When a coven of vampires begin using the brothel district in an opulently corrupt merchant republic as their hunting ground, it's up to monster slayer Vero to uncover their lair and destroy the predators. Along the way she finds herself drawing clos...
Elf-Steppe: East of the Imperium is the enormous open steppe, home to the nomadic elven khans. The elves keep a rigid caste system and consider humans worth nothing except as slaves. Although it has been more than a century since the last great elven raid on human kingdoms, they are still a source of mystery and fear to most humans.
Helios, King: The Sun God and chief deity of the Pantheon. His worshipers are found all over the planet, but only in small numbers. His worship is deliberately restricted to only the elite, since only they are worthy to directly petition the King of the Gods. His human church is centered in the Imperium. Only men can become sun priests, and they are not permitted to marry or consort with women. Helios is associated with the eastern direction, authority, the color yellow, the element fire, sunflowers, lions, hawks, choleric humors, the high caste of elves, offerings of gold, and the male gender in general.
Imperium: A nation located east of Velois, on the border between human and elven territory. At one time the Imperium ruled the majority of the human race, and most human languages are dialects of Imperial. The vernacular spoken in the Imperium is known as old Imperial and is a trade language across the north. Currently, the emperor has direct control of only a small region immediately surrounding the Imperial City, as well as the nominal loyalty of the Kaiser of Teutonia and the free cities to the south. Imperials are loathed by most other human nations, but have good relations with the elves, who they often trade with in slaves. The Imperium retains its prestige due to its continued role as the center of religious authority for the pantheon gods worshiped by humans, even in other lands. Population: ~1,000,000 Imperial City alone, ~4,000,000 including the other semi-independent city states and rural communities in the elven borderlands.
Luna, Queen: The Moon Goddess and Queen of the Gods. Her followers are found all over the world, and are more common than those of her husband Helios by design. The churches of the Helios and Luna are closely linked. As the moon reflects the sun, she is the intermediary between the lower social classes and the ruler of the universe. Her priestesses are renowned for their knowledge of midwifery and pediatric care. Under normal circumstances, only women can become moon priestesses. Men may be ordained only after undergoing ritual castration- the event is extremely rare, but does happen on occasion. All priestesses are also required to take oaths of celibacy. Luna is associated with the southern direction, the color purple, the element air, mimosa, lionesses, owls, offerings of silver, child care, and the female gender in general.
Lusitan, Kingdom of: A large and powerful nation located on the western side of the Ruby Mountains. Its southern extremities reach the small isthmus which connects the northern and southern continents. The country reaches the coast in the west, and the Ruby Mountains are almost totally impassible, which gives them powerful natural borders. In the north, however, Lusitan has easy access to Umbria giving them a natural avenue for military expansion. Ruled by a hereditary king. Population: ~12,000,000
Oasis Cities: A loosely aligned league of city states built along the northern coast of the southern continent. Each city is mostly independent, and cooperates with the league only so much as necessary to resist foreign invasion. Leaders have tried to turn the league into something more permeant on several occasions, but all have failed. The governments of each city are unique, but tend towards dictatorships, either in the form of a hereditary monarchy or a plutocratic oligarchy. Population: ~11,000,000
Ruby Mountains: A nigh impassible range of mountains which runs north to south between the kingdoms of Velois and Lusitan. The last known dwarven nation is located beneath the mountains and jealously guards its territory, making the area dangerous to cross even in good weather.
Sea Lord: The God of Oceans and Storms. He is most frequently worshiped in coastal region where the economy depends on fishing or sailing, but also inland, where he is invoked for favorable weather in many farming communities. The Sea Lord is associated with the western direction, a very dark blue, sea weed, octopi, the study of runes, and offerings of jade.
Teutonia, Grand Princedom of: A nation located north of Velois, Umbria, and the Imperium. The country is geographically very large, but not as densely populated as the south. Because of its large size, the government of Teutonia is extremely decentralized. Unlike most other human nations, Teutonia still pays nominal loyalty to the Imperial City, and the Kaiser, referred to as the Caesar in the Imperium, is technically a vassal of the Emperor. The connection is more formal than practical- especially considering that the grand prince himself barely controls his own subjects. The Kaiser is an elected position, chosen by the largest landholders in the north on the death of the previous Kaiser. At times the man elected grand prince has been a bishop, in those cases he traditionally styles himself the Archbishop of Teutonia. Population: ~16,000,000
Vampyre: A sentient and corporeal form of undead. A victim drained to the point of death by a vampyre lays dead for a day before rising again as a new vampyre, under the control of the monster who killed them. They often form covens, with multiple spawn living in the same haven and serving a single elder. However, if the elder is destroyed, any surviving spawn are then free to leave and do as they will. The abilities of a vampyre vary, but they invariably become more potent with age. The weakest vampyres may be destroyed by a stake through the heart, but the greater undead must be decapitated, exposed to the sun, or incinerated. The true origin of the most ancient 'original' vampyre or vampyres is unknown.
Velois, Kingdom of: A populous and militarily expansionist nation located on the eastern side of the Ruby Mountains. It is bordered by Teutonia in the north, the Imperium and elven borderlands in the east, and the Republic of Whitegate in the south. The kingdom has recently emerged from a civil war, the War of the Bastards, and is moving towards an absolute monarchy. The country is ruled by a hereditary monarch, and the law of Velois is unique in that it does allow for the crown to be passed to a female descendant, in the absence of any male issue. Population: ~15,000,000
Whitegate, Sovereign Republic of: A nation located on a peninsula extending south into the White Sea. The coastal city is the preeminent naval power on the planet and exerts control over most of the islands in the White Sea, as well as many of the formerly Imperial city states near the water in the elven borderlands. The city holds the papal palace of the pontifex of the Veiled One, who is the patron goddess of the city. The republic is ruled by the Doge, and a council partially consisting of hereditary nobles and partially of elected representatives. Any member of the patrician class may be elected Doge, and the position is held for life. Voting in elections are open to all male citizens, but votes are weighted by economic class. Anyone born inside the city walls of Whitegate, or anyone who can prove the parentage of at least one citizen, is considered a citizen at birth. Citizenship may also be earned through service, often military, to the republic. Population: ~100,000 city, ~2,500,000 republic total.
White Sea: The White Sea is a body of salt water which separates the northern and southern continents. It contains many islands, mostly dominated by the Republic of Whitegate. However, Lusitan, the Oasis Cities, and the papal states of the Sea God also exert their own influence. The White Sea opens into the Ocean on the eastern side.
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Like I said at the end of the last chapter, pretty dry stuff. I have one more post to make which will be some exposition on the calendar and date system. The next story I plan to post takes place years before this one, so I thought a brief exposition on how dates work might be helpful.
And I mean you just read through a glossary to get here. Clearly you're not too proud to read a appendix on a fantasy world's calendar and date system... So why stop now?
Some people enjoy pure undiluted world building text. I don't judge.
As a reward for making it this far, here's a piece of AI art I had made for this story that I really liked, but didn't want to use because of an inexplicable piece of floating architecture in the upper left corner.
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