The Kingdom of Arginet occupies a large, temperate island in the Ocean Sea. It was founded over a thousand years ago by the legendary King Estienne, said to have been a child of the spirit world, and his enigmatic mentor Corona. Over the years his descendants - the royal and noble houses - brought peace and order to the land, establishing castles, towns, and estates throughout the fertile coastal regions. Though the interior has never been entirely tamed, it too owes at least nominal allegiance to the crown.
Arginet has always had a strong connection to the spirit world. The reasons for this are much disputed: many still hold that it is because of the ‘fay blood’ of the nobility, others say that it is because of the skill of the priests and witches, and some attribute it to the land itself. In any case the facts remain that the spirits take a close interest in the Kingdom, and the Guides are often seen there. This has been a blessing and a curse: on many occasions the Arginese have been able to call on aid from the elements or the ancestors, but conflict in the spirit world has a tendency to spill over into their own politics, and the trials of the Breaking are taking a heavy toll on Arginet.
The geography of Arginet is loosely based on that of Ireland, which is about the right size and climate, and where settlement has for a very long time been concentrated around the coast.
The trials and mysteries of the Breaking have had two direct effects on the Kingdom, and countless further consequences.
Firstly, entities from the spirit world have begun to appear in the mortal realm. Elemental beings have been seen in physical form rather than safe behind the veil - as they are both powerful and alien in their motives, this is understandably a cause for concern. Also worrying is the observed tendency of ancestor spirits to return to their bodies after death. So far this has been sporadic and limited to the recently deceased, but as well as being very unsettling to observers, it causes a huge legal issue. Can you inherit a title from your parent if they die and then return to life? If so, is it legal to assassinate them given that they’ll still be walking around afterwards? These and other questions are already vexing the nobility, and not a few people have expressed concern over what might happen if, say, King Estienne really does come back as the once and future King...
The other, even more pressing effect is the arrival of entities through rifts from other planes of existence. Some of these are relatively harmless, such as hapless humans drawn through from their own worlds, but others are anything but. Previously unknown beasts and deadly creatures are sighted with increasing frequency, and sea travel has been rendered dangerous in the extreme by hungry monsters. Strange storms and mystical phenomena ravage the land. The once-quiet Kingdom has been galvanised into action by these threats, and any possibility of defeating or containing them is eagerly seized upon.
Many of the interplanar refugees and the Arginese who take an interest in such things have gravitated to the town of Fiveways. It’s sited in one of the wilder parts of the island and is notable for the Temple of the Fivefold Way, the origin of the town’s name and a well-known place of contact with Guides. Since time immemorial the Temple has done its best to stay neutral in politics both mundane and spiritual; in the last year it’s taken to providing lodging for refugees, and it now opens up one of its parish halls on a weekly basis as a meeting place for adventurers.