What’s happening at the moment:

The Realm is the Physical World. The Beyond might have physical existence, as creatures can enter from it, but is a dangerous place. The Beyond is a place from which creatures such as Angels and Demons may visit, through Portals. Portals are places where the veil between the Realm and the Beyond is thinner than usual. They are rare, and there are three known portals. One at the base of the Himalayas, one in Madagascar, one in the middle of the Russian plains. These Portals are considered to be holy sites by all major religions and vital research centres by many Guilds. Each has a tiny, bustling free-state town of sorts around it, as no Empire will officially claim a Portal for fear of turning all Guilds, Churches and other Empires against it.

It was long theorised that there should be a Portal in Europe, but despite it being well-charted by its three Empires, none had been found. A recent Dwarf expedition into the Frankish Sea to find a rumoured Fourth Continent came across an island curiously not visible from the shore, despite its close distance. Divinatory Rituals uncovered the Truth of a Portal somewhere on the eastern edge of this island, and the expedition quickly returned for a larger group to explore the interior. They found a land dotted with ruins of a fallen civilisation, with no settlements other than the occasional village that claimed descendance from shipwrecked mariners. They called this island Mat Sellah.

The PCs are settlers. They are working outwards from the Portal in order to calm [Albion] down.

As well as the PCs, there is a Bishop of each of the four Gods, representative from a Magic College. These NPCs are spending the principal amount of their time building up temples and colleges, rather than investigating the Portal. There will also be representatives from the three Empires of Europe, Names and personalities to come. Settlers are not a colony, but a new free area (Because Canon Law is pretty tight on the fact that no Empire can claim dominion over a Portal). There are 4 Churches, 3 Empires and 3 Guilds. We refer to any of these as a Faction. Guild of Magics, Guild of Artisans and Guild of Scholars. These are pan-national, and membership in a Guild is considered higher than citizenship.

Political info

The Empires of Europe

There is no racial spong, there is just allegiance which can be to an Empire, Guild or Church. Empires are *mostly* one species. It is perfectly possible to be a Human with allegiance to the Dwarven Empire and a free level in Dwarven Rituals.

Elves: The Alfar, Warriors of North Europe

Elves: The Alfar, Warriors of North Europe Elves naturally live a long time ~300 years, but this has been compensated for by a society big on martial glory and promotion by way of dead elf’s boots. You’re typically lucky to hit 60. They are the Empire least satisfied with the last 150 years of peace. They had raided across Europe for centuries, but the establishment of the Human Empire and its cooperation with the Dwarves against piracy drove the Elven Empire into brokering a peace lest they find themselves on the receiving end of an invasion. Since the Treaty of $foo, the Elves have established a huge business in piracy, mercenary work etc in the kingdoms of Asia and Africa. Dwarves and Humans are treated as a lower class of citizens by Elves and tend to do the basic jobs that lets society function while Elves are off a-Viking all over the place or dueling each other to death. What this means in reality is that there is a large professional class who are busy making money and peddling influence while the Elves try to outdo each other. Elves tend to get on fairly poorly with other elves, whom they see as a challenge. Elves have a strong concept of Glorious Combat. To show your superiority over another Elf is Glorious. To raid in warfare or piracy is Glorious, but doing so in Europe is considered Foolhardy and Laughable due to the other two Empires kicking off and sinking your longship and everyone else’s with extreme prejudice. Continuing rivalries with the Ignoble Races is considered somewhat embarrassing, as it is not devoting your time to sparring worthy rivals. Although Elves often trade in slaves, they do not keep them themselves. To keep a well-appointed entourage of servants is a respected display of conspicuous wealth and superiority. Slavery would be the cheap elf’s option. It was an Elf who developed the Rituals of Protection able to shield a body from mundane blows. As the tale goes, they did it in order to crush all comers in the fighting pit before their advantage was uncovered. There’s barely an Elf alive who doesn’t claim descent from them. The Guild of Artisans is in the Alfar capital of Stockholm. Smiths are among the few Elves who have something approaching a natural lifespan, as they are habitually careful to cultivate a reputation for neutrality as well as being hefty muscular types with a variety of weapons close to hand. Worship of Aurelia and Virgus is widespread and popular in the Elfin Empire. OC, this is designed to appeal to the players who want more of a PVP game. The rivalry is deliberately written to be “show you’re better than other elves” as opposed to “pick fights at random”. Culture Inspiration: The Alfar have been described as “Viking Landsknect Elves”. Yes, they’re exactly like that.

Dwarves: Democrats and Seekers after the Truth

The Dwarves like cooperation towards an intellectual or trade goal, they invented the idea of Guilds. Several trade Guilds have their physical home in Instanbul, the Dwarf Capital. They took their name from the time they as a people were enslaved in the kingdoms of Asia. Stunted in cramped mines, they never reached their full potential physically. They now bear the name as a retort to those who once held them in bondage, striving to create the most perfect arts, gain the greatest knowledge of the world. To a Dwarf, family is something that you choose, as opposed to being born into. A dwarf is considered to have reached adulthood once they have sworn to a House. Each Dwarven House is an organisation dedicated to a particular form of enlightenment, be it in mind, body or spirit. The important aspect is not mastery in the house’s subject, but contribution to the cause. So a house of physical enlightenment would respect a nurse as much as they would an athlete. Dwarven research into all things magical and unknown led them to take the art of Talismancy in directions undreamed of by its Human originators. They have developed Ritual Foci, temporary Talismans able to store the intent of a Ritual for a short time. In their efforts to create them, the Dwarven Ritualists developed an even more transient store for ritual intent, known as a Bolstering Ritual. This let small research groups experiment with greater power by Bolstering their next Ritual. Worship of Gordian is popular, as many Dwarves search for the truth of things. Worship of Skepta is outlawed due to the associations with slavery, a crime punishable by death in the Dwarven Empire. Study of Skeptan theology is legal, as censorship would be a crime against dwarven civilisation. The Dwarves operate a rather small, very professional standing military where each soldier is trained to the standard of an officer or elite infantryman in any other army. THey issue regular, oddly specific denials about the existence of any expert hatchet assassins. Dwarf society operates on a Ritual-powered megademocracy that polls each dwarf who is a House member.

Human Empire: Many Peoples, United in Defence

The Human Empire was founded originally by a cult of Skeptans who sought to unite the disparate human tribes and Kingdoms of Western Europe into a force that could break the constant raids by Elves gone a-viking. It was they who decided that as Magic had no master, it should be bound for any of them to use, and so created the art of Talismancy so that any may defend their community with great power. The Human Empire expanded both by conquest and by treaty, expanding from its former monotheistic bent to encompass any of the faithful. Many of the leadership however show strong Skeptan leanings. Human society is fairly militarised, with the Army being heavily involved in the Portal and ruins investigation. There is no formal conscription, however you only get a vote for your local Senator until you have served for ten years as either a soldier or a healer. The military is well-disciplined but hardly uniform, being equipped with whatever the local population could raise a unit armed with. It has a highly defensive focus to its tactics, having absorbed the major tribes of Western Europe two centuries back. Minimum uniform is a <colour> sash worn across the torso. The Guild of Magics started in the Human Empire when the Army decided that Mages would be far more useful in a military role if they could actually be persuaded to agree on something. The level of success this has had is arguable. On the one hand, the Human Empire does extremely well out of being the centre of magical learning. On the other hand, after 358 years of research, Mages still can’t determine the most efficient belief to make use of your Paradigm. The Human Empire is more of a coalition than an organisation with a single driving culture. Kit and cultural inspiration can be quite varied. As a starting point, think “what if all the guys the Romans conquered formed a mutual protection pact and kicked them back to Italy?”

Canon Law: The Treaty of Instanbul

Canon (International) Law applies. Each PC is either a member either their Church or their Empire, and possibly their Guild, until the PCs sign up for a new charter for [Albion], they fall under this auspice. A Tribunal of the Factions may punish offences under Canon Law. Canon Law is there to prevent disputes between Churches, Empires and Guilds. Canon Law also protects Factions which are not necessarily recognised, although they cannot act as Judges. If [Albion] were to become its own Faction, or a Nation recognised by Canon Law, then it could have an internal method of dealing with troubles beyond or supplementary to Canon Law.

Medium and Low crimes are “traditional” Criminal offences commited by unaligned individuals or Faction members. High Crimes are deliberate subversions of Canon Law. These are really really bad and will involved everyones toys being taken away.

For Medium and Low crimes committed by a Faction, its Representatives (The PCs plus any NPCs in a position of power) are the ones responsible for condoning it and therefore the ones who can be punished. Unless a High Crime is committed, in which case things go badly for YOUR ENTIRE FACTION.

How The World Works:

The Soul Inhabits the Body during Life. Divorced from the Soul, the Body is incapable of movement. Divorced from the Body, the Soul is incapable of affecting the Realm. Souls are freed from the Body and enter the Beyond after Death. Bodies are freed from the Soul and return to it the stuff of the Realm after Death.Death and Life are defined by the Soul and Body’s relationship.

The Realm is the Physical World. Sometimes referred to as the Material or the Prime. The Beyond might have physical existence, as creatures can enter from it, but is a dangerous place. The way a Soul sees the world (Paradigm) changes how it can affect it. The more potent the Soul’s Belief, and the more honed the Body, the stronger the effects. The Beyond is a place from which creatures such as Angels and Demons may visit, through Portals. Portals are places where the veil between the Realm and the Beyond is thinner than usual.

What people understand of the Gods’ work:

Gods give Souls a home in the Beyond, although this might not be necessary. The will of the Gods is known through their Angels, who are said God’s agents on the Realm. They are creatures of the Beyond. Each Angel identifies itself with a God. Each God has been identified by 6 Angels. As such, each God has been shown to have 6 separated aspects. Each aspect defines, and is defined by, the God. Each aspect includes a Scripture. Gods seem to want people to follow their Scriptures.

A God is bolstered by the Souls that exist in his part of the Beyond. He can give those who Dedicate themselves to him access to some of that power, access to his own Paradigm, but may choose to remove access to this. Dedication requires a Ritual to the God, in which three of their scriptures are said aloud, and the Dedicant promises to keep them. [This Ritual does not include a specific skill, but should have witnesses].

Gods are bolstered by Belief in them and by those dedicated to them. They look favourably upon those who convert other to their cause, and dislike those who waste the lives of the Faithful. Dying Gloriously is still dying. Gods are not effable. They might have goals unknown to those on the Realm, and their Angels do not share these openly. Empyrealia, the study of Angels, is as much a matter of faith as fact, and some Undedicated study Angels to try and scrute the Gods. A Dedicated Body and Soul together are called a Priest.

How Magic & Effects work:

Paradigms, ways of seeing the world, include being able to force it onto the world. This works because Souls have more energy than just the Body and can affect the world more directly. Paradigms can include the idea of “I’m really tough” and therefore “I hit people hard”.

Rituals are ways of combining Paradigms, more people getting involved means more energy for the Ritual. The person leading the ritual is enforcing a defined worldview, those with them are sharing the belief that this is possible. Rituals going boom will hit the leader the worst.

You have more Soul than your Body “needs” which is why some people can create Revenants, but not many of them (You don’t have LOADS of Soul). Rituals involve putting belief onto the world. Using a given Ritual on the same target more than once in a day is dangerous because you’ve already failed/succeeded.

Why Everyone goes to the “Bar”. Why Plot happens there, Why it gets attacked. and how come only people from there seem to get things done properly.

Portals are the areas from which Angels and Demons enter the Realm. They often do not move much from Portals, as they are also their escape routes. Portals are therefore quite dangerous places. Being near the Portal helps you hear the words of your God, and see a load of other people also interested in similar things.It also means you’re close to where Demons come through, if you’re interested in studying them.

PCs, and some NPCs, have strong Paradigms. This manifests itself as the ability to Dedicate and the ability to use Stamina.

Revenants seem to fade much quicker near the Portal. Even the most powerful Necromancer can’t sustain more than one, and that requires a lot of their energy.

Other Things:

Demons are beings that are not of this Realm, and not associated with Gods. Demons include many classes, and classifications including Elementals, Faeries and Phantoms.Demons seem to have an easier time getting into the world than Angels, but less power. Sometimes Demons don’t enter through known Portals, spontaneously forming. This doesn’t happen for Angels. Demonology is not a crime.