern border of Arnhelm is formed by the Azma Desert, which is home to nomadic bands of Half-Orcs and Half-Ogres. In the South-East corner, aggressive and uncivilised Goblinoid tribes seek any sign of weakness to launch brutal raids.

Government

Arnhelm is ruled by a single monarch of the Line of Byrne, with succession passing to the King's eldest legitimate son. However, the Kingdom is not a completely harmonious whole, as each of the six duchies is geographically large enough to be a kingdom of their own. Each of the Dukes answers to the King, and each Duke has between three and five Counts answerable to them. Each Count oversees a variable number of Barons, and has a great deal of discretion about how to divide his land between his Barons. Most Counties average between 10 and 15 Baronies. Each level of higher government tries to finely balance the power of the landed Nobles under him, so as to ensure no one Baron becomes powerful enough to threaten his Count, or no one Count becomes influential enough to dictate to his Duke and so on. Below the Barons are many, many representatives of the Arnhelm government, and these functionaries are divided into three broad areas of public service.
The Judicial branch ensures the King's Peace is kept in Arnhelm by enforcing laws and capturing criminals. In more remote areas, they will also be charged with the safety of the village or town they reside in, but will most often recruit local bravos to do the actual fighting. The ranks of Judicial Public Servants are: Guardsmen reporting to Sheriffs reporting to Bailiffs reporting to Magistrates; who then report to their Baron.
The Bureaucratic branch ensures that all citizens of Arnhelm pay their dues and taxes, and are responsible for most important record-keeping. They oversee the administration of the guilds and the proper registration of any new guilds. They often handle the day to day administration of estates, holdfasts, castles and even towns. Occasionally they will employ bravos as guards for caravans or important deliveries. The ranks of Bureaucratic Pubic Servants are: Tax Collectors reporting to Clerks reporting to Stewards reporting to Seneschals; who then report to their Baron.
The Military branch ensures the safety of the Kingdom of Arnhelm and all her citizens. While the Military does technically encompass the Navy, the command structure of the Navy is considered to lie alongside and separate from the Military ranks. Like the Judiciary and the Bureaucracy, the Military will often recruit bravos as irregular troops to hold a specific line or point to reinforce the army while it manoeuvres. Such recruitment in times of need is often only nominally voluntary. The ranks of Military Public Servants are: Soldiers reporting to Sergeants reporting to Captains reporting to Knights; who then report to their Baron.
The highest rank of each of the three branches, before the rank of Baron, is normally awarded a small parcel of land. From this land the Magistrate, Seneschal or Knight is expected to make a living and pay the salary of his immediate subordinates. From that income, his subordinates must pay their subordinates and so on.
Of course there are other ways to garner income such as winning prize purses at tourneys, or hunting down creatures whose remains are valued by the various guilds, or even engaging in guild activities and commerce. There are also rumours of darker paths to income, but this talk of corruption in the ranks of government officials and even nobles is surely exaggeration, if not outright fabrication.

Class and Station

The humans of Arnhelm are a people of contrasts. They tend to be a steadfast and pragmatic folk, and in many ways they have to be, given the harsh threats on their borders. On the other hand, Arnhelm is a cosmopolitan Kingdom, which allows anyone of any race to enter, provided they are willing to respect and submit to the Kingdom’s laws. This gives rise to a strange mixture of meritocracy and bloodline inheritance. The culture is rigidly stratified with a caste system entrenching the nobility and protecting their privileges; and a noble who successfully defends his titles in the games of court and war will pass on his title to his eldest legitimate heir. On the other hand, impressing the powers-that-be with your mettle and merit may see a commoner promoted to a minor noble, able to then prove themselves and work their way up the ranks and play the games of intrigue and politics to aspire to greater station.
It is unwise not to show a noble respect, and commoners should be wary of giving offence to nobility. One is expected to obey one’s betters or face harsh penalties. However, the nobility are encouraged not to abuse this, as the consequences of misusing the power granted by the King – or even failing to perform your responsibilities adequately – are seldom pleasant and occasionally fatal.
Outsiders are often viewed with mistrust and suspicion, but will seldom be openly mistreated without cause. While non-humans will seldom rise very high in the social ranks, many still enjoy a comfortable position in Arnhelm: Hoblings thrive on trade throughout the Kingdom; enigmatic Dwarves help the Kingdom keep the Undead at bay in the East; and even an individual Sarr in Arnhelm will not be held accountable for his people’s periodic raids of the Kingdom’s Western coast.

Royalty

Atop the "class pyramid" sits the monarch and his family. All of Arnhelm is subject to the will and authority of the King (or in rare cases, the Queen). The King's heir is normally his eldest legitimate son, and is referred to as the Crown Prince. His other children are referred to as Princes or Princesses, as appropriate. The King is addressed as "Your Majesty", while the rest of the Royal Family should be addressed as "Your Highness". The current Royal Family consists of His Majesty King Torvald and Her Royal Highness Queen Thyra, and their three children: Her Highness Princess Ylva, His Highness Crown Prince Njord, and His Highness Prince Eilert. Many of the King's extended family will marry into Ducal lines to cement the ties between the Dukes and the Crown.

Nobility

The echelons of the nobility are made up of the Dukes, Counts and Barons that make up the major landholders of the Kingdom. Each Duke keeps a close eye on the Counts that manage his lands, as any major instability or negative incident in his lands that reaches the ears of the King will earn the King's displeasure, and the King has the ability to confiscate any portion of lands from a Duke he deems is not managing his lands properly and assign them to a rival Duke, or even reassign the Ducal title completely in extreme cases. This dynamic holds true down the pyramid, and Dukes hold similar powers to control the Counts below them, and Counts wield the same authority over Barons.
An inverse dynamic also exists. Barons jostle for position and land against the other Barons serving the same Count, but need to ensure their struggles do not cause a problem for the Count as that would cause the Count to step in and make his displeasure felt. Counts compete with other Counts for the favour of their Duke, making sure their rivalries balance effectiveness and discretion; and the Dukes all vie for influence with the King. The higher the station of the rivalry, the more discretion is called for. A Baronial border dispute involving a few dozen men at arms is unlikely to cause too much disturbance, but a Duke going to war against a rival Duke would immediately draw the attention of the King who would put a swift stop to it rather than risk civil war.
Dukes should be addressed as "Your Grace", Counts as "My Lord Count", and Barons as "My Lord Baron" or "Good Sir Baron". The spouse or child of a noble holds the station of Lord or Lady, due the same respect as the noble, but unable to perform the noble's duties; and are addressed as "Your Lordship" or "Your Ladyship".

Minor Nobility

Upon being granted the rank of Seneschal, Magistrate or Knight one is also granted a parcel of land to administer on behalf of the Baron one serves. This land and title constitute a noble title, that can be passed on to one's heir, on the understanding that the title can and will be revoked if the heir fails to discharge the duties of the title satisfactorily. While not yet on the level of the greater nobility, it is the lowest rung of nobility due the respect and privileges of nobility, and from which an ambitious and sufficiently deserving Seneschal, Magistrate or Knight can hope to one day become a Baron, should a Baronial post become vacant. The title of Seneschal, Magistrate or Knight is also the "entry level" to the games of nobility, and is the typical way a commoner who has distinguished themselves in Judicial, Bureaucratic or Military service can reach the level of nobility. The correct term of address would be along the lines of "My Lord Seneschal", or "My Lady Magistrate" or "Good Sir Knight".

Public Officials

Guardsmen, Sheriffs and Bailiffs serving the Judiciary, as well as Tax Collectors, Clerks and Stewards serving the Bureaucracy, along with Soldiers, Sergeants and Captains serving the Military, hold an office which accords them respect, especially in their areas of service, and are often seen as acting on behalf of the minor nobles to which they report. It would thus be inadvisable to disrespect or interfere with such a person discharging their duties. Public Officials are often addressed as "M'Lord", "M'Lady" or by their post such as "Sheriff" or "Captain".
Similarly, other figures of import, while not noble, are accorded a great deal of respect, such as the heads of the various guilds, who would typically be addressed as "Guildmaster" or "Guildmistress", or the appropriate title bestowed by their individual guild, if known. Members of the Order of the Spirit Slayers, colloquially referred to as "Slayers" and members of the Order of the Dark Vigil, known as "Vigilants" are accorded respect for the function they serve in Arnhelm society, and few would risk disrespecting them.
The leader of the Order of the Spirit Slayers and the leader of the Order of the Dark Vigil are accorded great respect, almost on a par with a Duke, despite not technically having noble station, and are addressed by their titles of "Mage-Bane" and "Keeper" respectively.

Wealth and Influence

While a title brings with it respect and lands, it is a fact of life that wealth brings with it power and influence. Many successful merchants or other wealthy individuals are accorded a level of respect similar to that of a Knight or ranking Public Official even though they have no formal station, simply because it does not pay to offend someone with wealth and influence. Some even own and manage small estates and parcels of land that they have acquired with coin and the favour it brings. Of course, they should take care not to be seen to acquire too much land, lest they make the Baron of their lands nervous.

Bravos, Adventurers and would-be Heroes

Bravos, adventurers and would-be heroes are fairly common in Arnhelm, as given the threats on the Kingdom's borders and the occasional instability within the Kingdom's borders, there is often a need for a commoner to rise to the challenge of serving Arnhelm. While they are still commoners, and hold no formal rank above other commoners and general townsfolk, they are often well treated and received, as townsfolk wish such Bravos to be well-disposed towards them when the times comes to appeal to them for help fending off bandits, routing out goblins or searching for wayward deliveries. Of course, some Bravos can strain this goodwill too far when they hit the taverns, but on the other hand, a commoner who becomes known to be reliable and willing to help is more likely to be noticed and offered a position as a minor Public Official.
Mages in Arnhelm Due in large part to the actions of the Mad King Seward and abuses he subjected the Kingdom to, Arnhelm has an uneasy relationship with magic. None can deny its usefulness, but there is a certain amount of concern over the personal power it grants the practitioner. As such, all Mages are required to wear a Mage Brand, commonly applied as a tattoo, to identify them as able to cast magic. They are policed by the Order of the Spirit Slayers to ensure that no-one uses magic to try to destabilise or undermine Arnhelm and the stability and order of society. Beyond that restriction, Mages are free to occupy any station in society as their birth or merit dictates, but many feel that being Mage Branded negatively affects one's chances of promotion and advancement in society.

Structure

Arnhelm is divided into six Duchies, each ruled by a Duke, except for Thegnheim, which is traditionally overseen by the Crown Prince. Each Duchy is further subdivided into Counties, each ruled by a Count. Counties in turn are divided up into numerous Baronies, each under the supervision of a Baron. Each Baron employs a number of landed Knights, Magistrates and Seneschals to help him maintain order in his lands.

Culture

A human centric culture that is tolerant of other races, to a point.

History

The Kingdom of Arnhelm has a long and varied history, dating from a time before detailed records were kept.

Pre-Kingdom History

Humans first moved into the area now known as Arnhelm under the leadership of a man named Hjalte. Whether he came across the desert from the South, or over the mountains from the East is unknown, but the legends say that when he reached the fertile valley near a broad natural bay, he claimed his journey was done, and that he would rest there. Thus, near the port we today call Abbermouth, Hjalte found his eternal rest. His son set about building a nation, which he called Thegnheim, home of the Thane, in honour of his father.
Over centuries, many human settlements sprang up, and disparate tales claiming to survive from that time describe strange and unbelievable stories. Some tell of a group of powerful, evil wizards who infiltrated all the human nations, and who could take on the shapes of animals and cause all manner of mayhem. Others speak of vicious packs of Sarr, bestial and savage, that would fall on any unfortunate enough to cross their path and were not capable of giving or receiving surrender. Still others relate accounts of organised phalanxes of Ogres, Goblins, Orcs and other goblinoid races acting together in precise military formation, conquering the land.
Enough records agree that eventually six human kingdoms emerged on the peninsula that today occupies Arnhelm, and were able to hold their ground against the threats around them and establish trade with another human kingdom to the South-East, between the Azma Desert and the Shaken Mountains. However much credence can be lent to the tales of highly organised goblinoids, it is clear that the various goblinoid races were prevalent and presented the major threat to humans in the area. Some historians claim that the goblinoids were loosely united in an empire called the Tuskfall Empire, and it seems that the six human kingdoms were forced to turn to one another for aid as they were all overrun by goblinoids at one time or another, and contact was lost with the Kingdom to the South-East, which presumably fell to the goblinoid hordes. The six kingdoms continued to band together to repel the orcish invaders, until the tide turned in their favour.
Records describe tales of slave shock troops created and bred by the Tuskfall Empire, the description of which most closely resembles Half-Ogres and Half-Orcs, and that at some point they rebelled against their masters, breaking the threat of the swarms of goblinoids so prevalent in the area. A descendant of Hjalte's line, a man named Byrne, used this opportunity to conquer and unite the six human kingdoms under one banner, ensuring the human claim to the area once and for all. Byrne named this new kingdom Arnhelm, with the lands of the former kingdoms forming the six duchies which make up Arnhelm today.

Early Kingdom History

The founding of the Kingdom of Arnhelm marks the start of the old calendar, which we now refer to as After Founding (AF). Byrne founded his capitol of Byrnholm in Thegnheim, and set about solidifying the unity of the Kingdom, granting Dukedoms to the rulers of the former kingdoms, and finalising the borders. Arnhelm continued to have skirmishes along its Southern border, with the Half-Ogres and Half-Orcs roaming the Azma desert, as well as with Barbarian tribes intermittently encountered in the South. Contact with these three races was unpredictable, with peaceful trade occurring in one encounter, and violent bloodshed in the next, laying the foundations for the uneasy relationships with these races which exists in modern times.
One of the earliest accounts, dating from 73 AF, recounts a brutal and bloody war against Dwarves. This is the first recorded contact with the Dwarves, and exactly what happened to cause the war is unclear. What is clear is that a brutal and bloody war raged for many years, and the records suggest that the Dwarves had driven Arnhelm close to the point of defeat, before they suddenly ceased all hostilities. Historians argue over the validity of these records, as Arnhelm's next recorded contact with the Dwarves is many hundreds of years later, in 623 AF, when Dwarves approached Arnhelm from an outpost in the Shaken Mountains, with offers of peaceful trade. A wary trade relationship was formed, and it would take more than a thousand years for the relationship to grow much closer than the occasional trader or traveller from the Dwarves visiting Arnhelm.
In 144 AF, or thereabouts, the first Gypsies appeared in Arnhelm, claiming to be refugees from a fallen human nation, who had been travelling in search of safe haven. These nomadic people had very strange and different ways of living to the citizens of the Kingdom, and they never truly integrated into society, instead travelling from town to town to avoid wearing out their welcome.
The Royal Shipwrights Guild was founded in 298 AF and built chiefly river vessels that greatly increased and enhanced transport and communication within Arnhelm. It is unclear when the first Leverings were built, but the Royal Shipwrights Guild based in Lake Sota fiercely guards the secret of the creation of these almost impossibly fast ships to this day.
The year 387 AF is notable for two reasons. It is the year of the first recorded Sarr raid across the Hjalten Straits on Arnhelm's western coastline, and it is also the year that the first "Black Ship" arrived on our northern shores. Prior to 387 AF, the only encounters with Sarr were those spoken of in ancient history as ravening catlike creatures on Brasnir, so the notion of Sarr arriving from the continent to the West of Brasnir had been unthinkable to Arnhelm, and the unprepared Kingdom had to scramble to eject these unwelcome visitors. In the years since then, Sarr raids from Asula across the Hjalten Straits have become increasingly commonplace, although they seem to represent no serious threat of invasion. In modern times, there is some sporadic trade with Sarr tribes on the eastern edge of Asula, and even some mostly peaceful Sarr visitors to Arnhelm.
The Black Ship offered a different sort of challenge. A bedraggled group of Elves, seemingly amazed to be alive, was found amongst the wrecked remains of a ship bedecked in black sails and trimmings. At first the people of the Langzerund and Thegnheim duchies took pity on them and assisted the refugee Elves, but over time and with the arrival of additional ships at haphazard intervals over the decades that passed, it became clear that the Elves blown to Arnhelm's shore by the Eye of the World tended to be thieves, murderers or worse. It was established that these Elves washing up on the Kingdom's shore were exiled from their own homeland of Aradur, on a continent the Elves claim lies far to the north, across the Eye of the World and the Dragon Sea. Black Ships still wash up on the coast, and a shanty town has sprung up on the stretch the current brings the ships to, but the Elves do not receive the same level of trust or welcome received by that first ship in 387 AF.
In 689 AF, a riot broke out in an settlement on the outskirts of Byrnholm peopled almost exclusively by Scavengers. No-one knows when the phenomenon of Scavengers began, but they seem to have always lived alongside humans on the fringes of society, as Scavengers are creatures born of otherwise normal human parents. After the riot was quelled, the "Guttercamps" established by the Scavengers alongside human settlements became accepted as an unpleasant but necessary part of life, and it became common practice for humans to leave their undesirable Scavenger offspring in these Guttercamps to be adopted by their own kind.
In 842 AF, contact was established with the Kingdom of Parsendar, another human kingdom that had arisen independently of Arnhelm, lying to the East across the Shaken Mountains. The two kingdoms had some diplomatic difficulties at first, given the differences in culture and outlook, but the Shaken Mountains made warfare impractical, and cordial diplomatic relations and trade were soon established. A period of relative peace and calm followed for many years, but that changed in 1051 AF, when Mad Mage Seward rose to seize power.

Modern Kingdom History

Seward was a minor noble in Arnhelm, and a mage of considerable power, whose ambition exceeded the limitations of sanity. He was a master of Necromancy, and managed to draw many mages to his banner in his bid to take over Arnhelm using the raw firepower of magic backed by a veritable army of undead. In 1051 AF, his conspiracy struck, and he was able to claim the capital city of Byrnholm in a vicious and protracted battle that decimated much of the standing Royal Army. Believing himself to have eradicated the Royal Line of Byrne, he proclaimed himself King, and spread his influence and armies throughout Arnhelm, eradicating any resistance encountered.
Unbeknownst to Seward, the youngest son of the King had survived, having been smuggled out of Byrnholm as a small child by servants loyal to the Crown. King Erik was raised in the shadow of the bleak and harsh rule of the tyrannical Seward, unknowing of his royal heritage, until he was found by a Knight named Reidulf, who was on the run from Seward's forces, having refused to abandon opposition to the evil king. Reidulf spent years training King Erik, and the two of them managed to rally the people of Arnhelm and bolster resistance to Seward. In time, they raised armies from those loyal to the true King of Arnhelm, and in the years that followed managed to liberate much of Arnhelm from the control of Seward and his undead minions. In 1068 AF, King Erik planned his final assault on Byrnholm, aiming to strike for Seward himself to put an end to the Usurper's rule. King Erik's battle plans were betrayed to Seward by Oskar the Traitor, and when Erik's armies attacked, Seward had an overwhelming horde of undead positioned to anticipate him. King Erik's forces acquitted themselves well, but it seemed as though defeat was inevitable, until Seward was himself betrayed.
A mage in his council named Erland had become disillusioned with Seward's madness and excess, and could no longer bear to witness the cruelty Seward was inflicting on Arnhelm and its people. In the heat of battle, Erland struck, unleashing a massive magical conflagration that was assumed to have consumed both Seward and Erland entirely. Oskar the Traitor, seeing Seward fall, made a last effort in service of Seward and lunged at Erik with a dagger. Sir Reidulf, riding at King Erik's side, saw the glint of sun off the dagger and threw himself in the blade's path, giving his life so that Erik might live. King Erik slew the traitor in a rage, and he and his army went on to destroy Seward's forces, both those alive and those undead. King Erik the Great, also called King Erik Mage-Bane, reclaimed the Crown and declared a new calendar. That year was thenceforth counted as 1 AE (After Erik).
Given the role magic played in Seward's ability to wrest the throne, one of King Erik's first orders of business was to prevent such a threat ever arising again. He founded two orders, the Order of the Spirit Slayers to police the use of magic within the borders of Arnhelm, and the Order of the Dark Vigil to guard against any magical threats arising outside the borders of Arnhelm. In 12 AE, rumours reached the Kingdom that Seward was apparently alive in the nearby Kingdom of Parsendar. Rangers of the Dark Vigil were sent to verify the intelligence, and found that Seward's body had apparently been smuggled from the battlefield, and he had been returned by members of his cabal as The Undying King.
The Kingdom of Parsendar was dismissive of the warnings King Erik sent them, and in 15 AE, the first signs of the Plague appeared: a wasting disease that infected victims without regard for race, age or station, and slowly transformed the victim into a rotted undead creature. In 16 AE, King Erik ordered the building of a Great Wall between Arnhelm and Parsendar, to span the length of the Shaken Mountains, to prevent any large scale incursion of undead into Arnhelm. The Dark Vigil approached the Dwarves who had an outpost in the Shaken Mountains, and with the help of the Dwarves, the Great Wall project was started, while Parsendar began to spiral into disorder.
In 31 AE, King Erik passed away and was succeeded by his son, King Altheim. In 34 AE, the first Rapetti Airship arrived from across the Bay of Maresco. While Arnhelm had been aware of the existence of Hoblings on the islands in the Bay of Maresco, but had not had formal contact before this point. Given the undead threat looming across the Shaken Mountains, Arnhelm was initially concerned about the Hoblings' intentions, but the Casa Insulare as the Hoblings referred to themselves were much more interested in building trading ties.
In 37 AE, an undead army came marching out of a pass in the Shaken Mountains past the partially constructed Wall. Much of Arnhelm's resources were tied up in fending off the plague and constructing the Wall. While unable to offer military assistance, the Hoblings volunteered the use of their Airships to ferry men and supplies, and supported the humans and Dwarves in repulsing the incursion, thereby solidifying the friendship between Arnhelm and the Casa Insulare. By 45 AE, it was clear that the Kingdom of Parsendar had fallen, and that Seward in his incarnation as The Undying King held sway over the land that would become known as Drachimier, and construction efforts along the Wall were redoubled. The massive 1680km long wall was finally completed in 122 AE, and to this day, the Order of the Dark Vigil concentrates its forces on the Great Wall.
In 149 AE, there was a brief Mage Rebellion, protesting the measures put in place to control magic in Arnhelm, but it was quickly quelled by the Order of the Spirit Slayers. In 153 AE, The Undying King marshalled a full invasion force for the first time, sending an undead army under his banner to seek a weakness in the Great Wall to invade Arnhelm. The invasion was defeated, but not without cost, as the 3 year war which raged along the Great Wall took a heavy toll in lives. In 231 AE, the first Biata appeared in Arnhelm, looking battle-scarred and travel weary, and telling tales of a far off land. This caused a great stir in the Arnhelm courts, who had never seen such a creature before. The Biata's celebrity soon faded, but the Biata seemed to enjoy life in Arnhelm and chose to settle in Arnhelm, as many of the occasional Biata that find their way to Arnhelm have done.
The last few centuries have been relatively peaceful, which has caused the internal politics of Arnhelm to become more dangerous, as rival nobles vie for power. The Kingdom has weathered countless attacks, minor and major, from Goblinoids and Undead, as well as raids from Sarr, Barbarians, Half-Ogres and Half-Orcs, but overall, things seem relatively stable on Arnhelm's borders. The same can not be said for Arnhelm's internal borders, as the individual baronies shift frequently with the political eddies, and even the counties grow and shrink depending on the favour the Counts hold. This is not without side-effect, as in the last several decades, unrest has been growing more frequent in Svaertstein, and King Torvald is watching the Duke of Svaertstein closely to see how he will handle the situation.

Currency

There are three types of coin in circulation in Arnhelm, although much of the more outlying areas still operate chiefly on a barter system. All official Arnhelm currency is embossed with the silhouette of the King's head on one side of it, with the other side displaying either a shield (on silver pieces), crown (on gold pieces) or throne (on platinum pieces). This leads to the coins being commonly referred to as Shields, Crowns and Thrones. Each peasant needs the equivalent of 3 Shields a week to feed himself adequately. 1 Platinum Throne = 10 Gold Crowns 1 Gold Crown = 10 Silver Shields

The Arnhelm Calendar

A day in Teana is 24 hours long, divided into night and day by the rising and setting sun. Timepieces are rare, so many people in Arnhelm refer to the time of day based on the position of the Sun unless there is a need for greater precision. The Arnhelm week is 7 days long, and there are 12 months in a year, with roughly 3 months apiece to each of the cardinal seasons. In Arnhelm, years were originally marked on the Old Calendar, with years reckoned by how long After Founding (AF) they occurred. Since King Erik overthrew Mad King Seward and destroyed his undead armies, a New Calendar was declared, with the first year of King Erik's reign being referred to as 1 AE (After Erik). The current year is 532 AE.

Founding Date

0 AE

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Alternative Names

Arnhelm

Demonym

Arnhelmians

Leader Title

King of Arnhelm

The Death of Royalty

By tradition, the Royal family does not acknowledge a death of a member of royalty until it has been ascertained that the death is final and permanent. If the royal is successfully resurrected, the inconvenient death will be publicly acknowledged as "a serious injury" or "a grave illness" from which the royal has successfully recovered. This leads to some uncertainty at times whether an injury or illness was, in fact, fatal or not; and has led some of the more fashion-minded nobility to consider it ill manners or "tacky" to acknowledge an "impermanent" death.